"Scholar, I have three tasks for you."
Lu Yuan took out a scanner and handed it to Shenceng Jubian.
"This is a scanner. Just press the switch, and it will automatically scan objects in front of it to obtain engineering blueprints."
"Like the scanner gun in 'Subnautica'?"
Jubian immediately became interested.
"What I mean is, what do you need me to do with it?" Seeing that the Executive Officer didn't react to other games, he asked about the task details.
"I need you to scan everything on the spaceplane," Lu Yuan said.
"Several subsystems on the plane were damaged during the forced landing. To repair them, we first need the blueprints."
"Additionally, the equipment in the cargo hold is a 3D printer. I hope you can study it and figure out what we can and cannot produce right now."
"Finally, and most importantly, I need you to figure out a solution to the power shortage problem."
Jin Yi Ye Xing and Caoyuan a Caoyuan exchanged glances, looking at each other.
These three tasks sounded a bit boring...
However, Jubian was quite excited.
"No problem, Executive Officer. Leave it to me!"
He had thought the "research gameplay" was just a gimmick, but now it seemed like there was something to it!
Next, Lu Yuan looked at Caoyuan a Caoyuan.
"Soldier, you have two important tasks."
"Yes!"
Hearing the word "important," Caoyuan instinctively stood straight and saluted.
"First, I need you to patrol the surroundings and mark every potential threat. This is crucial for our safety."
"Also, you are responsible for solving the food supply problem."
Lu Yuan took out his Pad and showed him a picture.
"This is a local specialty, the Desert Spider, a high-level arthropod. Its habits are a bit like a scorpion, and it's edible."
Oh, oh, wasteland life!
The three players all gathered around, looking at the "alien creature" in the picture.
Lu Yuan continued.
"The Desert Spider is similar in size and running speed to a medium-sized dog. Its claws are very sharp, and they are gregarious, so they have a certain lethality. However, as long as you control the distance and don't get surrounded, they are not difficult to hunt."
Brother Caoyuan looked at Lu Yuan.
"Do we have any ranged weapons? Guns, crossbows, anything is fine."
Although he was confident in his physical strength, catching such a large beast with his bare hands was still a bit difficult.
"Of course, follow me."
Lu Yuan led the three of them to the weapon station.
"Each of you has a set of combat gear. Ranged weapons include rifles and pistols, and melee weapons include daggers and entrenching tools."
"The beginner's welfare is quite generous~"
Jin Yi Ye Xing picked up the "Striker" rifle.
"Let me tell you, my marksmanship is amazing, second-tier professional level. I've been in the Master rank in shooting games for years! Wait... why doesn't this gun have sights? Where's the red dot? The scope? It doesn't even have iron sights..."
Lu Yuan smiled, took off a tactical helmet, and put it on his head.
"Oh~ I see it!" Jin Yi Ye Xing's eyes widened. "Amazing! Wherever the muzzle points, the crosshair follows, and it even shows the distance!"
With this thing, he'll be unstoppable!
Shenceng Jubian also put on a tactical helmet.
"Hmm... head-up display. It integrates laser ranging, optical magnification, infrared night vision, and can even show remaining ammunition and barrel temperature. This is a good piece of equipment. In reality, only fighter pilots get to use this."
"Oh? It seems Brother Jubian knows a lot about weapons and equipment?" Caoyuan initiated the conversation.
"Head-up display" is short for helmet-mounted sight. Most people haven't heard of it.
Jubian waved his hand, "Not at all, just some exposure through work."
After the three of them became familiar with the equipment, Lu Yuan looked at Ye Xing.
"Investigator, you will act with me next. Our task is to go outside and collect supplies."
As soon as he said this, the eyes of the other two players were filled with envy.
The leader NPC is taking them on a task. This task must be important!
Following Lu Yuan, the three of them exited the hatch and came out into the scorching heat.
"Two of our engines fell off during the forced landing. We need to find as much of the wreckage as possible, the more the better." Lu Yuan pointed to the mangled tail of the spaceplane.
"Team Leader... do we have to search in this vast Desert?"
Jin Yi Ye Xing looked troubled.
Isn't this like looking for a needle in a haystack?
"Don't worry," Lu Yuan tapped on his Pad a few times. "We still have a drone. Earlier, it scouted some potential wreckage locations, and I've already synced them to your maps. You can see them when you open your Pad."
"In short, that's the task. Do you have any questions? If not, let's get started as soon as possible!"
"Yes!"
The three of them said in unison.
