The number of players had increased from single to double digits, leading not only to increased productivity but also a slew of ensuing issues.
For example, the time spent online.
Chu Guang realized he had overlooked something—not everyone had to work or attend school during the day.
Especially within the single-player gaming community.
The most abundant type was probably those who were active online 24/7, making everyone wonder what they actually did for a living.
Staring at the screen until midnight, he forgot to shut down the computer.
Sitting in the chair and dozing off, Chu Guang was awakened in the middle of the night by the beeping of a private chat popup.
Damn it.
Who could it be this late at night...
Rubbing his eyes awake, Chu Guang squinted and opened the private message to find it was from the "Pick up trash 99 level" at the Niu Ma Club.
Pick up trash 99 level:[Brother Guang! When is the earliest I can log on!]
Pick up trash 99 level:[I can't wait any longer, please let me log in and work!]
Giao.
What kind of person is this?
Chu Guang hadn't fully woken up yet and took a while before he started typing a reply.
Guang:[I was just catching up on some sleep... Don't you have to work during the day??]
Pick up trash 99 level:[Hehe, work? This game will definitely make big money in the future! Better to seize the time to level up hehe!]
Chu Guang: "..."
Is it really okay to say those kinds of things in front of a planner?
Forget it.
Might as well pretend I didn't hear it.
Guang:[Take it easy, the public test date isn't out yet. It's possible that the closed testing could last a year or two, and the beta test even three to five years.]
Pick up trash 99 level:[It doesn't matter! A big company like yours isn't worried about going bankrupt, so why should I worry haha.]
His thinking was clear.
Even clearer than most players who had obtained the beta test qualification.
The other games currently on the market didn't stand a chance against this game; they were all trash.
Not to mention, just being able to free up the nighttime hours is already unbeatable.
Who would refuse an extra eight hours of life in a day?
A little tiring during the beta phase is nothing; it's not like it's going to be this tiring forever, or that you can keep working until the server closes, right? Only fools would think the beta content encompasses the entire game.
Trash Kun saw further.
Although he didn't know when the public test would be, as long as it started, success was guaranteed!
Getting to play early means earning early, being a day ahead of others meant having a day more of advantage, not to mention that the game itself was already addictive enough.
Guang:[…Up to you.]
Pick up trash 99 level:[Then, planner big brother, can you let me log on, hehe. I guarantee, whatever you guys need tested, I'll test it!]
Guang:[I can't control what you do, just follow the game rules. But... it's so late, don't you have nothing to do? The game time syncs with real time, it should still be nighttime in the game.]
This was also why Chu Guang hadn't let the survivors work at night.
Even he wouldn't dare stay outside for a night.
Pick up trash 99 level:[That's exactly why it's night! You might not know, but my genetic sequence in the game is that of a Variant! In strict terms, nighttime is actually my main stage, daytime is when I should be sleeping! Hehe, planner bro, just let me log in.]
Guang:[I'll apply for it.]
Pick up trash 99 level:[Thanks, Brother Guang!!!]
Chu Guang sighed, stood up from the chair, and straightened his slightly disheveled collar and buttons.
He had never seen such an enthusiastic player.
However, the guy's reasoning did make some sense.
Strictly speaking, night was indeed the domain of the Variants.
For "Pick up trash 99 level," a Lizard man, darkness might not necessarily mean danger but could offer camouflage instead.
With this in mind, Chu Guang opened the player list and switched Trash Bro's device from[Locked]to[Enabled].
Almost at the same time he made the adjustment, the sound of a cabin door opening came from the next room.
Good lord.
That was fast.
Seeing the Lizard man walking out of the room, Chu Guang composed his expression of surprise, folded his hands behind his back, and spoke sternly to him.
"Awake? You've come at the right time."
"I have a mission for you."
A mission triggered!?
Pick up trash 99 level stood at attention, brimming with energy.
"Please command, respected Manager."
Chu Guang got straight to the point.
"Directly across from the east gate of the Wetland Park, on Street No. 76, there's a Mutant tribe. We also spotted Looter activity along the northern outbound overpass during the day, and I suspect a Looter outpost might exist in the north."
"I need you to scout north along the outbound overpass and search for any survivor activity within a three-kilometer straight-line radius. If you find a suspected survivor base, mark it on the map and come back immediately to report."
"Remember to conceal yourself, avoid unnecessary combat."
"Additionally, if you come across a suitable target, you can take on a hunting side quest; rewards are valid at any time."
After hearing Chu Guang's command, the two-meter-tall man respectfully bowed his head.
"Understood, respected Manager, sir!"
It wasn't easy to get permission to go online.
