The turf division negotiations on the bell tower came to an end in heavy rain.
Wei Shan effortlessly became the absolute master of this city.
To deal with this group of scum who are afraid of threats but not morality, he believes that the deterrence of force is far more effective than the temptation of interests.
Even though the leaders of the seven major gangs were unwilling to do so, they did not dare to reveal even the slightest rebellious thought.
Gear Gang leader's fate is right in front of him. That lump of iron that is still bleeding is the punishment he will face after "rejection".
They may have the confidence to fight with other gangs, but they have no power to resist in front of Wei Shan.
The combat power far exceeds that of this world, making all conspiracies and tricks in vain.
Next, he only needs to borrow the hands of these seven leaders to spread out a large net to harvest the shock value.
But before that, he must first sort out the city's family background.
For example, how much are the daily resource outputs in various areas of the city, and how much of the basic consumption of residents can these outputs support? Only by calculating this clearly can he accurately determine the reward scale for the "Courage Challenge".
Two days later.
A brand new building rose from the ground in the center of New Cassini city, replacing the original clock tower.
The shape of the building is like a bunch of mist gathering on the ground, with faint purple light patterns flowing on the surface.
From a distance, it looks like a dormant purple beast, and from a closer look, it looks more like a virtual scene generated by holographic projection.
If viewed from a high altitude, it looks like an open purple eye.
The building is protected by invisible forces, isolating rain and dust.
The gang members who originally roamed this area have long since disappeared, replaced by guards wearing uniforms.
Nearby residents hid behind the ruins and cautiously poked their heads out to take a look.
Their eyes reflected this strange-looking building, and their whispers were filled with doubtful whispers.
"What the hell is that? Where's the bell tower?"
Among the crowd, an old woman with missing front teeth was clutching a shabby scarf, doubts flashing on her wrinkled face.
She had never seen such a strange building.
The flowing purple light patterns on the surface of the building are like living creatures, which does not seem to be a product of this era.
Beside the old woman, several ragged children were lying behind the abandoned private aircraft, their dirty little faces full of curiosity. The oldest boy suddenly pointed at the building and exclaimed:
"Look, the light on this thing is moving."
In the direction of the finger, the fog on the building's surface spreads and contracts like breathing, and many blurry outlines can be seen inside.
It seems like countless souls trapped inside are trying to break through the barrier.
The timidest girl grinned and was about to cry, but the old woman tightly covered her mouth. She looked at the guard outside the building with a wary look and dragged the little girl into the shadow:
"Stay away, this is not a good thing."
Just as nearby residents were puzzled by the sudden appearance of new buildings, New Cassini broadcasts in various urban areas suddenly sounded.
Wild Wolf Gang leader's voice clearly reached every corner of the city:
"Residents of New Cassini, we announce great news. The tower in the center of the city has been demolished. We have built a 'Nightmare Trial Ground' here. It is now open to all residents. As long as you have the courage to enter the trial scene and take the courageous challenge, you can get clean water and sufficient food."
"Completing the first-level challenge can be exchanged for a 500ml bottle of Purification water and two bags of food. Completing the second-level challenge can get three days of compressed biscuits. For the third-level and above challenges... In addition, after the challenge is over, you can also get some basic daily necessities..."
The radio repeated over and over again that the city that was once lifeless due to lack of resources suddenly came to life.
At the same time, in the streets and alleys of the city, notices were plastered on broken walls and abandoned street lamps.
The announcement is written in eye-catching red paint.
The above is the same content as in the broadcast, with the challenge level and corresponding rewards marked next to it.
There is also a line of small words printed at the bottom:
"No matter what you have done, as long as you step into the trial field, you will get equal opportunities."
Many residents poked their heads out of the ruins where they were hiding to check the announcements posted nearby, but their eyes were filled with hesitation.
For no other reason than the villains who run this city are simply not worthy of trust.
If you suddenly take on a courageous challenge, there might be some evil conspiracy behind it.
Perhaps he wanted to trick them into conducting some kind of horrific experiment.
The city is awash with words of distrust.
"Hey, dare to challenge? I'm afraid they don't want to trick us into making them into fodder. These gangsters are occupying all the resources in the city. We are already like this, and they still want to eat them all!"
