Please, Let Me Log In and Grind!

The number of players had grown from single digits to double digits, bringing not only greater productivity but also a whole pile of new problems in its wake.

For example, login times.

Chu Guang realized he seemed to have overlooked something—not everyone had work or school to attend during the day.

Especially in the single-player gaming community.

What they lacked least were probably those guys who popped up in the group chat twenty-four hours a day, making it impossible to tell what they actually did for a living in real life.

He had been lurking until midnight and forgotten to turn off his computer.

Chu Guang, dozing in his chair, was jolted awake in the middle of the night by the notification sound of a private message.

Fuck.

Who the hell was messaging him in the middle of the night...

Rubbing his eyes awake, Chu Guang squinted as he opened the private message and found that it was from "Junk Collector Level 99" of the Ox-Horse Club.

Junk Collector Level 99: Brother Guang! What's the earliest I can log in?!

Junk Collector Level 99: I seriously can't wait anymore! Please, let me log in and grind!

Giao.

Why was there someone like this?

Still not fully awake, Chu Guang gathered his thoughts for a moment before typing a reply.

Guang: I was catching up on sleep just now... Don't you have to work during the day??

Junk Collector Level 99: Hehe, who cares about work? This game is definitely going to make big money someday! Better hurry up and level, hehe!

Chu Guang: "..."

Was it really okay to say that right in front of the developer?

Forget it.

He would just pretend he hadn't heard that.

Guang: You should take it easy. The open beta date hasn't even been decided yet. For all we know, the closed beta could last a year or two, followed by another three to five years of internal testing.

Junk Collector Level 99: Doesn't matter! If a company as big as yours isn't worried about going bankrupt, why the hell should I be? Hahaha.

His thinking was very clear.

In fact, clearer than that of most players who had obtained internal testing access.

Compared with this game, none of the games currently on the market could even put up a fight. They were all trash.

Leaving everything else aside, just freeing up the nighttime hours already made this game absurdly overpowered, okay?

Who would turn down an extra eight hours of life every day?

So what if the closed beta was a little exhausting? It wasn't like it would stay that exhausting forever. Could they really keep grinding until the servers shut down? Only little fools would treat the closed beta content as the entirety of the game.

Garbage Lord saw further ahead.

He had no idea when the open beta would begin, but once it did, the game was guaranteed to blow up!

Getting to play early was already a profit. Starting even one day before everyone else meant having one extra day of advantage—not to mention that the game itself was already addictive enough to keep him hooked.

Guang: ...Do whatever you want.

Junk Collector Level 99: Then, Mr. Developer, do you think you could let me log in? Hehe. I promise, whatever you want tested, I'll test it!

Guang: What you do is none of my business as long as you follow the game rules. But... there's nothing for you to do if you log in this late, right? Game time and real time are synchronized. It should still be the middle of the night in-game.

That was also why Chu Guang had not made the survivors work overtime at night.

Even he might not dare spend an entire night out in the wilderness.

Junk Collector Level 99: That's exactly why it has to be nighttime! You may not know this, but my genetic sequence in the game is a mutant! Strictly speaking, nighttime is my home field. Daytime is actually when I should be sleeping! Hehe, Mr. Developer, please let me log in.

Guang: I'll submit a request.

Junk Collector Level 99: Thanks, Brother Guang!!!

Chu Guang sighed, rose from his chair, and straightened his somewhat messy collar and buttons.

He had never seen such an enthusiastic player before.

Still, what this guy said did seem to make some sense.

Strictly speaking, nighttime really was a mutant's home field.

For Junk Collector Level 99, who was a lizardman, darkness did not necessarily mean danger. It might instead serve as cover.

Having made up his mind, Chu Guang opened the player list and switched Garbage Lord's device from locked to enabled.

Almost the instant he did so, the sound of a pod hatch opening came from the next room.

Good lord.

That fast?

Watching the lizardman walk out of the room, Chu Guang suppressed his surprise, placed both hands behind his back, and faced him with a stern expression.

"Awake? Perfect timing."

"I happen to have a mission for you."

A quest triggered!?

Junk Collector Level 99 snapped to attention and said energetically, "Your orders, respected Administrator."

Chu Guang skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"There's a mutant tribe on 76th Street, directly opposite the east gate of Wetland Park. During the day, we also found traces of raider activity in the neighborhoods along the northern outbound overpass. I suspect there's a raider stronghold in the north."

"I need you to scout north along the outbound overpass and search for any signs of survivor activity within a three-kilometer straight-line radius. If you find a suspected survivor settlement, mark it on the map and return immediately to report."

"Remember to stay hidden and avoid all unnecessary combat."

"Also, if you come across suitable targets, you can pick up some hunting side quests while you're at it. The rewards will remain valid at any time."

After hearing Chu Guang's orders, the two-meter-tall giant immediately bowed his head respectfully.

"Understood! Respected Administrator!"

