novelslam Chapter 2 My Lord, Physics No Longer Exists
Chapter 2 My Lord, Physics No Longer Exists
As the cold, mechanical female voice fell, a semi-transparent, light blue interface appeared directly in the center of Fang Jianqiu's vision.
He was very familiar with this interface; its layout and structure were almost identical to the Hextech Enhancement selection interface of Rune Brawl that he had played before his transmigration, only now it was simpler and more realistic.
At the very top of the interface, a line of black text is displayed clearly and consistently:
[Match interruption detected. Do you want to inherit Hextech runes from the unfinished match?]
Below this line of inquiry, there are two smaller lines of supplementary explanation:
[If you choose "Yes", the runes for the next two rounds will be fixed as: More Versatile Scope (Gold Tier) and Show Your Sword (Prismatic Tier).]
If you choose "No", the existing game will not be carried over, and the Hextech rune selection will start again randomly.
The explanation is very simple and easy to understand.
Fang Jianqiu's gaze swept past the text and fell on the two icons below that were locked in gray.
Even though the icon was dim and lifeless, as if chained up, he could still clearly see the detailed annotations below it.
First, there's the gold icon on the left, which depicts a sophisticated scope:
More versatile scope
Effect: Your firearms proficiency will be greatly increased, reaching the maximum mastery level. Any firearm you use will have its effective range increased by 100%, and within 100 meters, you will have perfect accuracy (while the weapon is in your field of vision)!
Fang Jianqiu stared at the words "effective range increased by 100%" and "100% accuracy".
"Increased firearms proficiency? That's normal, it saves time from practicing shooting."
"But what the heck is this doubling of the effective range and 100% accuracy?!"
Reality is not a game.
In the game, doubling the range might mean hitting two more squares.
In reality, if the effective range of an ordinary handgun is fifty meters, doubling it would make it one hundred meters.
If the effective range of a rifle is 400 meters, doubling it makes it 800 meters.
This is not just about hitting farther; it means that the physical rules governing trajectory correction, kinetic energy retention, and accuracy all become ineffective in the face of this rune.
And that perfect accuracy...
That's even more outrageous.
My lord, physics no longer exists.
And this is only a gold-tier rune.
Fang Jianqiu suppressed the excitement in his heart and looked expectantly at the icon on the right that emitted a colorful halo.
That's the Prismatic Tier, the highest level of Hextech.
Draw your sword:
Effect: The effective range of your ranged weapons will be forcibly reduced by 80%, and you will switch to a melee style. In exchange, your physical attributes will be enhanced in all aspects, and the power of your weapons will be increased by 200%. Additionally, you will gain life steal.
[Life Steal: Some of the damage you inflict on living beings will heal you]
(Note: If you already have a scope-type rune, the additional range effect will not be shortened.)
After reading the description, Fang Jianqiu almost couldn't help but whistle.
"As expected of a Prismatic-grade rune, its effect is truly domineering."
"Similar to the mechanics in Rune Brawl, the scope can still compensate for the only range deficiency of the Blademaster! With the two combined, my effective range not only doesn't decrease, but actually increases by 20%."
Fang Jianqiu couldn't help but smile; he couldn't suppress his laughter.
He could only press two fingers against his lips to cover the overly obvious smile.
"The attack power and movement speed bonuses in the game are probably converted into all-round physical enhancements and weapon power increases."
"And then there's this life-stealing..."
"Just by reading the description, you can tell it's outrageous. It doesn't specify what kind of injury it is, which means that as long as it's not a fatal wound, it can save you!"
Fang Jianqiu became more and more satisfied the more he looked at it.
"Ha, so this is how they're making up for the lack of enjoyment I got in the game, in real life?"
He made his choice in his mind almost without the slightest hesitation.
Just as Fang Jianqiu was immersed in researching and conceiving about the cheat system.
The boy Ye Lang, who was squatting not far from him, gradually had a strange look in his eyes.
Ye Lang had called out "Brother" several times, wanting to ask if the man was alright.
As a result, Fang Jianqiu suddenly seemed to have lost his soul, staring blankly at the air in front of him, without moving.
The scariest thing was that as this person looked at it, a smile inexplicably crept onto the corner of their mouth.
In this dimly lit, gloomy, and foul-smelling pigsty, the smile seemed particularly eerie.
Ye Lang's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but shrink back, thinking to himself:
"This gentleman's brain... could it be that he was scared out of his wits by that Manager Chen just now? Or does he have some kind of hidden illness?"
"Did I just guess right?"
Fortunately, just as Ye Lang was pondering whether he should stay away from this "fool," Fang Jianqiu finally came to his senses.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, and the pale blue interface in front of him disappeared.
Fang Jianqiu turned his head, his eyes clear, and met Ye Lang's gaze, which was full of suspicion and hesitation.
He had to acknowledge the favor the young man had done for him by risking a beating to stand up for him.
Moreover, this is an excellent opportunity to obtain current intelligence.
Fang Jianqiu adjusted his posture, trying to appear friendly and normal, and began to speak:
"Sorry, I was a little dizzy just now and my mind wandered."
"My name is Fang Jianqiu. Thank you for your help earlier. May I ask your name, young man?"
Hearing Fang Jianqiu speak clearly and in a normal tone, Ye Lang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, my brain isn't damaged.
Ye Lang also sat up straight. Although he was wearing tattered hemp clothes and his face was covered in dust, he still subconsciously straightened his collar, clasped his hands together, and performed a rather unorthodox scholar's salute.
"Brother Fang, you're too kind. I was just trying to stand up for what was right. Besides, that Manager Chen always bullies people, and I've had a bad impression of him for a long time."
"My surname is Ye, and my given name is Lang. Just like the Lang in the poem, which says, 'Bright as the sun and moon, clear as a mirror.'"
