This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 620: Shelter 100!

Chapter 620: Chapter 620: Shelter 100!

["DLZJ-1" Naming Vote Results are Out!]

[1. Death — 21%]

[2. Storm — 13%]

[3. Skull — 11%]

[4. Cheese Snow Leopard — 9%]

[5. Burning — 8%]

[...]

[According to NPC Manager’s decision, DLZJ-1 is officially named: Xiaguang]

"So what was the point of this vote?"

West State City Xiqu District.

Standing next to a half-human tall variant corpse, I Max Black looked at the server announcement on the VM screen and couldn’t help but criticize.

He had scrolled through the voting thread for a long time and didn’t find the word "Xiaguang."

What a scam!

Tenquan Superman raised his hand in agreement.

"+1, why not call it Storm? That sounds powerful too!"

Kakarot slapped I Max Black on the shoulder, smiling and said,

"That’s because you don’t understand, read the word ’Xiaguang’ by splitting it into two."

"Split it? Xia...Guang, what the f*ck?"

After murmuring it five times, I Max Black suddenly came to his senses as if he had discovered a New Continent, exclaiming, "Good lord, that’s using his position to flirt!"

Broken Leg Kevin: "Reported!"

Ghost Catcher was also smiling all over his face.

"Ha ha ha, definitely need to report this to ’Dog Plan,’ NPCs have no honor in combat!"

"Forget it, it’s hard to say who’s flirting with whom."

Listening to the jokes among the brothers in the army, Spring Water Commander also joked and then looked toward the nearby subway station entrance.

The sign, blurred by stains and adorned with rotting seaweed leaves, hung like rotten leaves on beast’s teeth. A disgusting stench of rot drifted from the gloomy entrance, as if it wasn’t leading to the subway station below but rather to a monster’s open mouth.

The dangers inside might be no less than those in the heart of Qingquan City.

He cocked the gun, turned off his helmet’s facial shield, and set his portable deflection shield to standby.

Fully prepared, he spoke,

"No more nonsense, let’s prepare for the main mission."

A uniform response came through the communication channel.

"Okay!"

...

It had been a while since the lake water in Xiqu District receded.

Using the MW-grade water pumps designed by Camp 101, the Alliance had pumped nearly a week straight and finally drained the millions of cubic meters of water over Shelter 100.

Perhaps as compensation for missing server events due to the bandit suppression mission, ’Dog Plan’ advised the Manager to hand the "Reclaim Shelter 100" mission to them.

As everyone knows, shelter resources are the fattest among all relics, especially a shelter that has been sealed for two centuries and hasn’t been unsealed yet!

Moreover, besides the material rewards, new shelter conquest usually grants players the honor of entering the "Hall of Fame"!

Not just that, every player involved in the conquest can also leave their name forever on this future Novice Village!

Thus, Spring Water almost immediately accepted the mission.

To be accurate, this should hardly be considered a mission.

It could be called a reward!

Nevertheless, even though it was a reward, the mission was by no means easy.

Although active looters in the neighborhood had died or fled, the threat of variants was still present.

Especially in the waterlogged Xiqu District.

This area was still teeming with numerous and deadly arthropod species.

To ensure the operation was foolproof, Spring Water Commander first summoned two hundred brothers, and before the main mission, they cleared all variants within 500 meters of the subway station entrance.

And while a task that originally needed ten people was underway, this brother jammed thirty people inside, where tactical flashlight beams almost turned the narrow subway station into daylight.

If it wasn’t for the "battlefield width" limiting the number of people firing simultaneously, he would probably have stuffed a thousand people in there!

After getting rid of a few Crack Claw Crabs lurking under the subway station stairs, Spring Water Commander pressed a button on his helmet and ordered.

"Team A, follow I Max Black and push forward. Team B, follow Kakarot and cover fire to protect Team A’s flanks. Team C, follow me for rear support. Watch out for variants sneaking up on our butts, and move on my command."

Among the "received" responses, I Max Black cut in.

"Don’t we usually have the brothers follow me?"

Spring Water rolled his eyes and defended himself righteously,

"Shut up, I’m the king here, GKD!"

"... Damn!"

I Max Black, beaten to the punch, almost choked on his own words, ’Dog Official’, and walked off grumbling.

