Chapter 21: Hostile force! New info unlocked!

Around three o'clock in the afternoon.

Light Chu, accompanied by Nighten, returned to outpost of Sanctuary 404 on the surface with the hunted game.

The harvest from this exploration was quite satisfying. Although the two mutated hyenas looked a bit thin, they weighed around forty to fifty kilograms each.

As one of the main sources of meat for the survivors in the wasteland, mutated hyenas were the most cost-effective game. The amount of meat they provided was several times that of mutated rats, and they often appeared in small groups. The key advantage was that the risk of food poisoning was relatively low.

However, without firearms, it was generally difficult for scavengers to overcome the coordinated actions of such a group with only cold weapons.

"Two mutated hyenas, and... one good news and one bad news." Light Chu threw the game in front of the infirmary door and spoke to the approaching players.

White was the first to ask, "What's the good news?"

Light Chu replied, "The good news is that northeast of the wetland park, along the elevated highway leading north from the city, there is an unfinished construction site. We found a large amount of processed limestone there, most likely the type that has undergone desulfurization treatment. There are also some abandoned hand carts that can be repaired and used."

A look of joy appeared on White's face as he clenched his fists in excitement. "That's great! I was worried about not being able to find the raw materials to produce calcium carbonate cement, but I didn't expect this problem to be solved so quickly. And it's ready-made materials!"

However, Tomorrow, who was standing next to him, felt that things weren't so simple. "What's the bad news then?"

Light Chu continued, "To the east of the main gate of the wetland park, along 76th Street, there is a camp of humanoid mutants. Rough estimate, their numbers are twenty or more."

The three gamers exchanged glances, not fully understanding the implications of this statement.

Seeing their confusion, Nighten quickly added an explanation, "Humanoid mutants are a hostile force! They are powerful in combat, and most importantly, they eat people. We must be careful!"

Light Chu nodded. "That's about right."

The three gamers didn't show fear after hearing this; instead, they revealed an eager expression. However, Light Chu quickly poured cold water on their enthusiasm.

"We can't handle those humanoid mutants right now. They are at least Level 10 or above. If we rashly engage them, not only will we gain nothing, but we will also expose our position."

"From now on, everyone is prohibited from approaching 76th Street and from leaving through the east gate of the wetland park until the threat is eliminated!"

...

The gamers were obedient enough.

Although they were curious about what humanoid mutants looked like, they didn't dare to disobey the order from the esteemed GM with administrative privileges.

Being sent to a small dark room was a small matter.

Losing the hard-earned favourability was much more distressing.

It seemed that the gamers didn't need him to worry too much.

After briefly inspecting the morning's labor results, Light Chu focused on figuring out how to handle the recently hunted game.

Although he had eaten this stuff before, it was always bought from a barbecue stall on Bette Street. He had never dealt with it himself.

Light Chu only knew that freshly captured game needed to be bled immediately; otherwise, the meat would become fishy and smelly. However, he wasn't sure about the specifics of how to bleed the game and what to do after bleeding.

In the previous five months, he primarily relied on scavenging to earn chips, so he didn't have much experience in hunting. After all, hunting was too dangerous for a solo traveler.

Anyway, after killing the game, he cut open the major artery, but he still felt that the blood hadn't been drained completely.

While Light Chu was contemplating, Hurricane walked toward him.

"Respected Governor."

"What's the matter?"

"Can you give me some blood from the prey?"

"Blood? What do you need it for?" Light Chu asked.

Hurricane explained, "I want to verify a few hypotheses and need it for that purpose."

Light Chu didn't think much and handed Feng a short knife. He chopped off one of the front legs of the mutated hyena in front of him and handed it to Hurricane.

"Take it."

"Thank you!"

After expressing his gratitude, Hurricane walked away mysteriously.

Although Light Chu was curious, he didn't ask further.

Around dusk, all the gamers returned to the sanatorium. Seeing the expression on White's face, Light Chu knew that today's harvest must have been substantial.

Light Chu intended to inquire about it, but before he could speak, White couldn't contain his excitement and said, "Respected Governor, under your wise guidance, the cement kiln at the outpost is almost complete. When the cement is dry tomorrow, we can start the first batch of cement production!"

"Very good."

Light Chu nodded in approval and encouraged them, "Thanks to all of you, we are one step closer to the great goal of restoring the Humanity Alliance! I hope you continue to work hard, and the organization will remember your contributions."

Light Chu felt that he was becoming more proficient in painting a rosy picture.

However, the gamers seemed indifferent to whether he was painting a rosy picture or not. It seemed they had already discovered new joy from the labor of rebuilding their homeland.

In essence, isn't that what sandbox games are all about?

Seeing the home gradually improve was also part of the fun. It was fortunate to be able to experience this groundbreaking immersive virtual reality technology in advance.

Light Chu was certainly happy that these gamers could find joy in it.

The sanctuary was currently very poor, and he couldn't offer any substantial rewards. He could only paint rosy pictures and distribute some virtual currency for now.

...

After logging out.

Shachuko Club became lively again.

Recently, many night owls had adjusted their schedules to match the daylight.

