Chapter 391.1: Embrace Advancement

"I'm sorry to hear about your friend... Unfortunately, I only inherited partial authority; otherwise, I could have helped you find her."

From the old radio, the deep and raspy noise continued as usual, but the intermittent gasps seemed to add a new layer of pain.

However, that wasn’t all.

Amid the noisy electric current, there seemed to be a few more sounds of metal clanking than before.

According to Mr. Yong, a lot happened during the handover of management authority at Shelter 79. Coupled with the shelter being in disrepair for years, many of the rooms' security systems malfunctioned.

In short, unauthorized entry into restricted areas could trigger the alarm system, causing the doors to automatically lock.

Having been missing for so long without any news, the outlook seemed grim.

If it weren't for the post that Sisi made on the forum, people might have actually believed his lies.

"Let's set aside our friend's situation for now... Are you really okay?" asked Sesame Paste softly, holding the radio.

"I'm fine... A few mice got into the office, but I've taken care of them."

Even though that was what he said, he didn’t sound too convincing.

After coughing lightly, he seemed to realize something and spoke again. "Wait, what do you mean by setting aside our friend's situation? Did you listen to what I just said? She might have already met with misfortune."

"We heard," said Tail, who had been silent, her face contorted with pain. Tears actually welled up in her eyes, "We will miss Sisi!"

"Me too!" Roshan raised her hand with a serious face.

They didn’t seem like they were mourning though.

Sesame Paste showed a troubled expression as she nodded with a bitter smile. "I will... miss Miss Sisi too."

Being offline for three days was really tough indeed. However, to call it sad... It wasn’t even close.

Well, she was merely a little lonely if her good friend went AFK for a few days.

However, every day after logging off, seeing Sisi's posts popping up on the forum serializing the experiments from Shelter 79, she felt no sadness. All they were doing were struggling to hold back laughter.

Static came from the radio, and Sesame Paste could almost feel the confusion and speechlessness of Mr. Yong.

She suddenly felt a bit sorry for the NPC.

It was like a dungeon master hosting a game of

Werewolf.

He was playing his role earnestly, but it was impossible to expect those troublemaking players to do the same, especially when they had a super cheat code on their side!

In the quiet silence, the three of them reached the end of the tunnel, where another entrance to the research facility was.

The continuous gunfire had long since faded, and the Death Corps had pushed the raid to its final stages.

The building blocking the research area had become a den of Deathclaws, with shedding scales and excrement visible everywhere. However... It was nothing but a gory scene of death.

Before the players visited, the ecological environment of the underground city of Shelter 79 had been in a dynamic equilibrium.

As top predators, no creature had ever breached the Deathclaws' den.

But now, that balance was shattered.

Strength type players wearing steel-plated KV 1 armor, stood in the front with chainsaws in hand to prevent the Deathclaws from flanking them.

The players with assault rifles followed closely, their fierce firepower suppressing the Deathclaws effectively.

Bright orange trajectories stretched across the narrow corridors, forming a dense web through which only roars and screams could be heard.

The players in the back set up 20mm light cavalry guns, firing armor-piercing incendiary rounds whenever they had a chance.

With the players' coordinated efforts, the roles of hunter and prey were completely reversed.

"Brothers, let's push harder!"

"Charge!"

"Awesome!"

"Hey, can we change to a catchier slogan other than ‘Awesome’?"

"What slogan is better than this?”

"?? Awesome, awesome?"

Blood sprayed across the corridor, mixed with the burnt smell of charred flesh and the pungent odor of gunpowder.

Exhausted, some players carried their injured comrades back from the front line, soon replaced by a new wave of eager players.

Just two meters from the front line, a group of players who had just come from the front sat on the ground.

Looking at the nearly bone-exposing scars on his chest, Construction Boy wrapped bandages around himself while cursing. "Damn... I almost didn't make it."

Sitting next to him, Drumhead Washing Machine wiped sweat from his brow and commented, "How many Deathclaws are there?"

"Who knows," muttered Construction Boy, "But thankfully, the space here is narrow. Those large monsters can't move freely, which makes it easier to fight. If it were like other games with models that can glitch through the walls, it'd be impossible. And compared to adult Deathclaws, I find those young ones even more troublesome."

Encountering them in the wilderness was completely different.

Here, adult Deathclaws were merely meat on the chopping block, while juvenile Deathclaws posed a greater threat.

From his numerous hunting experiences, Multi-Legged Beasts might be more troublesome if they were to run into any.

