Wind God Shelter Eliminated, Wasteland Battle Royale

[Elimination notice: Wind God Shelter (rank 243) was eliminated by the Destruction Dragon Train in Wasteland Battle Royale. Time: 15:49 (new players enter in 12 hours).]

Yu Yuan stared at the pinned notice, which had appeared just over ten minutes ago. He was shaken.

A player ranked in the top 300 had been eliminated!

That was the highest-ranked player to be eliminated since Yu Yuan had entered the game.

And then there was...

Yu Yuan studied the notice, puzzled.

"What the hell is Wasteland Battle Royale? And what's the Destruction Dragon Train?"

Remembering how he had bought information before, Yu Yuan searched Taotao Cave for Wasteland Battle Royale and Destruction Dragon Train.

He couldn't find a single result.

Frowning, he turned to the chat channel, hoping for answers.

[Hive Shelter: I can't believe even Wind God was eliminated. Good thing I didn't participate. That's terrifying.]

[Stag Shelter: That shouldn't be possible! Staying alive should be easy for anyone in the top thousand. Is that Destruction Dragon Train a Regional Hegemon?]

[Tower of Babel Shelter: What are you thinking? ▆▆▆ isn't that simple. Plenty of players in the top hundred don't want to take part in ▆▆▆ either. Their Hideouts are already comparable to small fortresses. Why would they risk their lives fighting other people?]

[Pagoda Shelter: Exactly. They're big shots here, but if they advance to the ▆▆ tier, they'll be at the very bottom—easy prey for everyone else. I wouldn't advance either. What's wrong with living comfortably as a king in my own world?]

[Dragon King Shelter: What are you all talking about? And why are parts of the channel messages censored?]

[Hive Shelter: Heh, a newcomer. Some things aren't public information, so the system automatically censors the keywords. You'll understand once your Beginner Protection Period is over.]

[Pagoda Shelter: Enough of that. Let's change the subject. Hey, whoever listed fuel earlier, say something! I urgently need some. Name your price. A private message works too...]

As the chat moved on, Yu Yuan reread the messages, piecing together what they revealed.

First, Wasteland Battle Royale was probably the censored topic. It was extremely dangerous, and many highly ranked players chose not to participate.

Second, information about it was restricted at his current stage. He would only gain access after meeting certain conditions. That might also explain why he couldn't find any listings about it on Taotao Cave. Only the death of a highly ranked player would trigger a system announcement.

Third, this chat channel seemed to be reserved for players at a particular tier—perhaps a newcomer channel, a starting-tier channel, or a low-tier channel. There were higher tiers above it, so many highly ranked players chose not to advance. They would rather rule here than start at the bottom up there.

But...

Plenty of questions remained. What was the Destruction Dragon Train? Its name followed the same pattern as a Hideout's. Could it be a player too?

And why had Hive Shelter said they would learn about these things after the Beginner Protection Period? Where would they find out? How, and through what means?

For now, he had no answers.

Yu Yuan recorded the questions in his Hideout Memo so he could investigate them later.

Then there was private messaging. From what Pagoda Shelter had said, Social clearly included that feature, yet Yu Yuan didn't have it. Did he need a particular Access Level to unlock it?

He searched Taotao Cave for "private messaging" and found an answer this time. As usual, the information cost 50 Survival Points.

It came on another sheet of paper worn smooth with age. Reading it confirmed his guess.

Private messaging was unavailable during the Beginner Protection Period. Once it ended, he would have to complete a task called the Wasteland Trial before he could add friends, send private messages, and create group chats.

Yu Yuan searched Taotao Cave for information about the Wasteland Trial, but again found no listings. That information was evidently restricted too.

He casually listed the now even-more-used sheet of paper on Taotao Cave for 50 Survival Points and left it for the next buyer.

Yu Yuan exhaled. Another layer of mystery surrounding the Wasteland World had fallen away, and once again, the crucial turning point was the end of the Beginner Protection Period.

It really was a protection period!

Once it ended, dangers would come at him from every direction.

Some from players, others from the world's rules...

Damn.

He set those thoughts aside for now. He could plan for the future later; first, he had things to do.

He grabbed a little food and drink, then prepared some fresh grass for Miemie.

Watching Miemie eat heartily brought a faint smile to Yu Yuan's face.

He truly owed Miemie for yesterday. Without that charge, he might not have survived the Mutant Giant Rat's attack. Afterward, Miemie had carried him back and kept watch over him.

Even his wounds had healed so quickly thanks to the High-Energy Sheep Milk. Miemie had saved his life in more ways than one.

Yu Yuan gently patted Miemie, then got down to business.

First, he assessed yesterday's losses.

His FN FAL Assault Rifle lay on the ground, badly warped where the giant rat had bitten it. Yu Yuan's eye twitched. That was absurd!

It was a gun, for crying out loud!

The Enforcer Chest Rig he had worn yesterday was ruined too. The giant rat's claws had shredded the rig into strips, exposing the ballistic plates inside. Deep scratches covered even the plates, nearly penetrating them. Yu Yuan's scalp prickled at the sight. Without that armor, his belly would have been torn open.

The Enforcer Helmet he had only just acquired yesterday had met the same fate. Yu Yuan stared at the unmistakable gouge across its back, close to tears.

He'd had the helmet for less than a day, and it was already scrap.

Still, the equipment had done its job. He piled all three pieces in a corner of the Hideout for now.

Fortunately, Soda had given Yu Yuan another Enforcer Chest Rig yesterday, so he wouldn't have to go without armor again.

That might have been fine before, but after the Mutant Giant Rat's attack, Yu Yuan had no desire to face it unarmored.

"I still need to get another helmet. I won't feel safe without one."

Yu Yuan didn't know how vengeful the Mutant Giant Rat was, but judging by its earlier ambush, it was no fool.

He had shot out one of its eyes, but it had escaped Miemie's pursuit. Its injuries were probably severe, but not fatal.

Yu Yuan frowned in thought.

"It's at its weakest right now. This is my best chance to kill it. I have to find a way to finish it off as soon as possible, or it'll remain a threat."

The Mutant Giant Rat had fled toward 15th Block. Yu Yuan planned to go back and look for it within the next day or two.