Chapter 4:

“Dogs are better than games!” Feng Yao squatted on the street, wearing an expression full of anger and resentment.

Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that he could dodge the pursuit of beasts, evade player-versus-player confrontations, yet fall victim to an NPC scam.

But then again, who could have foreseen that the seemingly honest NPC was actually a swindler!

They had agreed on a batch of top-quality herbs at a cheap price. Little did he know, upon payment, they turned out to be defective and unusable.

Feng Yao was a seasoned veteran in the gaming world, but he hadn’t anticipated needing to be wary of NPCs or verifying goods before making payments.

All his hard-earned savings were gone due to a momentary lapse.

Burning with anger, Feng Yao wished to expose the scammer and seek vengeance. However, he wasn’t sure if he could defeat the NPC in combat.

Moreover, the Red Maple Camp prohibited killing. If caught, one could face expulsion or even execution on the spot.

Compared to seeking revenge, there was a more pressing issue at hand:

Stamina: 41/100%

Hunger: 23/100%

He was starving!

Feng Yao contemplated borrowing points from someone, but he lacked close friends in the game.

Working again was risky; if he worked without getting paid that day, his hunger would reach zero.

With no options left, Feng Yao began considering “begging” as a promising yet fast way to make money…

“What a coincidence, running into you here!” Yun Shan, surprised by the encounter with a familiar face, greeted warmly.

Feng Yao and Yun Shan were both professional gamers, part of several common gaming groups, and had crossed paths in other virtual network games before.

“Yun Shan?!”

Feng Yao’s joy was palpable as he stood up and blurted out, “Can you lend me some money?”

Yun Shan was taken aback. “What happened?”

“I got scammed,” Feng Yao said with a bitter smile, his words laden with immense sorrow.

“If you’re short on cash, some food will do,” after the impulse faded, Feng Yao, returning to reason, proposed a more reasonable form of aid. “I have no money on me, and I’m starving. I’ll work after having a meal later, and I can repay you by the day after tomorrow at the latest.”

Yun Shan was strolling and buying. Besides the meat buns, she had shrimp cakes and peach blossom cakes in hand.

The meat buns had thin skins and a generous filling, with delicious soup.

Shrimp cakes were made from a batter mixed with shrimp, eggs, flour, and scallions, fried to perfection, exuding a rich aroma.

The peach blossom cakes had red bean paste inside, a crispy exterior, and were incredibly tasty.

The realism of the “Doomsday Camp” was remarkable.

Just smelling the food made Feng Yao’s stomach rumble with hunger…

“Here,” Yun Shan handed over the food.

　

Feng Yao felt a bit embarrassed taking it all, “Just the meat buns and shrimp cakes will do, you keep the peach blossom cakes for yourself.’\”

Compared to grains, meat could fill the stomach better. Meat buns and shrimp cakes would suffice to support his work and energy consumption.

But then…

‘Why are you helping me?’ Feng Yao asked, feeling that their relationship wasn’t deep. He didn’t even know when the other person had joined the game. He had asked for help out of desperation, so he was trying his luck.

‘Weren’t you enthusiastically recommending the “Doomsday Camp” in the gaming groups? You lured me into it,’ Yun Shan chuckled.

Recalling the old days, Feng Yao’s face turned red.

Back then, when he had just entered the game, he was mesmerized and thought it was the ultimate virtual reality game. He went crazy recommending it in every gaming group he joined.

Some friends even suspected his account was stolen.

Later, it was proven to be him, but not many remembered to grab registration codes on time, so only a few actually joined the game.

Yun Shan was convinced by Feng Yao’s words and wanted to give the “Doomsday Camp” a try.

“Ah, let’s not dwell on the past,” Feng Yao hurriedly tried to shake off the dark history and abruptly changed the topic, “I’ve been in the game longer than you, want me to tell you about the pitfalls?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Yun Shan eagerly listened.

“In this game, earning points is especially tough. Before spending, you need to think it through,” Feng Yao’s expression turned serious as he got into the real conversation.

“I took a part-time job as a lumberjack, it was tough and exhausting, with the lowest cost-benefit ratio. After working for an hour, minus food expenses, I could only earn around 0.5-0.7 points.”

“Players don’t enter the game just to work; they need some leisure time too. A bit of wandering and playing, if all the saved points are spent, you’re back to working again.”

“When you’re a newbie, try to avoid the wilderness as much as possible. You might think it’s a team hunt for a one-star beast, but with a turn, it could turn into a three-star beast leading a pack to hunt players. Who’s the prey, who’s the hunter, it’s hard to tell.”

“Also, the NPCs in the ‘Doomsday Camp’ are too intelligent. They seem like NPCs on the surface, but in reality, they are employees of the gaming company playing as real people, so they come with all sorts of personalities.”

Recalling his own experience, Feng Yao added indignantly, “Including scammers.”

“Encountering scammers isn’t the worst; there are assassins, bandits, and robbers among the NPCs too,” Yun Shan informed him.

Feng Yao was stunned.

“It seems there are plenty of death traps,” he continued, “I worked at the lumberyard for over a week. When I changed jobs, I realized my in-game character had become stronger.”

“According to speculation, different types of work can enhance different attributes of players. Although the attribute panel won’t show it, the player can feel it.”

“There’s something strange; I’ve been sleeping less lately, yet I feel more energetic, and my memory has significantly improved. I discussed it privately with friends; some say it’s psychological, while others believe it’s due to the holographic technology affecting the mental aspect, aiding in expanding human brain capabilities.”

