Chapter 186: Easter Eggs
Exploring missions were not looting.
There was a difference between mission and scavenging this time. Players who entered the map could only look around and couldn’t take away the things inside.
After all, that place wasn’t considered part of the wilderness any longer; it even had a data card.
Escaping Mole speculated that developers probably wanted to check the bugs in the map, so they arranged this event to exploit the labor of the players.
If this speculation was true, it was hard to say whether there was an easter egg or not!
After depositing his favorite gun in the locker, Escaping Mole followed the footsteps of the other players, passed through the buffer room with the two gates, and finally stepped into this dusty shelter.
It was extremely spacious, with its ceiling 5 meters tall. Behind the half-moon-shaped hall was the residents’ square. Two arc-shaped corridors delineated the outline of the square. On both sides of the square were four fan-shaped partitions. It was somewhat similar to the layout of level B2 of Shelter 404.
However, judging from the structural drawing printed on the wall at the front desk of the lobby, the overall structure of the shelter was quite different from that of Shelter 404.
Shelter 117 had only 3 floors in total, from B1 to B3. It decreased in size the lower they went, which made its overall structure look like an upside-down pyramid.
Shelter 404 was the exact opposite. Although players had not been to the space below level B3, it was obvious that the area below was larger after comparing levels B1 and B2.After a brief stroll on level B1, Escaping Mole returned to the resident hall and happened to meet Mosquito who came out of the area on the right.
He said enviously. "My side should be a functional quarter! There are canteens, reading rooms, and infirmaries! Damn... I even saw a basketball court!"
Escaping Mole smiled and said, "It shouldn’t be surprising. There were only 100 people in this shelter. So it’s normal to have a better configuration. I also saw a separate bathroom in almost every single room."
Mosquito said enviously. "Do you think we will be able to change to a new shelter after the public beta?"
Escaping Mole glanced at him speechlessly for a moment. "What’s the point? The name of this game is not called living in shelters, and the main content is on the surface. Even if you change the resurrection point, you won’t be given a buff."
Mosquito sighed, "Damn, what you say makes sense."
Well duh.
This is what this game is all about, alright...
Just when Escaping Mole was about to mock Mosquito, two players walked out of the safe passage next to the elevator.
Elf Wang said with excitement, "Did you go to level B2? It’s so freaking cool there!"
Escaping Mole looked at them curiously. "What did you see?"
Irene said helplessly, "Sigh, it’s just an artificial greenhouse, I don’t understand what he’s excited about."
Elf Wang continued rambling, "Isn’t it cool to be able to farm in a shelter? And it’s not just a greenhouse. There are also water purification devices and processing workshops in the back… There are also so many things I can’t understand. It’s a man-made ecosystem!"
As he spoke, he, like Mosquito, couldn’t help but sigh. "Sigh, this is more like a shelter! Unlike this shelter, there is nothing in ours! We have to pay to bathe and go to the toilet…"
Escaping Mole decided to change the topic. "By the way, did any one of you go to level B3?"
Elf Wang nodded. "We all went. There is nothing to see there. The area is very small. Except for the administrator’s office, there is only one reactor that has been turned off. I originally thought that there would be radiation, but I was wrong... Speaking of which, have you finished exploring level B1? Did you find anything?"
As soon as they entered the shelter, he and Irene went straight to level B2, so they didn’t know what level B1 looked like.
Escaping Mole shook his head. "There are a lot of rooms on level B1, and I was checking them carefully."
However, it seemed that some fast-moving players had already finished exploring level B1 and started to go to level B2.
Escaping Mole saw earlier how a short-haired female player was pulling another female player with a ponytail to level B2 with excitement.
There was also a white bear following them.
With a single intention, Escaping Mole looked at his VM and switched to the active mission page.
His expression froze the next second.
[Server exploration progress: 90%]
Escaping Mole didn’t know if he was mistaken, but he felt that this mission was not as simple as he imagined.
...
It turned out that even if he was not a perception type, his intuition was very accurate.
It took a full hour for Escaping Mole to open all the doors that could be opened, and wander around the rooms that he could enter.
However, even if he walked around every corner of the shelter, and even walked around against the wall after the tour, the progress was still stuck at 90%. ṛ
No matter how hard he tried, the number just wouldn’t move!
"Huh? This is so weird!" Staring at the map on the VM screen, Escaping Mole had a confused expression on his face after failing to increase his exploration progress.
He was obviously not the only one who had this problem.
The same went for other players.
If there was something only he missed, that would be fine, but even the Sever Exploration Progress was stuck at 90%.
In other words, everyone was stuck in the same place...
After players went offline.
More than half of the posts on the official website forum were devoted to the topic.
Construction Boy: I have an ominous premonition, could this be another bug?
Escaping Mole: +1. The progress is stuck at 90% and it can’t move, I’m sure I didn’t miss a corner!
