Chapter 99

Below the official announcement, comments flooded in:

Tail: "Throne! (*/ω＼*)"

Quit Smoking: "!!! What?! The beta test slots are all gone again?! What's going on?! w(゜Д゜)w"

Night Ten: "Damn, no way, you didn't get the red dot again?!"

Old Bai: "Hahaha, Quit Smoking, you're really unlucky."

Spare a Life: "Quit Smoking, you're really unlucky. I got the second batch of reservations and I'm already playing."

Quit Smoking: "T.T"

WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Speaking of which, this is impressive. They released 100 slots this time. The 10 extra slots from the last batch haven't even entered the game yet, right?"

Tomato and Egg: "Seems like it. Those players should be logging in at 6 PM tonight."

Grandpa Proud: "Haha, 100 slots? I don't believe it! Only fools would make reservations. The 100 selected are probably fake."

Si Si: "Not really? I got one."

Tail: "Me too! (*/ω＼*)"

Quit Smoking: "Crying in a storm."

The announcement had just been posted for a few seconds, and no one had time to read the whole thing. Most people just read the first line and rushed down to flood the comments.

Besides the commenters, there were those who were crying in the flood.

For example, Quit Smoking, who once again didn't get the reservation, was really unlucky. But he wasn't the only one; out of over a thousand reservation players, minus a few on the blacklist, there were still about 900.

Unless you were marked as a high-quality user in the backend, the normal lottery rate was less than one in ten.

If you got one, you could indeed call yourself a lucky king.

After consoling Quit Smoking, those who didn't get the first floor quickly went back to read the announcement carefully.

After reading it, they were instantly stunned by the massive amount of information.

Expansion pack ends!

"Ling Winter Warrior" limited title issued!

A special in-game item that integrates the attribute interface, quest bar, and map functions!

And the B2 level of the shelter is now open!

Good grief.

If this were some other game, it would be enough to update until the end of the year!

Irena: "Trembling in the cold is fine, but it feels like only the trash picker would tremble. (Funny face)"

Good Names Are All Taken by Dogs: "Damn! I haven't even started the game, and the expansion pack is already over?!"

Future Kakarot: "Shocking! A small detail, the attribute interface actually needs to be unlocked with money! Well, it's not RMB, at least."

Trash Picker Level 99: "Money is a small matter, but the key is contribution points! Wait, my contribution points are already enough? Oh, then it's fine."

WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "You idiot, you bought the land, and the money was borrowed from me. Pay it back quickly!"

Trash Picker Level 99: "QAQ."

Maka Bazi: "Perfect, I log in and it's the new version."

Less Bullshit: "+1, hahaha, I hope the lake doesn't freeze, fishing is so much fun."

The end of the expansion pack was sudden but expected.

After all, the big boss of the expansion pack was already defeated, and the final battle was satisfying. It left a hairy figure as a cliffhanger and a bunch of helpless captives, setting the stage for the next version.

Winter has arrived.

The theme of the next expansion pack is likely to be survival, with the strengthening of life profession players already laid out for this moment.

Ending it now is the perfect timing.

After reading Ah Guang's "Developer Diary," the players on the forum were even more excited about the VM item and the new version's gameplay.

However, there was still one crucial question...

What about the B2 level?

The damn planner didn't even mention it!

Tomato and Egg: "Wait, what about the B2 level?"

Quit Smoking: "Planner, wake up! You're boasting about a new piece of equipment, but what about the B2 level? That's what we want to know!"

Spare a Life: "Who's online to check? Can the elevator to the B2 level be used? I think I saw an elevator in the residential hall!"

Night Ten: "Damn, I'm in a professional class right now, my helmet is at home!"

Gorge Escaped Mole: "Brothers, don't panic, I'll go and check and be right back!!"

Fang Chang: "I'll go too, I'm at home!"

Old Bai: "Damn, you don't even have to work."

At 3 PM on a workday, most players who had things to do during the day were still at work.

And those who didn't have to work had never logged out, probably unaware of the update.

After all, the game can't access the official website from within, and updates don't kick players out.

The only hope for the forum users was those hardcore homebodies who didn't have to work or study and were not online.

After a few words, Fang Chang and the mole disappeared, probably meeting up in the game.

After more than twenty minutes, there was still no news.

A group of people on the forum were getting impatient, almost to the point of cursing.

Old Bai: "These two are really taking their time."

Spare a Life: "Yeah! Why aren't they back yet? I've been waiting for 29 minutes and 12 seconds!"

Night Ten: "There's probably some shady deal going on."

Teng Teng: "What? Show me. (Eyes)"

Night Ten: "Ew!"

Gorge Escaped Mole: "Ah, I'm back, it was awesome!"

Teng Teng: "!!"

Night Ten: "Damn, what did you do? Why did it take so long? And where's Fang Chang?"

Gorge Escaped Mole: "I don't know, I went to the toilet and left, he went to the bathroom and didn't come out for a long time. I didn't wait. But let me tell you, the B2 level is amazing!"

Night Ten: "What's so amazing?"

Gorge Escaped Mole: "Don't rush. First, the B2 level is laid out like a ring, divided into four sectors: A, B, C, and D. B, C, and D are like dormitories, and A is probably the functional area. There's a cafeteria, a bathroom, and a shower room. There's a door at the back that I couldn't open, but just the bathroom and shower room are amazing!"

Tomato and Egg: "Cafeteria! Is there food inside??"

