The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Chapter 177 Pioneering a New Path! He Was Born for This Era! (11k)

The armored vehicle sped along the highway, surrounded by expansive scenery, with wild, overgrown grasslands on both sides.

Abandoned vehicles and scattered zombies on the road were all crushed by the armored vehicles without hesitation.

After Jiang Chuan asked them to "report all the intelligence you know," the car fell silent again.

Taking advantage of this silence...

Jiang Chuan, however, was not idle either; he was carefully considering the problems he was about to face.

"The most important thing is the necessity of this rescue mission. After all, this is a post-apocalyptic world. Even if the people in the shelters are not hostile to outsiders, what about rescuing them?"

"Use a rather limited manpower, especially valuable combat personnel, to rescue someone in another city?"

"Is there... something wrong here?"

If you only consider virtual reality as a game, then this point is naturally not worth considering.

But Jiang Chuan knew in his heart that this challenge, which was specially designed for him, contained hidden details worth exploring, which were the key to completing the mission. Perhaps they were hints of some hidden danger, or perhaps they were prerequisites for subsequent tasks...

In short, the more you know, the more confident you will be in completing the task.

Moreover, besides the problems with the rescue mission itself, there were also problems with the rescue team members sitting in the armored vehicles...

They are so hostile to themselves; this is a setting that begins right at the start of the second half of the first level.

Or is there some deeper reason?

According to the plot summary, these soldiers are hostile to him because he took over the position of the original combat team leader...

However, according to the original description of the "mission objective", he was not the team leader, but a team member.

"Does this mean the mission for this level has been modified?"

"The difficulty has increased?"

"..."

Jiang Chuan didn't think any further, because someone sitting next to him spoke up.

"Actually, it's not complicated at all."

The person who spoke was the original rescue team leader whom he had replaced.

He was muscular and had a unkempt beard that made him look somewhat slovenly, but his voice was deep and steady. Judging from his appearance, he was probably a middle-aged man in his mid-forties.

"The person we are going to rescue is a 28-year-old woman named Zhou Ying."

"The shelter received her radio broadcast."

"She explained her situation and location on the radio."

"That's the reason for this trip."

Jiang Chuan nodded silently, his eyes thoughtful.

The other team members in the car looked at the uncle, then at Jiang Chuan, exchanged glances, and remained silent.

Jiang Chuan glanced at everyone and then asked:

"Only this?"

Do you know of any other clues?

The uncle hummed in agreement and said:
There are no other options.

"The situation in County C is not too complicated. As long as we proceed steadily as before and avoid falling into the horde of zombies, there shouldn't be any problems."

The uncle chuckled as he finished speaking, then patted Jiang Chuan on the back:
"You have even less to worry about, Captain."

"Even if we all die, you have no problem surviving with your strength. After all, you're a ruthless character who fought your way out of so many hordes of zombies."

After the middle-aged man said that, Feng Xiaobo noticed that his favorability towards the other four people had slightly decreased.

However, the middle-aged man's favorability rating did not decrease and remained at 20.

Jiang Chuan smiled and said:

"One can live for a while by living alone, but only by working together can one live a long time."

"Now that we're in the shelter, the situation is naturally different from fighting alone."

"I believe in you, and you can believe in me too."

"If there's any danger, I'll take the lead and help you out."

After Jiang Chuan finished speaking, the goodwill that the others had just lost not only recovered, but even increased further, with the average value reaching 25.

Even the middle-aged man's favorability rating increased by 13 points, from 20 to 33.

Such a level of goodwill certainly cannot be considered affection; it can only be described as open hostility.

Feng Xiaobo was still somewhat surprised that Jiang Chuan had accomplished this in just a few words.

The reason this uncle said those things was actually to sow discord within the team and isolate Jiang Chuan.

Jiang Chuan's calm words, however, quietly salvaged the situation.

It looks simple, but it is actually dangerous. If he hadn't said those words, then in the event of an unexpected situation, the captain or not would be no constraint at all in this post-apocalyptic environment, and they would definitely have been abandoned anyway.

This former team leader, as Feng Xiaobo described him, had very high emotional intelligence and IQ.

Of course, it was not unintentional for me to say those words.

Jiang Chuan's response was, in a standard way, the answer.