Although Ye Lang's voice was a little hoarse, his pronunciation was clear and refined, exuding a scholarly air.
Fang Jianqiu raised an eyebrow:
That's quite a set of terms; that should help clarify the situation.
Ye Lang seemed to have not spoken to anyone so seriously in a long time, and Fang Jianqiu's clean and efficient demeanor made him feel very close to him.
Although Fang Jianqiu's short hair looked a bit strange, it didn't stop Ye Lang from wanting to chat with him a bit more.
"Brother Fang, you don't seem to have much of an accent? I'm from Nanhai County, Guangzhou Prefecture, which is commonly known as Foshan. May I ask where your hometown is, Brother Fang?"
Fang Jianqiu nodded and replied:
"Me? I'm from Tianjin."
"Tianjin?"
Ye Lang's eyes lit up, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"Oh, oh, so you're from Tianjin! That's a vital town right under the emperor's nose, a place thousands of miles away from here."
"No wonder I noticed that Brother Fang has an extraordinary figure and a heroic air about him. He is a hero from the North. To meet someone from Tianjin in Honolulu is even rarer than an iron tree blooming."
The two of them started chatting back and forth like that.
The surroundings were filled with thunderous snoring and a foul stench, but the two of them chatted away as if they were sitting in a teahouse.
While answering Ye Lang's questions, Fang Jianqiu subtly extracted key information from him, and also continued his research on Hextech cheat codes.
Before long, he had a general idea of the situation.
As a native of Tianjin, after understanding his situation, Fang Jianqiu could only curse in his heart:
What a terrible day! I didn't even check the almanac before I left home.
The place he is in now is called Honolulu.
That is, Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, USA.
The current year is the sixteenth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign in the Qing Dynasty.
Converted to the Gregorian calendar, that's 1890.
"Well, my vision went black and I ended up back over a hundred years in the past."
"Why not just leave it in China? Let's cross the Pacific and drop it onto the Hawaiian Islands!"
"What have I done to deserve this? I just played a Rune Brawl match, what did I do to deserve this?"
Fang Jianqiu mentally ranted and complained.
"Brother Fang? What did you say?"
Ye Lang noticed that Fang Jianqiu's lips were moving slightly, as if he was muttering something, so he asked him curiously.
"Uh, nothing, just thinking about some trivial things at home."
Fang Jianqiu waved his hand to cover it up, then fell into deep thought.
1890 years.
Honolulu Chinatown.
Dozens of Chinese were locked in a stinking room and were called "piglets".
Even without Ye Lang explaining in detail, Fang Jianqiu could guess what awaited them next.
At that time, Hawaii's sugar industry was at the peak of its frenzied expansion.
This area needs a large number of cheap laborers to cut sugarcane on the plantations.
And for these Chinese immigrants who crossed the ocean, apart from a very lucky few who managed to get jobs as laundromats or cooks in the city, the vast majority shared only one fate—
Plantation contract worker.
Although they were called contract workers, under those contracts filled with unfair terms, it was no different from selling oneself into slavery.
They worked over ten hours of intense labor every day, and the slightest mistake would result in being whipped by the foreman. They lived in pigsties, ate pig feed, and were burdened with debts that could never be repaid.
"If I remember correctly, the United States next door seems to have enacted something called the Chinese Exclusion Act a few years ago, which banned Chinese laborers from entering the country."
"So in recent years, the Kingdom of Hawaii has become a way out and a refuge for Chinese people, and more and more Chinese people are going there."
"Although in a few years, the Kingdom of Hawaii will also be overthrown by the United States and eventually incorporated into its territory."
Fang Jianqiu slapped his forehead.
He couldn't change the course of history, nor did he want to bother with it.
The problem now is that he doesn't want to be forced to grow sugarcane as soon as he transmigrates, and die of exhaustion in a foreign land.
"Should we just charge out?"
Fang Jianqiu glanced at the tightly closed wooden door.
"Maybe I could use my skills to infiltrate Chinatown, find a Chinese gang like On Leong Tong, and become a double-flower red stick?"
Fang Jianqiu shook his head and immediately rejected the idea.
The risk is too high.
By 1890, it was no longer the era of cold weapons.
Gatling guns have been around for a long time, and revolvers and lever rifles are everywhere.
Although he has now inherited the Hextech system, those two powerful runes are still locked and have not yet taken effect.
Now, he's just a mortal, and a single bullet could send him back to his hometown.
If you rush out without first ascertaining the situation, the most likely outcome is that you'll be shot dead before you even have a chance to demonstrate your worth.
He refocused his attention on the system interface in his field of vision.
Below each of the two gray rune icons is a thin strip.
That's an experience bar.
At this moment, the experience bar is completely empty, without any color.
Obviously, to unlock these two incredible Hextech runes, you must first fill this experience bar.
"Right now, there are two most important things in front of me."
"First, figure out exactly how to gain these experience points."
"Second, find a way to get out of this damn pigsty."
Although Fang Jianqiu's thoughts were racing and his goals were very clear,
However, reality often doesn't give people much time to think and prepare.
Without any warning.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The heavy wooden door was violently slammed open from the outside.
Immediately afterwards, Steward Chen's shrill voice, tinged with a hint of fawning excitement, seeped through the crack in the door, piercing everyone's eardrums:
"Everyone, get up! Everyone, get up with me! Damn pig head, I'm pretending to be dead!"
(Get up, everyone! Stop pretending to be dead!)
"Your esteemed guest has arrived! He's a white gentleman from the Big Island!"
(The VIPs who will take you here are all white gentlemen from the island!)
"Everyone, perk up! Wipe the mud off your faces! Don't embarrass me in front of these white gentlemen!"
"Hurry up! They're ready to be sold!"