Players, Please Board the Train

”There’s no need to identify the supplies one by one yourself. The glasses will prompt you if something matches the target,” Wan Xiao said impatiently. ”You don’t need to ask about these details. You’ll find out once we’re outside.”

After speaking, he walked a bit further away to talk with a few other companions, complaining during the conversation about how players from less technologically advanced game partitions were too ignorant.

”Is he saying that on purpose for us to hear? Doesn’t he know players have exceptional hearing?” the female player said, clenching her fists.

”Forget it. It’s better to avoid trouble than to invite it,” Zhuo Wangsun advised.

Soon, the warriors were ready. The gate ahead slid open, and a flood of intense light suddenly poured in, so bright it forced everyone to squint. A staff member nearby then said, ”Close your eyes. The holographic glasses will adjust within ten seconds. Once outside, you can use the cleanup area’s environment.”

A few seconds later, Xu Huo opened his eyes. Sure enough, the scenery outside now looked almost no different from what normal, unaided vision would see. Ahead lay a seemingly endless Gobi desert.

Everyone stepped into the elevator. The large door behind them closed. He looked up at the high-intensity lights installed on the protective wall; they now also appeared like ordinary lights.

The elevator rumbled down to the base of the wall. As soon as the door opened, a strong gust of wind slammed into them. Yi Mao and the others standing at the front instinctively leaned forward. Gripping their guns, they walked out. Only then did Yi Mao turn around and speak to the group through the communicator, ”The first cleanup session is set for five hours. If we don’t encounter any Mutants, five hours is enough to cross this Gobi area and enter the swamp area.”

”The Gobi area has no cover and is the safest place in the cleanup area. The possibility of Mutants appearing is very small. But everyone must still be careful. Guard against Mutants while also paying attention to your surroundings to avoid being ambushed by others.”

”The protective suits are bulletproof. An ambush might not work very well,” Kang Yongjie said with a laugh. ”As long as they don’t kill me with one shot, they’ll be the ones waiting to die!”Yi Mao nodded and gestured for them to set off.

Other teams were also entering the Gobi area at the same time. Everyone had different tasks. After mutually guarding against each other for a stretch of the journey, they gradually dispersed. An hour later, there were almost no other people visible around them.

This caused the players, who had been highly vigilant at first, to slowly let their guard down. Because apart from gravel, wind-blown sand, and the occasional small animal popping up, the Gobi area had almost nothing. And whether it was because of the peculiarity of the surrounding environment or not, everyone felt particularly thirsty.

Xu Huo lowered his mask and took a sip of water. ”The bit of food and water we brought probably won’t last very long.”

”It’s fine. Once we pass the Gobi area, the swamp area will have clean water sources,” Yi Mao said.

Hearing this, the players all paused in their actions. Yi Mao hurriedly explained, ”To ensure our side has water to drink, each area is guaranteed to have two or three clean water sources. Also, your task isn’t to pollute nearby water sources. You have to at least wait until you reach the opposing area where Mutants are active.”

”Are there players who randomly pollute water sources?” Xu Huo asked.

”Of course there are,” Wan Xiao chimed in. ”Even if you tell these people, it’s useless. To clear the stage, they’ll pollute any water source they see, forcing the government to dispatch special teams every time to purify the water. Only then can they ensure the warriors coming after have water to drink. In my opinion, players simply shouldn’t be allowed to participate in cleanup tasks.”

”Then can you clear the stage by polluting the water source on your own side?” the female player immediately asked.

Wan Xiao squeezed his water bottle hard. ”You try it!”

The female player muttered, ”I was just saying. You have no sense of humor at all.”

The game task, of course, wouldn’t be as simple as it seemed. It wasn’t just the water sources. The third task of planting a flag at a designated target location also had no hints whatsoever.

”Can you transmit a copy of that map to us?” Hao Mei asked Yi Mao. Besides the issued map, Yi Mao and the others also carried a private map.

”Of course,” Yi Mao said, pressing a button on his glasses. All the players present received a new map.

This map was of the swamp area, with relatively detailed depictions of the swamp distribution.

Yi Mao naturally wouldn’t give them the complete map and explained, ”Each time we advance to a new area, I’ll send you the map for that area.”

Zhuo Wangsun and the others had no objections. Kang Yongjie and his companion also showed no dissatisfaction.

Xu Huo understood. These people had all done their homework in advance and should be somewhat prepared.

After walking for another hour, Wan Xiao suggested taking a break.

After hesitating, Yi Mao agreed to rest on the spot for fifteen minutes. Wan Xiao explained with a hint of apology that he wasn’t deliberately holding them back, but the temperature in the Gobi area was at least five degrees higher than what was stated in the data. Wearing the tightly sealed protective suit consumed even more stamina.

”Does the situation in the cleanup area keep changing constantly?” Zhuo Wangsun asked curiously. ”Then how much reference value do the maps circulating outside still have?”

”The broad strokes are still accurate, just with some minor changes,” Yi Mao said while speaking, nodding to a team member who needed to relieve himself.

That team member walked a bit further away and was operating something with his hands in front of him. At that moment, Xu Huo suddenly heard a faint mechanical sound from the left side. He turned his head just in time to see that team member who was relieving himself have his head explode like a watermelon!

”There’s an enemy!” Everyone scrambled to take out the shields they were carrying on their backs to protect their heads and chests, forming a circle back-to-back. But before the formation could even be properly established, another shot rang out. The warrior to Yi Mao’s left lost both his shield and his head.

”Didn’t you say they were bulletproof?!” the female player shouted.

”I can’t see anyone! What equipment is the other side using?!” Kang Yongjie remained relatively calm while observing the direction the bullet came from.

”The effective range of a sniper rifle is quite far. Even if we find the person, it would be very difficult for us to go over and kill them. We need to get out of here quickly!” Zhuo Wangsun urged.

”Go, go, go! Hurry up and move!” Wan Xiao urged, instructing Liang Song to protect Yi Mao well.

The group maintained their circular formation as they ran forward. The players used items to block the side the bullets were coming from. But the shooter clearly had no intention of letting them go, taking down another person with another shot.

In just three minutes, they had lost three people. Yi Mao was both shocked and furious. ”Who the hell is ambushing us?! We’re all working for Clown City. What good does killing us do them?!”

”Cut the crap. Since when do you need a reason to kill someone?” the female player said while running. ”You’re obviously filthy rich. Who else would they rob if not you?”

”The sniper rifle the other side is using is extremely expensive. All the equipment we have on us combined isn’t enough to buy one!” Yi Mao’s mind was still clear, having already judged the type of firearm the opponent was using. Gasping for breath, he said, ”This type of gun has a flaw: it needs to change magazines after three shots, requiring two minutes. We should use this time to speed up and run out of the opponent’s firing range...”

Before he could finish his sentence, another person beside him fell!

”Why?!”

As Yi Mao roared in anger, another shot came. However, this shot was aimed at Xu Huo. Detecting the approaching bullet, he violently jerked his head to the side!