Feng Xiaobo, who designed the levels, was essentially the screenwriter and director; he certainly knew the subsequent plot developments.

"It's already quite good that we've achieved this much."

"Although there were still some oversights..."

"Let's see how this ends up."

As he was thinking this, an aged voice suddenly sounded beside him: "This is Jiang Chuan?"

Feng Xiaobo paused, then looked in the direction the voice came from behind him. His expression changed, and he asked in surprise, "Mr. Song?"

The old man surnamed Song nodded: "Li Yu always mentions this kid."

"I'm curious too, so I came to take a look."

"Also... the things your planning team comes up with are all quite innovative, and this old man would like to see them too."

Mr. Song usually stays in his office and rarely goes anywhere else; his life revolves around just his residence and office.

As the head of the field operations team, he was extremely busy with his daily duties and could be considered a big shot second only to Mr. Zhou. There were probably no more than ten people with such a status in the entire headquarters.

Who would have thought that Jiang Chuan's training would alarm such an important figure?
Feng Xiaobo said, "You flatter me..."

Mr. Song chuckled and looked at the large screen in front of him, asking, "What's going on here?"

"Tell me about it."

Feng Xiaobo nodded and began to introduce the third phase of training at various institutions in detail.

……

The car quickly arrived at its destination. Since the city was full of zombies, they parked the car in a relatively safe place to avoid engaging in battle too early, and then everyone got out of the car.

It was noon, and the sun was high in the sky.

After clearing away the surrounding zombies, they cautiously began their journey toward their destination.

They didn't fire a single shot during this process; they used daggers to deal with the scattered zombies.

Jiang Chuan also noticed that these soldiers had high combat skills and were quite efficient in their actions. If they were not using flow, their physical fitness would even be better than his own when he was in virtual reality.

After securing their escape route, they moved swiftly in a single file along the narrow alleyways toward the rescue location marked on the map.

The former captain quickly stopped at the alley entrance and said in a low voice:
"That's the building in front, sixth floor, room 604, that's where Zhou Ying is."

"Captain, give the order."

Jiang Chuan glanced at him, then began to analyze the surrounding situation.

The building in front of us has seven floors, with fifteen units on each floor.

Through the glass, you can see some zombies wandering around.

There are three entrances to this building: A, B, and C. From Jiang Chuan's perspective, the difficulty of breaking through them is basically the same.

There were also some zombies on both sides of the street, but not too many.

Jiang Chuan looked around and then said, "Let's go to the rooftop via the external staircase next to us."

"We'll use ropes to lower ourselves down from the rooftop to 604. The distance between the rooftop and 604 is estimated to be only about three meters, so it's not too difficult."

"Avoid direct contact with zombies."

"If Zhou Ying is still alive, then 604 is safe."

The uncle glanced at Jiang Chuan, nodded, and agreed with Jiang Chuan's judgment.

Meanwhile, Old Song, watching this scene from the Yanjing planning team office, chuckled and said, "It seems the planning problem you left for Jiang Chuan was a bit too simple."

Feng Xiaobo nodded, quite surprised to see Jiang Chuan's AI team members' favorability rating continue to rise.

But thinking back to Jiang Chuan's actions at Qingshan Tomb, it all seemed justified.

At this moment, Jiang Chuan, appearing on the screen in front of them, spoke again:

"No need for everyone to be mobilized."

"The two of us can go."

"The others are waiting downstairs."

Hearing Jiang Chuan's words, everyone nodded again, and their favorability towards him increased once more.

This is the reward for finding the perfect path.

Then, Jiang Chuan and the former captain began their operation. Using abandoned vehicles in the middle of the road as cover, they carefully approached the external staircase on the outside of the apartment building and climbed onto the rooftop one after the other.

They were successfully lowered from the rooftop by ropes and saw a weak woman with glasses, a pale face, a thin body, and even dry hair.

At the same time, Jiang Chuan also saw the furnishings inside the room.

Many experimental instruments, measuring cups, microscopes, syringes, and even severed limbs of zombies...

The woman named Zhou Ying was startled when she saw two figures suddenly appear at the window, but she immediately stood up with great joy and rushed to the window to open it for them.

