Chapter 61

Not knowing how far they had flown, there were no buildings around, only rainforest, and they had no idea where they were. The helicopter landed on an open area, and the three Scavengers jumped off. Then, the helicopter pilot, in a very human-like manner, gave the three Scavengers a thumbs up before the helicopter took off and returned.

"Um... he's gone. How do we get back after completing the mission?" Wearing combat gear and face paint, the man with almond eyes adjusted his helmet, which had shifted when he jumped off the helicopter, and looked up at the departing helicopter, asking. No player had successfully completed this mission, so how to return was uncertain.

"Usually, for such missions, the landing point is one place, and the return point is another. Since he didn't mention the return point, the system might notify us after the mission is successful. After all, the electronic devices on our wrists are non-droppable." The Scavenger looked up at the departing helicopter, then squatted down and took out the map.

This map was not available beforehand; it was only obtained upon entering the helicopter. Therefore, players undertaking this mission could not obtain any map information in advance. Additionally, the map was random, meaning the mission's terrain and environment were also random.

"The target is in this area, with a range of 100 kilometers. 100 kilometers in the jungle is not the same as 100 kilometers on a highway; this range is quite large." The Scavenger frowned as he looked at the area circled in red on the map.

"The satellite map shows that this is near the border of a certain country in the southwestern part of China, but the jungle is everywhere, and the satellite can't see the ground." The man with almond eyes quickly typed on his computer. Before the mission, players could obtain the right to use military satellites. Just like a real team of soldiers on a mission, the man with almond eyes didn't need to hack into military satellites to gain access.

As the man with almond eyes typed, a large satellite map continuously zoomed in until it locked onto the location of the three Scavengers. From the satellite map, the area was entirely jungle, and even the roads on the ground were obscured by the jungle, making the simple map in the Scavenger's hand more useful.

"Can you capture the wireless signals around us? Our target is likely the leader of the enemy. The area where the leader is should have a denser concentration of wireless signals." The Scavenger shook his head after looking at the satellite map. In such terrain, the satellite was only useful for positioning; otherwise, it was blind.

"I'll try, but there are many radio frequencies. Which one should we capture?" The man with almond eyes asked while typing on his computer.

"Make the range larger and capture all of them. Determine the dense points first. How would I know which frequency the enemy is using?" The Scavenger stood up, looked around, and a trace of madness flashed in his eyes, but he quickly frowned again.

Such terrain was nothing to the Scavenger, but it was challenging for the man with almond eyes and Kantu. After all, even in the game, the three of them needed food and water. Apart from weapons, ammunition, and other equipment, the water and food they carried would only last for three days.

Boom! Just as the Scavenger and Kantu were on alert, and the man with almond eyes was capturing the wireless signals, a distant explosion echoed through the jungle.

"What's going on?" Kantu and the Scavenger crouched down simultaneously, and the man with almond eyes lay on the ground, protecting his computer. The Scavenger had reminded the man with almond eyes before the mission to hold onto the communication computer as much as possible, or they would lose a crucial support in the jungle.

"The situation is worse than we expected. That was the sound of a landmine explosion. It's probably a wild animal that stepped on a mine. There should be a minefield in the jungle. I'll go first, and you follow behind. Remember to step on my footprints. Don't go anywhere else or touch anything I haven't touched."

The Scavenger's expression was serious, but his eyes sparkled with excitement. The environment and atmosphere made him feel like he was back on a chaotic battlefield, executing a decapitation mission. This feeling intoxicated him.

"Minefield? Damn, we're just players doing a mission. We're not real special forces assassination teams. Do we need such a grand setup?" The man with almond eyes adjusted his hat, which had tilted when he lay down, and stopped typing, staring at the computer's scan, muttering to himself.

"Do you think 100,000 points are easy to earn? If it weren't difficult, this wouldn't be a way for the system to reclaim points but to give them away. Let's go! Hide in the jungle first. The explosion site is not far from here, and the enemy might send soldiers to investigate. We need to avoid being discovered. Before finding the target, we should avoid direct conflict as much as possible."

The minefield in the jungle made the Scavenger treat this mission as if it were a real one. He patted the man with almond eyes, who was staring at the computer, on the shoulder and gave Kantu a look to follow behind. The three of them walked into the forest.

