Chapter 4

After such a reckless example, no one dared to try it again, after all, playing this game required real-name registration, including blood type and brainwave records. Once you were blacklisted, there was no way out.

As for safety, the game had already received the guarantee and authorization from the joint government, so there was no need to worry about personal information leakage.

Now, they were discussing these off-topic matters without receiving any system warnings, which should mean that the language was shielded, and the NPC didn't understand it. If that was the case, what was there to worry about?

However...

"We all need to eat here, the NPC must need to eat too, right? He probably doesn't have any food. How about we make a bet to see how long he can hold out?"

"Do we have that much time to wait? The beta test is about to end." Looking at Zhengchen, Sihai Guiyi lowered his voice, thinking it was better to do it this way, "I'll give him some."

"Friend, names aren't that important, right? I'll give you some food, how about that?" He sat down next to Zhengchen with a smile, holding out some rations in front of him.

"Very important." Since coming to this place, Zhengchen hadn't had a drop of water or food. Even if he tried to minimize unnecessary activities to reduce consumption, his body would eventually suffer if this continued.

"Just curious!"

"My name is Zhengchen." After answering, Zhengchen directly took the rations from the other person. Exchanging a name for food was a good deal.

The rations were very refined, much better than what he could obtain in the wasteland.

"Ah, pretty ordinary, huh." Sihai Guiyi scratched his head, looking at Zhengchen for a while but seeing nothing special, feeling a bit depressed. He already knew the other person's name, but why couldn't he see any familiar information about him?

Then, the large amount of unknown information from the previous unknown NPC also seemed very abnormal!

"Is it a fake name?"

"There's no point in lying to you."

Sihai Guiyi felt a bit awkward. This game was really strange; he actually felt awkward in front of an NPC... Well, it must be because the game was too realistic!

Now that he knew Zhengchen's name, it didn't really help much; he still didn't understand him.

Looking at Zhengchen again, he couldn't help but rub his eyes. The rations for one person were finished in less than a minute, which was incredibly efficient.

"Got any water?"

"Oh? Oh! Yes." After a moment of hesitation, Sihai Guiyi took out a bamboo tube filled with water and handed it to Zhengchen. Zhengchen nodded slightly, taking the tube. The attire and items these people carried were quite strange...

Zhengchen noticed several different types of equipment, clearly from different regions.

Now, this bamboo tube, which should be a rather primitive way to carry water, seemed out of place. With their equipment, they should have normal water bottles, right?

The water in the bamboo tube was surprisingly abundant. At first, Zhengchen only wanted to drink a little, but after two sips, the water level barely dropped...

Noticing Zhengchen's puzzled expression, Sihai Guiyi smiled proudly. Seeing this reaction on the usually expressionless young man was quite satisfying.

"This bamboo tube is not ordinary; it can hold half a cubic meter of water. It took me a lot of effort to get it." He sounded very proud.

"Uh-huh." Zhengchen nodded, returning to his normal state, and handed the bamboo tube back. In the wasteland, this bamboo tube would be the best equipment for a lone wanderer. Food could be lacking, but water was crucial.

After using it, Zhengchen didn't doubt its authenticity. Was there really such a magical thing in the world?

He began to doubt his environment again.

After a moment of hesitation, Sihai Guiyi handed the bamboo tube to Zhengchen, "I won't need this soon, consider it a reward for joining us."

A bamboo tube for water wouldn't affect anything later, and after the beta test, their data would be deleted... These items would disappear, so it was better not to waste them.

"Thank you."

Zhengchen took the bamboo tube from Sihai Guiyi.

"Your reaction is so calm." Seeing Zhengchen's reaction, Sihai Guiyi scratched his head, "I have a question, you look very capable."

"Alright." After thinking for a moment, Zhengchen said. Although he was far from the long-haired girl he encountered, dealing with Sihai Guiyi and his group wasn't difficult.

"How did you get here?"

