Chapter 1

"Run fast, we're free!"

The moment Link opened his eyes, he saw countless emaciated people, clad in rough burlap, fleeing through the gap in the high-voltage fence like wild horses that had broken free from their reins.

Link's head throbbed with pain, and a flood of memories suddenly surged into his mind. His last memory was of himself repairing a six-year-old, aging game pod, when he suddenly convulsed and blacked out. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this place.

"This place... it seems to be *Destiny*..." Link rubbed his temples and muttered to himself.

Scaffolding surrounded the ancient desert ruins, covered with earth-colored curtains that concealed everything except for a two-meter-high entrance to the underground tomb.

Slaves, under the watch of mercenaries, entered the tomb to excavate ancient treasures, which were then sorted and packed into boxes at the camp outside before being transported to the Wasteland Gang by military trucks.

The camp was surrounded by a high-voltage fence.

However, today, for some reason, a violent earthquake occurred inside the tomb during the excavation, accompanied by the screams of dying slaves, suggesting the presence of some unclean entity.

The camp's power supply was temporarily cut off, and the high-voltage fence stopped working.

Taking advantage of the chaos, a slave stole a desert jeep and rammed it into the fence, tearing open a gap, which triggered a mass escape of the slaves.

Link quickly absorbed the influx of memories, his face turning pale with shock:

"The Wasteland Gang's excavation of the ancient ruins has disturbed a mysterious underground creature, causing a sand sink. Isn't this the description of a major event in *Destiny*?"

The area where he now stood, after the game's official release, was an exploration scenario called the "Tomb of Death."

The zombies inside the "Tomb of Death" were all transformed from the dead bodies of mercenaries and slaves.

In other words, a large number of slaves had died in this incident!

Link's scalp tingled, and he broke out in a cold sweat, with no time to ponder why he had been transported into the game.

The only thought in his mind was to run!

Link looked around and saw various treasures from the tomb scattered on the ground under the awnings.

He was responsible for sorting and categorizing the treasures, and the mercenaries guarding the tent entrance had left, either to suppress the slave uprising or to fight in the tomb.

Link quickly grabbed a gold bracelet and put it on his wrist, then joined the other slaves in their escape.

The excavation site was in chaos, with gunfire echoing from the tomb and the mercenaries' guns firing non-stop in the camp.

Mercenaries drove modified desert jeeps, with machine gunners on the back seats continuously firing, mowing down the fleeing slaves like grass flattened by a strong wind.

Running on foot, Link couldn't outpace the jeeps or the quicksand, and he couldn't avoid the bullets.

Link suddenly stopped, no longer following the others, and instead tiptoed to look around.

He soon found the mercenary camp in the northwest corner, which was separate from the rest. Based on his knowledge of the Wasteland Gang, the remaining vehicles must be parked inside! Many slaves had tried to storm the camp to seize weapons, but they were suppressed by the mercenaries' firepower and fell on the way, their bodies almost covering the entrance to the mercenary camp.

Some slaves who had managed to grab weapons from fallen mercenaries were hiding behind cover, firing sporadically, but were mostly pinned down by the intense firepower, unable to even raise their heads.

Link moved through the fleeing crowd, quietly approaching the mercenary camp from the side.

At this moment, the mercenaries' attention was focused on suppressing the slave uprising and rescuing the tomb, and due to the lack of manpower, the side of the camp was almost undefended.

He was small and agile, finding cover as he moved, and managed to sneak into the camp unnoticed by the mercenaries.

The gunfire at the front of the camp was intense, and Link crouched in the corner of a tent.

"The location of the vehicle is confirmed; now I just need the key."

Link was very familiar with the Wasteland Gang's mercenary system and structure, having played through it to the point of exhaustion.

Mercenary squads were divided by tents, with each tent housing a three-person team. Each member had a specific role: driver, main gunner, and machine gunner for suppressing fire.

Finding the key wasn't too difficult, but it wasn't easy either.

As long as he could enter a tent, he had a chance to find the car key.

