Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 838 - 374: Underground Base (Part 3)_2

Chapter 838: Chapter 374: Underground Base (Part 3)_2

At the bridge head 20 meters away, guard Shana watched the two frolicking and said to Little Knife, "They’re really a bunch of happy idiots."

"A bit jealous?"

"Jealousy is normal because I was his first partner," Shana said. "You only hear the laughter of newcomers, not the tears of the old ones."

Little Knife said, "If you can talk about it, it means you never really cared."

"You get me." Shana stepped forward to greet Lin Wu, asking, "Are these three NPCs normal?"

"Pretty normal," Lin Wu replied.

"Let’s hurry up, we’re about 8 kilometers from the airport," Shana said.

"Understood," Lin Wu replied.

Sweeping the area, Lin Wu noticed there were quite a few saboteurs, "Maya, the ratio of saboteurs here is about 3:7; out of every 10 people, 3 are bad eggs."

Maya was startled, "Really? How can you confirm?"

"By searching them," Lin Wu replied.

"Over here, out of 12 NPCs, 3 are carrying weapons, but they haven’t attacked me," Maya said.

"It’s safer to take 9 people than to risk taking all 12," Lin Wu replied.

Lin Meng suggested, "Why not chop off their hands? That way, the bad guys can’t cause trouble, and it won’t affect our points."

Everyone was shocked, "Are you a devil?"

"Huh?" Lin Meng responded, "Isn’t that a perfect solution?"

"Lin Wu, are you poisonous?" Shana exclaimed.

"Hey, it wasn’t my idea," Lin Wu defended.

"But it sounds like something you’d say," Shana retorted.

"..."

"Let’s just tie them up with rope. Chopping off their hands could kill them. What are you doing?" Maya interjected.

Everyone was confused until Maya clarified, "One NPC was causing trouble, so I killed him." She also started to count NPCs only.

...

The team gathered at the bridge head, with a total of 29 surviving NPCs, eight of whom were suspected saboteurs tied up by Lin Wu.

Shana asked Maya, "Can we exit through the airport?" If not, they had to leave someone at the bridge head to deal with the increasing number of zombies. Otherwise, by the time everyone returned, the area would be overrun by zombies.

Maya checked the time, "We have two and a half hours left. If there’s no word from us in the next half hour, retreat towards Snow Egg via the staircase and evacuate through the underground base."

"Okay," Shana said, "8 kilometers, two and a half hours, you need to hurry."

Maya glanced at Lin Wu, who nodded, then shouted at the NPCs, "Due to the fierce zombies, we don’t have much time left. Therefore, we’ll adopt a kilometer elimination system; the slowest will be shot. Let’s move out."

Lin Wu continued to lead as the point, while Lin Meng and Maya escorted the 29 NPCs into the tunnel. A light rail train was parked at the tunnel entrance, which had been previously checked by Lin Wu and found to be sabotaged by saboteurs, rendering it unusable. They had no choice but to proceed on foot.

A gunshot sounded, and one NPC fell dead. Lin Wu looked back, and Maya explained, "He was intentionally tripping others."

Soon after, another gunshot rang out, and Lin Meng explained, "He was intentionally walking slowly."

"Intentionally?" Lin Wu was puzzled.

"He’s only about forty, walking slower than an old person," Lin Meng said.

Maya said, "That was a fat man who never exercised, and from his performance, he had tried really hard. Let some people follow us, and if they make it to the airport, it’s their good fortune."

Lin Wu checked the road sign, "5 kilometers to the exit."

Maya said, "The team is stretched too long, let’s rest for 5 minutes and regroup."

Lin Wu stopped and let the dozen NPCs following him rest on the spot. The NPCs were very loquacious, some talked about complaining against Lin Wu, others about suing him. Lin Wu didn’t care at all; after all, with the gun in my hand, you have to follow. Otherwise, I’ll complain to Dawn.

Maya, on the other hand, was different; she would chat with NPCs and gather information, but it was of little use. Most people were only responsible for one project or one area of research, only the person in charge knew the whole picture. And the person in charge and the deputy had already been brutally killed by Lin Wu and Lin Meng.

