Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 305 - 177: The Second Expedition_2

Chapter 305: Chapter 177: The Second Expedition_2

Tying a rope to Wai, Lin Wu and the playful dog began running through the wilderness, frolicking for the entire morning. By the time they finished, the once pristine and tidy snowfield was marred with dark soil patches.

Noticing Maya sitting on a rock beside the road upon his return from the Shadow meeting, Lin Wu cracked a smile and brought Wai, still leashed, over to her. Maya petted Wai’s face and sighed, "You’re a real dog, and he’s a real dog."

Lin Wu pretended not to hear and asked, "Has your meeting with Shadow ended?"

Maya asked, "Do you care about what was discussed in the meeting?"

Lin Wu shook his head.

"Let’s go then." Maya and Lin Wu put on their goggles and slid on snowboards. Through her headset, Maya said, "I’ve made some people unhappy again."

Lin Wu asked, "You didn’t suggest that certain people shouldn’t participate, did you?"

Maya, "That’s about right. With a hundred thousand people in a single instance, players could either die easily, or the rewards would be poor. I suggested not taking assault rifles, considering all equipment is lost upon death. Currently, both bases only have nine assault rifles."

Lin Wu cut in, "Your entire plan to take over the Sawmill is based on the use of assault rifles."

Maya nodded, "Yes."

Lin Wu said, "I’ll only bring the Silencer."

Maya replied, "I wasn’t talking about you."

Lin Wu asked, "So I won’t die?"

Maya responded, "No, of course you won’t die. I think you have the toughest life among us in Shadow."

Lin Wu responded, "Thanks for the compliment."

Maya retorted, "Stinky and hard."

"Wai, knock her down."

The slowly running Wai resolutely carried out his master’s command, but Maya swiftly slowed down and dodged Wai’s assault. Seeing this, Lin Wu snapped his fingers, "Silly Wai, come back."

Wai returned to Lin Wu’s side, unashamedly waiting for his next command. Maya slid past them, "The last one to arrive is the fool."

Knowing his skiing skills were no match for Maya, Lin Wu didn’t fall for the challenge but instead ordered, "Wai, don’t you dare get there before me."

The two humans and the dog chased each other across the white landscape, forgetting they were in a world filled with zombies, lost in the joy of youthful play.

...

What resources should be brought into the instance?

Given that there were no hints for players not to bring too much, considering the hundred thousand people in the instance, Maya suggested Lin Wu take the usual necessary items. She then asked, "Are you sure you want to bring the Silencer into the instance? I think the death rate will be high this time." Maya knew that Lin Wu preferred the Silencer over various assault rifles, primarily because the .22 ammunition was cheap, allowing Lin Wu to use the Silencer without any psychological burden outside the base.

Yesterday Maya had gone to the main base to meet with Shana, and incidentally brought back all the .22 bullets, a total of 180 rounds. Coupled with the 220 rounds remaining in the supermarket base, the 400 rounds were enough for Lin Wu to enjoy. Of course, Maya also brought back a batch of Crossbow Arrows.

Lin Wu said, "Aren’t you bringing the Repeating Crossbow too?"

Maya shook her head, "It’s not the same. I’m not taking assault rifles because Bai Ban is taking them, and I need to leave them behind. I need to do this, you don’t."

Lin Wu replied, "I need to as well, I am exceptionally noble, always thinking about how to contribute to the community every day."

"Haha, that’s hilarious," Maya considered for a moment, "The game has been updated; there’s no reason why the instance wouldn’t be updated as well. Medications in the instance are still just a temporary solution. So, we can take some painkillers and a little bit of bandages."

"Understood," Lin Wu checked the time, "Ten more minutes." He could have a sip of hot tea.

"Hmm, take down the Screamer to avoid wasting the seven-day refresh time."

At that moment, Lin Wu’s face twisted in dismay, but unfortunately, Maya seemed completely oblivious to Lin Wu’s expression as she walked out of the base, making Lin Wu’s grimace in vain. Soon, the Screamer’s wretched screams were heard, and Lin Wu, feeling helpless, picked up his rifle and climbed the ladder to the watchtower.

...

Today’s instance didn’t start on a ship but at a dock. The time frame for entering the instance was from 8:00 to 8:10 AM. Accompanied by beams of light, the number of players on the dock began to increase, becoming somewhat crowded. To avoid getting separated by the throng, Maya held Lin Wu’s hand. It didn’t take much to guess; they were both wearing gloves. To prevent attracting attention, both of them pulled their hoods over their heads and pulled up their masks. Wai was stuffed inside Lin Wu’s hoodie, with just its nose peeking out from Lin Wu’s chest to breathe.

