Revival!

The gunshots stopped.

Zhang San and Luo Wu collapsed to the ground, blood spraying from their mouths.

"Puh!"

"You! Y-You had help!"

Wang Qian and Wang Wan emerged from the woods behind them, carrying smoking hunting rifles.

"These two gutless bastards dared to copy others and rob people?"

"Good thing you noticed early, Xiaofeng. Otherwise, these two pieces of trash might really have pulled it off."

Cheng Shaofeng smiled as he picked up the Wolf Tooth Club. "Brother Qian, Brother Wan, your shooting is as accurate as ever. Thanks for this! I'll treat you to meat another day!"

Wang Qian waved a hand. "No need to be polite. You already paid us for firing the shots. These two aren't much of a threat now. If they aren't taken back and bandaged up, they'll probably be finished by tonight."

Wang Wan cautioned, "Xiaofeng, strictly speaking, this is your business, and I shouldn't meddle. But speaking from the experience of an old hunter... never let an injured mutant wolf return to its pack. Otherwise, you'll become prey for the wolf pack."

"I understand, Brother Wan."

The two hunters left with their guns, never once glancing at the cartful of goods.

In this world, Cheng Shaofeng's parents had been set up during a transaction. At the time, Old Master Yu, Wang Qian's father, had been present. Cheng Shaofeng's parents covered his retreat, and in the end, they died while Old Master Yu escaped.

But because the enemy had been too powerful, Old Master Yu never allowed his family to seek revenge. Even now, he had never told Cheng Shaofeng who had been responsible that year. It had become a knot in the original owner's heart.

After that incident, Aunt Wang, as the head of the household, had always taken good care of Cheng Shaofeng.

Wang Qian and Wang Wan were the two people Cheng Shaofeng could trust in the base.

As for why they had appeared here... that went back four hours.

After leaving the shack, Cheng Shaofeng suddenly thought of something.

"Something's wrong!"

"This tiny amount of poison damage has no effect on me because I'm wearing equipment. But ordinary people's Health Recovery Speed is only around 0.5. This 1 point of damage exceeds the human body's recovery speed, so it would inevitably make someone weaker and weaker from blood loss, even kill them!"

"So it can't be an environmental issue. The town may be dark and damp, but the people living here haven't been affected much. Someone must have poisoned me!"

After figuring this out, Cheng Shaofeng continued buying the two-wheeled cart without showing anything. When he returned, he found that fresh flower in a corner beneath his bed.

After that, he went about buying things as normal. But when trading with Wang Qian and Wang Wan, he gave them an extra twenty dollars and asked them to follow him, find whoever wanted to harm him, and shoot if necessary.

So, after Zhang San and Luo Wu revealed their intent to attack, the two hunters fired without hesitation.

Cheng Shaofeng crouched down, looking at the two men coughing up blood, and sighed.

"If you'd let me go after I put down my things, I could have spared your lives."

"Ugh! Cough, cough! Spare me. Please spare me. I was wrong."

"Puh, cough cough, puh. Don't kill me. It was Zhang San's idea. Kill him, and I'll serve you like an ox or a horse."

"You! You!"

Ignoring the two struggling men's pleas, Cheng Shaofeng picked up the Wolf Tooth Club and used its wooden handle to knock them unconscious, then carried them onto the cart.

He dragged the cart weighing over five hundred pounds back toward Calamity Base.

A shadow flashed through the forest behind him.

"Phew~"

"Finally made it!"

This trip had taken him a full five hours. By the time he reached Calamity Base, it was nearly dark.

The main reason was that the safe route he had chosen was rather roundabout, and he had moved slowly while pulling the cart.

He raised his aching arms and shoved the corpses of the three prey animals into the raw materials compartment of the Clone Production Pod. He placed the electronic components into the mechanical compartment and selected start.

Buzz!

The machine began operating.

Zero said, "Master, you currently have 3.5 portions of Biological Raw Materials and 5 portions of electronic components. Add another 1.5 portions of Biological Raw Materials, and you can generate 5 Clones. You may then summon two more souls to assist you in your work."

"1.5 portions of Biological Raw Materials."

Cheng Shaofeng's gaze swept over the two unconscious, despicable Scavengers, and his eyes shifted slightly.