"My cousin went to pick up garbage near the energy station just the day before yesterday, and his legs were broken by Iron Hand Gang thugs. Now he suddenly said that he would give us water and food. He must be trying to trick people into it and drain our blood for research."
"Perhaps a gangster from a certain gang wants to have his organs replaced, and they are screening for suitable candidates."
Several children stood on the edge of the bulletin board, staring longingly at the patterns of bread and water bottles painted on it.
But he was roughly pulled back by the adults behind him.
A mother sternly scolded her son for having ideas, her voice trembling slightly:
"Don't believe this. When did those gangsters show any kindness?"
Clean water and food are their most luxurious things now.
But they simply don't believe in such a good thing.
After all, in this city, goodwill has always been the most expensive scam.
Iron Hand Gang also set up a "free porridge" stall in the city. As a result, the porridge drinkers were all arrested and taken to the energy mining area outside the city the next day. Their ankles were shackled. From then on, they could only become slaves until they died.
With so many tricks like this, the eight major gangs have long lost their credibility.
However, as the broadcast was repeated over and over again, some people who had already fallen into despair began to waver.
At this time, near Nightmare Trial Ground, a stooped old man silently squeezed out of the crowd and took staggering steps towards the building.
"Grandpa!"
The little girl behind her cried and wanted to catch up, but was hugged tightly by her neighbor.
The old man turned back at this moment.
On the face that was thin due to excessive hunger, the cheekbones were high and the eye sockets were sunken. A trace of tenderness flashed in his eyes when he looked at his granddaughter. His chapped lips moved, but he couldn't make a sound, he just raised his hand and waved to the girl.
His hands were covered with chilblains and cracks, and the black mud left over from the excavation of ruins was still embedded between his fingernails.
When he turned around, the tenderness in his eyes was completely replaced by determination.
He looked at the building with flowing purple light patterns not far away, as if looking at the last straw.
His Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, and the cramping pain in his stomach reminded him that his body was at the end of its rope.
The last half of the compressed biscuits at home were given to my granddaughter yesterday, and now she can hardly drink the dirty water.
In this city occupied by villains, there are only two endings waiting for them.
Either killed by stray bullets from gang fights, or slowly rotting away from hunger and disease.
His cloudy eyes scanned the faces of fear or hesitation along the way, and he knew clearly that these people were calculating a score just like him.
Is it more painful to starve to death, or to face the despair that may come from walking into that weird building?
But for him, an old man with most of his body buried in the soil, he had no choice. The answer lay at his feet.
He took a deep breath, his dry chest rose and fell slightly, and then step by step, he walked firmly towards Nightmare Trial Ground.
The shoes stepped on the water-logged depressions and splashed up tiny specks of mud, making the nearby onlookers nervous.
When the old man came to the front of the building, he glanced at the armed guards at the door, and glanced at the table piled with water and food behind them. Without any further hesitation, he stepped in with a sudden change of heart.
Under the gaze of the onlookers, the old man's figure gradually disappeared at the entrance of the building shrouded in purple mist.
The onlookers held their breath and stared at the strange building.
Time passed during this period, and the onlookers did not leave, still waiting for the old man's return.
One minute, two minutes... one hour.
The old man has not returned yet.
The crowd of onlookers began to stir, and whispers spread like a tide.
A lame man spat on the ground at this moment:
"I knew that old guy must have been dismantled into parts. What good things can those beasts do?"
On the other side, the little girl opened her eyes blankly, her little hands unconsciously grasped the neighbor's tattered clothes, and asked in a low voice:
"Will grandpa come back?"
There is depression in the air.
Some people began to retreat silently, looking at the purple building like a monster devouring life.
With red eyes, several young people picked up gravel from the ground and wanted to vent their anger and throw it at the building, but in the end they held back.
This behavior may very well make their lives worse than death.
"Let's go, let's all go. Nothing good comes for free in this world." A middle-aged woman shook her head with regret.
Just when the crowd was about to disperse, a ripple suddenly appeared on the surface of the building.
The purple mist surged violently, forming a swirling channel.
The onlookers backed away in horror, only to see a rickety figure emerge from the building.
It was the old man who had just entered the building.
