Thomas anticipated the refugees' plan. As they emerged from cover, grenades in hand, aiming for his previous position—
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A three-round burst dropped one instantly. The other, the balaclava-clad refugee, now knew Thomas's location. He sprayed a hail of bullets at the pillar, chipping concrete and drawing blood.
Thomas hissed, clutching his shoulder. Damn it! A stray round! He lobbed a grenade towards the control room entrance, then quickly bandaged his wound.
[Sterile Bandage]
Type: Trauma Treatment
Size: 1x1
Uses: 1/1
Effect: Removes "Bleeding" status, applies "Fresh Wound" status.
The bandage stopped the bleeding, but the pain was intense, blurring his vision. Three debuffs appeared in his health tab:
[Bullet Wound]
Type: Negative Status Effect
Effect: Prevents wound from fully healing. -10% movement speed. Bullet must be removed for complete healing.
[Pain]
Type: Negative Status Effect
Effect: Blurry vision.
[Fresh Wound]
Type: Temporary Status Effect
Effect: Recently bandaged wound. Strenuous activity or running may reopen the wound and cause bleeding. Expires in 5 minutes.
He peeked at the control room. The remaining refugee, likely spooked by his companions' deaths, had closed the metal door before the grenade detonated. The explosion had scarred the door, but hadn't breached it. The refugee was clearly planning to hunker down, hoping for reinforcements.
Thomas swallowed an ibuprofen pill. The "Pain" debuff vanished, replaced by a three-minute "Pain Relief" buff. He refocused on the remaining refugee. The balaclava-clad man was surprisingly tactical. He'd avoided two of Thomas's attacks and even managed to injure him. Every move calculated. Thomas suspected he'd intentionally used his companions as bait.
But this ends now.
He lay prone, focusing on the red dot on his mental map, his breathing slow and steady. He lined up the shot through his scope.
Behind the metal door, the refugee listened intently. He was trapped, but if he could hold out until nightfall, other refugees would notice his team's absence and come searching. He just had to fire his weapon to signal his location. A flicker of hope appeared in his eyes.
Then—
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Two five-round bursts ripped through the metal door, blossoming into crimson flowers on the inside. The refugee stared in disbelief, the cold touch of death spreading through him.
Impossible…
AP 3 Ammunition
That was Thomas's secret weapon. Against armor-piercing rounds, the metal door was no better than paper.
The red dot on his mental map vanished. Thomas exhaled slowly.
[Congratulations! You have eliminated 10 refugees and earned the achievement "Refugee Hunter" Level 1.]
[You have earned the title "Refugee's Bane" (Common) and +1 Local Legend score.]
Refugee Hunter? Refugee's Bane? Local Legend? Three new terms. He checked the details.
[Refugee Hunter] (Level 1)
Requirement: Eliminate 10 refugees solo.
Effect: +10% loot quality from eliminated refugees.
---
[Refugee's Bane] (Common)
Requirement: First survivor to earn the "Refugee Hunter" achievement in the newbie version.
Effect 1: +5% damage against refugees.
Effect 2: "Refugee" faction reputation becomes Friendly. "Refugees" faction reputation becomes Hostile.
---
[Local Legend]
Requirement: Earn special achievements or complete special events in the zone.
Current Score: 1
Description: Rumors of a ruthless refugee hunter are spreading among the factions of Sparrow City.
Effect: None (yet).
He was starting to understand the deeper mechanics of the Apocalypse Game.
A message appeared on the interface of every survivor in the zone:
[A survivor has earned Local Legend. The Local Legend feature is now active in Sparrow City.]
A new display appeared on their interfaces: [Local Legend: 0]
The Zone Chat went wild.
Who the hell did that?! A new game feature?!
What happened? Anyone know?
What does Local Legend do?
How do you get it?
Has to be Thomas, right?
Yeah, it's gotta be him! Someone ask him!
Thomas, still studying the Local Legend feature, was bombarded with private messages. Everyone was asking about it. He opened a message from Ben Walker, hoping for some insight.
Ben Walker: Pro, was that you? Did you get the Local Legend score?
Thomas hesitated. He didn't know what Local Legend did yet. But it must be important if the game made such a big announcement. He didn't want to reveal his hand.
Thomas: Nope. Not me. Wondering who it was myself. You usually know everything. Any ideas how to get it?
