Earth’s Redemption: Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Question and Answer Amusement Park (1)

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake

It was merely an invitation to join the Legion. To officially become a member, one still had to pass a series of tests.

Ning Buwen followed the man who introduced himself as Song Zhixing to the Second Legion, and as they left, the security guards enthusiastically applauded Ning Buwen, seeing him off.

“Do you know them?” Ning Buwen asked Song Zhixing, “Since they’re involved with Cheng Yuxue, they probably aren’t ordinary people, right?”

“Yeah, they used to be an internationally notorious group of mercenaries. Many Legions wanted to recruit them, but they were experts at escaping. Eventually, they somehow provoked Cheng Yuxue and ended up getting captured and brought here.” Song Zhixing nodded. “But having them here guarding the place is actually quite reassuring.”

Ning Buwen considered his situation carefully. If he could switch careers and become a security guard, that wouldn’t be such a bad ending.

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Song Zhixing continued, “the top ten Legions have fairly stable teams and a good number of reserves, so they all hold joint recruitment exams every year. If your achievements in the trials are high, you might even receive offers from other Legions. Even though you’re already set to join us, the higher your evaluation, the more offers you’ll get, and that could make things smoother for you once you’re in a Legion. You know how it is—although we’re in the apocalypse and life is still manageable, technological advancement has regressed by centuries. Who would’ve thought we’d be using phones again?”

Song Zhixing sighed heavily as he spoke.

The post-apocalyptic decline in technology was hard for everyone to accept.

In the past, they could handle any need with a smart AI, but after the apocalypse, the magnetic fields underwent massive changes, rendering AI systems completely useless. As a result, they had to fall back on phones from two hundred years ago, since their technology was simple enough for mass production.

“Will this affect bonuses or performance reviews or something?”

“Not really,” Song Zhixing thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Our Legion has been in second place for as long as we can remember—it’s part of our commander’s strategy. For veterans like us, when something big happens, the First Legion takes the brunt, and we in the Second Legion still get our share of the glory. There’s no better spot. But some of the younger members who’ve joined recently are really fixated on beating the First Legion. They’re ambitious, but they can’t surpass the veterans, so they tend to be a bit tough on new recruits.”

In other words, they’re prickly.

From Song Zhixing’s words, Ning Buwen gleaned some insight. “Got it, you mean they really care about this false reputation, right?”

“Exactly,” Song Zhixing nodded. “But because it’s a recruitment exam for new members, the instance you’ll be entering might be particularly tough, though the rewards will be equally generous. If you want to join our Legion, you’ll have to be prepared for challenges several times harder than those in normal instances—one wrong move could result in death. It’s not too late to back out if you’re having second thoughts. If you join a lower-ranking Legion, you can clear instances and make money while living a comfortable life.”

That was an honest truth.

There were plenty of skilled players who preferred to live as carefree underachievers in the lower Legions.

In the end, saving the world isn’t something one or two people can accomplish alone, so why not just focus on living your own life well? Even normal game instances have a significant risk of death—let alone the more difficult ones with rich rewards.

Ning Buwen didn’t really care.

He had no parents and was an orphan, growing up in Las Vegas. There were countless gamblers there, and men and women hooking up whenever they fancied. Coupled with the highly advanced painless childbirth technology before the apocalypse, this led to many orphans.

In Las Vegas, many wealthy people would donate to orphanages in hopes of bringing themselves good luck, so Ning Buwen’s life was relatively comfortable. The names they were given were rather interesting too—Buwen (Don’t Ask), Buli (Don’t Care), Bugan (Don’t Worry), Buhen (No Hate), Bouchou (No Sorrow), and so on. Ning Buwen drew the name “Don’t Ask,” which was considered the best-sounding among them. His friends were jealous for a long time after he got it.

But no matter how good the orphanage was, growing up in a place so steeped in gambling culture naturally led him to walk down the path of gambling.

“You’ve probably looked into my background. I’ve always been drawn to thrills—ordinary life doesn’t suit me,” Ning Buwen shrugged. “Everyone’s going to die eventually. If you stick to regular instances for too long, you get complacent. When a tougher one comes along, you might end up dying even more miserable than a newbie.”

