Chapter 459.1: The New Alliance's Special Training Method

At the exact moment ‘Pangolin’ was slaughtering away, a hundred accounts suddenly went online simultaneously on the official Wasteland Online forum.

Most of them belonged to newbies who had just obtained beta testing qualifications not long ago.

Lawless Madman: Holy crap! Boss! That was so exciting!

I'll Die First: Hahaha! I wanna go again!

Hungry Man: It was meh, just a 'bang' and it was over. Didn't feel as good as I thought.

Though dying was unpleasant, the first experience of death was still a novelty for most newbies, especially since they never experienced it in reality. Consequently, many strange and curious death-experience posts suddenly flooded the forums.

Of course, after experiencing it once, not everyone felt the thrill, mainly because it was just too brief.

It was so short that one blink later, they were already back inside the helmet.

Wakey Sleepy: Damn, that was boring. No sensation at all, everything just went black. Can we enable realistic pain?

Quitting Smoking: Damn, you're more twisted than Mosquito!

Mosquito: Huh????

Night Ten: That guy probably got shot in the head. If he had been shot in the stomach, he would have spasmed on the ground for a bit. LOL.

Lawless Madman: @Eye Owe Money, boss! When's the next suicide charge? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Eye Owe Money: Patience, no rush. Plenty more chances to die. Next up is the Storm Corps. (≖⩊≖)

Spring Water Commander: We won't be delivering free credit like how you did... (¬_¬)

Battlefield Cheerleader: Exactly! At least act a bit! Couldn't even waste more resources! I’m gonna give you a bad review!

Sideline Slacking: Damn it! I'll get someone more reliable to lead the next charge! This guy is a fool! (｡﹏｡")

Eye Owe Money: Anyway, listen up newbies! War is cruel! If you really get to the battlefield and meet ruthless dogs like Battlefield Cheerleader, you won't even last two seconds. Got it?

Lawless Madman: Got it, boss!

I'll Die First: Boss! Why can't we respawn immediately in this game?

Wakey Sleepy: Yeah, what's with this respawn countdown nonsense?

Eye Owe Money: Oh, I forgot to tell you, dying in this game means waiting three days. Didn't you know?

Lawless Madman: Holy crap!

Wakey Sleepy: I had no idea!

Ample Time: I suddenly can't tell who's pretending and who's actually surprised...

I'll Die First: This death penalty is way too harsh!

Ample Time: Relax. Just don’t seek death, and normal gameplay isn’t that lethal. By the way, who holds the current record for least deaths?

Escaping Mole: Probably Yaya? She died once at the start and hasn’t died since.

Yaya: Hehe~ (≧▽≦)

Teng Teng: I've never died once!

Night Ten: !!!

Tomato Eggs: 666

Recently, beta access releases had suddenly accelerated. Previously, about 20 or 30 slots were granted per day, but just the week before, it soared to 100 to 200 per day. Player numbers surged.

A massive influx of confused newbies flooded the game, prompting countless repetitive questions on the forum.

Some were obviously pretending, others genuinely clueless.

Actually, it was understandable.

Though some backseat gamers analyzed things eloquently, their theories evaporated once they entered the game, leaving them just as clueless as any rookie.

While new players infused fresh blood into the servers, they also inevitably disrupted the established order.

Veteran players had watched the New Alliance build up from nothing. Over the lengthy gameplay, they'd forged deep bonds with many characters and strongly resonated with the world’s events and people.

They believed in what they were doing and found self-worth during the process.

Furthermore, game mechanics rewarded not only the satisfaction of achievement but also emotional and material incentives.

However, expecting a fresh newbie to feel a strong sense of belonging just because they read forum posts or watched clips was a bit too much.

For most newbies, their first impression was awe at the virtual reality environment and mild intimidation by its strict rules.

If it were any other game, operators might ignore the rules, encouraging players to run wild and spend money chasing thrills. But Wasteland Online wasn’t just any game. Chu Guang couldn’t just let those energetic newbies wreak havoc.

Farming was tougher than trolling, after all.

To ensure newbies actively participated, he had to inject some positive energy, instilling in them a sense of belonging to the alternate world.

