Slacking off in the Game of Survival

Chapter 42 Above the Wasteland(2)

A flash of white light, 428 yen deducted, and then…

And then it was gone.

Qian Yue, “Why do I feel like I’ve been deceived again…”

Although she knew that she had to enter the game to see the specific rewards, for at the very least it was a triple draw. Yet, she only received a single flash of white light! Why can’t they give at least three flashes to show some sincerity?! Silently complaining in her heart, Qian Yue turned her head and opened the shopping category.

Looking at the dazzling array of goods, she restrained her playful attitude, slightly sharpened her focus, and began to seriously consider what she would need in this instance.

From the short film she just watched, this instance should be related to the “wasteland.”

However, the specific reason for the world becoming a wasteland was not clearly stated in the animation—probably deliberately setting up a plot twist.

The purpose of giving players an opening animation was to give them a general idea of what the following instance would be like and mentally prepare them in advance.

But at the same time, the developers feared that players, after knowing the content of the instance, would over-prepare, leading to a decrease in the instance’s difficulty. So, in the animation, they deliberately blurred some key information.

How a player grasps this information then becomes crucial.

Correct judgment would make the preparation of resources twice as effective, while a wrong choice would cause players to fall into a predicament at the beginning of the instance due to incorrect preparations.

Qian Yue didn’t rush to buy anything but instead carefully recalled, “The first scene of the animation shows the earth shaking and tall buildings collapsing, resembling an earthquake.”

Based on this information, many people would probably think it was an earthquake, but Qian Yue didn’t think so.

She pondered, “Besides an earthquake, there are many other methods that could produce the same result. Perhaps this scene is a deliberately set trap by the game.”

“Moreover, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have already appeared in the second instance. Relatively speaking, the probability of them appearing again in a short period is not too high. So, for now, I can exclude those possibilities.”

She continued her analysis, “Besides that, there was fire in the scene, indicating that this event is either related to fire or is accompanied by a massive increase in temperature, causing surrounding objects to instantly ignite.”

There aren’t many accidents that can generate high temperatures instantly, with explosions being the most common.

Also, explosions could satisfy both the “earth-shaking” and “dense clouds of smoke” conditions, making Qian Yue more inclined to think that the world collapsed due to some kind of explosion.

But there are also various types of explosions, like gas explosions, energy reactor explosions, or war-related explosions, among others.
As long as the scale is large enough, they could achieve the effect seen in the previous scene.

The specific reason for the explosion can probably only be known after entering the instance.

Qian Yue thought for a moment— hesitated briefly between a gas mask and a respirator— and finally chose the gas mask.

Air and water are the mothers of all things, but the game doesn’t have many requirements for water resources. It’s more likely that they will focus on the air.

Furthermore, Qian Yue currently suspects that the background story of the instance involves an explosion. For safety’s sake, she thought it would be better to buy a gas mask.

She muttered to herself, “If the air quality is too poor, it’s easy to contract a lot of negative statuses, and then I’ll have to spend money on treatment, which isn’t worth it.”

In the end, she couldn’t afford to be stingy with this bit of money.

On the other hand, in the previous few instances, Qian Yue would always stock up on several bottles of condiments. However, this time she had been more cautious and exchanged all the money she would have spent on condiments for bread.

After the explosion, agriculture would definitely be affected. In the best-case scenario, it might just result in the loss of a few acres of land. But if it encountered extremely harsh conditions—such as simultaneous radiation contamination—the damage wouldn’t be limited to just the food itself. Perhaps for decades or even hundreds of years, the entire city would become a barren land.

Qian Yue finally concluded, “It’s probably not easy to find ingredients in this instance, and it seems unlikely that condiments will be of much use.”

A clever woman can’t cook without rice, so she might as well just stock up on hard bread. Although, when compared, storing bread seemed more expensive than condiments, considering everything, directly eating the hard bread would be safer.

With the idea of being unwilling to run around in the instance, Qian Yue’s mind was busy making calculations. She didn’t want to break her legs for a few supplies.

The same applied to medicine. There was still a lot of vitamin C left from the last time, so Qian Yue focused on stocking up on some expensive anti-inflammatory drugs. She even grabbed several bottles of sedatives to have them at hand, just in case.

Previously, she used to carefully manage her consumables and used them sparingly. However, today she suddenly bought so many items, preferring to have them stockpiled in her bag. It was evident how cautious Qian Yue was this time.

Even though the Super Mall had a promotional event, after buying all these items, Qian Yue’s account balance was left with just over a hundred yen.

Qian Yue, “…”

She didn’t know why, but she always felt like her money was spent quickly. Yet, she couldn’t recall any excessive spending. If she was spending money so cautiously, then could anyone really afford those highly priced items in the mall?