“There’s some truth to that,” Song Zhixing chuckled. “But I still want to remind you, as long as you pass, whether it’s with a D-Grade evaluation or a C-Grade one, it’s considered a victory. If you blindly chase high evaluations and take too many risks, once you fail, there’s no second chance.”

Ning Buwen stayed near the Second Legion for a few days, quickly filled out the necessary forms, and was soon taken by Song Zhixing to meet a few of the key figures in the Second Legion. He smoothly secured his spot to participate in the new recruit selection with their invitation.

It wasn’t difficult.

Not to mention, Ning Buwen’s fortune-telling dice, a rare item that manipulates causal probability, would be a considerable asset to the team’s overall strength if upgraded. Combined with his displayed combat skills, mentality, and decisiveness, it was enough for him to easily pass.

If it weren’t for the strict selection process, they might have recruited him on the spot.

By the way, Xiao Xin, the adorably dumb Shiba Inu, was also spoiled with lots of dog food, getting chubbier by the day.

Many new recruits had come for the Legion’s selection, some from other Legions. Among them were specially trained Legion cadets, family members of Legion members, wealthy offspring, and of course, solo players like Ning Buwen.

The youngest were only around fifteen or sixteen, while the oldest were already in their thirties or forties.

Mo Xiaoyou was also there.

When Ning Buwen spotted Mo Xiaoyou, his interest was piqued, and he took the initiative to greet him.

Mo Xiaoyou seemed much more low-key than before. Perhaps seeing so many outstanding recruits had humbled him a bit.

Of course, it could also be because some of the newcomers were so showy that words couldn’t describe them. Mo Xiaoyou simply couldn’t compete, so he kept to himself.

However, Mo Xiaoyou’s humility only lasted until Ning Buwen appeared.

“What are you doing here?” Mo Xiaoyou almost dropped his jaw in shock when he saw Ning Buwen. “This place is for people who’ve cleared three instances!”

Could Ning Buwen have rushed through three instances overnight?

But that can’t be, right?

“I received an invitation from one of the top Legions, so I’m qualified,” Ning Buwen boasted deliberately. “I didn’t expect you to be here either.”

“Hmph, why wouldn’t I be? My Ge…No, what I mean is, I’ve always been the big brother among the newbies. With my excellent leadership skills, it’s only natural they’d want me to join the selection,” Mo Xiaoyou awkwardly tried to smooth things over.

Ning Buwen pretended not to hear what he said.

“This time, I’m definitely going to get more Legion invitations than you. Just wait and see,” Mo Xiaoyou threatened again. “In this batch of recruits, only one person can stand out, and that person is going to be me!”

“Let’s wait and see.”

There were about forty participants in the trial—not too many, but not too few either.

The Legions held recruitment drives every month, so naturally, they didn’t take in large numbers each time.

Even though it was the apocalypse, the technology for artificial reproduction hadn’t diminished much. A single Legion could have tens of millions, or even over a billion, people. Selecting a few suitable players for the game wasn’t as difficult as one might think.

In today’s world, where the vast majority of jobs could be replaced by machines, human initiative had reached its lowest. The Pandora Game was the fastest way for people to achieve glory, a sense of purpose, and accomplishment.

Even though people died in the game all the time, more and more kept trying.

Each of the ten Legions sent someone to announce the rules to the participants. Essentially, the final evaluation and ranking would be the most important factors, life and death were irrelevant. Players could choose to team up or go solo—both were acceptable.

“We have special item cards to monitor your progress, but we have no authority to interfere with the game’s course,” the representative from the First Legion emphasized repeatedly. “Every year, the trial’s completion rate is less than thirty percent, so if anyone wants to back out, now is the time.”

A few people did quit, but the Legion representatives didn’t look down on them. Instead, they smiled and said, “Quitting is also a form of victory.”

“Enough with the small talk, let’s begin.” The member of the First Legion took out an item card. “This is a B-Level instance. As long as you clear it, the worst you’ll get is a B-Grade evaluation. Good luck.”

The item card’s light enveloped Ning Buwen and the others. The Pandora pattern on Ning Buwen’s wrist heated up, and they were quickly transported away from this world.

“I wonder how many will survive this time,” the representative from the Fifth Legion sighed. “In our trial, only six people made it out.”

