Rebirth 08: Can a mobile game company also build a tech empire?

Chapter 116 Online

Lu Bowen's fingers tapped rapidly on the Z1 screen.

The room is called Dormitory 508.

Qiu Zihao entered the room name with practiced ease.

I joined the room in a second.

Wang Xuan held up his newly bought black Z2.

A finger hovers above the screen.

I had no idea where to click.

"Why don't you come in?"

Tan Ming urged him from the side.

His own Z2 is still on the game's loading screen.

"Let me find where the entrance is?"

"See that little house icon in the top right corner?"

"I saw it! I saw it!"

Wang Xuan found the room and clicked to enter.

I selected the default character and entered the game.

The screen flashed.

A young man named Wilson.

It appeared out of nowhere on a grassland.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming in too!"

Tan Ming's voice was tinged with excitement.

Lu Bowen glanced at the online player list in the upper left corner.

Four IDs appeared in succession.

"Old Lu, Brother Hao, this is our first time playing, so don't just show off yourselves later."

Wang Xuan gripped the Z2, his voice tinged with nervousness.

"Don't worry, you won't die."

Lu Bowen made a rare joke.

Tan Ming manipulated Wilson to take two steps.

The virtual joystick feels surprisingly good.

"What to do first?"

Wang Xuan controlled the character to run around randomly.

"calm."

Lu Bowen said slowly and deliberately.

"Look around you, is there any grass?"

"Grass? What grass?"

"The kind on the ground, a small clump of yellow ones."

Yes, yes, yes!

"Go over there and tap it."

Wang Xuan clumsily maneuvered Wilson to move to the edge of the grass and click.

The character bends down and stuffs a handful of grass into their inventory.

"Look again, are there any small twigs?"

"this?"

"Yes, pick it up."

"And flint, the gray kind of stone."

Qiu Zihao interjected.

"Collect more; we'll need both the axe and the pickaxe."

Wang Xuan and Tan Ming were like two toddlers learning to walk.

In the game, you pick up a stone here and a handful of grass there.

Lu Bowen didn't urge him, only occasionally offering a word of guidance.

The sky began to darken.

Dusk comes quickly in the game.

The orange-red light made the whole world very dark.

It's getting dark.

"Lu Bowen said."

"You two, run over here right now!"

"Where are you going? How do you look at me on the map?"

"Look at the mini-map."

Wang Xuan and Tan Ming frantically adjusted their direction.

The two Wilsons stood one in front of the other.

Lü Bowen has found an open space.

I opened the crafting menu and used three haystacks and two logs to make a campfire.

Instantly, a campfire icon lit up.

Click to place.

With a loud "boom", flames shot up.

The firelight created a small, warm, and safe zone in the twilight.

Wang Xuan and Tan Ming rushed into the firelight almost at the last second before darkness fell.

Lu Bowen was sorting through the items he had collected during the day.

Qiu Zihao, meanwhile, wandered around aimlessly with a torch in his hand.

"What are those things outside?"

Wang Xuan stared at the edge of the screen.

Something was vaguely moving around in the darkness.

Occasionally, a pair of bright eyes would flash by.

"A spider."

Qiu Zihao grinned.

"If you run over and hit one, a whole bunch of them will come running over."

Tan Ming did not speak.

His Wilson stood by the fire, waiting for dawn.

"This game is actually quite interesting."

He said softly.

The first night passed without incident.

As the morning light once again fell upon this dark fairytale continent.

Wang Xuan let out a long sigh of relief.

"I'm alive! I thought I was going to die!"

"This is nothing."

Qiu Zihao is controlling Walter.

He strode out.

"Daytime is a safe period, let's make the most of the time to explore the map."

On the third day, they had scientific machines.

"And then what?"

Tan Ming asked.

"Get closer to it to unlock a new recipe."

Lü Bowen demonstrates.

"Open the crafting menu, and you'll see a lot more items, right?"

Backpack, wooden armor, spear, cooking pot —

Tan Ming had already entered the battle menu.

"A spear—requires two branches, two flints, and a rope made of grass."

He began to bury himself in twisting rope.

Wang Xuan then began studying wooden armor.

"This thing can reduce damage by 80%? That's amazing?"

"Beginner's Set"

Qiu Zihao said.

"Moreover, the monsters are very powerful, so don't think you're invincible just because you're wearing armor."

On the fourth day, we began choosing a campsite.

Qiu Zihao was in charge of planning and layout.

He placed the campfire in the middle.

Go cut down trees and collect timber.

Lu Bowen planted several berry bushes on the edge.

To ensure a food supply.

At this moment, all four men were equipped with complete sets of spears and wooden armor.

Lu Bowen then led Wang Xuan and Tan Ming to clear out monsters around the camp.

This is Wang Xuan's first direct confrontation with a spider.

Four spiders emerged from the nest.

It hissed and pounced.

His character attacks with a spear.

"Damn! I'm losing health!"

"Don't stand still, or you'll get ganged up on."

Qiu Zihao rushed over and finished off the spider with a single spear thrust.

Tan Ming is fighting against the tall bird.

It was a giant bird with long, thin legs and an enormous head.

It's a killer for beginners.

He was pecked three times, and blood appeared on his face. He fled in a sorry state.

"Help me, help me, help me—"

"You run first, go around the tree!"

Lu Bowen rushed forward to draw away the hatred.

Seventh day.

The camp was taking shape thanks to the efforts of the four people.

A metal engine sits beside the campfire.

It was surrounded by wooden crates, dried meat racks, and farmland.

Wang Xuan even had a sudden whim.

They used the extra wood to build a wooden floor around the campfire.

"It's quite good-looking," Tan Ming commented.

"Right?" Wang Xuan said smugly.

Then the hounds came.

The first low growl came from afar.

Tan Ming hadn't reacted yet.

A hunting dog has already darted out from the edge of the screen.

He went straight for his role.

"Holy shit!"

Tan Ming's fingers froze instantly.

He frantically tapped the screen.

Wilson was then attacked by a pack of hunting dogs.

One-third of my blood was lost due to the bite.

"I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"

Tan Ming shouted.

Hang in there!

Qiu Zihao used a slingshot to accurately shoot one down.

"Don't be greedy with your attacks, hit two and then retreat!"

Wait until he finishes attacking before you attack!

Tan Ming acted swiftly.

He stepped back the instant the hound pounced.

His attack missed, so he seized the opportunity to launch a series of attacks.

The hunting dog whimpered.

It fell to the ground and transformed into a piece of monster flesh and a canine tooth.

The battle lasted less than three minutes.

When the last hound fell, the camp returned to silence.

Wang Xuan slumped back in his chair, his palms sweaty.

Tan Ming's character has only eleven health points left, and his wooden armor is almost empty.

"That was so exciting!"

He murmured.

Lu Bowen put away his spear and began to collect his spoils.

"You'll get used to it. It'll happen every now and then."

"besides?"

Tan Ming's eyes widened.

"In winter, Julu will come; in spring, there will be frog rain; and in summer, it will be so hot that people will die."

Lü Bowen spoke in a flat tone.

"But that's a story for later. You guys pick up the monster meat first."

Wang Xuan and Tan Ming exchanged a glance.

I felt a mix of lingering fear and inexplicable excitement.

That night, the lights in dormitory 508 stayed on until 2 a.m.

The next day was Saturday, and no one set an alarm.

Around 10 a.m., Wang Xuan groggily opened his eyes.

They found that Tan Ming and Lü Bowen were already sitting at the table.

The two people on the screen are exploring a swamp.