Following the map, Lu Yuan and Ye Xing, fully armed, headed west and walked for over an hour.
Jin Yi Ye Xing showed no signs of fatigue. Any sand dune or rock could spark his endless interest, and he kept muttering things like, "Holy crap, the modeling is so detailed, every grain of sand is modeled," and "How is the frame rate so high, it's not laggy at all."
"Team Leader, can the game's closed beta content be made public?"
Jin Yi Ye Xing leaned closer to Lu Yuan. This was what he was most concerned about right now.
"Yes. The tactical helmet can record video. First, copy the recorded content to the hibernation pod computer. It's connected to the internet in your universe and can upload videos to various websites."
Lu Yuan answered.
Although he didn't know how this cross-parallel universe network connection was achieved, it did exist.
"Then... what about live streaming?"
"As long as you transmit the video signal back, you can naturally live stream." Lu Yuan looked at him and smiled.
"You can ask the Scholar to help you solve this technical problem. It shouldn't be too difficult."
Soon, the two of them found a large piece of engine wreckage in the yellow sand.
The wreckage was beyond repair and could only be melted down and reforged. The two first collected dozens of kilograms of metal fragments and stuffed them into their respective backpacks.
The remaining main part weighed at least 100 kilograms. Lu Yuan tied a nylon rope to it so that the two of them could work together to drag it back to the camp.
Just as they were about to leave, Ye Xing's eyes swept across and he noticed something.
"Team Leader, on the sand around us... there seem to be some strange tracks!"
Lu Yuan tilted his head in the direction he was pointing.
This new Investigator was not wrong. There were some clear linear tracks on the sand, which didn't look natural. Instead, they looked like they were left by a heavy object being dragged.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan activated the tactical helmet's magnification function and saw a reddish-brown stone mountain in the direction indicated by the tracks, with a cave at the base of the mountain.
"Should we go check it out?" Jin Yi Ye Xing was eager to try, clearly treating the cave as a small dungeon.
Lu Yuan thought for a few seconds.
It looked like someone, or something, had stolen the spaceplane wreckage.
These metal materials were extremely important supplies. If too much was lost, it might prevent the spaceplane from being repaired, making it impossible to fly to space forever.
"Let's go take a look, but stay vigilant."
"Yes!"
The two temporarily left the large piece of wreckage they had just found and walked into the dim mountain cave.
As the brightness decreased, the tactical helmet's night vision function automatically activated.
Rustling!
A sound came, and Lu Yuan and Jin Yi Ye Xing simultaneously saw a group of Desert Spiders in the cave.
These beasts also sensed the intruders. The largest one, a small leader, bared its fangs and brandished its claws. After a display of dominance, it was the first to charge.
"Watch out!"
Without a word, Jin Yi Ye Xing stepped forward and decisively pulled the trigger.
Since it was his first time using an automatic rifle, his burst missed.
However, this kid was incredibly talented and immediately got the feel for using the gun. His second three-round burst hit directly between the Desert Spider's eyes, followed by the second one, and the third one!
His marksmanship wasn't just bragging; his reaction speed was incredibly fast!
Because the tactical helmet reduced the difficulty of aiming and the gun's recoil was also low, Ye Xing's gaming talent was fully displayed.
The remaining Desert Spiders stopped abruptly halfway and scattered.
Can't afford to provoke them.
"Haha, it's even simpler than I thought! These Desert Spiders must be the beginner village monsters, right?" Jin Yi Ye Xing raised his muzzle and changed the magazine.
"Don't pop the champagne just yet."
Lu Yuan gave him a signal.
The recent gunshots echoed repeatedly in the cave, making a bit too much noise.
If there were larger creatures inside...
Sure enough, a moment later, a series of footsteps similar to the previous ones came from deeper inside.
"Bring it on!" Jin Yi Ye Xing got into an aiming stance in advance. "Judging by the sound, there shouldn't be as many as before."
However, a few seconds later, the figure that appeared in the darkness startled both him and Lu Yuan at the same time.
That thing indeed had the appearance of a Desert Spider, but its size was more than double, and its body was actually made of metal!
This was a Mechanical Desert Spider!
Complex pipelines and transmission mechanisms formed its slender four legs, and its body was covered in irregularly shaped armor, giving it a full wasteland aesthetic.
It stopped less than 30 meters in front of Lu Yuan. Its four camera eyes gradually changed from blue to red.
【Target... Scanning and Identifying】
【Species Confirmed: Human】
【Gene Purity: 100%】
【Threat Confirmed, Task Mode Changed to: Expulsion】