Chapter 22 - Set Off! Exploring the Ruins

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Everyone was discussing Shen Fei’s choice. Some said that it’s better to take a risk. Rewards must be sought amidst danger. Others said that it’s better to manage and farm properly, and seek victory in a stable situation. In any case, both sides sounded fairly reasonable.

However, things didn’t go very smoothly for players who arrived near the oasis, either.

The yellow sand was roiling, and a figure was stumbling and struggling to walk. The player from Country M, Bruce, was covered in dust. When he saw the specks of green in front of him, the tall and strong man almost cried like a child weighing more than two hundred pounds.

“I finally see an oasis.”

He quickened his pace, but the alarm he was carrying frantically began to glow red. This was the gadget he had chosen at the beginning. If danger approached, it would turn red. He had avoided many dangers on the way with it.

Bruce stopped in his tracks and looked around vigilantly. However, there was nothing unusual amidst the wind and sand everywhere. He could not help but feel puzzled. “What’s going on?”

The alarm could only indicate that there was danger nearby, but nothing else.

There were no sand dunes to block his vision nearby. He advanced carefully, but he did not notice that the sand not far away had collapsed inexplicably and even revealed a skeleton.

There were rustling sounds, like countless bugs gathering. Unfortunately, they were covered by the sandstorm, so he did not hear any movement behind him.

Those small bugs were approaching Bruce at an extremely fast speed. They were small, about the size of sand, and had yellow outer shells, making it impossible to distinguish them when they merged into the yellow sand. Those who did not know better would think that they were flowing yellow sand.

By the time Bruce realized that something was wrong, the bugs had already rushed to his feet.

“God, what the hell are these?”

Although those sand bugs were small and didn’t have much offensive power, when tens of thousands of them gathered, their destructive power was not to be underestimated. After all, in large numbers, ants could kill even an elephant.

Bruce could crush many of them with a single stomp. However, they kept coming without pause, as if there was no end to their numbers. “Damn it, how many of these damn things are there?”

He cursed incessantly. Some of the ones that he missed had already crawled onto his body. He kept striking them as if he was shaking off dust. However, doing this was useless. There were just too many bugs.

If this went on, he was afraid that he would wind up dead. Bruce stopped dealing with these bugs and hurriedly ran towards the oasis. The surrounding ground collapsed, and countless sand bugs surged out. At the same time, white skeletons appeared.

Likely, all the animals that passed by this place met their ends.

Who would have expected that the oasis only a step away would be harboring such dangerous sand bugs? The bugs hid under the yellow sand, waiting for their chance to attack passing animals or humans, and were simply impossible to guard against.

The player from Country Y, Jack, was quite lucky. He did not encounter any obstacles along the way and stepped into the oasis without much effort. He saw green trees surrounding him, and even a lake in front of him. Instantly, an ecstatic smile showed on his face.

As a member of the special forces, he did not let his joy get to his head. Instead, he observed his surroundings vigilantly. Only when he saw that there were no large beasts did he slowly approach.

The lake water was clear and transparent, and there were many lush aquatic plants growing on it. Jack remembered that some aquatic plants were edible. Then, both water and food were available.

No one noticed a pair of eerie green eyes among the aquatic plants, glinting with a cold, bloodthirsty light, watching his every move.

The surface of the lake rippled slightly, as if a breeze had blown past. When he looked again, the pair of eyes had already disappeared.

“Jack is really lucky. The player next door is nearly drowning in sand bugs. It seems that he’s the second one to obtain an oasis.”

“What evil intentions can these little bugs have? It’s just that there are too many of them.”

However, both the live stream audience and Jack had rejoiced too soon .

Bang!

With a loud splash, a great bloody mouth emerged from the lake. If Jack had not reacted fast enough, half of his body would have been bitten off.

He only managed to steady himself after taking a few steps back. When he focused, he realized it was a crocodile. It was several times larger than what he had seen in the real world. Black scales covered its body like armor, and the sharp teeth in its mouth made him shiver.

The man and the crocodile stared at each other fiercely. The crocodile suddenly moved. Its was lightning-quick, leaving only a black afterimage in the air.

“Damn! That’s a crocodile? What kind of crocodile is so fast?”

The people in the live-stream were dumbfounded. They couldn’t help but feel nervous for Jack.

Jack rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow, but the crocodile’s tail swept like a hammer, sending a strong gust towards his face. He quickly ducked.

The hammer-like tail struck the tree. The tree that was more than half the height of a person snapped at the middle. Jack felt his scalp tingling, and he became even more alert.

Other than them, there was another player who was ambushed as soon as they stepped into the oasis. It was a desert snake with excellent camouflage. Its body was slender, but it blended well with the surroundings. There was a predatory glare in its triangular head. It was obviously highly toxic.

If that player hadn’t been lucky enough to discover the desert snake’s tracks, he might already be dead. Even so, his back was still covered in cold sweat.

All in all, no matter which player it was, all encountered obstacles in the oasis. The desert creatures were extremely hostile to them and attacked fiercely.

“Could it be that these sand bugs, crocodile and snake are the difficulties one must experience to reach the oasis? Just like in other games, if you change the map, you have to face monsters and bosses.”

“But Shen Fei didn’t encounter such things before, and his oasis isn’t dangerous. Their treatments really are differential.”

“Have you guys forgotten about that eagle…”

Everyone came to a realization then. It was precisely because the twin fairies could communicate with the desert eagle that it did not attack immediately, and allowed Shen Fei to enter the oasis effortlessly.

“No one else has this kind of luck. He’s truly the chosen one.”

“Choosing the twin fairies is like using a cheat. If other gamers knew, they would regret it so much.”

Compared to the difficulties others were facing, the desert eagle even accompanied Shen Fei on his journey. It was equivalent to having another bodyguard.

Under the firmament, the agile and swift figure of the desert eagle turned into a small black dot to scout for Shen Fei.

With a desert eagle in the sky, no movement could escape its eyes. On the ground, there was also the twin fairies to warn him. It could be said that this was a two-pronged approach. This kind of treatment made even the audience in the live stream a bit envious..