Yun Shan: NPC intelligence is due to real people playing, improved real-world physical condition is either psychological or due to holographic technology effects.

No matter what bizarre phenomena occur, there’s always a scientific explanation.

Great, that’s very scientific.

Feng Yao glanced at Yun Shan, noticing her wearing newbie clothes made of linen but carrying a backpack and affording meat to eat. He couldn’t help but ask, “How long have you been in the game? Why are you still wearing newbie clothes?”

Yun Shan glanced at her status panel, “3 hours and 19 minutes today.”

Feng Yao:…

Feng Yao: “Could it be that you just registered and logged in today?”

Yun Shan innocently looked back, her expression confirming, “Yes, that’s right.”

Feng Yao couldn’t believe it. “You’re having meat and carrying a backpack on your first day in the game?”

His first day in the game, he had gone straight to work at the lumberyard due to hunger.

“Lucky me, encountered a few beasts and sold them for money,” Yun Shan half-jokingly explained, “But venturing out brings higher profits and bigger risks; there’s a chance you might not come back.”

“Working is safe, but won’t make you rich; each has its pros and cons,” Feng Yao finished the last bite of shrimp cake, preparing to earn hard-earned money to repay his debt. Before leaving, he added, “Let’s add each other as friends for easy contact.”

Yun Shan agreed.

The black wristwatch extended, exchanging contact information, and they became new friends.

***

In the wilderness…

Lu Ming’s brow furrowed, seemingly waking up.

Seeing that he was fine, Zhu Hong left ahead.

Lu Ming woke up from his slumber.

Surrounded by demonic beasts, he felt none of the usual headaches from his condition. His consciousness was unusually clear. His gaze grew intense as he searched around but found nothing.

During his episodes, Lu Ming typically lost his rationality and didn’t know what he was doing.

Upon waking up, he usually wouldn’t have any memory of his seizures. He’d forget whom he met and what he did during those episodes.

Seeing his clothes stained with blood, he sighed and slowly headed towards the campsite.

***

A neatly arranged courtyard, with a bamboo house in front and a vegetable garden in the back, bordered by fences separating two adjacent houses.

Miss Jin, an NPC, introduced it to Yun Shan, “This is the low-end residential area. Prices are not high, and they’re available for rent or purchase. If you don’t like it, there’s a standalone three-story villa for rent in the south district.”

Property leasing and sales were managed by the Mission Hall, so Miss Jin accompanied them for house viewing.

“How much is the monthly rent? What about buying?” Yun Shan inquired.

She hadn’t been in touch with land transactions for too long and couldn’t recall the prices.

Miss Jin responded, “The monthly rent is 30 points per month, and the vegetable garden can be used freely. If you want to buy, it includes ownership of the house and land, costing 3000 points for one plot.”

“I’ll rent for a month,” Yun Shan said.

“Alright.”

After signing the lease contract, Yun Shan officially moved in.

Inside the bamboo house were a bamboo bed, a wooden table, a bamboo chair, and a wooden cabinet, nothing more.

“It’s great to make money by randomly occupying land and building houses outside the NPC living area. Your financial sense is really good.”

But in a game, tweaking a bit of data could become an artifact, tempting players to spend money. Compared to that, making money by occupying land wasn’t that significant.

Moreover, in the “Doomsday Camp,” logging off and logging in happened at the same location. In case of a street fight or encountering high-level beasts upon logging in, that would be unjustified deaths.

So Yun Shan didn’t bother with anything else and found herself a place to stay.

“The monthly rent is 30 points, which equates to 1 point per day…”

Yun Shan sat on the bamboo chair, calculating. The next moment, she was kicked out of the game.

[“Today’s accumulated online time: 240 minutes (4 hours), reached the limit.”]

[“For your health, logging in is prohibited today.”]

[“Players are encouraged to balance work and rest and play moderately.”]

“I almost forgot, during the newbie period, mental strength is weak, and consciousness projection can only last a maximum of 4 hours,” Yun Shan chuckled at the official explanation, “Balancing work and rest? Moderate play? Clearly, if conditions allowed, players would be online 24/7 doing all the work.”

Logging into another well-known online game, Yun Shan organized her inventory, planning to close that account as soon as possible. For the next three years, she intended to focus all her energy on the “Doomsday Camp.”

***

Noon, in the top-up gaming group.

“Thieves have money, they’re lavish: Buying ‘Doomsday Camp’ points, buying 1000, 1 point = 100 yuan, come quickly if interested.”

As soon as this message appeared, the group exploded.

“Gold farmers: This boss is loaded, and so extravagant.”

“Make way, let me: A thousand points, one point is 100 yuan, a direct 100,000 gone! Big spender.”

“My tears fill West Lake: Weeping! A buddy recommended ‘Doomsday Camp’ to me, but I never heard of it. I thought it was a small-scale online game, kept delaying, and didn’t bother to grab registration codes. Can I still grab codes next week and get into the game to farm points? Will the boss still be offering rewards?”

What awakened the work enthusiasm?

Is it a fun game?

No, it’s a cash generator!

The group chat instantly hit 99+ messages, with people constantly asking what “Doomsday Camp” is and why money flows so easily.

Despite many inquiries, not a single person selling points responded in private messages. The big spenders grew impatient, flooding the chat with three messages in a row, “Has anyone joined the game? Does anyone have extra points? Come earn money!”

At this moment, someone reached out to @PoorFeng.

This was Feng Yao’s account. He’d been feeling down lately and recently changed his username.