"Forced escape item?"Gu Ning felt a surge of joy. Although it came with the two limitations—requiring 10 seconds of preparation time and no observation by native inhabitants—this item could save him from the punishment for failing a main mission: exile! Its value far exceeded what its quality rating could express.Especially after witnessing the tragic scene where the Poison Sting squad was exiled, and the man in bronze armor was shredded into pieces by chaotic space-time currents, Gu Ning appreciated the preciousness of the Token of the Stowaway even more."Is this kind of forced escape item really rare?" Gu Ning asked."Very rare. Don't be fooled by its C+ rating—it's an exclusive product of the Spirit Realm," Su Xiaoxiao explained. "With the development of psionic civilization, many pieces of equipment, potions, and even skill books can now be crafted by Awakened. That's why standard gear, common potions, and low-level skill books all have relatively stable prices. But items like this forced escape tool—no Awakened can make them; they can only be obtained from the Spirit Realm."Gu Ning narrowed his eyes. "Since it's a welfare benefit for second-phase members, there must be a relatively stable way to obtain it."Su Xiaoxiao gave Gu Ning a surprised look, then nodded. "Indeed. When Awakened venture into the Spirit Realm, they earn faction merit points. If you visit a faction quartermaster and have high enough reputation—or just enough luck—you might be able to buy one.""Quartermaster?"Gu Ning remembered—back in the Flesh Plague: Origins dimensional world, the Brandon faction also had a quartermaster, that officer named Zweig.But Zweig's quartermaster list hadn't included any forced escape items. Maybe Gu Ning's reputation wasn't high enough yet.Of course, another possibility was that the Brandon faction's quartermaster inventory simply didn't have such items at all.Su Xiaoxiao continued enthusiastically, "Since you've just joined the Genius Camp, the organization will arrange for you to enter the 'Bone Crypt' instance once, to assess your potential. The Bone Crypt is a virtual instance our Divine Strategy Army created based on the Borderlands... you've heard of the Borderlands, right?""I've heard a little. It's said to be where the Spirit Realm and reality intersect," Gu Ning replied."Exactly. And once the Borderlands are under Awakened control, they can be used to design virtual instances similar to mirrored spaces, based on the Borderlands' own data."Su Xiaoxiao's smile was pure, totally unlike that of a thirty-something woman. "When you enter the Bone Crypt, make sure you give it your best shot. To help cultivate talented newcomers, the organization has placed many virtual treasure chests inside. Any virtual rewards you draw can be redeemed for free at the quartermaster's warehouse afterward...""Alright, Xiaoxiao, stop fangirling. Go fill out the paperwork and get Gu Ning's ID card ready. While you're at it, apply for his personal info terminal too."Li Ling, who had been reading nearby, put down her book, stood up, and walked over. She first shooed Su Xiaoxiao away, then turned to Gu Ning:"Since Xiaoxiao has already mentioned the Bone Crypt, you should go challenge it right now to test your potential. Before you complete the Bone Crypt trial, you are not allowed to use your 'honor credit quota' to redeem quartermaster goods. I don't think I need to explain why... I'll contact the school and see if I can get you into a good high school.""Thank you," Gu Ning said sincerely. Of course he understood why the organization prohibited using the honor credit quota in advance.The Bone Crypt trial was essentially a "baseline test" to assess a newcomer's talent and potential, as well as what they could gain from a trial mission world. Using credit in advance would skew the results.And there was another reason: the Bone Crypt would surely yield some random rewards. If you redeemed items in advance and they overlapped with what you later earned randomly, it would waste honor points. It was smarter to see what you got from the Crypt first, then spend points to fill any gaps."No need to thank me. I just hope this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea. The college entrance exam isn't that easy..."Before leaving, Li Ling muttered, "Trying to make a name for yourself through the entrance exam? You're really a dreamer..."As Li Ling left, Gu Ning's gaze returned to the handheld computer.Faced with a dazzling array of equipment, Gu Ning quickly swiped past them. What he wanted to see were combat skills—not to learn them now, but to get a sense of the different skill types Awakened possessed, so he'd know how to handle them in the future.
[Heavy Strike: 1-star skill. Use a melee weapon to briefly charge up and strike the target, dealing extra physical damage. If it hits the opponent's head, it causes a concussion effect that reduces their movement speed by 5. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Cost: 100 honor.][Leap Slash: 1-star skill. Perform a mid-range leaping attack at the target, causing slight knockback and extra physical damage. Cooldown: 120 seconds. Cost: 300 honor.][Spinning Throw: 2-star skill. Throw your weapon to hit a distant opponent, dealing moderate damage and interrupting their current action. If unobstructed, the weapon will fly back into your hand. Cooldown: 120 seconds. Cost: 1,500 honor.][Whirlwind Slash: …]
"Xiaoxiao! Huh, Sister Ling's gone?"As Gu Ning was browsing the skill list, two teenagers came out from the inner corridor of the hall and bumped into Su Xiaoxiao, who was holding the paperwork to process Gu Ning's ID card."Show some respect! Call her Aunt Su!" Su Xiaoxiao scolded, hands on her hips."Okay, Xiaoxiao! No problem, Xiaoxiao!" the two boys laughed, unfazed.Su Xiaoxiao quickly deflated and switched to a smiling face. "Let me introduce—this is a new member of the second phase of Genius Camp. He's an enhanced elite tank!""A new member of Genius Camp? Enhanced elite?"The two boys were visibly shaken and extended their hands to Gu Ning for a handshake and name exchange.The one on the left, scholarly-looking in a school uniform, used the codename Qilin. The burly, dark-skinned boy on the right went by Black Tiger. Both were elite-class Awakened.Qilin's first reaction after recovering was, "Thank goodness you're a tank. Wow, looks like Golden Bull's position is in trouble now.""Not necessarily," said the towering Black Tiger. "Golden Bull has been in Genius Camp for almost a year now. His level advantage isn't something to take lightly."After chatting a bit, Gu Ning realized that while these two were young, they were very mature—understandable, given they'd survived the life-and-death trials of the Spirit Realm.Black Tiger was quite chatty. According to him, the most outstanding members of Genius Camp's second phase included six people, all with animal codenames—among them were Qilin and Black Tiger.The "Golden Bull" they'd just mentioned was the elite-class tank among the six, an indispensable pillar of the team.Since Gu Ning's tank role didn't clash with theirs, they showed no hostility toward him."Gu Ning, you just joined Genius Camp—you haven't taken the Bone Crypt trial yet, right? Come on, we'll take you to find Instructor Chou," Black Tiger said warmly, pulling Gu Ning along.Qilin added, encouragingly, "Yeah! Give it your best shot. If you do well, you could even earn a free pass to train in the Borderlands!"Currently, there was only one enhanced elite in Genius Camp's second phase—a sharpshooter codenamed Mad Dog. Now that another enhanced elite had arrived—and a tank at that—of course they were curious.There was also another reason: neither of them fully accepted that "enhanced elite" meant better. As elite-class Awakened, they didn't think they were inferior—maybe they'd just been unlucky during their trial missions.If Gu Ning's performance was mediocre, well, too bad—this was a place where strength spoke for itself.