The ‘Passing the Torch’ questline alone couldn’t handle such an influx. There weren’t enough veterans always in newbie villages.

After consideration, Chu Guang launched a recruitment event, tossing those newbies directly into military training.

During the event, newbies could opt to enlist at the very start.

Choosing ‘Yes’ automatically granted a rank-restricted ‘Soldier’ class, with three opportunities to pick preferences, becoming reserves for the New Alliance's Corps.

Their reserve status didn’t affect Corps’ member caps.

Event participants not only received special gift packs but also gained early access to a VM, a system usually unlocked at citizen rank, permanently retaining it if citizenship was achieved during the event.

With such generous terms, anyone without special passion for lifestyle skills would likely join a corps.

Thanks to Chu Guang’s strategy, forum topics shifted from clueless newbie questions to vigorous corps recruitment.

[Burning Corps, bringing you to the greatest battles for maximum fun!]

[Death Corps, strength isn't necessary, courage is! Strength and constitution types prioritized.]

[Storm Corps, any type welcomed, just obey commands! PM to join the group!]

[Skeleton Corps, drivers needed! Tank operators prioritized.]

[Goblin Corps, professionals in artillery and sky supremacy! Beginners welcome! Our commander personally trains you!]

[Jungle Corps, only strength types accepted!]

[Silver Corps, Breathing is the only requirement! T.T]

Chu Guang nodded with satisfaction at their recruitment posts. "Very spirited!"

Most newbies concentrated in top-tier corps like the Death Corps and Storm Corps. The Burning Corps and Skeleton Corps also had many applicants, but they required either elite special ops qualifications or patience for long, boring armored vehicle operations. Most players preferred conventional gameplay.

How to train them after joining was no longer his concern.

Once they joined the army of fools... It was their problem to train their guys!

Between Oasis No.3 and Oasis No.9, the New Alliance and allied forces set up camp under the sand dunes, building frontline fortifications in preparation for the next battle. Construction teams from the Enterprise were even building an airstrip.

Supplies continuously arrived by truck and plane.

Masses of excited newbies arrived alongside these supplies. Waiting for reception, they eagerly looked around at the airfield.

"Desert!"

"Epic!"

Overexcited, one newbie licked the sand, then spat it out. "Ugh! It's salty!"

Nearby newbies laughed at his embarrassment.

"Haha! Saw a camel passing by earlier, wanna ask how it tastes?"

The soldiers of the kingdoms allied with them who were patrolling nearby eyed those strange shelter residents suspiciously.

"Are these guys alright?" one soldier murmured.

"Seems strange to me."

One of the captains coughed quietly. "Ignore them. Do your jobs."

The New Alliance was now their overlord. Rumors had it their king even hosted the administrator in his palace.

Though the royal family denied it, who knew the truth? Even if it were true, they would never openly admit it.

The residents of the New Alliance already enjoyed higher-than-average status, practically above the king.

It wasn't their place as small soldiers to judge.

Realizing his people were embarrassing themselves, a masked New Alliance resident hurried over to retrieve the troublemakers. Seeing one newbie with sand all over his face, Kakarot groaned, "How many times did I say to act normal getting off the plane? You represent the New Alliance! Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Even if you aren’t, I am!"

Rest In Peace replied sheepishly, "Got it."

Turning to those still laughing, Kakarot barked, "Why the hell are you guys still laughing?! Why didn’t you stop him?"

Chessboard scratched his head, grinning in embarrassment, "I wanted to, but he an agility type. He was too fast."

Pincher chuckled, "Next time, boss!"

Kakarot sighed deeply. The batch of newbies was especially tough to bring around...

At their frontline command center, Spring Water Commander studied the battle map, both thrilled and worried.

With so many fresh recruits flooding his Storm Corps, his ranks had exploded!

As a mighty T1-level Corps, the Storm Corps was one of the top choices for newbies to join. It quickly swelled and its scale nearly reached half a brigade!

That was what thrilled Spring Water Commander. There was no general in the world who would resent having more men. From their current trajectory... He would actually become the New Alliance’s Marshal in a few versions!