Chapter 979: S-Rank Starting Clearance Rating
With the possibility of survival, no one was happier than the residents of Base City. Apart from the cheering scenes on TV, excited screams could also be heard outside. The boss brought out dishes and said cautiously, "These are all specialties of Base City. They taste pretty good."
The group was indeed hungry, so they ate the vegetables grown in Base City along with the fried rice.
"This really doesn't taste good," Shangguan Xi said.
"It's good enough to have something to eat. What kind of environment is Base Station in?" Zhu Feiyun had his mouth full of rice.
"But is that antidote enough?" Kuang Wenjun asked Xu Huo. "After all, for a city this big, even if it's atomized, most of it probably fell in irrelevant places."
"I went to the reservoir earlier," Xu Huo said. "No one has time to care about that now. At least half of the water supply channels are open. Once people drink the water and find their condition improving, the rest will figure it out on their own."
"You thought of everything," Kuang Wenjun said with admiration.
"We did a great job today, didn't we?" Zhu Feiyun said. "Not only did we stop a conspiracy, but we also saved so many people and made a big splash. I've been a player for so long, and I've never felt this good!"
Everyone present felt a strange sense of accomplishment, something that simply clearing an instance couldn't bring.
"For today's grand show and for our pleasant cooperation, this deserves a toast!" Shangguan Xi cheerfully poured wine for everyone.
"Brother Xu, what kind of antidote was that? It's amazing," Pan Qiao couldn't help asking.
Xu Huo took out a vial of potion, then pulled over an empty wine glass from the side, signaling Shangguan Xi to pour wine. He then evenly divided the potion into seven glasses, taking one for himself first. "This is good stuff. Drinking it will keep you safe from poisoning for at least a month. As long as you don't encounter particularly tricky A-grade toxins or pollutants, getting back half your life won't be a problem."
Shangguan Xi and the others looked at each other, none of them reaching for it. Instead, Luo Changren grabbed a glass first and downed it without a word.
Xu Huo didn't care whether they drank or not. He finished his own glass, then pushed one of the cups toward the boss with the back of his hand. "Want a drink?"
The boss was heavily poisoned. He staggered to the table, held the cup with both hands, and tremblingly poured it into his mouth. He choked from drinking too fast, and Xu Huo handed him a handkerchief.
"Thank you... thank you..." The boss took it with both hands, hesitantly looking at him. "Are you the guest who came to order a late-night snack this afternoon?"
Xu Huo smiled. "You recognized me."
"Although the face is different, the voice is very similar." The boss gently wiped the corner of his mouth, habitually showing a smile. "Thank you."
News spread quickly on Bar Street. When rumors of Brother Ma and his underling being killed circulated, the boss had already guessed the truth.
A small-time thug with no real ability, too ignorant to know his place, tried to teach an outsider a lesson but unfortunately ran into a tough opponent.
The boss's condition visibly improved, and Shangguan Xi and the others also took their glasses one after another.
As players, they didn't have much need for this drink, but to show sincerity, everyone drank.
Shangguan Xi was more direct. After drinking, he didn't even wait two minutes before using an item to test his own blood, then cheerfully started calling Xu Huo "brother."
"We should be clearing the instance now, right?" Zhu Feiyun looked around.
"Get a cage to use," Xu Huo said, taking out the item "World Within the Painting." He opened the frame and put the lively alien creature into the cage, also using a silencing item.
It was like a silent play. The alien creature, as a living sample, kept hitting the cage and roaring at Xu Huo and the others. But aside from scaring the boss, no one else reacted, so it focused on baring its teeth at the boss.
Amidst laughter of varying pitches, the clearance notification popped up:
[Congratulations to all players for clearing this instance, "Encrypted Information." Since during the clearance process, you deciphered the true situation of the encrypted information and completed a side mission, successfully saving nearly a hundred thousand people in a Base City, in addition to the team rewards and personal rewards for this instance, each of you will also receive an additional B-grade item, a "Light Gentleman" medal, and a Game Government interview notice.]
[Below is the clearance rating for this instance:]
[Player Passerby A: SS-grade]
[Player Lord of All Gods: S-grade]
[Player The Clown Is Me: S-grade]
[Player You Don't See My Bald Head: S-grade]
[Player Smile at Tomorrow: S-grade]
This part was visible to everyone. The first double S-grade rating made Shangguan Xi and the others' breathing quicken, followed by barely contained excitement. Not to mention S-grade, even an A-grade rating required thoroughly playing through the instance to obtain. And S-grade not only required playing through the instance but also playing it brilliantly, at least meeting the game's standards. They never expected everyone in the team to start with S-grade!
"I thought we'd get at most an A. The game is being way too generous this time!" Shangguan Xi excitedly slapped the table.
"At least we saved that many people. Doesn't that deserve an S?" Zhu Feiyun's face was flushed with joy.
"I know, but we were just supporting. Team ratings are based on each person's performance..." Shangguan Xi looked at Xu Huo. "We really hit the jackpot this time!"
"And double S-grade? I've never even heard of it!"
Xu Huo was also surprised by the final double S-grade rating. After all, the last time at Sea World was also double S. This instance's focus was on the side mission of saving people, with half the city's population numbering in the tens of thousands, yet the rating was still double S.
A player gaining a life-or-death friendship from an ordinary person, or the lives of tens of thousands—the value of these two things was actually equivalent in the game.
Seeing that he didn't seem that happy, Kuang Wenjun spoke up at the right time. "This time, thanks to Brother Xu, we all got S-grade. And Pan Qiao and I joined midway, so we won't take any team rewards."
The personal rewards for an S-grade rating were definitely generous enough, and everyone had additional rewards. That was already an unexpected joy. The items from the team rewards might be of higher grade, but the quantity definitely wouldn't be enough to split evenly, and someone would have to give up in the end.
Pan Qiao had no objection to her decision, and Shangguan Xi was easygoing, but Zhu Feiyun didn't say anything.
Xu Huo remained silent. Splitting team rewards was always prone to conflict. The final distribution required everyone's agreement to count, with a thirty-minute time limit. If someone abstained or died during the process, it would go into redistribution.
Of course, this distribution phase was inherently designed to stir up conflict among players, because if you didn't abstain or agree to the distribution, you couldn't leave the instance. And if someone ran off during the distribution time, it was just a matter of who could outlast whom.
The team rewards were as follows:
One A-grade item, "Holder's Demise"; two B-grade items, "No Approaching" and "Faceplant"; one special item, "Lifelike Wax Figure"; one primary trait upgrade opportunity; and two cubic meters of luggage compartment space.
Other rewards included tickets, potions, White Notes, and coupon gift packages for famous hotels in different game zones.
(Chapter End)