Newbie

Player Black Market.

Ruolin, Cai Cai, and Kou Mei arrived on time. By 8:55, everyone was there. After forming a team, I said, "Let's go to the Phase Teleportation Array."

Passing through the black market and down a flight of stairs into the basement, a massive Phase Teleportation Array suddenly appeared before them, shimmering with light, with several heavily armed guards standing watch nearby.

"Hello, Cloudy Coast, five people!"

I stepped forward to negotiate and handed over the five thousand Star Coins that everyone had pooled together to the administrator.

"Yes, have a safe journey."

The administrator adjusted the teleportation direction with a tablet, and immediately the Phase Teleportation Array in front of them emitted a "buzzing" sound. From the thin blue light in the middle, the image could be seen to transform into the shape of a coastline.

Let's go.

Holding the purple Hellfire Explosive Gun, I stepped into the Teleportation Array first. Instantly, my body began to disintegrate into particles, and then I was teleported to another world!

[You have entered the treacherous map "Cloudy Coast" (30-35)!]

Outside the Teleportation Array, people came and went, many players gathered here, and quite a few even set up stalls to conduct private transactions, with various shouts echoing everywhere.

"Looking for a team to level up in Cloudy Coast. Need a Submachine Gun with 300+ firepower and at least 10,000 rounds of ammo. If you meet the requirements, please contact me!"

"Level 26 Hammer Specialization super weapon, attack cap 550, armor 198, HP 9000+, looking for a fixed team, serious inquiries only!"

"Selling a blue Tier 2 sniper rifle, 400-600 firepower. Only interested parties. No time wasters, black people please!"

Amidst the hustle and bustle, our group made our way through the crowd.

"Brother!"

Not far away, a player with spiky hair waved and laughed, "Interested in going to the East Coast to kill level 30 high-level aliens? We're one short, hop on and we're off."

Immediately, the other three burly men in the car cast malicious glances at them.

I couldn't help but shudder. Damn, if I get on that vehicle, I might just be the final hunting target!

The saying "The world of gamers is complex, so be careful when teaming up" is not just a casual remark.

"I already have a team, sorry."

I smiled slightly, and Zhang Ruolin, Cai Cai, and the others came out from behind me. Ruolin and Cai Cai were level 29, and Kou Mei was level 28. Their levels were not low, and their gazes immediately became friendly.

"Same as always, let's rent a car," Zhang Ruolin said.

"OK."

I turned and walked towards the shabby car rental shop next door. A pickup truck cost 1,000 Star Coins a day, and they were known for making huge profits. Unfortunately, I was out of money, so Zhang Ruolin paid for it.

Fatty was driving, Kou Mei was in the passenger seat, and in the open trailer behind, Zhang Ruolin, Cai Cai, and I were on high alert, aiming our guns at the distance.

"Fatty."

I opened the game map and marked a point in the Team Channel: "Drive this way, there are fewer players there."

"Okay!"

The fat man floored the accelerator, and the pickup truck roared and screamed as it sped away into the distance.

About half an hour later, we had already entered the depths of the map.

"Etc!"

I suddenly saw words flash across the map and then disappear quickly. I immediately said, "Fatty, turn right, quick!"

"There's no road on the right, damn it..."

"Don't be afraid, open it!"

"OK!"

He jerked the steering wheel, and the pickup truck veered off the main road. Less than half a kilometer later, the words reappeared on the minimap: [Insect Hive - Small] (ID: 976831)!

A small insect nest in the wilderness.

"I see..."

Ruolin narrowed her eyes and smiled, "You have sharp eyes! How did you see that? I didn't even notice."

"I saw my name flash by, sensed something was there, and came over."

"Killing bugs is good..."

Cai Cai grinned and said, "It's been so long since I've experienced the feeling of wildly firing!"

The fat man, however, was a little nervous. "Gentlemen, when you say 'killing bugs'... do you mean farming bug nests?"

"Otherwise what?"

"Damn it..."

The fat man's face gradually paled. "What if we encounter advanced Zerg units, such as Titans, Queens, or Great Devourer?"

You're overthinking it.

Cai Cai sighed helplessly, "In the current version, these high-level units won't appear on maps that players can access. Besides, this is only the Dark Tide Origins version. If you want to see these top-tier Zerg units, you'll have to wait until version 3.0, Insectoid Uprising, at least."

"Even version 3.0 is uncertain."

I chuckled, clutching my Explosive Gun, "Those are all late-game bosses; you don't want to encounter them in the early to mid-game."

"Too."

Cai Cai nodded in agreement.

Soon after, the car couldn't move anymore. The surrounding area was full of dense forest, vines, and all sorts of colorful mushrooms. Just looking at these mushrooms made one feel dizzy, let alone eating them.

"Get off the bus."

I jumped out of the car with my Explosive Gun and said, "It should only take a few minutes to walk to the hive. This hive hasn't been around for long, so we need to hurry before other players get there first."

"Um!"

Cai Cai Ruolin nodded in deep agreement.

So, Cai Cai and I led the way, Fatty and Kou Mei were in the middle, Ruolin brought up the rear with a heavy shield. The five-person team cut through the thorns and brambles and went deep into the primeval jungle by the coast. Soon after, a bug nest appeared in front of us, leading straight into the dark depths of the jungle.

The moment I stepped onto the corroded ground, a bell rang in my ears.