Mosquito: Damn it, I’ve checked the entire shelter three times already! I almost rubbed off the paint on the wall! But I still didn’t discover anything!
Elf Wang: Could there be a hidden passage?
Sisi: It’s really possible... But… That would mean that it’s too hidden, right?
Tail: Damn, I checked 8 times! But I still didn’t find anything!
Escaping Mole: I’ll go to the administrator’s office tomorrow, I always feel like there might be something hidden inside...
Yaya: Hmm, I actually feel the opposite of yours, I always have a weird feeling when I explore level B2... It’s as if something is missing.
Night Ten: A little mushroom is missing? ( ͡
Yaya: Go to hell! I’m serious! (`Д’*)9
Mosquito: Maybe that easter egg is the remaining 10%!
Midnight Pubg: Not good, my obsessive-compulsive disorder is starting to react.
Looking at the discussions on the official website forum, Chu Guang was as confused as them.
Frankly speaking, he came up with the easter egg bullshit, but the 90% exploration rate was not his fault at all.
The server exploration progress that players saw was actually the progress bar he saw on the Administrator Menu.
Could it be that there was a hidden area that was not marked on the design drawing in the Shelter 117?
It couldn’t be.
Anyway, he was not in a hurry, and half of the players had not explored the shelter yet.
Chu Guang intended to wait a little longer to see if the remaining players had any new discoveries.
Meanwhile, the Bull and Horse Squad, who went to the Central Continent Aerospace Ecological Experimental Base, also made new discoveries.
Based on the terminals and other electronic equipment they recovered in the guard room, Yin Fang restored the data remaining on the storage hardware and concluded that the entire facility was actually a fully enclosed artificial biosphere based on a thermonuclear fusion reactor.
"... At present, there is no direct clue to prove which project the ecological experimental base is related to. Maybe it serves the shelter plan, or maybe it was used to study how to establish colonies in outer space."
After listening to Yin Fang’s report, Chu Guang asked the question he was most concerned about. "Can you find the fuel rods?"
Yin Fang nodded. "It should be possible, but according to the information your players have discovered, it seems that there are quite a few mutants hidden inside. It may take some time to clean them up."
Chu Guang heaved a sigh of relief.
Using up some time was a small problem to him.
As long as he could get the fuel rods, it didn’t matter how much time it would take.
...
While the players were busy with their missions, Chu Guang was not idle either.
The size of the guards had been expanded from 15 to 45, with 50% of the 30 new recruits coming from Baker Street and another 50% coming from the refugee camps.
As his personal troops, it was impossible for him to let other people manage them.
In addition, Pritt and others who were previously captured, had been sent to the brick factory, where they received labor reformation by Chu Guang after a day’s detention.
Looking at the new co-workers, Eugene recognized at a glance that those people had the same identities as himself, and they were all captives of the blue coats.
Not only that, he also smelled a familiar scent from them.
During lunch time, the new captives sat in the corner to eat.
Eugene, who was carrying a lunch box, walked over and spoke to the four of them. "Hey, how did you all end up here?"
Pritt gave him a look before he replied, "Mercenary. What about you?"
"What a coincidence, so am I." With a grin, Eugene glanced at the man with the bandage on his arm, "What’s wrong with your hand?"
Carl said with a straight face, expressionless. "I fell."
Eugene whistled, "Ouch. A fall that can break your wrist. That must really hurt."
Machine gunner, Lambert, stepped forward and glared at him. Looking at Pritt, he said in a deep voice, "Are you here to look for a fight?"
Eugene raised his eyebrows, ignoring his provocation.
Lambert was annoyed and was about to start a fight, but the next second, a voice came from beside him.
"I advise you not to cause any trouble."
"If you don’t want to be hanged."
Lambert’s expression froze, and the other three all looked at the direction of the voice, only to see a man standing there with a bulging nose.
Pritt glanced at Lambert, gave him a look, and the latter reluctantly held back and backed away.
The tense atmosphere eased a little.
Coincidentally, a man who looked like a guard walked in, looked around at everyone, and asked expressionlessly. "Who is Vanus?"
The man who stopped the conflict earlier raised his hand. "I am."
The guard didn’t talk nonsense, and said straight to the point. "Come with me."
Vanus nodded, put down the lunch box in his hand, and got up and followed behind the guard.
The atmosphere in the room changed a little.
Pritt looked at Eugene and asked, "Who’s that person?"
"You mean him?" Eugene glanced at the man who followed the guard out of the brick factory, and clicked his tongue, "He’s not an ordinary man,"
Pritt frowned. "What do you mean?"
Eugene smirked."Nothing about him is ordinary, ever heard of the Army?"
Pritt nodded.
The Army had been fighting the people of the Great Rift Valley in the north for a year, and the refugees from the north had not stopped. Rumors about the expeditionary force could always be heard in the taverns of Boulder Town, but most of them were not very reliable.