Though he complained, considering Spring Water Bro was always reliable, he obediently followed the command, calling out to his squad members to form up and advance.

Perception-leading the vanguard.

No problem there.

...

The inside of the subway station was even worse than it appeared from the outside.

After all, it had been submerged in water for half a century, and West State City itself was a paradise for variants, so it was normal for this place to harbor all sorts of odd creatures.

In fact, West State Lake’s flooding of this area wasn’t completed in an instant, but rather intermittently surged several times, which finally led to a complete collapse of the underground facilities in Xiqu District.

From the abandoned clothing, sleeping bags, and living supplies, it was not hard to tell that two centuries ago, survivors had stayed in this natural shelter for a while.

They captured rats and other small animals with cages, cultivated mushrooms with rotting wood planks and domestic garbage, hid in the subway station to avoid the howling snowstorms and radioactive dust that came with them, and prayed in the face of endless despair.

These people were clearly not residents of Shelter 100 but survivors migrating toward the Grand Canyon in the north—because the terms Wasteland Era and Waste Land Wanderer were defined later, people at that time couldn’t yet be called Waste Land Wanderers.

Perhaps they had hoped at some point.

Hiding in Shelter 100, their compatriots might have seen their pitiful states and opened the giant door to shelter them, who lacked sufficient clothing and food.

But clearly,

Their hopes ultimately came to nothing.

They were not the ones chosen for the future.

Until Shelter 100 eventually became a part of historical dust, that tightly closed door had not opened...

Not once.

The soles of their boots made a sticky sound on the damp concrete, like the whispers of spirits lingering in an abandoned graveyard.

I Max Black adjusted his breathing while shifting his gun muzzle, carefully checking every corner of the abandoned station.

Drops of water from the ceiling occasionally fell to the ground, or on his helmet and shoulders, giving him a chilling eeriness.

Especially when, from time to time, a creaking sound emerged from the shadows, making his already tense nerves tighten unconsciously.

Even as the oscillating flashlight almost turned the area into daylight, places that light could not reach still harbored unknown threats.

The flashlight’s beam inadvertently swept across a toppled vending machine, where rotten seaweed gave off a colorful sheen of oil, immediately catching I Max Black’s attention.

"We’ve got something!"

He raised his right hand, clenched into a fist, signaling the team members following him to stop, and then cautiously took a few steps forward with his rifle raised.

Just as I Max Black was about to see what that thing was, he came face-to-face with what seemed like a ghostly face in the colorful patterns.

The insect stared at him uninterrupted.

A mass of eyes crowded together on its face, and a slow opening crevice revealed rows of fine, short teeth.

Then, it unfolded its semi-circular carapace on its back, and the wings as thin as paper made a spine-chilling sound.

"Ssssss—"

"Shit!"

Startled, I Max Black almost instinctively pulled the trigger.

In a burst of rapid gunfire, the basketball-sized beetle was hit by numerous bullets, instantly turning into a pool of dark green liquid.

Hearing the sudden gunfire, Team A’s members immediately came to support, and soon after, Spring Water’s voice came over the communication channel.

"Old Black, what’s happening on your side?"

"An unknown variant, kind of looks like... a beetle?"

Manipulating the action cam on his tactical helmet, the adrenaline-pumping I Max Black tried to pull up the footage from seconds ago and, fighting his disgust, shared it with the other members of the corps.

However, their reactions were unexpected; rather than being disgusted, they began to criticize and admire it.

"This bug’s ugliness is pretty unique."

"+1"

"Dog Plan is serious, the new map’s monsters aren’t just reskinned; they actually came up with some new patterns."

Listening to their banter, I Max Black couldn’t help but ask.

"Fuck, don’t you guys find it disgusting?"

Seeing him seriously asking, a few squad members holding rifles glanced at each other and showed subtle expressions.

"Now that you mention it, it is kind of disgusting."

"+1, I’d probably die of fright if I encountered this in real life."

"But this is a game, right?"

"Seems like updating the variant catalog offers some contribution points!"

"..."

Looking at these excitedly chatting guys, I Max Black was dumbfounded for a while.

Maybe...

There’s some sense to this?

Indeed, what’s to fear about game bugs, even if they look weird; compared to mutants, their killing power is nothing!

Comforting himself thus, I Max Black took a deep breath, calmed his agitated emotions.