He stood tremblingly at the door, with an expression of extreme horror on his face, as if he had experienced unspeakable terror in the building. During this period, his chapped lips kept trembling, but he could not make any sound.
When he wanted to take a step, his legs suddenly twitched unnaturally and he almost fell to his knees.
At this moment, the guard standing outside the building stepped forward and took a look at the luminous numbers that were slowly dissipating on the old man's arm.
Then he picked up a well-sealed bottle of Purification water from the table behind him, as well as two bags of food wrapped in tinfoil.
"Complete the first-level challenge and all rewards will be distributed." As he said that, the guard with a arrogant expression handed the rewards to the old man.
The old man's pupils shrank suddenly, staring at the bottle of water so clear that a human figure could be reflected, and he made a "ho ho" sound in his throat.
He stretched out his hands tremblingly, then grabbed the water and food tightly and put them into his arms.
The "rustling" sound of tin foil rubbing against the chest is particularly clear in the environment of Deathly Stillness.
The old man's rickety back seemed to straighten a little due to the weight in his arms, and the remaining panic on his face was gradually covered by an unbelievable ecstasy. "Is it... still okay?" The old man made a hoarse voice and pointed tremblingly at the inside of the building behind him.
The guard nodded:
"If you want to continue the challenge, you can continue at any time."
When the old man heard this, joy appeared on his face at first, then he shook his head violently, turned around and left with water and biscuits in his arms.
His steps were still staggering, but with urgency, as if he was afraid that the guard behind him would regret it.
When passing by the crowd, the water bottle Reflection in his arms appeared on the street. The crowds near the street had either shocked or greedy faces.
Someone subconsciously reached out to grab it, but the old man staggered away.
He tightly protected the things in his arms and ran towards his little granddaughter.
When the little girl threw herself into his arms, he immediately stuffed the water bottle and biscuits into her hands. He turned his back to outsiders, his rickety body like a simple wall, alert to whether anyone was coming to rob him from behind.
"Eat quickly, little girl, eat quickly."
Trembling, he tore open the tin foil of the biscuits, and a scent of grains and fat instantly filled the air.
This smell is infinitely amplified by the hungry sense of smell, and even the air seems to become sweet.
The little girl who was already very hungry took a big bite with tears in her eyes. The biscuit crumbs fell on her clothes, and the old man quickly picked them up with his skinny fingers and stuffed them into his mouth.
He asked his granddaughter to drink 500 ml of Purification water while he only took two sips before tightening the bottle cap.
When the water slid over his dry throat, it had a slightly sweet and cool feeling, which made him couldn't help but squint his eyes.
For the first time in three months, he tasted water that was not mixed with the smell of sand and rust.
The neighbor's woman was hiding not far away with her child in her arms. The child was so hungry that he gnawed his fingers and stared directly at the biscuit in the old man's arms. The old man hesitated, broke the remaining half of the biscuit in half, and handed one over:
"Give the baby a cushion."
The woman was stunned for a moment, her hands were shaking when she took the biscuit, she thanked her repeatedly, turned around and stuffed it into her child's mouth.
The sound of fine chewing continued, like pebbles thrown into the lake, causing ripples in the surrounding crowd of people watching.
Someone swallowed subconsciously, and the sound of his Adam's apple rolling was particularly clear in the silence.
Some people stared intently at the small half bottle of purified water, the longing in their eyes almost overflowing.
The old man stuffed the last bite of biscuits into his mouth, wiped the dirt from the corner of his granddaughter's mouth, turned around to show everyone that all the biscuits in the tin foil had been eaten, and then he dared to take the child deeper into the ruins.
His back was still stooped, but because of the strength brought by that little food, his steps were obviously much steadier.
The crowd that stayed in place exploded like firewood in an instant.
"He really got it."
"The water looks so clean, I really want to drink it."
"The first-level challenge can fill your stomach. Should we try it?"
The whispers became louder and louder, and the fear and suspicion just now were gradually melting away in front of real food, like Bing Xue in the sun.
But at this time, no one dared to continue trying.
They are afraid that the old man is just a bait, and those villains want to use temporary benefits as bait to lure more people into this weird building. How can these beasts who manage the city really distribute resources to everyone.
They couldn't think of a reasonable explanation at all.
