Chapter 14: Luck Overflowing from Opening Miniature Jars

Joy wept uncontrollably, not because the house had burned down, but because with its loss, she no longer knew how to contact her second son, and all hope of rescuing Will seemed lost.

Seeing Joy so heartbroken, Lin Xiao felt conflicted as well. Should he tell her the truth—that Will was actually still alive? He worried that if he did, this mother would waste no time rushing to Hawkins Lab, determined to enter the Upside Down and save her son.

Yet Hawkins Lab was not a place one could come and go as one pleased. In the original story, to protect their secrets, they would go as far as to kill, fabricate bodies, and imprison or threaten people—they were capable of anything.

Besides, although the main villain had been dealt with, Lin Xiao’s presence had altered many plotlines: the number of demodogs had increased ahead of schedule, and who could guarantee there weren’t other monsters lurking in the Upside Down?

Of course, Will had to be saved, but the rescue required careful planning. Perhaps it was time to reach out to the heroine of the show, the one with supernatural powers who could open portals between worlds—Number Eleven.

Eventually, the fire was extinguished, and Chief Hopper arrived on the scene with some grim news: the state police had found Will’s body at the quarry.

On hearing this, Joy flatly refused to believe it. Barely half an hour ago, she had “spoken” with Will; the body they had found could not possibly be her son.

Lin Xiao, standing nearby, put on a show of sorrow, unleashing his acting skills once again. To be honest, acting was harder work than fighting the main villain—it was no wonder the young actors of today would rather rely on their looks than hone their craft.

Joy recounted the strange events just now, but Chief Hopper didn’t believe a word of it, thinking she was delusional and hearing things, which explained her increasingly erratic behavior.

After some attempted consolation, Hopper left with his men, telling her to come to the county coroner’s office in the morning to identify the body. Joy refused outright, and Lin Xiao had no choice but to agree on her behalf, though inwardly he was coming up with a grand plan.

Perhaps he could use this opportunity to expose Hawkins Lab and their despicable methods, laying the groundwork for a future expedition into the Upside Down.

Lin Xiao intended to take Joy to a motel in town to rest, but she adamantly refused, insisting on staying put in the hope of hearing from her son again.

With no other option, he pulled the car around, let Joy rest inside, and sat in the driver’s seat, pretending to sleep. Once Joy had dozed off, he quietly opened the system interface.

Earlier, having killed the demodog, he had received a reward: a two-star common-grade miniature jar, an upgrade from the previous one-star version—surely it would yield something good.

He clicked the jar, and with a flash of light, three items appeared on the interface:

[Lower Elemental Crystal x2: Forged from refined magical energy, usable for forging or enchanting equipment.]

“Two lower elemental crystals, just enough to make up for the loss of the main villain’s corpse. I can enchant my shoes with these,” Lin Xiao thought. “You can never be too fast when it comes to running for your life—self-preservation is what matters most.”

[Enchantment Orb x1: LV2 enchantment orb, +5 Stamina, +0.5% MP regeneration rate; Enchantment slot: belt. Can be dismantled for attributes.]

“Not bad,” he mused. “An enchantment orb with built-in attributes, and it boosts stamina and recovery—just the lifesaver I need in the early stages. I’ll have to craft a belt first.”

Having drawn two excellent items in a row, Lin Xiao felt deeply satisfied. No wonder the first season’s villain gave such rich rewards.

But then he saw the third item and nearly jumped out of his seat in shock:

[Shadow Shuttle: LV1 mysterious skill, derived from the innate abilities of shadow monsters;
Skill effect: Consumes 300 mana to temporarily open a portal connecting to the Upside Down within a five-kilometer radius of Hawkins, lasting ten seconds. Duration increases with skill level.
Prerequisite: Reach LV10 and officially become a professional.]

Lin Xiao was ecstatic. Shadow Shuttle—a mysterious skill drawn from the shadow monsters’ innate abilities—meant that he would be able to travel freely between worlds, no longer restricted to fixed portals.

According to the plot, in season two, Eleven closed the gateway between the two worlds to fight the Mind Flayer; although it reopened in season three, it was closed again soon after.

Without a fixed portal, how could he enter the Upside Down to hunt monsters and level up in the future?

Now, with this ability, he needn’t worry about access or finding enough monsters.

However, the skill did come with limitations: it could only be used within five kilometers of Hawkins, perhaps because Eleven had forcibly opened a portal there, weakening the spatial barrier.

Moreover, he would have to reach level ten and complete his job change before he could learn it—probably a matter of needing sufficient mana. Below level ten, he likely wouldn’t have enough, even if he drained himself dry.

As for why these shadow monsters could tear open spatial barriers, it was likely due to the damage done to the barrier here, as well as their innate racial abilities, unrelated to their level.

“So, by that logic, Eleven’s power level is at least on par with a level ten professional,” Lin Xiao mused. “She just lacks systematic training, so her overall strength isn’t quite that high—but she’s certainly stronger than me.”

Telekinesis, remote manipulation, psychic links, walking through the void, rending the barrier between worlds, crushing the main villain single-handedly—Eleven, with her superpowers, was no weaker than a level ten mage. Without her leading the charge, the Hawkins monster-hunting squad would have been wiped out countless times.

Lin Xiao began to sketch out a plan in his mind. Perhaps he could deliberately befriend Eleven, bring her to his side, and make use of her talents—at least then he wouldn’t have to face the monsters alone.

The Upside Down was a parallel shadow of the real world—who knew what other kinds of creatures inhabited it? Surely there were monsters far stronger than himself; the Mind Flayer, for instance, might be beyond his power to defeat.

Going solo to hunt monsters was perilous; there was no guarantee of safety. If he stumbled upon a high-level monster, he might not even be able to escape—a real-life “Game Over.”

This wasn’t a game world, and the monsters he encountered wouldn’t always be conveniently matched to his level. If he ran into something vastly more powerful, he’d be crushed before he could blink.

Eleven had tremendous potential. Without any outside help, she could already match a level ten professional. With her aid, his chances of survival would greatly improve.

And with the system’s support, perhaps he could even train her into a professional mage—maybe not quite Doctor Strange, but at least a rival to the Ancient One. The thought alone was exhilarating.

As he pondered his future strategies, his heightened senses picked up the sound of footsteps—very light, almost imperceptible to the average person, but clear as day to someone with superhuman abilities.

“Could it be… people from the lab?” Lin Xiao immediately realized his cover had been blown. Not his identity as a traveler between worlds, but the fact that he’d escaped through the lab’s portal last time—their investigation must have led them to him.

“Mom, my stomach hurts. I need to go to the bathroom,” Lin Xiao said calmly, slipping out of the car and darting toward the woods by the roadside.

Five or six dark figures followed close behind, quickly giving chase. Each was fully armed, guns at the ready, wearing night vision goggles—they were clearly prepared for confrontation.