Chapter 15

[Feng Bujue, Level 15]

[Please select the game mode you wish to join.]

[You have selected Survival Mode 1v1, please confirm.]

[Confirmed, scenario is generating…]

[Loading begins, please wait.]

Next, Feng Bujue’s vision turned pitch black, and some text explanations floated into his sight. Subtitles scrolled upwards along with voice prompts:

[Survival Mode is centered on player-versus-player combat. This mode will weaken the horror elements of the scenario itself. Any world view or mission may appear. The map size and layout will be generated according to the number of players and their respective abilities.]

[You can see the nicknames, levels, and survival status of your teammates and opponents in the team panel.]

[Player interaction rules A-e from Team Survival Mode still apply in this mode. If you are not familiar with these rules, please click the following link to watch.]

[The above prompts are provided when joining Survival Mode for the first time. We wish you a pleasant gaming experience.]

After reading the prompts, Feng Bujue didn't hear the "Welcome to Thriller Paradise" voice. Instead, he heard a male voice with a Hokkien accent say, "Make your opponents tremble, let them experience true terror!"

It turned out that the opening lines of the Survival Mode scenario were different. After this sentence, the next prompt appeared:

[Loading is complete. You are currently playing a Survival Mode scenario.]

[This mode provides a scenario introduction and has a chance of triggering side hidden quests and special world views.]

[Scenario victory reward: 50 skill points.]

[The scenario introduction will now play. The game will begin immediately after the playback is complete.]

An opening CG immediately appeared before Feng Bujue's eyes. The scene was a vast and dark environment, with a large expanse of flat rocks underfoot. To the right was a mountain wall, covered with dried corpses and skeletons. A hazy moon illuminated the desolate scene.

Then, he heard an unbelievable scenario introduction…

[The legend of the Demon Realm stains Shenzhou, the mysterious figures of Xuanzong shake the world. Xuanyuan seeks a defeat in this life, the Ghost General remakes life is difficult.]

"Hey… what's going on… Pili Shenzhou…" Feng Bujue had an ominous premonition.

[The night of the Eclipse, the sorrowful mist, the dim starlight, reflects the drooping lamp of fate! The eerie green light, the illusory ghost shadows, are like a realm of hell! Under the hanging corpse wall, a violent wind blows, two people from another world, one with a solemn face waiting nervously, the other with a cold face holding a sword and waiting quietly.]

[Who wins? Who loses? Who dies? Who lives?]

"This is for real…" Feng Bujue thought, "Speaking of which, according to this piss-take, does that mean we're going to have an immediate encounter?"

Indeed, he guessed right.

The scenario introduction consisted of only these few sentences. After it ended, Feng Bujue gained the ability to move. He immediately turned his head to observe his surroundings and found a figure standing about a hundred meters behind him. Like himself, the other person had just turned around.

[Main Quest Triggered]

[Kill all members of the enemy team]

[Hidden Quest Triggered]

[Create a poem title that belongs to you and obtain the corresponding exclusive spiritual energy weapon]

System prompts rang out one after another. Feng Bujue was completely speechless at this scenario. The hidden quest popped up directly like this, and from the content of the quest, he could get reward items in the scenario. What kind of path was this?

Actually… this setting was the system leaving a way out for players like Feng Bujue.

Survival games in 1v1 mode are generally not too complicated, and there are many situations where they fight as soon as they meet. It is possible to determine the winner in a few minutes, so the winner's reward is very small, and the loser has nothing but the scattered skill points obtained in the battle. However, in a few cases, there are scenarios where 1v1 can still be played for several hours or even a day or two. For example, if two shooting specialization players are thrown onto a large isolated island, the system sets up dense forests, secret research institutes, pirate bases, etc. on the island... In that case, there will be many side quests, and the victory reward will definitely be higher.

In Survival Mode games with 2v2, 3v3, or free-for-all, the scenarios will mostly be more complex. The system may let the players join different camps, or it may simply throw the players into a relatively independent but highly free environment, and then set some strange rules similar to the Seven Wonders of the Campus, allowing players who are good at planning to have more room to play.

However, in the case of 1v1, simpler and more direct scenarios are more common, and martial arts-type players are undoubtedly the mainstream, occupying a considerable advantage. And puzzle-solving players... take the situation that Feng Bujue is encountering at this moment, if the system does not issue this hidden quest, then he really has no way to fight.