Led by [Quit_smoking]," the people who used to stay up all night were now going to bed at ten o'clock sharp and waking up at five in the morning, just to watch a few dog managers "in action."

[Nighten]: "Hostile forces! New info unlocked! Governor encounter a humanoid mutant settlement on 76th Street and confirm they as hostile forces!"

Nighten, who logged out first, couldn't wait to share the news, igniting the curiosity of the group members.

"Humanoid Mutants?! What do they look like?"

"Why hasn't the official website updated yet?"

"Awesome! With the introduction of hostile forces, the open beta should be coming soon, right?"

"Damn it, I really want to play!"

A series of messages flooded the chat.

Nighten continued to type.

"I don't know the specifics of what they look like, I haven't seen them myself! But don't panic, the official website will definitely update with information about the humanoid mutants, and I'm also waiting for the news!"

[Quit_smoking]: "What about the other three? Why are you the only one online today?"

[Nighten]: "I don't know! Whiteley seems to be researching cement, Hurricane is probably lecturing a class in the morning, and Tomorrow is always mysterious."

([Nighten] was mute by the group owner for one hour.)

[White]: "Don't you dare call me Whiteley! (angry)"

[Mercy_my_life]: "Hahaha, good job muting them!"

[WC_really_has_mosquitoes]: "Excited... Just two more days, and I'll be able to participate in the testing myself!"

[Tomato_scrambled_eggs]: "+1 (funny.jpg)"

[Quit_smoking]: "Damn it! Silence these two show-offs too! They're so annoying! I was the one who reserved it at first! T.T"

[Who_dares_challenging_me]: "Sigh, they are hopeless, truly hopeless."

Even now, this person named [Who_dares_challenging_me] still didn't believe in the "Fully Immersive Virtual Reality MMORPG" nonsense, let alone the claim of "100% realism."

He and his followers firmly believed that it was a trick concocted by the dog managers to spread rumors.

[See_you_tomorrow] didn't make an appearance in the group today but instead updated the official forum with a live game experience—

Or rather, a handwritten game recap.

"Today is the third day of closed testing. The charcoal kiln provided us with a large amount of coal, and with the successful burning of grass and wood ash cement, under Whiteley's leadership, we constructed a larger cement kiln. If tomorrow's test firing is successful, we will obtain more reliable building materials to construct our homeland."

"I have to praise the development team. The experience this game has given me is unlike anything I have experienced with any game on the market so far. Especially when the cement kiln was completed, the ensuing sense of accomplishment was simply irresistible, I couldn't tear myself away!"

"Today's testing content wasn't much, mainly testing the sandbox system of the game."

"However, it is worth noting that today the governor revealed to us that there is a humanoid mutant tribe at the end of 76th Street, confirmed to be a hostile force. All gamers must be cautious and avoid it, but the governor did not disclose more information about them. So far, there have been no photos updated on the official website, perhaps the story hasn't reached that point yet."

"If there is new information, I will update it in this post, and I hope all the Wastelanders who have reserved the game for the open beta will continue to follow this post!"

"Wastelanders" was the self-proclaimed name for the reserved gamers.

Although there are only about forty people now, all of them are active—even fanatical users—quickly filling the post with dozens of pages.

Light Chu silently observed the screen without participating in the players' discussion.

However, as usual, he took notes of some good suggestions and made marks for gamers with particularly interesting ideas in the background.

If there were plans to recruit new gamers, these highly loyal users would be given top priority, while those who liked to argue and cause trouble would be put on hold. It was better to let them serve as atmosphere creators online rather than allowing them to disrupt things.

In other words, why should we let you in if you're just here to troll?

Just because you have a small brain and an underdeveloped face?

During the current closed testing phase, Wasteland OL was more like a private server, and it was run by familiar dog managers. It didn't give anyone a chance to cause trouble. By gradually increasing the reservation requirements, gamers with game access would cherish their opportunities even more.

As for the open beta phase, that's even easier to handle.

Open beta naturally has its own gameplay.

At that time, they would simply designate an area as the newbie village. Without certain levels or honor titles, gamers wouldn't even be able to catch a glimpse of him.

Light Chu noticed that he had unknowingly become more and more insidious.

When did that start?

Oh well.

Thinking about such matters was pointless.

He turned off the computer, opened the system, and confirmed the rewards for today's daily tasks.

[Task: Cut down ten trees, Reward: 1 reward point]

[Task: Kill one mutant, Reward: 3 reward points]

"I completed fewer tasks today."

It added up to only 4 points.

After some internal struggle, Light Chu couldn't resist it in the end. He opened the Governor's allowance and used all 4 reward points on a basic blind box.

The alloy gate opened.

The conveyor belt started moving.

Looking at the four lollipops lying at the end of the conveyor belt, Light Chu almost blurted out a familiar curse.

However, at that moment, above one of the lollipops with a light gold package, a translucent holographic pop-up appeared, just like a label.

[Strength Enhancement · Chocolate Lollipop: Strength boost +10%, duration 10 hours.]

Light Chu: "?"

What?