Chapter 48: Did the Main God Just Get a Free Ride from Me?

"Sigh... That's a very long story. It's impossible to explain in just a few words, so I won't go into detail. When we have a chance in the future, I'll tell it to you all as a story."

With these words, Wu Xian could not help but shake his head, his face full of gloom and sorrow, causing Zheng Zha, who had still wanted to ask more questions, to close his mouth.

Oh, come on. Why did I bring this up? The captain is such a kind person; making him remember the good friends who died in the past must make him feel terribly sad inside.

Zheng Zha silently reproached himself in his heart, unaware that aside from Li Xiaoyi, the youngest among them, everyone else present—even including clone creations like Luo Li—was speechless at Wu Xian's perfunctory explanation.

That lie was so poorly fabricated that it lacked any shred of sincerity; only a fool would fall for it.

What? You ask why Mou Gang wasn't included?

Stop kidding. He just looked honest; out of those who could work as freight truck drivers in that era, how many were genuinely foolish?

As for why a playboy like Zheng Zha, who had managed to become an office director, could believe it so easily—one can only say that the corruption of the Emperor of Apes is truly formidable!

"Ahem! Back to the business at hand... Zero, considering that the next match is a team battle with relatively high risks, I suggest you first exchange for the Demi-Human mutation bloodline, and then get a magical sniper rifle equipped with bullets possessing special abilities.

As for the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, there's no need to rush. Our reward points are very generous this time anyway. When we return to the *Alien 1* world, we'll see if we can pool together a B-rank side quest, and exchange for it then."

"Understood."

Zero had no objections. After all, Wu Xian's decision placed his personal safety above all else, which warmed his heart slightly and made him genuinely accept this leader of China Team.

On the other hand, Chu Xuan, whose words had just been forcefully interrupted, looked at Wu Xian with somewhat profound eyes. However, he said nothing, merely pushing up his glasses as he began to exchange with the God for the bloodline enhancement of the Three-Eyed Clan descendants.

Soon, two pillars of light descended one after the other from the void, lifting the figures of Chu Xuan and Zero high into mid-air.

Since both were starting from scratch and enhancing directly to a B-rank bloodline, the process took considerably longer than it had for Zheng Zha and the others.

During this time, Wu Xian did not just wait idly; he began rummaging through the God's exchange list, wrestling with what he should exchange for himself this time.

Having traded away a low-level battle qi manual for Mou Gang, Wu Xian was left with only two B-rank and two C-rank side quests, but that was still enough to purchase bloodline enhancements starting from D-rank all the way up to B-rank.

Yet, gazing at the mediocre options on the list, even the version-favored mutant vampire failed to catch his eye. Shifting his gaze instead to bloodlines that started at A-rank, his mood instantly tangled into a knot of indecision.

"So, should I first go to the Alien world to secure a C-rank side quest, and then go straight to the top by enhancing the A-rank Kryptonian civilian bloodline?"

"That might not be ideal either. According to the God, the potential and upper limit of a Kryptonian civilian are far inferior to a Superman equipped with the Codex. Even with the bloodline enhancement, it would require basking in the sunlight for a very long time before my strength could undergo a qualitative change."

"Besides, a Kryptonian's resistance to magic is rather ordinary, and the God hasn't specifically altered this weakness. Even if my health bar is long enough, when dealing with *The Grudge*, it might actually backfire..."

"Tch! Should I just exchange for a shattered divine personality fragment instead? It could handle most mystical-genre horror films. If my luck is good enough, when I encounter an unowned demi-plane in the future, I might even be able to ignite the divine fire and acquire tier-four combat prowess ahead of time."

"Most importantly, a high-quality divine personality fragment only costs one A-rank side quest and 15,000 reward points. For me right now, it's truly not all of that expensive."

With that, Wu Xian picked and chose among the A-rank exchange options, occasionally shaking his head and sighing as if trapped in blissful agony—a sight that turned Zheng Zha and the others green with envy, wishing they could trade places with him.

"Forget it. Dealing with the upcoming team battle takes priority. Let me see what else, besides plasma weapons, can counter ghostly entities."

"Psychic weapons... I have those. Also, spirit-destroying bullets, Five Thunder Talismans, warding peach wood swords, spirit-binding... Huh?! Holy crap! How could I have forgotten this?!"

