Chapter 408.1: Truimph! Players in Celebration

My dear friend, do you know how much I miss you? The burning red clouds may have engulfed your body, but your voice and smile still linger in my mind.

At the office of Survivor’s Daily, Hal, who was sitting on a small stool by the window, held an empty wine bottle. He burped occasionally as he awkwardly recited his poetry.

Usually, no one paid him any attention.

To most employees, he seemed to just be looking for an excuse to daydrink. Flattering him brought no benefits. Instead, it might result in being dragged into his endless drunken babblings, making it impossible to finish their day's tasks.

"Did your lover die?"

"Lover?

Burp

... Heh, how shallow are you? This is written for my best frien..." Hal burped again, his slurred speech cutting off mid-sentence as he suddenly froze.

He turned, only to look at the entrance of the office where a figure stood.

He had a backpack and an assault rifle slung beside it, looking exactly as he did when he left a week ago. Not a scratch could be seen on him.

Hal was stunned, but he wasn’t the only one. The entire office was shocked into silence as the rustling of paper stopped.

The entire office fell quiet.

"Ample... Ample Time?!" Hal excitedly stood up from his stool, put down his wine bottle on the wooden windowsill, and quickly ran to the entrance.

Seeing Hal's tearful face, Ample Time felt awkward. "This wouldn't happen to be written for...?"

"It's written for you, witnessed by the Spirit of the Desert! Seeing that terrifying battle report, I... I thought you had sacrificed yourself!" Hal, hands gripping the other's shoulders, shook him vigorously, his voice filled with chaotic emotion, "It's so good that you're back!"

Ample Time coughed lightly. "Thank you for caring...”

It was just that... It was a bit overwhelming.

About four days ago, he actually died on the Heart of Steel. But after 72 hours, he woke up again in level B2 of Shelter 404.

Upon waking, Ample Time didn't dally. He packed only the essentials and immediately set off for Boulder Town.

It would usually take a caravan two days to travel from Shelter 404 to Boulder Town, but since he was alone and of the agility type, it took him a full day of traveling to arrive.

However, the journey was tough. After the start of summer, the mutant species within the city had become active again.

In the corner of the office, a new journalist looked at the nearly embracing pair in astonishment and whispered to a colleague, "Who is that man?"

"Ample Time, a friend of the president and a resident of the nearby shelter, part of the New Alliance in the northern suburbs."

"People from the alliance? Then he must be...”

"Yes, he received a mobilization order over a week ago and went back to the northern suburbs to join the battle. He’s not just any member, but he’s a member of the Burning Corps.”

In all of Boulder Town, no one was unaware of the Burning Corps's name, nor were they ignorant of their stories.

Hearing her colleague, the young journalist's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Ample Time who was still standing at the door.

Suddenly, she stood up with a swoosh, grabbed her notebook, and hurried over, watching the hero trying to escape from Hal before yelling in excitement, "Hello there!"

Ample Time looked at her. Seeing a face he didn't recognize, he frowned. "Hello. May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Rose, a reporter for the Survivor Daily. I just started today!" She shook his hand enthusiastically and continued, "Excuse me for asking, but are you a soldier with the Burning Corps?"

"Yes...”

"Did you take part in the airborne operation that day?"

Watching Rose lean in closer, Ample Time instinctively stepped back. "Um...”

Hal inhaled sharply, surprised at the man before him, gripping his shoulders even tighter. "By the Spirit of the Desert, you survived!"

He isn’t even injured!

Seeing the astonishment in Hal’s eyes, Ample Time coughed lightly, shifting his gaze subtly before he explained, "Ah, the battle that day was brutal indeed, but luckily the gods of luck were on my side. Don't be fooled by my appearance. I was actually quite injured."

As he spoke, he looked at Hal’s hand which was still on his shoulder.

Seeing his gaze, Hal quickly withdrew his hands and apologized, "I didn't know that you...”

"It's fine." Ample Time smiled.

Watching Ample Time standing at the door, Hal said thoughtfully, "When I heard that only one person from the Burning Corps survived, I was terrified. Sorry, it's a bit inappropriate for me to mention."

After all, those who died were his comrades.

"It's okay," Ample Time murmured, "I don't want to talk about this right now, please understand."

Hal nodded, not pursuing the heavy topic further.

Ample Time sighed in relief. The 'Player's Manual' mentioned that to avoid errors in the NPC AI algorithm, players should not actively discuss matters regarding their special function with NPCs before the official public test.