Ben Walker: Too bad it wasn't you! It would have been perfect! I don't know how to get it, just that it's really hard.
Thomas: So it's important?
Ben Walker: I don't know the specifics, but I heard it gives you some kind of advantage after the first event, when we merge with the veteran players.
The merger again, Thomas thought, staring at his Local Legend score.
Two intense battles in one day had taken their toll. But he couldn't rest yet. It was almost 6 PM. He needed to clean up the battlefield and, more importantly, remove the bullet from his shoulder. He had bandages, but no proper medical supplies for gunshot wounds. He hoped the refugees had something useful.
A few minutes later, the "Fresh Wound" debuff expired. He took another ibuprofen and started looting. He went to the workstation first, curious about what had caused the infighting. Could it really have been a graphics card?
He opened the case.
Holy shit! A graphics card!
He stared at it, then at the remains of the larger refugee. This guy was lucky.
Rest in peace, friend. Your graphics card is in good hands.
Two graphics cards now. Excellent. He turned his attention to the refugees, especially the balaclava-clad leader. His gear was clearly superior to the others'.
[MP5 submachine gun x1 (3 magazines)
9x19mm AP 3 ammo x69
PL-15 pistol x1 (2 magazines, 32 rounds)
Damascus steel knife x1
Level 3 body armor x1
12-slot chest rig x1
Grenade x1
Flashbang x1
Small First Aid Kit x1
Military bandages x3
Gold necklace x1]
The first aid kit caught his eye.
[Small First Aid Kit]
Type: Trauma Treatment
Description: A small kit containing surgical instruments for treating gunshot wounds and other serious injuries.
Size: 2x1
Uses: 5/5
Effect: Treats and removes one "Bullet Wound" status or other injury.
Note: Removes the "Bullet Wound" status but does not fully heal the wound. Further treatment required. Cannot be used on head or chest wounds.
He opened the kit. Inside were scissors, surgical forceps, a skin stapler, and a bottle of disinfectant spray. He cut away his shirt, disinfected the wound, used the forceps to extract the bullet, and stapled the wound shut. A quick and dirty surgery. The "Bullet Wound" debuff vanished. He bandaged the wound. It was completely healed.
He marveled at the game's healing mechanics. A wound that would normally take weeks to heal was gone in minutes. He finished looting the other refugees, another grin spreading across his face.
This mental map is like a cheat code.
He'd acquired two more submachine guns, an AK, three Level 2 vests, three 8-slot rigs, four pistols, three Damascus knives, a 6H5 bayonet, a grenade, and three bandages. Plus the leader's gear. Another massive haul. The extra pistol and knife likely belonged to the two men he'd overheard earlier. The 69 rounds of AP 3 ammo were a welcome bonus.
It took two trips to carry everything back to his hideout. He left the bodies in the control room. The bodies from yesterday were gone, only bloodstains remaining. The game must refresh them every night. Good. He didn't want to deal with rotting corpses and potential diseases.
Back at the hideout, it was 7 PM. He sorted his loot, deciding to keep the MP5 and the AP 3 ammo as a backup weapon. He'd trade the rest tomorrow.
His inventory for tomorrow's trades:
[Submachine guns x3
AK rifles x2
Pistols x7
Melee weapons x5
Level 2 body armor x3
Level 3 body armor x1
8-slot chest rigs x5]
A veritable arsenal.
He ate a quick meal, cleaned up, and lay down, replaying the day's battles in his mind. He needed to get stronger. He'd won both fights, but only because of his mental map advantage. It was like having a cheat code. But what would happen when he didn't have that advantage?
He drifted off to sleep.
Later that night, in a refugee-occupied building across the city, a fat man with a scarred face slammed his fist on a table, his rage boiling over. He'd just received a report. Four more of his men were missing.
"Fuck! Who the hell is messing with me?!"
Ten men lost in two days. His authority was being challenged. Mad Dog, one of the few refugee gang leaders in Sparrow City, was known for his ruthlessness. But these losses were weakening his grip on power.
A figure materialized in the shadows of the room. Mad Dog, lost in his rage, didn't notice, still ranting about his enemies. Then he saw the terrified expressions of his men. He turned slowly, his eyes widening in fear as he saw the dark figure. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.
"G-Ghostface?"