Hunting Originium Slugs

"Good morning, Commander." Frost sat by the campfire with her gun in hand, watching Zhuang Xiaolin slowly wake up.

"Morning. Where are Doc and the others?" Zhuang Xiaolin looked around and found that Frost was the only one beside him. There was no sign of anyone else.

"They went outside to survey the combat environment and check where the dangers might be. Mozzie wasn't much use, so he was sent to keep watch at the cave entrance." There was not a ripple of emotion on Frost's pretty face, but Mozzie outside the cave entrance was not pleased.

"Frost! You're badmouthing me again! Just because I shot out several of your traps during that friendly match last time, do you really have to hold such a grudge?" His furious voice came from outside. Once Frost understood what had been said inside, her already expressionless face darkened.

Listening to their conversation, Zhuang Xiaolin found things rather interesting. What a responsible little squad. Even in this frozen plain full of blowing snow, they got up early and stayed up late to protect him. They even had time in the morning to set traps outside or consider what threats might be lurking around.

Just as he thought that, a crisp clacking sound snapped him out of it.

Zhuang Xiaolin watched Frost take out her skill gadget, a Welcome Mat, and place it at the cave entrance. After carefully concealing the trap, she calmly returned to her seat, murder filling her eyes.

Zhuang Xiaolin felt that Frost could not really be blamed for going too far. Mozzie had simply gone crazy playing with his little drone. Even in a game, Zhuang Xiaolin could not stand people destroying traps he had carefully designed and placed.

Zhuang Xiaolin could understand Frost's feelings, but understanding was one thing. He still had to talk her down and stop this from happening.

After Zhuang Xiaolin spent some time persuading her, Frost retrieved the Welcome Mat from the cave entrance. Her face, which had previously been utterly impassive, finally showed some change. At the very least, Zhuang Xiaolin could see a trace of displeasure and anger.

"Hey, Commander, look what we found!" Tachanka ran over excitedly, carrying a deer. The animal probably weighed over two hundred kilograms, yet Machine Gun Guy carried it as easily as if it were some little trinket weighing only a few pounds, and he moved at a brisk pace.

Big Shield Montagne silently stood to the side and set down the shield in his hand.

After preparing another round of breakfast, they began discussing the important business ahead.

"Commander, even though we're surrounded by ice and snow, we don't need to worry about food or water. Our weapons and ammunition are completely stocked as well. What should we do next?" Tachanka tore off a deer leg, lifted his ballistic face shield, and took a huge bite.

"True, but sitting here waiting is not my style. We can't just stay here and wait." Zhuang Xiaolin pondered for a moment, then looked out at the snowy wilderness.

"Rook, do you have any spare weapons?" Zhuang Xiaolin looked at Rook, who stood nearby.

Rook was setting down an armor pack. When he heard Zhuang Xiaolin's question, he raised his head and took on a thoughtful expression.

"I still have a shotgun and a submachine gun: an MP5 submachine gun and an SGC-QB shotgun. Both are fully equipped, with high-power and low-power scopes." Rook pulled two guns out of the place where he had seemingly had nothing before and handed them to Zhuang Xiaolin.

Zhuang Xiaolin gave them a quick look and chose the MP5 without hesitation. The French Cannon was good, but it could not fire at long range. How should he put it? It just felt like something was missing. Besides, for a weakling like him, distance meant life. The French Cannon could effectively suppress enemies at close range, but Zhuang Xiaolin knew exactly how much of a weakling he was.

Looking at the attachments on the ground, he found that there were none of the restrictions from the game. Both attacker and defender attachments were available. The strongest scope in the game was a four-power scope, so Zhuang Xiaolin picked up the rather large optic and mounted it on the compact MP5. At first glance, it looked a little ridiculous, but anyone who witnessed its true power would probably not think so.

As everyone knew, bullet drop basically did not exist in Rainbow Six. Other than thrown objects and certain explosives that detonated directly, the ballistics in Rainbow Six were essentially straight lines. If that characteristic were applied to reality, its power would be utterly terrifying.

After attaching the accessories, Zhuang Xiaolin took several magazines from Rook and checked the ammunition inside. Thirty-one rounds each. Six magazines in total, for a total of one hundred and eighty-one rounds.

"If you run out of ammunition, Commander, I suggest switching to another weapon and continuing the fight. Each of us carries additional weapons, and their ammunition refreshes every day." Rook continued speaking as he slung the shotgun back behind him.

With his life-saving weapon taken care of, it was time to check the mission panel.

Zhuang Xiaolin opened the system, and a pale blue screen appeared before his eyes. Naturally, no one else could see it.

[Daily Mission 0/1]

[Many dangerous beings lurk within these icy snowfields. Among them are weak creatures that travel in groups. To survive this winter, these weak beings must be eliminated in exchange for greater power.]

[Kill an Originium Slug Swarm 0/1]

[Reward: One Beginner Draw, 300 Points]

[Ends at midnight]

[Reminder: As you are currently in the beginner phase (for details, see the System Guidelines), the difficulty of daily missions will be greatly reduced. Targets that need to be found will be marked with arrows on the minimap before your eyes.]

After reading the mission, Zhuang Xiaolin suddenly realized that there was a tiny map in the lower-right corner of his vision. When he opened it, there really was a marker on it.

At the same time, Zhuang Xiaolin noticed another keyword—Originium.

He seemed to have seen that setting while playing some game before. But as he grew older, his busy work gradually made him forget which game it had been. He had slowly become someone who lived only to work, manipulated by fate every day, a puppet of life.

Only now did Zhuang Xiaolin realize that he felt something indescribable throughout his entire body. It felt like ease, and it felt like freedom, but what struck him most deeply was the feeling of liberation.

Zhuang Xiaolin was marked in green, and the operators surrounding him were also green. Many white dots moved around them, along with red dots and yellow dots. There were all sorts of colors, but Zhuang Xiaolin could spot his current target at a glance—the Originium Slug swarm.

The Originium Slugs' location was marked by a huge arrow. The arrow was dark red overall, and as it kept shifting with time, Zhuang Xiaolin could be certain that the Originium Slugs were moving.

Zhuang Xiaolin stood up and disengaged the safety on his gun. Do not ask why he knew how to use a gun. He had learned it in the Free Lighthouse Country.

Seeing Zhuang Xiaolin rise, the operators gathered around him from where they had been leaning or standing.

Rook timed it and deployed another armor pack. No one said much as they took the ballistic plates from the pack and stuffed them into the front of their vests. After a day of accumulation, they had stacked roughly twenty-seven layers of armor plates. According to the game's numbers, even an operator with one hundred health would now have six hundred and forty health. Whether hit in the head or body, whether by a sniper rifle, assault rifle, or shotgun, no single shot could be fatal.

By the game's values, an assault rifle dealt over one hundred damage to a dummy's head at the shooting range. If someone with health stacked beyond one hundred was hit, a headshot would most likely still kill them. This was one of the most criticized mechanics in Rainbow Six: one-shot headshots. Still, it was rather realistic. After all, no one could withstand a bullet straight through the center of the forehead.

Everyone checked the firearms in their hands. After confirming their supplies, Zhuang Xiaolin took the lead. Big Shield followed on his left, Machine Gun Guy on his right, and the others followed behind the three of them. Trap Girl stood in the middle of the formation. The eight-person squad marched out of the cave in grand fashion, heading toward their target.

(For the sake of convenience, the operators will be referred to by their in-game nicknames from here on, except in dialogue.)