Chapter 1 The Worldview is Cracked

【Worldview cracked, player: Feng Bujue, receives 200 skill points as reward. The team can now view the script's world rules in the expansion options of the task menu】

【Current mission has changed, main mission has been updated】

【Escape the island, or kill Reigns Ford.】

"F*ck me!" Feng Bujue cursed, slapping himself twice. "Why did I have to look!"

He stood up with the paper, examining his status in the game menu. He had rested for about twenty minutes, and his survival value had only returned to 34%, but his stamina value had recovered a bit more, now at 4521400. But the problem was… could he complete the main mission in this state?

"Huh? My specialization has improved." Feng Bujue noticed that his general specialization in the menu had changed, rising to D-level.

General specialization is directly proportional to the acquisition of skill points, although there is no absolute exchange rate between the two, it can be used as a reference. Whether it's a combat-type player who can take on ten enemies at once, or someone like Feng Bujue who can often crack worldviews, as long as they push the script's progress, it will be counted towards the accumulation of general specialization experience, which is very similar to skill points.

Generally speaking, the more scripts you play, the higher your general specialization level will be. So this is a specialization that anyone can raise to A-level. The difference between a master and an average player is just that they can reach the top faster. Of course, there is also S-level above A-level, but that is not a conventional specialization level, and not everyone can unlock it. We will discuss this concept later.

Right now, Feng Bujue cracked the worldview for the second time, and his general level also improved. He himself didn't feel any sense of accomplishment, because this cracking had nothing to do with reasoning, but relied on luck, carefulness, and courage.

In other words… you need luck to find the bones in this mountain depression, you need to be careful enough to find the small iron box, and you need to be daring enough to read that paper…

Anyway, now that things have come to this, he has to think of a countermeasure. The five-hour survival time limit has been cancelled, and Ford will come after him no matter what. Getting killed is only a matter of time.

Moreover, according to Feng Bujue's estimation, even the time… is probably running out, for two reasons:

First, this is a non-sleep mode script. From the players' discussions on the forum, it can be seen that the real time required to clear a team script in this mode is at most four hours, and most can be resolved in twenty minutes to an hour. And this script that Feng Bujue is experiencing has already taken about ninety minutes of real time. It would have been fine if he hadn't read that paper, but now it might actually speed up the script's pace.

Second, Zaroff had written it very clearly, Ford is very likely not human, so it wouldn't be surprising if he grew wings and flew over.

It can be said that the notes on that paper were really well described - once you read these, everything will become different.

Sure enough, after reading it, the setting of this script changed from a realistic thriller to a magical horror style…

"This main mission is a choice of two… kill the Boss or escape the island." Feng Bujue sneered. "Hum… if I could take down Ford single-handedly in my current state, I would have rushed up with Yi Dao Qing Cheng a long time ago." He licked his lips, habitually tapped his forehead with his finger, and then stroked down his nose. "The problem is… even the real General Zaroff couldn't escape this island, how can I, a player who just arrived here, succeed?"

He once again picked up the note and placed it in front of his eyes, pondering deeply. Although he had memorized most of the content, it was obviously easier to watch it directly.

"Heh… this is difficult." He smiled from the bottom of his heart.

In this world, some people are addicted to food, some are addicted to women, and some are addicted to some white powder…

But Feng Bujue is addicted to thinking. Investigation and reasoning, solving dangerous situations, and surviving desperate situations, these three things can bring incomparable satisfaction to this narcissistic guy, so he enjoys it.

"Ford, who returned to the island, has amazing physical fitness, almost unlimited stamina, doesn't need to sleep or rest, or even eat; he can kill fierce hunting dogs with his bare hands; some kind of sense allows him to detect the movements of creatures at extremely long distances; he is bloodthirsty and cunning… but the desire to kill is obviously a higher priority, otherwise, with his shrewdness, he would not risk attracting outside attention by constantly increasing the frequency of hunting ships." Feng Bujue transformed the content of the letter into simple information, reciting it silently to deepen his impression, while the unimportant decorative parts were thrown into the corner of his mind. "He is so eager to kill, why doesn't he just kill people directly, but instead use the game invented by the General… Ford doesn't have to do these extra 'hunting' tricks, he doesn't need to control Ivan to be his servant, he doesn't need to raise those hunting dogs, and he doesn't need to impersonate the General, but he did all of them without exception, why? Is it really just to seek stimulation?"

Feng Bujue's thoughts went into a dead end, but he quickly turned around and came out: "Wait…" He looked at the paper again. "The sailor Zaroff met before his death died because of a tiger attack, and Zaroff himself also died in the wild. They weren't killed by Ford himself." Feng Bujue thought, "The animals were introduced by Ford. When he talked about the Spanish sailors being torn apart by Ivan and fed to the animals, he seemed very natural… and when talking about his own hunting of humans, he just copied the lines of Zaroff in the original novel."