"Found three in total." The Scavenger gave Kantu the side facing the open grassland to guard, while he searched the jungle with eyes like a leopard. Three minutes later, the man with almond eyes spoke in an excited tone.

"All three are in the area where the target might be. Which one is the real one?" The three radio signal dense points were marked on the mission map, all within the range where the target might be.

"Let's not guess yet. This dense point is the closest to us. Let's check it out first. Maintain radio silence. We can capture their signals, but they can also capture ours." The Scavenger frowned as he looked at the three dense points, then pointed to the one closest to them.

The Scavenger walked at the front, alert and responsible for scouting. The man with almond eyes walked in the middle, and Kantu was at the rear. The jungle environment was incredibly realistic, no different from reality, making Kantu and the man with almond eyes feel increasingly tense.

"What's this?" After walking a distance, the Scavenger clenched his fist and stopped, signaling to halt. Then he walked to a patch of grass, cut a type of weed with a dagger, and smeared the pungent juice on the three of them. Kantu asked curiously.

"Mugwort, a type of weed. Its scent has a refreshing and mosquito-repelling effect. It can also help mask our scent. This is a jungle full of wild animals, and they are all aggressive after mutation. We need to mask our scent."

"Before, I thought it was just acting when soldiers in military movies used weeds to mask their scent. It turns out it's real." The atmosphere was tense, but Kantu was excited. Every man has a warrior's blood and a war complex.

"Be careful. This mission might be a direct copy of real jungle warfare. We need to be cautious. Kantu, switch to a sniper rifle with a silencer. Try not to use the submachine gun, which makes a lot of noise. If you encounter mutated animals, try to resolve it in close combat without firing. The mission is quite difficult, so conserve ammunition." The Scavenger smeared the juice on himself, reminded them, and then waved his hand for the three to continue.

The rainforest was very quiet, with sunlight filtering through the leaves, creating many spots on the ground. The air was filled with the smell of decaying leaves. The distant mountains occasionally echoed with the roars of wild animals, making the atmosphere even more serious.

Chirp! A faint bird-like sound rang out. A two-meter-long mutated wild cat, crouched on a tree in a pouncing position, had its eyes blown out by the Scavenger's shot. The sniper rifle, with enhanced attack power, combined with the Scavenger's own strength, killed the cat instantly.

Bang! The cat's body fell from the tree and landed on the ground, just three meters from the man with almond eyes. If the Scavenger hadn't sensed something and shot it before the cat attacked, the cat's pounce would likely have killed the man with almond eyes.

"Phew... This mission is too difficult. We haven't even seen a human yet, and we're already on edge from these mutated animals." After observing the surroundings and finding no danger, the Scavenger signaled to rest. The man with almond eyes sat down, looking at the cat with its eye blown out, the shattered eye still oozing white brain matter, making his fat body tremble.

The difficulty of the mission indeed exceeded their initial expectations. Apart from the minefield in the jungle and the strong enemies, the mutated animals alone were enough to give players a hard time. The mutated animals were highly aggressive and lived in the jungle year-round, with ambush techniques that even the Scavenger found challenging.

For example, this mutated cat had a color similar to tree bark and remained motionless on the tree. The Scavenger hadn't noticed it until the cat stopped hiding and pounced, at which point he sensed something amiss and quickly reacted, shooting it dead.

"We have about five kilometers to the first target we need to investigate. Rest and eat something to replenish your energy. If we're discovered, it might turn into a chase. We need to be prepared." The Scavenger took out the map, found their location, and said.

"I hope that damn fly is at this dense point, and you can shoot him in the head, and we can leave. The next dense point is 20 kilometers away, which is more tiring than walking 100 kilometers on flat ground. God, please hear my prayer." The man with almond eyes took a bite of compressed rations and made the sign of the cross on his chest.

Shh... The Scavenger, who was resting and eating, turned back and put his finger to his lips, signaling silence. The man with almond eyes, who was about to say something, closed his mouth, and Kantu, who was guarding the rear, looked at the Scavenger.

The Scavenger held up five fingers and pointed forward, indicating that there were five people ahead, and to remain silent. Kantu and the man with almond eyes immediately became tense.