Chapter 518: Cleanup Mission
After listening to the robot's report, the man's attitude shifted again. He said directly to the woman, "I express my regret and sympathy for your brother's sacrifice, but as an adult, regardless of gender, everyone must bear corresponding responsibilities. The benefits your brother brought you before were earned through his desperate efforts."
The woman couldn't argue unreasonably, only gritting her teeth silently. She probably accepted the arrangement and turned away, no longer looking at the others.
The surrounding soldiers who had been watching the commotion gradually dispersed, beginning to search for new teammates.
Xu Huo made a round and gathered some information about the cleanup mission.
First, this was not a formal military operation. Soldier groupings were not unified by the government but were self-organized by participants. The number of people in a group didn't matter, as long as they could successfully form one.
Additionally, there were no veterans leading new recruits. The mortality rate for cleanup missions was extremely high. It was said that no soldier who had participated in more than three missions had ever survived. In other words, among these people, the best had only taken part in one cleanup mission before.
Furthermore, equipment issued was only the most basic. Each soldier could collect one set of protective gear and two guns—one submachine gun and one pistol. Other items like reinforced protective suits, new-type weapons, and more powerful bombs required low-cost purchase.
It was just that absurd—Clown City organized people to clean out the xenomorphs beyond the wall, yet good equipment had to be bought by the soldiers themselves.
As for the so-called "military training," it was actually low-intensity group training organized by the government, with very low requirements. Some soldiers with specialized skills were only trained to enhance their strengths. For example, if someone excelled at shooting, their physical training standards could be waived.
For others who already had relevant experience—such as knowing how to use guns, understanding reconnaissance and combat, being able to operate medical equipment, knowing basic first aid, or even possessing some wilderness survival skills—they were considered to have met the "received military training" standard.
Clearly, there were quite a few such "soldiers," and they lacked money to buy better weapons. Therefore, the atmosphere in the venue was not good. Apart from a small number of hot-blooded, battle-hungry individuals who were excited and agitated, most people were worried.
However, even in this situation, those who cried and complained like the woman earlier, unwilling to participate in the cleanup mission, were in the minority.
Xu Huo touched his eye patch and tried to take it off.
"The holographic glasses can't be removed," a female player walked over and pointed to the number on the side of her head. "Each pair of glasses has a unique number, and it must be opened with a matching key."
"Can't props destroy it?" Xu Huo asked.
"It's possible, but I suggest you don't rush to take it off," another person walked over and extended a hand. "Hello, I'm player Mingming Mingming, or Siming for short."
Xu Huo didn't shake his hand. The other withdrew his hand and continued, "To defend against xenomorphs climbing over the protective wall, Clown City has set up high-brightness lights outside the wall. Looking at it with the naked eye is just a blinding white. If you take off the glasses, you can't even open your eyes. You're a newcomer, right? Although the activity area for E-rank instances isn't large, as long as there are people, you can gather information. Preparation work still needs to be done, after all, sharpening the axe doesn't delay the chopping of wood."
To avoid attracting the attention of high-level players from Zone 011, Xu Huo had put away the instance and, like other surviving players, left the ship in the shortest possible time. He had also chosen an E-rank instance, but he hadn't expected to be directly teleported into it.
Perhaps because the sea area had spatial disorder, the ticket had brought him directly near the instance site without needing to pass through a station, leading to this situation.
Briefly checking his item slot, Xu Huo found that the "Moving Metal" had been contaminated, with a "Deadly Poison" prompt.
Thinking of the severed hand thrown into the luggage compartment, it was likely that the bacteria had now contaminated the items originally stored there.
How to retrieve the props from his hand was still a problem.
"My nickname is Zhuo Wangsun," another player walked over and announced his nickname while Xu Huo was checking.
"I'm Er Gou," the female player who had greeted him first said.
The few people present turned to look at her. The female player curled her lips and said, "It's not my fault. When I chose the name, I thought I was dreaming. I was holding two dogs in my arms and casually wrote Er Gou."
Xu Huo feigned confusion and asked, "Wouldn't it be bad to directly use player nicknames?"
"Using nicknames is safer than using fake names," the female player said bluntly. "I heard there's a player in Clown City who can use traits through player names, and fake names won't work either."
"What's the difference between fake names and nicknames?" Xu Huo asked.
"I'm not sure about that. It's just a rumor outside," the female player shrugged. "Anyway, it's better to be cautious. Besides, using nicknames is obviously more convenient. I can't be bothered to make up fake names."
"In the last instance, I made up a fake name and forgot it myself. I almost caused a death when coordinating with other players."
"You're really something, forgetting a name you thought of yourself," Siming gave a thumbs up.
The female player Er Gou was quite proud and raised her hand in acknowledgment.
Zhuo Wangsun, who was flaunting his background, also smiled and said, "How about we go buy some equipment first?"
Xu Huo had no objections and followed the three of them.
"Speaking of this cleanup mission, it's pretty strange. You have to buy your own equipment to fight monsters, like it's some kind of joke," Siming complained, then clicked his tongue when he saw the equipment prices. "I can't even afford a gun."
The female player's situation wasn't much better. She turned to look at Xu Huo and Zhuo Wangsun. "Do you have money?"
Xu Huo had money but didn't want to spend it. Zhuo Wangsun, however, was generous. He generously exchanged a set of high-grade protective suits for each of them and bought some weapons.
"This is so embarrassing, taking such a big advantage from you," the female player said as she smoothly accepted the items.
Zhuo Wangsun smiled good-naturedly. "It's nothing. Since we're in the same instance, we're all friends. Besides, we need to help each other to clear it."
"You're all players, right?" The man who had given the lengthy speech earlier walked over with about a dozen soldiers, scanning the four of them one by one, and finally addressed Zhuo Wangsun. "I know you're here to clear the instance. Since our goals are the same, how about we cooperate?"
There were other players in the man's team, though it was unclear if they were locals from Clown City or outsiders. However, cooperating with ordinary people was not advantageous for them, especially since they had spare money to buy equipment. So Zhuo Wangsun politely declined his invitation.
"Don't refuse so quickly. We know more about the situation outside the protective wall—where to find clean water, what animals are edible. We have detailed information, all experience passed down from predecessors. Once you go out, you can't come back quickly. Having this information is better than being unprepared," the man said with a smile.
"Agree to him," Xu Huo spoke up at this moment. "After all, we're strangers in a strange land."
(Chapter End)