Chapter 7: To Get Rich, Go Chop Trees
Nothing can be accomplished without principles or standards, especially for players who were keen to try things that they shouldn't.
[Shelter Resident Handbook Version 1.0]
[1. The administrator’s orders are above all else, and all residents of the shelter must obey them unconditionally.]
[2. The administrator has the right to execute forced dormancy and confinement for residents who violate orders. Forced dormancy will cause you to be kicked from the game while confinement will block all login permissions.]
[3. The administrator has the final right to the interpretation of the above terms.]
Violations would cause players to be kicked out of the game? That wasn’t a power ordinary NPCs had!
As they read the contents of the Shelter Resident Handbook, they understood that they weren’t looking at an ordinary NPC. The person before them had Game Master rights and could hand out bans whenever he liked!
Since there were only a few people in the game, there would only be 3 simple rules. If he wished to add more, he would consider releasing a Shelter Resident Handbook Version 2.0… Hell, he could even release a version 20.0 if he felt like it.
As time passed, he would come up with new rules or modify old ones to control the interaction between players and NPCs, and he would even be able to prohibit certain game items. It was exactly why a round of closed alpha testing was done before the closed beta or even the open beta test.
Unlike what it looked like, there wasn’t much space in the shelter. Twenty or so rooms seemed to be a lot, but each room was pretty small. Four nurturing chambers took up most of the space within.
The last administrator seemed to be afraid that he would choose to waste his life in Shelter 404 and decided to leave Level B1 empty. There wasn’t much else for Chu Guang to do.
Whatever it was, Chu Guang didn’t stay in the shelter for long. After telling the players the rules, he brought them, and Little Seven, to the elevator that led to the outside world. The four players were pretty obedient but they were definitely curious. From the moment their feet touched the ground, they reached out to grab everything they could see, wanting to experience everything in the game. From what Chu Guang could see, they seemed allergic to staying still!
As the elevator steadily slowed to a stop, the players exclaimed in shock when they saw the sunlight shining through the broken window.
"Holy shit..."
"Look at how realistic this light is! The feeling of the walls, this…”
"This is incredible!"
"The sunlight passes through the cracks in the concrete ruins and shines on newly grown grass… Dust visible to the naked eye floats about in the light... Every frame is art, and every second we spend here is burning development funds!"
"Damn, Ample Time is so poetic!"
Seeing their reaction, Chu Guang found it very amusing, but he could also understand their enthusiasm. He pretended not to hear anything, fulfilling his responsibilities as an NPC as he brought them out of the nursing home.
Looking at the tools on the ground, Chu Guang turned to face them. "With the end of the nuclear war over two hundred years ago. We are now located in the northern outskirts of Clearspring City, far away from any craters created by those nuclear bombs or missiles. Unless you run into some sort of glowing rain or radioactive clouds, you don’t need to worry too much about excessive gamma radiation.”
"Shelters cannot protect us forever, nor can our civilization hide under the ruins without end. Remember, we are the vanguard force chosen to return to the surface of the world. There are thousands of people behind us waiting for good news. There is no time to waste.”
"The first thing we need to do is to repair the nursing home and build an outpost. It will be the bridgehead for our people to return to the surface!”
"I shall now give you your task. Pick up the axes on the ground and bring back some wood. Before winter comes, we need to store enough fuel to last the season. At the same time, we need enough materials to repair the broken walls around us. Remember to not go too far. If you encounter mutants, don't act rashly and withdraw immediately. Go."
Chu Guang originally thought he needed to do a bit more talking, but he didn't expect his players to be so obedient; they each simply picked up an axe and went out to work.
From their reactions, it felt as though they wanted him to stop talking and affect the speed at which they could work.
"Master, are these guys really okay?" Little Seven expressed its concern. It had been following them the whole time and had a feeling there was something wrong with those clones’ mental state.
"That's why I asked you to follow them," Chu Guang looked up at the nursing home behind him before he continued, "Go to the north facing window on the third floor. Tell me immediately if they encounter a tricky situation or go too far."
As for what he would be doing… Of course he had to take a look at the rewards for completing his task!
Who would have thought that the damn bin beside him would simply remain in place?
After some time, Little Seven mumbled, "… Master."
"What now?"
"I don’t have legs."
The moving bin circled Chu Guang's legs a few times to demonstrate how it moved. It wasn't until then that Chu Guang noticed that the little guy had always been rolling about on wheels. There was no way it could climb up three flights of stairs.
"... Fine… I’ll carry you up there." Sighing, Chu Guang knelt down and carried it on his shoulders.
Damn… For a little bin, this guy is quite heavy.
...
A tree as thick as a human thigh slowly fell, smashing to the ground and making a dull thud.
"Why do I feel like this place is not a wasteland?"
"What does it look like to you?"
"It feels closer to a forest... I'm talking about the game ‘The Forest’. I don't know if you’ve played it before, but it’s about cutting down trees like this and building a house."
"Of course, I’ve played it before. Not only have I played it, but the house I built reached into the skies. Building a house there is much simpler, though. I did it with the click of a mouse. It’s nothing like what we’re doing here… Damn it, this axe is pretty heavy!”
"When it comes to the settings, I think it's quite realistic. I remember watching a documentary about returning to Chernobyl. For forty years, there’s been no human presence in the area and it evolved to possess a whole new ecological system. Buildings there were surrounded by vines, and the trees grew taller than a house. This game is set to be two hundred years after a nuclear war, and all of these make sense. I feel like the situation in the city might even be more dire than it is here."
Looking at the mess behind him, Old White wiped his sweat and smacked his lips.
