Slacking off in the Game of Survival

Chapter 47 Above the Wasteland(7)

Day one, 03:23:11.

As nightfall approached, there were still many figures hurrying about in the instance.

For the players of the “Ten-Day Plan,” this day had been quite magical.

In the first three instances, two of them could be considered devoid of native inhabitants—by “native,” it referred to humans, excluding creatures like dinosaurs and sea monsters.

The remaining instance, Arctic World, did have native inhabitants, but they mostly kept to themselves, and there were very few large-scale conflicts between them and the players.

Thus, subconsciously, they treated the native inhabitants as the backdrop of the instance, and then…

They suffered a big setback.

Under the evening sun, three players rushed into a trench, trying to hide and catch their breath.

In less than half a minute, several people carrying steel chair legs aggressively approached them. Most of them looked ragged, giving the impression of being disheveled, but their expressions were fierce.

“Where are they?”

“They can’t have gone far.”

“Search!”

The chaotic footsteps echoed above them, and the three players huddled in different positions among the ruins, not daring to make a sound.

It was nearly four or five minutes before the footsteps faded away. Only then did they cautiously stick their heads out to take a look.

“Phew, they finally left.”

Within two hours, this was already the third wave of refugees they
had encountered.

When they first entered the instance, many people still held onto the fantasy of finding surviving native inhabitants and seeking shelter with them in underground bunkers or seeking protection from local authorities.

However, they never imagined that, under the fires of war, this place had long become a chaotic zone.

The people inside couldn’t get out, and there was no way to obtain external information, let alone supplies.

In a bat of an eye, the ordinary citizens turned into refugees, and this group of outsiders suddenly became the most sought-after targets!

Throughout the whole day, the instance experienced numerous vicious robbery incidents.

The native inhabitants somehow reached a consensus and began consciously targeting the players.

Although their overall attack power was not high, they kept coming in waves, and even the strongest players couldn’t bear it!

Numerous players were fed up with it, and the same was true for the trio.

Seeing that those people had left, they crawled together, using all their strength to lean against the ruins and rest.

Someone said, “Damn, we thought the most challenging part of this instance was avoiding getting blown up. Who would have thought that these NPCs alone would be enough to kill people!”

The girl in the middle smiled bitterly and said, “My sanity is barely halfway now. At this rate, I’m afraid I’ll go crazy in a few days.”

The third person opened his stat window and looked at all the values, which were also significantly decreased.

He opened his backpack, preparing to give his teammate a bottle of mental suppressant. But right that moment, the person who spoke first turned to him and asked, “Xiao Chuan, do you have any extra mental suppressants? Give one to Qi Qi for now, and when we buy more, we’ll give it back to you.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Qi, the girl, also turned to look at him.

Xu Chuan hesitated and furrowed his brows.

Extra?

What “extra”?

Mental suppressants are expensive, and in case of any situation, he might not have enough for himself, let alone extras.

Thinking about the other person’s use of “we,” it seemed like they deliberately excluded him, leaving Xu Chuan speechless.

The three of them were originally from the same university and happened to have a typical team composition.

After leaving the team mode, Qi Qi invited them to form a team, but Xu Chuan and another guy named Qin Liang didn’t know each other beforehand.

Xu Chuan only found out later that there was a vague relationship between the two, but it was too late to quit, and he didn’t bother about it.

After all, he couldn’t possibly have any fantasies about his cousin’s sister.

However, Xu Chuan never expected that the other side would treat him as a hypothetical enemy.

Qi Qi was the team’s medic, which was quite important in this instance. Plus, they were relatives, so when Xu Chuan heard her say that she didn’t have enough resources, he intended to give her a bottle.

But now, Qin Liang’s words made him feel a sudden sense of resentment.

Xu Chuan’s hand remained in his backpack, not letting anyone see.

With an unchanged expression, he used the mental suppressant in his backpack without letting anyone notice. Then, as if he had searched for a long time, he pulled his hand out of the backpack with a look of regret.

Xu Chuan, “Sorry, I don’t have any bottles left. How about you lend me one for now?”

Qi Qi didn’t think much about it and asked nervously, “None left? How many mental points do you have now? I still have the last bottle; otherwise, you can take it for now.”

As she spoke, she went to search for the suppressant in her own backpack, and Qin Liang frowned on the side.

“Qi Qi, you don’t have enough for yourself either…”

Xu Chuan interrupted, “Qi Qi, you keep that bottle for yourself. I think Qin Liang should have some; I’ll borrow from him.”

Xu Chuan turned to the other guy and said, “Qin Liang, I remember you said you had quite a few left from the previous round. Do you still have extras?”

The emphasis on “extras” was deliberate.

Qi Qi also turned to look at him, her eyes brightening. “Really? Qin Liang, how many do you have left?”

Qin Liang’s expression stiffened for a moment. He had forgotten whether he had said such things before.

But he did have two or three bottles of suppressants in his bag, which he had intended to save for emergencies for himself and Qi Qi.

“…”

But under the scrutiny of the two, Qin Liang ultimately had to compromise.

He reluctantly took out a bottle from his bag, forcing a smile.

“I… I don’t have many left either. You can take it for emergencies. Just remember to give it back next time.”

Xu Chuan thanked him and took the bottle, but he couldn’t help but roll his eyes and casually tossed it into his backpack, not sure what he was thinking.

As the sky darkened, the three had to start thinking about their shelter for the night.

Just then, they heard some noise of rummaging in the nearby ruins.

The three of them froze.

Could it be that the group from before had come back?

“Whoosh—”

There was another round of dragging and rummaging sounds as if someone was searching for something, and the noise was quite loud.

Qin Liang cautiously peeked his head above the trench to take a look.

—He saw nothing.

He signaled to his teammates that there was no one above. But if there was no one above, then it was highly likely that the source of the noise was below the trench.

The three exchanged glances.

When they had come to hide earlier, they observed the surrounding terrain. This area had been heavily bombarded, and almost all the houses had collapsed into debris, resulting in many mounds of rubble and crisscrossing trenches.

The trench they were in was curved, winding to their rear, which was not surprising.

Qin Liang mouthed, “What should we do?”

Qi Qi seemed a bit uneasy and suggested, “Should we go and take a look?”

Xu Chuan shook his head, disagreeing. It was getting dark, and finding a place to take shelter quickly would be better.

However, his opinion didn’t matter at all. Qin Liang wanted to impress Qi Qi with his bravery, so he couldn’t resist trying to explore in front of her.

Whispering, Qin Liang walked ahead, bending over and cautiously peering around the first corner. But all they heard were sounds; there was nothing to be seen.

He gestured back to the others, and they continued forward.

Despite their carefulness, walking on the debris inevitably made some noise. Fortunately, the constant clattering from the other end provided some cover for them.

Qin Liang led the way, carefully approaching the next corner, but he only heard sounds without discovering anything.

He motioned back to his companions, and they continued onward.

The clattering sound kept getting closer, but there was nothing unusual in their sight.

“Strange…”

They went around several bends, and even though the noise was now starting to fade, they still hadn’t found anyone.

Could we have taken the wrong path?

Or perhaps the person making the noise was actually above the trench?

—But if that were the case, Xu Chuan should have warned them.

The girl spoke up, “Maybe… let’s just go back for now.”

Qin Liang was feeling a bit uneasy as well.

The two turned back to retreat, but just then, they heard a sudden “clang” sound, and they froze in place. Upon careful listening, they realized that the noise was coming from underground!