In an instant.
Gu Ji felt the world in his line of sight gradually darkening, as if a gray filter had been applied.
Was the mission completed?
He looked toward the cockpit beside him, where Mr. Neifer lay with eyes wide open, not at peace, his golden wheat-spike shoulder epaulettes stained with blood, and the scattered golden bullet casings nearby. "So this is the golden truth, drenched in blood..."
"What did you say?"
After finishing her call, Jillian reflexively asked.
"Nothing."
Gu Ji shook his head.
Soon, his field of vision became increasingly dim, as if his soul was being stripped away, switching from Jiang Songyuan's first-person perspective to a third-person view, overlooking the desolate land.
Overturned armored cars, blood, Type 56 assault rifles, the mottled light and shadow of the muzzle, the dusty terminal building of Laird Airport.
As Gu Ji immersed himself in this desolate scene, the tense BGM music from an FPS game began to play, and the system's voice started echoing in his ear, while a string of unique text appeared in the left part of his vision:
[Ultimate Goal: Laird Airport Massacre (Resolved)] ★★★
[Terrorists Eliminated: 4] ☆
[Civilians Rescued: 794] ☆
[Hidden Objective: Find the Golden Truth (Completed)] ☆☆☆
[Deaths: 3]
[Total Time: 1 hour 23 minutes 42 seconds] ☆
After each game system calculation, a few colorful five-pointed stars appeared, and when the last line ended, the text disappeared, and the stars transformed into white light, converging into a point.
[Final tally: Total ★★★★☆; Rating: Perfect! (Ratings are divided into Satisfactory, Good, Excellent, Perfect, and Extremely Perfect)]
[You have earned 8.4 Crisis Points!]
[You have received a White Mark Chest lv1 (stage limited)!]
[You have unlocked all basic features of the Crisis Management Game (non-DLC version)]
From the final results screen, it is clear that five blank five-pointed stars are required to exchange for a solid star, and deaths did not add stars, indicating just barely a passing score; if he died one more time, it would probably have deducted stars.
As the final line of text disappeared, Gu Ji's vision gradually returned, as if his spirit was wandering, initially seeing Laird Airport, where military personnel were still handling aftermaths, and anxious passengers were queuing to register information and report damaged belongings.
On the second floor of the airport, janitors were mopping the blood off the tiles.
Figures like Felsen, the Afro guy, the middle-aged policeman, Jamie…
Silhouettes flashed by, and finally, like a newborn opening its eyes, Gu Ji returned to the first-person perspective. In a daze, he was pulled onto a black helicopter from the United States Embassy by Jillian, yet he could no longer control "his" body, feeling his head becoming drowsy until he completely slipped into darkness…
[Congratulations on completing the game!]
"Phew…"
Gu Ji suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath, staring blankly at the computer screen in front of him, which was still displaying Steam's storefront. The familiar white tabletop, the bunk bed with iron frames above and below, blue curtains, windows draped with deep red sunset.
This is… my dorm?
I've finally returned!
"Yo, you're awake so soon?"
Unable to check himself thoroughly, a voice sounded from above and behind him.
Gu Ji quickly turned around to see a young man, also in training attire, with a buzz cut, sunken cheeks, and prominent cheekbones, looking as sharp as a monkey - it was Gao Bo!
He rubbed his eyes: "How long did I sleep?"
"You woke up a few minutes after I got back, around three to four minutes? At first, I wanted to wake you up and let you sleep on the bed, but you didn't respond when I called you twice."
Gao Bo put down his phone, his eyes shifting, suddenly showing a mischievous grin: "Looking this sleepy, tell me, did you sneak back earlier in the afternoon to reward yourself in the dorm?"
"Get lost."
In response to Gao Bo's teasing, Gu Ji wasn't angry at all.
In dorm 7472, there are six people; he ranked sixth, and Gao Bo ranked fifth. Both are from the north, with similar interests and habits, plus they shared a bunk bed, so they got along the best. Apart from frequently causing mischief together, they even partnered up for special training, earning the nickname "Chicken Neck Duo."
"I'm telling you, your mom asked me to make sure you study hard…"
Gao Bo chattered on, but Gu Ji didn't hear a word; instead, he went straight to the dressing mirror on the dorm wall.
The reflection showed a tall figure over 1.8 meters, with muscular build, a buzz cut, carrying a widow's peak, his slightly raised sword eyebrows full of vitality.
"This look is still pleasing to the eye..."
Gu Ji unconsciously raised his wrist, the style of the smartwatch identical, but the body had changed from the man-bun-wearing "Jiang Songyuan" to himself.
He noticed the time displayed on the watch: 18:54.
"Just as Gao Bo said, I only slept for about four minutes, but the game world saw almost an hour and a half pass; every second of it was lived through by me, no deception."
Gu Ji vaguely remembered washing his face when the game had finished downloading, only a few minutes different from now. "Could it be a different time flow speed?"
At the thought of the game, the Crisis Management Game's interface suddenly popped up in front of him in midair, startling him.
Against a black background, there were four main pages: Character, Research, Items, Levels.
He clicked on Character.
Character: Gu Ji
Level: 0
Central Nervous System: 12.1 (affects memory, information processing, psychological state, physical coordination, etc.)
Skeletal Muscle Movement: 13.5 (affects muscle strength, endurance, explosive power, bone density, joint activity, etc.)
Cardiovascular Circulation: 11.9 (affects nutrient supply, hormonal distribution, bodily homeostasis, metabolism, etc.)
Sensory Organs: 11.6 (affects information reception and cognitive degree)
Digestive System: 10.7 (affects food intake, transport, digestion, and nutrient absorption, providing energy)
Immunity: 11.2 (affects innate and acquired body resistance)
(The average value of various attributes for a normal human male is 10 points.)
Current Remaining Enhancement Points: 0 (3 points are gained upon leveling up)
Current Remaining Mark Slot: 1 (new slot unlocked at level 3)
Perhaps since completing the level, the game fully unlocked all functions, no longer playing cryptic games. When Gu Ji clicked on each attribute, there were relevant explanations appended.
This should be the result of the game system visualizing his real physical data.
Until he saw the words "Enhancement Points."
"Gulp..."
Gu Ji swallowed in slight astonishment, "This means that not only in the game world, but I can also enhance my physical body in reality?"
My God!