Player Reload

No need to import into a computer, this flagship sports camera comes with a map surveying feature, projecting a 3D map of Demon City.

"Display avatar."

Midnight Dad said solemnly, the 3D map immediately popped up with floating icons, recording every monster and player he encountered along his escape route using avatars.

"Display time."

Midnight added, and immediately the time he encountered monsters and players was displayed next to the floating icons.

Demon City covers an area no less than a modern metropolis, with sparse players scattered within like pepper.

However, the exceedingly high mobility and fast pace of these players make up for this. It’s still easy to bump into while browsing aimlessly.

While checking the map, the group left the courtyard and returned to the corridor, where Midnight Dad used a large barrel of bottled water to wash off the grime, put on clean clothes, and sprayed on deodorant, restoring his magnate demeanor, and summoned a Cadillac pickup.

The pickup connected to the map, accessing intelligent driving, carrying the group along the wall—logically, moving along one side will eventually lead to the endpoint.

"Players affected by Demon City are governed by greed yet retain some capacity for independent thinking. These people are cunning, using communication base stations to send distress signals, setting traps to lure others.

Or reverse psychology, pretending to fight by making loud noises, luring in players wanting to act as a third party to snatch cheap gains and loot."

Midnight Dad was well-versed in these tricks, "The good news is, due to greed, red-eyed players will constantly suspect their companions, leading to chaos even among members of the same guild.

Therefore, the number of gangs is usually 3-5 people, never exceeding 15.

As long as we don’t encounter gangs of over 10 people, we should be able to handle most Demon City monsters."

The vehicle turned a corner and a patrol of gorillas appeared ahead.

Upon seeing the car’s bright headlights, the gorillas covered in thick fur paused, then raised rudimentary wooden spears and shields, charging rapidly.

Hansel poked his head out of the car window, exoskeleton-arm fitted with a small Gatling gun spinning rapidly, unleashing a burst of bullets easily piercing the wooden shields, leaving the gorillas riddled with holes.

"Dropped equipment."

In the pool of blood floated a shrunken, dehydrated human head, skin dark, hair messy, lips and eyelids sewn with hemp rope.

[Item Name: Shivaro Harvest]

[Type: Accessory]

[Quality: Fine]

[Special Effect: Soul Nourishment. Passively activated, increasing Sanity Value limit by 100 points when worn. Cannot be simultaneously effective with other sanity-increasing accessories]

Accessories don’t occupy hands like weapons and shields, already easy to sell. If passively effective, it’s easier to fetch a good price.

Hansel politely accepted the loot.

"Shivaro... Shivaro..."

Midnight Dad stroked his beard and pondered: "Headhunter Clan?"

"What headhunter?" Gray Rain, sitting in the back seat, browsed the local version of Douyin without raising his head: "Human Resources HR?"

"A branch of the South American Indians. Primarily distributed near Ecuador and Peru borders."

Li Cheng said: "The Shivaro people are known for the shrunken head technique, during tribal wars, they cut off the heads of enemy captives, separate the skull,

sew the eyes and lips, boil them, stuff them with hot sand to accelerate collagen fiber contraction, causing the head to shrink to fist size—

they believe this method traps the enemy’s soul, used for ceremonial celebrations."

"Somewhat barbaric." Hansel casually noted.

"Not as barbaric as Europeans."

Midnight Dad blinked and added: "The Shivaro were tribal people, the creation of shrunken heads was simply tribal tradition. The number was small.

Until the mid-19th century when European explorers and naturalists arrived, exchanging shrunken heads for firearms, selling them massively to Europe for the pleasure of rich people.

Leading to rapid commercialization of tribal tradition, tribal feuding entered a vicious cycle—if they didn’t sell heads, they’d be hunted by other firearm-wielding tribes.

Meanwhile, Europeans continued to enjoy moral high ground, both admiring and criticizing this ’barbarism’."

Hansel felt awkward hearing this, "Uh... I’m Canadian."

"Canadians are colonizers too... never mind."

Midnight Dad didn’t dwell on the topic, turned his head, and saw Li Cheng examining the gorilla corpses on the ground, his expression subtle, asking immediately: "What’s up?"

"The ears and earlobes of these gorillas are pierced like traditional Shivaro people, wearing bone, wooden accessories. Plus, their genes are 100% human, just activated differently.

They are Shivaro people."

Li Cheng flipped over a gorilla corpse, a string of human heads hanging from its waist, clearly less exquisite than the one Hansel obtained.

The mouth of the shrunken head faintly reflected metal, cutting open the hemp rope revealed a necklace chain with a stainless steel name tag inside.

Engraved with laser technology, it contained an English name, social security number, blood type.

"US military dog tags, accurately, USMC Marine Corps soldier dog tags."

Li Cheng methodically cut open mouths of other heads, as expected, the rest also contained USMC dog tags.

This is quite strange, in the real world after 1930 Ecuador and Peru governments prohibited head trade, now the Shivaro shrunken heads sold in antique shops are imitated with monkey or gorilla heads.

What’s the deal with the US Marine Corps?

Li Cheng pressed the shrunken head, simulating Skull Reconstruction Technique in his mind, restoring the original appearance of the shrunken head, mostly white, Black young men, few Asian.

Doesn’t match any player’s profile entering [Netherworld Purgatory].

White Horse Tombstone saw Li Cheng’s expression and asked: "Did you discover something?"

"An immature assumption." Li Cheng put down the shrunken head and shook his head.

"Let’s hear it."

Hansel, who had seen Flynet video highlights, aware of Pifu’s strategic abilities, eagerly said: "Any guesses, share them, teammates can help spot flaws.

Like when you escorted the astronaut during the Tremor mission, once told Wanli Sealed Blade ’The gathering is a ball of fire, the scattering is a sky full of stars.’"

Li Cheng was quite surprised: "Yeh? You remember that."

"Yes, our vice-president Blood Lion Roar specifically recommended us to subscribe to your Flynet channel; I even have record of likes, previously left comments hoping to add a friend..."

Hansel took out his phone, just about to play chummy,

only to be sternly rejected by Li Cheng with a wave of hand, "Sorry, my friend slots are too limited, if you want to add, might I suggest participating in Hyrox more often to shed the carb face—also recover your subjectivity,

start at least from testing MBTI, exercise your prefrontal cortex to break free from the Odyssey phase,

only then leverage generational arbitrage based on your strengths, reject short-term choices, aim for upward social networking, break through echo chamber barriers,

transform native pure marriage style outfit to innocent white flower style, ultimately achieving A4 big result.

Talent is a cruel thing to say the least."

???

What-what-what were they talking about?

Hansel looked perplexed, Midnight Dad bewildered, seeing this, Gray Rain lifted his head from his phone to explain, "Hyrox is sweat-inducing fitness, MBTI is a personality test, Odyssey phase is post-graduate transition period, native pure marriage style is..."

"Alright alright, got it, no need to explain further."

Occasionally catching Douyin videos on TikTok, White Horse Tombstone wiped the cold sweat, "Business first."