Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 1129 - 14: Racing Against Time (Three more - s, asking for monthly passes)

Chapter 1129: Chapter 14: Racing Against Time (Three more Chapters, asking for monthly passes)

Tang Zheng originally wanted to remind those who took extra items once more, but unfortunately, there was no time left.

This teleportation lasted a full twenty seconds, starting from the feet and ending with the head, so that the survivors could clearly see the fate of the disobedient and those without judgment.

The women screamed, and even though their bodies could not move, they were in turmoil, especially those survivors who were close to the corpses, their faces splattered with flesh and brain pulp, nearly breaking down.

In Tang Zheng’s Trojan Room, five people died before the game even teleported them, their heads all blown off, leaving bloody necks and pale spines that fell to the floor, with blood splattered everywhere.

A short-statured miner met his death simply out of bad luck; he was a little deaf and didn’t hear Tang Zheng’s warning. Believing that taking extra wouldn’t hurt, he pocketed two more ammo clips and was punished.

The dead tourists and a male policeman had all taken extra equipment and were punished.

"Long Long!" a mother cried out in pain, her five-year-old son also dead. Just before the countdown ended, the little boy, out of curiosity, dropped the wristwatch he was holding to grab another from a different cabinet, did not make it back in time, and was executed with the elimination punishment.

The fifth unfortunate victim was Zhou Penggang; he paid the price for his conceit and foolhardy actions. The moment his headless corpse hit the floor, he truly regretted not listening to Tang Zheng’s words.

The complexions of the survivors changed dramatically, going pale, their bodies trembling uneasily, including the policemen, as after all, those who have seen a corpse up close are always a minority.

"To die just like that? It can’t be a joke, right?" Huang Shan was dumbfounded, disbelief written all over his face, "This must be magic, a trick."

"It’s real," Ding Jian said gravely. As an old policeman, he could clearly distinguish corpses.

Tao Ran averted his gaze, unable to bear looking at the child’s corpse any longer, while Song Xin clutched Tang Zheng’s arm, her knuckles turning white from the grip.

"Keep watching, you must adapt to this kind of slaughter as soon as possible, or you will die even faster!" Tang Zheng grabbed Tao Ran’s chin, forced him to look, and then loudly warned the newbies, "From now on, you must rely on the hints from the Trojan and the environment to play the game. Any incorrect judgment could lead to death."

Five newbies died in Tang Zheng’s room, ranking third; the first two had three and four deaths respectively. As for the other rooms, the average was nine, with one room having as many as sixteen dead.

The Trojan arranging so many newbies to undertake a mission together was also a test of the Team Leader’s ability. Tang Zheng wasn’t the only miserable one; the other Team Leaders also had it tough. The newbies were their acquaintances or enemies, full of conflicts. Don’t even think about having a stable team. Of course, you could ignore them and work alone, but that would only make things more difficult.

The teleportation ended, and the survivors appeared on a bustling Main Street, surrounded by skyscrapers, and a never-ending stream of people, filled with a modern aesthetic.

Tang Zheng already began observing the newbies, choosing temporary teammates for cooperation. Since the Trojan had arranged them here, they must be of use.

The newbies were still in shock, with some women laying on the ground, vomiting. The mother who had lost her child knelt on the ground, almost passing out from crying.

"What should we do now?" Zixuan asked Tang Zheng, while the gazes of the others shifted toward him, awaiting an answer.

Rong Xuan and Li Wenbo, stunned by the deaths, did not dare to interrupt for the time being, deciding to familiarize themselves with the environment. After all, they were not fools and knew well the importance of staying out of trouble.

"Wait for a minute first, the Trojan might give hints. Also, look around to determine where and when this is, and then find a temporary shelter!" The first priority in an unfamiliar place was to safeguard oneself before taking action. Tang Zheng, observing the passersby, both Caucasian and black, surmised that this was likely America.

Zixuan didn’t want to wait and stopped a girl passing by, speaking fluent English and pretending to be a tourist to gather information.

"Is this a fantasy genre scenario?" Tang Zheng tried to arm himself with Power Armor but failed. He then tried to take out a Memory Eraser to get some money, only to find out that the wristwatch was restricted. However, the most troubling issue wasn’t those restrictions; it seemed as if his physical fitness had suddenly dropped considerably.

Tang Zheng breathed deeply, his lung capacity far exceeding that of ordinary people, with each breath being equivalent to five of a regular person’s. But now, his breathing rate had noticeably increased.

"Only slightly stronger than an ordinary person now." Tang Zheng tested his grip strength and jumped in place, getting disappointing results that made him frown.

Almost all Team Leaders immediately discovered that their physical fitness was reduced to the level of ordinary people, but they did not panic. Without even that much psychological preparation, they would be unworthy of the title of Team Leader.

"I got it, this is Chicago, America!" Zixuan’s expression was serious. She truly hoped this was all a dream, "And it’s 2100 now."

The survivors didn’t speak because they had no idea what to do.

"Huh, I understand English? I can understand what they’re saying." The traffic police became excited, this guy was always optimistic.

