Chapter 83

"Are you interested in doing the rescue mission?" the gambler asked straightforwardly.

"Rescue mission?" The scavenger was taken aback, not expecting the gambler to ask him to do a rescue mission.

The rescue mission was launched alongside the decapitation mission. The former involves rescuing, while the latter involves killing. The scavenger had once gone to the rescue mission, but apart from killing some bandits and obtaining some equipment, he failed to rescue the hostages in the end.

The difficulty of the rescue mission is not in rescuing the hostages from the bandits, but in how to safely escort the hostages to a safe area after rescuing them. Similar to the decapitation mission, where the enemy's firepower is always one level higher than the players, the rescue mission has a frustrating setting—when the bandits discover that the hostages have been rescued, they might shoot the rescued hostages while attacking the players.

In other words, once the bandits discover that the hostages have been rescued, they will directly execute them and kill both the hostages and the players. The merchant Arthur, who is a plump businessman, cannot run fast and has very poor combat skills. A single stray bullet can finish him off. When the scavenger and his team did this mission, they failed during the process of escorting the hostage to the safe area.

Because the bandits also have modern weapons, including snipers, the scavenger's team of four could not ensure the absolute safety of merchant Arthur in the intense battle with bullets flying everywhere. In the end, just as they were about to reach the safe area, a sniper from the bandits killed merchant Arthur, causing the mission to fail.

Moreover, the rescue mission is designed for players to earn points, unlike the decapitation mission, which, although offers fewer points, provides a lot of merit points for killing a terrorist leader or a fly. After failing once, the scavenger was reluctant to attempt this mission again, as it was more profitable to find a boss to kill rather than struggle for 200,000 points in the mission.

Of course, this also reflects the imbalance in the scavenger's team's combat capabilities, making them unsuitable for this rescue mission. After all, rescuing a hostage from a group of bandits with only four people is quite difficult. The fastest and safest way to complete this mission is to form a team of at least ten people. Under the premise of rescuing the hostage, directly eliminate all the bandits.

This way, when escorting the hostage, there's no need to worry about the bandits shooting the hostage. However, this requires a team with a large number of people and strong firepower. Since this mission is for earning points, the more people involved, the fewer points each person gets. With fewer people, it takes a long time to eliminate the bandits, which is a waste of time.

Moreover, unlike the decapitation mission, where you just need to ensure your own safety and eliminate the target, the rescue mission requires you to remain hidden or eliminate the opponent when exposed. The bandits have high intelligence and will move the hostages or increase their protection if they notice their numbers are reduced. In short, this is a mission that requires teamwork, and it cannot be done alone. The team must not have any members who are too clumsy, as this can lead to the failure of the mission.

"This mission should be easy to complete with a team of twenty people, as long as the members are not too stupid. Why are you asking me?" The scavenger asked, puzzled.

When the scavenger bought the research results of the mecha, he knew that the gambler's group belonged to a large organization, not just a small team. Therefore, for a team-based mission, they should easily be able to gather competent members, and there was no need to involve the scavenger.

"That's the thing. We want to set a record for this mission. As you know, with the increasing levels of players, although the system has not yet introduced guilds, some player-formed families have already appeared. We want our team's name to be on this mission, and then recruit some competent players." The gambler explained after a moment of thought.

"What is the current record for the rescue mission?"

"4 hours, 3 minutes, and 26 seconds. We need to reduce this to within 3 hours. This record should be hard to break for a long time. We will split the mission points with you, and you can choose the reward for setting the record. What do you think?" The gambler laid out his terms.

"I'm currently on a mission outside. I'll be back in ten minutes. We can discuss it then." The scavenger hesitated before answering.

"Alright, I'll wait for you."

"What's up?" Peach Eyes asked.

"The gambler wants me to help set a record for the rescue mission. If successful, I get half the points, and I can choose the reward for setting the record."

"They want the record for the rescue mission, which is understandable, but why not the decapitation mission, which is easier?" Peach Eyes looked puzzled.

Indeed, if the goal is to gain fame and attract players through mission records, the decapitation mission is easier to achieve. And it seems that the scavenger is more suitable for that. The gambler's choice to do the rescue mission and involve the scavenger seems suspicious.

"Is there some hidden reward for the rescue mission?" The scavenger asked.

"Wait a moment. Last time we were focused on the decapitation mission, and we didn't pay much attention to the rescue mission." Peach Eyes sat down, took out his computer, and started typing quickly.

"I found it. If the rescue is completed within three hours, the rescue team has no more than ten members, and at least one member has a medal, the merchant Arthur will give an additional reward. This reward is related to business."

"Related to business? What exactly is it?"

"Arthur is a merchant, so he has his own business. However, due to the Great Catastrophe, all his businesses have become ruins. But he still has some technologies, such as cement production, water purification, and the production of car engines and steel. These technologies are hard to obtain from monsters and can only be acquired through missions. Players who possess these technologies can obtain a business license and engage in commercial trade after paying a certain deposit to the system."

"How did the gambler know I have a medal?" The scavenger frowned.

"We competed for the main mission's opening rights. They also went to kill the werewolves, so they probably know something. Now they know about the hidden reward for the rescue mission, which is why they are interested. It's not strange that they know the first stage of the main mission's reward includes a medal." Peach Eyes shrugged.

"Should we agree to it?"

"Let's discuss it with Kantu when we get back. He's better at negotiations."

After returning and discussing the matter with Kantu, the scavenger and Lei Gong counted their gains from the mission, while Trigger picked out the materials he could use. Peach Eyes recorded everything. Kantu, looking troubled, went to negotiate, possibly because of his rebellious nature. Despite not having a talent for business, he had no interest in commercial activities. However, seeing the others insist, he had to engage in the tedious negotiations.

"It's settled. All the gains from this mission will be evenly divided. If we obtain the technology, we will have 30% of the company's shares. All the infrastructure and deposit payments will be handled by them. However, we only have the right to dividends and suggestions, not the right to manage the company." After an hour, Kantu sent the electronic contract with patience.

"Did they specify what technology they want?"

"They want the water purification and power technology. After the city is built, the technology level will not be high enough to produce automatic water condensers or widely use solar energy for a long time. Therefore, monopolizing the city's water and power supply will be very profitable and give them a significant say in the city."

"Controlling water and power? That's indeed very profitable, but will others still have a chance to obtain this technology?"

"They probably will, but they are in a hurry to monopolize the market early."

"Never mind, I can't understand this. Killing monsters is more suitable for me." The scavenger shook his head, trying to think about the potential benefits he could gain from this.

"Has it started?"

"What has started?"

"The city-building mission. The system has released the city-building mission. The first area to be cleared is the one we bought. On the opposite side of our land, the city government will be built. Ha, being across from the city government, the value of this land will skyrocket. Building a residential area here will definitely sell well."

"Having a place to live, why do people always want to live near officials?" The scavenger shook his head, speechless.

"You don't understand. This is what era? After the Great Catastrophe, humans are at a disadvantage, while other creatures are dominant. Living across from the city government is safer. Unless the city becomes ruins again, everything stored in the rooms here is safer than in other places.

When players log out, they can find a place to sleep, which is equivalent to being offline. If they are seriously injured, they don't need to commit suicide. They can just let their characters sleep, saving some healing time.

Moreover, this game is very intelligent. Getting to know the officials might make future missions and tasks easier. We might even get a position in the government. And this game is not simple; getting to know the officials in the game might have benefits in real life. In short, there are many benefits, and we will profit greatly."