“We could die at any moment, too. If no one keeps pushing forward, everyone in this world will perish.”

“That’s true.”

“I’m betting on Alice. If it weren’t for her young age, she would’ve joined us in Pandora’s first year.”

“Heh, I heard that someone’s younger brother joined the trial too. Same parents, so he shouldn’t be bad either.”

“Hey, Second Legion, you’ve been quiet. Who did your Legion give the spot to?”

The Second Legion’s representative said casually, “A gambler.”

“Huh?”

“Your Legion’s acting normal for once, you just picked a gambler?”

“Yeah, last time you chose a seventy-year-old grandma. I thought you’d lost your minds.”

The Second Legion’s member just smiled without saying more.

They had met Ning Buwen a few times and were quite impressed with him.

————————————————

Ning Buwen and the other recruits found themselves in Pandora’s space.

It was still the familiar sight of a clear blue sea and sky.

“Well, well, there are quite a few of you this time,” a fish leapt out of the water, speaking. “And these recruits are of pretty good quality.”

Ning Buwen looked at the fish and noticed that its pattern was slightly different from the one he had seen before.

That made sense.

With so many people around the world playing the game at the same time, there couldn’t just be one customer service representative.

“Let me see what your next clearance condition is,” the fish twirled in the air once, then announced, “Ta-da! Congratulations, your clearance requirement this time is very simple—just answer the questions posed by the staff in the amusement park, and you’ll pass.”

“No time limit?” A ponytailed girl asked.

This ponytailed girl seemed to be a representative from the Twenty-First Legion. She had unlocked a personal attribute during her first game. Though her specific ability wasn’t yet known, everyone recognized her for being extremely wealthy.

The hair tie she used for her ponytail, the bracelet and ring on her hand, necklace, earrings, brooch, and even her shoes—all of them were transformed from item cards. When she appeared, she nearly blinded everyone with her glittering display.

Ning Buwen roughly estimated that this girl’s outfit was worth at least a few billion.

The rich really do live differently!

Even in a society like this, the gap between rich and poor was still enormous.

However, having item cards didn’t mean she lacked strength. On the contrary, it proved she had the ability to protect those cards. Otherwise, flaunting her wealth like this would’ve gotten her robbed in the game long ago.

Outside of the game, there were Judges of Sin, so no one dared to make a move for the time being.

“No time limit. As long as you answer the questions, you can clear the instance immediately,” the fish replied. “You can use item cards and special abilities too. If you manage to kill staff in the amusement park, that’ll count as clearing the instance as well, though I wouldn’t recommend that.”

Who would be crazy enough to kill NPCs in the game?

Ning Buwen silently complained in his heart.

No, wait—there might actually be someone like that.

Ning Buwen quickly swallowed that thought back down.

“Are the answers judged by the amusement park staff?” A middle-aged man asked.

He was also one of the more eye-catching participants, and he particularly drew Ning Buwen’s attention.

Because the man was riding a Cerberus—the Hellhound with three heads.

It was huge, intimidating, and terrifying.

One glance was enough to tell how valuable and powerful it was in combat.

Then, Ning Buwen looked down at Xiao Xin, who was wagging its tail beside him, having grown noticeably fatter. He could only silently resolve to cut down Xiao Xin’s food to vent his frustration.

This stupid dog only gets by on good luck. What if it eats so much that it can’t even run anymore?

If it lost its only redeeming quality of being “cute,” it might end up as nothing more than emergency rations.

Xiao Xin, unaware of the growing disgust from its owner due to a certain comparison, suddenly lunged at the customer service fish.

“Alright, rookies, goodbye,” the fish flicked Xiao Xin away with its tail and dove back into the water.

Ning Buwen hurriedly ran over to catch Xiao Xin, so it wouldn’t smash into the ground and become a pile of dog meat—unsightly and unpleasant to eat.

“Woof~” Xiao Xin barely had time to complain to its master about the injustice before it was whisked away from the space.

“Welcome to the Question and Answer Amusement Park.” A clown dressed in fashionable attire holding balloons appeared before Ning Buwen and the others. “Quite a crowd today. Well then, let’s begin our quiz.”

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