After a long while, his fists clenched.

"You didn't give me a single reason to spare you."

Hardening his heart and closing his eyes, he carried them over one by one and threw them into the Clone Production Pod.

Buzz!

There was no bloody scene behind him. The quantum beams instantly broke down the biological matter, then reassembled it into a special form for storage inside the machine.

That eased Cheng Shaofeng's disgust somewhat.

Even so, it took him quite a while to recover.

He kept his mouth tightly shut instead of crying out like a child, "I killed someone! I'm dirty now, boohoo~"

Because he knew this was a post-apocalyptic wasteland. There was no place here for a helpless saint.

Zero said, "Notice: The Clone Production Pod has stored enough energy for five complete Clones. Would you like to manufacture the Clones?"

After some thought, Cheng Shaofeng temporarily gave up on summoning new players.

"Thin Dog and the others have decent overall gaming skills, and I've already instilled some principles in them. They're fairly reliable. The base doesn't have many supplies right now, and there aren't enough beans to support too many Clones. Let them log in and gather some materials first."

At present, his Calamity Base lacked everything. Even if he summoned players, he might not be able to support them.

Nighttime was unsuitable for player activity. It was too easy to die suddenly.

So Cheng Shaofeng decided to wait until tomorrow morning to begin summoning them.

Using the Quantum Surfing function, he went onto the forum and scheduled login times for the three of them.

Cheng Shaofeng lit a fire in the small cave, ate some boiled beans, casually pulled over several branches, and lay down.

The soreness and swelling in his body rose up, and he soon fell asleep.

That night.

A chilly wind swept through Salt Well Town, making the door of the shack where Cheng Shaofeng had lived creak and groan.

Faintly, a woman's scream drifted through the air.

Early the next morning, as dawn began to break.

The Clones of Thin Dog, Ghost Face Demon Fox, and Lin Tang were already lying outside the Clone Production Pod.

Cheng Shaofeng asked, "Zero, how did you make the players look exactly the same as before?"

Zero replied, "Master, Clones produced by the Nano Base all have backup data in the base. I can retrieve that data and reproduce them one hundred percent."

"Then what happens if their bodies become stronger in this world? You said there's a substance called Crystal Power that humans can use to strengthen themselves. If they strengthen themselves and die later, will everything have to start over from zero?"

Zero replied, "Master, that is not the case. Every Clone contains electronic equipment that records their physical state. As long as they touch you and back up their data to the base's main database, their next revival can perfectly reproduce their backed-up physical state. However, as their physical attributes and energy grow stronger, reviving their Clones will consume more energy."

"Oh, I see. Conservation of energy, right? For example, reviving the three of their Clones last night used 0.18% of my electricity. If they become stronger, it'll cost 1.8%, or even 18% of my electricity in the future, right?"

Zero said, "Yes, Master. You are so intelligent! Zero is proud to have a Master like you!"

Cheng Shaofeng said, "...Could you stop making it so awkward?"

Through Zero's explanation, Cheng Shaofeng roughly understood the logic behind Clone revival.

"Then our goals are clear: food, Biological Raw Materials, electronic components, energy, and building a shelter. Those are our main tasks for now!"

"Log in! My players!"

"Today is another day full of hope!"

On Earth.

At six in the afternoon, the three people who had received Sentinel's notification that they could log in had put on their helmets early.

As the red exclamation marks before their eyes turned green.

The world before them shattered like a mirror.

In absolute darkness, their five senses gradually reassembled.

"Phew!"

Thin Dog breathed in the faint sulfur scent in the air, tears streaming down his face.

"I, African Thin Dog, am back!"

"I, Lin Tang, am about to go on another killing spree!"

"Heh~ Terrible but amusing lines. Respected Lord, I am your most loyal soldier, Ghost Face Demon Fox. Is there anything you need me to do?"

While the other two were still immersed in the joy of entering the game, Ghost Face Demon Fox had already dropped to one knee and asked the Lord with an utterly loyal expression.

Thin Dog and Lin Tang: ╭(°A°`)╮

The reader group is listed after every chapter. The admins set the wrong answer to the entry question before, which was pretty awkward. Everyone, come chat in the group. We're currently collecting ideas for minor supporting characters.