Link began to move, tiptoeing around the outside of the tents. The camouflage tents were opaque, and with the gunfire and chaos, it was hard to hear if anyone was inside. If he guessed wrong, he would be walking into a trap.

Approaching the nearest tent, he heard cursing from inside as soon as he got close.

"These damn bastards, disturbing my nap. I'll kill all of you when I get out!"

Moving on to the next one.

Link didn't waste time. With the mercenaries' suppression and the looming threat of the quicksand, he didn't have much time left.

He moved to a tent farther away, listened carefully, and heard no sound.

After a moment of observation, he lifted the corner of the tent flap and slipped inside swiftly.

Link glanced around and found everything in place, so he quickly began searching.

On the table, in the pockets of clothes and pants...

Finally, he found a key in the pocket of a shirt.

Link's eyebrows raised, and he smiled. "Got it!"

Almost simultaneously, a line of text appeared before his eyes, visible only to him:

[You have obtained the key to the modified desert jeep]

"Huh? A system panel?"

Before Link could understand, he heard heavy military boots approaching, the sound growing louder and clearer.

Someone was coming!

Link shivered, his back instantly drenched in sweat. He quickly scanned the tent but found no place to hide...

The tent flap was roughly pulled aside, and a man stood at the entrance, scanning the room without moving.

Hiding under the bed, Link could see a pair of black military boots at the door, his heart pounding.

"Is this person standing at the door because he noticed something?"

Link frowned, carefully recalling his actions, but he didn't think he had left any traces.

The mercenary scanned the room, then went straight to the clothes rack, searching the pockets of the clothes.

"Damn, where did this guy put the key?" The mercenary searched for a while, then, out of impatience, shook the clothes and pants.

Cards, snacks, a dagger, and a photo fell to the ground, but there was no sign of the key.

"Damn, where did this bastard hide the key?" The mercenary, unable to find it, cursed and left the tent.

Once the sound faded, Link carefully crawled out from under the bed and picked up the dagger with its sheath.

[You have obtained a sharp dagger]

A semi-transparent prompt appeared with the dagger's stats, but Link didn't have time to examine them in detail.

Looking down at the burlap clothes covering his body, he realized there was nowhere to store anything.

The Wasteland Gang had made the slaves wear specially designed burlap clothes to prevent them from hiding treasures. Essentially, it was a piece of burlap with three holes for the head and hands.

Under the burlap, he only had a pair of triangular underwear.

Link steeled himself and tucked the dagger into his waistband.

Tucking a dagger into his waistband was uncomfortable for anyone.

Even with the sheath, Link felt a chill in his groin.

Lifting the corner of the tent flap to check, Link confirmed no one was around and slipped out.

To prevent confusion, the car keys were marked with the corresponding vehicle number. Link crouched and moved along the edge of the tent to the area where the vehicles were parked, looking for a jeep labeled "777."

There were clearly more enemies here than in the tent. Mercenaries in groups of two or three jumped into modified jeeps, revving their engines and speeding off into the desert to chase the fleeing slaves.

Link, being small and agile, quickly moved between the parked jeeps, dodging the mercenaries engaged in battle and searching for his "special jeep."

"Found it!"

As he scanned the area, he saw the jeep with the license plate 777, but just as he was about to approach, two groups of mercenaries arrived to drive out and chase the slaves.

Link didn't rush, hiding under a jeep and waiting patiently.

The more anxious he was, the more likely he was to make a mistake.

Once the two groups were gone, Link crawled out from under the jeep and, like a rat crossing the street, quickly crossed the open road and climbed into the jeep.

The modified desert jeep was fully open, with no doors or roof, just a windshield and a steel frame. It was stripped of almost all unnecessary features to accommodate a heavy machine gun on the back, simple and brutal.

"Phew, the real challenge is about to begin."

Link took a deep breath, still nervous despite playing the game for six years.

Before, he could respawn after dying, but now, if he died, it would be for real.

He had already paid the price of his life to save 800 yuan on game pod repairs. Now, God had given him a second chance, and he couldn't afford to waste it.

