Chapter 33

The five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Qin Ran did not say goodbye.

Because he knew he would likely never return to this beginner's instance.

So, carrying numerous items, including the [Viper-M1] and two [Fist-Ⅱ] rocket launchers, Qin Ran struggled to raise his right hand to wave goodbye to Corinne and Maggie.

The two girls also waved back at Qin Ran.

Corinne even opened her mouth as if to say something.

However, Qin Ran, whose time to leave had arrived, did not hear Corinne's words clearly. The bright light that appeared when he entered the instance once again shone in his eyes, forcing him to close them and shield his eyes from the blinding light with his palm.

Then, the sudden feeling of weightlessness made Qin Ran uncomfortable for a moment.

When everything returned to normal, Qin Ran found himself in a room that resembled a warehouse.

The room was covered in dust and spider webs.

The word "dilapidated" could not fully describe it.

The only commendable aspect was its size, large enough for five buses to pass side by side and for ten buses to park without any problem.

"Is this the game hall?"

Qin Ran looked around, somewhat uncertain.

At least, it was nothing like what he had imagined.

Even if it didn't have the various stylish and dazzling game halls of other virtual games, it should at least be cleaner, right?

Qin Ran frowned as he looked at the dust that clearly showed his footprints.

However, Qin Ran's attention soon turned to his loot.

He carefully checked his backpack and personal items.

When he found that the [Viper-M1] and two [Fist-Ⅱ] rocket launchers were still there, but many of the [U-Ⅱ] grenades, [M1905] pistol, magazines, cans, and water were missing, he sighed helplessly.

"Sure enough, it was a bit too much!"

Earlier, with Corinne's help, Qin Ran had reached the limit of his carrying capacity—a state where he could barely stand but not move.

Qin Ran had harbored a侥幸 (侥幸 means "侥幸" in Chinese, which can be translated as "侥幸" in English, but in this context, it means "slight hope" or "侥幸").

But it was clear that such a state was still considered overweight.

"Fortunately!"

Qin Ran looked at the [Viper-M1] and two [Fist-Ⅱ] rocket launchers, feeling relieved again.

If these two weapons were lost, he would be devastated.

As for giving up other items to ensure these two weapons?

Qin Ran had naturally thought about it.

But he didn't know his carrying limit and believed he could manage.

If given a 100-kilogram stone to carry, he would definitely hesitate.

But if given 100 kilograms of Federation currency... Qin Ran not only believed he could carry it but also run, and faster than anyone else.

To Qin Ran, his own property was as important as life.

"I must find storage equipment!"

Qin Ran thought subconsciously.

Boom!

An explosion suddenly sounded outside the room, startling Qin Ran from his thoughts. Almost instinctively, Qin Ran instantly picked up the sniper rifle [Viper-M1] and aimed it at the door.

But... the door was tightly sealed!

Even if Qin Ran judged that the explosion point was right outside the door, it remained closed.

The explosions did not stop; instead, they continued like a domino effect.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The continuous explosions led Qin Ran to conclude that they were happening around the room.

But the seemingly dilapidated warehouse remained unscathed.

"What?"

Qin Ran guessed instinctively.

Then, a message appeared on his retina:

[Steam City and Steel War Vehicles have erupted into war. Please do not leave your house to avoid being caught in the crossfire!]

"Guild war?"

Qin Ran was taken aback.

Having worked in a gold farming studio before, Qin Ran was naturally familiar with such things.

However, he did not expect to encounter such an event as soon as he entered the underground game.

The message on his retina did not stop because of Qin Ran's distraction.

The text continued to appear:

[Beginner Instance: War-Torn City]

[Instance Nature: Free]

[Instance Difficulty: Low]

[Main Quest: Survive for Three Days]

[Quest Completion: 100% (Base Evaluation: F)]

[Side Quest: Rescue more civilians until the end of the war. Each civilian rescued increases the completion rate.]

[Quest Completion: 200% (Rescued Corinne and Maggie—Evaluation Improved: F→E)]

[Combat Performance: Very Active (Evaluation Improved: E→D)]

[Exploration Performance: Average (No Improvement)]

[Special Evaluation 1: Killed Rebel Major Saluka (Evaluation Improved: D→C)]

[Special Evaluation 2: Killed Rebel General Jennings (Evaluation Improved: C→A)]

[Beginner Instance Bonus: Evaluation Improved by One Level!]

[Final Player Evaluation: S!]

[Calculating Player's Beginner Instance Rewards...]

