Chapter 258 I Picked Up Trash on the Battlefield of National Fortune 14
The system's voice rang in Zhou Jue's mind, tinged with a hint of schadenfreude. Zhou Jue pushed the cart without pausing, as if he hadn't heard anything.
A test? She had expected it; if nothing unexpected happened, even her identity as a businesswoman would be tested.
The three people on the abandoned railway tracks to the east were the first team, responsible for carrying out the mission.
The two people behind the ruined wall on the south side were part of the observation team, responsible for recording.
The three people in the western ruins are the reserve team, ready to provide support or carry out the next step at any time.
The division of labor was clear and the actions were carried out in an orderly manner.
Zhou Jue's divine sense swept across the area, clearly showing everyone's location, equipment, and even the tense expressions on their faces.
She continued playing her role, the little car creaking and rolling forward as she went to clean up the next "garbage dump" marked on the task list.
It was a pile of abandoned shelves, right on the path that the three people on the east side would inevitably take.
The show is about to begin.
...
"It's here! The target is approaching, 300 meters away!"
At the observation post to the south, Chen Xue lowered her body and stared intently at the gray figure through her binoculars, while simultaneously reporting in a low voice to the team channel.
"Attention all units, maintain concealment, Tester Number One, get into position!"
Lin Feng's voice came through the channel, calm and composed.
Beside the eastern railway tracks, a young player codenamed "Gecko" took a deep breath and nodded to his two teammates beside him.
He spotted the direction Zhou Jue was heading, rolled over, and disappeared under the tangled pile of scrap metal shelves.
Immediately afterwards, his two teammates worked together to push over a rickety metal cabinet next to them.
"Boom!"
A tremendous sound echoed through the empty ruins.
"Ah! Help! My leg!"
The gecko's shrill scream rang out at just the right moment, its voice filled with pain and fear.
"Help! I'm being trapped!"
He shouted and struggled violently, making the steel bars pressing on his legs screech, his acting was superb.
Zhou Jue pushed the cart and slowly walked out from behind a broken load-bearing pillar.
"哢哢哢哢哢。"
The monotonous sound of wheels became the only background noise at this moment.
When the gecko saw her, it was as if it had seen a lifeline, and its eyes shone with hope.
"Boss! Please! Help me! I'm dying!"
He reached out his hand and cried out in despair in Zhou Jue's direction.
Zhou Jue's steps didn't change at all, and her gaze didn't even linger on him. She just pushed the cart and walked straight past him, less than two meters away.
The gecko's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, its expression shifting from ecstasy to astonishment, and then to utter bewilderment.
He watched helplessly as the gray figure receded further and further away from him.
"哢哢哢哢哢。"
The sound of the wheels faded into the distance. Just when he thought the other person was really going to get far away, Zhou Jue stopped in his tracks, standing five meters away from a corner of the wall.
The gecko's heart was in its throat again.
Is it possible that the program is programmed to complete the task at hand first?
He held his breath and watched Zhou Jue's movements.
Zhou Jue bent down and picked up a seemingly inconspicuous moss-like object from the corner of the wall, which emitted a faint green light.
Then, she held up the bottle of white purifier.
"laugh--"
A slight hissing sound rang out, and the "radiation moss" quickly dissipated in the white mist.
Cleaning complete.
Zhou Jue put down the air purifier, hung the clip back on the car, pushed the cart again, and walked forward without looking back.
"哢哢哢哢哢。"
This time, the sound of wheels never stopped, gradually fading into the depths of the ruins.
The gecko lay bewildered under the cold shelf.
Southern observation point.
Chen Xue put down her binoculars and reported in a somewhat hoarse voice.
"Reporting to Elder Jiang, the first step of the test is complete."
"The target requested help from players who were not 'contaminants,' but received no response."
"Its behavioral logic prioritizes cleanup."
...
"Plan B".
Jiang Zhe's voice rang out in the command channel, so calm that no emotion could be detected.
"Brother Wolf, it's your turn."
"receive."
In another ruin, Wolf put down his communicator and nodded to a blond, blue-eyed man beside him.
"Ivan, proceed according to plan."