Now that the opportunity has been given, whether he can seize it depends on himself.

Of course, both sides have this task, which is very fair. If Feng Bujue's opponent is intelligent and brave, then there is nothing to say, he should win. It is also reasonable for a player with both intelligence and martial power to rank in 1v1 and defeat pure puzzle-solving or pure martial arts-type players.

Feng Bujue was really unlucky, he happened to meet an opponent who could be described as both civil and military. This person's name was [Kuang Zong Jian Ying] (Mad Trace Sword Shadow), and his guild was – Jiang Hu (Martial World). He was one of the signature players of Jiang Hu Studio, and was known as one of the three great experts of Saber, Sword, and Laughter, along with their guild leader [Xiao Wen Cang Tian] (Laughing Asks the Heavens) and another star-level professional player [Wu Dao Ke] (No Saber Hero).

Speaking of "Sword Youngster," "Laughing Lord," and "No Saber," even the Zhushen (Gods) Studio, which has always regarded combat ability as the standard, has to admit their strength. In fact, the two industry leaders, Zhushen and Zhixu (Order), had both considered the idea of poaching those three, but they were repeatedly rejected. Zhixu even formulated a plan for acquisition and merger, wanting to swallow the entire Jiang Hu Studio, but the plan was not implemented in the end. After all, this is business. The senior management obviously would not agree to buy a company for three players. If those three people quit Zhixu and set up their own business after the merger was completed, then Zhixu would become a money-giving wedding dress for others.

With Kuang Zong Jian Ying's strength, it is no problem to be among the top 20 in the combat power rankings, but he is not currently on the list. Because during the closed beta, he never logged in again after creating his character, and only started leveling up after the public beta started. Like Feng Bujue, he had just leveled up to level fifteen and entered Survival Mode for the first time.

However, Kuang Zong Jian Ying is different from those top experts from Zhixu who arrived late. He entered the game late, not because he didn't want to play the closed beta, but because he really couldn't spare the time.

Jiang Hu Studio is a grassroots company in reality. The initial scale was similar to the Hyotei four-person group led by Atobe Keigo. Xiao Wen Cang Tian, Wu Dao Ke, and Kuang Zong Jian Ying were the studio's initial manpower. The three of them did not have the background of rich second-generation like Atobe Keigo. If Atobe Keigo can't make a name for himself, at most he will spoil some of his family's money, but the three of them owe money to banks and relatives and friends. If the studio fails, then... the worst, and also the most likely result is that their parents will accompany them to live on the streets, hiding from debt everywhere.

Fortunately, they succeeded. With their own strength and operation, the three of them have been operating the studio all the way to its current scale. Jiang Hu Studio has been ranked among the upper echelons of the industry. After paying off their debts, the company moved into a dedicated office building, and there are now more than 100 employees. They can also be regarded as having transformed from professional gamers into young entrepreneurs.

However, in the world of professional gamers, the time for retirement is often not determined by oneself. This world is indeed very much like a "martial world." Experts can't just retire whenever they want. What's more, how many experts in this world are willing to retire willingly in the years when they can still fight?

Therefore, the three masters of Dao Jian Xiao (Saber, Sword, Laughter) still have to personally go into battle. They not only have to manage things outside the game, but also have to manage the guild in the game. During the closed beta, they simply had no time to play the game. There were too many things to be busy with when the studio expanded its new game projects. In fact, they haven't finished yet. Before everything is on the right track, they can only go online when they sleep at night.

Back to the current Survival Mode game.

The fact that Feng Bujue and Kuang Zong Jian Ying were arranged together to determine the winner also illustrates a problem from the side. Obviously, the system thinks that their strength is similar...

The maximum level difference for players in Survival Mode is five levels. In a scenario, whether it is the same team or the enemy, there will never be two players with a level difference of six. If two players with a level difference of more than five levels form a team, they will not be able to enter the queue.

In multi-player battles, the system will try to arrange for two teams with similar strengths to meet. In 1v1 battles, the system will not let two people with vastly different strengths fight one-on-one.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, in every Survival Mode game, any party has the possibility of winning, including this one.