[You have entered the perilous map [Small Insect Hive] (ID: 976831)!]

"Watch out, there are so many Nest Bug!"

Looking at the dense array of tiny, yellowish-brown dots in front of Cai Cai, Cai Cai almost drooled. She laughed and said, "My god, they're all level 30 squishy monsters! This is so awesome!"

"Sizzle~~~"

Seemingly sensing human presence, a small patch of Nest Bug embryos began to wriggle ahead, soon hatching. Countless Nest Bug surged towards us like a tide, which looked rather frightening.

"Suppressive firepower!"

Cai Cai, Ruolin, and Kou Mei immediately picked up their Submachine Gun and began shooting at the Nest Bug.

What are you waiting for?

I looked at the fat guy and laughed, "Don't be a coward! Stand a little further back and just use your SMC to spray and swarm. Don't forget, the higher your output, the more experience you get. You're the one who needs to catch up in levels the most, so you definitely need to work even harder!"

"Let me know!"

The fat man suddenly raised his Submachine Gun and opened fire on the Nest Bug in front of him, but it was clear that his marksmanship was poor and his strength was average. He couldn't control the gun, and the muzzle rose high after each burst.

There's no other way, we'll just have to take it slow.

"Snap!"

I picked up the Hellfire, pulled back the bolt, and charged into the swarm of Nest Bug with an Explosive Charge. Then I activated Annihilation Rock Armor, and a wisp of deep golden rock armor appeared around me, constantly dissipating, but the Damage Reduction effect it provided was terrifying. A swarm of Nest Bug frantically bit at me, but the damage they caused was quite negligible!

"Twenty three!"

"31!"

"29!"

"17!"

With its extremely high defense, plus the added bonus of the Annihilation Rock Armor, this armor is indeed terrifying; even a level 30 Nest Bug can't bite through it!

The next moment, the Explosive Gun loaded with fragmentation rounds opened fire, immediately attacking the area in front in a fan shape. A swarm of Nest Bug squeaked and screamed, and countless terrifying damage numbers jumped up above their heads!

"511!"

"1022!"

"487!"

"499!"

"505!"

The Nest Bug are too small to be Headshot, but normal damage is enough. These Nest Bug are not elite monsters; at level 30, they have less than 2,000 health. The Explosive Gun loaded with fragmentation rounds deals AOE damage, and a volley of five bullets causes green slurry to burst up in front of you. A single volley causes a whole group of bugs to explode!

"Shuashuashua~~~"

Countless beams of experience light flew in, it felt so good!

"Holy crap..."

Cai Cai stared in disbelief. "Boss's damage... is terrifying!"

"The Explosive Gun, this is every player's dream."

Zhang Ruolin said, "Ding Han's Explosive Gun is purple. There's nothing we can do about it; his strength is what it is. Let's take it slow. Hopefully, we'll be lucky and get a Purple Explosive Gun someday."

"Don't even mention purple, I'd be quite satisfied with a Tier 2 blue Explosive Gun," Cai Cai said sullenly.

"Dream on! A Tier 2 blue Explosive Gun is being sold for nearly 200,000 on the black market. Do you think just anyone can afford that?"

They continued to advance, clearing out the Nest Bug areas one by one.

Soon, the woodland ahead grew increasingly dark, and the air was filled with the smells of decay and insects, like entering a silkworm cocoon—a smell that was quite unbearable.

"Be careful, it's a scorpion!"

I held my Explosive Gun horizontally, blocking the way for the group. "Ruolin and I will lead the advance, the rest of you will provide cover fire. Advance cautiously, step by step. Don't make any rash moves, and don't go looking for death!"

"Okay!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The next moment, dozens of elite scorpions swarmed in, and everyone opened fire at once. Sparks from the bullets lit up the surroundings, filling the jungle with the smell of gunpowder.

"Bite!"

With a soft click, a notification popped up above the fat man's head. "Basic Shooting level upgraded!"

"Holy crap..."

He exclaimed with delight, "My Basic Shooting is finally at level 2!"

"Well..."

Zhang Ruolin and I both sighed.

Cai Cai sighed, "My chubby brother is such a noob..."

Kou Mei nodded in deep agreement.

By this stage in <Star Abyss>, almost all players have upgraded their shooting skills to Advanced Shooting, with only players like Fatty still struggling with Basic Shooting.

However, this is a good start. Take it slow, feed them more bullets, and their strength will improve quickly.

The fat man fought with increasing ferocity, firing wildly with his gun!

Be careful!

I frowned, then suddenly noticed several small, jade-like dots behind the scorpions not far away. My heart skipped a beat, and I exclaimed, "Thunderbugs! Fatty, back off!"

"What?! Fireflies?!"

The fat man looked completely bewildered.

He's definitely a newbie!

I suddenly remembered Chief Helmsman Chen had passed away many years ago...

"Suppressive firepower, immediately!"

With a Step Slash forward, Annihilation Rock Armor, braving the attacks of a swarm of scorpion insects. He aimed his Explosive Gun at a few of the insects and emptied the magazine in a few seconds!

"Boom boom boom~~~"

Streams of green blood exploded several meters away, several exploding insects were blown apart, and the highly corrosive biological fluids even melted the surrounding scorpions!

"Holy crap..."

The fat man stared in disbelief, only then realizing the danger within the insect hive. He quickly grabbed the SMC and retreated, shielding everyone in front of him!