To facilitate communication, Trojan granted survivors language specialization.

"Anyway, let’s leave this place first." Ding Jian pushed the colleague in front of him, reminding Tang Zheng that a group of people standing on Main Street was drawing frequent glances from passersby, which made him very uncomfortable.

"Dong Zixuan, pick a few colleagues who are nimble and sharp-witted to come with me to get some money." Tang Zheng looked at his wristwatch terminal, somewhat worried. It was as smooth as new, with no button to be found. "Is it a touchscreen? But how do I turn it on?"

Zila, zila, gigantic billboards mounted on the walls of many towering skyscrapers that usually displayed advertisements suddenly switched to a man wearing a black hood, showing only his eyes. He held a microphone, announcing a terrorist attack.

"Please release the leaders of the East European Anti-Government Armed Organization, otherwise, in half an hour, we will launch a terrorist attack on Chicago." The voice of the man in the black hood, altered by voice changer, was emotionless and cold as ice, "I repeat, there is no room for negotiation. If we do not see our people in half an hour, we will make the 300 inhabitants of Chicago our funeral companions!"

Zila, although the radio station promptly intercepted the hacker and took back the live broadcast rights, the citizens were still panicked by this terrifying declaration and began making phone calls to the police station and government, inquiring about the situation.

In less than a minute, an official-looking figure appeared on all major channels, telling everyone that these were groundless rumors, and the personal security of citizens would receive the highest guarantee, to calm their emotions.

"Damn, Americans also live in dire straits, could this be another 9/11?" The traffic police whistle blew, but soon he could not feel cheerful anymore.

Beep, beep, beep, a series of urgent beeps sounded, and the wristwatches of all survivors were activated. On the screen, a cube emerged, spinning, then shattered into dots and vanished, replaced by a blood-red inscription

"Survivors, please eliminate the terrorists within half an hour to save Chicago. If the mission fails, you will receive a wiping punishment!" Trojan finished speaking, and a map appeared on the screen, "This is where the terrorists are hiding."

"Damn, the terrorist attack is real, are we in danger?" The traffic police exhaled heavily, looking at everyone.

"What are we waiting for, let’s go kill the terrorists, there’s not much time left." Tong Dahong, 26 years old, had been a policeman for two years and was at an age full of vigor, eager to make an achievement.

"How do we kill them? With handguns?" Li Wenbo complained.

"If you decide to go, Trojan will provide support with various types of light and heavy firepower, even armed helicopters for you to choose from." As if sensing the survivors’ hesitation, Trojan, like a caring nanny, immediately offered hints, displaying various weapons on the screen.

"I want an armored vehicle!" Tong Dahong browsed through the options on the screen, eager to pick, his face full of pride, "I’ve learned how to use this before."

"Wait!" Tang Zheng stopped him.

"What’s wrong?" Tong Dahong, because of the earlier issue with the corpse, was more cautious about Tang Zheng’s words.

"There’s something off, I don’t agree with going to kill the terrorists." Tang Zheng shook his head, "Half an hour is too tight, even elites wouldn’t be able to do it, let alone a motley crew like this."

"Are you underestimating us?" Tong Dahong became unhappy, "Didn’t you hear that guy’s words? If we don’t complete the mission, we’ll get wiped out. We don’t have a choice."

"No, there are so many group leaders, at least ten teams or more, surely half of them won’t be able to make it. Are they all going to be wiped out? The game has just started; Trojan wouldn’t be that cruel." Based on past experiences, Trojan was known to select the strongest for the Holy Land, not massacre the survivors like toys.

"Just say you’re scared and it’ll be fine. Don’t worry, none of us are looking down on you." Tong Dahong stroked his chin, offering his own speculation, "With so many group leaders, wouldn’t that make destroying the terrorists a very easy task?"

"If you want to die, go ahead, I won’t stop you. My fifteen rounds of survival experience tell me what to do!" Tang Zheng felt he had done enough to persuade them, moreover, by doing this, he also proved his value and friendliness to the other newbies—with him gone, they would not survive.

The survivors fell silent, not willing to venture into the unknown.

"Dong Zixuan, you pick a few people. Dong Tao, Tao Ran, you come with me. We don’t have time to waste." Tang Zheng still had to look out for his own people, taking the lead in establishing a base foundation.

"Uncle Wang." Dong Zixuan chose, of course, those close to her. Tang Zheng noted them all down—these were additional ones he could take special care of.

"What you said isn’t necessarily correct, just now you were talking about choosing protective clothing, yet we ended up with nothing!" Xiao Li, after receiving a signal from Li Wenbo, immediately stood up to contest him.

"There’s a lot to do now, we need to get money first, then buy weapons and ammunition, and at the same time, find a safe place to stay, to make sure we’re prepared when the terror attack comes." Tang Zheng rapidly dictated the tasks, relying on professionalism to gain trust, "We also need to arrange transportation, as well as store enough food, so we can leave the city at any moment." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qi Dian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation.)