"Well... that guy on the opposite side looks like he specializes in combat. The situation is not good..." Feng Bujue muttered in a low voice. He looked at Kuang Zong Jian Ying from afar. The other person was wearing a long black satin brocade robe, his long hair was tied up and left with a ponytail, and the long sword in his hand had already been unsheathed, exuding a cold light. Combining this brother's ID and the sentence "the other with a cold face holding a sword and waiting quietly" in the opening CG, Feng Bujue understood many things.

But when Kuang Zong Jian Ying looked at Feng Bujue, it was difficult to guess his style. The man in the distance was wearing a long purple suit, seemingly cosplaying the Joker from Batman, and the weapons in his hand seemed to be a pistol and... a pipe wrench.

Kuang Zong Jian Ying couldn't help but wonder: What is this guy doing? Looking at his outfit, he doesn't look like a player who focuses on martial power. The melee weapon in his hand is a tool, and he is holding a ranged weapon in the other hand. Could it be that he is practicing a mechanical specialization and shooting at the same time? The system prompt just now said "one with a solemn face waiting nervously" is referring to him... That is to say, this guy seems very calm, but he is actually not confident?

The confrontation between the two did not last long. Kuang Zong Jian Ying moved first. He was relatively confident in his own strength. In short, he would attack first to test the waters. Anyway, it doesn't cost anything to try. If this opponent is vulnerable, then it's just that his luck is good, there's nothing he can do about it.

[Drink… Kuang Zong Jian Ying is enveloped in a surge of majestic energy and moves forward. The murderous aura soars into the clouds, and the weather changes suddenly, with dark clouds obscuring the night sky.] That voice with a Hokkien accent rang out in his ears again.

"Huh?" Feng Bujue and Kuang Zong Jian Ying had the same reaction. They could actually hear commentary on the fight in this scenario?

As the commentary described, the weather really became dim, the wind was stronger than before, and the dark clouds covered the moonlight.

"You're ruthless!" Feng Bujue turned his head and ran. After listening to that sharp commentary, he completely lost the desire to confront the other party head-on and decided to run away first.

When Kuang Zong Jian Ying saw him running, he felt more confident. He was also entering Survival Mode for the first time. It was his first time fighting other players in Thriller Paradise. Originally, he had been somewhat apprehensive about his opponent's strength. But Feng Bujue's running was undoubtedly a sign of weakness. Seeing this, Kuang Zong Jian Ying let go and pursued him with strength and aggression.

[His body is like a swimming dragon, flying like wings, looking for gaps to escape the battle, moving quickly and without dust. Quick, quick, quick! Seeing that he could not resist his edge, Feng Bujue spun around and ran away.]

[The sword is like the sea, the qi is like the waves, the swing of the sword is like the roar of the waves! Kuang Zong Jian Ying runs with his sword, his killing intent is even stronger, vast as the rush of clouds, powerful as the majesty of heaven!]

"Are you kidding me! I'm clearly running away, but you can still tell it so sensationally!" Feng Bujue shouted as he ran.

Kuang Zong Jian Ying was running ten meters behind him, also smiling: "Friend, once you accept this setting, it's actually quite interesting."

Bang—

Feng Bujue did not answer, but turned around and fired a cold shot, using up the last bullet in the M1911A1. Then he removed the magazine and, while continuing to sprint forward, took out a full magazine from the inside pocket of his suit and replaced it.

"It seems your marksmanship is average." Kuang Zong Jian Ying sneered. The bullet didn't even graze him. He was still chasing behind.

Even if Feng Bujue was standing still and aiming, it would be very difficult to hit a moving target, let alone in this situation where he was also running. In fact, the main purpose of this shot was not to hit the target, but to see the other party's reaction.

As a result, Kuang Zong Jian Ying's reaction was... very bad, very annoying... for Feng Bujue...

Kuang Zong Jian Ying did not dodge after hearing the gunshot, nor did he slow down his forward speed. This shows two points: First, his psychological quality is absolutely top-notch. At least in the game, he has overcome some human instincts; second, which is also one of the conditions for being able to do the first one, he must have some way to defend against bullets.

What's even more troublesome is that he then commented on Feng Bujue's marksmanship with a hint of mockery. Being able to catch up with Feng Bujue, who has [Jazz Dance], while running, and still have the energy to speak, shows that his physical skills are extremely strong.

"Poem title, poem title, poem title..." Feng Bujue muttered urgently. He was urging his brain to turn faster, "I have to think of one quickly... otherwise I'm doomed."