"Also… if he wants to seek stimulation and enjoy hunting, why did he release the hunting dogs to chase the prey at the beginning… If I was bitten to death by the dog, what would he hunt?" Feng Bujue muttered, "Could it be… he is actually the incarnation of some evil god standing on the animal's side? The eyes of an eagle, the speed of a leopard, the ears of a wolf, the strength of a bear?

He is doing so much, maintaining and cultivating the wildness of the beasts on the island, just to let 'animals' hunt 'people' here?" Feng Bujue then thought, "But Ford's ability to communicate with animals seems to be no different from ordinary humans. Except for the hunting dogs he domesticated, the other animals on the island are not driven by him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to kill the three dogs released by Zaroff in the second contest."

Feng Bujue analyzed many characteristics of this Boss, but still didn't understand what Ford was.

"It seems I have to go back to the castle to find more clues." Feng Bujue sighed. "No matter what way you choose to clear the game, going back is the only option. The reason why General Zaroff couldn't escape this island is that… the way to leave the island is hidden in the castle, and that is the only place on the entire island he can't go to. This is the only way to explain why the former island owner would eventually die in the jungle."

"Oh… I really shouldn't have looked, what should I do now… go back to the castle? My stamina value is less than a third, and I have to rest at least once or twice on the way back. Even if I can avoid Ford and successfully return to the castle, I will definitely be exhausted, and then I have to sneak in… but then it will be dawn…" Feng Bujue scratched his head irritably, messing up his hair.

"I thought you would die before the other two, I didn't expect that you could survive until now alone, and… it seems you have discovered some interesting things." Ford's voice suddenly sounded in the darkness.

Feng Bujue reacted quickly, while lowering his body and retreating quickly, he shined the flashlight in the direction of the sound.

Ford stood on a rock at a high place with his hands behind his back. Some moonlight shone on him, illuminating his grinning face. "You must be wondering now, why I appeared here so quickly."

"To be honest, nothing can surprise me anymore." Feng Bujue replied, he didn't rush to turn around and escape, just kept a distance from the other party warily. He knew very well that if this Boss wanted to kill him, he wouldn't need to speak, just attack directly. So this conversation at the moment should be part of the plot, an important opportunity to obtain information.

"Heh… traveler from another world, I think you have learned about the deaths of your two companions through some method." Ford said, "You must have thought just now that I killed them."

Feng Bujue understood what he was going to say next, so he continued, "So… they died at the hands of something else. And you, from the beginning, came after me."

"Hahahaha…" Ford laughed. "Feng Bujue." He actually called out the player's ID. Before this, only X-23, as a derivative, had called it that. "Lord Samodir sends his regards to you."

"Huh?" Feng Bujue was stunned when he heard this, then widened his eyes, and repeated in a louder voice, "Huh?"

…………

【One day… you… will… pay… the… price… it… won’t… be… long…】

…………

Samodir's last lines flashed in Feng Bujue's mind, and he asked, "You actually have a relationship with Samodir? I say… Brother Ford, may I ask what year it is now? Also… is this Earth?"

"What year? Hum… what does that matter? One era of mankind is just a small wave in the river of time, what does the location matter? Do you really know where you are?" Ford patted his clothes. "This bulletproof vest of mine comes from a certain era of the so-called future. And you, Feng Bujue, come from a place I don't know. But do these things really matter?"

"Ha… haha…" Feng Bujue chuckled a few times. "That makes sense, then can I ask how you got involved with Samodir, and what exactly are you, Mr. Ford?"

"I am naturally still a person, but I obtained some extraordinary abilities from Lord Samodir." Ford shrugged and replied, "Many years ago, I survived Zaroff's hunting game and left this island on the small boat he gave me. But that boat didn't eventually return to the world I knew, but instead went to an unknown place.

There, I encountered all kinds of unprecedented things. Those experiences made the religious and scientific knowledge I used to believe in seem worthless. Do you know why humans are always seeking 'answers' but always come to wrong and stupid conclusions? Because 'the truth' is not something we can accept.

Seeing the future is equivalent to taking away the future, understanding the truth will lead to the negation of oneself, or even destruction.

If the apes knew the use of fire, they would no longer eat wild beasts raw; if the people thousands of years ago knew about the existence of medicine, they would not directly kill and bury the sick; if the people hundreds of years ago knew the truth about religion, they would not burn innocent women alive as witches…

And I, after learning some things, became like this."

"Hum…" Feng Bujue sneered at his words, and he threw out a key question, "What is the deal Samodir made with you?"

