Chapter 815 - 21: The Contract (Part 2)

Chapter 815: Chapter 21: The Contract (Part 2)

The exterior of the box was made entirely of translucent red material, while the interior was lined with deep black.

Lying flat in the blackness that seemed to absorb all light were three needles of different colors, pressed against a piece of yellowed parchment that felt out of place in this future technology ambiance.

"Three different ones?"

Chen Zhou was taken aback.

The first supply was in duplicate, obviously meant for a team of challengers to prevent any conflict due to unequal distribution. Why has this supply become a single set?

"Could it be that ’illegal teaming’ was discovered, so they cleverly packed three injections?

But where does the Space-Time Administration Bureau get its confidence, to be so certain that I would definitely strive for the second supply and successfully acquire it?"

Studying the injections, Chen Zhou was momentarily unsure of what the Space-Time Administration Bureau was up to.

The firelight streaming in from beside him reflected off the silver-gray metallic casing of the three injections; from left to right, the liquid inside was transparent, azure, and golden.

With one glance, Chen Zhou felt a sense of familiarity with the first injection, picked it up and followed his usual method of "looking for the manual." Once the text appeared, it turned out to be as he expected—

This was another strong regeneration injection, the challenger’s second life.

Without even looking at the other two injections, seeing the first one alone made Chen Zhou feel the trip was worthwhile.

Currently, neither Paul nor Bi Kai had any injuries; they were hiding in the cave and were unlikely to encounter others, much less suffer heavy injuries. This injection was completely his, capable of providing assistance in the final leg of the challenge.

Moreover, from the experiences of the Black-robed Man, this medicine would not be reclaimed even if unused during the challenge, meaning he could bring the injection back to his own world.

Cherishingly, Chen Zhou put away the injection, not placing it back into the small box, but rather hiding it inside his clothes for use in emergencies.

With the strong regeneration injection in hand, Chen Zhou was in high spirits, and immediately picked up the second injection, which appeared high-end and azure.

Just as he was about to browse the manual in the light, he suddenly put the injection down, becoming curious about the parchment pressed at the very bottom of the box.

"Last time they placed a wooden sculpture in the box, this time it’s a piece of paper; it seems the Space-Time Administration Bureau has always kept a close watch on me!

Wondering if, in the survival reality show on the deserted island, I count as among the best performing challengers.

Given that I’ve completed the challenge and returned to my own world, your repeated expressions of interest in me, what is the reason behind it?"

Thinking this, Chen Zhou pulled out the parchment and started browsing the written text.

Unlike the peculiar script used in the Space-Time Administration Bureau’s manual, this parchment was written in English, and the pen used appeared to be a feather quill. Judging by the ink’s color, it was likely one or two hundred years old, barely qualifying as an artifact.

After regularly interacting with the British, Dutch, Spaniards, and other notable figures from the Age of Exploration, Chen Zhou was not unfamiliar with more archaic English, thus having no difficulty reading the content on the parchment.

The entire parchment was remarkably intact, with almost no damage.

The left and right sides were adorned with decorative patterns, but instead of common thistles or palm fronds, the adornment felt distinctly out of place in relation to traditional European decoration.

Straight lines were exceptionally rigid, intricately depicting structure and space, resembling design drawings from modern design institutes, rather than floral patterns symbolizing elegance and vitality.

At the very top of the parchment, two steel needle-like long lines propped up a neat square.

Though the parchment was uncolored, Chen Zhou could deduce from the pattern the notion of the Black-robed Man and the deceased Neanderthal.

This pattern seemed to represent the Space-Time Administration Bureau’s influence on various worlds.

Beneath the square, the writer avoided using flamboyant script, each word wrote was stiff, akin to print.

Written on the first line was "Contract Terms."

Reading further, its contents bore a striking resemblance to the legendary contract with a Demon, only that service party was not a Demon, but the Space-Time Administration Bureau.

