Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 605 - 294 Random Mission

Chapter 605: Chapter 294 Random Mission

To prevent the passengers from freezing to death and being unable to collect fares, Maya had Hong Yi distribute blankets and bedding, resulting in only one set of bedding left hidden by Lin Wu on the Orient Express. The main reason for the cold was a broken window pane, through which the cold air mercilessly poured into the carriage. Although dormitory beds had been moved to block it, the effect was very limited. In addition, the trains of this era were full of gaps, with drafts coming from all over.

After discussing and rejecting the idea of using the only bedding to stuff the hole, to prevent Shuihua, who was driving, from freezing to death, the five of them went to the driver’s cab and sat in a circle, each holding a corner of the bedding to keep as warm as possible.

The temperature outside was already minus ten degrees, and it was unclear whether it would continue to drop. Speaking of which, the system was still relatively humane; it hadn’t directly lowered the temperature to minus 40 degrees.

Hong Yi voiced her concern, "Maya, some of the large bases have more than ten people; wouldn’t they collect coal and scavenge at a very fast pace? Isn’t this too unfair for our small bases?" The minimum number of people required to participate in the event was two, and certainly, the amount of coal and food they could obtain would not compare to that of five people. And the resources available for five people would not compare to those for ten people.

Unable to answer the question, Maya turned to Lin Wu, who expressed his complaint and voiced his doubts.

Little White Rabbit replied, "Please explore on your own."

Lin Wu, "I mean it’s unfair."

Little White Rabbit, "I cannot achieve absolute fairness, only relative fairness."

Lin Wu relayed Little White Rabbit’s words; although no solution was given, Hong Yi had to accept this explanation. From this issue, the conversation shifted to Shadow. Maya speculated that Stone was in charge of driving, Su Shi was in charge of sleeping, and the other roles were flexible. Maya wondered whether there was any player interaction in this event.

From the current situation, this train ride emphasized darkness, solitude, cold, and loneliness. It was very likely that players were in separate instances. Why was it arranged like this?

Moving gradually from casual to Hardcore Mode, Dawn seemed to be constantly challenging the players’ survival limits. After careful thought, Maya realized that Dawn was constructing a social hierarchy. First were the bottom layer—those who couldn’t survive even in casual mode, or were unwilling to make an effort or tolerate even a little hardship. Their points would be very low. This group was relatively small.

The middle layer came next. The benchmark for being upper-mid-tier was surviving more than a month in Hardcore Mode. The majority of players would be in the middle layer—some prudently giving up Hardcore Mode and others trying it for a month before giving up.

At this point, Dawn could not allow too many players to stay in Hardcore Mode or to accumulate too many points. This was because Dawn wanted to create an olive-shaped society, with a large middle class and smaller upper and lower classes.

The wealth of the lower class cannot be less than poverty, whereas the wealth of the upper class knows no bounds. The more people remain in Hardcore Mode, the more the upper class has to share the pie, which makes it necessary to filter out a section of the budding rich to strengthen the middle layer.

From this, it can be inferred why Dawn was increasingly stringent with players—it aimed to distribute wealth and control the number and wealth of the ultra-rich.

If Maya’s prediction was correct, it meant there were still a significant number of players in Hardcore Mode. According to an earlier survey at the Left County market in casual mode, 70% of players indicated they would leave Hardcore Mode, and among the remaining 30%, half were not firmly resolved, suggesting they would try it for a month first.

If this ratio was accurate, then it meant 300,000 players had entered Hardcore Mode, with 150,000 likely to stay.

No, that couldn’t be right. She had to consider all situations, such as typhoons and deaths. Some people who were initially determined could become disheartened after repeated deaths, especially after the update removing unlimited ammunition at bases, which would deter many. Conversely, players who left Hardcore Mode could not return.

Based on the proportions of 70% and 15%, Maya estimated there would be around 50,000 people left. Each large city would get 5,000 people. Each large city had two districts, each receiving 2,500 people. Each district had two counties, each receiving 1,250 people. Each county had two towns, with each town getting over 600 people.

That didn’t seem quite right. During a typhoon, according to information obtained by Shana’s investigation, the number of players left in North Town of Left County was around 80. But even at the beginning stage of the game, the population of North Town in Left County was not large.

Maya had once traveled via the Silk Road to North Town in Right County. That place was a plain, not only vast in size but also teeming with players. The population there should be about five times that of Left County’s North Town.

Considering this, 50,000 might be an overestimate while 30,000 seemed to be a more reasonable number.

While the others chatted, Maya pondered her own matters, undisturbed by anyone, until an alarm eventually roused her.

The control panel display showed a message: Random Task, Difficulty Level B, Duration 10 minutes. Accept? Upon failure, punishment will be determined by specific circumstances.

To prevent players from getting bored on the train for long periods, the system would issue random tasks, which players could choose not to accept.

"Depending on specific circumstances?" Everyone caught the implication at the same time. In other words, aside from success and failure, there might be other outcomes.

Everyone looked at Maya, and she nodded, "Accept. It’s only Level B; there’s no reason not to." Seven days had just started, and there would be many random tasks later, so it was essential to know the intensity of a Level B task.