Chapter 146: Earth Wasteland Arc (Twelve)
Chapter 146: Earth Wasteland Arc (Twelve)
"Yes", Feng Bu Jue answered.
The man nodded upon hearing this. "Well then, no problem. Head to the Filtering Passage." After saying this, he signaled the four people beside him to proceed with refueling and capsule body maintenance.
Hank led Feng Bu Jue and Kuangzong Jianying away from the platform. They didn’t take the elevator, instead descending via a nearby staircase—the elevator was reserved for supply teams.
As they walked down the stairs, Kuangzong Jianying finally couldn’t resist asking, "Doesn’t this seem strange to you, Bu Jue? He just took your word for it without retrieving any items." He glanced at Feng Bu Jue, then turned to Hank. "Don’t you have inspections or something? To check for hidden items?"
Hank replied in surprise, "Hidden? What are you talking about? Who would dare do that? It’s a capital offense if caught!" He paused. "Besides, what benefit is there in hiding items?"
Kuangzong Jianying was momentarily speechless, thrown off by Hank’s reaction.
Feng Bu Jue chuckled. "Don’t waste time explaining private property laws to slaves. To them, even money holds little meaning. The only thing worth hoarding is food, and even then, risking your life for a few extra bites isn’t worth it."
"Slaves…" Hank muttered. "What does that mean? And private property laws?"
Feng Bu Jue shrugged. "Some things are best left unknown, Hank."
The trio continued downward, reaching the ground floor before entering a passage. The corridor looked unstable—its walls were a patchwork of rock and metal supports, and the dim lighting above made it feel like a poorly constructed mine shaft, the kind prone to collapse at any moment.
After walking about 300 meters, they arrived at a checkpoint resembling a tollbooth. A hexagonal metal booth had an outward-facing window, a structure oddly reminiscent of a highway toll station.
They stopped at the window. The staff member inside spoke in a monotonous tone: "Squad number, names, departure time."
"Scavenger Squad, Squad Twenty-Four. Hank, Jia Wei, Qiao Yi", Hank answered. "Departed this morning."
The man glanced at his paperwork, then at the three before him. "Lost two members?"
"Yes", Feng Bu Jue replied.
"Pity", the man said, then added, "The Changing Room Key wasn’t lost, I trust?"
"No", Hank confirmed. Scavenger Squads typically left the Changing Room Key inside the Sharkfish Pod—no one carried it out personally.
The man checked the time (Divine Protection Village divided the day into ten segments, tracked by unique clocks), scribbled something on his documents, and said, "Proceed. Keep the Changing Room tidy, and stay still during filtering to avoid injury accidents." He spoke absently, clearly reciting a script he’d repeated countless times.
The trio continued forward. The next corridor was entirely metal, about a hundred meters long, gradually widening. The towering entrance ahead was over five meters high. Beyond it lay an area resembling a train station platform—roughly half an acre in size, with a fan-shaped layout, a ceiling seven or eight meters high, and numerous metal pillars, each marked with a number.
Led by Hank, Feng Bu Jue and Kuangzong Jianying crossed this area. Opposite the fan-shaped grand hall stood rows of metal doors, each about 1.9 meters tall and one meter wide. These closed doors, naturally, were the Changing Rooms.
Hank unlocked one with the key, and they entered. Inside was surprisingly cramped. Facing them were five booth-like compartments—these devices were used for the Scavengers’ "filtering" process.
"Just sit here and wait a bit", Hank explained.
Feng Bu Jue nodded and exchanged a glance with his teammate. Kuangzong Jianying, now in a numb, resigned state, had long abandoned any expectations of action. He’d been thrust into a survival mode far removed from his usual kill game preferences. At this point, he’d simply follow Feng Bu Jue’s lead. In a way, the remaining Doom Strikes were as good as dead, so Kuangzong Jianying had adopted a laissez-faire attitude.
He’d assumed Feng Bu Jue’s earlier remark—"Let’s get serious and eliminate these two to show them our strength"—meant an epic battle, a clash of combat prowess to prove true mastery could even defy death. But now, he realized Feng Bu Jue’s interpretation of "serious", "strength", and "eliminate" was entirely different.
