Without rules, there can be no standards.
Especially for players fond of stirring up trouble, it's important not to show mercy.
Residents of the refuge handbook 1.0 edition.
1. The Manager's orders are supreme, and all residents of the refuge must obey unconditionally.
2. For residents who violate the rules, the Manager reserves the right to use "forced dormancy" or "solitary confinement" as the ultimate measures. (Note: Forced dormancy is equivalent to being kicked out of the Game, while solitary confinement means banning login privileges.)
3. The Manager has the final interpretation right of all the above terms.
Being kicked out for breaking rules had gone beyond the capabilities of ordinary NPCs.
Reading the note after the second item in the Residents of the refuge handbook, players thoroughly understood that this NPC was not just an NPC, but also had some GM permissions to "ban" players who affected the gaming experience of others.
Now there are few people, and the rules are just these three for the time being, but if more need to be added later, Chu Guang would consider releasing a 2.0 version or even a 20.0 version.
For example, codifying the rules of contact between players, between players and "NPCs," and prohibited activities within the Game, among other things.
One of the reasons the alpha test was preceded by a closed beta test was also because of this.
The space inside the refuge was not large; though it seemed there were plenty of rooms, about twenty in total, each of them was actually very small, crowded full with four cultivation chambers.
The previous Manager seemed deeply afraid that he wouldn't work hard and would idly consume resources, so he had cleaned out Level B1 entirely, leaving not a single useful item behind for him.
Chu Guang did not stay in the refuge too long; after finishing stating the rules, he took the four players and Xiao Qi onto the elevator leading to the outside world.
These four beta test players were quite obedient, giving him, the Manager, due respect, though their curiosity was a bit too exuberant.
From the moment their feet touched the ground, they were like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Gardens, touching this and looking at that all along the way, wanting to touch everything.
Not a single cell in their bodies could stay still!
The elevator came to a halt.
Looking through the broken windows at the sunlight spilling in front of the elevator, all four players issued the astonished exclamations of those who'd never seen the world before.
"Whoa..."
"This light! These walls! This—this this this..."
"This is way too awesome!"
"Sunlight filtering through the cracks of the concrete ruins, shining on the grass emerging from the floor, and the visible dust motes floating in the light... Every frame is a piece of art, every second is burning money!"
"Brilliant! Brother Ri is so cultured!"
"Cut it out, call me Grandpa Fang Brother!"
"Sure thing, Brother Ri."
"..."
A bunch of rubes...
Chu Guang found it somewhat amusing but he understood them, so he pretended he hadn't heard anything and proceeded with his duty as an NPC, leading them outside of the sanatorium.
Turning to face them as he looked at the tools placed on the ground, Chu Guang began,
"As you can see before you, the nuclear war ended two hundred years ago."
"Our current location is in the far northern outskirts of Qingquan City, quite far from the nuclear crater. Unless we encounter a 'luminous rain' or visibly radioactive clouds, we needn't worry too much about excessive Gamma Values."
"The refuge cannot shelter us forever, nor can our civilization forever hide beneath the rubble. Remember, we are the vanguard returning to the surface; behind us, thousands await our good news, and there's no time for dallying."
"The first task we need to do is to repair the sanatorium beneath our feet and establish a forward outpost on these ruins."
"It will become the bridgehead for our return to the surface."
"I am assigning you a task, pick up the axes on the ground, go outside and chop some wood to bring back."
"Before winter arrives, we need to stockpile enough fuel and repair the broken walls surrounding us."
"Remember not to stray too far, and if you encounter any Variants, do not act recklessly, retreat immediately."
"Move out!"
Chu Guang thought he'd have to spend more time speaking.
To his surprise, these players were even more obedient than he had imagined, quickly picking up the axes and getting to work.
The speed of their actions was as if they couldn't wait for him to finish, lest they waste time they could spend working.
"Master, are you sure these folks are alright?" Xiao Qi, following silently by his side, expressed its concern, always feeling that these clones didn't quite have their heads on straight.
"That's why I had you come out too," Chu Guang glanced up at the sanatorium behind him, paused for a moment, and continued, "you go to the window on the north side of the third floor and keep an eye on them. If they run into trouble or stray too far, give me a shout."
As for himself, he needed to check the rewards for completing tasks.
The waste basket next to Chu Guang did not move.
After a while, Xiao Qi spoke softly,
"... Master."
"What is it?"
"Well, I don't have legs."
The moving waste basket circled around Chu Guang's legs, demonstrating its means of movement. It wasn't until then that Chu Guang noticed the creature had always been gliding around on four sets of casters.
"... Alright then, I'll carry you up."
He sighed.
Chu Guang crouched down and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
Boy, oh boy.
It was quite heavy.
Ka-ka—
Duang!
A tree as thick as a thigh slowly fell over, crashing to the ground with a dull thud.
"I don't think this looks like the Wasteland."
"Then what does it look like?"
"It's more like a forest... I'm talking about The Forest, I don't know if you've played it, but it's where you chop trees like this and build houses."
"A Divine Artifact for gaming, of course I've played, and not just played, I've built a house up in the heavens. But building there is much simpler, just a click of the mouse does it, not like here... damn, this axe is heavy."
"Speaking of settings, I actually think this is quite realistic. I remember watching a documentary about returning to Chernobyl, forty years without human disturbance, and it had evolved into a new ecosystem, buildings entangled with vines, trees growing taller than houses... The setting for this game is the Wasteland two hundred years later, right? It's not impossible. I even think the conditions in the city might be more exaggerated than here."
Watching the mess behind them, Old White wiped off some sweat and clicked his tongue.
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"If this were the real world, I'd probably end up in jail for a long time."