Some people said that they had won half a year ago, and the Army’s forces were now stationed in River Valley Province. Some others said that they had lost so thoroughly that even their general was captured. There were also people saying that General Klaas died fighting on the front line, and now a new general was leading the battle. And some more outrageous rumors even said that the people of the Army saw that the Great Rift Valley could not be defeated, so they decided to march south to invade Clearspring City.
But there was one thing that no one doubted, and that was that those people were indeed very strong!
"I heard that the people from the Army have a bulge in the middle of their nose bridge..." Recalling the man’s facial features, Pritt said in his heart, "Is he from the Army?"
Eugene looked at him and said in a strange voice, "Yes, and he was a Brigade Commander."
A Brigade Commander!
Lambert gasped in shock, and Jerry and Carl looked at each other, expressions on their faces were complicated.
Although they had never seen the Army’s forces with their own eyes, they had heard many rumors about the Army.
To capture a Brigade Commander, those people must have defeated at least one Army’s brigade.
Pritt swallowed hard, feeling his index finger tremble.
What kind of people did we just mess with?
If there was still a hint of dissatisfaction before, regretting that he didn’t put on the exoframe to break out before giving up, he felt fortunate he didn’t go crazy and tried to fight those monsters.
Those blue coats were probably more terrifying than he imagined!
Thank goodness that I didn’t resist to the end. It’s really good to be alive…
Meanwhile, outside the brick factory.
Following the guard’s footsteps and walking towards the north gate of Wetland Park, Vanus glanced around and couldn’t help asking, "Where are we going?"
The guard said blankly. "Administrator wants to see you,"
Vanus reminded cautiously, “This isn’t the outpost."
The guard frowned. "The administrator went to Longevity Town before noon… All you need to do is to follow me, why do you have so many questions?!"
Hearing the reprimand, Vanus immediately closed his mouth, but he was slightly relieved.
When he first came out, he was still a little nervous, thinking that the guard wanted to kill him.
At least he didn’t need to die.
...
In the meantime, on level B2 of Shelter 117.
Inside a huge artificial greenhouse, Yaya, who was standing next to the hydroponic tank, stroked her chin solemnly, frowning slightly. "As I expected. There really is a problem here."
Teng Teng yawned with a helpless expression on her face. "Are you sure?"
About two hours ago, when she was about to start work, Yaya suddenly pulled her over without explaining anything.
To be honest, she didn’t think at all that the clues that the pros on the forum had not discovered could be found by them so easily.
As a laid back Lifestyle Profession player, she preferred to wait for the strategy to come out before coming back to explore the last 10% instead of waiting time finding out on her own...
"I’m sure, I’m definitely not wrong!" Yaya said with a serious face, "Don’t forget that I am a perception type player!"
Hearing this, Teng Teng’s expression underwent a slight change.
Perception type?
Aren’t you a mushroom type...
Not noticing Teng Teng’s strange expression, Yaya’s index finger moved along the side of the hydroponic tank, and quickly found out what was giving her the strange feeling.
She discovered a small pale green trace on the side of the hydroponic box!
"Toxin?!"
Yaya suddenly realized something, and she quickly leaned in to observe carefully.
The trace was very thin, like a web produced by a spider. If it weren’t for her 10-point perception, plus the talent of Toxin Intuition, she would have missed it!
Yaya instantly became excited.
Can’t go wrong!
It’s toxins!
Following along the intermittent traces, she soon came to the side of a wall.
Following closely behind Yaya, Teng Teng was confused. "Is there anything here?"
"My talent is poison detection, and there is dried poison on the ground... But the clue is broken here. Could it be inside the wall?"
Yaya reached out and knocked on the wall twice.
However, perhaps because the wall was too thick, just by listening to the sound, it was impossible to determine whether there was something hidden behind it.
Teng Teng said suspiciously, "This is just a very ordinary wall. Are you sure…"
Yaya, who was groping with both hands on the wall, suddenly seemed to touch some mechanism, and the wall made a clear clicking sound.
Immediately afterwards, the seemingly flat alloy wall suddenly revealed a gap and began to move smoothly to both sides, revealing the passage behind it.
This wall is actually a secret door!
The two players standing in front of the wall were stunned.
Teng Teng swallowed and whispered to herself. "Did… Did we just discover the hidden map?"
The hidden map that even the pros hadn’t discovered, was actually found by them so easily?!
Although it was mainly Yaya’s credit… But it was clearly not the time to discuss who did the work! They did their fair share!
Looking at the passage hidden behind the wall, Yaya’s face was full of excitement, and she hugged Teng Teng happily.
"Easter egg! It’s the easter egg!"
"MUAHAHA, as expected of me, I actually found it!"
"Hmm! Hmmm! Hmm!"
Teng Teng, whose head was buried in Yaya’s chest, made muffled cries which went completely unheard.
She hadn’t seen the easter egg yet, but her HP bar seemed to be dropping from all the psychological damage she was suffering.