Who gave you permission to travel through time with Earth?

Chapter 55 The Novelist's Pawn

"……Oh."

Iron Shield sneered disdainfully, but this time it wasn't directed at Fang Jin, but at the recruiters behind him who were looking around. These guys must have thick skin to dare to try and curry favor with him.

But mockery aside, the iron shield couldn't really drive them away. Who knew what kind of risks the exhibition hall's facilities might pose? If the rules were for multiple people to pass through, wouldn't it be suicide for him to crash in alone?

Iron Cover sneered as he opened the wooden door and walked in, not even bothering to look back. The others looked at each other and followed. As the last person stepped across the threshold, the wooden door closed automatically without anyone having to do it.

...The entire museum was suddenly deserted.

……

As for Xu Hao and Guo Shi... the actual situation was even worse than Fang Jin and the others had predicted.

Almost the instant they stepped into the strip of sand, the soft white sand beneath their feet changed. A deep blue boundary rose from the earth, and the white sun magnified infinitely before their eyes.

What is most eye-catching is a deep blue chess piece, the size of a mountain, standing outside the chessboard, its cross on top shining brightly in the daylight.

The plot of land was evenly divided into sixteen squares, each square covered by a blue barrier, which even included the remains of the dead star, firmly supporting one of the squares.

The entire detached area seemed to be condensed into this narrow chessboard.

"Where the hell am I?"

The boxer was completely stunned, and the others were no better off. Such a shocking sight left them speechless for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

And all of this was caused by... Guo Shi stepping on something, kicking out the chess piece that Chen Yuanqing had buried under the sand and stones, and then they came to this world.

As the instigator, Guo Shi felt a buzzing in her brain, as if low-frequency sound waves were exploding in her ears, and the intense dizziness almost made her vomit.

Xu Hao's brows furrowed at first, but then gradually relaxed. After taking a large gulp of liquor, he muttered to himself:

"Technological side...or mythological side? Anyway, equipment with spatial properties is something even I've never seen before. That bastard really picked up an incredible treasure."

"...But this scene must be fake."

"As expected of the old man, his vision is truly sharp!"

A flippant voice came from beneath the sand. The boxer was startled at first, then grabbed a handful of sand and lifted it up, revealing half of a dark green walkie-talkie. It vibrated slightly as the man spoke.

"If such a scene could be brought to life, it would undoubtedly be a piece of equipment of mythical quality. I would be laughing in my sleep if I could find it. But obviously, scavengers don't even dream of such a thing."

"The sky is fake, the scenery is fake, even the sense of distance is fake. You can imagine yourself being locked in a pure white room the size of a basketball court, with the walls covered in optical camouflage."

"...But you really can't get out."

His last words were tinged with a cold laugh. The two traps had ensnared both groups at the liquor party. Chen Yuanqing clearly had reason to be proud; the entire situation was under his control from the very beginning.

And clearly... the boxer didn't understand. He took two or three steps across a quarter of the "fallout zone" and then slammed a heavy punch into the dark blue barrier without hesitation!

"Thump—"

The chessboard barrier rippled a few times, but without a trace of damage. Instead, it was jolted back in a daze, its large body falling to the ground at Guo Shi's feet.

"..."

He's right.

"Are you thinking with your muscles?!"

Guo Shi instinctively retorted, and then he and President Xu Hao opened the panel almost simultaneously, aiming at the huge blue chess piece on the horizon and scanning its equipment properties.

The verification method is simple: if this is not North City, but the internal space of that chess piece, then the room itself should be part of the equipment, and the system should be able to extract the equipment information.

Equipment Name: The Novelist's Piece

[Equipment Quality: Excellent (Tier 4)]

【Feature 1: "Conception" creates a 4x4 material space upon contact with the earth, which can be used for storage, loading, and transportation. It can hold living creatures, but the user must personally enter and guard it.】

【Feature 2: "Inspiration" The physical space has 16 divided rooms, two of which can be swapped with pre-marked spaces outside, but the airtightness must be guaranteed, and the length, width, and height should be consistent with the original room; otherwise, a regular distortion will occur.】

[Equipment Requirements: None. The item is bound to the player upon pickup. However, regardless of whether the player is the wearer or an outsider, they must remain in one room for a full fifteen minutes before proceeding to the next room.]

[Note: Inspiration is plagiarism!]

"...What a fierce baby."

Old Xu smacked his lips, as if burned by the strong liquor in the gourd. Possessing two spatial properties simultaneously, even in his knowledge, this treasure was among the highest quality equipment.

"Fortunately, it's not a complete dead end."

Guo Shi said in a deep voice. She was actually very anxious; the scale of the punitive expedition had far exceeded expectations. However, the voices she heard gradually calmed her down.

"The equipment's characteristics have at least two advantages for us. First, we don't have to worry about being trapped and abandoned on the board, as the holders of the pieces are also trapped here."

"Secondly, the 15-minute time limit: once we overcome any potential ambushes in a room, we will have 15 minutes to adjust, during which time we will be absolutely safe."

"Make good use of these two advantages, break through the ambush and reduce the enemy, and force the scavengers into a corner of the chessboard. This is our victory condition."

"...Perfect analysis! Xu Hao, you actually have such an excellent subordinate? After wiping you out, I'll definitely recruit her..."

"Bang!"

The old man stomped the walkie-talkie to pieces. After that, they didn't need to let the kid know what they were supposed to do. He then looked at Guo Shi with great satisfaction and said with a smile:

"I was worried that you might not have a stage to perform, since it's difficult for a low-level Nen Master to unleash their full potential. But it seems I was overthinking it. You may not be well-known, but you are truly outstanding."

"Are you interested in officially joining the shochu club?"

"...Let's talk about it after we all survive."

Guo Shi was in a bad mood. He found a rock and sat down casually, lowering his eyes to feel the vibrations transmitted by the mental threads, while reporting the details on this side to the other side.

She and Fang Jin maintained contact and exchanged information and intelligence, which was the reason they split into two teams from the beginning. Their intelligence advantage allowed them to deduce more complex things.