"..." Zhengchen regretted answering the previous question, giving a faint glance at the interested Sihai Guiyi and simply said he didn't know, then remained silent.

He wasn't lying; he truly didn't know how he got here.

After a short rest, Sihai Guiyi and his group moved again. Not long after, Zhengchen noticed some unusual marks on the ground, indicating that there had been some kind of building here in the past.

Due to the age, the surroundings were in ruins. Upon closer inspection, this area seemed to be a square.

"We're here, be careful." The leading player looked around cautiously, finally showing the appropriate reaction, though it was a bit amateurish, like a novice.

Zhengchen didn't comment on this; he was also a self-taught person, and many of his experiences were accumulated over time.

A light breeze blew, and Zhengchen immediately looked towards a broken stone pillar.

"Is there a problem?" Noticing Zhengchen's reaction, Sihai Guiyi quickly asked.

"No, it's gone." Zhengchen shook his head, puzzled. When the wind blew, the cold sensation was unmistakable.

He quickly went over to check and saw very faint traces of a creature that had been hiding behind the stone pillar, but... why did it leave so suddenly? Even if it was wary of the group, it should have observed for a while longer.

"If there's no problem, let's hurry. Time is running out." The leading player, holding a map, urged the group. "The beta test only has a little over half a day left."

He gave a signal to his teammates, and two players, including Sihai Guiyi, moved to the back.

Zhengchen slightly moved his head, "What do you want me to do?"

They wouldn't let him leave now that they were here.

"Huh?" The leading player looked at Zhengchen in surprise, then thought for a moment, "You're very alert, help us observe the surroundings."

"Alright." Zhengchen agreed.

This assignment clearly showed that they were wary of him. It was an important but non-critical position. He hadn't seen the front of the map they were holding.

The player deliberately avoided his gaze.

It didn't matter; in the wasteland, he learned not to be too curious about many things, as it often led to trouble. If they didn't want him to know, he had no reason to pay attention. He just needed to do his job.

Everything was calm... except for the unknown creature that had left for some reason, there were no other abnormalities.

"Found it!"

The players searching the surroundings suddenly shouted. Zhengchen turned to see a well-hidden entrance, which hadn't been there before... some kind of mechanism?

"Let's go, time is running out, let's speed up!" The leading player called to the others, glancing at Zhengchen and then at the map, which marked many dangerous areas.

"You come with us."

Without saying much, Zhengchen followed, looking at the players who were still standing still, and walked to the front.

"Uh... I feel a bit guilty." Sihai Guiyi scratched his head and whispered to his teammate. He had a good feeling about this quiet NPC.

Moreover, the NPC was very reliable, so let's just say he was reliable. For example, when they entered, they had planned for him to lead the way, but it felt hard to ask.

After all, the NPCs in this 'game' were too 'intelligent.' Would it anger them if they were clearly using them as cannon fodder?

Fortunately, when they hesitated, Zhengchen had already made his choice.

"He's just an NPC..." A player behind Sihai Guiyi whispered, "But this NPC has a lot of character, he talks little and acts a lot."

"That's why I feel guilty." Sihai Guiyi pulled at his lips, walking up to the leading player, "Boss, how about letting him see the map? It would be safer."

Zhengchen, walking at the front, paused slightly, stopping. The air in the tunnel wasn't murky despite the long neglect, indicating some ventilation, and there were dim light sources, though he couldn't determine their origin.

"This..." The player called 'boss' hesitated, still worried that the NPC might have ulterior motives. After all, they had met him by chance, and who knew what he was thinking? "Why did he stop?"

The boss looked at the map; they were still some distance from the marked danger zone.

Zhengchen observed the walls for a while, then looked back, jumped onto the wall, and crossed a four-meter distance, "Don't step on the ground, come over my way."

The players couldn't help but twitch their lips. A three-meter distance wasn't far, a few large steps would do, but jumping...