As it neared 8:10 AM, Lin Wu surveyed the sea of people and asked, "There must be tens of thousands here, right?" The scene was noisy, but fortunately, the headsets were still functional.

Maya stood on tiptoes to get a better view, saying, "Between two and two and a half thousand people."

"Impossible, right?"

Maya replied, "The massive errors that can arise when people cluster together are understandable. Let me ask you a question, how many zombies would it take for you to feel pressured?"

Lin Wu: "Six or seven, maybe."

"Exactly, six or seven people already feels like a pressured situation. When you’re in a crowd of a hundred people, your subjective judgment isn’t that there are a hundred people; it goes up to three hundred or even more," explained Maya. "Just like in movies, when two armies clash, the momentum is massive, like a confrontation of thousands of soldiers. But if you were to freeze the frame and count the number of people, it wouldn’t exceed three hundred."

Lin Wu: "I see. It’s time."

An NPC officer appeared on a high platform by the sea, taking a megaphone and announcing, "Warriors, welcome to your arrival. Due to the nuclear explosion, electronic equipment has been greatly affected. To ensure that everyone can reach the supply and excavation points smoothly, we’ve prepared the necessary supplies at the exit of the dock."

"We know that this excavation work will face incredibly tough challenges. Based on the intelligence we currently have, to enhance your chances of survival, we offer the following tips."

Tip One: Protective suits are your lifeline. If your suit is damaged, please replace it immediately.

Tip Two: Do not light fires or make loud noises after dark.

Tip Three: We advise against touching bodies, especially those whose cause of death you do not know.

Tip Four: NPCs are trustworthy; players may not necessarily be so.

After laying out the rules, the officer continued, "According to our intelligence, a few large mutated creatures have appeared in Waste City; we can’t rule out the possibility of animals mutated due to the nuclear blast. At present, only one type of mutated creature has been identified: the Mutant Spider."

A projection of a Patterned Spider appeared behind the officer, who turned to look at the projection and continued, "It looks no different from a regular spider, but it is larger than an adult human. Whether it’s mutated due to radiation or a virus, or perhaps both, it doesn’t matter to you. You can head directly to the excavation site to protect the scientists and the digging machines, or you can go to the supply point to replenish supplies and rest."

The officer concluded, "Stay safe, and good luck to you all."

With that, a wall to the side disappeared, revealing a passageway. At the entrance of the passage stood two NPCs dressed in protective gear, with a large pile of boxes behind them. As each player passed by, they handed out a box. It wasn’t hard to see that Lin Wu was quite tall as he explained while following the flow of people toward the exit, "Biochemical protective suits, a ration or several, and something that looks like a walkie-talkie?"

"Gamma Radiation Detector."

Soon, both collected their supplies, receiving two food rations each. The detector came with an instruction manual. If the needle was in the green zone, it indicated that the radiation level was safe, and protective suits were not necessary. If the needle moved to the yellow zone, protective suits were needed, or else there would be health loss. When the needle reached the orange zone, a warning light would flash. If protective suits were not worn, there would be health loss and a reduction of the maximum health limit. Even with protective suits on, it was recommended to quickly pass through or leave such areas. Once the needle hit the red zone, even with protective suits, health would decrease.

Additionally, inside the supply pack was a pill that could resist radiation for one hour, immunizing against radiation and restoring any maximum health lost due to radiation damage, but it could only be taken once every twelve hours. Lin Wu inquired about Wai’s situation; the staff replied that Wai would not suffer radiation damage. Lin Wu disagreed with this, hoping to get another set of supplies for Wai. The staff told Lin Wu to beat it.

Following the main force out of the safe zone, passing through a layer of soap bubbles, Waste City suddenly came into view. The same yellow, grey, and black hues dominated the scene, but the buildings were in ruins, some collapsed, others halved. The ground was no longer just covered in yellow dust; various construction debris was scattered everywhere, and walking without care could lead to trips and falls.

The radiation detector’s needle stayed at the fringe of the green and yellow zones, prompting some people to put on their protective suits. Everyone looked around and most people consulted paper maps. About five minutes later, finally, some players started moving north, with other players quickly following them. After ten more minutes, only Maya and Lin Wu were left at the site.