ryethenovel Chapter 2 System Binding? Poor Students Have Too Many Stationery
Chapter 2 System Binding? Poor Students Have Too Many Stationery
"I might not be good at acting, but when it comes to tomb raiding... I'm an expert."
After saying this into the phone, Lin Mu pressed the hang-up button.
The moment the screen went dark, a mechanical, synthesized voice, audible only to him, suddenly rang out in the quiet bachelor apartment.
【Ding--】
[Host has been detected to be involved in a real ancient tomb exploration mission.]
[The core binding conditions have been triggered, and the God-level Tomb Raiding System is officially activated.]
Lin Mu paused slightly in his grip on the phone.
As a seasoned otaku who had read countless books in his previous life, he was extremely familiar with this thing.
He didn't shout or dance with elation; he simply walked calmly to the sofa, sat down, and silently recited in his mind, "System introduction function."
This system is designed to assist the host in exploring hidden tombs throughout the world.
[Host detected is about to travel to the Taklamakan Desert. New player gift pack has been issued. Do you wish to fuse immediately?]
"Integration".
Lin Mu did not hesitate at all.
His knowledge from his previous life was ultimately just theoretical; to truly go to a place where people would devour him without spitting out the bones, he needed real, tangible resources.
[New player gift pack is now available...]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Zhang Qiling (Mute Bottle) gene template (initial unlock rate 60%)]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Basic Tomb Raiding Knowledge Base (including practical basics of Tomb Raiding, Mountain Moving, and Ridge Unloading)]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Qilin Blood (Beginner Level)]
The moment the notification sound ended, Lin Mu clenched his teeth.
There were no dazzling special effects like those in fantasy novels, only an extremely deep, chilling feeling that seemed to emanate from the very marrow of one's bones.
He could clearly hear a series of ear-piercing cracking sounds emanating from his entire body. His muscles, which had become somewhat loose due to lack of exercise, were becoming firm, flexible, and full of explosive power at an incredible speed.
The strangest change occurred in the right hand.
Lin Mu looked down at his right hand. A sharp pain shot through the knuckles of his index and middle fingers. Then, these two fingers stretched out a bit, becoming longer and paler than normal, with a sharp edge that seemed to pierce through metal and stone.
Two fingers used to probe the cave!
The entire fusion process lasted less than five minutes.
When Lin Mu raised his head again, the frivolity and affected mannerisms typical of a third-tier heartthrob had been completely washed away.
Instead, it possesses an aura as silent as an abyss and as cold as a blade.
He stood up and casually picked up a solid copper paperweight from the table, which was used to weigh down instant noodles.
He casually pinched the copper block with his right index and middle fingers together.
"Yes."
With a muffled thud, two shallow fingerprints were clearly left on the pure copper paperweight.
Lin Mu looked at the two fingerprints, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his deep eyes.
With a 60% unlock rate, one possesses such superhuman finger strength. If it reaches 100%, crushing a zongzi's skull would probably be no different from crushing a walnut.
"Click—"
The apartment's combination lock was suddenly unlocked.
Agent Zhao Yaqi, wearing high heels and clutching a thick contract, rushed in.
Her eyes were bloodshot, clearly from staying up all night.
"Mu Zi, I've brought the contract. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider? The online criticism is absolutely scathing against you, and that scheming Han Zeyu is still subtly undermining you..."
Zhao Yaqi's words caught in her throat halfway through.
She stared blankly at Lin Mu, who was standing in the center of the living room.
It was clearly the same face, clearly the same loose gray loungewear, but for some reason, Zhao Yaqi suddenly felt that the person in front of her was extremely unfamiliar.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a serene, almost indifferent glow on his profile.
Gone was the rage he used to feel when faced with cyberbullying, and there was no more despair or drowning his sorrows in alcohol. He just stood there quietly, yet he made people afraid to even breathe loudly.
"Sister Zhao, you've arrived."
Lin Mu turned around, his voice not loud, but it carried a reassuring composure.
"Ah... um, the contract."
Zhao Yaqi snapped out of her daze, shook her head to clear the eerie feeling of oppression from her mind, and pushed the documents onto the dining table: "The production team's terms are very harsh. Because of your current reputation issues, your appearance fee has been reduced to the minimum, only 300,000. And..."
Give me the pen.
Lin Mu interrupted her.
He took the pen, opened the contract, and didn't even look at the section on appearance fees or the camera protection clauses. Instead, he flipped directly to the last few pages and quickly scanned them.
"What are you looking at?"
Zhao Yaqi was puzzled.
"Read the disclaimer and insurance terms."
Lin Mu didn't even look up, pointing to one of the lines: "The production team bought the highest level of accident insurance, with a payout of ten million in case of death or total disability. Hmm, not bad. As for medical assistance, they promised to provide helicopters and military doctors... Okay, I'll sign it."
Zhao Yaqi was dumbfounded.
A popular celebrity in his early twenties, who doesn't care about money or billing order when signing contracts, is actually researching how much compensation he could get if he died.
