A burly gang leader, who had once known nothing but violence, was now kneeling at his feet, weeping and wailing. The sight was truly jarring.
But thanks to this "Elder's" reminder, Luoshu finally remembered his gunshot wounds.
Miscalculation!
If he hadn't been in such a hurry to activate Reverse Warping to evade the Kant Counter's tracking, "The God" might not have immediately resorted to the nuclear option.
If only he'd taken the time to treat his injuries back at Site-CN-06 instead of fleeing right away.
As a medical-oriented site, Site-CN-06 was well-equipped to handle everything from infectious diseases to parasites—let alone simple gunshot wounds.
But it was too late for regrets now. Fortunately, his injuries were only superficial, not life-threatening.
All he needed was proper disinfection and wound care.
The problem? Medical resources in this city were scarce. Otherwise, Eule "N" Lau wouldn't have thrived here as a doctor, becoming the first person to escape this game.
With the "help" of these rough-handed gang members, Luoshu's wounds had successfully become infected.
By that night, he was burning with fever. Sasha, the game's heroine, tended to him all night, but his condition only worsened.
By the next morning, his injured leg had turned black with necrosis.
At this rate, amputation would be the least of his worries—survival itself was in question.
In his delirium, Luoshu felt parched.
He was now too weak to speak, so in a haze, he flipped open The Anomalous Item Catalog to page 23—Anomalous Item-109: Infinite Canteen.
He took a sip of the "water from the stars."
The moment the liquid touched his lips, his mind cleared instantly, and he fully grasped his predicament.
Mission 3 was far harder than the first two!
A mere gunshot wound had nearly killed him!
At this point, he had no choice but to rely on another ability.
He turned to page 60—Anomalous Item-CN-982: The Right Thing.
That's right. Luoshu was going to use the 24-Hour Action Guide.
This was the perfect tool for navigating a game.
As for using it in the real world? No thanks.
First, the 24-Hour Action Guide didn't actually tell you the right thing to do—it guided you toward whatever would bring you the "maximum satisfaction."
Pay attention to those words: maximum satisfaction.
Life wasn't perfect. Everyone experienced joy and sorrow, bitterness and sweetness.
Anything that promised ultimate fulfillment was either a lie or an illusion.
For a degenerate, the Guide might encourage crimes with a minimum three-year sentence.
For an addict, it could lead to a euphoric overdose—literally.
Sure, these things brought maximum satisfaction—but whether you'd regret them afterward wasn't the Guide's concern.
Its only job was to ensure you were satisfied within 24 hours.
After testing the Guide in both this world and reality, Luoshu had learned to approach it with caution—no dependence.
But in this game world, where there were no system prompts, as long as he applied his own judgment, he could discern what to follow and what to ignore.
For example, the Guide's first suggestion was: "Clean the wound with water from the stars."
A perfectly sound idea.
It finally dawned on Luoshu—the Infinite Canteen's water could cure anything.
If he'd used it earlier, he wouldn't have suffered so much.
After following the Guide's advice, his wounds healed rapidly, and his spirits lifted.
Now, he could finally focus on Mission 3.
On this matter, the Guide's suggestion was: "Take Sasha and flee far away!"
Honestly, this suited Luoshu's personality.
He loved freedom—no restraints, no obligations.
In the world of anomalies, if the Foundation hadn't been so relentless, he wouldn't have had to struggle so hard.
Wouldn't a carefree life be so much better?
Why push himself to the brink?
But right now, he couldn't afford to relax. He had to push himself.
This was a post-apocalyptic world, not peacetime. If he ran away with Sasha, he might enjoy a day or two of freedom—but in the long run? Disaster.
Running wasn't an option. The only path was forward.
Activating his 140-IQ brain, Luoshu analyzed this world's future trajectory.
In a post-apocalyptic game, the main plot usually followed one of two paths:
Reconstruction (Farming Simulator Mode) – Rebuild civilization from the ruins.
Domination (Conqueror Mode) – Unify the world under your rule.
For reconstruction, this ruined city had nothing—just a bunch of loyal followers and zero resources.
If there were no external threats, slow rebuilding might be feasible. But in a post-apocalyptic world? Threats were guaranteed.
Luoshu quickly pinpointed the source of danger—the Southern Coalition Army!
According to Eule "N" Lau's playthrough, he'd spent a full month here before the Coalition arrived, finally freeing him from this hell.
But during Luoshu's first visit, he'd used his abilities to unite the city in just four days, skipping the tutorial and completing Mission 2 outright.
So here was the question:
Including his previous visit, today was his fifth day in this game. In 25 more days, the Coalition Army would arrive.
When that happened, what would their relationship be?
In Eule "N" Lau's timeline, the Coalition faced a fractured city of gangs—easy pickings.
But now? All factions were united under Luoshu's banner, making them the Coalition's natural enemy.
The options were bleak:
Luoshu surrenders the city to the Coalition.
The Coalition abandons the city.
All-out war.
The Southern Coalition wouldn't march north just to retreat. They were here for territory—unless the city had a force they couldn't oppose.
Did it?
Conversely, if Luoshu willingly handed over power, would the Coalition ever trust a cult leader with a fanatical following?
Think Cao Cao meeting Zuo Ci, or Sun Ce meeting Yu Ji.
The outcome was always the same:
The cult leader must die.
(The only difference? Zuo Ci escaped. Yu Ji didn't.)
And Luoshu's influence in this world dwarfed theirs. With an army of believers, the Coalition would see him as an even greater threat.
In times of chaos, surrendering power was suicide—it meant surrendering your life.
After careful consideration, Luoshu realized the truth:
He would have to face the coming army head-on.