Chapter 11 The Blood Orchid Elixir

Everyone’s eyes burned with excitement.

Zhang Fei, who had always been silent and clinging to his rifle like an invisible man, was now wordlessly smashing the butt of his gun against the ground with all his strength.

Qiao Mian shouted at him, exasperated, “Don’t waste your energy. Even if you dropped a nuclear bomb here, you wouldn’t make a single dent.”

Zhang Fei grinned sheepishly and stood up, scratching his head.

“Come on, I’ll show you around,” Qiao Mian said. “Right now, apart from the ticket office, Fantasy Park also has an administrative center, the Dinosaur Garden, and the Serpent House. Where do you want to start?”

Professor Wang Yangzhe, a biologist, had just opened his mouth when Wang Lang cut in, “Let’s start with the closest.”

Qiao Mian nodded and pointed to the left. “This way, the Dinosaur Garden.”

“The dinosaurs inside are mainly from a dimension filled with various kinds of dinosaurs,” he explained. “You can call that world ‘Jurassic World.’”

Wang Lang’s expression shifted.

“You mean, like, the movie?” Wang Yangzhe looked grave as well.

“Of course.”

Liang Xiaoyu leaned in. “You’re telling us that movie is real, that such a world actually exists?”

“Who knows, maybe what you’re experiencing now would look like a movie plot to people in other dimensions,” Qiao Mian replied with a smile.

The group fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

If the dinosaurs were from “Jurassic World,” wouldn’t that mean King Kong was from “King Kong,” and this guy’s armor…

The Marvel universe is real?

Let’s hope Thanos doesn’t show up.

“Let’s go, stay close to me,” Qiao Mian instructed. “You might encounter all kinds of dinosaurs up ahead. If you stray too far, they might attack you.”

“Bumblebee, keep an eye on them,” he added, turning to the yellow robot by the gates, peering out.

“Yes, Mr. Qiao!” Bumblebee darted over.

They entered the Dinosaur Garden.

Legendary creatures began to appear before their eyes, astonishing all five of them.

Whenever they encountered a dinosaur they didn’t recognize, viewers in the livestream would help identify them.

[That’s an oviraptor, right? Didn’t expect to see one of those.]
[Are those the same velociraptors the host ran into before? Why are they so tame this time?]
[There’s that allosaurus again—wait, this one’s half-blind. Did Bumblebee do that?]
[That pachycephalosaurus is so cute.]
[Are these dinosaurs for sale? Any one of them, I’ll pay a million.]
[Spinosaurus—looks awesome!]
[Xiaoyu, look left, such an adorable little guy.]
[Adorable? Those things would eat you down to the bone.]
[Looks like the host was protected by Mr. Qiao earlier—otherwise, there’s no way he would’ve only met two dinosaurs after all this time.]
…

Before long, they arrived outside the Serpent House.

Liang Xiaoyu, Wang Lang, and Zhang Fei were doing fine, but the two professors were already panting.

Neither of them suggested stopping; they felt as if their entire lives had never been so thrilling.

So many diverse species of dinosaurs—something they’d never even dreamed of.

Wang Yangzhe was already thinking about how to turn today’s experiences into a scientific paper.

Meanwhile, aside from Liang Xiaoyu, the others were quietly stashing bits of soil, plants, decaying flesh, bone fragments, and eggshells into their pockets, shoes, and even waistbands.

Qiao Mian had already been warned by Zero, but he said nothing.

Things of such little value didn’t matter to him.

More importantly, Zero had only issued a reminder and hadn’t mentioned deducting his game credits or experience.

All the better, then.

“Why is there an iron fence around the Serpent House?” Liang Xiaoyu asked, head held high.

Hovering in midair, Qiao Mian answered seriously, “To set the mood.”

Everyone was speechless.

“By the way, do you still want to go in?” Qiao Mian looked at her. “Python Thirteen seems to like you a lot.”

“Python Thirteen?” Liang Xiaoyu was puzzled.

“The first hundred pythons to arrive here are numbered,” Qiao Mian explained. “Python Thirteen is the one that licked your face.”

Liang Xiaoyu’s face changed instantly.

She seemed to catch a whiff of something foul and fishy.

She almost couldn’t keep from retching.

“It does tend to be overly enthusiastic,” Qiao Mian explained.

Bumblebee, in human form and walking beside them, quipped, “It’s always that enthusiastic about food.”

Liang Xiaoyu went pale.

The others looked at her oddly.

Wang Lang could barely suppress a laugh.

“Where are they from?” Wang Yangzhe asked, taking the opportunity to catch his breath.

“Anaconda,” Qiao Mian replied.

Wang Lang froze for a second.

Liang Xiaoyu glanced at the live chat, then asked, “Does that mean there are blood orchids here too?”

“Of course not,” Qiao Mian said, shaking his head with a smile.

Those who’d seen “Anaconda” looked disappointed.

“But there is this.” With a thought, Qiao Mian projected a beam of light from his chest, forming a three-dimensional screen in front of them.

On the screen appeared a vial of blood-red serum.

The group stared at the vial.

[Blood Orchid Serum]

[Delays aging, enhances constitution: increases lifespan by 10 years, boosts physical fitness by 10% (based on the human average)]

Someone swallowed so loudly that the “gulp” made Qiao Mian nearly burst out laughing.

“Is… is this real?” Wang Lang spoke first.

“Of course,” Qiao Mian replied.

“So can we…” Wang Yangzhe looked at him eagerly.

If he could get his hands on it, even a small breakthrough would be enough to make him famous worldwide.

“How can I get it?” Yang Xu, who had seemed a bit slow-witted all along, suddenly asked.

Wang Yangzhe glared at him. “You’re a software coder, what do you want with that?”

“Can’t I just live a few years longer?” Yang Xu retorted.

“We’re willing to pay any price,” Wang Lang added.

“Ten thousand tickets!” Liang Xiaoyu was the quickest to react. “I can pay on the spot.”

Qiao Mian said nothing.

He was negotiating with Zero.

“Come on, I even gave it to my parents,” he said.

“The game is not without compassion. On the contrary, your attitude toward family is commendable,” Zero replied.

“What about my patriotic spirit? Surely that deserves recognition too?” Qiao Mian argued.

“That’s why you were allowed to build Fantasy Park here, instead of on some deserted island,” Zero answered.

“Is there no room for negotiation?” Qiao Mian asked.

“Only a hundredfold penalty,” Zero replied flatly.

Qiao Mian looked up at the sky.

Thick branches and leaves blotted out the sky above.

“Mr. Qiao?” Zhang Fei, cradling his rifle, looked at him with hope.

Qiao Mian glanced around, his voice icy. “At present, only our staff are authorized to purchase.”

“Then how do we become your staff?” Liang Xiaoyu asked quickly.

“First of all, you can’t be from this dimension,” Qiao Mian spread his hands. “For Fantasy Park and the dimensions it covers, its location is the prime dimension; all others are mirror dimensions.”

“We must ensure the stability of the prime dimension.”

The group fell silent.

“But it’s not forever,” Qiao Mian added. “For now, the park’s features aren’t fully developed. Once our store is up and running, you’ll be able to buy anything you see here.”

“Even your armor?” Wang Lang’s eyes lit up.

“Of course,” Qiao Mian replied.

Wang Lang clenched his fist in excitement.

Liang Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled. “With that Iron Man suit, I could go anywhere I want!”