Many curious people walked towards the direction where the old man lived, wanting to ask him in detail what he had experienced there.
At this time, Wei Shan, who was behind the scenes, was also observing the reactions of city residents.
This group of beasts who had been incorporated had previously been inactive, which resulted in the slow progress of his plan in the early stages.
But this problem will surely be solved as the number of participants increases.
The old man participated in the challenge just now, and the fright value he gave was not much. The exchange value for Sacrificial Power was less than 0.01.
After all, the acquisition of fright value is related to the target's life strength.
But as long as the quantity increases, the accumulated benefits will be considerable.
As for the issue of reward supply, there is no need to worry.
Although this city is dilapidated, its technological foundation is still there.
End-Law Clan's invasion destroyed the buildings on the surface, but did not completely destroy the energy stations buried deep underground.
There are also water purification plants and weapons workshops that have been fought over by gangs. They can be operational again with a little repair.
In the past, resource shortages were caused by the eight major gangs fighting each other.
No one is willing to spend effort to repair facilities. After all, it is more labor-saving to grab ready-made facilities than to build them slowly. They are also afraid that the facilities they have worked hard to repair will be snatched away by other gangs. It is different now. The gang members he has recruited are all laborers.
Who dares to be lazy, he has plenty of ways to make them experience life worse than death.
He has given orders to the eight major gangs to repair the second pipeline of East District Water Purification Station within a week.
Wild Wolf Gang was also ordered to fully repair South City's Abandoned Farm.
It used to be the city's protein supply center. Most of it was destroyed when End-Law Clan invaded. After repairs, it can be put back into use and the breeding project can be restarted.
As for North City's piece of land that had been plowed by gunfire, it was assigned to Scorpion Gang for reclamation.
Grow food again to supplement the subsequent distribution of reward resources.
He asked Scorpion Gang members to plow the land and clear out all the gravel and metal debris.
In order to allow the land to quickly produce food, he also purchased half a ton of spiritual soil from Trading House at a cost of Sacrificial Power, allowing Scorpion Gang to spread it evenly on the fields.
I just don't know how long the spiritual soil can be used in this world with poor spiritual energy.
Presumably it cannot be used infinitely like Monster World, and it will most likely become a consumable.
Food production is one of Wei Shan's biggest concerns.
Only by allowing residents to see a stable source of food will they rely more on challenge rewards and willingly walk into the nightmare Mirage, providing him with a steady stream of fright points.
Now that the initial investment has been put in place, if the members of Scorpion Gang cannot grow food, how can it be refined into Sacrificial Power.
Give all the bones Sacrifice to Di Zhao brother and wipe them out completely.
Now the city's operations are back on track.
He believed that once order was established, productivity would take off on its own.
The problem of resource shortage will still exist in the future, but residents in the city can meet their daily needs by challenging the nightmare trial. After that, he will open several more Nightmare Trial Ground in other areas of the city.
There is no need to worry about excessive consumption of mental power when it is turned on. Mental power will only enter the consumption state after the target enters the scene. The stronger the target, the more mental power will be consumed.
The creatures of this Small World are generally pitifully weak, and their mental energy consumption is enough to maintain expenses.
As for distance, rule properties always ignore distance.
As long as he wants, he can keep the nightmare scene open in the current area at all times.
That is, after the number of people increases, he will have to replenish his mental energy consumption from time to time. From now on, his mental energy will be deducted at all times.
But on the contrary, the more mental energy is consumed, the more fright value will be gained.
With expectations for the future, Wei Shan began to frequently wander around the city, secretly listening to their discussions about the Nightmare Trial.
The next three days.
The attitude of city residents towards the Nightmare Trial has changed slightly.
But the vast majority are still skeptical and feel that there must be an undiscovered conspiracy.
Even food mixed with some unknown toxins can cause people to die in pain.
On this day, Wei Shan came to Water Purification Station in the city East District.
The pipeline repair project here has begun to bear fruit, and several members of Iron Hand Gang are squatting under a temporary shed chatting.
In the ruins nearby, two scavengers were chatting in low voices. The content of the chat was related to Nightmare Trial Ground:
"Yesterday, the boy from Lao Wang's family went in. When he came out, he was holding two bags of biscuits in his hands. It seemed that he could really receive supplies. But it was very scary inside the building. Fortunately, he could not die."
