Chapter 4: Your Game Stats Must Be Wrong!
Lin Tang's sudden outburst instantly attracted the attention of the four Raiders in the camp.
It was noon, and most of the Raiders had gone out hunting, leaving only a few injured ones guarding the base.
However, even an injured Raider could easily slaughter two or three ordinary humans.
The difference in strength and physique was too vast.
At this moment, if only judging by Lin Tang's imposing manner, he almost seemed like a human who had mastered a special power.
But the muscle-brained Raiders couldn't comprehend imposing manners and directly rushed over with big sticks in hand.
Lin Tang smiled confidently, "African Thin Dog, Ghost Face Fox, don't be afraid. According to my years of gaming experience, an initial task like this won't be too difficult. Seemingly terrifying enemies are just small fries. The reason you feel fear is because the game's modeling is too good, making you immersed in the differences in physique and appearance. But don't forget, this is a game world! You can't use theories from the real world to make inferences here!"
"So, watch me slay these small fries!"
"Pardon my poor performance!"
Lin Tang dashed out from his hiding spot, directly confronting the nearest Raider.
A hideous face, thick bones, solid muscles, green skin, exuding an acrid stench of chemicals and rotten flesh combined.
Smack~
The more agile Lin Tang threw a rock at the Raider's shoulder.
In his own vision, he saw a faint black text floating up from the Raider's head.
[Physical Damage Dealt: 10]
Then, a red number jumped.
[Bleeding Damage Triggered, HP-5 (Lasts 10 seconds)]
The Raider's arm was injured. Being hit aggravated the wound, causing him to open his mouth wide, revealing sharp teeth as he roared.
"Roar!"
He swung his stick in retaliation.
Bang!
Lin Tang was sent flying, a line of text flashing before his eyes.
[Physical Damage Received: 98]
On his watch, a blood-red line appeared.
A quarter of it had already disappeared.
Clearly, this was his health bar.
"Damn! I'm this fragile?"
The Raider's health bar had only decreased by about one percent.
Seeing the other three Raiders also closing in, Lin Tang shouted, "African Thin Dog, Ghost Face Fox, help! The small fries' attacks are quite high!"
He turned his head to look, only to find the place where the three of them were hiding was now empty.
The two 1.8-meter-tall sturdy men were sneakily moving away from him.
Lin Tang: "?"
He glanced at the four green-skinned Raiders approaching and his two gradually retreating teammates, suddenly coming to a realization.
"Oh~ I get it! This level isn't meant for players to fight head-on, but rather a tactical one like 'A Way Out,' right?"
Lin Tang immediately yelled, "This level tests the cooperation of three people. I'll lure them away, and you two seize the opportunity!"
Although Lin Tang was a bit reckless, he wasn't stupid. Seeing the situation, he directly changed tactics.
He turned and ran!
Leading the four howling green-skinned Raiders in the opposite direction of African Thin Dog and Ghost Face Fox.
Moreover, his slim figure was more agile.
Striding in a zigzag pattern, he weaved in front of the four Raiders, staying close but just out of reach.
He was clearly an experienced FPS (first-person shooter) player.
On the other side.
African Thin Dog and Ghost Face Fox exchanged glances and nodded approvingly.
African Thin Dog: "Lin Tang, this kid, has quick wits. Even after being hit hard, he can instantly come up with a strategy and make the judgment most beneficial to us."
Ghost Face Fox: "I actually noticed this point earlier too. Although those green-skinned monsters look strong, they don't seem very smart. This may also be a deliberate hint left by the designers for us not to confront them head-on at this stage, but to rescue the NPCs through clever tactics."
Seeing Lin Tang leading the green-skinned monsters far away, the two emerged from their hiding spot.
They slowly walked into the Raiders' crude camp.
Bonfires, tattered tents, iron cans, crude wooden sticks, rotten cloth - all sorts of random things pieced together to form a small camp.
It looked like a pre-apocalyptic rural courtyard.
But the collapse and damage were so severe that only some walls reinforced with steel bars remained standing, which these Raiders relied on to build simple shelters.
