Famine 201: Exploration Report

With rich rewards comes brave men. Within just a few hours of the notice being posted, the place had already become a sea of people.

Lin Qiushui finally managed to squeeze into the front row. The moment she saw the amount, her pupils shook with disbelief.

Unwilling to trust her eyes, she counted the digits several times to make sure there wasn’t a decimal point, before finally uttering in astonishment, “The amount here… this is already beyond the usual large-scale missions, isn’t it?”

“Way beyond!” Beside her, Hu Yongchang, who had come with her, remarked in awe. “Those top-tier groups might have more efficient and higher-end commissions than this, sure. But for us ordinary players, this is already quite a deal!”

You could tell just by how packed the scene was.

Around them, the excited chatter was deafening, everyone practically shouting to be heard.

Wang Wen shook his head, reminding from the side, “Brother Hu, remember to factor in another point: contacting those anomalies and fulfilling their requirements is itself a way of collecting credits!”

“And the farm and Administrator Division aren’t taking any share of these credits for themselves.”

Which meant, everything went to us!
You could feed an anomaly twice!!

Lin Qiushui and Hu Yongchang looked at each other and saw the excitement reflected in each other’s eyes.

Jackpot!

“Let’s go. I barely did this kind of work before, but now—whoever doesn’t do it is a fool! Old Hu, team up?”
“Of course! I think that abandoned crematorium’s apocalypse looks promising, and I happen to have fire resistance…”

“Old Lin, don’t you know someone in particular? She’s an expert. If we can invite her to guide us, it would really help a lot…”

Somewhere in the crowd, someone asked, “But why is the Farm Division doing this…?”
Before the words were out, Wang Wen clapped a hand over his mouth and dragged him away. “Why ask so much? The Administrator Division must have their own reasons. Just do it!”

They squeezed out of the crowd together, excitedly plotting as they hurried off.

And with them went countless other teams of players just like them.

Countless players, like stars spread across the sky, instantly scattered over the land.

At the same time, voices of doubt could also be heard—just what did these crystals really mean? Why had the Administrator Division invested so heavily in this endeavor?

Speculations abounded, and many thought it was likely connected to the greater struggle with the Annihilation.

But soon enough, these theories were quietly suppressed by those with real authority. Only a few whispers continued in private, quietly spreading by word of mouth.

Even if something monumental was truly underway, so what? The Farm Division would never harm them.

Having the chance to contribute to humanity’s future—who could be anything but glad?

After all…

Annihilation had already vanished; what could it possibly know?

If we keep our mouths shut and don’t mess up the Farm Division’s grand plans, that is what really matters.

…

Amidst this surging tide of shared resonance, a certain usually low-key individual was, at that moment, blissfully unaware, idly loafing around in the city…

Under the shade of a street, Zhong Yanqing tipped her head back, scribbling in her notebook as she noted the faded shop signs and mumbled contentedly to herself:
“These little barbershops really are packed in… Ah, so this street must have been for nightlife… There might even be a small side scenario underground… Good, I’ll go check it out in a bit…”

Suddenly, an excited shout came from afar: “Look! We found her!”

Huh? What’s going on? Zhong Yanqing looked up.

Across the street, a huge mass of players, like a rolling dust storm, thundered toward her and in the blink of an eye, swept her up completely—

“Miss Zhong!! Do you know which anomalies have better tempers?”
“We’ve been waiting for you to save us, Miss Zhong!”
“Miss Zhong, could I ask—what should we keep in mind when dealing with anomalies?”
“Ms. Zhong, are you available soon? I’m from the Springgrass Mercenary Corps—our leader is willing to offer this much to have you join us. He’ll be here soon!”
…

Everyone jostled to shout over each other, their clamoring voices nearly deafening her.

Zhong Yanqing: “???”
Zhong Yanqing: “What are you all doing??”

She was so startled that imaginary plumes of steam nearly shot out her back.

For years, Zhong Yanqing had always styled herself as a scholar, among the most low-key members of the North Void Team.

Yet, as the only Chosen Scholar with a passion for researching apocalypse history, Zhong Yanqing had always been the standout in her field. She called herself the second best, but no one dared claim to be first.

All the other players couldn’t match her academic level nor her thirst for knowledge; nor were their skills as refined, so they couldn’t enter the high spires nor reach the core areas of large-scale apocalypses.

Even so, over the past seven years in the Hunger Game, hardly anyone knew Zhong Yanqing.
After all, apocalypse history is an extremely niche subject; very few were interested—everyone was struggling just to survive, who had time to study history?

Luckily, Zhong Yanqing didn’t mind. She enjoyed those years, living in peace and contentment.

Until the advent of the Farm.

Stable settlements brought stable work.

In their free time, some liked to hunt in the wilds or gather with friends. As for scholars, nothing made them happier than reading.

After lunch, pleasantly full with an easy mind, they’d find a spot with suitable light, brew a cup of coffee, open a book, and leisurely immerse themselves in the wisdom of their predecessors until it was time for dinner.

Those things that had long been squeezed out of daily life—nearly decadent pastimes—found their way back into everyone’s lives.