Just as he had calmed down, Spring Water’s orders came over the communication channel.

"Old Black, collecting samples is up to you now."

I Max Black couldn’t hold back anymore.

"Goddamn it, why don’t you do it?!"

Spring Water coughed.

"You’re closer... you do it."

"%￥#@!"

Taking a plastic tube from his tactical vest, I Max Black, holding back his nausea, crouched down and randomly stuffed some tissue remnants from the corpse into the tube.

The dark green liquid looked weird.

They had been active around Qingquan City for so long and had never seen this variant—had it recently migrated from somewhere else?

Spring Water’s voice came over the communication channel again.

"You discovered it first, name it."

"Call it ’Your Max Black Majesty’!"

"Haha, I bet that won’t get approved; think again, we only get one chance to nominate."

I Max Black thought seriously for a moment.

"Ghost-faced Bug?"

Spring Water: "OK, that’s it!"

Generally, as long as the name isn’t too jarring, Dog Plan won’t exercise their veto power to reject it.

As the namer of a newly discovered variant, a player’s ID would be included in the official set collection on the website along with the variant, becoming part of the game setting.

Reaching ten and a hundred naming honors respectively unlocks specific titles.

Thus, unlocking the monster catalog is also a gameplay element of Wasteland OL, and many collectors are quite keen on it.

This also brings a wealth of research samples to the Alliance’s Biological Institute.

The episode ended.

Squad A continued on their way, moving deeper into the subway that had been sealed by the lake water for nearly a century and a half, while the Ghost-faced Insects scuttling around caused quite a bit of trouble for the squad leading the way.

Although these creatures were small, their aggressiveness was off the charts, and their method of attack was bizarre.

They usually lay still, waiting for prey to enter their attack range, then vibrated their wings to pounce on their prey, using the dagger-like stinger hidden in their abdomen to violently stab their prey and extract body fluids for nourishment.

Although their abdominal stinger often failed to penetrate the exoskeleton’s breastplate, it was still perilous when it hit critical areas like the neck.

Especially since those small arthropod Variants often had high stealth properties, excelling at blending in with their environment, they always managed to pop out from unexpected corners, giving the tense players a surprise.

Although there were several narrow escapes from trouble, I Max Black’s complexion still turned faintly blue.

He felt his Sanity value draining away because of these little bugs.

Walking up to I Max Black, holding the LD-47 assault rifle, Tenfist Superman teased with a smile.

"Bro, you wouldn’t be scared, would you?"

He had felt something was off about this guy ever since earlier, a complete shift from when he was on the surface.

I Max Black’s eyebrow twitched.

"Scared? Impossible... I just feel physically sick when I see bugs, not scared."

As soon as this comment aired, the communication channel filled with a chorus of retching sounds.

"Pfft!"

"Are you being tsundere?"

"I’m vomiting, for real."

Ghost Catcher Tombstone didn’t join others in making fun of him, only chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Isn’t that just being scared?"

I Max Black reacted angrily.

"Shut up! It’s you who is scared; your entire family is scared."

Laughter filled the communication channel.

"Ah, if Old Soldier were here, it’d be great."

"+1, that guy charges fast, heh."

"This little Black is too cowardly!"

Seeing that the explanation wasn’t helping, I Max Black simply stopped trying and rolled his eyes at Ghost Catcher Tombstone and Tenfist Superman.

"Quit the chatter, go back to your positions, and shut up and work!"

Old Soldier is probably enjoying himself in Triumph City by now. Who has time to accompany you guys?

And charging fast was many updates ago.

Since leaving the save point, that guy was even more cowardly than Dog Spring Water!

"Roger that."

Having taken the eye roll from I Max Black, Tenfist Superman, with a cheeky grin, gestured a salute and, along with Ghost Catcher Tombstone, returned to their respective combat positions.

The brief interjection of humor slightly diluted the eerie atmosphere.

Although Variants still sporadically burst from the darkness flapping their wings, I Max Black had gradually adapted to this heart-stopping rhythm.

Shoot first at any place you’re unsure of, follow up with a spray if there’s a stir; if the noise is loud, throw a grenade; if nothing stirs, keep moving forward.

After all, on their own turf, the ammo was definitely sufficient.

After a few brief but intense firefights, everyone passed safely through the security channel and advanced to the platform.

