I'm bombarding the Supernatural World with my firearms

"When using the Cipher, you must shout it out loud. If your voice is too soft, the valve won't open."

"Got it memorized?"

"..."

Doctor Gou hung his head in silence for a long while before looking up at Chen Miao with a resentful expression, "Remembered."

...Please forgive me for being a knight in shining armor in this way, Your Highness...

This was his last Cipher to close the valve.

He swore to himself that he would never play the hero to rescue a damsel in distress!

If he ever saw a woman about to be killed by a siege boss, and he opened the valve to save her, only to have to shout out this line when closing the valve, he could already imagine the look the woman would give him and how embarrassed he would feel.

Let all the women die!

He would never save any woman in his life!

Nor would he ever activate his Second Form in front of anyone!

Yep.

He had already quietly named this state in his heart, "Second Form" it would be, even though he seemed somewhat disdainful on the surface, but deep down he was truly grateful.

This was a Taboo Item, after all!

And one that could make him stronger without any side effects!

He had never owned a Taboo Item before. Obtaining such a thing was not just about strength, but background mattered above all else.

Taboo Items are special props that cannot be produced in secret realms or during major events. Only under some special circumstances do ordinary everyday items undergo transformation, acquiring some magical effect, most of which are negative and provide no help in increasing Combat Power.

Only a few Taboo Items have powerful effects.

And such items are usually sealed by the Events Bureau, beyond the reach of ordinary people. Only those with a red background can temporarily use a Taboo Item, and even then, they only have the right to use it, not full ownership.

Taboo Items that have slipped out and come under personal control are exceedingly rare.

In this day and age, nothing comes without a price, especially things that can increase power. Not to mention distant examples, just take this dog on the Hell Bus. To make itself stronger, it didn't even mind turning into a dog.

Then there was the one who sacrificed his lifespan, turning himself into an old man.

All he had to deal with were a few cringeworthy lines, and he could exchange them for a super powerful version of himself. Could there be a better deal than that?

"Thanks."

Doctor Gou took a deep breath and looked at Chen Miao seriously, "It's a pity that I'm currently wanted by the Federation and can't leave Broken Pot City for now, but rest assured, if there's any way you can use my help in the future, I'll definitely go through fire and water without hesitation."

"No problem."

Chen Miao replied with a smile, "I will definitely have use for you, not to mention you've helped me a lot in the past. If not for your help, I might still be questing in some secret realm."

"But, there's something I need to remind you of."

"What's your Skill Proficiency at now? That 'Life and Death Ambiguity' one?"

"Level 1."

Doctor Gou looked somewhat puzzled, not understanding why Chen Miao would suddenly ask about this. The Skill Proficiency of Active Skills improved every time the skill was used, and with a skill that had a 10% chance of death on every use, who would dare to use it? Who would dare to grind Skill Proficiency?

But soon—

It was as if a realization struck him, and he hastily opened the Tomb Guardian's Faction Effect; all member's Skill Levels have no upper limit. The light that burst forth in his eyes was so intense it seemed to peer into one's soul.

"Hahahaha."

Seeing Doctor Gou catching on, Chen Miao also smiled with satisfaction, "How about it? The Faction Effect isn't bad, right? After this is over, I'll have Zhang Liu stop by Broken Pot City to put you under permanent hypnosis."

"Then when you're free, you can work on that Skill Proficiency of yours."

"Grind it to a few hundred levels."

"Won't your Combat Power increase considerably then? At that point, you can also establish our 'Tomb Guardian' brand in Broken Pot City. You'll be the Tomb Guardian's Broken Pot City branch anyway. Isn't there a new member of the Tomb Guardian? That Black Doctor you said has pretty good medical skills, right? Work hard together."

Doctor Gou didn't reply, just stood there with shock in his eyes, feeling like he'd stumbled upon a game-breaking bug.

What Chen Miao didn't realize was, in the Supernatural System, the skills that were harder to Level Up often saw greater enhancements once they did level up.

The easiest skills to improve in Proficiency were naturally the passive ones; you didn't need to do anything, and as time passed, the Skill Proficiency would increase on its own. The downside is that the maximum level is often quite low, and the levels don't go very high.

Nor could one actively speed up the leveling process.

For some high-level passive skills, leveling up could take a year, and there's generally no way to speed that up, unlike Active Skills which could be practiced repeatedly to improve proficiency quickly.

For a skill like his "Life and Death Ambiguity," or other special skills that required in-game purchases to level up, it was nearly impossible or extremely difficult to level up, and each time, the strength gain was substantial.

Level 1 "Life and Death Ambiguity" allowed him to face thirty opponents alone in Fengtian City.

If...

If it were Level 999 "Life and Death Ambiguity," he didn't even want to think about it—at least it would mean facing three hundred alone, right?