Before the woman could say anything, the middle-aged man's voice came over:

"We are a combat team from the shelter, here to rescue you."

"Come with us."

The woman's eyes gleamed with excited joy, and she nodded vigorously.

The older man helped her tie the rope, helped her out of the window, and made sure she was on the roof before looking at Jiang Chuan and saying:

"Captain, mission accomplished."

"What's next?"

"Go back the way we came?"

Seeing this, Feng Xiaobo began to get a little nervous.

The plot of this first stage (part 2) has now reached its truly crucial point.

Let's see how Jiang Chuan chooses at this crossroads.

In this level's storyline, he designed many branching endings. Jiang Chuan will inevitably learn from these endings and thus make progress.

At this moment, Feng Xiaobo glanced at Old Song beside him and noticed that he still had a faint smile on his lips.

He thought with some surprise:

"You have that much confidence in Jiang Chuan?"

"But there is no perfect ending to this level..."

“Unlike the first level, this time Jiang Chuan’s opponents are not just those zombies.”

However, at that moment, he saw Jiang Chuan shake his head.

When asked to "return the way you came," Jiang Chuan raised his rifle and pointed it directly at the former captain's forehead.

His finger rested on the rifle safety, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

Jiang Chuan smiled as he looked at the former captain whose expression had drastically changed, and asked:
"Is there anything else you haven't said? Say it now."

"What happens next?"

"This isn't the first rescue operation, is it?"

"Explain everything clearly, or you won't be leaving this room."

……

Seeing Jiang Chuan's sudden, uncharacteristic behavior, Feng Xiaobo was completely stunned.

This was a move that was completely unexpected by him!
Jiang Chuan clearly hadn't reacted at all before!
He had previously thought Jiang Chuan had overlooked something, but now it seemed he had simply deliberately omitted it!
He even fooled himself, the director!?

But when did he realize it?
……

In fact, Jiang Chuan had already sensed that something was wrong...

From the very beginning of this ordeal, during the questioning in the car, the uncle only vaguely explained the mission objective and location, but never mentioned when he received the rescue news. The glances exchanged between the other members of the team... all of this made Jiang Chuan realize that something was wrong.

However, in order not to divide the team at that time, Jiang Chuan never asked about these things.

Upon closer examination, since it was a radio broadcast, could it have been received just now? That's possible, but unlikely.

Moreover, this rescue mission was already quite strange. There weren't many zombies on the street, the armored vehicle stopped in just the right place, and the uncle seemed to know the route to the rescue target like the back of his hand. Plus, he had only just entered the containment facility and had already assigned this mission...

Especially after entering the room through the window, before the man could speak and before the woman could speak, he deliberately interrupted her... This behavior is certainly suspicious!
This undoubtedly means that this is not the first time that an operation has been carried out to rescue this woman named Zhou Ying!

Moreover, there are many more problems involved, and these problems represent danger.

Therefore, even though the best option now is to return along the original route as soon as possible, Jiang Chuan has no choice but to find out where the crisis is coming from before the real danger arrives!

At this moment, the former captain, a bearded middle-aged man, looked at Jiang Chuan with a slight smile on his lips.

He praised Jiang Chuan, saying, "You are truly perceptive."

"..."

"No wonder you wanted me to come with you, was it just to ask me these questions?"

"It's alright to tell you now..."

"Many evolved zombies will appear next."

"About two minutes later..."

"Are you going to waste your time here? We'll all die if you do that."

Jiang Chuan didn't lower his gun: "Is there anything special about this woman?"

The man replied, "She's a PhD in biochemistry. We need her expertise to resolve this disaster."

Jiang Chuan then asked, "Why would evolved zombies target her?"

"How did the previous missions fail?"

"What are the goals I'm responsible for?"

The man answered quickly, seemingly not wanting to waste any time: "There weren't as few zombies here before as you see now."

"There was no chance to sneak in from the roof at that time."

"But these ordinary zombies are nothing to be afraid of. What really caused us to suffer heavy casualties were those evolved zombies."

“Once we get close to this woman, the evolved zombies will go berserk.”

"If it weren't for you, we would never have chosen to rescue her."

"Alright, can you put the gun down now?"

As Jiang Chuan listened to these words, he slowly lowered the muzzle of his gun, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

……

Feng Xiaobo, who witnessed this scene, was completely dumbfounded.

