Chapter 3: Everyone, Don't Panic, I'm Familiar with This Process
"All tests are complete."
"Troublesome, I have to perform it all over again later."
Lin Qi looked at Fang Zhen, who was slowly dissipating on the ground, turning into ash, and couldn't help but sigh. Being an NPC really isn't easy. Then his gaze shifted to the time displayed on his wrist, and he added a few words to Fang Zhen's column in the small notebook.
Limit time: 2 hours 23 minutes 14 seconds.
Physical perception: Poor.
Overall evaluation: Pre-kindergarten senior class.
"Without protection, this is roughly the limit of time they can resist under pollution. It seems necessary to purchase a batch of protective equipment." Lin Qi thought of the few bit he had in his hand, and his head started to ache.
The risks in the wild are not just monsters, but also many places contaminated by radiation. Generally, without the ability to resist radiation pollution for five or six hours, it's difficult to survive in the wild.
Furthermore, people with good physical condition and keen perception can also survive for a long time in the wild.
These types of people can quickly move away the moment they enter a contaminated area, thus avoiding death from long-term radiation.
It's just that players like Fang Zhen are clearly not in this category.
Before, he borrowed a total of thirty thousand bit from the Great Gorilla Gang. After deducting the cost of purchasing weapons, repaying Luo Qi's money, and the money for running the Martial Hall's generator, 18500 bit were gone.
Adding the food and water needed for him to recover his body these past few days, he spent another 495 bit.
In addition, there's the hospital's monthly 2500 bit, totaling 21495 bit.
If players are to farm, their daily food and drink must be managed. The cost of a player's food and drink per day, at the minimum, a box of high-protein biscuits and a bottle of water, is roughly 3 bit per day. The daily expense per person isn't large.
With the money he currently has, let alone supporting ten players, even supporting twenty or thirty players until they watch him go meet those gorillas is no problem at all.
But planting blood essence rice is another matter.
Normally, planting one blood essence rice plant requires an energy land area of 4 square meters. One blood essence rice plant can produce 10 grams of blood essence rice.
To produce one jin (500g) of blood essence rice, 200 square meters of energy land are needed.
To earn thirty thousand in a month, at least thirty thousand square meters must be cultivated in the wild. If planted in three batches, that would still require ten thousand square meters. This is without deducting the cost of seeds and water.
There isn't much energy land in relatively safe areas in the wild to begin with. The energy land closer to the city is almost all controlled by the major gangs of the City of Light Chasing. For the little bit that's left, who knows how many Black Household Drifters are competing for it, so finding hidden energy land is very difficult.
Places closer to the city are either very small in area or very scattered, making planting easy to be discovered and difficult to manage.
In places far from the city, monsters are very active, and the risk of traveling back and forth is extremely high. If one is robbed along the way, there's nowhere to even cry.
Now, if the cost of protective equipment is added, the risk of players earning money by farming will undoubtedly increase significantly. Once a player dies in the wild, the protective equipment is also gone. However, without protective equipment, it's very difficult for players to operate in the wild. It's simply a dilemma.
"Good heavens! A set of used outdoor protective equipment costs 3000 bit?" Lin Qi looked at the price displayed on his wristband, and almost without hesitation, he closed the wristband, feeling his eyes were offended. He then took out his small notebook and flipped through it, "It seems I can only execute Plan B. Although the death count will be much higher, it's safer."
The Obsidian Martial Hall was originally the city center of the City of Light Chasing, but due to the beast tide resistance and various radiation pollutions, it became the current Abandoned Zone.
Although most of the Abandoned Zone is contaminated, as the former city center, there are still many Energy Mine underground. Even if they have long been excavated, the energy contained within the ground is still rich.
It can be said that as long as one is willing to spend time and manpower to develop underground farming, even if many areas are contaminated and unusable, the income from the plantable areas is not low.
At least for him personally, he values it highly. It's just slightly lower and slower compared to farming in the wild.
"Next is the rewards to motivate those players."
Thinking of this, Lin Qi couldn't help but feel through the various pockets of his clothes. As the founder of a game technology company, Lin Qi knew the players' thoughts too well. It's impossible to get players to work for free, but if he could offer good rewards.