It also included matters about the other world, the shelter's resurrection mechanism, and things like that.

Unlike other rules, the penalty for breaking the rule was vague yet severe. It would even involve issues with the beta test qualification.

Some NPCs were actually aware they can resurrect, like administrators and their SSSR silver hair doctor in the shelter. Some non-core NPCs have heard rumors, although those were often outrageous and inconsistent.

No seasoned player who made the effort to even learn the game's language would risk losing their beta test eligibility to testify in public or clarify such rumors. Of course, he wouldn't do such a foolish thing either.

It was best to stick to the agreement and avoid the topic until the public test began.

Speaking of which, Ample Time decided to have a word with Night Ten later to avoid exposing himself as the ‘sole survivor’.

"That... May I interview you, Mr Hero?" Watching the president finally release Ample Time, Rose asked somewhat nervously. "If it offends you, feel free to not answer."

"Regarding that day, I really don't have much to say, just use the information you learned from the New Alliance.” Ample Time suddenly came back to reality, remembering Dori might have gone out for an interview. However, when he saw the newcomer so idle, it seemed not to be the case.

"Where's Dori? Didn't she come to work today?" Ample Time looked at Hal. "I've been meaning to ask, why suddenly hire someone?"

Facing his gaze, Hal's expression became slightly embarrassed and he stammered, "She... She just left yesterday."

"Left?!" Ample Time stared at him in shock.

Hal nodded slowly. "Yes, you might not know, but the news from the front line almost reached here the same night. Although we didn't get the specific casualty list, we heard that only one person from the Burning Corps survived. You don't know how desperate she was...”

Ample Time took a sharp breath and asked, "Where is she now?!"

Hal avoided his gaze. "She handed in her resignation letter early yesterday morning, saying she was going to Dawn City to find you. I tried to persuade her to wait, but she insisted on leaving. We can't be without a reporter, so I hired someone else! I didn't approve her resignation! Her letter is still here so she can come back to work anytime."

Ample Time stayed silent for a moment, then sighed. "It's my fault."

Thinking to surprise Dori, he had immediately headed to Boulder Town once he respawned,. He didn't expect to miss her by a hair.

Saying this, Ample Time tightened his backpack straps and turned away.

Seeing his reaction, Hal asked instinctively, "Where are you going?"

"Back." By the time his voice fell, Ample Time had already disappeared from the office.

Standing next to the stunned president, Rose's eyes sparkled as she wrote with fervor in her notebook, murmuring excitedly. "Is this what love is?"

The hero who boarded the Heart of Steel, and his dainty wife eagerly awaiting his return... Wait a second.

Rose quickly looked at the president. "Are they lovers, or are they already...”

As she spoke, she capped her pen. She looked at him in anticipation.

Hal glanced at Rose's notebook, which was filled with a full page of crap. After reading a few lines, he blushed and coughed. "We're not that kind of newspaper."

...

The fifth day after the war ended.

The Heart of Steel, floating above Lucky Valley Municipality, had its broken wings hastily repaired.

Though not very pretty, it didn't hinder its participation in the victory celebration.

Standing by the bridge's floor-to-ceiling window, Chu Guang gazed at the distant clear sky and the rising sun with an expression of contentment.

At that moment, the entire land seemed to be under his feet. The mountains, rivers, jungles, and plains... They were all within reach.

Is this what it feels like to stand on a starship?

I’ll get a bigger one someday!

Besides those planning to stay in Shelter 79 and Falling Leaf Camp for missions, all players planning to return with him had already boarded.

Chu Guang, full of lofty aspirations, commanded, "Set sail!"

A poorly timed reminder came from Little Seven. "Hmmm... Master, the Heart of Steel doesn't have sails."

Chu Guang laughed. "It doesn't matter! If I say it does, it does!"

This AI was usually smart, just not very emotionally intelligent.

Look at Finod! He’s so smart. He won’t even dare to fart. All he said was yes before running away to carry out his duties...

Most of the captured engineers were technical staff. It wasn’t often they piloted the airship. Everyone operated the equipment clumsily, but thankfully, no major issues occurred. They eventually retracted the anchor as the engines roared to life.

Finod let out a sigh of relief. With his head finally safe, he eagerly looked toward Chu Guang standing by the window...

Unfortunately, the administrator probably wasn't thinking about him at that moment. He didn’t even bother reducing the ransom.

Finod tried to remind him. "Respected administrator, our cruising speed is about 20 knots, we should arrive at Clearspring City by noon."

Chu Guang responded cheerfully. "Not bad."