[Final Player's Beginner Instance Rewards: Points: 3000; Skill Points: 3; Gold Skill Points: 1]

[Player has no severe injuries, no treatment required!]

...

"3000 points? 3 skill points? 1 gold skill point?"

Looking at the final rewards, Qin Ran, without any reference, could not determine their value, but judging by the S evaluation, he had gained a lot.

"Player has completed the beginner instance, channel opening..."

Just as Qin Ran was checking his rewards, a mechanical voice appeared in the room.

With the appearance of the mechanical voice, a liquid crystal screen protruded from the wall opposite the door, replacing the original metal wall.

After a brief black screen, three rows of large text choices appeared on the liquid crystal screen.

Store, Forum, and Instance.

As Qin Ran's gaze fell on them, annotations appeared.

[Store: Supplies various raw materials, bullets, basic weapons, armor, medicine, and miscellaneous items, and provides skill upgrade services for players.]

[Forum: A platform for player-to-player communication and trading.]

[Instance: A world for solo or group adventures.]

[Note 1: Single-player instances have a one-week cooldown after each entry—time ratio: regardless of how long in-game, one hour in reality.]

[Note 2: Multiplayer instances (at least 2 players) have a one-month cooldown after each entry.]

[Note 3: Players must enter a single-player or multiplayer instance at least once every three months; otherwise, they will lose their game eligibility and be considered dead in the game.]

Qin Ran's gaze swept over the [Instance] section, lingering for a long time with a look of surprise.

It wasn't about the in-game time or cooldown, which Qin Ran had expected from other virtual games.

What surprised Qin Ran was the note that players must enter a single-player or multiplayer instance at least once every three months, or their character would be considered dead in the game.

"If I completely disconnect from the game helmet, will it just be the character's death, or will it affect me as well?"

Qin Ran's brows furrowed.

He couldn't predict what would happen.

"It's still early to earn enough for the treatment fee. What's the point of thinking about this now?"

Qin Ran gave a self-deprecating smile.

Then, he immediately began browsing the [Store] and [Forum], paying particular attention to the value of points and the prices of equipment.

Qin Ran had not forgotten his initial purpose for entering the underground game: to make money!

Such browsing was bound to be time-consuming.

It took nearly two hours for Qin Ran to just skim through everything.

First, the points.

In the forum, players were buying points at a rate of 20-30 Federation currency per point.

However, there were very few sellers.

Clearly, the price was too low.

This was good news for Qin Ran.

Because it meant that from one beginner instance, he had earned at least 60,000-90,000 Federation currency, which was several times his total income over the past three years.

Next was the [Store]!

Just as the system described, it only had basic items and various raw materials, with no powerful equipment, let alone skill books or storage equipment.

The skill upgrades made Qin Ran, who thought he had gained a lot, feel the pinch and... the pain!

To upgrade the beginner-level [Firearm Weapon. Light Firearms] to the next level 'Proficient' required 1000 points and 1 skill point.

To upgrade the beginner-level [Stealth] to the next level 'Proficient' required 1500 points and 1 skill point.

Other basic skills could be upgraded to the beginner level without skill points, but they were still expensive, ranging from 200 to 800 points.

The skill [Tracking] was the most expensive.

The rest were around 200 points.

In short, if Qin Ran upgraded [Firearm Weapon. Light Firearms] and [Stealth], the remaining points would only be enough to upgrade two more basic skills (excluding [Tracking]) or to buy a full set of equipment from the [Store], including weapons, armor, medicine, and necessary items—500 points for a set, prominently displayed on the first page of the [Store].

Although this full set included a pistol, a dagger, two magazines of matching bullets, armor from head to toe, three rolls of advanced bandages, and items like a water bottle, cigarettes, and a lighter, Qin Ran would not buy it. Not only did he have better weapons and armor, but his experience in the gold farming studio also told him that players could find cheaper options: other players!

Low-level equipment transactions between players were always more cost-effective.

Later, Qin Ran's browsing on the [Forum] fully confirmed this.

The same full set of equipment that cost 500 points in the [Store] could be bought from players for 400 points.

If the gun was removed, it would cost 300 points.

If the medicine was also removed, it would cost 200 points, or even less.

Qin Ran silently browsed the forum's transactions, especially the high-priced weapons and medicine, and gradually his eyes began to shine.

After all, he had brought back two [Fist-Ⅱ] rocket launchers.

The page turned, and the ads began.

The page turned, and the ads ended.