The timeline nudged slightly forward.

Wang Ziyang followed "I'm Just an Older Man with Less Hair," "Dinner Turns Out to Be Me Alone," and "Kind Mother Guards the Middle Path" as they patrolled the surroundings.

Recently, thanks to some spontaneous publicity from various small websites, "Game Different World" had begun to gather some popularity.

Players who had previously provided their addresses, yet hadn't played the game, were also starting to enter, and it looked as though they were about to break the hundred-player mark.

That brought with it the serious issue of food shortages at the camp.

If it weren't for the fact that they had previously caught wild boars using traps, it was likely that all of them would have starved to death.

"Now I finally understand how difficult life must have been for ancient mountain people," Zhang Xuanyi said. "It's said that some have made models showing that ancient mountain fortress populations couldn't exceed a thousand people, otherwise there would be severe internal collapse..."

"We're still doing okay, since we have the collective wisdom of a whole world, after all."

Xu Ran said with a smile.

For example, finding suitable places to set traps all required experience. There weren't any professional Hunters among the players, but that didn't matter; they could simply log off and look up information online.

Even if you had the money, you could hire a dedicated wilderness survival coach.

This was something everyone enjoyed immensely.

"But I always feel like this game engine is so powerful, and the planners must be some kind of obsessive-compulsives—every single detail has been brought to life in an extremely realistic way..."

Wang Ziyang said, "You know, I study medicine, and I've dissected many small animals... Rabbits have 275 bones, and I've dissected many rabbits here as well, finding that their anatomical structures are exactly the same… Not only rabbits but also wild boars, fish... The level of detail is simply astounding."

"Biology aside, didn't someone conduct experiments on physical constants? I heard they logged off screaming 'Impossible' right on the spot..."

Zhang Xuanyi curled her lip, "I think it's just needless worry. Just play it like a real different world game, why don't we?"

"That's precisely why I don't want everyone to immediately get in touch with the outside world, we need to be cautious..."

Jiang Shang had quite a few thoughts in his mind, but for now, he could only approach it as a game, "Comparatively speaking, farming is the most reliable method of development... right, I recently discovered a mountain path that seems to be frequently traveled, we should go have a look... We shouldn't set traps there, though, killing NPCs would be bad."

The group of four conversed and laughed, patrolling and checking the traps they had previously set up.

Then, they reached the edge of the explored area and saw a mountain path.

To call it a path was generous—it was more a vague outline that seemed to be frequently trodden.

After cresting a mountain ridge, Zhang Xuanyi suddenly froze.

She saw a corpse!

A naked, decapitated body!

"Damn... damn damn!"

Xu Ran's lips quivered as he suddenly thought of a saying he didn't know where he had read—What humans fear most is the terror brought about by things similar to themselves!

He had seen many corpses of rabbits and wild pigs in his time, without much feeling.

But now, suddenly seeing a corpse of his own kind lying on the ground, mangled, its head staring at him unblinkingly, both his legs trembled.

Ordinary people might also be startled by a sudden encounter with a real skeletal framework.

Among those present, Wang Ziyang, who had dissected bodies in the past and had endlessly studied human bones, had the strongest tolerance. He stepped forward to examine the corpse closely, "He hasn't been dead for long, cause of death, neck fracture... There's a herbal basket next to him, probably a herb gatherer? Was this someone who encountered bandits? What kind of poor bandits would even take their clothes..."

"For ancient people, a set of clothes was already a significant asset, not to mention those living in poverty in the mountainous areas, where families shared a single pair of pants—whomever went out wore them..."

Jiang Shang suppressed the urge to vomit, stepped forward, and upon seeing the grotesque wound, could no longer hold back, bending over to the side—he threw up!

"Damn... this game is just too realistic, it's a bit too much... Isn't this definitely for adults only? How did it pass censorship?"

Wang Ziyang complained. The Da Xia Empire had a rating system in the gaming industry and placed strict limits on violence, among other elements.

Some gunfight games, in order to pass censorship, even change the color of the blood to green, fearing that making it too realistic will cause discomfort.

As a result, "Game Different World" was doing just the opposite—its hardcore level simply brought players to tears.

"Hold on, there's still noise ahead!"

Zhang Xuanyi, following the mountain breeze, listened carefully and suddenly exclaimed.

The four of them exchanged glances, quietly crawled, and made their way up a hill.

Then, they witnessed a scene that made them want to burst with rage.

Seven or eight rag-clad, bearded, dark, and wiry bandits, armed with machetes, axes, or wooden spears, surrounded several women and were committing acts of violence.

Nearby, there were also several adult men's dead bodies.

"This is too much, too much! Damn the scriptwriter for this over-the-top plot!"

Zhang Xuanyi's face was pale, seemingly trying to cover up her own fear with these words.

"Right, right, it's just a mission, just a storyline... Damn!"

Jiang Shang yelled, "I can't stand this anymore, let's go!"

"Yeah, we are players, we are natural disasters, we are immortal!"

Xu Ran picked up a wooden spear.

He learned from the internet to sharpen a wooden stick with an axe, harden it with fire, and it could be used in a pinch.

If you wanted to increase lethality, you could even soak it in a dung pit to add some biological toxins.

But he made this to hunt mountain pigs or wild wolves, ultimately for eating, so he hadn't gone through that step in the process.

"Charge!"

Zhang Xuanyi shouted, her sharp voice not only shocking the bandits but also startling her companions.

Then, she seemed to trigger some kind of adrenaline rush, screaming as she charged down the slope.

When in danger or extremely emotionally charged, people occasionally trigger an adrenaline surge, gaining sudden strength, diminishing fear, an incredible state.

That's exactly what happened to Zhang Xuanyi now... she was unstoppable!

Then, she stumbled, fell, and rolled down the slope with the wooden spear, almost tumbling like a tattered sack, landing right in front of those bandits.

The bandits were taken aback, then burst out laughing.

A black-faced Great Han brandishing a large machete stepped forward, his blade swinging as if he wanted to chop off her head in one strike.

Not only that, but seeing these 'agents of justice' so clumsily handle themselves, the bandits spontaneously moved in to capture them without waiting for Xu Ran and the others to charge.

[Ding!]

Just then, Jiang Shang heard a system prompt that sounded like heavenly music to his ears.

['Newbie Valley' completed!]

[You've been granted Perfect Revival ×3! Experience ＋10!]

...

No need to read on, with the chance of instant resurrection three times, no need to face a 24-hour ban after dying once, his confidence surged: "Go, let's fight them!"

Pfft!

Before the words were out, an arrow shot straight into his eye socket, its feathers still trembling...