Pick Up Trash 99 level didn't delay for a moment and after leaving the shelter, he stepped onto the elevator going to the surface and quickly disappeared into the night outside the sanatorium.
Chu Guang could sense the approximate location and distance of each player.
After confirming that Trash Brother didn't run off but followed his command to head north, Chu Guang returned to the shelter, closed the door, and sat down on the chair to continue napping.
...
The next day, just before six in the morning.
Except for Crow, who was still remaking a clone from yesterday, the other players had gradually emerged from the cultivation chambers.
As for Trash Brother who had gone out earlier, he hadn't returned yet.
However, Chu Guang could confirm through the player list that he was still alive, and he wasn't too far from Wetland Park.
"Respected Manager, sir, may I ask what the plans are for today?" Old White was the first to step forward and respectfully asked.
Although it was a redundant question, he would ask it daily.
Who knows, it might trigger some scenario?
And even if it didn't, it's like making one's presence felt in front of the Manager.
As usual, Chu Guang fulfilled his duty as an NPC, giving a routine answer.
"The tasks are the same as yesterday, they are all written on the notice board. Besides that, you can do as you please. The outpost urgently needs food and building materials... and defensive fortifications."
One side of the Outpost's enclosing wall was already fixed.
The remaining three walls would likely be completed within two days.
Chu Guang was now more concerned that the increasing activity at the outpost was alerting the mutant tribe on the east side of Street No. 76.
The entire outpost has only three guns, two of which were small 5mm pipes. Facing those green-skinned musclemen, we can't say we stand no chance, but we'd definitely take a beating, and probably only I could escape.
If those beasts caught us, it would really be a fate worse than death; usually, the mind would break before the body...
Of course, if the players were captured, they'd probably be force-disconnected, and whatever happened afterward, curious as we might be, we wouldn't feel it.
A group of players arrived at the surface in batches, spirited and ready to start a new day's work.
"Where's Mister Trash? Why don't I see him?" Night Ten looked around, realizing that the big lizard wasn't among the crowd.
Chu Guang glanced at him and said,
"He has already set off earlier, I have given him a special task."
Hearing this, the nearby players all showed envious expressions.
Special jobs really are different.
While they are still hauling bricks, that guy has already triggered a unique mission.
Damn Europeans!
"Night Ten, you and I will take a trip out later… and Fang Chang, you come too." Chu Guang thought for a long time and decided to bring along someone with brains.
Shock appeared on Fang Chang's face. He instantly abandoned Old White, who gave him a "melancholy" look, and trotted over eagerly.
Although he had agreed with Old White to research primitive methods of smelting before logging in, that couldn't compare to undertaking a mission with the BOSS.
Not to mention the generous rewards.
Just the fresh firsthand information was enough to excite him!
"Good buddy, wait for me to come back!"
"Get lost, don't come back."
Chu Guang didn't concern himself with the interaction between the two players. He took off the two 5mm pipe rifles he had been carrying on his back and tossed them respectively to Fang Chang and Night Ten.
At the same time, he distributed 20 bullets to them.
He didn't expect these two amateurs to hit anyone with those smoothbore guns, but in a critical moment, firing a couple of shots to intimidate the opponents and keep up appearances was useful.
And what if they did hit?
Even one successful shot would be a huge gain.
Of course, it would be best if no battle occurred.
"The safety is on the right side of the trigger. Get familiar with the placement, but don't fiddle with it unless I tell you to switch it off."
Watching the two players excitedly fiddling with their guns, Chu Guang paused, then continued,
"We're going to a nearby survivor base to exchange for some supplies needed by the outpost."
"Whatever happens, you must follow my command, remember not to act on your own, especially remember not to fire or engage in hostile actions without permission."
"Remember, we represent everyone from Shelter No. 404."
"Do you understand?"
"Understood, respected Manager, sir," Fang Chang excitedly stood straight and performed a botched and unstandardized military salute, "Your command is our mission!"
Night Ten was a bit slower in reacting, but his brain worked fast enough to mimic Fang Chang's salute quickly.
"I, same as him!"
Chu Guang: "…"
Where did they learn this from?
It's too cringeworthy when read out loud!
However, as the Manager, he certainly couldn't say such a thing. His control over the players, in a sense, correlated positively with the players' immersion.
The more the players identified with their identity as "residents of the refuge," the more likely they were to follow his commands instead of causing trouble.
"... Very good, full of spirit!"
Chu Guang coughed lightly and looked seriously towards the outside of the sanatorium.
"We need to carry 50 kilograms of smoked meat, 20 kilograms of smoked fish, 10 pieces of mutated hyena skin... and a cart for transportation."
"You two, go prepare together."
"We'll head out in ten minutes!"