Chapter 32: The Vanguard

Upon hearing the countdown, everyone instinctively grabbed the hand of the person next to them.

Almost instantly, they arrived in a strange room. It was low, cramped, and suffocatingly tight. Even with a group of seven or eight people, the house was only four or five square meters. Forget about lying down to sleep; if anyone moved too much, they would bump into those around them.

Before their eyes, a chat channel and a weather forecast appeared. With a full 8.1 billion people entering the game simultaneously, even if only half of them were typing in the chat, the scrolling speed was far too fast for anyone to keep up. In such a situation, trying to find someone by calling out in the chat was a pipe dream.

People from other countries were pulled into the game with almost no idea what was happening. Many assumed it was a prank or that they had been kidnapped. The Chinese, however, had already begun assigning tasks in an unhurried manner. The beta testers had entered the game early, giving them a significant head start. Perhaps to ensure the gap between the two groups wasn't too wide, almost every open-beta player received a beginner's gift pack.

Ma Fang opened his gift pack the moment he saw the system notification. A bottle of water and a loaf of bread—though meager, it was enough to ensure one person wouldn't go hungry today. Ma Fang's father, who had just turned sixty, received an extra loaf of bread in addition to his beginner's pack. His mother and his parents-in-law only received the standard packs. While the supplies were limited, if the family rationed them carefully, they could hold out for several days.

"Oh, baby formula!" Ma Fang's wife exclaimed. "There's formula in An'an's backpack!"

The parents crowded around. "An'an has a backpack too?" But no matter how they looked, they couldn't see it. However, An'an seemed to be able to see her own interface; she kept staring ahead, full of curiosity, and giggled.

"Linlin, can you see An'an's backpack?" The "Survival Manual" didn't seem to mention this.

Wang Linlin nodded. "As soon as I came in, I received a system prompt saying An'an's attribute panel is bound to mine, and I can operate it on her behalf."

The group let out a sigh of relief. Seeing that the game time had passed 8:00 AM, the sun outside had already risen. They began to assign tasks. Ma Fang took his grandfather and father-in-law to explore outside, aiming to collect as much wood as possible to upgrade the house, otherwise, the family wouldn't even have a place to sleep.

The grandmother stayed behind to look after An'an. Linlin and the grandmother went out to search for treasure chests and food. All four elders knew that Ma Fang and Linlin were under immense pressure.

"Don't you worry. I used to be a model worker in the production team. I can find edible wild vegetables with my eyes closed." Compared to the young people who couldn't tell one grain from another, the middle-aged and elderly Chinese were much calmer. It was just a lack of television, water, and electricity, and having to find food for themselves; it was much like their youth—it wouldn't defeat them. It was then that the young realized how true the old saying was: "An elder at home is like a treasure."

There were many families like Ma Fang's. The elders were responsible for identification, and the young provided the labor. As long as the environment of their spawn point wasn't exceptionally harsh, they could always find a few sources of food.

Wei Hanchuan's choice was different from most. He didn't stay with his family but teamed up with his comrades-in-arms. This was an official decision. Although the game data provided by Ning Yun was comprehensive, it was very general. To obtain resources more efficiently, Wei Hanchuan and his comrades formed a vanguard team, specifically tasked with testing monster difficulty and dungeon challenges, then organizing the data to send to other players.

Adhering to the principle of voluntary enrollment and excluding only children, they selected the best of the best—seven people, plus Wei Hanchuan, making a total of eight. In fact, Wei Hanchuan was an only child and didn't initially qualify. However, his parents were vital personnel, and the Chinese authorities had specifically recruited guards for such individuals.

The Chinese authorities remained convinced that they could clear the doomsday survival game. Once they returned to reality, these talents would be the cornerstone of China's revival. Protecting top-tier talent was also based on voluntary enrollment. Even so, many stepped forward. Whenever China faced its most dangerous moments, there were always people of vision who stood up to protect their country. Wei Hanchuan was like that, and so were his comrades.

Unfortunately, except for the beta testers who could contact each other, the friend system was not open to open-beta players. This made communication extremely inconvenient.

With the data provided by Ning Yun, as soon as Wei Hanchuan entered the game, he stepped out of his thatched hut and found a glowing surprise, obtaining a special reward. It wasn't an ability, but a weapon: the "Frost Sword." The effect of this weapon was simple and brutal: it added 20 points of strength to the wielder, turning an ordinary person into a super-strong powerhouse.

"Captain, can I see that weapon?" A young soldier looked at the sword in Wei Hanchuan's hand with great envy. The Frost Sword looked incredibly cool. The blade was crystal clear, as if crafted from frost, and when swung, cold mist swirled around it, condensing into tiny ice crystals.

Wei Hanchuan wasn't stingy. He handed it over. "You all take a look, then we head out." They were lucky; their spawn point was also in a forest, so food shouldn't be a problem.

On the other side, Ning Yun, having returned to the game, was ambushed by Xiaobai the moment she appeared in the room! It had only been three days, but Xiaobai was incredibly enthusiastic to see her. Ning Yun couldn't dodge in time and fell to the ground, and Xiaobai's tongue immediately licked her face.

"Xiaobai, you're covered in drool!" She wasn't a germaphobe, but Xiaobai ate meat and didn't brush its teeth! The owner and her pet interacted happily. Fortunately, before she left, not knowing how long she would be gone, she had left Xiaobai plenty of food. As she looked around, she noticed the room had changed. For instance, there were the remains of a rabbit that Xiaobai had eaten.

"Xiaobai, did you go hunting yourself?"

"Awooo?" Xiaobai couldn't speak, but it understood its owner. Ning Yun could sense it was full of pride. She quickly picked up Xiaobai and rubbed her face against its head. "Xiaobai is so amazing! Xiaobai is the best!"

Lost in the praise, Xiaobai forgot its resolve to ignore its owner during the days she had disappeared. But the moment she appeared, it had instinctively pounced on her. Seeing Xiaobai about to pounce again, Ning Yun stopped it. "Alright, alright, someone sent me a message. Let me reply, and then I'll take you out for a stroll."

The person who sent the message, she knew without thinking, was Xiao Qichen. It was just a simple line: "Are you okay?"