Chapter 58: 058 New Task

Bai E felt a little sighful after being pinned down and beaten—no combat experience was gained.

Intense battles could sometimes yield a bit of combat experience, like a few points he got from the one-on-one duel with Rose during the last endurance battle at night.

After teaching Gong Yan bandaging skills and reaping 100 points of general experience, his reserve of combat/general experience had reached a total of 996 points, just 4 points shy of 1000, which would allow him to decide whether to activate one of the skill trees after the 4th-level specialization.

However, not enough is not enough.

Just short of 4 points, it was so tantalizing…

"Ah!"

A hysterical voice, like that of a wounded beast, suddenly came from the chaotic crowd, and a streak of blood flashed through the exhausted warriors.

By the time Bai E turned around in shock, the quicker-reacting warriors had already reached out to help, but their limbs were weak from being pushed to their limits, and their well-intentioned efforts were powerless against the sudden burst of madness from one of the fighters.

The warrior who was seen as the target was sitting on the ground, frantically retreating on all fours, his thigh bleeding profusely; getting injured during training was common.

However, the dark red blood seemed to have stimulated the nerves of the maddened warrior, whose eyes gleamed with visible greed as he stared at the blood.

Ignoring his aching limbs, Bai E got up and wanted to intervene, but an agile figure beat him to it and leaped forward.

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A precise and harsh chop, the crazed warrior stiffened and then slumped into Rose's arms.

"Take him to the infirmary," Rose nonchalantly handed the limp warrior over to two fighters that still had strength and shook her hand as if it were no big deal.

"What's wrong with him?" Bai E followed the gaze of the warrior Rose had knocked out, his chest badge revealing his origin—69A44.

According to what he had learned these past few days, this seemed to be a production line for artificial humans using Bug Race genes.

Rose rolled her eyes, "How would I know…"

The sudden incident didn't seem to trouble the others much; perhaps the fighter had snapped due to being hit hard during training?

It was hard to say.

However, there was silence within the command center vehicle watching the scene.

After a long while, someone sighed, "Artificial humans…"

…

"Eat and then train some more?"

In the cafeteria, Rose took the initiative to invite.

Defeating Bai E completely was her one and only desire before that happened.

"No time."

Bai E picked up his clean plate and left.

Players were waiting to be fed, and he had no time to indulge Rose's antics here.

Under the midday sun, Bai E strode with steady steps to the appointed place on time.

"My lord!"

Three people came forward to greet him, and the look in Gong Yan's eyes when she saw Bai E was somewhat complex.

After Bai E's departure, many of the injured and their families came to express their thanks, leaving her alone to receive it.

This game was too realistic…

The NPCs' gratitude seemed all the more sincere.

It was somewhat touching…

Perhaps the lord and the organization behind him were protecting a group of people who were mostly humble, sometimes cunning, and occasionally genuine.

"You've done well."

Bai E patted the stacked lumber; the players were already familiar with the tasks involving the wolf pack and lumber, nothing much to discuss.

He looked around and asked in confusion, "Where's the burrow?"

The 0.3 point of physical ability he casually gained last night must have come from their digging, but Bai E could not see the entrance to the burrow at the moment.

"It's here."

Dai Lian took the initiative to lead the way, lifting a disguised turf to reveal the dark entrance beneath it.

The entrance was roughly one square meter in size, with a ladder hanging down into it.

Leaning over to look, it seemed they had only dug two or three meters down, and as for expanding it or even completing an entire storage, that seemed a long way off.

Well... it looked like it would keep them occupied for a while.

Bai E nodded silently and turned to the three people, "I'm here today to share some news with you. Tomorrow, I will join the army on an expedition. Our target is the Bug Race's nest on the Blackrock Plains."

Some things could be said, others could not. Bai E did not know how long the attack on the Bug Race's nest would take, but the fact that he would be gone for at least a day was set in stone, and he needed to give these players a reasonable explanation.

"Our goal is to expand the living space for humanity. Many people are working towards this common direction. There may be some shadows in the city, but not all are enemies. When I'm not here, you must be careful and... keep your passion alive."

Bai E did not know what truly lay in the depths of these currently very respectful players' hearts. Each player was chaotic and dangerous, so he could only try to shackle them with the reins of Order while advancing his own development.

"Last night I received some information and went to check out the district. The already scarce space we depend on for survival is being invaded by evil forces. Put the Black Forest issue aside for now, the threat that is near at hand needs to be eradicated even more."

[Mission description auto-generating...]

[Side Mission —— The Mastermind Behind the Curtain (Combat-type Mission): An abnormal rat swarm is roaming the city's underground, what conspiracy is brewing behind them?

Mission Requirements: Investigate the truth 0/1, eradicate the plague of rats 0/1.

Mission Reward: Universal experience 50~100 points (adjustable), item reward (undetermined).]

(Note: "Auto-complete" allowed; once mission is confirmed, "authority" and "expenditure" will be deducted and locked.)

[Would you like to release the current mission?]

[Settings —— Mission Reward: Universal experience 100 points, item reward...]

Bai E hesitated slightly.

People from the Arbitration Place should not be greenhorns, and the missions that seemed challenging to them were never simple.

Bai E did not expect these three players, who had not yet grown, to be able to directly kill the boss-like mastermind, but assisting was still feasible.

Considering that even assisting would be challenging, he might have to offer more than just authority as a reward.

100... The circuit rewards must not be lost; they need to know that the circuit is tied to people, not the mission!

[...Fine brass bullets, 100+30 rounds.]

If he was to give, it had to be a shock that exceeded their expectations — that was what a surprise truly was.

[Confirm release!]

However, that was not enough. The experiences gained from repeated activities would definitely diminish, and logging could be stopped as well.

Moreover, since they were planning to construct underground buildings, they could not do without more advanced building materials — cement.

[Mission description auto-generating...]

[Side Mission —— Building Requirements (Resource-type Mission): Just wood is not enough to support the construction of a complete, massive underground warehouse, cement is also an indispensable material.

Mission Requirements: Submit cement *0/10~20 (adjustable).

Mission Reward: Science points *1, item reward (undetermined).]

(Note: Involves physical submission, current mission cannot be "auto-completed," must be "verified upon completion"; once mission is confirmed, "authority" and "expenditure" will be deducted and locked.)

As with the previous issue, with the mission difficulty increased, the reward granted by authority was not enough. In order to make the missions he released competitive, Bai E had to increase the item reward.

Luckily, there wasn't much on him, just plenty of bullets...

[Settings —— Mission Requirements: Submit 20 cement; Mission Reward: 30+9 fine brass bullets.]

...

The three who received the mission were momentarily wide-eyed.

"This, this, this..."

Bai E's mouth curved into a slightly softer smile, "Although our mission is tough, I won't let down any comrade who contributes to the organization."

Watching Bai E turn to leave, perhaps it was a woman's natural sensitivity, but Gong Yan always felt there was something especially solemn and tragic about this soldier's back. Maybe this expedition was not going to be easy?

She couldn't help but step forward and ask.

"Sir... How long will you be gone?"