The tunnel beneath the platform was pitch-black, with residual water that hadn’t been completely drained, roughly knee-deep.

The marooned carriage was stuck in the tunnel nearby; they needed to pass that spot to reach the entrance to Shelter 100.

Eyeing that marooned carriage, Spring Water Commander ordered over the communication channel.

"Squad A, enter the tunnel; Squads B and C, provide support from the platform edge."

"Roger!" I Max Black glanced at his sidekick, signaled Tenfist Superman with a look.

Understanding the cue, he stepped forward to the platform edge, fired a few shots at the abandoned carriage to check for activity, then sprayed bullets into the water before jumping down into the tunnel.

The others followed, jumping down from the platform into the knee-deep accumulated water.

The filthy water soaked through their pant legs, and the bone-chilling cold immediately crawled up from their ankles to their knees. Even though their helmets blocked pain, most players couldn’t help but shiver.

Feeling the slimy water swirling at his feet, Ghost Catcher Tombstone furrowed his brows and sniffed, muttering over the communication channel.

"Damn, this water stinks like hell!"

Already accustomed to the stench, Tenfist Superman quipped.

"Let’s have Dogcoin Spring Water wash our trousers when we get back!"

I Max Black also looked gloomy.

But thinking that the endpoint was just ahead and the task would soon be complete, he refrained from chatting on the communication channel and simply stated briefly.

"The entrance to the shelter is ahead, keep moving!"

The others rallied their spirits and shouted in response.

"Roger!"

The ten-member squad pushed forward deeper into the subway tunnel, sending ripples across the knee-deep filthy water surface.

I Max Black felt his heart pounding fast.

Not only did the icy water feel cold, but it also brought him a disquieting anxiety.

How to put it?

It was too quiet down here!

At that moment, he suddenly saw that far away, under the flashlight beam shimmering on the water surface, floated chunks of decayed wood.

They were entangled with rotting waterweeds, mixed with floating plastic garbage and discarded debris, invisible from the platform.

I Max Black blinked.

Wood?

There weren’t even trees nearby, how could there be wooden planks?

Just then, the "wood" floating on the shimmering water surface suddenly vanished as if it had instantaneously moved closer in their direction.

Sharply catching this change, I Max Black’s pupils dilated and he aimed his rifle in that direction.

"Stop!" he shouted loudly.

Almost at the same moment everyone halted, he finally saw clearly how those "planks" moved—

They were not planks at all!

Instead, they were creatures the size of a wolf dog, Mutated Water Frogs!

Their slender, three pairs of legs clung tightly to the water surface, which is why no one had noticed them.

They lay hidden among the garbage heap and water weeds, patiently waiting until the prey entered their domain before they launched their powerful hind legs.

Their light bodies allowed them to move almost silently, their tube-like mouths like lances hidden in the reeds, radiating a chilling murderous aura.

This time, it wasn’t just I Max Black.

Having finally seen the hidden killing intent on the water surface, even the bravest among them, Ten Hands Superman, couldn’t help but pale.

"Holy shit! Mutated Water Frogs!?"

These creatures were not uncommon in West State City, ranking just after the Battleship Shrimp and Crack Claw Crabs.

Most Mutated Water Frogs lived along the shores of lakes, usually growing to one meter in length, but with their limbs fully extended, they could reach up to two meters.

They had hardly any excess fat, their skin covered with a chitinous exoskeleton rich in nutrients, their main method of attack being to leap at prey with a kick, pinning them down with their mutated sharp teeth, and then tearing and devouring them with a pair of forelimbs.

A few Mutated Water Frogs, with their explosive strength, could even flip a grown Monster, so even though the forests near the Fourth New District were rich in water resources, Variants rarely nested in this area.

Most players were reluctant to engage with these creatures.

Partly because these creatures were too quick and difficult to hit, and partly because their meat was scanty and inedible. If there weren’t any missions related to Variant control, hardly anyone would want to mess with these troublesome creatures.

"Aren’t these things supposed to live in shallow waters... How did they wander over here?!"

"Who knows! They’ve been pumping water out for a solid week!"

"It might be those Ghost-faced Insects attracting them... I’ve heard that Water Frogs like to eat bugs, Mutated Water Frogs probably do as well—"

"Forget about what it eats! You’re on its menu right now! Fire!"