"No, Mu Zi, you..."
"Shuashuashua——"
Lin Mu had already signed his name neatly on the last page.
The handwriting is vigorous and powerful, penetrating the paper, completely unlike the flashy artistic signatures of the past.
"Done."
Lin Mu closed the contract, handed it to Zhao Yaqi, and picked up the blank sheet of paper he had just written on on the table: "Sister Zhao, do me a favor and drive that SUV out of the garage. I need to buy some things."
Zhao Yaqi glanced at the paper subconsciously. It wasn't filled with designer clothes, but rather a bunch of terms she couldn't understand at all:
[D-type main lock thread x4, 10.5mm/50m static rope, high-carbon steel multi-functional folding shovel, tactical high-intensity flashlight with strobe/1000 lumens or more, windproof and waterproof safety matches, potassium permanganate powder...]
"Why did you buy all this?"
Zhao Yaqi was completely dumbfounded.
"You can't bring face masks and hairspray to the desert, can you?"
Lin Mu stood up, casually put on a black hardshell windbreaker and a baseball cap: "Let's go, time is tight, we have to fly to Xinjiang first thing tomorrow morning."
……
At 2 PM, the official Weibo account of the "Exploring the World" program released the lineup of regular guests for the first episode.
The copywriting was extremely official and full of suspense:
[A call spanning millennia, exploring the secrets beneath the yellow sands. Specially approved by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, led by Professor Zhou Zhengyang of the China Archaeological Institute! Special guests: @Su Nianwei @Ye Zhi Qiu @Lin Mu. Live stream tomorrow morning at 8 AM across the internet. See you in the Taklamakan Desert!]
Less than ten minutes after this Weibo post was published, the comment section overwhelmed the server.
Su Nianwei and Ye Zhi Qiu's fans were initially happily controlling the comments, but when they looked down at the guest list, their smiles instantly froze on their faces.
【What? Am I blind? Whose name was that last one? Lin Mu?】
[Has the production team gone mad?! Sending a male lead from a terrible movie who can't even hold a Luoyang shovel properly to participate in a national-level archaeological expedition? Is this an expedition or a comedy show?]
My heart aches for my SuSu. She has to go to the desert with this hopeless illiterate guy. I hope he doesn't hold her back!
Got it, the production team invited a negative example to highlight the archaeological team's professionalism.
The frenzy of public opinion spread rapidly. Major marketing accounts sprang into action, and even some industry peers couldn't resist joining in the chorus of criticism.
During an interview at a brand event in the afternoon, Han Zeyu, a top-tier male celebrity, was asked by a reporter about his opinion on the program.
Han Zeyu gave the camera a flawless, gentle smile: "Exploration is a very serious and dangerous undertaking, requiring extremely high professional standards. I personally have great respect for Professor Zhou and the experts on the archaeological team. As for the guests... I can only say that I hope everyone will prioritize safety and leave professional matters to professionals. Don't risk your life for attention."
This interview video quickly topped the trending searches. The entire internet was praising Han Zeyu for his high EQ and clear-headedness, while also taking the opportunity to thoroughly humiliate Lin Mu.
Meanwhile, Lin Mu, at the eye of the storm, was standing in a very inconspicuous professional outdoor survival equipment store outside the South Fifth Ring Road of Yanjing City.
This place doesn't sell those Arc'teryx or Canada Goose bikes that cost tens of thousands of yuan and are only for showing off on social media. The shelves are piled high with hardcore gear that smells of engine oil and nylon.
The shop owner was a bald, burly man in his fifties with a faint scar on his left cheek. He was leaning against the counter, smoking cheap cigarettes. When a tall, slender young man wearing a baseball cap and a mask walked in, the owner didn't even raise his eyelids.
"Look around as much as you like, no bargaining."
The boss exhaled a smoke ring.
Lin Mu didn't say anything and walked straight to the area where the ropes were hanging.
With the practical knowledge instilled by the system, he didn't need to look at those brightly colored power ropes at all. Instead, he reached out and pulled out a section of black rope, carefully rubbing the texture of the rope with his two unusually long fingers, and then tugged at it hard.
"Boss, are these static ropes made with a Kevlar core? What's their elongation?"
Lin Mu's cool voice came from under his mask.
The bald boss paused slightly in the hand holding the cigarette, then finally looked up and gave Lin Mu a surprised look.
You're an expert.
Ordinary outdoor enthusiasts have no idea about the difference between dynamic ropes and static ropes, let alone ask about elongation.
"Good taste."
The boss stood up and walked to the shelf: "Kevlar blend, less than 2% elongation. How long do you want?"
"Fifty meters. Also, bring four threaded D-type main locks with a load-bearing capacity of over 25KN, made of forged aluminum alloy, don't try to fool me with cast iron ones."
Lin Mu's tone was calm, yet it exuded an undeniable professionalism.
The boss's expression completely changed, his previous nonchalant attitude vanished: "Young man, are you going downhill or caving? This gear isn't something you'd use for hiking in a wild mountain in the suburbs."