Gorge Escaped Mole: "Not really, the kitchen door is locked, and the fridges and drink machines in the hall are empty. I guess the kitchen is the same, but the fridges working is good news! We can have cold drinks when it gets hot next year."

"Let's talk about the bathroom first. It has a self-cleaning toilet seat and an automatic cleaning system. You don't have to do anything but poop. No more worrying about stepping on something gross when you're looking for toilet paper! I'd even pay for this toilet!"

WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Damn, shut up, don't let the planner see that!"

Night Ten: "Awesome! I was just discussing with Old Bai yesterday about how to deal with the cold when using the bathroom. Being able to use the bathroom in the shelter is great!"

Wild Wind: "Wait... Are you saying there's water in the shelter? Is the toilet a flush toilet?"

Irena: "...What are you planning? I have a bad feeling. (Funny face)"

Wild Wind: "No, just curious."

Gorge Escaped Mole: "Ha, of course there's water! That's the second point I wanted to make! The biggest difference between B2 and B1 is the freshwater supply! Whether it's from the lake, rainwater collection, or a recycling system, you can drink clean water from the water dispenser in the kitchen, use the high-tech toilet, and enjoy a 360-degree immersive shower in the private bathroom! By the way, why hasn't Fang Chang come out yet? Is he addicted to the shower?"

Night Ten: "Honestly, he can be a bit weird sometimes, but he's mostly normal. Let's ignore him for now."

Fang Chang: "Get lost! I've been out for a while, I was writing a guide post!"

Night Ten: "Oh?"

Gorge Escaped Mole: "Fang Chang, how was the shower?"

Fang Chang: "Um... It was great. It's probably using simulated ultrasonic mist technology, which I never expected to see in a shower. It's very sci-fi, and you don't have to do anything but stand there. It completely changed my understanding of showers. I feel like it's worth paying for."

Night Ten: "Damn, is it that good? Ah, I want to log in so badly. I'll go back to my dorm and try it out!"

Gorge Escaped Mole: "By the way, is your post edited?"

Fang Chang: "It's already posted on the forum!"

...

"404 Shelter B2 Level Guide... These players have already explored the B2 level?"

When Chu Guang woke up, it was already 1 PM.

The first thing he did was to open his computer and log into the official website to read the posts on the forum.

Good grief, it looks like these players have already explored the B2 level thoroughly.

However, most doors were locked, so they couldn't open them. Weapons that could break doors weren't allowed through the airlock, and Chu Guang had given the camera permissions to Xiao Qi. With Xiao Qi watching, he didn't have to worry about the players tearing the place apart while he was away.

Overall, the players were very excited about the content of the Alpha 0.5 update.

Especially after experiencing the new high-tech facilities in the B2 level, the players who tried them instantly fell in love with life there.

Compared to the surface, life in the shelter was much more comfortable!

After reading these posts, Chu Guang understood the setup left by the first manager.

Indeed, compared to the outside, the shelter was like heaven.

Expecting people with both feet in heaven to build hell is inherently against human nature.

Chu Guang rubbed his chin and thought.

"Hmm, decided. Using the shelter's living facilities will require VM to get permission, and the water purifier, shower, and toilet will be pay-to-use."

The official website comment record can attest.

This wasn't his idea; it was suggested by the players.

Additionally, some players who had already bought VM from Xiao Qi proposed some suggestions, such as integrating a translator and wallet function into the VM.

The wallet function could be considered, to be launched with the banking system.

Even without electronic payment, storing extra silver coins in the bank and withdrawing them when needed would be convenient for players to check their balance and for Chu Guang to recycle currency.

It's a win-win!

As for the translator...

Theoretically, it could be made with some time, but it's not necessary now.

Allowing players to freely communicate with the natives would only cause trouble.

Language barriers might be a problem for players, but they're not a bad thing for Chu Guang.

From a manager's perspective, he needs to create an information gap, or an "information filter," between players and natives. This is the best choice for both sides, allowing cross-server communication while maintaining a bit of mystery.

Even in the most open games, you can't communicate normally with every NPC, right?

If you could, that would be unreasonable!

Compared to that, the weapon shop owner Xia Yan's lines are already quite extensive. When provoked, she stomps her feet and spouts some awkward and cute trash talk.

Many players even wake her up just to hear her trash talk.

Without the information filter, not only might Xia Yan not be as cute, but players might sympathize with raiders or be tricked by NPCs into doing "side quests."

Besides causing trouble and variables, there's no benefit. If they ever get a translator, it will be selective.

However, from another angle...

"Maybe I can develop an NPC-specific version of VM."

Thinking about this, Chu Guang's eyes lit up.

"An NPC-specific VM would remove the attribute panel, add quest posting and translation functions, and support translation only in specific language scenarios, such as daily and functional phrases."

Players' slang shouldn't be translated; different cultural backgrounds would make it confusing and could cause misunderstandings.

For example, "Oligei" could be translated as "Just do it" or "Old Eight," but the meaning changes in different contexts.

The weapon shop owner should just do what a weapon shop owner should do, knowing what her lines mean and what the player wants to buy.

As for other things, you'll know when the great manager decides you should.

"The VM screen is a bit small, like a teleprompter... But with language training, it should be enough."

Gradually, a batch of Chinese-speaking natives could be trained, with a 1-2 level proficiency. As long as they can handle some game terms and daily communication, they can easily handle NPC roles.

Chu Guang felt he was a genius the more he thought about it.

I am indeed a genius!

As for the "subtitles" for players...

We'll see when it's necessary!