Of course, written on the parchment, they did not adopt that seemingly ordinary denomination, but called themselves the "Rift Court."

Even with the name changed, in Chen Zhou’s eyes, this so-called "Rift Court" was the same organization as the Space-Time Administration Bureau.

It’s just that over two hundred years ago, people had no clear concept of space-time, hence such a bizarre name was coined.

What the Space-Time Administration Bureau’s text could translate into depends on the viewer’s perception of the world: primitive people saw it as a tribe, medieval Europeans as a court, ancient Chinese might even call it Penglai Immortal Island.

The contract stipulates that the signatory must go to a town named Ambrose to eradicate a family of murderers that has been entrenched there for over a century.

As the commissioning party of the contract, the "Rift Court" would provide two genetic modification injections that enhance bodily functions, to assist the signatory in completing the task.

Don’t let the contract’s absence of a signature spot fool you, the terms stated that upon injection, the contract would immediately take effect.

Reading this, Chen Zhou sighed in relief.

What Ambrose town, a family of murderers continuing for over a century, just at a glance seems like no easy task.

Luckily, he didn’t browse the injection manuals right away, otherwise, seeing they had extraordinary effects and no side effects, he might have immediately administered the injections, unknowingly signing the contract, and thereafter going to another world to complete the task would be beyond his control.

Continuing to read further.

Under the "Rift Court’s" obligations and the responsibilities required of the contract signatory, there are a series of detailed clauses.

For example, if the contract signatory unfortunately dies during the task, their personal freedom will entirely belong to the "Rift Court," and should the "Rift Court" desire, they could revive them; thereby turning into their unique "nuclear-powered workhorse."

Although the clauses didn’t specify what job the signatory would have after being revived, using one’s imagination it’s obvious they’d be doing various dirty and laborious work, moreover, it’d persist endlessly.

More terrifyingly, the Space-Time Administration Bureau must possess ways to prolong human life; once taking on this job, it might be thousands or tens of thousands of years with no end in sight.

Needless to say, this alone would be enough for Chen Zhou to lose all interest in signing the contract.

Even if he might die due to old age, at least he has freedom in this lifetime.

Selling oneself to the Space-Time Administration Bureau, for what good is longevity if it’s all drudgery?

Not to mention, the resurrected work might not be a 9 to 5, but a 24/7 schedule, just thinking about it feels unbearably grim.

As for completing the contract and benefiting from the two injections, the risks outweigh the gains immensely.

The contract provides no specific information about the so-called family of murderers, the only certainty is that they’ve existed for over a hundred years.

According to Chen Zhou’s understanding of families, even if not flourishing, a family that’s grown over a century would have scores of members.

That means, taking up this task would necessitate eliminating every member of a family of dozens within the enemy’s territory.

That’s not all; if the family wields significant influence, he might also face the family’s vassals and friends, creating a tangled web.

More crucially, Ambrose, as a place name coupled with the contract’s timeline, subtly hinted that the world in question might already have developed firearms.

Firearms can compensate for a multitude of physical shortcomings; even if he could dominate with superior physical abilities against cold weapons, dodging bullets or withstanding shotgun or large lead bullet attacks would be beyond him.

If the "Deserted Island Reality Show" was a not-so-dangerous gamble with modest rewards, the contract’s task represents an all-in with disproportionate risk to reward.

Ensuring the strong regeneration injection tucked into his bosom wasn’t part of the contract’s mentioned two injections, Chen Zhou decisively returned the parchment to the box, sealing it without even inspecting the remaining two injections.

Now, he just hoped to steadily endure until the challenge’s end, and return to his own world.

Unlike at the start, now he had enough resources to enjoy life and cared not for the gamble.

...

The box lid snapped shut once more, sealing tightly without any visible gaps.

The newly added logs in the campfire were aflame, crackling crisply.

For reasons unknown, amidst the burning sounds, Chen Zhou seemed to hear a sort of derisive laughter, as if someone was calmly waiting for him to walk into a trap.