All of this added up to a massive bug, didn't it?

"Life and Death Ambiguity" required the user to have the intent to die in order to ensure a 100% trigger rate for the first effect, something not indicated on the skill panel, nor was it an Exclusive Skill of the Blade Guest Profession, with no information available online.

It was when he truly didn't want to live, having used it more than thirty times, that he discovered this effect.

A normal person likely wouldn't use this skill much; even if they did, it would probably be in a life-or-death situation, but since they're fighting to live rather than die, they wouldn't be able to use the skill at all.

Even after having used it once, they probably thought they were just lucky, and didn't consider this point.

Just this point alone would be very difficult for others to discover.

After he happenstance discovered it, Chen Miao just happened to deliver the Taboo Item "Undying Loyalty," enabling him to control his emotional state, ensuring he could enter this state at will, at one hundred percent certainty every time.

Up to here, it was already preposterous.

But what was even more outrageous, Chen Miao created the Faction "Tomb Guardian," and invited him to join. The Faction Effect of the "Tomb Guardian" was that all members' Skill Levels had no upper limit, which meant he could make this skill, already akin to a cheat, even more overpowered.

All these coincidences combined created a monster, capable of transforming at will and growing stronger over time.

"Heh."

Doctor Gou, sitting in his own chair, looked down at the blood-stained dagger in his hand and fell silent, wordless until a sudden tear dropped onto the blade.

He missed his parents.

Long, long ago, he was extraordinarily obsessed with increasing his own strength; he wanted to give his family a better life, he didn't want them to spend their days in that half-dead clinic, he wanted them to enjoy the world.

He made quite a name for himself, and many people came to know him.

Back then, he was even more determined than the current Chen Miao and had offended quite a number of people.

Every time he ventured into secret realms, his parents would pray anxiously at home, praying for his safe return. He, however, never cared; maybe he was too confident in his own abilities, never believing he could die inside a secret realm, nor did he ever consider his parents' anxious emotions.

Many times his parents told him they didn't hope for wealth but only wished for the family's safety. He never listened.

He had witnessed how much his parents struggled due to poverty; he didn't want to see them in such a plight again.

Only when his parents were conned into seeking him in the secret realm, dying miserably inside, did he realize what they meant by not wandering too far. Afterwards, well...

Afterward, he chose to live in seclusion in that small clinic.

Severing all connection with the past, he forgot his identity as a veteran supernatural being, put on his father's white coat, looked through the medical books his father left, and began running the clinic step by step.

With every patient he attended, he seemed to see the old proprietor who used to sit on the clinic's rocking chair and smoke, every time he returned home. He remembered criticizing him more than once, saying the clinic reeked of smoke, no wonder business was bad.

Later, he too would often wear his father's white coat, sitting on that same rocking chair his father favored, rocking and smoking.

He continued his father's legacy through his own life.

He could have been a very powerful supernatural being.

But he preferred to be an obscure clinic doctor; he was unwilling to abandon the clinic, as it would mean negating his father's life efforts, yet it was precisely this small clinic that enabled him to become a supernatural being.

If only...

If only he had this dagger back then, perhaps he would have had the strength to protect his parents.

After who knows how long, Doctor Gou, having adjusted his emotions, turned to look at Chen Miao, who was shouting at the door behind him, and hoarsely said with reddened eyes, "I'm old, but I believe that one day, you can definitely become a very strong supernatural being."

"The last Hell Bus to Fengtian City is leaving!"

"Don't wait any longer, get on the bus quickly!"

"The bus is warm with the air conditioner on, and there are seats available!"

Upon hearing Doctor Gou's words, Chen Miao, who was shouting, turned his head and casually said, "What do you mean?"

"Because you're an orphan with no parents."

"..."

Chen Miao spoke expressionlessly, "Are you insulting me?"

"I'm serious. Those without attachments can go farther."

"But I have friends."

"It's different. You can accept a friend dying in front of you, but you can't accept family dying in front of you."

"No."

Chen Miao shook his head seriously, "I won't accept any friend dying in front of me. If I have the ability, I will protect every single one of them."

"Friends aren't meant to be protected."

"But they are also not meant to be hypothetically dead. If really necessary, I'd rather close my eyes or turn away."

He rolled his eyes at Doctor Gou, "You just got that Taboo Item, didn't you? And it's taken effect this quickly? Here in the Hell Bus, and you have the mood to be emotional? Hurry up and get in the right state of mind and strive to survive."

Then he continued shouting, as that was his primary job.

His goal for this trip was to cram as many passengers as possible into the big bus.

As long as he came out alive this time,

Nobody could call him Little Chen again.

They'd all have to call him Miao.

...

ps: The first update of 2024, Happy New Year to everyone, hoping that this year will be even better for all of us.

Let's work hard together.

Fight on.