Suddenly, Wu Xian's gaze halted on an exchange option. He froze for a split second, then revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

[Skill: Controlling Spirits and Dispatching Generals (from the anime *The Outcast*, one of the Eight Wonders; allows manipulation of souls and partial conversion of their abilities for one's own use; sprites, specters, and vengeful spirits are all applicable... This skill is a modified version that can be driven using active energies such as true essence, mental power, magic, internal energy, qi, etc. Requires one B-rank side quest and 3,000 reward points for exchange.]

"Controlling Spirits and Dispatching Generals can be used to command all spiritual entities in the world, and Kayako falls into this category as well. If I can master her, she might even become a combat force to counter the other two teams in *The Grudge*... Setting everything else aside, at least against newcomers without abilities, I could definitely slaughter them with ease!"

Imagining the scene of himself manipulating Kayako to frantically harvest reward points, the corners of Wu Xian's mouth could not help curling upward slightly, as if he could already hear the God's continuous scoring notification chimes.

"Come to think of it, I had never searched for skills from *The Outcast* world before. I didn't expect the God to actually have related exchanges here. Could it be because the future within the reality of *Terror Infinity* will also feature this manga?

That makes sense, too. After all, even items and skills from *Swallowed Star* can be exchanged; there's no reason other things shouldn't be."

Pondering this, Wu Xian curiously used his captain's authority to command the God to search for items related to *The Outcast*.

Immediately afterward, the contents of the exchange list refreshed completely, displaying entirely familiar names.

[Qi Source Fluid], [Wind-Hou Strange Gate], [Twin-Hua Palms]...
[Golden Light Spell], [Five Thunders Orthodox Method], [Purifying Heaven and Earth God Spell]...
[Dan Shi], [Reversing Life Triple Layer], [Divine Spirit]...

In short, almost every skill name Wu Xian had seen in *The Outcast* anime could be found on the list before him.

However, what puzzled Wu Xian was that the exchange prices for the Eight Wonders on the list were not entirely identical. Moreover, the most expensive one was not the reputed "Qi Source Fluid," touted as the ultimate of magical arts, but rather the "Wind-Hou Strange Gate," which was rated by the God as A-rank, requiring one A-rank side quest and 8,000 reward points.

Furthermore, the God had marked it with the label "Advanced Version," whereas the other six ultimate techniques were all modified versions and thus temporarily remained in the B-rank category.

"Wait! How come there are only seven of the Eight Wonders? Where is Da Luo Dong Guan? Where did my huge Da Luo Dong Guan go?!"

Surprised, Wu Xian's gaze swept back and forth across the list several times, confirming he hadn't misread—the exchange option for "Da Luo Dong Guan" was indeed absent from this list.

Coupled with the special nature of the "Wind-Hou Strange Gate," a trace of suspicion inevitably surfaced on Wu Xian's face.

What is the meaning of this? Could the *The Outcast* manga in this world have been abruptly canceled in the future?

Or perhaps, all the exchange options originating from the future here were actually imprinted by the God from his own memories, and then manufactured as memetic replicas based on those principles? Because some works were not yet finished and their abilities remained unclear, the God's list lacked corresponding exchanges.

Thinking about it carefully, that possibility really did exist.

But if that were the case, wouldn't it mean he had always been taken advantage of for free by the God?

Wu Xian's face darkened instantly, and as he raised his head to look at the God's light sphere, his gaze gradually grew dangerous.

Being taken advantage of for free was one thing, but it also frantically ramped up the difficulty of his horror movies on a regular basis. How was this any different from a scumbag who pants and walks away without acknowledging anything? It was utterly shameless!

"Hah—ptui!!"

"Captain, why are you spitting at the God?"

"Nothing, just felt this light sphere was a bit dirty, so I'm cleaning it up for it!"

Wu Xian gave a cold snort, then looked back at the information regarding the Eight Wonders on the list, his eyes gradually narrowing.

"However, the God deducing these things accidentally did me a favor. These modified versions of the Eight Wonders can be used simply with active energy, effectively removing the restrictions of world laws.

If I exchange all of them, my selves in other worlds should be able to use them as well.

Especially the Wu Xian of *The Outcast* world; he could definitely elevate his strength to an extremely high level."

Thinking along these lines, Wu Xian's gaze shifted back and forth over the seven options of the "Eight Wonders," growing somewhat hesitant and indecisive.

So, which one should he pick first?