Chapter 3
It was midnight. Everyone in Sector D was asleep.
Coughs, groans, and mutterings rose and fell, like a symphony of despair.
I opened my eyes.
He rolled out of bed, moving slowly and quietly.
Climb out of the shelter through the ventilation duct—the duct was narrow, barely wide enough for one person to crawl through, and filled with rust and grime.
After climbing for more than ten minutes, we finally saw the exit.
Push open the cover of the vent.
Outside is an ice field where the temperature is minus fifty degrees Celsius.
I stood in the snow, the moonlight shining on me, and all around me was deathly still.
We walked toward the frozen lake.
The snow crunched underfoot, a sound that was especially clear in the quiet night.
The moonlight shone on the ice, giving it a deep blue glow, like a giant mirror.
I chiseled a hole in the ice at the original spot—the fishhook easily pierced through the half-meter-thick ice layer, and ice shards flew everywhere.
Put down the fishing hook.
The fishing line sank into the dark, icy water.
wait.
This is my fifteenth ice fishing trip.
In the first fourteen times, I fished up all sorts of treasure chests—bronze, silver, gold—and opened them to get all sorts of items and abilities.
Frost control has been upgraded to LV5, and extreme cold domain has been upgraded to LV3.
I can now control hundreds of ice spikes simultaneously, which can lower the temperature within a radius of 100 meters to minus 150 degrees Celsius.
The fishing line suddenly sank.
The tension was greater than ever before.
I pulled hard.
The fishing line was taut, making a buzzing vibration, and the fishing rod was bent into an arc.
A purple treasure chest slowly emerged from the water—larger than any treasure chest seen before, measuring a full meter square, entirely purple, with intricate runes carved on its surface, radiating a mysterious light.
The treasure chest landed on the ice with a dull thud, causing the ice to tremble.
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a rare purple treasure chest]
[Enable?]
"Start."
The purple treasure chest opened automatically.
A dazzling light emanated from within, so bright that I had to squint.
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the legendary item - the Mark of Truth]
[Item Description: This item can forcibly project a specified memory scene onto a large area, preventing all viewers from looking away for 10 minutes.]
[Number of uses: 1/1]
A transparent crystal appeared in my hand—about the size of an egg, crystal clear, with a faint light flowing inside, like a living thing.
I held the crystal.
The scene from that day at the supermarket flashed through my mind—my mother-in-law, Martha, tricked me into going to the warehouse, locked the iron gate, drove away, and heard the cold laughter and insults over the radio…
The time for revenge has come.
I was just about to pack up my fishing rod—
Three figures suddenly appeared on the opposite bank.
They carried flashlights and ran hurriedly towards this side.
There's someone over there!
"Grab him!"
The three burly men, all dressed in black leather jackets and with sticks at their waists, were members of the underground gang in the shelter.
I stood still.
It didn't move.
They ran closer and closer.
Fifty meters.
Thirty meters.
Ten meters.
When they got within ten meters—
I raised my right hand.
A thought arose.
Three ice spikes instantly condensed, drawing three blue trails in the air.
The sound of something cutting through the air rang out.
Pfft—
Three muffled thuds.
The ice spikes pierced the throats of the three men precisely, exiting from the back of their necks and drawing out a cloud of blood mist.
They didn't even have time to make a sound before they collapsed on the ice, blood gushing from their wounds and spreading across the ice, quickly freezing.
Three bodies lay on the ice, their eyes still open, unable to rest in peace.
I walked over.
Searching for the body.
A crumpled note was found in the gang leader's pocket:
Find an opportunity to get rid of John Smith , the new guy in District D. He'll get two cases of canned food in return. —Tom
The handwriting is messy, but still legible.
I put the note in my pocket.
I dragged the three corpses to the depths of the frozen lake—the extreme cold domain activated, and the ice beneath my feet melted instantly, revealing the black lake water.
Throw the body in.
The lake has refrozen.
Everything was restored to its original state.
Clean it up.
I turned on the radio.
Switch to the shelter's public channel.
A grand awards ceremony will be held in the central square in three days.
"Awarding the highest honor to the families of martyrs"
"The commander will personally present the award."
"All shelter members must attend..."
One last look at the frozen lake.
The moonlight shone on the ice, and everything seemed normal, as if nothing had happened.
"Three days later."
"Let me show you how martyrs come back to life."