Two hours later...
Though they weren’t terribly efficient and the tree trunks left behind looked as if they had been gnawed on by dogs, they had still cut down a dozen pine trees as thick as human thighs and countless smaller ones. The administrator didn't say how much he needed, and no one knew if what they got was close to enough.
“I have to admit that this game is too real... Whether it's the impact of our axe hitting the tree, or the flying sawdust and the sunlight filtering through the leaves, it reminds me of…" Ample Time muttered.
"Alright, alright, stop talking about those things." Interrupting Ample Time's emotional speech, Night Ten’s hands rested on his axe hilt as he looked at the branches and autumn leaves scattered on the ground. He was panting as he tried to catch his breath before speaking again, "Since you can cut trees and build houses, farming shouldn't be a problem, right?"
They were much stronger in the game than they were back in reality. Night Ten used to be one that belonged to a weak scholar back in his world, but in the wasteland, he had some muscles!
Of course, the person that seemed the most satisfied was Old White. Although his character didn’t look too good, he had a stubble on his face. When he rolled up his sleeves, they revealed bulging arms.
"If we want to farm, I suggest that we set a fire, burn the plants into ashes, and spread them into the soil. When winter passes, it will become fertilizer... Of course, we’re assuming that the game is really that realistic. If it’s not… Everything is going to be a waste of time.”
"Speaking of which, I've been wondering… Why are Old White's muscles so massive? It looks like he’s been training! Look at me! I’m struggling to lift this axe…" Gale was breathless. His character was probably the closest they were going to get to their real bodies in terms of physical fitness of course. He was exhausted after a short while.
"The attributes of each character have to be different… Although I don't know how they determined this…" Ample Time scratched the back of his head and thought for a moment. "But I have a guess."
"What?" All three players spoke in unison as they were very interested in his discovery.
Anyone who had been in the Bull and Horse Club for a while knew that he was a member who joined clearing teams for several games. He also had the most games in his Steam account out of the four of them. Whether it was FPS, RPG, or SLG, there wasn’t a type of game he didn't play.
"You should have also noticed that we woke up in the silvery-white chamber. Considering the theme of this game, there are two possibilities. The first is that we have been sleeping before the war through cryo-sleep technology, and the second is that we are all clones. Of course, I personally think that the latter would be more convenient. After all, the problem of resurrection can be easily explained by directly using DNA stored in the nurturing chamber to re-synthesize a body." Seeing that the players were looking at each other, Ample Time continued, "I estimate that settings like attribute panels and levels will be added later, and that the difference in our physical fitness is likely to be its foreshadowing!”
"I hope the devs can develop a set of unique game mechanics like combining DNA and class systems, distinguishing strength-type players from speed-type players, and formulating different attribute growth curves. This would not only guarantee a degree of freedom but also enriches the gameplay. It's a pity that the characters are randomized... It would be nice if we could determine our initial attributes." Feeling thirsty from talking, Ample Time finally stopped "Let’s stop this useless chatter. I'll talk to Brother Light when I log out later."
“Brother Light once said that he’s part of the design team. Discussing the issue with him is definitely better than discussing it here among each other.”
The next moment, Night Ten, who was looking into the distance in a daze, suddenly spoke, "Guys, do you know how big this map is?"
"I have no idea."
"Say, if I keep going in one direction..."
Looking at Night Ten who was eager to give it a try, Gale rested with his axe on the side before muttering, "There’s probably something like an invisible wall, or you’ll be killed by the game... No matter what it is, I suggest you don't try it."
"Have you forgotten what the administrator said? He told us not to go too far from the nursing home."
"He's just an NPC. Are you going to listen to him?"
"But he can kick us out of the game, and even confiscate our qualifications for the alpha test." Gale reminded.
Ample Time also added from the side, "Yes, and I suspect that with the intelligence of the NPC in this game, there may be a hidden setting such as favorability. You can actually see that the NPC’s attitude towards each player is not exactly the same. There must be some hidden algorithm used in its calculation."
"Fine, I won’t try it." Even the most rebellious Night Ten became obedient after hearing what they said. He had no choice, the consequences were too lethal.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see the value behind the game. A fully immersive virtual reality...
Once the technology was released, it would have a disruptive impact on the methods of entertainment for modern society. There would also be changes to how people lived their lives! Even if people didn’t want to play games, who wouldn’t mind having eight to twelve more hours a day than other people? According to Light, the time spent in the game world was equivalent to sleeping in the real world, which meant that even if they stayed there all night, it wouldn’t affect their ability to work the next day!
It was hard to imagine that the testing of such a game, one that was destined to be a sensation around the world, was actually carried out in such a sloppy and quiet way.
Doesn’t this company need to make money?
In any case, none of them were willing to give up such an amazing opportunity.
Just when Night Ten pushed back the urge to explore the boundaries of the map and was about to continue cutting down trees obediently, a strong sense of crisis filled his mind. Chills ran down his spine as his clothes were soaked from the perspiration on his back.
He didn't know where the sense of impending doom came from, but he seemed to foresee his tragic death.
His legs softened and he staggered backward, but that was also how he managed to avoid a dark shadow that fell from the sky.
Pa!
Sawdust flew everywhere, and a three-and-a-half-foot wide claw mark was gouged out from the trunk beside him!
"Kaaaa!"
The thing that appeared released a ghoul-like howl. After missing its attack, the creature used the rebound force to push itself back into the air before disappearing into the treetops.
Looking at the falling black feathers, Night Ten, who had fallen on the ground, was too stunned to speak. He carefully reached up and touched his head absent-mindedly.
The fuck was that?!
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