Chapter 54

The next morning.

In the tailor's shop, Teng Teng, who had just started work, lifted a piece of paper from a wooden board.

"Mission... to make a set of clothes for the weapon shop owner, reward 5~10 silver coins?" Teng Teng's eyes gradually lit up as she read through the order from beginning to end.

It took her only a second to form a perfect design in her mind.

"Great, leave it to me!"

She stuffed the paper into her pocket and immediately headed toward the weapon shop with enthusiasm.

On the other side.

Inside the shelter.

Chu Guang stood in the residents' hall, facing twenty new players who had just climbed out of the incubation pods, and finished reciting the lines he had painstakingly prepared.

Perhaps because of the long wait, or perhaps because there were more female players this time, this batch of new players was much more well-behaved than the previous batch. At least no one tried to take off their pants in public.

It seemed that gradually raising the reservation threshold, implementing appropriate scarcity marketing, and increasing the waiting time cost to screen for high-quality players had some effect.

Of course, it could also be because the game was so realistic and players couldn't create multiple accounts. Knowing that a group of developers were "secretly observing" from above, everyone had to be a bit more mindful of their behavior.

After having Xiao Qi and the new players explain the game mechanics, Chu Guang led them to the elevator leading to the surface and herded them outside like ducks.

Standing on the ground in front of the sanatorium, these new players experienced the immersive shock for the first time.

"Damn... Damn, damn, damn!"

"Is this the world of Wasteland Online?!"

"The feeling of sunlight on my face is exactly the same as in the real world. The wind is caressing my cheeks; this place is like a dream! No, it is a dream!"

"The baby is crying. The technology is so advanced now!"

"This isn't even in beta testing yet! Damn! What else do the developers want to test? Hurry up and release it officially, give me a code, and I'll buy it!"

"One word, awesome!"

The reactions of all the new players seemed to be the same.

Chu Guang could understand this state.

From the moment he received the helmet, the playful fun turned into a mix of belief and doubt. He endured the most difficult 72 hours, almost counting the seconds, and as his second pair of eyes opened, all his expectations turned into reality in an instant.

It was like being reborn.

The impact of this moment was indescribable in words.

Stepping onto the soil of a foreign world, lightly inhaling the fragrance of the earth, chasing butterflies in the grass, and embarking on an adventure with an unknown future... how many gamers' dreams were these?

Not to mention, Chu Guang himself had more than once daydreamed about stepping onto the soil of a virtual world.

It was just a pity...

Knowing all the truths, he was destined not to enjoy the game like they did. Perhaps for him, the unattainable reality was the virtual.

"Go, brave warriors."

"Go and change this decaying world!"

"With your own hands."

Moved by the moment, Chu Guang spontaneously added three lines to his speech.

Then he didn't stay there but handed the time over to the players, taking Xiao Qi to the third floor and placing it in front of the best window... the premier seat for overlooking all the players.

At the same time, in the open space in front of the sanatorium.

The new players, who had just entered the game world, hadn't even had time to take a few breaths of the wasteland air when they were surrounded by veteran players who had already reached the surface.

"Any brothers with special talents? Raise your hands... What? You have? Damn, that's awesome, what talent do you have... What's 'Calm and Collected'? Sounds pretty useless."

"Any strength-type newbies? Let's chop trees and grind stats together! It's so much fun!"

"Sir, I'm a strength-type. How do I play this game?"

Seeing that a newbie finally responded, the veteran player was overjoyed.

"You're a strength-type? What's your name?"

"Construction Boy and Brick!"

"Damn, brother, you've got this game down! Listen to me, strength-type players should chop more trees, move more bricks, and get to work. Chop down a hundred trees to level up to LV1! 7-8 points in strength will make you invincible in the wasteland. Just swing your axe when you encounter mutants!"

"What if I encounter someone with a gun?"

"Just swing your axe!"

"???"

Standing at the window on the third floor of the sanatorium, Chu Guang observed the players downstairs for a while.

Seeing the newbies gradually get the hang of the game under the guidance of the veterans, he nodded in satisfaction.

Very good.

Very reliable.

These beta testers indeed lived up to his expectations.

The only thing that slightly disappointed Chu Guang was that this batch of new players, although very obedient, did not seem to have the special genetic sequence left by the first-generation administrator—named "Mutant."

However, two special talents did catch his interest.

One was "Calm and Collected," which increased resistance to negative mental states like "Fear" and "Despair" by 50% and allowed for faster recovery from mental negative effects.

On the surface, this talent might seem useless, but only those who had experienced real combat knew how important this quality was in battle.

The other talent was "Thermal Vision," possessed by a player named "Elven King Fugui," who had an agility-based genetic sequence.

