Chapter 2 Shelter No. 404

Chu Guang, male, nominal age 26, had divorced parents in his childhood and was raised by his grandfather.

After getting into university, his grandfather passed away in his second year, leaving him completely alone.

Luckily born in a peaceful era, he managed to finish his studies through part-time work, and found a job in sales after graduating. Due to his outstanding performance, he quickly gained his boss's favor and was soon promoted from a newcomer to a supervisor.

Just as Chu Guang optimistically thought he could finally enjoy a few days of peace, fate played a cruel joke on him.

About five months ago.

Chu Guang still remembered negotiating a twenty-million-dollar contract with a client then, coinciding with his boss being in high spirits. He had drunk a little too much and had inadvertently passed out.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying in the wilderness.

And this was no ordinary wilderness.

He had walked about two miles without seeing a single soul, nearly being devoured by a two-headed dog.

Thanks to the two-headed beast.

Chu Guang was drenched in cold sweat from fright, which sobered him up quickly, and he turned tail and ran.

Perhaps because the two heads were too heavy, making it uncoordinated, the dog chased him for a while but couldn't catch up and eventually gave up with a couple of howls.

Unable to see the beast anymore, Chu Guang didn't dare to go back, nor did he know which way to go.

That's when he realized his wallet and mobile phone were gone, even his clothes had been switched to a blue jacket picked up from who knows where.

Finding a small puddle, he looked down in the moonlight, only to find not just his clothes but his face had been changed too!

He wondered which deranged individual had knocked him out, changed his face, and dumped him in this godforsaken place.

While Chu Guang aimlessly wandered the wilderness, a distant cooking fire caught his attention.

Looking back now, Chu Guang still felt a chill.

Back then, all he could think about was contacting the police, and he rushed desperately towards the smoke. Thinking about it later, he was lucky that he stumbled upon a legitimate survivor settlement.

If it had been those brutal Looter, or a cannibal tribe or Mutant tribe, he might have already been stewing in a pot.

And his leather shoes might have been cooked too!

Only after interacting with the residents here did Chu Guang piece together from fragments of clues that this was no longer Hua Nation, or even the Earth he knew!

In this parallel world, a war two hundred years ago had destroyed the fruits of civilization, leaving behind a devastated Wasteland and the survivors struggling on it.

It was now the year 2340.

Also, it was the 211th year after human civilization entered the Wasteland Era, starting from the year 2129!

Dumbfounded.

Shocked.

Indescribable fear.

Fortunately, Chu Guang had a strong adaptability, survived the initial tough days, and gradually began to adapt to life here.

Struggling to survive on the Wasteland for five months, barely scraping by and constantly battling mutants and hostile Looters.

Just when Chu Guang pessimistically thought his life was going to be like this, a turn of events happened a few hours ago.

He stumbled upon the entrance of a shelter called Shelter No. 404 in the ruins of an abandoned sanatorium.

To be accurate, it wasn't Chu Guang who found it, but the facility called "Shelter No. 404" that found him.

A voice in his mind guided him here.

It was only when Chu Guang approached the sanatorium that he realized it was the place where he had first woken up in this world!

If he hadn't run around or if it had been slightly brighter, he might have found this place back then!

Regardless, the much-delayed "cheat" finally came through after five months.

At the same time, a brand-new job lay before him.

This shelter seemed to be prepared just for him, waiting all this while.

From the moment he stepped through the gates of the shelter, his identity transitioned from a scavenger to the sole resident and Manager of Shelter No. 404.

And he only had one task.

That was to use the internet of Earth to guide—or rather, deceive—a group of creatures known as "players" to work for him in this world.

Yes, this shelter's cutting-edge technology could not only connect to the internet of parallel world Earth but even had its own "official website"!

Players who reserved the game would automatically receive a number and be registered in the Administrator System's [Residents of the Refuge Directory].

As the Manager, Chu Guang could select specific numbers to distribute "Game Qualifications."

The System used a special method to deliver the Game Helmet to players' hands. Players only needed to don the helmet to connect with the Cultivation Chamber within the shelter and awaken as a clone.

Extremely humanized.

And incredibly convenient!

Although there would be no penalties for striking, the rewards acquired from completing tasks were something Chu Guang could not refuse no matter what.

Like that bulletproof vest.

Having struggled to survive in the Wasteland for five months, he understood all too well how vital such life-saving items were.

In addition to that, the reward points from tasks were also valuable—they could be redeemed for an item called a "Blind Box" on the "Administrator Allowance" page.