Qian Yue subconsciously complained, and unexpectedly, she got a response.

“All items in this game’s mall are of excellent quality and reasonably priced, highly favored by players.”

“If players have financial difficulties, the system suggests: frugality is not as effective as earning more.”

Qian Yue, “…If ‘earning more’ means running the instance and doing business like Yu Chengyi, then I’d rather not.”

Just everyday casualness, lying down until level ninety-nine = w =

After purchasing the basic items, Qian Yue checked her remaining inventory and found that in the tool category, she only had a small knife and a flint left. The rest either had their durability depleted from the previous instance or were wiped out by the rules of the current one.

She contemplated for a while, hesitating whether to buy a weapon.

The short film showed that this instance took place in a city, and there might be NPCs like in the first instance. Where there are people, there could be conflicts, and having a weapon might be necessary in case of unrest.

However, when Qian Yue opened the weapon category, she was taken aback. She seemed to have forgotten that cheap weapons were mostly impractical, and the effective ones were expensive.

After a moment of silence, she eventually turned to the tool section and bought a bundle of nylon rope. Nylon rope was versatile; it could be used to climb, descend, and in critical moments, she could even tie two sticks at both ends to use as nun chucks.

Qian Yue consoled herself, “Survival is something that can’t do without improvisation, right?”

Angrily closing the shopping interface, Qian Yue patiently waited for the teleportation into the instance.

System: “The fourth instance 【Above the Wasteland】 is open. Good luck.”

*

Sweltering heat.

As soon as Qian Yue opened her eyes, a dry sensation hit her, as if she had fallen into a desert. The surroundings were as desolate as in the animation, with ruins and burning embers everywhere. The wind carried dust, causing her to squint involuntarily. After just a few breaths, she felt an urge to cough.

“This smell…”

Gunpowder?

Qian Yue almost instantly reacted, her face changing. “Is this a war-themed instance?”

At the same moment she spoke, a sharp air raid siren suddenly sounded from above!

Startled by the noise, Qian Yue instinctively ran! What’s going on?

She encountered an airstrike right after entering the instance—how can she play like this?!

Just then, the system’s prompt rang out:

“This round’s instance is the War Ruins, inspiration is provided by the Galaxy General Office.”

“One minute after the alarm, random bombings will commence. Players, please find shelter and prepare for the incoming warfare.”

“Repeating, this round’s instance is…”

“Damn it! They’re going all out from the start! Do they want us all dead?!” Someone next to her shouted at the sky, expressing the thoughts of everyone present.

However, before he could finish his sentence, in the next second, he seemed to be suddenly choked by the smoke and his face changed instantly. He bent over, coughing uncontrollably, unable to stand up straight.

…

Qian Yue’s heart was racing as well, but her feet didn’t dare to stop.

She had originally thought it would be about surviving in the ruins after the disaster, but she never expected this kind of setup!

If she had known she would have to dodge artillery fire, she would have saved every penny to buy a shield beforehand!

One minute might not seem long, but it was too short for people who had never been on a battlefield to find cover.

Many people were in a state of panic, feeling like ants on a hot pan. Subconsciously, they knew they shouldn’t just stand there waiting to die; they had to start running regardless of the chaos around them.

Some players even completely forgot about teaming up and just picked a direction to run without looking back.

A small number of players were calling out for their teammates, but they couldn’t find them amidst the sharp alarm, and the chaos and noise made the atmosphere even more tense.

For a moment, the ruins were filled with figures madly rushing around.

Qian Yue was no exception, but her destination was very clear.

Although she hadn’t experienced a real war, her growth experience
was somewhat unique, and she occasionally encountered sudden events like power struggles during her time outside the academy.

Compared to others, Qian Yue had a bit more experience, so she didn’t panic.

As she ran towards the direction of a collapsed high-rise, she observed her surroundings as much as possible.

The fires in the ruins hadn’t been extinguished yet, indicating that a recent attack had occurred here.

Therefore, except for a few people who were forced into the open, there were hardly any NPCs still active on the streets.

Most of those outside were players who had just been teleported in, and at a glance, they were all frantically sprinting across the ruins with backpacks in tow.

Qian Yue’s mind grew heavy, and her expression became serious.

Based on her experience, in situations like this, the best course of action would be to follow the locals’ movements if one happened to be away from home. They would know where the local shelters are, and if luck is on your side, you might even receive assistance from the local forces.

However, looking at the current situation, it seemed highly unlikely that the locals would show up anytime soon. This method was clearly not very practical.

A nearby player wailed, “Everything is in ruins! Where are we supposed to find cover?”

… Qian Yue remained silent.

Funny enough, the cover they were desperately searching for was right in front of them in the form of these piles of debris.