Another scavenger sneered:
"It must be a trap..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the other party:
"What's wrong with the trap? Can it at least fill its stomach temporarily? His baby is going crazy with hunger. Now he can at least live for a few more days."
When they arrived at South City's farm, Wei Shan saw two women collecting algae cleaned from the sewage.
One of the women's voice was filled with tears, and the rag bag in her hand was already half full:
"My man entered that building, if he doesn't come out alive..."
As night fell, he came to the edge of the farmland of North City.
Scorpion Gang people are pouring fertilizer on the newly sprouted plants, and many residents are surrounding the field ridge.
The newly sprouted plants were already delicious food in their eyes, but no one dared to snatch them.
The topic of chatting together is also related to Nightmare Trial Ground.
It indicates who got how much food and water from that building.
Information about the Nightmare Trial spread throughout the city like a virus, becoming a core topic of conversation among residents in various areas. In the following days, the ice of suspicion began to melt faster due to the desire to survive.
In the beginning, only those who were forced into desperate situations dared to step into the Nightmare Trial Ground scene.
For example, scavengers who have run out of food, parents whose children have high fevers and are in urgent need of clean water... When they come out of the nightmare scene, their faces are probably still pale with shock, but the rewards they receive are real.
There are a large number of onlookers witnessing this scene every day.
These messages spread by word of mouth, attracting more people to join.
During this period, some people went to find people who had participated in the challenge and asked them about the details of the challenge.
When listening to them describe the horrifying scenes in Mirage, this group of people who are eager to try will also feel scared. They turn around but can't help but ask, "Can you really get the food? Is there anything wrong with the food you got?"
On the 7th day, the number of people participating in the challenge began to grow rapidly.
Among the participants, there were many young people with a try mentality, and there were also neighbors who encouraged each other.
Many people were so nervous that they kept rubbing their hands, but no one wanted to leave the team.
When the first strong man to complete the third level challenge came out of the collection point carrying half a box of compressed biscuits, the expressions of the onlookers became very exciting. The picture of the hungry strong man putting the biscuit box on the ground in front of the onlookers, sitting on the ground and devouring the biscuits, sipping water and slurping biscuits, is more convincing than any words.
The voices of doubt gradually weakened and were replaced by increasingly intensive discussions.
By the eighth day, the queue outside the nightmare scene had already snaked from the door of the building to two streets away.
Even many people who were determined not to participate began to consider an issue.
Instead of just sitting at home and having nothing to do, why not go for a walk in Nightmare Trial Ground?
Even if you are scared out of your wits, at least you can stop stuttering.
But if you don't go, you will starve to death sooner or later.
The nightmare scene is like a huge magnet, firmly attracting the entire city's residents' desire for survival.
What was once whispers has gradually turned into an open discussion.
There were many familiar faces in the queue.
Those gang members who once showed off their power on the streets have now lost their anger and have to participate in the nightmare trial challenge just for a bite to eat. The joining of these former gang members has made many hesitant city residents relax their vigilance.
Even the most ruthless characters have to queue up to get food, which shows that the rewards given by Nightmare Trial Ground are indeed real.
What makes the residents of the city even more incredible is that the sounds of fire and fire in the streets and alleys have completely disappeared.
The sounds of gunfire and armed fighting that had been heard every now and then for the past three days were now replaced by the sound of clanging and banging.
I saw people from the eight major gangs working together. No one was arguing or touching anyone.
This sight made the residents feel strange and strange.
I couldn't understand how the villains who were usually mortal enemies of each other and risked their lives for profit suddenly became peaceful.
This all seems to be related to Nightmare Trial Ground.
But they still can't figure out why.
From this day on, Wei Shan saw more and more people walking into the purple building.
There are fewer and fewer doubts, and the desire for survival has allowed more figures to enter the Nightmare Trial Ground scene to gain a glimmer of hope.
Especially when you see someone around you going to participate in the challenge and returning and successfully receiving food and water, this impulsive desire will become stronger. In the early morning of the 10th day, the second pipe of Water Purification Station was officially opened to water, and the water supply began to increase.
Nightmare Trial Ground There is also a long queue outside the scene.
