Chapter 488: Player Key

Chapter 488: Chapter 488: Player Key

Seraphina Sullivan’s Treasure Chest collection plan was officially underway.

With the comprehensive scouting provided by her [Bird Manipulation Technique] and [Pelican’s Eye], she marked, located, and then raced to each of the meteorite crash sites scattered across the wilderness.

The first Treasure Chest yielded a [lucky charm].

Even though it was just one item, anything that increased her luck attribute was definitely worth it.

The second crash site was not far from the first.

Seraphina and Flora arrived within minutes, riding the Four Seasons Deer Alpha.

It was a small crater left by a meteorite’s impact. The bottom was still steaming faintly, and the surrounding soil had been scorched black and glossy by the intense heat.

Seraphina hopped off the deer’s back, strode to the crater’s edge, and peered down—

It wasn’t a Treasure Chest.

It was a... gear?

A colorful, palm-sized gear, gleaming faintly in the darkness.

The gear’s teeth were jagged, looking like a component from some precision instrument, yet it exuded an ineffable sense of mystery.

Seraphina reached out and picked it up.

A system prompt immediately appeared:

[Player Key]

[Type: Special Consumable / Credential]

[Effect: Upon use, grants one ordinary human or creature (non-Player) ’Player’ status, allowing them to officially enter the Disaster Game system and begin their path of survival through instances.]

[Note: This item cannot be used by those who already have Player status.]

Seraphina was stunned.

Then, she smiled.

’So... this is how the "one million Player slots" from Event One are being filled.’

She looked at the [Player Key] in her hand with mixed feelings.

This thing was useless to her, since she was already a Player.

But for Paul Payne, for Freya Lynn, for the countless ordinary people still struggling in the apocalypse—

This was a turning point in their destiny.

With it, they could become Players.

They could enter instances, gain Power, and change their lives.

"A good find," she murmured, carefully storing the [Player Key] in her Space.

’Doesn’t matter if I can use it or not. I’ll just hang onto it for now.’

She was just about to signal for Flora to leave when—

"Stop right there!"

Several figures shot out from the darkness, blocking their path.

Three men and a woman. Four of them.

They were all holding guns.

Their leader was a bald, burly man with a beefy face and a vicious glare.

He was holding a modified assault rifle, the muzzle aimed straight at Seraphina’s chest.

The other three also spread out in a fan shape, blocking all their escape routes.

"Hand over what was in the crater," the bald man’s voice rasped, thick with an unquestionable dominance. "Hand it over, and we’ll let you live."

Seraphina stood her ground, not moving.

Flora stood by her side, also not moving.

The expressions of the two were so calm it was eerie.

The bald man frowned.

He’d pulled plenty of heists and seen every kind of reaction—people who trembled in fear, people who knelt and begged for mercy, and people who fought to the death.

But he’d never seen anything like this.

Two women, with four guns pointed at them, had no trace of fear on their faces.

Something was wrong.

The smaller of the two women even had the faint beginnings of a smile playing on her lips.

"Are you deaf?" another, lanky man yelled impatiently. "Hand over the stuff! Didn’t you hear me?!"

Seraphina glanced at him.

Then, she smiled.

It was a faint, soft smile, but for some reason, an intense chill suddenly washed over the bald man.

"Are you sure," Seraphina said slowly, "you want to rob me?"

Seraphina’s gaze swept over the group.

[Eye of Resume] activated.

Lines of information flashed by—no Player Level, no Talent Skills, no Special Ability.

Ordinary people.

Four completely, utterly ordinary people.

Seeing her silence, the bald leader assumed she was afraid. The beefy flesh of his face twitched as he broke into what he thought was an intimidating smile. "If you know what’s good for you, you’ll hand it over willingly. Don’t make us get our hands dirty."

Beside him, the lanky man’s eyes gleamed. He stared fixedly at the [Player Key] in Seraphina’s hand, his voice trembling, "Boss, that’s it! That’s the credential key that lets ordinary people become Players!

Once we snatch it, we can become Players!"

"Shut up!" the bald man glared at him, but the greed in his eyes could no longer be hidden.

Another, slightly older man glanced at the Four Seasons Deer beside Seraphina, then at Flora, a hint of hesitation on his face. "Boss... these two don’t look like easy targets. And that deer... that’s a mutant, isn’t it?"

"What’s to be scared of?" the bald man spat contemptuously. "So what if it’s a mutant?

However tough it is, can it be tougher than the guns in our hands?"

He brandished his assault rifle. "It’s not like I haven’t killed a Player before!

Those guys are tough in the instances, but out here? All it takes is one bullet to put them down."

Seraphina sighed.

She didn’t want to waste any more time on these idiots.

"Flora," she said coolly. "They’re all yours. Dispose of the bodies."

Flora’s lips slowly spread into a grin.

The smile was sweet and innocent.

But for some reason, as the bald man looked at that smile, a bone-deep chill suddenly shot up his spine.

"You—"

Before he could finish his words, Flora’s hair moved.

Her seemingly soft, black hair instantly transformed into countless emerald green vines, growing and spreading with frenzied life!

The vines’ surfaces shimmered with a metallic luster, their tips splitting open into horrifying maws filled with concentric rings of sharp fangs!

"What the hell is that—"

The bald man instinctively pulled the trigger.

"RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT—!"

A hail of bullets sprayed out, striking the vines.

And then, they witnessed the most horrifying sight of their lives.

The bullets only left faint white marks where they struck the vines.

The vines didn’t even recoil; instead, they lunged forward with even greater ferocity!

"AHH—!"

The scream lasted only a second.

The lanky man was ensnared by the vines and dragged into one of the horrific maws.

The bald man turned to run, but his legs were already entangled by the vines.

He struggled desperately, jamming the muzzle of his gun against the vines and firing wildly, but they were completely unfazed.

"No—! Don’t—!"

His voice was cut off abruptly.

A few seconds later, the figures of the four people had completely disappeared into the vines.

Flora retracted her hair and licked the corner of her mouth, an unsated look on her face.

"Boss, they’re taken care of."

Seraphina nodded, storing the [Player Key] back in her Space.

"Let’s go. Time to find the next one."

The pair mounted the deer, and the Four Seasons Deer Alpha set off, disappearing once more into the night.

But they hadn’t gone far—

"ROAR—!!!"

A deafening, terrifying roar suddenly came from the distance!

The roar was incredibly piercing. Even from several kilometers away, Seraphina could feel the crushing pressure wash over her.

The Four Seasons Deer Alpha stopped dead in its tracks, its fur bristling as it let out an uneasy whimper.

Flora’s expression changed. "Boss, what was that?"

Seraphina did not answer.