Regions Apart, Fate Card-Lust Card

Yu Yuan thought for a while, then set down the newspaper.

He still needed to think about the clash between the thug factions. Everyone knew a fight like that was a chance to pick up the spoils. If he succeeded, even getting his hands on a single corpse would bring a huge haul.

Weapons, equipment, ammunition, supplies—Yu Yuan desperately needed all of them.

But the risk was enormous. A danger rating of [Medium] was not something he could ignore.

Still... Yu Yuan thought of the player invasion he might face once the Beginner Protection Period ended. This was a rare chance to grow stronger.

He had two days to prepare. That was enough.

He opened a can of Canned Beef. Since he had no way to heat it, a layer of pale yellow fat had congealed on top.

Yu Yuan frowned at the sight. But he knew fat and protein were scarce nutrients in the Wasteland. Fighting the greasy sensation, he ate a piece of beef coated in fat and chewed slowly. The warmth of his mouth melted the fat, and its flavor began to spread.

Only then did his frown ease. As he savored the food, he opened the chat channel to see whether anything had happened overnight.

The next moment, he paused. Surprise crossed his face, but he soon regained his composure. He ate another piece of beef before continuing to browse.

Two pinned messages had appeared in the chat channel.

—Elimination notice: Windmill Shelter (rank 9978) was eliminated by a thug faction at 03:46. (A new player will enter in 12 hours.)

—Elimination notice: Green Vine Shelter (rank 9983) was eliminated by Stag Shelter (rank 6743) at 04:28. (A new player will enter in 12 hours.)

Two people had died in one night, but the chat channel was used to it. A few people who knew Stag Shelter even asked whether he had scavenged anything valuable.

[Stag Shelter: He was broke! Who builds a hideout on a mountaintop? What a waste of the Survival Points I spent invading him. I took a huge loss!]

That was what he said, but nobody believed him.

Nor did anyone press the matter. Instead, the discussion turned to the thug faction.

[Hive Shelter: The thug factions have been really aggressive lately! That's the third player they've killed in half a month. What are they after? What are the thugs like in your regions?]

[Furious Whale Shelter: I saw two thug factions clash from a distance the day before yesterday. I was on a hill a kilometer away, and I still didn't dare show my face. Scared me half to death. They had rockets!]

[Tower of Babel Shelter: Tell me about it. I used to go ten days, even half a month, without seeing a thug in my region. Now vehicles pass by every few days, and I'm on edge every time.]

[Iron Tower Shelter: Do you think something's about to happen? Our regions aren't connected, so why are the thugs changing everywhere?]

Yu Yuan's gaze snapped to the last message. His mind reeled.

What did he mean, their regions weren't connected?

His instincts told him he had to find out.

But he was still in the beginner period. He could neither add friends nor use private chat.

Ignoring the cost in Survival Points, he began typing.

[Fish Abyss Shelter: @Iron Tower Shelter, what do you mean our regions aren't connected?]

Fewer people were chatting that morning, so a reply came quickly.

[Iron Tower Shelter: @Fish Abyss Shelter, aren't you that powerful newcomer from yesterday?! That'll be 50 Survival Points. Search Taotao Cave for listing 21563. It explains everything.]

Well, would you look at that!

When he searched Taotao Cave, he found plenty of beginner guides for sale. Most cost between 40 and 60 Survival Points.

Close enough.

Clearly, this was already a well-established business.

He bought listing 21563. What he received was just a note. It had changed hands so many times that the writing had begun to fade.

After reading it, Yu Yuan fell into thought.

Although Wasteland players shared a chat channel, they were isolated from one another and could not meet. Each player's starting region could be treated as a world of its own.

These worlds had similar backgrounds but differed in their development, civilizations, resources, and more...

Exploring one's own world was something every player had to do. How that world developed was closely tied to the player's influence on the region.

For instance, there was the legendary Civilization Fragment. It could merge with a player's world and unlock a Rare evolution path, though the exact rewards remained a mystery.

There was only one way to obtain a Civilization Fragment: launch a Player Plunder War by invading another player's world.

With a high enough evaluation score, a player could earn a war reward that might contain a Civilization Fragment. The odds were extremely low, of course.

That was why highly ranked players liked invading newcomers. For now, a Player Plunder War was also the only way to enter another player's region.

"So that's how it works!" Realization dawned on Yu Yuan. Some of his earlier guesses had been confirmed.

His sense of urgency only grew. The player invasion a month from now posed a far greater threat than he had imagined.

He had finished the Canned Beef without noticing. He put away the metal can and opened the Virtual Light Screen.

If he wanted to grow stronger quickly, his best hope still lay with the Fate Gift.

The first Fate Gift had given him a perfect start on his first day in the Wasteland.

Now it was time to claim a second.

The Fate Card page appeared, bearing the same line of text as always.

—Maxim: Every gift from fate comes with a price already marked in secret.

The words slowly faded, revealing three Fate Gift options.

—Ancient Milk Bucket

Function: Place animal milk inside. After three hours, collect five times the amount of animal milk.

—Immortal Flashlight

Function: A flashlight that never goes out.

—Positioning Watch

Function: Determines the wearer's location and points the way to their hideout.

Yu Yuan's eyes went straight to the Positioning Watch. The other two choices were good, but neither was very useful to him.

He still had food. The Immortal Flashlight was tempting, but he already had enough light, including a hand-cranked lamp. Upgrading [Lighting] further would eventually unlock electric lights.

Only the Positioning Watch seemed worth taking.

Once he confirmed his choice, a matte-black watch appeared in his hand.

The Fate Card box began to shake. Three seconds later, it drew out another earth-yellow card.

[This Fate Card—Lust]

'Rock Tier' Lust Card

[Lust Card. Quality: 'Rock Tier.' The player must indulge a primal desire within two days, or the player will die.]

"What the hell..."

Yu Yuan's mouth twitched as he read the card. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked again, but the information had not changed.

He nearly spat blood.

"What kind of curse is this? Where the hell am I supposed to find someone to indulge my desires with in the Wasteland World?"