After settling down at the farm, Zhong Yanqing carefully organized the manuscripts she’d written over the past seven years, bound them in batches, and published a series of books. The series was titled “Echoes in the Ruins—The North Void Team’s Tower Investigation Log,” chronicling years of research in the ruins and glimpses into apocalypse history. As of now, it had reached its second volume.

Sales were impressive—it was one of the bestsellers at the farm. Royalties from these books, along with the salary paid by the Administrator Division, meant that even her passive income alone was enough for a comfortable and leisurely life. She was free to explore and conduct research at her own pace.

Then… it was while she was rambling about that everyone on-site nabbed her.

At first, Zhong Yanqing tried to hold onto her carefree lifestyle, but soon, she was overwhelmed by everyone’s demands—

She couldn’t refuse. The rewards were simply too generous.

Even more so than what the Farm Division offered!

Zhong Yanqing quickly joined the fray, becoming an adviser for many player organizations.

With her guidance and the keen intuition and experience of seasoned players, everyone’s resonance progress leaped to new heights in an instant.

Moreover, this collective resonance strategy had a remarkable ripple effect.

Some player organizations, lacking status and resources, were extremely clever. Unable to afford Zhong Yanqing’s services or compete as trailblazers, they used connections and smooth talking to follow in the wake of large organizations, observing how the best tackled each scenario and then copying their strategy after the fact.

After all, each world offered a full 500 resonance slots. The big organizations could not possibly fill them all. The powerful devoured the main course, while others were content to sip the soup—a satisfaction in itself.

Thus, in every world scenario, strikingly distinctive scenes began to unfold.

Blood-soaked anomalous killers, gripping their brutal axes, stood alert in the slaughterhouse ready to hack off an intruder’s head.

Then, from the darkness at the end of the corridor, suddenly surged a massive swarm of people…

Before their axe could even swing down, these people would surround them en masse, seize their hand, and shower them with concern:

“Brother, this underground slaughterhouse is so cold. You’re out here in just an apron—aren’t you freezing?”

“Going shirtless is bad for your health, man. Careful with your joints.” Someone would drape a coat over him.

“Wow, your muscles are amazing, man. Can I work out with you? Can I help you chop the meat?”

“Brother, is there some unspoken sorrow you’re carrying inside…?”

“……”

The butcher killer: “????”

What was even more confounding, this group was strangely powerful—utterly unlike any players before.

Even when he flew into a rage and tried to fight his way out, these people, adorned with vine badges, would flash their jewelry, flames shimmering quietly, and instantly hold him down.

Then they would keep pestering him about his troubles.

In some cases, a particularly capable player would disarm him, snatch away his trusty and bloodstained axe, and just as despair was about to set in, return it with a fawning grin: “Brother, looks like your axe hasn’t been sharpened in ages. Let me tune it up for you… Oh right, this axe must mean a lot to you, huh?”

The butcher gazed at his freshly polished, gleaming axe and utterly broke down.
Was this supposed to be his treasure?! Even flies would slip right off!
These people could easily have killed him, yet insisted on digging into all sorts of nosy nonsense—were they insane??

The end result: players pinned him helplessly to the floor while someone eagerly handed him a cup.

Someone intoned, “Brother, getting angry is bad for your health. Have a calming chrysanthemum tea…”

The butcher: “………………”
He really, really, really hated people without a sense of boundaries!!

Even so, sighing inwardly, he resigned himself to sipping the chrysanthemum tea.

…

Hmm? Not bad, actually.

…………
…

No sooner had Si Zhiyan’s orders been issued than, within barely two weeks, the first world successfully achieved [Harmony], delivering the [Hunger Plant Seed (Embryonic Version)].

The speed was so astonishing that even Si Zhiyan himself was stunned.

Although the [Carnivorous Forest Slaughterhouse] was but a C-level urban legend scenario, nowhere near the scale of [Unmarked Death Densely Packed Apartments]… still, this was far too fast.

Not only that, Zhong Yanqing had provided a thorough apocalyptic strategy report, detailing every aspect of the scenario’s origins, the composition of the anomalies, and the unspeakable traumas hidden in their hearts…

…She even included details like “The giant-axe butcher doesn’t have a psychological disorder about clothing—he’s simply born intolerant of heat.”

The report was comprehensive and meticulous, explaining everything with wit and clarity. Even if Si Zhiyan had gone himself, he could have gleaned no more.

Bian Xu, always fascinated by these things, leafed through the report with relish, slapping his thigh as he laughed: “I knew Xiao Zhong had it in her! Hahaha, she’s the greatest treasure I’ve found all these years…”

Si Zhiyan sat back on the sofa, watching him with a smile as he drew from the bookshelf a copy of “North Void Team’s Tower Investigation Log.” He had long been interested in it and had only recently bought a copy.

He opened the book and saw a few words inscribed on the title page—

“This book is dedicated to Bian Xu, founder of the North Void Team, and to all compatriots who set forth to explore the world.”
“When all is considered, only one sentence from Bian Xu is worthy as this book’s preface, for it was what he said to me when we first met:

‘Life is finite, yet humanity’s curiosity for the world is eternal.’”