Having finally received permission to log in, Junk Collector Level 99 did not waste a second. After leaving the shelter, he stepped onto the elevator to the surface and soon vanished into the night outside the sanatorium.

Chu Guang could sense every player's approximate location and distance.

After confirming that Garbage Lord had not wandered off and was instead following his orders north, Chu Guang returned to the shelter, shut the door, sat down in his chair, and continued dozing.

The next day, just before six in the morning.

Aside from Ya Ya, who had gotten herself killed yesterday and was still having her clone remade, the other players gradually climbed out of their cultivation pods.

As for Garbage Lord, who had gone out earlier, he had yet to return.

However, Chu Guang could confirm through the player list that he was still alive and not too far from Wetland Park.

"Respected Administrator, may I ask what the arrangements are for today?" Old White was the first to step forward and ask respectfully.

Though it was a pointless question, he asked it every day.

What if it triggered some plot?

And if it did not, no big deal. He could at least make his presence known to the Administrator.

As usual, Chu Guang fulfilled his duties as an NPC and answered routinely.

"Same as yesterday. The missions are all written on the bulletin board. Other than that, feel free to do as you please. The outpost is currently short on food and building materials... as well as defensive fortifications."

One side of the outpost's wall had already been completed.

The remaining three sides should be finished within two days.

What Chu Guang was worried about now was that the growing activity around the outpost would alert the mutant tribe on 76th Street to the east.

The entire outpost only had three guns, two of which were little 5mm pea shooters. Against those green-skinned muscle freaks, they would not be completely helpless, but they would definitely get beaten badly. He would probably be the only one able to escape.

If those beasts caught them, that would be a fate worse than death. Under normal circumstances, the mind would break before the body...

Of course, if any players were captured, they would probably be forcibly disconnected. No matter how curious they were, they would not be able to feel what happened afterward.

The group headed to the surface in batches, full of energy and ready to begin another day's work.

"Where's Garbage Lord? Why don't I see him?" Ye Shi looked around and realized that the big lizard was nowhere among the crowd.

Chu Guang glanced at him and said, "He set out ahead of time. I gave him a special mission."

At those words, the nearby players all showed envious expressions.

Sure enough, special classes were different.

They were still hauling bricks while that guy had already triggered an exclusive quest.

Damn lucky bastard!

"Ye Shi, you're coming with me on a long trip later... Fang Chang, you too." After thinking for a long time, Chu Guang ultimately decided to bring someone with a brain.

Fang Chang looked flattered beyond measure. He decisively abandoned Old White, whose gaze was full of "resentment," and trotted over eagerly.

Although he had agreed with Old White before logging in that they would study crude steelmaking together today, how could steelmaking compare to following the BOSS on a quest?

Never mind the generous rewards.

Just the fresh, firsthand intel alone was enough to tempt him!

"Good brother, wait for me to come back!"

"Get lost. Don't come back."

Ignoring the exchange between the two players, Chu Guang took the two 5mm iron pipe rifles from his back and tossed one each to Fang Chang and Ye Shi.

At the same time, he gave each of them twenty rounds of ammunition.

He didn't expect these two rookies to hit anyone with these crappy smoothbore guns. If they could fire off a couple shots at a critical moment to scare the other side and bolster their presence, that would be enough.

What if they actually hit someone?

Even landing one shot would be a huge profit.

Of course, it would be best if no fighting broke out at all.

"The safety is on the right side of the trigger. Familiarize yourselves with where it is, but don't pick at it with your fingers unless I tell you to switch it off."

Watching the two players excitedly fiddle with the weapons in their hands, Chu Guang paused before continuing.

"In a moment, we'll be visiting a nearby survivor settlement to trade with the locals for supplies the outpost needs."

"No matter what happens, you will follow my command. Do not act on your own initiative. Above all, remember not to fire casually or make any hostile moves without authorization."

"Remember, we represent everyone in Vault 404."

"Understood?"

"Understood! Respected Administrator!" Fang Chang eagerly snapped to attention and gave an awkward, wildly unstandardized military salute. "Your command is our mission!"

Ye Shi reacted a little slower, but his mind worked quickly enough. He hurriedly copied Fang Chang's movements and gave a salute as well.

"Me too, same as him!"

Chu Guang: "..."

What novel had they learned that from?

It was way too cringey when spoken aloud!

Still, as the Administrator, he obviously couldn't say that. In a sense, his authority over the players was directly proportional to their sense of immersion.

The more the players identified with being "Vault residents," the more likely they were to obey his orders instead of causing trouble.

"...Very good. Full of spirit!"

Chu Guang gave a light cough and looked solemnly toward the outside of the sanatorium.

"We need to bring fifty kilograms of smoked jerky, twenty kilograms of smoked fish, ten mutated hyena pelts... and a flatbed cart for hauling."

"You two will prepare them together."

"We set out in ten minutes!"