Ford replied calmly, "I provide him with tired and desperate souls, and he gives me eternal life and extraordinary power." He paused, "After Zaroff died, I tried to lock up all the castaways and torture them, and then kill them. But I soon realized that there weren't that many cells in the castle, and Ivan and I were a bit too busy."

"It seems that Boss Sa's order demand is very large…" Feng Bujue sneered.

"I have to thank Zaroff for inventing the hunting 'human' game. The final result proved that this method is the most efficient." Ford said, "I don't have to do it myself, I just need to announce the rules to those people, and then watch them fend for themselves in the cracks between fear, despair, and the instinct to survive."

"I see, so I understand…" Feng Bujue said, "Then, the real port for entering and leaving this island must be under your castle, right?"

"Hum… you are indeed as shrewd as Lord Samodir said." Ford sneered, "That's right, there is a hidden river channel under the surface of the island, which leads from the underground of the castle to the westernmost side. There is an exit below a cliff there that only appears at low tide. But even if you find that place, it's useless. The only few ships on this island are all in my castle."

"Okay, it seems I can't escape." Feng Bujue said thoughtfully, "Then… you didn't immediately kill me at this moment, but told me these things first, are they all Samodir's intentions?"

"Heh… of course." Ford smiled. "Your soul is the one that the Lord wants to harvest the most. I would like to ask, are you tired and desperate enough now? If not, I can wait. Heh… how many days do you think you can survive on this island? Can you last longer than Zaroff?"

"You underestimate me, Mr. Ford." At this time, Feng Bujue's mentality became very relaxed, and he teased this Boss, "I just happen to be one of the most survivable creatures in this world."

"Hmm? Are you trying to say that you are not human?" Ford replied.

"If you can be considered human, then of course I am human." Feng Bujue replied, "But, as we all know, creatures like Aliens, SCP-682, Chinese people who can't get special supplies, etc… are all extremely tenacious existences. It's useless to just let me fend for myself."

Ford was silent for about five seconds, "Although I don't know what you are talking about… I seem to understand your point of view. In that case, I will solve it myself…"

Before the "you" could be said, Feng Bujue ejected like a cannonball, instantly rushing dozens of meters away. Only a deep footprint was left where he stood, and it seemed that there was still a trace of heat with a bloody smell left in the air.

Ford smiled hideously and chased after him. His movements were not much slower than Feng Bujue's when using Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu (Spirit Consciousness Gathering Technique). With a light tap of his feet, he could leap several feet. He floated towards the direction of the other party's escape, and became faster and faster. Every time his feet exerted force, his body was like an arrow leaving the string. This guy was really unbelievably strong.

In terms of strength, Feng Bujue could not be Ford's opponent. Even Yi Dao Qing Cheng, in full condition, only had one breath left after being hit by an elbow. With Feng Bujue's current survival value, he definitely couldn't withstand a single hit. So he didn't care about the consumption of Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu (Spirit Consciousness Gathering Technique). Anyway, it would be taken away with one hit, so what if it dropped to 1%?

In this contest of speed, Feng Bujue could still fight with the other party. But even if his absolute speed and explosive power were slightly better, the distance between Ford and him was still gradually shortening.

The two had different levels of familiarity with the terrain. Moreover, the pursuer could watch the actions of the fleeing party to instantly judge the condition of the road ahead. Feng Bujue had to constantly confirm the path ahead while running for his life, so as not to step into the air or enter a dead end. If his dynamic vision hadn't improved so much, he would have crashed into a tree like a pig long ago while running wildly in the jungle with a flashlight.

Two figures, one in front and one behind, were traveling rapidly through the dense forest in the darkest moment before dawn. The former was like a bullet constantly ejecting, repeatedly supporting and accelerating with the help of the surrounding things; the latter was like a dragonfly skimming the water, light and agile, not falling behind at all.

This contest didn't last long. After more than a minute, Feng Bujue's survival value had burned to less than 10%. At this moment, if he took the initiative to stop Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu (Spirit Consciousness Gathering Technique), he would not be able to turn it on again. He could only grit his teeth and continue to burn blood, which could last for about twenty seconds.

Ford was getting closer and closer, gradually coming to a distance of about ten meters. At this moment, the two's vision suddenly opened up. They finally came out of the jungle and came to the Death Swamp in the southeast corner of the island.

Feng Bujue didn't care at all. With the mentality of risking his life, he tried his best to rush towards the surface of the swamp. He stepped over the surface of the mud with lightning speed. His figure actually successfully skimmed over it, and finally stood on a rock dozens of meters away from the edge of the swamp. This was one of the only few footholds in the large mud swamp.

When he stood still, Feng Bujue's survival value also reached the bottom, with only 1% remaining. Now, if a bee stung him, he could die on the spot.

And Ford stopped at the edge of the swamp, without going forward.