The two looked at their watches.
The red dot had already overlapped with their position.
They looked around but didn't see any trace of the NPCs.
Ghost Face Fox glanced upward and said, "There are no buildings above, so... underground!"
"And if I'm not mistaken, the shed built more solidly over there is obviously the entrance to the underground."
African Thin Dog nodded.
The two were old partners in the bar, having played dozens of online games together with tacit understanding.
Ghost Face Fox picked up two wooden sticks sharpened by the Raiders from the ground and tossed one to African Thin Dog.
"I guess this counts as the first weapon we've picked up in this game? Too bad we can't see the weapon stats."
"It's definitely more powerful than rocks. Let's go, to the underground."
Ghost Face Fox: "I'll lead, you follow. Watch out for traps and ambushes when opening doors."
The two staggered their positions and walked into the shed. As expected, there was a downward path that looked like a large cellar used for storing supplies in the village.
In the pitch-black passage.
The two slowly descended.
Suddenly, Ghost Face Fox, who was in front, stopped. "Do you smell something?"
African Thin Dog's expression turned serious. "A metallic smell is spreading from my nose and mouth... To be precise, I sensed it when we approached the camp earlier, but it's even more noticeable here in the cellar."
The next moment, green numbers jumped simultaneously above their heads.
[Radiation Damage Received: 3]
[You are contaminated by nuclear radiation. Duration: Infinite (refreshes after moving away from the radiation source)]
Ghost Face Fox: "A debuff?"
Their watch displays showed health bars that were slowly decreasing.
"We're continuously losing health. My initial health is 400 points, losing 3 points per second, with a natural recovery of 0.5 points. That means we're losing 2.5 health per second, which can last 160 seconds, or 2 minutes and 40 seconds. We must act quickly and rescue the NPCs!"
"Let's go! Charge!"
The two quickened their pace and rushed down.
Bang!
African Thin Dog kicked open a wooden door blocking the way, revealing a firelit corridor. White bones were scattered on the ground, looking quite terrifying.
Behind the corridor were four sealed dungeons.
In front of the dungeons stood a burly green-skinned monster. He was first surprised, then his anger visibly soared.
He grabbed a spiked club by his side, covered in rusty iron spikes.
One strike, even if the physical attack didn't kill, the subsequent magic attack could finish someone off.
The two players holding wooden sticks felt a chill in their hearts.
Ghost Face Fox glanced at the location on his watch.
"The NPCs are right ahead!"
African Thin Dog raised his wooden stick. "Then there's nothing more to say. When paths cross, we fight! After defeating this small fry guarding the door, we can complete the mission."
Ghost Face Fox: "I'll be on the left, you on the right. Pincer attack, cover each other, aim for his head and groin to deal critical damage! Lin Tang could break their defense with a rock, so our pointed wooden sticks should deal even more damage. With two of us fighting steadily, we can definitely do it!"
"Alright!"
The two charged forward, looking very much like masters!
Clatter~
Ghost Face Fox was defeated.
African Thin Dog: "..."
He looked at the green-skinned monster who only had a few more holes in his body and swallowed his saliva.
"First, I underestimated the strength of the guard monster. Second, I overestimated our combat power. Third, your game stats must be wrong! You stupid designer! Is this a guard monster that newbies can defeat?"
Their movements became severely deformed during the battle, unable to execute the perfect attacks and defenses they usually performed in keyboard and mouse games. After being hit by three strikes, Ghost Face Fox was afflicted with bleeding, radiation, and tetanus, directly draining his health to zero.
African Thin Dog glanced at the guard green-skinned monster's health bar, which still had 80% left... This was already their best performance.
After finishing off Ghost Face Fox, the Raider let out an angry roar and swung his spiked club towards African Thin Dog's head.
African Thin Dog pondered briefly...
Sudden realization!
"I get it!"
He made his final decision.
"System, I quit. Log out!"
At this moment, behind African Thin Dog, two clusters of scarlet flames abruptly ignited.
(End of chapter)