Translator: AnubisTL
"Expensive?" Chen Jiang couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head as he sat down. "Since when is 'expensive' a compliment? I thought you'd say 'handsome'."
"Heh heh." Scar Dog grinned, explaining, "Expensive things are good things. 'Expensive' means you look really handsome, Brother Jiang."
They had been wearing their newly purchased suits when they went to meet the ruin field arena master. Upon returning, they casually tossed off their ties and suit jackets.
Just then, the girl came knocking. With no time to change, they grabbed their weapons and escorted the group out.
As a result, their new suit pants and white shirts were now stained with dust and blood, creating a chaotic yet violent aesthetic.
"Alright," Chen Jiang said, glancing at the other sorted items. "Let's see if there are any other interesting items. We'll stash away the useless ones for future enhancements."
"Alright."
Soon, the two found two interesting items.
[Item Name]: Space Bracelet
[Item Tier]: One-Star Item
[Item Effect]: A 3x3x3 meter space, totaling 27 cubic meters.
[Item Description]: Utilizes folded space to store firearms, equipment, clothing, and other items.
And—
[Item Name]: Owl Walkie-Talkie (Pair)
[Item Tier]: One-Star Item
[Item Effect]: Enables communication within a 10-kilometer radius, transmitting information via particle transfer, making it impossible to intercept or eavesdrop.
[Item Description]: See that small cap at the top of the walkie-talkie? Open it to reveal a red button. Pressing this button will instantly detonate the glorious bullet inside, with no delay!
The explosive force is enough to obliterate you. You can use this to take enemies down with you, provided you get close enough.
Both of these items are pretty good.
Chen Jiang casually tossed the space bracelet to Scar Dog. He already had one himself, the one he'd looted from Ma Zi's corpse.
"This walkie-talkie is decent," Scar Dog said, nodding slightly in satisfaction. "With this, our operations will be much smoother."
"Though the fact that it can explode... I mean, that feature seems a bit unnecessary, don't you think?"
"Alright, that's enough."
After sorting all the items, Chen Jiang stripped off his blood-soaked shirt, revealing his scarred abs. He shook his head wearily. "Let's get some sleep. We've got work to do tomorrow."
"Got it."
These weren't the chiseled abs you get from a gym. They were the kind you get from running and starving, not particularly prominent or aesthetically pleasing. But the scars etched across them gave them a uniquely masculine beauty.
In the Wilderness, where there are no hospitals and the heat is relentless, any injury meant that without immediate action, the wound would inevitably fester and worsen.
Forced to drag their wounded bodies across the Wilderness, they actively sought out mutated beasts.
Their goal was to kill these creatures in the hope of obtaining a flesh capsule like the one Scar Dog had used to prevent infection and heal his wounds.
However, not every mutated beast dropped items, and not every item dropped was a flesh capsule.
During this process, they inevitably sustained further injuries.
Countless times, they believed they wouldn't see the next sunrise, yet they always managed to pull through. Luck consistently favored them, though it always arrived a little late.
When they were born into this world, their randomly assigned innate abilities were not combat-oriented.
Both possessed support abilities, meaning their struggle for survival was far greater than that of others.
During their initial escape, they even witnessed a man casually swing his sword, unleashing several blade qi projectiles that shot out like something from a video game.
Such individuals possessed innate combat abilities, allowing them to survive with relative ease.
Lying on a makeshift bed of rags and cardboard, Chen Jiang rested his head on his arms, gazing blankly through the small hole in the shipping container roof at the night sky.
It's been over three months since I arrived in this world, he thought.
And I'm still alive.
Among the items salvaged from the group, twenty-three were enhancement items, in addition to some useful tools.
Not a bad haul.
But compared to tomorrow's deal for five thousand semi-scrapped items, this was a mere pittance.
I hope tomorrow's transaction goes smoothly.
After a moment of silence, Chen Jiang slowly closed his eyes to rest, but his ears remained alert.
In the Wilderness, no one could afford to sleep soundly, especially human players.
After being slaughtered by the mechanical race upon their initial arrival in this world, all human players instantly abandoned their civilized notions.
Like a savage, Chen Jiang and his companion hid in the shadows, constantly using every means at their disposal to kill mutated beasts and mechanical race members, scavenging weapons to survive.
This world was defined by absolute racial antagonism.
The moment two individuals from different races revealed their identities, drawing their weapons was the only possible response.
Those who are not of our kind cannot be trusted.
No reasons were needed, no explanations necessary. If you and I are not of the same race, only one of us will leave this encounter alive.
Or perhaps... both of us will fall here.
Soon, the night had passed.
Dawn broke early.
Chen Jiang and his companion were already awake.
They hadn't opted for the traditional arrangement of one sleeping while the other kept watch. Instead, both remained in a light sleep, ensuring maximum combat readiness in case of danger.
As the night ended, they dusted off their clothes from the previous day and put them back on.
With the early light, they prepared to scout ahead.
Checking was simple: just observe whether the ruin field arena master had diligently prepared semi-scrapped items. This would provide a rough indication of the situation.
At that moment—
Both of them simultaneously received a notification:
[Ding! Rewards for yesterday's alien kill leaderboard are now being distributed.]
[Rank 1: Mechanical Race - Feng Jiutian]
[Alien Kills: 1,789]
[Rank 2: Mechanical Race - Yan Pomen]
[Alien Kills: 1,239]
[Rank 3: Mechanical Race - Wan'e]
[Alien Kills: 792]
The top four ranks were all occupied by players from the Mechanical Race. Only a titan group member managed to squeeze into fifth place, while sixth place reverted to the Mechanical Race.
Out of the top ten, six were Mechanical Race members.
Human players had also made the leaderboard, securing a respectable thirty-fourth place.
[Rank 34: Human Race - Su Tian]
[Alien Kills: 67]
"Good grief," Scar Dog muttered, his brow furrowing. "Are the Mechanical Race really this much stronger than we thought? The top three are all Mechanical Race members? And they're racking up over a thousand kills a day?"
"Are you serious?"
Just then, another announcement rang out:
[Congratulations to the mechanical race player who secured the top spot on yesterday's alien kill leaderboard.]
[The race of player Feng Jiutian has received a random bonus reward.]
[All mechanical race players have received a random one-star item.]
"The human players are at a disadvantage," Chen Jiang murmured, his brow furrowing slightly as he pondered the situation. The pattern was now clear: the race of the daily alien kill leaderboard's top player would receive a random bonus reward.
The mechanical race was clearly gaining momentum. If they continued to dominate the leaderboard, they would receive daily race rewards, further widening the gap and making it even harder for the human race to catch up.
"Looks like we need to act quickly," Chen Jiang muttered, taking a deep breath. His eyes narrowed as he gazed toward City 18, saying nothing.
It was time for the human race to claim the top spot on the alien kill leaderboard.
(End of the Chapter)
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