The queue snaked from the entrance to three streets away. The faces of those who came to participate were generally nervous, but they still followed the queue closely because the people in front had already received their rewards.
The figures carrying water and food passed by them, which was like a reassurance, soothing their emotions. Wei Shan stood at the top of the bell tower, looking at the ever-expanding team, with a smile on his face.
The income from the fright value has exceeded 1,500 points Sacrificial Power per day, and is still growing rapidly.
This nightmare trial building alone is no longer able to meet the demand.
Next, he plans to build multiple nightmare entrances in other areas to reduce the travel time for residents in other areas.
It is also to allow more people to enter the dreamland he weaves, and to continuously produce fright points for him.
But during operation, Wei Shan also discovered a problem.
He has now only weaved ten horror scenes.
They are all scene content pieced together based on Small World's culture, history, weird stories, etc.
From the fear of war when End-Law Clan returns, to the technological fear brought about by the awakening of the Machine God, to the collapse of faith caused by the corruption of the Source Tree... But as long as challengers who have experienced it challenge the same terrifying scene again, the effect will be weakened.
Although the fear still exists, after all, the nightmare scene brings them an experience that is no different from reality.
Even if he knows the truth, he can't resist the trembling in his heart.
But every challenge in the same scene will weaken the output of shock value.
The more times they do it, the challengers can even predict where the evil creatures will suddenly appear in the scene.
This made Wei Shan realize that the nightmare scene must flow like living water.
If the same cultural symbol is used too much, it will affect the output of the shock value.
Just like how the residents of New Cassini changed their minds when talking about the End-Law Clan, this invading force almost destroyed the civilization they created, and the wounds caused have not yet healed.
But when they are destroyed by the End-Law Clan a hundred times in the nightmare scene, they will gradually become immune to this fear.
So updating is important.
Just like making a game, you have to constantly update it to give these challengers more and more complex horror experiences.
Secondly, previously knitted copies won't become obsolete after overuse.
You can continue to use it in other cities of Meteor World in the future.
The most important thing now is to expand the material library first.
Thinking of this, Wei Shan suddenly had the idea of recruiting fellow villagers to join him.
This thought started a prairie fire in my mind like a spark.
He can't last long alone. He has to conceive new nightmare scenarios every day, deploy gang labor, and observe the development of the city... It feels like there is endless work every day.
If there is help from fellow villagers, the situation will be completely different.
There are many players in the village who want to take the Summoning Stream route. He has now joined a chat group named "Summoning Reserve". The fellows in it are struggling in different gameplay styles.
But like him, everyone has a summoning dream.
They are also waiting for the summoning system to be perfected, and then change Astral Veins's job transfer.
If they join, it will completely change his situation of working alone, bring different perspectives, and collide with unexpected and terrifying ideas. Secondly, they can also share the operational pressure for him, so that every link will be carefully polished by fellow employees.
All kinds of scattered ideas come together, like countless streams flowing into a river, always creating unexpected Fire Flower.
The collision of thoughts can also break his limitations.
He is always making articles around "survival crises", and fellow villagers with an open mind may come in from other novel angles to enrich the content of horror scenes.
In this way, he doesn't have to get bogged down in details and can free up his hands to control the general direction.
Which cities are worthy of expansion, how to improve the conversion efficiency of fright value, how to make the whole system operate more smoothly... Each of the fellows performs his own duties, and together with him, we use our respective strengths to polish this fright value business more accurately.
What is finally presented is far more comprehensive than just doing it alone.
It would be best to make this world a Small World that is collectively maintained by a group of players, just like the doomsday Small World.
Prevent other disruptive players from entering.
Under normal circumstances, no players would deliberately come to cause trouble.
The construction of Teleportation Array is not a small sum of money.
The Teleportation Array he built can be guarded by this group of like-minded fellow villagers, and there is no need to open it to unrelated players.
All kinds of thoughts are popping up in Wei Shan's mind.
But before doing so, he had to clear this road first.
The current layout is equivalent to occupying part of the territory in advance, which will give him more profit advantages in the future.
Once the city's layout is complete, he plans to find another city that still maintains civilized order.
Then find an agent in this city and try to operate Nightmare Trial Ground using the agent model to test the specific effect.