However, Maya had obtained the locations of three secret laboratories, providing clues for her to complete the "secret" missions in True Hardcore Mode.

With one hour left before the deadline, the team reached the airport exit, where the prepared guards were escorting staff onto the plane. The chief of security negotiated with the player team leader Maya, telling her that their team members’ faces had already been entered into the system, allowing them to freely enter and exit the airport via the highway bridge.

Maya immediately called Stone, who in turn called Shana to retreat.

Not long after the entire team retreated back to the base, there was a violent shaking of the earth, and half of Leimeng Town was engulfed by an explosion.

The mission completion rate was 82%. With over 60%, the mission was considered successful; everyone earned points that could be spent at the airport. Within 24 hours, the Fortress would airdrop extra rewarded weapons and ammunition to the Shadow safe zone.

Having earned the Fortress points and entry permissions made their last week particularly comfortable.

Cars took people to the airport in two trips, Lin Wu treated Su Shi and Stone to videos and movies using points, heated cinema and all at an affordable price suitable for the elderly. Hot springs and massages were charged by the hour and weren’t expensive. Other activities included flight simulation and mock combat. Cooking was no longer needed, as the airport’s buffet offered meals at just 20 points per person. Lin Wu and others didn’t have many points, but Lin Meng did.

Of course, Lin Meng didn’t get the short end of the stick as Shadow exchanged all the weapons earned from missions and surplus stock for points.

The only regret was the high cost of accommodation at the airport hotel, so everyone returned to the base’s bonfire room in the evening.

And so, they made it to the last day of March in winter.

...

At 7 a.m. on the last day of March in winter, while still in a deep sleep, everyone felt an incredibly powerful force. Lin Wu, who was sleeping by the window, sat up to look outside and shouted, "Everyone, come look at God."

Everyone gathered and saw a beam of auspicious light descending from the heavens, landing on the small square. The snow on the square melted away, revealing the all-too-familiar Little White Rabbit.

"Over there too," Lin Meng noticed as she looked at the side. A beam of light and another Little White Rabbit were at the tent base.

Little White Rabbit said, "Dear members of Shadow Base, the base’s temperature is 20 degrees; please gather around me. I need to discuss the situation with you concerning True Hardcore."

You could just change the game directly, why bother discussing anything?

That was the general thought, but everyone still orderly descended the stairs. During which, Little White Rabbit first communicated with Lin Wu, then dispelled the beam at the tent side.

Little White Rabbit said, "First of all, congratulations to everyone for successfully passing the winter test. Tomorrow morning at eight, you will enter True Hardcore Mode, so it is necessary to let you know about True Hardcore."

After saying this, the surrounding environment suddenly changed, and everyone was suspended in mid-air above a large city bustling with traffic, prosperous and busy. Viewed from above, the city was cross-shaped, divided into five areas: north, south, east, west, and center, each connected to the outer world by a bridge.

Little White Rabbit said, "True Hardcore means no attributes, no skills, no base, no anything. You are just ordinary citizens of this city, but your advantage is that you know 24 hours in advance that the city will be occupied by zombies. Your goal is to survive for 180 days. Beyond that, there are no objectives, no guidance; everything depends on you."

Little White Rabbit continued, "Every NPC you encounter in True Hardcore is nearly 100% realistic, with different personalities and professions. They are influenced by the butterfly effect and exist not just for you. What’s unfair to you is that you are strangers in this city without acquaintances nor understanding of societal situations."

Little White Rabbit added, "Therefore, you will receive the following compensation. First is complete information, transit maps, legal knowledge, etc. Secondly, you can see the title above each NPC’s head, and if this person is someone you know, you can see detailed information."

After explaining, a man in a suit appeared beside Little White Rabbit who signaled Lin Wu to read the information. Lin Wu read, "Yao Chishi, 32 years old, deputy manager of the business department at God Shrimp Technology Company, married to Tan Lianai." There was much more information and even more could be expanded about Tan Lianai.

Little White Rabbit indicated to Stone, who read, "Stranger."

Maya read, "Neighbor across, unkempt."

Shana read, "Regular customer at the day store... Hey, why do I know this?"

"It’s just an example, with no particular meaning. Please don’t misunderstand."