Then there is no existence in the whole world crazier or more dedicated than players.
However, Lin Qi searched for a long time but couldn't find anything decent, especially since he was running a Martial Hall, he couldn't be too shabby.
Just as Lin Qi was about to open his wristband to search for some second-hand goods, the corner of Lin Qi's eye suddenly caught sight of a primary school textbook scattered on the passage floor.
Fitness Breathing Method!
"Excellent! This is it!" Lin Qi strode over directly, picked up the Fitness Breathing Method book, which was already half gone, and nodded with satisfaction. "Fortunately, players can't communicate in this world. All I need to do is copy it and change the name to Soul Shocking Breathing Method. If they can't practice it or practice it well, then it's a problem with their talent."
...
In Fang Zhen's live stream room, Fang Zhen looked at the High Martial Descent icon displayed in the virtual pod and didn't recover for a long time.
"Brothers, was I playing High Martial Descent just now?" Fang Zhen couldn't help but ask the audience in the live stream room, completely unable to believe it was true.
That texture! That touch!
And that stinging feeling in his body!
It was exactly like the real thing! Truly too realistic!
"Brother Zhen, you're too good at acting. Quick, tell us, did the game company pay you?"
"Brother Zhen, your performance just now was amazing. I really thought you were kidnapped."
"The streamer is awesome. This is my first time watching a live stream where someone can do squats for two hours without panting. That stamina is truly enviable."
The audience in the live stream room, looking at the surprised Fang Zhen, all teased him, thinking he was putting on an act, just playing a game but making it seem real.
"Brother Zhen, you did squats for two hours. How is the game's virtuality? Is it real?"
"You, Brother Zhen did squats for two hours, isn't that real enough?"
"But this game's start is a bit difficult. Right from the start, it's two hours of squats, and Brother Zhen died before even walking out of the room door. The game company definitely did this on purpose, they just don't want people to ask for refunds."
The audience looked at Fang Zhen, who was still in a daze, and one by one they asked him questions out of curiosity.
Live streaming of virtual games is like watching a movie. The audience cannot experience it firsthand. There are only two perspectives: a third-person perspective and a player perspective. It can be said that other than the picture quality, they cannot feel anything.
"Virtuality? Is it real?" Fang Zhen looked at High Martial Descent on the screen, his eyes getting brighter and brighter. He even said with a slight tremor in his voice, "Brothers! I can only tell you, I have never played such a realistic game. That sense of reality is truly unprecedented. I can rave about it, this High Martial Descent is definitely this year's masterpiece, and it will definitely become globally popular in the future!"
"Other masterpieces with virtuality above 75%, although they did well in terms of gravity and physical sensation systems, are far inferior compared to High Martial Descent. I could even feel the fatigue coming from all parts of my body every time I did a squat, especially the stinging pain from within my body when I finally died was incredibly clear, just like the real thing. Saying it has 100% virtuality is indeed not an exaggeration."
"However, this game also has some flaws, such as no beginner's guide and no game window. After I entered, I didn't even know how to log out. There's also no character customization system; it's a 100% restoration of appearance and body shape right from the start, truly giving no chance at all."
"Also, the beginner's start in this game is too difficult. Right from the start, it's two thousand squats. Players without enough perseverance probably won't be able to complete it at all. The developers should really rework it later, otherwise, it's too off-putting for new players."
While talking about his experience with High Martial Descent, Fang Zhen also pointed out some of its shortcomings. Although he mentioned quite a few flaws, Fang Zhen's eyes became increasingly fervent as he spoke.
Second spring!
Fang Zhen felt his second spring had arrived!
The career of professional esports players is very short, generally ending around thirty years old. Only those at the pinnacle of professional esports can continue until thirty-five, earning a fortune.
The current hottest mech battle game, 'Mech Continent', was something Fang Zhen started playing quite late. Coupled with his age, he struggled to even get in. The professional league teams in Mech Continent are now on the verge of being optimized out. It's clearly unlikely for him to achieve anything significant in Mech Continent.
