Chapter 110: Mental Interference with Reality

Zhou Shu realized that the gap in attributes was too immense to overcome; relying solely on the items found in the Antarctic scenario, he could never defeat the Alien Queen.

His most successful attempt still failed to kill her. That time, he hadn't rushed into the pyramid but had instead spent time modifying his snowmobile. Using the vehicle as a base, he bridged the "size" gap with the Queen just enough to avoid being swatted away instantly, then mounted various weapons found on-site, including the flamethrowers they had brought.

However, timing was crucial. If he spent too much time on the surface, the Queen would fuse with everything below and emerge with an "army." Therefore, waiting around was not an option. Once the timing was right, he had to enter the pyramid to save survivors and destroy potential biomass, preventing the Queen from becoming too powerful. He even had to seize the three plasma casters before she could, otherwise, she would infect all three Predators and command them as servants to fight alongside her. Then, he had to race back to the ice to mount the plasma casters onto his "war machine."

During that attempt, he dealt significant damage to the Queen, but he was killed in the end. The Queen smashed his vehicle, and he was crushed to death inside. Although the modified snowmobile compensated for the size difference, it was not a combat vehicle; its armor was poor, its speed was sluggish, and it lacked agility.

At this point, Zhou Shu was truly at his wit's end. After several encounters, he had determined that the Queen’s attributes were all well above 5. According to the grading system, the Queen was already a Tier 4 monster in the Great Qin Empire, or an S-class monster internationally, while he was only Tier 2 or B-class. The gap was vast. While his "Bullet Time" might be useful with the right weapon, this was a virtual battlefield with specific scenarios, and appropriate weapons were nowhere to be found. He could only rely on his own physical strength. This aligned perfectly with the Hunter’s initial design and expectations.

After a few more tries, the Hunter system warned him that his mental attribute was dropping below safe levels. Frustrated, he exited the virtual battlefield. Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, Zhou Shu sighed, "I am still too weak."

[Hunter System]
[User: Zhou Shu (Recruit)]
[Mental: 2.72 (+1.00)]
[Strength: 1.61 (+0.87)]
[Agility: 1.69 (+0.92)]
[Stamina: 1.51 (+0.71)]
[Physique: 1.73 (+0.88)]
[Special Abilities: Bullet Time, Anomaly Detection]
[Weapon Proficiency: Firearms (Proficient 61%), Powered Exoskeleton Operation (Proficient 45%)]
[Auxiliary Equipment: Elite Powered Exoskeleton Suit (Good Condition)]
[Source Essence: 2.75]

It had been a productive night, but unfortunately, he still couldn't defeat the Alien Queen. Large monsters weren't necessarily difficult to fight; in "Edge of Tomorrow," he had killed many. An Alpha monster, for instance, was four or five meters tall and ferocious, yet it could be killed by standard "Directional Mines" or missiles. Even then, he had been a novice.

The Alien Queen was different. Its unique biological form rendered conventional weapons ineffective. Zhou Shu felt that napalm would be the most effective, but it was unavailable in the virtual battlefield, and his only flamethrower lacked fuel. Furthermore, the constraints were numerous, and any single mistake led to mission failure. It seemed the Hunter system truly intended for him to kill the Alien Queen with his bare hands. But was that even possible?

After dozens of cycles of combat, his head throbbed. He decided to allocate his points. Since he didn't have enough to max everything out, he pushed his other four attributes to 2 and dumped the rest into his Mental attribute, which was critical for powering his "superpowers."

He poured nearly 2.5 units of Source Essence into his stats, resulting in an instant and massive boost. As his body heated up, he felt a strange lightness, as if something were surrounding him and the world’s constraints upon him had lessened. Having entered and exited the virtual battlefield many times, Zhou Shu understood that while it looked real, it was ultimately a simulation. If it were truly real, he wouldn't need to consume Source Essence to upgrade his abilities; he could simply bring the benefits out with him. Thus, there were differences between the simulation and reality.

When he checked his new stats, he was stunned.

[Hunter System]
[User: Zhou Shu (Recruit)]
[Mental: 3.72 (Cap)]
[Strength: 2.00 (+0.48)]
[Agility: 2.00 (+0.61)]
[Stamina: 2.00 (+0.22)]
[Physique: 2.00 (+0.61)]
[Special Abilities: Bullet Time, Anomaly Detection, Psychokinesis (Weak 8%)]
[Weapon Proficiency: Firearms (Proficient 61%), Powered Exoskeleton Operation (Proficient 45%)]
[Auxiliary Equipment: Elite Powered Exoskeleton Suit (Good Condition)]
[Source Essence: 0.29]

A new entry appeared under his special abilities, and it shocked him: Psychokinesis!

If "Bullet Time" and "Anomaly Detection" were official superpowers that were difficult to demonstrate, "Psychokinesis" was the most well-known and easily displayed ability. Zhou Shu took out a coin—a remnant of his habit of practicing coin-flipping—and tried to make it float. After a few seconds of intense concentration, his face turned red, but the coin didn't budge. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Rise!"

"Rise!"
"Huh? It's up, it's up, stop yelling!"

The coin hadn't floated, but he had woken his roommate. The barracks were crowded, and due to his status as a Demon Slayer and Armor Designer, he shared a room with Li Decai. Li Decai woke up, saw Zhou Shu sitting on the bed staring at a coin, and stretched. "Why is a young man like you sleeping less than an old man like me? And what’s with that look? Did you find money?"

"No, it's mine," Zhou Shu said dejectedly. "I dreamed I had psychokinesis, so I tried to test it, but nothing happened."

Li Decai laughed. "Haha, didn't anyone tell you that dreams are the opposite of reality?"

Zhou Shu remained silent. He decided not to struggle with the coin and found a lighter object instead. He tore a corner from a notepad, crumpled it into a small ball, placed it in his palm, and focused.

"Move!"
The paper ball suddenly jumped upward! It didn't jump because of his breath; it jumped on its own! It worked! Psychokinesis was real!

Zhou Shu was so excited that he jumped up from the bed, his 2.0 Strength causing his head to collide directly with the ceiling. "Thump!"