Chapter 1: Protective Measures
It took 2 minutes and 50 seconds to unlock the door. In truth, Su Xiao could have used the remote control to open the rolling shutter door, but there was no response—the power must have been cut off.
With a clatter, he pulled up the rolling shutter door, and a faint smell of dust wafted out from the shop.
Bubu Wang took two steps back, a look of disdain on his face.
"What are you backing away from? We're living here from now on. Don't slack off—all three floors need to be cleaned."
Su Xiao walked into the familiar shop. He had lived here for a long time before. Unlike drifting across the seas, this place gave him a sense of belonging.
One man and one dog began cleaning the entire three-story building. The first floor was the storefront, the second floor was the living quarters, and the third floor was the warehouse, used for storing goods.
During the process, Su Xiao went out once to pay the water, electricity, and gas bills.
By evening, a small accessory shop had quietly opened for business. The lights on the first floor shone brightly. The floor was about 130 square meters, lined with over a dozen shelves filled with various expensive accessories. Jade emitted a gentle glow under the light, while pale yellow amber ornaments looked breathtakingly beautiful.
But none of that mattered—not a single customer showed up.
Su Xiao was perfectly fine with that. He sat at the bar counter on the inner side of the first floor, where a computer and many tools were set up.
Putting down the electric soldering pen, Su Xiao looked at the large number of mechanical components spread out before him. He was assembling a security system.
A soft *ding* rang out as the shop door was pushed open. Su Xiao's hand paused. Bubu Wang, who had been sleeping on a small bed nearby, lifted his head.
"Anyone here?"
A timid female voice came through. Su Xiao didn't respond and continued refining the security system.
"Eh~"
The customer seemed to have spotted something unbelievable.
*Ding~*
The customer left the shop. That's right—this shop's deterrent power was just that strong. The items for sale were far too expensive. If this shop were in the city center, it might get some business, but in this remote area, it was nearly impossible.
After Su Xiao finished setting up a comprehensive trap + security system, his stay time in the real world reached its limit.
After returning to his old haunt, Su Xiao realized that relaxing here was far more effective than traveling around to scenic spots.
Watching the shop while catching up on shows or making small things made the time in the real world pass quickly.
Locking the shop door, Su Xiao went up to the second floor and activated all the traps and security systems.
[Tip: A new derivative world is about to open. The Hunter must return to Reincarnation Paradise. Please ensure there are no witnesses nearby.]
[Transmitting... Transmission complete.]
When Su Xiao's vision cleared, he was already inside his Exclusive Room.
[Hunter Level: Lv.16. Notification will be received 30 minutes before entering a derivative world (after advancing to Second Rank, the advance notice time for the next derivative world is reset, with an additional 5 minutes per level gained). The Hunter will enter the derivative world in one hour. Please wait patiently.]
[Tip: The Hunter possesses one 'Derivative World Multi-Selection Opportunity.' Use it? Yes/No.]
"Use."
[Derivative World Multi-Selection Opportunity used. Before entering this derivative world, the Hunter has one multi-selection opportunity.]
A new derivative world was about to begin. Su Xiao's strength was much greater than before, so he couldn't help but feel eager to try.
Other Contractors often felt some fear before entering a derivative world, but Su Xiao was the complete opposite. Not only did he have no fear, he was actually looking forward to it—looking forward to what opponents he might encounter in the derivative world, or to competing with the strong for treasures.
Moreover, this derivative world was special. Su Xiao would activate his talent awakening mission within it.
After successful awakening, the talent skill's rank would range from E to SSS. He was curious about what rank his talent would end up at.
It wasn't that a powerful talent would necessarily become powerful after awakening. The final talent rank depended on the completion rate of the talent awakening mission.
If the mission completion rate was high, the talent rank would naturally be higher. If the completion rate was low, even a originally strong talent ability would only see a minor enhancement.
Whether the awakened talent ability was powerful depended on personal capability, not on bloodline theory or similar factors.
Su Xiao checked the supplies in his storage space. Food, water, and everything else were fully stocked. He had 10 doses of No. 1 Potion, the only type of recovery potion he carried.
Because of manufacturing the No. 1 Potion, Su Xiao only had 2,300 Paradise Coins left. These coins were reserved for emergencies.
Time flew by, and an hour passed quickly.
[Derivative world about to open.]
[Please choose one of the following derivative worlds for the Hunter to enter.]