002 Scum of the Mortal World
"There's a pistol too?!"
Xiu Nan's eyes lit up.
After all...
Which boy doesn't like shooting pistols?
He decisively scrolled the mouse wheel, and two weapon icons appeared in the lower right corner of the screen, both rendered with simple lines.
The first was a fist, the second a pistol.
Wow... Kaxiu the assassin drew his gun swiftly.
A finely crafted black pistol was firmly gripped in both hands.
A crosshair appeared ahead, a circle with a dot in the center, aimed at a distant old tree.
Now in first-person view, Xiu Nan couldn't quite see Kaxiu's gun-drawing action. He wanted to watch it again, so he switched to third-person perspective for a closer look.
He saw Kaxiu's hand reach quickly to his waist, his arm flicking up, and the pistol appeared instantly in his grasp. The gun-drawing move was clean and smooth, giving a considerable advantage in a sudden encounter.
Switching back to first-person view.
The gyroscopic pistol in Kaxiu's hand was exquisitely made, with dark gold spiral patterns on one side.
He opened the item description panel.
[Name: Gyroscopic Pistol]
[Type: Firearm]
[Level: Ordinary (Upper)]
[Description: The gyroscopic pistol originates from the Golden Spiral Assassin Organization. It fires 9mm Balatam rounds, has a total length of 225mm, weighs 0.87kg empty, muzzle velocity of 346.7m/s, and an effective range of 68 meters.]
[Features: 1. Shooting Accuracy (10/10) 2. Durability (9.5/10) 3. Power Index (9/10) 4. Overall (9.5/10) 5. Robust frame, resistant to damage]
This was quite a good pistol. The description indicated it came from the Golden Spiral Assassin Organization, likely where Kaxiu had been before retiring.
"Press 'Q' for standby action, select '3'"
Kaxiu responded quickly.
His arm whipped around, and the gyroscopic pistol spun on his finger, blurring into a streak. The trigger clicked repeatedly, and Xiu Nan found the sound strangely pleasing.
Left mouse button, shoot! Bang!
The pistol froze in place.
A bullet shot out from the muzzle!
"Wuhu! So cool!"
With that single shot, Xiu Nan felt delight.
The pistol's feel and shooting feedback were both excellent.
Under the sunlight, the gyroscopic pistol didn't reflect light. Its surface was coated with a matte polytetrafluoroethylene layer, giving it a smooth feel.
Just looking at it brought comfort.
He operated the keyboard, and the character began to move.
Kaxiu ran forward, spinning the pistol restlessly in his hand. Players used to shooting games always had this quirk—never idle, always switching weapons.
The screen was awash in vibrant green, trees encircling the scene. Kaxiu would need at least a few minutes, maybe more than ten, to reach the main road.
"Bang!" A sudden shot rang out through the woods.
The screen abruptly blacked out, and Kaxiu collapsed. Blood gushed from the gaping wound in his forehead; he died with his eyes open.
"Someone ambushed me?"
Subtitles slowly appeared on the screen, resolving the mystery.
[Character Kaxiu the Assassin has died...]
[Time: June 7, 2017, 15:08]
[Page 2/3]
[Location: Violet Garden]
[Killer: Kaxiu the Assassin]
[Murder weapon: Gyroscopic Pistol]
"I killed myself!!!"
Xiu Nan was shocked.
[Achievement system unlocked...]
[Achievement: I killed myself!!!]
[Reward: Born to Court Death (1/4)]
[Warm reminder: While we understand your desire to be a stylish cowboy, please do not perform gun-spinning actions after disengaging the pistol's safety and chambering a round. Otherwise, you'll not only be foolish but also endanger yourself and others!]
"Well, that's elaborate..."
Rather than being angry, Xiu Nan found himself even more interested in the game. Some of its mechanics were impressively realistic...
[Nine Lives Cat (8/9)]
Luckily, eight lives remained for reckless play.
He respawned, still on the same patch of ground.
Kaxiu crawled out once more, as scruffy as ever, his suit seams packed with dirt.