Shouting loudly, I Max Black was the first to squeeze the trigger, his shoulder bracing the stock as he rattled off shots towards the water surface in front of him.

The intense gunfire exploded suddenly in the tunnel, and everyone poured fierce firepower towards the Variants rushing towards them.

Retreat was impossible.

Those creatures moved across the water as fast as lightning, while they were stuck as if their feet were tied to blocks of ice, unable to run anywhere in this cursed place.

If they showed the slightest weakness, exposing their vulnerable backs to the maws of these Variants, they would undoubtedly end up as prey!

"Squad A, engage the enemy! Squads B and C, move forward to support them!"

Hearing the gunfire from the front of the tunnel, the Spring Water Commander immediately issued an order, while deploying the support stands of the Destroyer Type I Exoskeleton and leveling the 120mm heavy mortar.

Quietly calculating the distance, Spring Water continued shouting over the comm channel.

"Old Black! Spread out a bit on the sides!"

I Max Black, who was desperately pulling on the trigger, gritted his teeth and quickly signaled his teammates beside him.

"Spread out to the sides!"

As Squad A cleared the center of the tunnel, "Kakarot" had already led Squad B rushing forward.

With a splash, jumping into the knee-deep water of the tunnel, "Kakarot" was the first to set up a squad machine gun with an ammunition drum and pulled the trigger while loudly shouting.

"Fire—"

"Ratatat—!"

The continuous gunfire quickly drowned out his command.

The support team’s burst of firepower created streaks of flashing light rain in the tunnels, splashing a string of half-human-high water splashes on the water surface in front of Team A.

However, the gunfire didn’t last long.

Just as Team B had started to pour out their ammunition, Team A quickly collided with the Mutated Water Frogs rushing towards them, engaging in close combat.

Losing their firing positions, "Kakarot" made a snap decision, slung the machine gun over his back, and drew the dagger from his waist.

"Charge and help out!"

His brothers also picked up their melee weapons and charged towards Team A, who were tangled up with the Mutated Water Frogs, yelling fiercely.

"Roar roar roar!"

Meanwhile, Team A was caught in a bitter fight.

Although they had detected the lurking Hunters in the dark, the overwhelming number of Mutated Water Frogs had breached their line of fire.

I Max Black felt as if he had been struck by a bull, falling backward into the water and nearly swallowing a bellyful of dirty water.

Seeing their prey fall, the Mutated Water Frogs excitedly waved their front limbs, and with a lift of their mouthparts, they fiercely lunged forward.

Almost instinctively dodging the sharp guide tube aimed at his throat, I Max Black pulled out his dagger and fiercely stabbed towards the head of the Mutated Water Frog.

With a dull thud, pale yellow fluid splattered.

I Max Black, suppressing his nausea, furiously stabbed two more times until the floundering limbs lost their strength. He then kicked the twitching corpse away and struggled to stand up from the ground.

Almost at the same moment, a shell landed about thirty meters in front of him. The explosion’s shockwave instantly knocked him back into the water.

It was a gasoline bomb.

The flames from the explosion did not drown in the water of the tunnel but spread rapidly across the surface.

Mutated Water Frogs, just awoken from hibernation, were swept into the fierce blaze.

They thrashed in the thick smoke, seemingly screaming silently, then silently turned to ash, sinking into the water.

As Team B’s reinforcements arrived, the players swiftly killed the remaining Mutated Water Frogs, and the battle in the tunnel came to an end.

Pulled out of the water by "Kakarot", I Max Black coughed violently twice and immediately cursed over the communication channel.

"Fuck! Dog Spring Water, have you lost your mind?! Using a mortar in this damn place?!"

"Alright, alright, tough work, brother, it’s over now, well fought!" "Kakarot" said with a laugh as he patted his back consolingly. Then he looked ahead, "Look, Shelter 100 is right ahead, we’ve made it."

I Max Black instinctively followed his gaze forward.

Through the backdrop of the blazing inferno, on the side of the algae and stain-covered tunnel, stood a massive metallic gear.

Despite being submerged for over a century, its surface was still as polished as ever, showing no signs of the wear and tear of time.

The blazing flames made its surface shine brightly, with the conspicuous number stamped in the center of the gear.

Staring at that gear-shaped giant gate, I Max Black’s expression inevitably softened.

Shelter 100!

They had arrived!

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