Link's body was thin and short.

He adjusted the seat to reach the gas pedal with his toes.

Through the windshield, he observed the current situation.

The battle at the main gate of the mercenary camp was nearing its end. The slaves with guns had no ammunition, and their resistance was weakening. A squad of mercenaries was quietly approaching.

Not far away, several desert jeeps were chasing the slaves, a one-sided slaughter. The slaves, unarmed, were no match for the "steel behemoths." Machine guns fired continuously, bullets piercing the slaves' bodies, and the explosions of ammunition shredded their organs, leaving blood and guts everywhere. Those hit in the limbs were blown to pieces, falling to the ground in agony, only to be run over by the jeeps.

Link set his sights on the side gate of the parking lot, which led directly to the desert with no obstacles along the way.

Due to the many jeeps leaving to chase the slaves, the gate was wide open, unobstructed.

Rumble!

Just as Link inserted the key into the ignition, he heard a thunderous rumble from the direction of the tomb.

He could feel the ground shaking even from the jeep.

Crack, crack!

Link saw the scaffolding around the ancient ruins collapse, and cracks in the ground rapidly spread, greedily extending in all directions.

Many mercenaries heard the terrifying sound and stopped firing, looking in the direction of the tomb.

"Damn, the quicksand is starting!"

Link's forehead was drenched in cold sweat, his face pale. Without a word, he turned the key and started the desert jeep.

Vroom!

The engine roared, and Link skillfully started, turned, and floored the gas pedal.

[You have successfully started the modified desert jeep, activating the skill [Basic Driving]]

[[Basic Driving] Progress: 0.1%... 0.2%...]

Link floored the gas pedal, the rapid acceleration pressing him into the seat. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, not daring to let go.

This modified desert jeep was far from a good thing. To reduce weight, even the seatbelt had been removed.

The desert jeep sped away, kicking up sand and dust as it raced out of the mercenary camp.

The mercenary guarding the side gate was momentarily stunned by the sight of a jeep speeding past.

The person in the driver's seat, wrapped in burlap, looked like a... slave?

"Damn, why is he in the parking lot?"

The mercenary, after a moment of confusion, reacted and grabbed his radio, shouting, "A slave has stolen a car and fled! All units, be on alert, license plate 777, 777!"

Link saw the mercenary at the gate using the radio through the rearview mirror.

Two of the jeeps chasing the slaves began to drift and turn, heading towards him.

At the same time, the rumbling from the tomb grew louder.

The scaffolding had completely collapsed, and the earth-colored curtains covering it had fallen.

The entire tomb sank into the ground, and the land around the ruins began to sink, forming a slope.

The sand was being drawn towards the center, and both the slaves and the mercenaries were terrified.

The most terrifying thing in the desert was quicksand and sandstorms.

Now,

The quicksand had arrived!

Death had arrived!

"Run, run fast!"

The mercenaries screamed and ran towards the parking lot, no longer caring about suppressing the slaves.

The speed of the ground sinking was much faster than their running speed. Those near the center of the quicksand ran frantically but found they couldn't escape the vortex, quickly being swallowed by the quicksand. The tents, like leaves caught in a whirlpool, were buried and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The quicksand vortex grew larger, and those who couldn't escape were pulled into the center, vanishing into the unknown.

The mercenaries raced to their vehicles, starting them and speeding out of the side gate.

However, the sand dunes in front of the jeeps slowly rose, the angle of the vehicles increasing, and they could see the sky without lifting their heads.

The jeep engines roared like ancient beasts, but it was to no avail. The relentless force of the quicksand dragged them into the center, swallowing them whole.

The two jeeps that had turned to block Link from the front saw this and quickly turned back.

At this moment, whoever fought hardest was the fool. In the face of death, the mercenary relationship meant nothing.

But in the time it took to turn, Link had already slipped between the two jeeps, speeding away...

P.S: Wan Jun's new book is finally out! As a new seedling, it needs your care to grow strong, so please don't be stingy with your favorites and recommendations. Please support me!