Chapter 1

"Run fast, we're free!"

Lin Ke opened his eyes to see 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.

Lin Ke's brain throbbed with pain, and suddenly a flood of memories surged into his mind. His last memory was of himself repairing a six-year-old 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*..." Lin Ke rubbed his temples, muttering to himself.

Scaffolding surrounded the ancient desert ruins, covered with earth-colored curtains that were tightly sealed. The only exposed part was a two-meter-high entrance to the underground tomb.

Slaves, under the watch of mercenaries, entered the tomb to excavate ancient treasures, then moved the treasures to the outside tents for sorting and boxing, before they were 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 during the excavation, and screams of slaves dying inside the tomb suggested that something sinister was present.

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 crashed it into the fence, tearing open a gap, which triggered a mass escape of slaves.

Lin Ke quickly absorbed the influx of memories, his face changing in shock:

"The Wasteland Gang's excavation of the ancient ruins has disturbed mysterious subterranean creatures, causing a sand pit to collapse. Isn't this the description of a major event in *Destiny*!"

Now, the place where he stood was a post-game exploration scenario called the "Tomb of Death."

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

This meant that a large number of slaves had died in this incident!

Lin Ke'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!

Lin Ke looked around and saw various treasures from the tomb scattered on the ground under the awning.

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

Lin Ke 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.

The mercenaries drove desert-modified vehicles, with machine gunners on the back seats continuously firing, mowing down the fleeing slaves like leaves in a strong wind.

Running on foot, he couldn't outrun the jeeps, the quicksand, or the bullets.

Lin Ke stopped abruptly, not following the others in their escape, and instead tiptoed to look around.

He soon found the mercenary camp in the northwest corner. 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 were suppressed by the mercenaries' firepower, their bodies almost covering the entrance to the camp.

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

Lin Ke 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 defenseless.

He was small and agile, finding cover as he moved, and managed to infiltrate the camp unnoticed.

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

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

Lin Ke was very familiar with the Wasteland Gang's mercenary system and structure, having played 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 was not difficult, but it wasn't easy either.

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

Lin Ke 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.

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

Lin Ke moved on to the next tent.

Lin Ke didn't waste time. With the mercenaries' suppression and the looming threat of quicksand, he had little time left.

He circled to a distant tent, listened carefully, and heard no sound.

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

Lin Ke scanned the room, found everything in place, and quickly searched.

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

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

Lin Ke's eyebrows raised, a smile of relief on his face: "Got it!"

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

[You have obtained the key to the Desert Jeep (Modified)]

"Huh? A system panel?"

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

Someone was coming!

Lin Ke shivered, his back instantly drenched in sweat. He quickly scanned the tent, finding almost no place to hide...

The tent flap was roughly pulled open, and the person standing at the entrance scanned the room but didn't move.

Lin Ke, hiding under the bed, could see a pair of black military boots at the entrance, his heart pounding.

"Is this person standing at the entrance, did they notice something?"

Lin Ke frowned, carefully recalling his actions, but found no mistakes.

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

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

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

"Shit, where did this bastard hide the key?" The mercenary, finding nothing, cursed and left the tent.

Once the sound faded, Lin Ke carefully crawled out from under the bed, picking up the dagger with its sheath.

[You have obtained a sharp dagger]

A semi-transparent prompt appeared with the dagger's stats, but Lin Ke had no time to examine them.

Looking down at the burlap clothes covering his body, he found no pockets.

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

Lin Ke, determined, tucked the dagger into his waistband.

Tucking a dagger into his waistband, no one liked it.

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

Lifting the corner of the tent flap, Lin Ke confirmed no one was around and slipped out.

To prevent confusion, the keys were marked with the corresponding vehicle numbers. Lin Ke crouched and moved along the edge of the tent to the parking area, 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.

Lin Ke, small and agile, quickly moved between the parked jeeps, avoiding the mercenaries engaged in battle and searching for his "special jeep."

"Found it!"

Lin Ke spotted the jeep with the license plate 777, but just as he was about to approach, two groups of mercenaries arrived to chase the slaves.

Lin Ke 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, Lin Ke crawled out from under the jeep, darting across the open road and climbing into the jeep.

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

"Phew, the real challenge begins now."

Lin Ke exhaled sharply, still nervous despite playing the game for six years.

Previously, he could respawn after death, but now, if he died, it would be permanent.

To save 800 yuan on the game pod repair, he had already paid with his life. Now, God had given him a second chance, and if he messed up, it would be over.

Lin Ke'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 beasts." Machine guns fired continuously, bullets piercing the slaves' bodies, and the ammunition exploded, tearing flesh and organs. Those hit in the limbs were reduced to bloody messes, writhing in pain on the ground, only to be run over by the jeeps.

Lin Ke set his sights on the side gate of the parking area, which led directly to the desert with no obstacles.

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

Rumble!

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

He could feel the ground shaking from the jeep.

Crack, crack!

Lin Ke 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!"

Lin Ke's forehead was drenched in cold sweat, his face pale. Without hesitation, he turned the key and started the desert jeep.

Vroom!

The high-revving engine roared, and Lin Ke skillfully started, turned, and floored the gas pedal.

[You have successfully started the Desert Jeep (Modified), activating the skill [Basic Driving]]

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

Lin Ke 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 not a good thing. To reduce weight, even the seatbelt had been removed.

The desert jeep sped through the camp, kicking up sand and dust.

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?

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

The mercenary, after a moment of shock, reacted, grabbing his radio and shouting: "A slave has stolen a jeep and is escaping! All units, license plate 777, 777!"

Lin Ke saw the mercenary with the radio through the rearview mirror.

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

Meanwhile, 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 surrounding land began to sink, forming a slope.

The sand was converging 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, the suppression of the slaves now irrelevant.

The ground was sinking faster than they could run, and those near the center of the quicksand were running frantically but found themselves unable to escape the vortex, quickly being swallowed by the quicksand. The tents, like leaves in a whirlpool, were buried and disappeared in an instant. The quicksand vortex grew larger, and those who couldn't escape were pulled into the center, vanishing into the unknown.

The mercenaries rushed to their vehicles, starting them and flooring the gas pedals, 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 futile. The jeeps were mercilessly dragged into the center of the quicksand and swallowed.

The two jeeps that had turned to block Lin Ke from the front quickly turned back.

At this moment, who was crazy enough to risk their life? In the face of death, the employment relationship meant nothing!

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

P.S: Wan Jun's new book is finally out! The new book is like a seedling, needing everyone's care to grow. So please don't be stingy with your favorites and recommendations, and give me your support!