The Novelist Forced to Become Famous -
Chapter 5
Had it not been 5 seconds yet? Jian Jing was almost in despair.
At this moment, the man was already feeling dizzy, but he was unwilling to surrender so easily. His vicious nature came up and his reason was nowhere to be found.
He just wanted to get back at her now. If he couldn't kill the original target, dragging a few more down with him would also be good.
As he swung the knife, he found himself unable to exert any strength and the knife slipped out of his hand and flew towards her.
Jian Jing watched with widened eyes as the knife drew nearer and nearer. Her mind went completely blank, only shattered images flashing across it, unable to give out any commands.
She stared with eyes wide open, waiting numbly for the ending.
This was the true reaction of an ordinary person when facing death: not dodging, not because they didn't want to dodge, but because they were unable to do so.
Thud.
The knife hit the chair and dropped to the ground.
The 5 seconds were up. The props made by the system were trustworthy. The man was dizzy and disoriented, collapsing heavily to the ground, no longer reacting.
[Task completed, system calculating rewards]
The air was silent for a good few seconds.
After a long time, everyone reacted, some kicked the knife away, some held down the fainted man, and some went to help Jian Jing up.
The nurse who had screamed just now was badly frightened. She kept asking Jian Jing, "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
Jian Jing shook her head stiffly. There were dark shadows before her eyes and her head throbbed.
"I," she opened her mouth, only to find her voice trembling badly, "might have low blood sugar."
The nurse immediately opened a pack of glucose and fed it to Jian Jing's mouth.
Like a traveller who had walked in the desert for days, Jian Jing greedily drank several mouthfuls. The water and sugar replenished her lost sweat and energy. She finally felt like she could breathe again.
"Phew," she slumped into the chair, too tired to even move a finger. The only thought left in her fuzzy mind was: It's finally over.
She didn't die, that's great.
She had survived.
"Thank you," the nurse said. Her slightly reddened eyes were full of gratitude.
Jian Jing gave a wry smile and waved her hand. The nurse seemed to want to say more but a patient outside suddenly cried out. It sounded like an old person having a heart attack. The nurse had no choice but to say "Call me if you need anything" before hurrying away.
Jian Jing gave a cursory nod, too drained for pleasantries. She was truly exhausted. The few minutes earlier had drained all her energy. She desperately wanted to return to her ward immediately and crash into bed.
In a daze—she thought it was only a few minutes but half an hour had actually passed—a shadow suddenly loomed before her: "Hello, I'm Ji Feng from the Criminal Investigation Division. We already understand what happened earlier. May I trouble you to come to the station to give a statement?"
Jian Jing forced her eyes open to size up this uninvited guest.
The other party was in plain clothes but showed her his police ID. The man in the photo had handsome, dignified features. The real person was even more remarkable, an exceptionally masculine, heroic man.
But even if Wu Yanzu appeared before her now, she wouldn't have the slightest interest.
Jian Jing's head hurt as if it would split open. Her blood sugar was low again and her emotions were somewhat out of control. "I'm a patient!"
Help! What was a statement? Could she eat it?
All she wanted now was a piping hot bowl of instant noodles to give her the energy to walk back to her ward and sleep.
Ji Feng raised his eyebrows.
In fact, before coming to find her, he had already watched the surveillance videos. It was because he saw what she did that he felt it was strange.
An ordinary girl was actually able to discover and stop a murder. It was simply unbelievable.
How did she know the person was problematic and took action ahead of time? If not for her timely pushcart, the deaths and injuries today would definitely have been dreadful.
"Tomorrow will do as well," Ji Feng took out his phone. "Leave me a contact."
Jian Jing felt her pocket. Her phone was missing. She couldn't remember at all if she had brought her phone or had accidentally dropped it somewhere.
"Is this it?" Ji Feng picked up a phone on the chair next to them and lit up the screen.
Rubbing her temples, she nodded vaguely, recalling that it was a nurse who had picked it up and returned it to her.
Ji Feng used her phone to dial his number, politely saying, "I hope you can cooperate with our work. Just look for me directly when you get there. Right, may I ask how to address you?"
"Jian Jing."
Ji Feng felt that the name sounded somewhat familiar but didn't show it. After leaving the hospital, he took out his phone to search her name.
The first result was a wiki entry.
Jian Jing, born September 1, 1999, genius novelist, best known for her work 'White Cat Detective'.
"Novelist..." His tone was poorly concealed surprise.
The surveillance faithfully recorded the entire incident. When Jian Jing suddenly rushed out, it was without any sign and even the killer was caught unprepared. He wanted to know how she noticed it. He had deliberately extended the footage and only then discovered that Jian Jing had actually lingered around the area for a long time, as if looking for someone.
Even more bizarre was that she was dressed in patient clothing. She was a patient in the inpatient department, perfectly fine, what was she doing running to the ER?
Rewinding the footage another half hour, Ji Feng saw her appearing repeatedly in several spots in the ER. She didn't seem to be looking for anyone or seeking treatment, just coming and going in a very strange manner.
He had thought there was something more to her but it turned out she was a celebrity, neither obscure nor famous.
During the statement-taking, he would have to get clear on these questionable points.
*
Jian Jing didn't know she had caught Ji Feng's attention. She forced her exhausted body to return to her ward and collapsed into bed. She didn't know if it was hero's privilege but although the experience had been dangerous, she didn't have a single nightmare and slept wonderfully until daybreak.