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He had been busy for about two hours.
Although the efficiency wasn't high and the stumps looked like they'd been gnawed on by dogs, he had managed to chop down about a dozen pine trees, each as thick as a thigh, and countless smaller ones.
However, the Manager had not specified how much was needed, so no one was sure if they had enough.
"To be honest, this Game is way too realistic... Whether it's the dull thunk of the axe hitting the tree or the flying wood chips and sunlight streaming through the leaves, it reminds me of—"
"Alright, alright, cut the bull."
Night Ten cut off Fang Chang's reminiscing, leaning on his axe, looking at the scattered branches and Autumn Leaves on the ground, and said, gasping for breath,
"Since we can chop trees, building houses and farming shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The physical abilities within the Game were much better than those in the real world.
The real-world Night Ten belonged to the group whose physical condition had been drained by nine years of mandatory education, but in the Wasteland, he could at least muster a pair of biceps.
Of course, the happiest was Old White—aka White Horse Passing a Gap.
His character might not have looked great, with a beard worthy of a bristle pad, but roll up his sleeves and it was all muscle, a sign of strength.
"If we're going to farm, I suggest we set a fire. The ash from the burnt vegetation can be mixed into the soil. Once winter passes, by next spring, that'll be fertile ground... Of course, that presupposes that the Game is indeed that realistic, otherwise it'd be a waste of effort."
"You know, I've always wondered why you look at Old White with muscles like he works out, while I struggle even to hold an axe."
Wild Wind was panting heavily.
His character was probably the closest to his real-world physicality, getting worn out after just a little exercise.
"Every character definitely has different attributes... although I don't know how those are determined," mused Fang Chang, rubbing the back of his head before adding, "But I do have a guess."
"What's your guess?"
The three players were all interested in his discovery.
Anyone who had spent time at the Cow Horse Club knew him to be an expert on several solo Game walkthroughs and the person with the most extensive Steam gameplay library in their group.
Whether it was FPS, RPG, or SLG, there wasn't a genre he didn't play.
"You must have noticed that we woke up from a silvery canister. Considering the theme of the Game, there are two possibilities for our backstory. One, we came to the present from before a war through cryogenic dormancy technology. Two, we're all clones."
"Of course, personally, I think the latter would make things simpler, especially since it would easily explain how respawning works—just recombine a new body from the DNA stored in the Cultivation chamber," Fang Chang continued, seeing the players look at each other in confusion.
"I suspect they'll add an Attribute Panel and levels or something similar later, and our differences in physical abilities are likely a part of that setup!"
"I'm also really looking forward to the developers coming up with a unique game mechanism. For instance... integrating DNA with an Occupation System to differentiate between strength-oriented players and agility-oriented players, each with their distinctive attribute growth curves. This would not only ensure freedom but also enrich gameplay."
"It's a shame characters are assigned randomly; it would be great if we could decide our Initial Attributes."
After a long talk, Fang Chang finally paused.
"Enough chit-chat. Once I log off, I'll have a chat with Brother Guang."
He remembered Brother Guang saying he was a planner for the Game. Talking directly to a planner about this stuff definitely beat their baseless discussions.
Just then, Night Ten, who was staring into the distance, suddenly spoke.
"How big do you guys think this map really is?"
"No idea."
"What if I just kept walking in one direction...?"
Seeing the eager Night Ten, Wild Wind, who was leaning on his axe, resting, hesitated before saying,
"Most likely you'll hit an invisible Wall or encounter a plot-driven kill. But I'd advise against trying either."
"Don't you remember? The Manager asked us not to stray too far from the sanatorium."
"Damn it, he's just an NPC, do you listen to him?"
"But he can log us off, and might even revoke our beta test privileges," Wild Wind reminded.
Fang Chang also chimed in,
"Right, and I suspect that, given the intelligence level of NPCs in this Game, there might be hidden metrics like an affinity rating. Actually, if you noticed, it doesn't treat all players exactly the same, so there's definitely a hidden algorithm at work."
"Alright, alright, I won't try it."
Hearing this, even the restless Night Ten calmed down.
There was no choice.
That argument was too compelling.
Anyone with clear vision could perceive the immense value beneath the surface of this Game.
Fully immersive Virtual Reality...
This technology, upon its release, would turn the entertainment methods—and even the lifestyles—of the entire modern society upside down!
Even if one disliked Games, who wouldn't fancy having an extra 12 to 8 hours a day?
According to Brother Ri from the group, time spent in the Game world was equivalent to sleeping in the real world.
That is to say, even if you spent the whole night here, it wouldn't affect work the next day!
One could hardly imagine that such a world-shattering Game would begin its closed beta in such a "hasty" and even quiet manner.
Didn't that Company need to make money?
But no matter what, since this opportunity had landed in their hands, not a single one of them was willing to let it go easily.
Just as Night Ten abandoned his impulse to explore the map's boundaries and decided to dutifully chop trees again, a sudden strong sense of danger enveloped him.
His limbs went cold.
A cold sweat broke out on his back.
He did not know where this sense of impending crisis came from, but it felt as if it foretold his gruesome demise—
His legs gave way, and Night Ten stumbled backward. However, this very stumble saved him from the shadow plummeting from above.
Rip—!
Shavings flew everywhere.
The tree trunk beside him now bore three half-foot-wide claw marks!
"Gah—!"
A scream like that of a banshee!
The diving bird missed its target and, leveraging the recoil from hitting the pine tree, flapped its wings to gain height again, disappearing into the treetops.
Staring at the falling black feathers, Night Ten sat paralyzed on the ground, dumbfounded, instinctively touching his head.
What the hell?
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