Xiu Nan clicked the mouse to make the character run swiftly, scenery streaming past on either side. Through his headphones, he heard Kaxiu's increasingly labored breaths.
"So there's a stamina bar, too."
Above the character's head, two horizontal bars merged together. The upper likely represented health, the lower was the slowly draining stamina bar.
A brief pause rapidly restored stamina.
As Xiu Nan ran, he tested various keys: sprint, roll, and even functions like jump, climb, and crawl.
On screen, a tall figure in a black suit squeezed out of the dense forest and onto the park avenue.
A signboard on the left directed pedestrians.
Xiu Nan guided the character forward; the surrounding scene was so realistic, it felt like an actual park. Even the stones on the ground and weeds at the roadside could be interacted with.
Even the signboard could be taken down.
"Press 'F' to pull"
Kaxiu now held a signboard, and, to his annoyance, a signboard icon also appeared in the weapon slot. This meant the signboard could be used as a weapon.
Xiu Nan scrolled to switch to empty hands.
In third-person view, Kaxiu slung the massive signboard over his back, the handle secured by a belt.
It wobbled as he ran.
"Isn't it going to fall off halfway?"
Xiu Nan worried, but his concern proved unnecessary. No matter how much it shook, the signboard wouldn't drop.
"Hah, this game isn't that realistic after all..."
He curled his lip in mild disappointment.
Following the cobblestone path, he pressed on. In the distance, a few tourists appeared—some walking in groups and chatting, others resting on benches.
"NPCs?"
Xiu Nan instantly perked up.
He controlled his character to dash over like a wild dog.
Unfortunately, the NPCs all dodged to the sides of the path, casting wary, almost insane looks at Kaxiu, who carried a signboard on his back and acted oddly.
"Seriously? The character I created has pretty high charisma!"
Xiu Nan felt aggrieved.
[Page 3/3]
But fortunately, in the middle of the cobblestone path stood a little girl in a pink dress, holding her lollipop aloft.
Kaxiu walked over and crouched down.
The giant shadow of the signboard enveloped the girl.
"Finally, I can interact."
◎ Interaction possible
Xiu Nan saw a circular icon appear above the girl's head, and quickly clicked the mouse to bring up options.
A. Give her the signboard (Neutral NPC)
B. Give her a shot (Neutral NPC)
C. Steal her lollipop (￣3￣)
D. "Little girl, where are your parents?"
The first two options were grayed out; neutral NPCs couldn't be attacked unless hostile. The third was mischievous, the fourth more proper.
As a player with an oddly upright worldview...
He obviously chose... C!
Character Kaxiu suddenly snatched the lollipop from the girl's hand, wiped it on his sleeve, and stuffed it into his pocket.
Xiu Nan opened the inventory, took the lollipop out again, and selected "eat"—he wanted to see its effect.
Kaxiu dug the lollipop out of his pocket and, right in front of the girl, licked it greedily.
"rerorerorerorero..."
Unfortunately, nothing happened—perhaps it was just sweet?
"Uuu..." The little girl began to cry, wiping her eyes as she sobbed, her pitiful appearance filling Xiu Nan with guilt. Before he could act further,
A group of indignant male NPCs rushed over, about six or seven in all, intent on subduing the lunatic who vandalized public property and bullied a child.
Xiu Nan chose to resist!
Strength check initiated!
[Check failed!]
Kaxiu was seized by the crowd.
A cutscene played: a swarm of police officers rushed over to subdue him. During the scuffle, Kaxiu's pistol fell from his waist. Unsurprisingly, he was slapped with a pair of silver handcuffs and escorted out of the park by the police.
The final scene showed three or four police cars flashing their lights as they sped toward the distant city, the view gradually pulling upward.
[Character Kaxiu the Assassin has died...]
[Time: June 10, 2017, 12:00]
[Location: Crescent City Third Psychiatric Hospital]
[Killer: △△ Organization]
[Murder weapon: Purple Rose Pistol]
A moment later.
[Achievement system unlocked...]
[Achievement: Scum who steals candy from girls]
[Reward: Born to Court Death (1/4)]
[Cumulative: Born to Court Death (2/4)]