This talent, according to the system's description, was a night-fighting wonder! In a focused state, the player could actively trigger the talent, making their retinas more sensitive to infrared light.

Specifically, they could see heat sources in the dark within a certain range!

Of course, this talent was ineffective against cold-blooded creatures.

Chu Guang silently noted down "Elven King Fugui." If there was a need for night fighting in the future, he would bring this guy along.

In addition, there were a few other peculiar talents.

For example, "Temperature Intuition," which allowed the player to sense the temperature of heat sources without contact; "Plant Whisperer," which allowed the player to perceive the growth state of plants; and "Insect Hunter," which allowed the player to smell the pheromones released by insects.

These talents had little practical value in combat, but they could play significant roles in production and exploration.

Chu Guang believed that the players would figure out the most suitable playstyles without his guidance.

...

In the northern apartment area of the wetland park.

A four-person squad was cautiously approaching their prey.

The terrain in the urban area was very complex. From the ruins of the broken tower greenhouses, it was clear that the people before the war lived quite comfortably.

Crazy Wind: "The people before the war were quite good at enjoying life... Let me speculate. The residents in the community planted fruits and vegetables inside the towers. This was both their market and their garden."

Old Bai: "Who maintained it?"

"There must have been property management. Outsourcing the site to specialized companies would also be a good idea. This ecological community is quite meaningful and the designer of this game is a master." Crazy Wind gave a high evaluation, showing great interest in the design.

"You'd better focus on our prey. I feel we are very close to it."

Night Ten immersed his senses in the surroundings. From the flowing aura, he could almost hear the prey's heartbeat... one strong, one weak.

Wait, two?

"It's ahead."

Fang Chang had already discovered the wounded reindeer lying on the ground. Just as he was about to move forward, he noticed another arrow in the reindeer's neck.

Neck?

He was puzzled.

Didn't I hit the butt?

While he was distracted, he made eye contact with a boy facing him.

The two were stunned for a moment, and in the next second, they instinctively drew their bows and aimed at each other.

"Who are you?"

"An NPC?"

The two chattered at each other, but neither understood the other.

Crazy Wind and Old Bai reacted quickly. Upon seeing Fang Chang's situation, they quickly flanked from both sides and surrounded the boy.

The boy nervously backed away, leaning against a concrete wall, hiding his back.

Fang Chang could sense the killing intent from the arrow, but he wasn't afraid. He stepped forward, knowing that the boy couldn't hit him from a distance.

"Don't come closer."

"Drop your weapon, you're surrounded."

What is he saying?

A raider?!

Seeing the three people approaching, the boy thought of how those captured by raiders died. He steeled his resolve and released the bowstring.

Whoosh—

The arrow whizzed through the air.

Fang Chang instinctively dodged, the arrow grazing his cheek, the feather almost touching his nose.

If he hadn't dodged, he would have been back in the respawn point!

"Damn! Grab him!"

Cursing, Fang Chang threw down his wooden tool, pulled out a steel bar, and charged forward with Old Bai and Crazy Wind.

The boy drew a short knife from his waist, determined to fight to the death.

However, a pebble flew and hit him on the forehead, dazing him.

"Quick, grab him!"

With a call from Night Ten, who held a slingshot, the three immediately surrounded the boy, knocked the knife out of his hand, and pinned him to the ground.

"Let me go!"

The boy roared and struggled with all his might, but Old Bai, who held him down, was no joke.

The strength of a tech-savvy man was not to be underestimated.

"Be quiet! Damn, this guy is strong! Fang Chang, what do we do now?"

Looking at the boy struggling on the ground, Old Bai, who had tied him up, turned to Fang Chang.

In Wasteland Online, killing or defeating monsters did not grant experience. Experience for genetic sequences increased naturally through combat or training.

In other words, the experience from capturing and killing was the same.

Crazy Wind checked the boy's bag and found only a pancake, a few arrows, and a finely crafted small knife.

Shaking his head, he stood up and said,

"Poor."

Looking at the boy on the ground glaring at him, Fang Chang fell into thought.

"I can't understand what he's saying."

"Let's tie him up and take him back to trade for money."

In Wasteland Online, simply killing or defeating monsters did not grant experience. Experience for genetic sequences increased naturally through combat or training.

In other words, the experience from capturing and killing was the same.

Crazy Wind checked the boy's bag and found only a pancake, a few arrows, and a finely crafted small knife.

Shaking his head, he stood up and said,

"Poor."

Looking at the boy on the ground glaring at him, Fang Chang fell into thought.

"I can't understand what he's saying."

"Let's tie him up and take him back to trade for money."