Chapter 372: Mutual Restraint
The base where Anno and his team were located was Base 75 in the desert region.
"There are 150 bases in the entire desert region, not including bases in other areas such as forests, valleys, and coastlines. With so much powerful strength, we will surely defeat the monsters and usher in a bright future!"
As Anno and his group entered the base, a man in a black combat suit passionately explained to them how powerful humanity's combat capabilities were and how abundant its resources were, filling them with fervor and hope.
Anno felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Why is it considered strange? Back when we were at the Earth base, the leaders would occasionally give such passionate speeches. But those leaders who held high positions and possessed the most resources were all pot-bellied, oily-faced people who never went out to fight monsters and stayed in the safest areas all day long.
Their team leaders or commanders never say these things. What they talk about most is how ferocious the monsters are and how dangerous the outside world is. They tell them to be careful not to die and to do their job well, otherwise they won't have enough to eat next time and won't have a tomorrow.
Very pertinent advice, very cruel reality.
Looking at the young soldier in front of him, he inspired the newcomers entering the base. He still bore the marks of battle, looking somewhat dusty and dirty, but his eyes were bright and piercing.
The newlyweds actively cooperated with his explanation, encouraging each other and cheering with raised fists.
"Let's go out and smash them to pieces!"
"Yes, blow them up! Take back our base!"
Although it was just a game, these players were so engrossed in their roles that for a moment she thought they were NPCs.
She had a peculiar feeling; the scene was similar, but the overall atmosphere among the people was different.
Perhaps it's just a game, not a real apocalypse, so people won't have any natural fear.
In a true apocalypse, even the most basic survival is a problem, and freezing and starvation are the norm.
As her thoughts wandered, her hand was suddenly gently squeezed.
She turned her head and met Sitar's calm, still eyes. His large hand was placed on the back of her head, almost completely enveloping it. His warm palm made her feel at ease.
“It’s all in the past now.” Sitar conveyed a reassuring message, bending down to press his forehead against hers.
"Your Highness, there are no NPCs in this game; we can play various roles."
Mingxiao's voice echoed in her mind.
"Bobo and I are the forward captains of Base 126. All positions in the human faction are earned through battle. We've only just started playing this game, but it won't be long before we rise to the position of commander!"
Mingxiao and Poponia are high-ranking members of the Zerg, second only to the Overlord in rank. Even though this is just a game, they will not allow themselves to be inferior to others and strive to climb the ranks.
Each base has a commander, who is the highest leader of the base.
After learning the general rules of the game from the base personnel, Anno and his team began accepting missions.
Each base has a mission area, and the missions are randomly assigned by the system. These include transporting supplies, taking over human settlements occupied by monsters, going out to find supplies, and killing a certain number of monsters.
Completing tasks will earn you points. Once you accumulate a certain number of points, you will unlock corresponding positions. The higher your points, the higher the level of the position you unlock. Points can be exchanged for different positions, resources, etc., and can also be redeemed for items on the game's official website.
Of course, you can choose not to follow the system's instructions and still earn points. However, you will earn more points by completing the system's tasks, so most players choose to accept the system's tasks.
Anno and Sitar stood in front of the mission posting board, where a huge electronic screen glowed with a faint blue light, constantly scrolling through the latest missions.
The spacious base lobby was packed with players who had come to receive their quests.
This game was developed by the Tianyun people and can be played across the entire intergalactic world. However, players in other star systems besides the Tianyun star system need to bypass internet restrictions to play. But with today's advanced technology, game firewalls are practically non-existent, and games developed by different star systems can basically be played together.
The number of active players in the game "Doomsday Cataclysm" has reached hundreds of millions, and that's just the number of players online at the same time. It can rank in the top 20 on the overall interstellar ranking. There are countless games in the entire interstellar space, and any game that can make it into the top 100 of the overall ranking is considered to be a very popular game.
Unlike other games, "Doomsday Cataclysm" doesn't have any fancy marketing because its gameplay is all about survival and combat, where you earn points by eliminating your opponents.
However, in terms of publicity, Anno spotted a familiar figure.
In the base lobby, some official events and promotional materials are also played. At this time, a large screen on the left is playing the game's theme song video "Dawn", sung by Qingfu, a singer that Anno likes.
His ethereal voice echoed in the hall. The song carried a sense of destiny and the desolation of the end times, and Qingfu's singing perfectly interpreted the song.
Since entering the game, only Qingfu's singing has made her feel like she's in a desolate apocalypse, leaving her feeling empty, lost, and helpless. Then, with a change in tone, she sings of the tenacity of life, making people grit their teeth and desperately try to live on.
The song doesn't have any particularly uplifting parts. Sadness, despair, or even shallow hope flow gently through the vocals, without any dramatic ups and downs, as if it's telling an ordinary story.
The apocalypse depicted in the song feels more real than what the game portrays.
Anno stood still, listening to the entire song before turning his gaze back to the large screen displaying the mission.
Mingxiao and Poponia play this game primarily to complete the training arranged by the academy. The tasks and points are also included in their grades. The tasks they choose are all about hunting monsters.
Hunting monsters earns the highest points. Monster levels range from D to S, with S-level monsters being the dominant bosses.
What's interesting about this game is that if the human faction wins, it connects with other games, allowing civilization to continue. If the monster faction wins, the game ends and the server restarts.
This game has been in development for over a decade, and neither the human nor the monster faction has ever won.
The human faction had the advantage of numbers, while the monster faction had the advantage of strength. Neither side could achieve an overwhelming victory, and they were always in a state of mutual restraint.
Anno glanced through all the missions, opened the map shared by Mingxiao to analyze suitable missions, and then selected a few missions to assign to their team.
Players can form their own teams and receive an extra team bonus. Anno no longer needs to team up with other players. With his companions, the team has a total of eight people, which is more than enough.
Tanwell hasn't rejoined them yet; we don't know where he is.
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