There’s a saying: Victory without fighting. Feng Bu Jue’s method was to end things before they began. Now Kuangzong Jianying understood why Feng Bu Jue was known as the man who could "laugh at the abyss while breaking a thousand armies, plotting destiny’s course with calculated causality." For non-combat players, battle itself was the worst strategy, the last resort. Achieving goals without risk was true strength.
Without Feng Bu Jue, Kuangzong Jianying would never have imagined winning a kill game this way. He felt a mix of relief and unease, recalling their earlier duel. If he and Feng Bu Jue hadn’t met early on—if it had been a 2V2 or 3V3 battle—he might have ended up like Shidao’s team, no matter his skill.
Throughout this scenario, Kuangzong Jianying grew increasingly convinced of Feng Bu Jue’s exceptional value. In most games, a star player’s worth was measured by combat ability alone. But in Terrifying Paradise, Feng Bu Jue’s contributions could eclipse even the top ten players on the combat power leaderboard.
Alas, inviting Feng Bu Jue to join Jianghu seemed impossible. Though Kuangzong Jianying lacked his commander Xiao Wen Cang Tian’s talent for reading people, his instincts were sharp. He knew players like Feng Bu Jue would never accept being under someone’s command, even temporarily.
Such players craved freedom, autonomy, and fun. They loathed being ordered around—and equally hated forcing others. Kuangzong Jianying himself shared this sentiment. He and Xiao Wen Cang Tian and Wu Dao Ke had founded Jianghu Studio as equals, the only reason he stayed. He’d refuse any offer to work at another studio, no matter the pay, preferring independence. This was why Order’s attempts to poach Sword and Laughter and merge Jianghu had failed.
Kuangzong Jianying deeply respected Feng Bu Jue’s type—there was mutual admiration. Though recruitment was hopeless, cooperation was worth considering. He’d already noted Hell Front’s emblem. Regardless of the guild’s size, a group with Feng Bu Jue could never be a disorganized, brainless mess of fighters. Even without alliances, avoiding conflict was wise.
The core principle was simple: Under no circumstances should one make enemies of people like Feng Bu Jue.
……
Each entered a compartment. Inside was a single chair. Once seated, the process began—ten points of severity.
Feng Bu Jue’s chair slowly descended beneath the floor, then moved forward.
He felt like a car on a conveyor belt at a car wash. Though darkness surrounded him, he felt water and air jets cleaning his protective suit.
It was less about disinfecting humans and more about treating the suit like a coat on a cleaning rack. The process was brief and painless, ending in under a minute. A metal panel ahead lifted, revealing light—and the true Changing Room.
Feng Bu Jue stood and stepped out. The metal panel closed behind him. The room was about twenty square meters, with storage cabinets along the walls and a bench fixed to the floor. The metallic walls and adequate ceiling lighting made it functional.
Hank and Kuangzong Jianying arrived almost simultaneously. "The cabinets have spare clothes to change into", Hank said, unaware players couldn’t change outfits in the scenario. Their protective suits were functional story items worn over their existing clothes. But these cabinets’ contents were inaccessible to players.
Feng Bu Jue said nothing, opening one of five cabinets. As expected, they were unlocked—and all clothes identical.
Kuangzong Jianying opened another, holding up the outfit. "This is the first time I’ve found ‘clothing’ in a scenario", he said, smiling. "If this were Closed Beta, wearing these would make us gods."
"Pity it’s not Closed Beta anymore", Feng Bu Jue replied. "These drab gray-brown, long-sleeved, round-collared outfits with standard pockets? They’d sell for nothing outside the scenario."
"You’re right", Kuangzong Jianying admitted. Divine Protection Village’s standard attire was minimalist—simple, practical, and uniform.
"What now? We can’t adjust our outfit slots in the scenario", Kuangzong Jianying asked.
Feng Bu Jue replied matter-of-factly, "Keep wearing the protective suits."
Hank interjected, "But in the residential area, we usually—"
Feng Bu Jue waved him off. "I have my reasons. Just change into yours."
(End of Chapter)
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