[Welcome to the Plains of Pain Game!]
[Starting today, you will begin your survival journey in this dangerous world!]
[This is a killing field of blood and war, but also the path to power and dominance. Drive your vehicle, use everything around you, and survive each terrifying night!]
A cold, mechanical female voice echoed in his mind.
Dean woke up on a patch of grass.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, his handsome face showed confusion.
"Wasn't I just in class... where the hell did I end up?"
The desks and classmates around him had vanished, replaced by an endless wilderness stretching before his eyes.
Blue skies and white clouds, blazing sun overhead, the scent of weeds and dirt hit him full force, filling him with the wild breath of the untamed plains.
"Someone there?"
Dean spotted a figure in the distance and was about to go ask what was going on.
But he'd barely taken two steps when his pupils suddenly contracted and he froze in place.
Because that figure... wasn't human at all!
It was a creature with rotting flesh and twisted, rigid limbs, mechanically wandering the grassland while letting out beast-like, guttural growls.
That thing was... a zombie???
No way, what the hell kind of place is this?
Now Dean was really freaking out.
But before he could figure out what was happening, a light screen suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Plains Survival Guide]
[1. Everyone starts with a random vehicle and a random talent. Choose your survival strategy based on what you draw.]
[2. The plains at night are crawling with violent monsters. Stay inside your vehicle and keep quiet.]
[3. Vehicles are unique—once completely destroyed, players lose their shelter and can only take refuge in other players' vehicles.]
[4. The plains contain tons of resources and opportunities that need exploring, but don't wander into dangerous territories before you're strong enough.]
[5. Almost everything you see can be upgraded with coins and resources. Balance your development to handle future emergencies.]
[6. 6 PM marks day and night. After dark, all monsters enter rage mode. Make the most of precious daylight to gather needed resources.]
[7. The first survival round lasts seven days, with monster numbers and strength increasing each day.]
[8. This is a real world where death means actual death. Use every means possible to stay alive.]
...
Plains survival?
Vehicles?
After carefully reading these seven survival rules, Dean's heart sank.
Looks like he'd really traveled to another world, just like in novels—swept into some mysterious survival game...
And apparently, he wasn't the only one facing this situation.
He noticed options like [Regional Chat], [Personal Info], [Trading Post], and [Backpack] in the upper right corner of the screen.
Clicking on Regional Chat, the interface switched.
Regional Population: 99,983/100,000
"Holy crap I got a system! Haha!"
"You guys have systems too? I thought I was the chosen one! Damn!"
"What the hell is Plains of Pain? Did you all see the prompt too?"
"Shit! There are zombies here! So freaking scary! What is this place?!"
"There are monsters! It's chasing me! Help! Someone save me!!!"
"Stop screaming! Read the survival guide carefully—all of this is real!"
"So everyone traveled here together... this is some kind of apocalypse survival game?"
"I saw zombies too... this world feels really dangerous..."
"It's called a survival game—if it wasn't dangerous, what would be the point? You see that player count? Almost twenty people already bit the dust!"
"Crap! I'm down to just my underwear—how am I supposed to survive in this world? Where's the starter kit the guide mentioned?"
The Regional Chat was buzzing with discussion.
Everyone was clearly confused and nervous.
Then a new notification caught everyone's attention.
[Now drawing "vehicles" for all players!]
Here we go!
Seeing this message, Dean immediately perked up.
According to the survival guide, "vehicles" were the core element of the entire survival game. Drawing a good vehicle would not only guarantee safety and survival, but could instantly put you ahead of other players from the start!
Time to test his luck!
Before Dean could mentally prepare, the results appeared instantly.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You drew the vehicle "Broken Van"!]
With the notification sound, a van that looked at least ten years old suddenly appeared on the grass.
Paint peeling and spotted, dented doors, chassis covered in oil and dust, tires worn completely flat.
Dean opened the door and climbed in to a musty smell. The seats were deflated, the dashboard covered in dust. Forget multimedia—there wasn't even air conditioning or a radio.
Damn!
Total piece of junk!
=====
[Broken Van]
Grade: Scrap Metal Level
Speed Limit: 60km/h
Remaining Fuel: 1 unit (can drive 300 kilometers)
Modifications: None (Level 0)
Upgrade Requirements: Coins x50, Parts x20, Leather x20, Steel Sheets x100, Level 1 Chip x1 (must reach modification level 10+ to unlock upgrades)
Rating: A grandpa-level old warrior with 600,000 kilometers on it. Looks ready to fall apart, but every loose part and screw maintains a magical balance. As long as you don't try to fix it, it'll never break down.
=====
Seeing this description, Dean felt like the sky was falling.
He'd been hoping for an SUV or RV, but instead got a battle-damaged van?
But broken or not, Dean immediately shut the door. After all, it was still a big metal shell that could at least block zombie attacks.
Plus, this was going to be his home from now on.
Dean sighed and checked the Regional Chat.
"Haha! I drew an Armored Fighting Vehicle! I'm set!!"
"Damn, boss please carry me! I just got a Compact Car!"
"Compact Car +1!"
"Crap, I got an Old Man's Mobility Scooter!"
"I got a Big SUV, so sweet haha!"
"Wait, am I the only one who got a motorcycle?"
"A motorcycle's still good! I got a freaking bicycle! This is a death sentence—how am I supposed to hide inside my vehicle? Squeeze into the front basket?"
"That's pretty rough, bro. Better find someone else to team up with. Forget the bike—even pedaling standing up, you can't outrun zombies."
"..."
Reading the various messages in Regional Chat, Dean felt a bit better.
Most people drew four-wheeled vehicles, with very few getting motorcycles, three-wheelers, or even bicycles.
His van should be around lower-middle tier.
Then the second drawing notification appeared.
[Now drawing "talents" for all players!]
After the first random draw, everyone tensed up again.
Dean also stared intently at the screen, holding his breath.
Please!
The van already put him at a slight disadvantage—his talent absolutely couldn't suck!
Dean prayed silently.
But after waiting over ten seconds, still nothing happened.
He checked the chat channel, which had already exploded.
"Holy shit! I got B-rank Strength Talent with 10x power boost! This strength is insane—I feel like I could tear zombies apart with my bare hands!"
"I got Fire Abilities, but why is it only D-rank?"
"I got C-rank Combat Talent!"
"So jealous of you guys. I got Support Abilities—I'm screwed..."
"Better not announce it publicly. Talents are trump cards."
"You notice nobody's posted A-rank or higher talents? Someone definitely got them—the big shots are keeping quiet."
"..."
Reading these messages, Dean's heart grew colder.
What was going on?
Why had everyone else drawn theirs but not him?
Was this a bug?
Just when Dean was about to lose it, that heavenly notification sound finally rang in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You drew SSS-rank hidden talent "Daily Intelligence (Unique)"!]
=====
Talent [Daily Intelligence]
Level: SSS-rank (Hidden Talent)
Function: Can obtain one piece of special intelligence from surroundings daily. You can choose [Yes] or [No] to receive intelligence. If declined, it will trigger during remaining daylight hours, though may not trigger again.
Rating: The highest potential talent! Bar none!
What luck gods, what chosen ones—step aside, your intelligence daddy is here!
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