The player from the Bear Kingdom named Ivan forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. He glanced at the monster being "kited" by Wolf Brother's team members with energy guns in the distance, and took a big gulp of his drink.
"For my brother's Grade A healing potion! Let's do it!"
After saying that, he turned and ran, heading straight for the area Zhou Jue had just left.
Behind him, the enraged C-class monster, the "Acid Spitter," strutted after him, roaring as it did so.
Zhou Jue is cleaning up a marked "radiation sump".
The bracelet suddenly vibrated.
[Mission Update: Clean up the newly added 'Radiation Aggregate' in Sector D-4.]
A new red marker appeared less than 500 meters ahead of her.
Zhou Jue's lips curled up slightly under his helmet.
Using someone else to kill the monster?
She pushed the cart and walked towards the new marker.
Not long after, a series of hurried footsteps and the roar of a monster came from ahead.
It's that player from the Bear Country, Ivan.
He stumbled and staggered as he ran, his face pale. The monster behind him was in hot pursuit, spitting out mouthfuls of green acid every now and then, corroding small, smoking pits at his feet.
Ivan saw Zhou Jue appear around the corner, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes, which was then replaced by deep fear.
Following Wolf Brother's instructions, he lured the monster toward the NPC.
But when he actually saw the figure pushing the cart, exuding an inhuman aura, a chill ran down his spine.
Will he really "help" me?
Ivan tripped over a stone and fell heavily to the ground.
The acid-spitting creature seized the opportunity and roared as it pounced.
"Ah!" Ivan closed his eyes in despair.
Just then.
"Buzz."
The sound of the wheels stopping made Zhou Jue stop in his tracks.
Because that monster was blocking her way between herself and the "radiation aggregate" she was trying to eliminate.
It is an obstacle.
Under Ivan's horrified gaze, the gray figure slowly raised the purifying spray in his hand.
Throughout the entire process, the NPC didn't even glance at him; its only target was the monster.
"laugh--"
A large plume of white purifying mist erupted, precisely enveloping the "acid-spitting creature."
The monster let out a shrill scream, and its massive body melted away in the white mist at a visible speed, instantly turning into a pool of green liquid.
Ivan's heart pounded wildly.
He succeeded! He really made a move!
However, the next second, his joy turned into terror.
The edges of the spreading white mist seemed to have eyes, drifting onto him.
"Sizzle—"
Ivan looked down sharply. The energy gun in his hand, the B-grade weapon that he had bought with most of his savings, was rapidly becoming mottled and charred, emitting wisps of smoke.
The alloy armor he wore on his legs was also corroding and peeling off at the same rate, revealing the burned skin underneath.
"No! My gun! My armor!"
Ivan let out a painful scream. He couldn't feel the pain, but the despair of having his equipment destroyed terrified him more than any physical injury.
The gray figure that caused all of this placed the purifier after the monster disappeared.
It pushed the cart past Ivan, who was lying on the ground, and continued toward the glowing "radiation aggregate".
From beginning to end, there was no pause whatsoever, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with it.
...
A temporary command post for Dragon Kingdom players.
Jiang Zhe watched the last video sent back by his teammates and remained silent for a long time.
On the screen, the gray NPC finished cleaning up the last piece of trash, pushed the cart, and disappeared into the end of the ruins.
The scene shows only the Bear Kingdom player, whose weapons and armor have been reduced to scrap metal, lying on the ground groaning in agony.
"Test complete." Jiang Zhe turned off the screen and spoke slowly.
His voice echoed in the quiet command room.
"Conclusion: NPC-0714 is an absolutely neutral cleanup procedure."
"Its 'aid' is an indiscriminate and unconscious effect; it's not helping anyone, it's just clearing away the garbage in the way."
Jiang Zhe stood up and looked around at Lin Feng, Wolf Brother, and the others.
"It is a double-edged sword. It can be used, but the distance and angle must be calculated carefully. Otherwise, we ourselves will become the garbage that it 'incidentally' cleans up."
He paused for a moment, then gave the final instruction.
"Notify all Dragon Kingdom players to update the '0714 User Manual'."
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