Purchasing an intermediate blind box required 1 reward point, an advanced blind box 10 points, and a high-level blind box 100 points.

According to the explanation of the "Administrator Allowance" function by the "Administrator System of Shelter No. 404," the items obtained from blind boxes varied in type and quantity. However, they always contained something, meaning there would never be a "thank you for your participation" scenario.

Different blind box levels determined the guaranteed rewards.

For instance, the lowest possible from an intermediate blind box could include food supplies, and an advanced blind box would at least yield medicine, while the high-level blind box could contain weapons.

As for whether an intermediate blind box could contain an advanced blind box's items, the System's explanation didn't specify. However, if it did, the likelihood was probably very low.

Just as Chu Guang was debating whether to spend all 5 of his points on intermediate blind boxes or save up 100 points to draw a weapon, the "Trash Can" squatting in the corner spoke again.

"Master, new tasks have been updated in your Administrator's Log. Please check them in time."

"Got it," Chu Guang replied impatiently.

Damn.

Who's the master here anyway!

Rolling his eyes at the corner, Chu Guang temporarily put aside the blind box matter and silently called up the Administrator System in his mind.

Soon, a pale blue holographic screen projected onto his retina.

—Administrator's Log—

[Task: Activation conditions for Shelter No. 404 are met. The first batch of "contents" confirmed for delivery. Ensure that at least one player logs into the Game.

Type: Main.

Reward: Active Substance Extractor.

]

[Task: Prepare a generator with a power output greater than 10kw.

Type: Subsidiary.

Reward: Reward points +100.

]

What?

100 reward points?!

After reading the tasks updated in the Administrator's Log, Chu Guang's eyes widened.

But what he cared more about was the reward for the main task.

"Active Substance Extractor... What exactly does this thing do?"

Xiao Qi answered.

"Active substances are materials used for making clones. There should be a manual or something of that sort?"

As an AI assistant, Xiao Qi did not actually have access to much information.

Chu Guang's current clearance only reached Level B1 of the shelter. Access to other floors required unlocking through main tasks.

By the way, should he forcibly breach the structural walls of the shelter trying to illegally enter other floors, it would disrupt the shelter's electrical and air exchange facilities.

This was something the "Shelter System," loaded into his brain when he initially entered the shelter, had informed him.

However, even without this reminder, Chu Guang felt he probably wouldn't do something as foolish as dismantling his home.

Just kidding.

If he dismantled this place, where would he live later?

Moreover, a shelter "designed to withstand strategic nuclear strikes with the epitome of pre-war technology" was likely not so easy to dismantle.

Forget about nuclear bombs—he didn't even have a gun.

"Fine, I think I've got it."

That is to say, active substances are similar to "Resurrection Coins," resources that players need to consume to re-synthesize their clones.

Currently, there are 100 cultivation chambers on Level B1, all in activatable condition, presumably each built-in with one unit of active substance sufficient to support the initial synthesis of clones.

According to the System's "one machine, one number" setup, Chu Guang can now summon up to 100 "players" to come to this world in the form of clones.

Of course, Chu Guang knew very well that things were not as simple as they seemed.

Firstly, the official website of Wasteland OL has no traffic.

For most people, the initial reaction to the advertisement about "a 100% realistic immersive virtual reality game" was either it's a lie or it's still a lie.

After all, such technology didn't exist in reality, not even something made up by social media could be so absurd.

Furthermore, even if 11 players were hoodwinked into making a reservation, he couldn't be sure that all 11 would obey him.

The right to enter and exit the game rested in the hands of the players themselves.

His authority could only kick disruptive players out, ban their login privileges, or strip them of their gaming rights; he couldn't force them to wear the game helmet and work for him.

Thus, the distribution of gaming rights, especially selecting the initial batch of "beta test" players, had to be handled with caution.

Better less than uncontrollable.

Otherwise, it would be nothing but trouble!

Then, and most importantly,

the conditions on the Wasteland also dictated that having more people wasn't necessarily better.

One more person meant one more mouth to feed.

He was as broke as a ghost, barely able to support himself, let alone a hundred more mouths.

Even if he had the means to activate all one hundred cultivation chambers, it would just feed the Mutants and the Looters.

Other than that, it was meaningless.

Chu Guang returned to his computer and sat down again.

After calmly pondering in front of the screen for a long time, his thoughts gradually became clear.

He logged back into his Penguin account, opened the gaming group called "Niubi Club," and pulled the group owner and three admins into a discussion group.

Then, in the group, he painstakingly typed.

