After a stroll over the second floor, Leonard Churchill and the girl with the mechanical arm returned to room 2013.
This was the place where they planned to ambush the Fallen Witch Sect.
If his teammate had no intention of adventuring to other storeys, Leonard naturally wouldn't either.
Both of them planned to hold out here after killing the monsters.
This Alternate Dimension was a "Survival Mode", all they needed to do was survive for three days and they could leave.
They just had to survive this night for now.
...
"Finally, everything's set up."
The girl with the mechanical arm placed the last card down in the room and murmured to herself, "If it weren't for the numerous restrictions in this space, we wouldn't need to set up such an intricate barrier."
The most important thing was to find an appropriate bait, the catastrophe would then surely come to this room.
Leonard watched silently as she arranged the cards following a specific pattern in the room and chose not to ask.
Including room 2013, rooms 2022, 2034, 2045, 2066... Nine rooms had been set up with a total of 108 cards.
There were also several rooms which were clearly set up as decoys, likely to keep people from seeing her complete setup.
Leonard noticed this but chose not to say anything.
What he was more interested in were the cards themselves.
The cards with mysterious rune patterns were the sources of the "magic" that he had seen before.
These magnificent magic cards.
More than once, Leonard heard the term "Curse Card Master" from the girl and surmised that the power hierarchy of this world seemed to be related to cards.
Moreover, the physical capabilities of the humans of this world seemed to also be incredibly unusual.
Earlier, Leonard had quietly observed the girl's actions.
She could easily push and pull a heavy iron door that would take him all his strength to budge, her neural reaction speed was unnaturally fast, and her physical strength was abnormal...
Leonard estimated that just from her strength alone, she was at least "5.0", multiple times his own "0.71".
Action sports athletes from his old world couldn't reach this standard.
And from what the girl said, all of this was not divine strength, but something regular people in this world could achieve.
Extraordinary power, magic cards, catastrophic monsters, steam equipment...
These pieces of the puzzle painted an increasingly strange picture.
It was then that Leonard started to realize just how unique of a world he had entered.
....
The girl finished everything then sat down on the floor.
The cloak she wore shrouded her entire figure, adding to her mysterious aura.
There was nothing left to explore on the second floor, all that was left to do was wait for nightfall, wait for the witch to come to them.
At this time, she glanced at Leonard sitting on the bed, took out a red liquid tube and said, "This is an energy potion produced by the Hydrei Alchemical Potion Factory. If you drink it, you'll feel better. Of course, it costs 8500., if we manage to get out, the money will be deducted from your spoils of war."
"Sure."
Without any objections, Leonard took the tube that was thrown to him, and without any hesitation, he quaffed it down after pulling the cork off.
The taste was refreshing upon entering his mouth, his parched body got a sprinkle of nourishment, and he suddenly felt more relaxed.
Taking another look at his body attributes, they seem to visibly recover slowly.
Seeing him decisively drinking the potion, the girl with the mechanical arm seemed a bit surprised and asked, "Aren't you afraid it's poison?"
A flash of nonchalance crossed Leonard's eyes, and he countered, "Is it really poisonous?"
Last night, the catastrophe drained away half of his life. Now, just taking a stroll will cause him to pant. He guessed that if anything unexpected happens and he did not drink the potion, he wouldn't even have the chance to escape.
There was no point in hesitating when there were no other choices. Apart from wasting time, it held no other meaning.
Stumped by his counter-question, the girl stammered before answering, "No."
The gas mask obscured her face, making it impossible to read her expression.
But she thought this kind of decisive teammate would make their cooperation smoother and less verbally taxing.
Quite good.
Leonard did not linger on this topic. Instead, he asked, "So, what do you want me to do tonight?"
When the girl with the mechanical arm heard they were finally talking about business, she perked up and explained carefully, "The Fallen Witch Sect excels at mind control and is invincible against swords and spears. Even if Yan is damaged, she can repair herself. So, you mustn't act recklessly to kill her... As soon as she reveals her weak-port when trying to extract human essence, that's the best time to kill her."
"..."
As he expected, they needed his cooperation to kill the monster. Leonard wasn't surprised in the slightest.
He understood now, he had to lure the monster with his body, wait for it to reveal its true form, then strike?