"Let's go somewhere with a lot of sand."
Lin Mu gave a perfunctory reply and turned to walk towards the tool area on the other side.
His gaze swept over the rows of knives and shovels.
As a hardcore researcher in his past life, coupled with his current fighting instincts as Zhang Qiling, he knows all too well which weapons are most practical in a narrow underground space.
A long sword is too difficult to wield, and a dagger is too short; there is only one truly deadly weapon.
"I need an entrenching tool."
Lin Mu pointed to a black folding shovel on the wall: "Made of high-carbon steel in one piece, with serrations and a window-breaking cone."
The boss took a shovel and handed it to him: "This one is from a military-grade OEM factory. It weighs 1.8 kilograms and is extremely durable."
Lin Mu took the shovel.
The moment he gripped the shovel handle, the muscle memory brought about by the Zhang Qiling template was instantly activated.
With a flick of his wrist, a crisp click echoed as the spatula was folded smoothly to a 90-degree angle, mimicking a standard hoeing motion.
Then, with another flick of the wrist, the spatula flattens out, and the thumb lightly scrapes the blade.
The entire movement was fluid and graceful, carrying a chilling sense of ruthlessness.
The boss's eyelids twitched.
That technique, that force—it's definitely the work of a trained professional!
"Not sharpened."
Lin Mu frowned.
"Nonsense, sharpening a knife would make it a controlled weapon."
The boss rolled his eyes.
"Give me a half-edge, keep the serrations on the left side, and grind the right edge to a 15-degree sharpness."
Lin Mu raised his head, his deep, calm eyes looking directly at the boss: "Add more money."
The boss felt a sudden jolt in his heart as he was being stared at.
That gaze is so steady, so steady that it doesn't seem like that of a young man, but rather like that of a seasoned veteran who has spent years licking blood off the edge of a knife.
"...Okay, wait here for a bit."
The boss muttered something and took a shovel to the grinder in the backyard.
Over the next half hour, Lin Mu acted like a wholesaler, precisely selecting a high-lumen tactical flashlight, spare filter cartridges for gas masks, and even buying two bags of seemingly useless quicklime and potassium permanganate.
When it came time to pay, the total came to 28,000 yuan. Lin Mu swiped his card without a second thought, since he still had about 400,000 yuan in the account.
As he walked out of the shop carrying two heavy black woven bags, the shop owner couldn't help but call out behind him, "Young man, wherever you go, you'd better come back alive!"
Lin Mu didn't stop walking; he just waved to him with his back turned.
……
Unbeknownst to Lin Mu, just as he was carrying two large woven bags out of the equipment store and bending down to stuff the items into the trunk of his SUV, the shutter of a camera was clicking furiously in a black sedan across the street.
A few hours later, at 8 p.m. that evening.
A hashtag titled "Lin Mu, a poor student with lots of stationery" suddenly appeared at number five on Weibo's trending topics list.
Clicking on it revealed several high-resolution photos taken without consent.
In the photo, Lin Mu is wearing an ordinary windbreaker and a mask, carrying two huge woven bags that are completely out of character for a celebrity, and struggling to stuff them into his car. The background is a dilapidated street outside the South Fifth Ring Road.
The marketing account's accompanying text was extremely sarcastic:
[Hilarious! According to sources, Lin Mu went on a massive shopping spree at the labor protection supplies wholesale market this afternoon! Looking at all those bags and packages, you'd think he was going to a construction site! Just going to a variety show, is it really necessary to buy so much junk? This is what they call: a poor student has lots of stationery, lacks acting skills, so they make up for it with equipment!]
The comments section was once again filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
[Hahaha, what the hell is this labor protection market! Does he think going to the desert is like doing farm work?]
[Su Nianwei's airport photos show her wearing a full set of top-of-the-line custom outdoor gear, while Lin Mu, carrying a woven bag, looks exactly like a migrant worker heading to the city.]
I can't wait to watch the live stream tomorrow morning, this guy is definitely the comedian.
At this moment, Lin Mu was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the apartment.
Scattered around him were various pieces of equipment he had bought. He was holding a whetstone, meticulously sharpening the entrenching tool that was already half-sharpened.
"Shh—shh—"
The sound of metal scraping echoed in the quiet room.
Lin Mu glanced at his phone on the coffee table next to him. The screen showed the trending topic mocking him for having "too many stationery items despite being a poor student."
He wasn't angry, and his expression didn't even change. He simply used his two unusually long fingers to gently test the sharpness of the shovel blade, and nodded in satisfaction.
"A poor student, huh..."
Lin Mu turned his head and his gaze fell on the huge map of China on the wall.
His gaze swept across the bustling city and finally settled on the northwest, on the vast yellow area marked as the Taklamakan Desert.
The countless nights I spent staying up late researching materials in my past life are finally about to become a reality.
Exquisite.
See you tomorrow.
With a flick of his wrist, Lin Mu folded the entrenching tool away with a click, producing a crisp metallic clang.