Those mollusks covered in tentacles were extremely tenacious. Even if they took a rifle burst to the face, they could still jump forward and continue crawling.

Deathclaws which possess all rounded combat strength, were only suited for battles in open areas.

It was especially so in cities where there were lots of cover and places to move around.

Adult Deathclaws could hunt Evolved Type Slime Molds and were capable of wiping out squads of awakeners. They were terrifying entities.

Sitting on the ground catching his breath, Eye Owe Money suddenly spoke. "I just realized... This place would make a great spawn pool."

Construction Boy paused. "What do you mean?"

"Just a place for farming..." he explained, seeing his good brother still confused.

Eye Owe Money caught his breath and continued, "Isn't there a Neural Interference Device for sale at the respawn point? That gadget can be used to tame foreign species. We've encountered Deathclaws outside before. If we can't beat them, they run away. But here, there's no room for them to escape, hehe."

Everyone sitting around was stunned after hearing his idea.

"Holy shit?! Are you catching Pokemon?"

"Damn... Intelligence types are gonna rise again?"

"Hey, what is this?!" Sideline Slacking sighed, "Every sequence is being strengthened, except the perception type... Is that even fair?!"

Drumhead Washing Machine couldn't help but continue to complain, "Agreed, ever since the Switchblade came out, intelligence type players have been ridiculously OP. Others have to charge in with guns or knives, but this guy never goes to the front line! His DPS isn't even low either."

"Time for a nerf."

As everyone clamored for a nerf, Eye Owe Money rolled his eyes.

"You guys have the nerve to talk? Which sequence was the weakest in the Alpha test? Let me enjoy a few strong versions man... Is that too much to ask?”

Can’t you bastards bear to see me do well?

Construction Boy looked at the ceiling as he mumbled to himself. "Please nerf it, dear developer..."

Eye Owe Money rolled his eyes in response while cursing. "@#%@!"

Although it was just a joke, turning this place into a Deathclaw breeding base seemed quite interesting.

Pet-based gameplay has been around for a long time but has never become mainstream.

The main reason was the high cost of raising a pet, and the moment a pet died, it couldn’t be revived.

Raising a Deathclaw was not as cost-effective as raising a strength type player, which was cheaper and less painful when they died. After all, baiting their brothers to die only required a three day respawn price.

But if there was a stable spawn pool for SSSR monsters they could tame, that would be a different story.

A Deathclaw with its own combat instincts was much stronger than a drone that needed real-time control.

While the injured players at the front line were throwing out wild ideas, the members of the Order of the White Bear walked through the cleared corridor.

Tail, riding on Roshan's shoulder, waved from afar. "Hey, brothers, how's the raid going?"

Sideline Slacking looked up and replied, "We have just a little bit left and should be done by noon."

"Not bad, not bad," Tail nodded in satisfaction, "Keep it up, boys! Once we get the serum, we'll let Roro drink it first!"

"Eh?! Wait, why should I drink it?" Roshan raised her head and asked.

Tail's eyes sparkled as she spoke. "Roro, don't you want to become human? Don't worry, you're so beautiful as a bear, you'll definitely be a gorgeous woman once you transform!"

"Maybe you’ll even get a head full of white hair!” A player suddenly interjected and Drumhead Washing Machine spat out the water he was drinking.

"Holy shit, now that you mention it... I suddenly think Roshan will be really pretty!”

"Right?" Tail said proudly, "Our Roro is so beautiful... I even have her pictures!”

A flame was ignited in the hearts of everyone present.

"Oh my god!”

"Real ones? For real?"

"Good brother, share with us!"

"Wait... Is that what is really important here? Also, we're not even sure what the serum does! And isn't serum supposed to be poked..." Roshan said with a mix of laughter and tears.

Tail pondered for a moment, then sighed, "Damn! Without Sisi, you’re really different!”

Roshan growled, "You masochist."

Sesame Paste, holding the radio, let out a weak laugh. "Ha... Haha I feel like I can't keep up with the pace of those Gen Zs anymore."

Since the players communicated in Mandarin the whole time, Mr. Yong had no idea what they were saying. He only felt that everyone was overly optimistic.

No matter what... This is a Deathclaw den!

At least be a bit serious!

But...

Their combat skills left him no room for criticism. The few mercenaries and survivors he had tricked into coming couldn't even break through the entrance where the mutated spider's den was, let alone push all the way into the heart of the shelter.

At that moment, a piercing howl suddenly came from the direction of the stairs.

Everyone paused their conversation and looked towards the stairs.

A raspy voice came from the silent radio suddenly...

"Mother of Deathclaws"