But now, High Martial Descent has shown Fang Zhen an opportunity.
With a virtuality of up to 100%, just by the name, you know it's a fighting game. Once it becomes popular, it will definitely form its own professional esports league scene. At that time, its popularity surpassing Mech Continent, which only has 75% virtuality, will definitely not be a big problem.
And as one of the first players to experience High Martial Descent, as long as he can seize the opportunity, becoming a top expert in the professional scene in the future is not impossible.
"Brother Zhen, although you've offered many useful suggestions for new players, is there a possibility... that new players can't even get in?"
"I've already paid for this game for a while now, and it's still showing me 'queuing for connection'."
"No way, 4999 yuan, you guys already paid?"
"What 100% virtuality, it's fake! This is definitely an advertisement the game company hired streamers to promote, it's just a scam. On the surface, it's limited to ten people playing, but they don't limit more people from buying and queuing. What is this if not a scam? Anyway, real players can't play, so these streamers can boast however they want."
"This is clearly the streamer trying to generate buzz. If it really has 100% virtuality, I'd rave about it, alright?"
"New player asking, is this game real or fake?"
"I don't believe it! Unless I can play for free!"
As Fang Zhen continuously promoted High Martial Descent in his live stream room, many viewers wanted to try it out, and at the same time, many players jumped out, claiming that Fang Zhen was in cahoots with the game company, deliberately tricking people into buying the game, when the game was actually unplayable.
For a time, the live stream room was filled with constant arguments, and the popularity kept rising, subtly pushing towards the top ten in game streaming. This made the reputation of High Martial Descent grow, and the number of players who were skeptical and ecstatic also increased.
"Everyone, listen to me. This game is still in beta testing. They are still allowing purchases now, probably because they will release more spots later. For those who don't believe, so be it. I'm upright and not afraid of shadows. I will continue to stream this game." Fang Zhen looked at the constantly cursing and mocking audience, no longer explaining, and decided to strike while the iron was hot. "Family, let's continue. Today, I won't stop streaming until I get a good start."
After speaking, Fang Zhen recharged 648 yuan, and the icon for High Martial Descent immediately lit up, no longer dark gray.
In the gloomy basement, the cold wind still whistled, and wails continued.
"Are there two more people this time?"
Fang Zhen opened his eyes and found that there were two more people beside him, a man and a woman wearing gray T-shirts and long shirts.
Both were not old. The man looked less than twenty, a bit shy like a student. The woman was twenty-three or twenty-four, with fair skin and long shoulder-length hair, and a hint of heroic spirit between her brows, as if she were a martial arts heroine.
At this moment, the two had just woken up and were a bit confused by their sudden surroundings. They looked around blankly, especially when they saw Lin Qi sitting at the metal table, holding a small notebook in one hand and a pen in the other. Their expressions were a little panicked.
Looking at the panicked two, Fang Zhen didn't know why, but his previous depression was swept away, and he even felt a sense of accomplishment.
"Everyone, don't panic." Fang Zhen got up, brushed the dirt off his pants, and looked at the two calmly, saying, "I'm familiar with this process!"
After hearing this, the male student and the martial arts heroine's expressions calmed down considerably. They both looked at Fang Zhen, this older brother with a full beard, as if they had found their backbone, and their previous anxiety completely disappeared.
"Name?"
"Fang Zhen!"
"Age?"
"29!"
"Your age is a bit old."
"I think I still have potential! I can prove it!"
For a moment, Lin Qi and Fang Zhen were in a question-and-answer session, and Fang Zhen's responses were strong and firm, neither humble nor arrogant, clearly showing the demeanor of an experienced player.
"Good! Since that's the case, then prove it." Lin Qi looked at the confident Fang Zhen and nodded with satisfaction. This was a role model for players, and his active cooperation was not in vain. Immediately, Lin Qi picked up an alloy shovel from the ground and threw it directly in front of Fang Zhen. "Turn right at the passage ahead. There's a small warehouse there. You have two hours and twenty minutes to dig a 10 cubic meter space five meters underground. You can start!"
During the new book period, Lao Mao will update twice daily.