Although they had only been offline for a little over a day, the three of them were itching all over, as if each day had lasted a year.
With such a great gaming helmet right at hand, being unable to log in felt like ants crawling all over their bodies.
Finally, the esteemed game designer Sentinel had given them a chance to log in again!
The three still remembered Sentinel's instructions from the forum.
"After you log in, your main task is to test the current Closed Beta features, assist the base NPCs in the initial construction of the Calamity Base, and keep an eye out for any bugs during gameplay. If you find any, report them to me immediately. Our game team values your testing very much!"
The three of them were instantly overflowing with a sense of responsibility!
That feeling of being trusted was intoxicating. The thought of serving as Closed Beta testers for such a magnificent game was even more satisfying than spending 600 to support a poorly clothed, underfed young woman by the roadside.
But!
Thin Dog had never expected this!
Yesterday, Ghost Face Demon Fox had been the most psychologically resistant to flattering NPCs, yet today he was licking boots with such precision!
Thin Dog roared inwardly, Do you have any backbone left as the moderator of Diablo III?
Smack!
He dropped to one knee.
"Esteemed Lord, same here!"
Lin Tang followed suit and knelt directly beside his two brothers. If they stuck a few incense sticks in the ground, it would make a classic Three Kingdoms Kill card.
Cheng Shaofeng had originally been quite serious.
But the three players nearly made him lose it.
"Cough, cough! All of you, stand up! Calamity soldiers need not kneel to anyone. In the future, when reporting to me, you need only perform the clenched-fist salute!"
Cheng Shaofeng raised his left hand, clenched it into a fist, and tapped it twice against the right side of his chest as a demonstration.
The three stood up and copied him, looking just like real soldiers.
Cheng Shaofeng said, "Soldiers, the base truly does have a task for you today."
The three pairs of eyes lit up!
It was here! A quest was here!
"Our base needs a safe and comfortable environment. The new settlement is far too crude. Your task is to use tools to clear the area within twenty meters around the base and build four simple shelters."
After Cheng Shaofeng finished speaking, the watches on all three of their wrists issued a notification at once.
Main Quest: Build Simple Shelters Complete the clearing and construction work according to the Lord's requirements. Upon completion, each person will receive 1 jin of beans (food) and 100 Merit Points.
Ghost Face Demon Fox said, "We guarantee that the mission will be completed!"
The other two, a beat slower, said, "Same here!"
The players could see the content Cheng Shaofeng had edited with the base's information editor on their watches, where it was issued in the form of quests.
Yesterday, Cheng Shaofeng had also bought several axes and iron shovels in town and handed them out.
Those supplies for the base had spent all his money, leaving him without a single cent.
Next, he had to earn back the cost of those supplies from these three people, with interest.
After accepting the quest, the three rubbed their hands and lingered instead of leaving, looking at Cheng Shaofeng expectantly.
After giving it some thought, Cheng Shaofeng understood.
"The trial quest you completed successfully the day before yesterday awarded each of you 200 Merit Points. Soldier African Thin Dog captured one Radiation Energy Stone and made an outstanding contribution to replenishing the base's energy, so he will receive an additional 200 Merit Points."
As Cheng Shaofeng finished speaking, all three of their watches lit up again.
Notification: Calamity Base Merit Points +200
Thin Dog received 400.
Only then did the three happily go off to work.
Cheng Shaofeng, meanwhile, walked out of the base to look around.
He had heard the Raiders the previous night. There might be wandering Raiders nearby, so he had to make preparations in advance.
Thin Dog tapped his watch and happily looked at the 400 Calamity Base Merit Points displayed on it, grinning from ear to ear.
Ghost Face Demon Fox said, "Thin Dog, do you know what these Merit Points are for?"
"No idea."
"Then why are you so happy?"
"Who cares what they're for? From my years of gaming experience, if it's a point-based currency, you can never go wrong stockpiling it! Just wait. Once Open Beta begins, these Merit Points will put us miles ahead of other players!"
Lin Tang nodded in agreement. "True. So let's hurry up and complete the quest to get the next 100 Merit Points!"
"Alright!"
The three grabbed their axes and swung them at the trees, brimming with enthusiasm.
It was hard to imagine that these three were usually too lazy to even wash dishes at home, and when they went to the bathroom, they practically wished someone would hold them up.
Now, they were living a primitive life of chopping wood and building houses, and they were enjoying every second of it.
"Hey! Look at these wood chips. Damn! They're incredible! They look completely real!"
"I can even smell the difference between the outside of the wood and the scent after it's been chopped open. This game studio is really meticulous."
"That stuff is just surface-level! Look at the physics engine! You can tell from something as simple as chopping wood that this game's physics engine is absolutely a product of the new era. The tree gives different collision feedback depending on where I chop it with my axe. Look, look! The axe can even get stuck! This physics engine is stronger than anything we've ever seen. I feel like only a genuine AI game system could create something like this."
"This is awesome! Even chopping wood feels so real. I feel like I could keep chopping all day!"
The three eagerly discussed the details of Apocalypse OL, and every discovery made them cry out in surprise.
After two hours of work, the novelty began to wear off.
Ghost Face Demon Fox began thinking about other things.
"Actually, this is also a guiding quest. It helps us understand another side of the game: its farming elements."
"The reward the Lord just gave us is interesting: 1 jin of beans. It sounds like food, or perhaps... seeds. Either way, it means this game isn't like the Diablo-style games we play, where it's all about killing monsters and grinding. It also has farming elements. With such a realistic physics engine and materials covering these mountains and plains, we can build whatever structures we want."
"We can also farm, raise livestock, cook, and eat. This game seems quite ambitious. Its content is so solid because it wants to satisfy the needs of different players. I boldly predict that future players will definitely be divided into life professions and combat professions, as well as casual players and hardcore players."
Among the three, Ghost Face Demon Fox had the sharpest understanding of games.
He could infer what might happen from the smallest clues.
Thin Dog said, "Ghost Face Demon Fox, you're amazing! You've completely seen through this game!"
Lin Tang said, "With Hu Da's insight, it'd be a waste if you didn't make mods with me."
"Hey! What are those three big machines for? They weren't here last time I came. They look pretty sci-fi."
"I think we'll find out once we finish this quest."
The three happily worked while piecing together the game's mechanics. Five hours later, they had cleared out a large open space and built four simple wooden shacks against the mountain rocks.
They looked rather ugly, but they could at least keep out a light wind and a little rain.
There was no helping it. Their craftsmanship only went this far. Knowing to use vines to bind the wood together and secure it to the ground was already the limit.
After finishing, the three were drenched in sweat from exhaustion.
Thin Dog wiped his forehead and sighed. "This game is really hardcore. I can even feel myself getting hungry!"
"Me too."
"The beans from the quest reward had better be edible."
Cheng Shaofeng returned after making a large circuit outside, carrying several green fruits in his hands.
Out of a Scavenger's instinct, he could not possibly return empty-handed after going out.
After returning, Cheng Shaofeng frowned deeply.
He first distributed the Merit Point rewards to the three people waiting eagerly, then tossed each of them a small bag of beans.
Then he said solemnly, "We now have simple shelters, but the crisis of survival still troubles us. The day before yesterday, we disturbed a Raider Camp and took the radiation source their tribe used to evolve and grow stronger. Just now, I discovered that they are searching for us in the Four Mountains area. Danger could come knocking at any moment."
"Soldiers, after you eat, I have some important tasks to give you."
There will be another chapter later~
Before you continue