This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 379: Three Opportunities

Chapter 379: Chapter 379: Three Opportunities

"You seem to have gotten used to this..." Chen Ke said.

"Honestly, I was almost scared silly the first time, but once you realize something’s off about this place, you start to accept it," Harlowin laughed.

"Why don’t we sneak in... and if we don’t find the safe, we pull out and move on to the next one?" Chen Ke said.

"Don’t take me for a fool, rookie. I’ve tried that, but the rules of this world are just that brutal. You go in, trigger the alarm, get shot to pieces, then start over," Harlowin shrugged.

Chen Ke had nothing to say; it seemed akin to those on-rails single-player games – enter the level, combat is triggered straightaway, no point in arguing.

"Have you ever succeeded?" Chen Ke asked.

"I’ve come infinitely close twice, but trust me, it’s not that easy. Odd things always happen. The first time, I managed to take everyone out and made it to the safe, but died from severe injuries. The second time, I opened the safe, but somehow, I still died," Harlowin said.

"It sounds like someone doesn’t want you to succeed," Chen Ke said helplessly.

"The outcomes aren’t set in stone. Look, in all my attempts, I’ve never had a partner before. This time, I feel it will be different," Harlowin said.

"What’s inside the safe, Ms. Harlowin?" Chen Ke asked cautiously.

"A crucial piece of the puzzle, rookie. Just get it," Harlowin smiled.

"Puzzle? What’s that?" Chen Ke was perplexed.

"Stop asking, rookie. A mission is a mission," Harlowin frowned and pulled a small caliber black pistol from the holster on her thigh.

It wasn’t a Makarov, but the less well-known GSh-18 pistol.

This pistol, a military sidearm adopted by the Russians in 2003 to replace the Makarov, fired 9mm rounds. It was very lightweight, made extensively from engineering plastics.

"Our firepower seems a bit lacking..." Chen Ke also pulled out a Type 67 from his chest; he only had two spare magazines on him.

Harlowin could respawn after death, but Chen Ke had no such ability; once he ran out of bullets, that was it.

But he had Future Vision.

Ever since returning from Norton City, Chen Ke hadn’t used that ability again. Three white dots clung to the bottom of the Killing Aura Bar, replenished once more.

Future Vision could only be used three times in a certain period, allowing for a glimpse into a bit of the imminent future. Looking at the rows of warehouses, counting them up, there were only eight; Chen Ke could help them eliminate three at the least.

"After so many retries, do you have any insights for increasing our chances of winning?" Chen Ke asked.

"Of course, the location of the safe might be random, but I’ve discovered it’s a pseudo-random mechanism; there’s a set pattern to it," Harlowin said.

"A set pattern? That means it appears in a particular warehouse each time?" Chen Ke asked.

Chen Ke wasn’t unfamiliar with pseudo-random concepts. Many grinding games and gacha-style mobile games operated on pseudo-randomness, designed so, game companies hoped to control what players could get and when.

True randomness brings uncertainty, leading to many uncontrollable situations, but pseudo-randomness can create the desired effect.

Like in a ten-pack draw or defeating a monster a hundred times – it’s not about luck, but because someone wants you to spend that much time and money before you finally get what you want.

Thinking about it... is this world’s respawning controlled by someone...?

And what do they desire?

"Its pattern is simple. After more than three hundred deaths, I’ve concluded that there’s a pattern to the pseudo-randomness—three sets, cycling every six tries. For the eight warehouses, lined up in two rows of four, during the first set, the safe randomly appears in warehouses 1, 3, and 8. The second set is 2, 6, 8, and the third is 1, 6, 7," Harlowin explained.

"1, 6, and 8 appeared twice. 2, 3, and 7 have appeared once, so it’s not necessary to check warehouses 4 and 5," Chen Ke said.

"And I’ve been counting the cycles. Sometimes, to test if I’m right, I’d even die on purpose to check," Harlowin said.

"It’s impressive that you can retain your memory after dying. It seems like, in the rules of this world, someone wants you to remember these things," Chen Ke said.

"The catch is, the three sets don’t rotate in order. The previous death occurred in the first set. This time, it’s either the second or third set," Harlowin said.

"The second set is 2, 6, and 8, and the third is 1, 6, and 7... We definitely need to check warehouse 6; it has the highest odds. Warehouses 2, 8, 1, and 7 also have a good chance..." Chen Ke said.

"Coincidentally, the cycle doesn’t start randomly from the first number, so it’s not necessary to check warehouses 2 and 1," Harlowin explained.

"That means, this time, we only have three warehouses worth checking: 6, 7, and 8," Chen Ke said.

"Yes, just those three. The safe will only appear in one of them. But it’s unlikely we’ll get three chances..." Harlowin sighed.

"Ms. Harlowin... I am those three chances," Chen Ke said as he disengaged the safety on his gun and looked at Harlowin.

Harlowin looked at Chen Ke, her gaze filled with a mix of confusion and a touch of surprise.

"So, what’s your name? Why join this operation?" Harlowin asked.

"My name is Chen Ke. I’m here to find a photograph," Chen Ke said.

"A photograph?" Harlowin frowned, as if reminded of something.

"Yes, do you have a photograph on you...?" Chen Ke asked.

"No... but I feel like I’ve forgotten something important, yet I can’t remember what it is," Harlowin looked distressed.

"Ms. Harlowin..." Chen Ke gently touched her shoulder.

"Why do you call me that? Rookie?" Harlowin asked.

"Maybe you’re not actually an agent... this is all just an... illusion?" Chen Ke said.

"Enough, rookie. Don’t talk nonsense. This is our mission; we must complete it," Harlowin said.

"Haven’t you ever questioned this?" Chen Ke was surprised.

Harlowin seemed to have accepted every setup in this space, including her continuous deaths and revivals.

"Overthinking won’t complete the mission, rookie. We just have to accept it," Harlowin said.

With that said, Chen Ke didn’t press Harlowin further on the matter. After preparing his weapon, he accompanied Harlowin towards the warehouses.

After all, the script was set: open door, fight, get killed, and repeat. Hence, there was no need for stealth.

But this time, Chen Ke would bring a different ending to this script.