Breakfast was delivered room by room from the canteen.
She had pre-ordered soy milk, fried dough sticks, buns and pan-fried dumplings yesterday. She wolfed everything down before her stomach that had suffered for a day felt full.
Only after eating her fill did Jian Jing have the mind to check the system's settlement.
[Task Name: Emergency Room Bloodbath (Completed)]
[Task Rewards: 15 Courage Points + 10 Special Contribution Points (Prevented 1 death and 2 serious injuries)]
[Note: Courage points can be used to draw ordinary cards, 5 points each; Contribution points can be used to draw special cards, 10 points each]
[Start drawing cards?]
There was another special card?
Jian Jing didn't hesitate and directly said, "Draw everything."
[Drawing cards...]
[Draw complete]
[Name: Enhancement Card - Agility (1 Point)]
[Description: Enhances nerve reaction speed, improves body flexibility and limb coordination]
[Note: At critical moments, agile moves can save your life~]
[Name: Knowledge Card - Forensics (Basic)]
[Description: Gains entry-level forensics knowledge]
[Note: The truth lies in the traces and clues]
[Name: Item Card - Recovery Candy (5/5)]
[Description: This is an ultra powerful candy that can swiftly eliminate negative states. Hunger, thirst, dizziness, period cramps, stiff neck, muscle cramps and other daily discomforts]
[Note: In the world of Jianghu, accidents are inevitable. Keep one for when you need it, feels great]
[Name: Special Card - Black Tech Glasses (Main Component)]
[Description: An unimaginable black tech product. Extremely light, thin and comfortable. Just like not wearing them. Fog-proof, waterproof, heat-resistant, can be used normally under various adverse environments]
[Note: This product can be combined with other cards. Consume 5 Courage Points to imprint a new look]
Jian Jing: "..."
Look, unlocking a new appearance, such a familiar tactic. This is the prelude to gouging money for skins. Unfortunately she had used up all her contribution points and couldn't pay to win even if she wanted to. Whatever, saves her from burning money.
She directly used up the Knowledge Card, then requested to take out the Special Card.
A pair of utterly ordinary white gold frame glasses appeared in her hand. She had to admit, although plain on the outside, the quality of system products was indeed magical. Extremely comfortable, so light it was as if they had no weight at all. Her ears and nose bridge didn't feel any pressure at all.
The lenses were thin yet clear, colors rich, also without chromatic aberration.
She took them off and huffed on them. They barely fogged up. No need to worry about going blind from eating instant noodles in winter anymore.
Jian Jing put them on and refused to take them off again. She looked in the mirror and could only sigh. If only there was an appearance adjustment function, spending money would be inevitable. Oh well, let's see what else there is.
She pondered briefly before deciding to use both Enhancement Cards.
[Enhancement Card - Physique (1 Point) used]
[Enhancement Card - Agility (1 Point) used]
After the two prompts, a brand new panel leaped into view, clearly displaying her personal stats.
[Character Panel]
Name: Jian Jing
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Status: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (Treated)
Physique: 5 (4 Base Value + 1 Enhancement Point)
Strength: 4
Agility: 6 (5 Base Value + 1 Enhancement Point)
Explosiveness: 3
Endurance: 4
Talent: Literary Creation (Locked)
Knowledge: Forensics (Basic)
Skill: Observation (Basic)
Items: Recovery Candy (5/5), Black Tech Glasses
Jian Jing knitted her brows. "What do these numbers mean?"
[System: Human attributes range from 1-10. 6 is the average value for an adult woman. 1-3 is low, 4-5 is below average, 7-8 is strong, 9-10 is superb, above 10 is human limit.]
Jian Jing: "..." In other words her physical fitness was garbage?
Perhaps sensing her skepticism, the system very intelligently adjusted its description:
Physique: 5 (The result of staying up late every day)
Strength: 4 (You can't lift a bucket of water)
Agility: 6 (Gaming is when you're most nimble)
Explosiveness: 3 (You'd definitely be awful at sprinting)
Endurance: 4 (You should worry about your future X life)
"Pfft—" Jian Jing spat out a mouthful of water. What kind of system was this, was this what true AI was like?
[System: Does the host have any other questions?]
Jian Jing pressed her forehead and composed herself before asking, "The Knowledge and Skill Cards are all Basic level. Can I draw Intermediate or Advanced cards later?"
[System: No, the ordinary card pool only has Basic cards.]
"Then how do I upgrade them?"
[Consume 3 Basic cards to synthesize 1 Upgrade card for Basic -> Intermediate]
[Consume 8 Basic cards to synthesize 1 Powerful Upgrade card for Intermediate -> Advanced]
[Consume 15 Basic cards to synthesize 1 Super Powerful Upgrade card for Advanced -> Expert]
Jian Jing was surprised. "That's way too high a cost."
[System: To prevent the host from abusing high level skills and causing unfair phenomena, these restrictions have been implemented.]
Jian Jing thought for a moment before feeling resigned.
It made sense after all. Take forensics for example, upgrading from Basic to Advanced would require 11 Basic cards, costing 55 Courage Points. That's probably around the effort of a few instance dungeons, the time and energy spent definitely less than that of a real forensic scientist. It would be cheating with a walkthrough.
If there were no restrictions, people with the system would be able to easily gain numerous high level skills, which would be terribly unfair to those diligently working hard for them in the real world.
Having to consume cards also matched reality's need for trade-offs - choosing to specialize in one field naturally leaves less energy to study other things.
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