Deadly Game: Almighty Boss’s Guide to Making Money

Chapter 1230. The Book at Night (18)

As soon as Lin Xi finished speaking, a cold electronic voice rang out.

"Welcome everyone to continue clearing the game. Please collect the three keys of Time, Space, and Shadow within 72 hours to unlock the 'Time-Space Curse Array'. The countdown has begun."

On the screen of the live stream, a bright red countdown appeared again.

"Holy crap!" Bai Yueming continued to complain. "It's pitch black, we haven't even gotten inside the door yet!"

The cold, mechanical sound still echoed in the air above the convenience store.

"In twenty minutes, the convenience store will be completely swallowed by the black fog."

The black fog grew thicker and thicker, and the indoor light grew dimmer and dimmer.

Although human vision can adapt to darkness, it is still difficult to see clearly what is inside a room.

Lin Xi summoned a flashlight.

However, after pressing the switch three times, the light only emitted a faint red light, like a dying firefly.

"Something's wrong! Why isn't the flashlight working?"

As Lin Xi spoke, he summoned a torch and lit it.

Fortunately, the torches still work.

But the fog was still thick, and it was still seeping in through the cracks in the door.

"Everyone, take a look at the contents of the backpack. Has anything changed?"

As she spoke, she found a place to secure the work and quickly checked her backpack.

The compass that was just summoned is still working properly; although the needle is trembling slightly, it is at least not shaking erratically.

A dagger, with no signs of corrosion on the blade.

The packets of disinfectant wipes were unopened and in perfect condition.

However, the half-full bottle of mineral water had already developed cracks, and the water droplets seeping from the cap fell to the ground, only to be instantly enveloped by the billowing black mist and disappear as a wisp of black smoke.

There was nothing else in her backpack.

Looking at the flashlight that had just stopped working, the battery casing had been corroded by the black mist, creating tiny holes, and the battery core had turned dark brown.

"Damn it, I specially packed chocolates for Quan Quan and Xiao Bai!" Bai Yueming cursed.

The chocolate wrappers were sticky and stuck to his hands, and the exposed chocolate filling had already turned black and spoiled.

The snack packaging, which was originally covered in black ash, was now rotting at a visible rate. Dark green sap was oozing from the broken packaging, emitting a pungent smell similar to rotting leaves mixed with rust.

—You're acting strange, vegetables. You're bringing food into dungeons.

—The question is, are we bringing food? Yes, we're bringing food for Quan Quan and Xiao Bai.

—Damn, vegetables, I was just about to eat you and 123!

—Don't be so rigid about gender, hahaha.

—At such a thrilling moment, you guys are actually shipping couples!
—That fog can corrode things, won't it corrode people too!

—Holy crap, just thinking about it is terrifying.

Lin Xi stuffed the compass, dagger, and disinfectant wipes into her backpack.

The others have also finished their checks.

Huang Jingjing's hand, gripping the silver key, was already sweaty, and the character "时" on the key gleamed coldly under the flashing light.

She quickly caught up with Lin Xi, her eyes scanning the shelves.

"Everyone threw away the useless things in their backpacks. Lightening the load will allow us to run faster."

"It's a problem with the black fog!"

Guo Yuelang squatted down and gently touched the black mist on the ground with his fingertips. He immediately withdrew his hand as if he had been burned, his fingertips already covered with a layer of black ash that could not be washed off.

"This fog is corrosive; anything it comes into contact with will deteriorate quickly. But the fog in the air should be fine."

“Give me your hand!” Huang Jingjing said immediately.

Guo Yuelang reached out his hand; a patch of his finger was already corroded. Huang Jingjing immediately began treating his wound.

"Luckily, Xiaolin was there, otherwise you would have been corroded away." Bai Yueming teased Guo Yuelang. "You clearly guessed that the black mist would corrode, yet you still touched the ground with your hand."

“He wanted to see if the black mist was fog or powder,” Lin Xi interjected. “You know Xiaolin is involved, doesn’t he know?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the lights in the convenience store suddenly went out with a "snap".

The sizzling sound became exceptionally clear, and one could even hear the corrosive sound of the shelves as the black mist spread over them.

"Don't panic!"

Lin Xi's voice was unusually calm as she raised the torch.

"Everyone with a light source, please raise it up, preferably a match or a torch. Flashlights probably won't work. The black fog will thin out where there is fire."

"I have!"

Ouyang Xichen's voice came from the right, and with a "click," a small flame lit up in his palm.

Huang Jingjing, Guo Yuelang, Bai Ye, Quan Quan, and Chang Xiaohe all placed torches in the dungeon, and they were summoned very quickly.

But Bai Yueming, Xiao Qin, and Ouyang Xichen didn't have any.

Lin Xi summoned three and handed them to them.

Bai Yueming could actually use fire, but he didn't, probably because he wanted to hide his strength.

As the flames lit up, everyone gasped in shock.

The black fog had reached their feet, turning the once white tiled floor a dark gray, and the shelves that had come into contact with the fog were beginning to show rusty holes.

What's even more chilling is that tiny black threads are writhing in the black mist, like living insects, crawling up the trouser legs and onto everyone's bodies.

"But at this rate, we'll be enveloped by the black fog in five minutes at most!"

Chang Xiaohe stared at his trouser leg, then suddenly jumped back, only to accidentally bump into the shelf behind him.

With a loud crash, most of the shelf fell to the ground, crashing into the black mist and turning into powder.

"Everyone, move closer. Don't all hold up your torches; put some down," Lin Xi said.

Everyone immediately lined up, but just then, a gust of wind blew by and all the torches went out.

“Oh no, even torches won’t work,” Bai Yueming said.

—Vegetables are using a lot of catchphrases today!

In this kind of environment, you use more filler words than he does.

—There are many vegetables too.

—She's been provoked; Teacher Huang has a boyfriend.

He usually talks quite a bit.

The black mist had reached my calves, and I could feel my trouser legs sticking to the mist. My skin felt a slight stinging sensation, like countless tiny needles pricking me.

Huang Jingjing stood next to Lin Xi, and the silver key in her hand suddenly became hot.

She glanced down and saw that the character "时" on the key was emitting a faint white light. The black threads that were creeping up her trouser legs immediately retracted upon touching the white light.

“This key can dispel the black mist!” Huang Jingjing said, holding the key in front of her.

Sure enough, the black mist within a half-meter radius of the key retreated, as if afraid of the white light.

"Great! You go ahead and clear the way!"

Everyone immediately adjusted their formation, placing Huang Jingjing at the very front, with the white light of the silver key drawing a safe zone in the darkness.

Ouyang Xichen walked in the second row, holding a lighter; the light from the flame was just enough to illuminate the path ahead.

Everyone's torches had gone out, but his lighter was still working.

— Ouyang, this lighter is pretty good!

—It should be a prop, not an ordinary lighter.

—A universal lighter?
—I remember someone had a "fire" item, or a skill?
—Are they vegetables?