It sounded risky.
The girl already had the entire plan laid out, there was no need for him to interject.
But he was more curious about something else.
After a moment's thought, Leonard finally voiced the question he'd had for a while, hinting, "You seem to have a good understanding of this monster."
She understood this teammate of hers all too well.
It was like playing a video game. This sort of off-the-cuff killing strategy would be impossible without having killed many times before.
But she had said before, no one had ever killed this monster. Moreover, almost everyone who had seen this monster had died.
Cooperation is based on a certain level of trust, so this question was not out of the blue.
The girl with a mechanical arm apparently knew she would be asked this question and directly responded: "Although the books in Sinless City are scarce, I happened to have seen this rare catastrophe in one of the books I read. When I heard from the information merchant that there was a 'Fallen Witch Sect' in the Alternate Dimension, I came to take a look."
Sinless City?
It seemed like a place name.
Leonard Churchill quietly noted it down.
Listening and showing neither agreement nor disagreement, he didn't believe everything she said was true.
Even though they just recently met, many things could be inferred from minor details.
This girl's gear was excellent. She could easily give a not-so-cheap potion to a stranger, she was obviously not short of money.
Though she tried to hide it, the unintentionally revealed demeanor of her actions couldn't be masked.
Wealthy, knowledgeable, well-educated... Why would a person like this personally risk hunting monsters?
Unless she was 100% confident she could get out, or there were other factors forcing her to come.
A sense of mystery filled the air.
But Leonard Churchill didn't think it was a bad thing. The stronger his teammate, the better it was for him at the moment.
After all, the death rate in the Alternate Dimension was close to 70%.
Leonard Churchill tactfully refrained from asking more, and the two of them sat quietly in the room.
Before long, he noticed that across from him, the girl sat cross-legged, and an invisible energy field began to wrap around her body gradually.
It seemed to be some kind of breathing method or a meditation-like secret skill for cultivation?
Leonard Churchill watched in secret amazement.
The two of them silently spent several hours together, tacitly not speaking.
The "Energy Potion" helped greatly. After several hours of recovery, Leonard Churchill's physical data recovered about 20%.
Although the "Weak" tag on the attribute panel was still there, it was much better than before.
At least his hands didn't shake when holding that big revolver.
Finally, night fell.
...
Inside room 2013.
Unbeknownst to them, the familiar "click" "click" of metal sounded.
The iron doors of the entire second floor were being locked.
Night had come.
This was when monsters went on a rampage. They would roam in the corridors, killing any humans who didn't hide in the rooms.
The girl with the mechanical arm also looked at the pocket watch on her mechanical arm, then she turned to Leonard Churchill, who was leisurely lying on the bed. Her tone was slightly surprised: "You seem more composed than I anticipated."
A Class-B catastrophe was imminent, and she didn't know why the man before her was so calm.
Leonard Churchill also sat up and casually replied, "Panic is an excessive negative emotion for humans. It only disrupts hormone secretion in the body, leading to some misjudgments. It's of no help in solving problems."
"..."
The girl with the mechanical arm did not agree or disagree.
She knew this guy's calm wasn't for show. During the several hours they had been waiting, she had noticed his observing gaze.
And she had been observing him too.
In the Alternate Dimension with a high death rate of up to 70%, an ordinary person would hardly be able to maintain composure, especially when facing an imminent Class-B catastrophe.
She just couldn't understand why such a seemingly rational guy would come in so recklessly?
As though she thought of something, the girl added: "When the monster comes, if you're still conscious, try to maintain this composure as much as possible. Monsters don't like food with a weird smell."
"Hmm."
Leonard Churchill chuckled. Was she afraid he would wet his pants in fear?
But just as he was about to continue the conversation, the girl suddenly seemed to sense something. Her expression turned serious instantly: "Get ready, the witch is here!"
Leonard Churchill sensed it as well.
Becasue he saw a familiar Enlightenment: 'Mental Erosion Exemption'
Since the distance was too far, the mental contamination didn't cause any substantial damage.
But obviously, the monster was right outside the door.
And getting closer and closer.
PS. The new book has been launched, seeking all kinds of support, brothers help me~
Votes, please!