[Send me the number that refreshed on the official website page when you reserved the game.]

[Beta test spots are limited to four. The cream should not be skimmed by outsiders. I'll apply to the company and see if I can send you the beta test qualification and the game helmet directly.]

These were teammates he used to team up with often to play online games; giving them special consideration didn't seem out of place.

Most importantly, Chu Guang couldn't think of another acquaintance in reality to ask for help— he could only rely on these online friends whom he'd never met in real life but shared a certain bond.

Relatives?

Since his grandfather passed away, he hadn't been in touch for years, and if the police had not informed them, they might not even know he was gone.

Landlord?

He was probably hunting him down for rent at this moment.

Classmates?

He hadn't contacted them since graduation.

Colleagues?

Ha.

It seemed they found him bad luck, for Chu Guang found that they had already deleted him.

Moreover, even if they hadn't deleted him, Chu Guang wouldn't message them; after all, he had collapsed at the dinner table.

A dead man messaging a living one was creepy enough to contemplate.

Compared to that, these goofy online friends were undoubtedly the best choice.

They didn't know him in real life, even if he hadn't logged in for five months, they wouldn't think too much of it.

White Horse Passing a Gap: [Boss, you're awesome!]

Level Eight Great Gale: [Awesome, truly awesome!]

Long Days Ahead: [666!]

Woken Up Countless Times in One Night: [Done! Bro, you're invincible! Waiting for your game helmet! (funny)]

Chu Guang continued typing instructions.

"But there's something I need to clarify, the devices are just lent to you for use. Don't lose them or dismantle them, or else I can't explain it to the company."

"Also, the device will be bound to the user's identity information. In principle, one device can only register one account and can only be used by one person."

Actually, calling these instructions was a stretch—he wasn't really worried about the players not complying.

According to the system, the helmet would recognize the player's identity information, and no one else could use it.

As for the device...

He wasn't worried about that at all.

Since the system managed to deliver the helmets to the players, it most surely had a way to handle "after-sales service" problems, which wasn't his concern.

Long Days Ahead: "Will it cost anything?"

Chu Guang: "There are no charges during the beta phase, but due to budget constraints, there are no salaries either."

Long Days Ahead: "6666, I've sent you my number privately. Send me one."

White Horse Passing a Gap: "Niubi, haha, set one up for me too. If it's really the full immersion virtual reality you mentioned, I'll livestream myself standing on my head!"

Level Eight Great Gale: "Haha, I'll support this too."

Waking Up Several Times a Night: "(funny.jpg)"

Although these four guys clearly didn't believe what he said, nor did they believe that such a fully immersive virtual reality game existed, they still sent their numbers over in a spirit of "playing along."

It was just an official website-generated number, after all.

Not a bank card number and PIN.

Plus, they were curious to see what exactly this guy was up to...

After receiving the numbers, Chu Guang didn't hesitate and immediately called up the Administrator System, found the "Residents of the Refuge Directory," and checked "Grant Game Qualification" for the four numbers.

The cultivation chamber took three days to synthesize a clone.

During these three days, the system would deliver the game helmets to the players through special means... even without needing a delivery address.

As for the specifics of how, whether it would attract the attention of modern society, or whether it involved any legal troubles like illegal operations, Chu Guang was even less inclined to worry.

He actually hoped more people would notice his official website and that it could cause a sensation.

That way, he'd have more choices.

"Master, didn't our official website already have 11 players registered? Why are you only issuing four slots?"

Xiao Qi, squatting in a corner of the next room where the cultivation chamber had been activated, expressed confusion.

"Because we don't need that many for now."

He closed the "Residents of the Refuge Directory."

Chu Guang then opened the "Administrator Subsidy" page in the system and put all five reward points into the "intermediate blind box."

Saving for an advanced blind box made no sense.

The reward for Task 2 was directly 100 points, and he didn't need these extra 5 points.

The pale blue holographic screen flickered, and the wall on one side of the room vibrated slightly. With a soft click, the alloy door of the "delivery port" opened.

Looking at the item resting on the platform, Chu Guang was slightly stunned.

"Is this… the blind box?"

Xiao Qi answered.

"It seems so."

Chu Guang steadied himself and said.

"I thought at least it would come in a box."

Xiao Qi tried to offer an explanation.

"Maybe the blind box is just a concept?"

But what's the point of a blind box if you don't even unpack it?

Why not just call it a lottery?

Staring at the prize in front of the conveyor, Chu Guang fell silent for a while.

"I get all that."

"But why did I clearly exchange for five, and only four showed up???"