Jiang Chuan relentlessly questioned him, uncovering almost everything about his hidden background!

Feng Xiaobo felt something was amiss; when exactly did Jiang Chuan notice?

Could it be that this kid really got the script?
Beside him, Old Song chuckled and said, "You've given me too many clues."

"It was as if they were afraid he wouldn't notice."

Feng Xiaobo was stunned.

Are there still many clues?
Although I deliberately set some small details to avoid being too obscure, aren't these the things that are easiest to overlook?
Moreover, how can a person be vigilant about the people around them at all times?
To put it another way, this is virtual reality, not the real world... which should naturally lower our guard!

Old Song seemed to have discerned what Feng Xiaobo was thinking, and he continued:
"Jiang Chuan is, after all, an orphan."

"He has always had a hard time gaining trust."

"Moreover, the virtual reality world you've created is a post-apocalyptic world."

"It's inevitable that he would be wary."

Feng Xiaobo paused for a moment, then nodded.

We also need to take Jiang Chuan's personal circumstances into account...

I never expected that Jiang Chuan would teach me a lesson...

Looking at the screen again, although Jiang Chuan had exposed the truth that had been deliberately hidden, it did not make the former captain dislike Jiang Chuan. On the contrary, it made him respect him even more, and his favorability rating soared to 70!

Although we haven't reached the level of trust yet, we've at least become comrades-in-arms!

This is a major turning point! Moreover, Jiang Chuan has now obtained a lot of information again, so he will no longer be caught off guard in the upcoming encounter!

Jiang Chuan had already put down his gun and, together with the uncle, broke through the window and climbed back onto the roof.

Just as the two men and one woman were rapidly retracing their steps up the external staircase...

Snap! Snap!
The sound of windows shattering echoed through the air.

Zombies burst through the windows! They surged out in droves from all directions, lining the walls of the apartment building…

It crawled towards them at lightning speed!

These zombies crawled on the walls as if they were walking on flat ground, their limbs twisted and their fingers and toes leaving a series of holes in the walls...

Even Jiang Chuan felt his scalp tingle and goosebumps rise all over his body from such a bizarre scene!

"Run!"

The middle-aged man roared, "The car's almost here! Watch your surroundings!!"

He seemed no longer to care whether he would alert the zombies.

That makes sense, really; they no longer need to pay attention to those ordinary zombies...

Because the evolved zombies had already surrounded them!

bang bang bang! ! !
The other four teammates started firing, providing cover for the two men and one woman who were crossing the road...

After regrouping, they quickly retreated along the route they had come from, but the sounds of breaking windows and screams continued to come!

It's obvious that more and more zombies are closing in, and once their numbers increase, even if you get on the vehicle, you won't be able to escape!
The situation is taking a sharp turn for the worse...

But this woman was weak and couldn't keep up with their pace at all!

Jiang Chuan had no choice but to carry the woman on his back.

While fleeing for his life, he fired his gun and asked:
"Zhou Ying! What exactly is going on with you?"

Why are these things staring at you!?

Zhou Ying's voice was a little hoarse, as if she hadn't spoken for a long time: "I...cough cough...I don't know either!"

"I've never encountered such a situation before!"

She hadn't left the room the whole time, so how could she know why the zombies were staring at her?
Jiang Chuan, meanwhile, gritted his teeth and pondered the situation.

If the information provided by the uncle is correct, then the setting is that as long as other humans approach this woman, it will quickly trigger the actions of those evolved zombies.

what is the reason?
Jiang Chuan didn't have time to think carefully. Gunshots and zombie roars echoed continuously, along with the crisp sound of bones breaking as zombies were shot to the ground...

As the number of zombies increased, their pressure grew, which led to a gradual decrease in the accuracy of the soldiers' shooting.

"The car is here!!!"

The uncle's roar echoed through the streets and alleys.

Jiang Chuan perked up upon hearing this voice!
These zombies had no way to stop the armored vehicle, and the location where the armored vehicle was parked was clearly planned!
Once you get on the train, everything will be settled!
The effect of "quenching thirst by looking at plums" was indeed well-deserved. Although they were at their last gasp, the moment they saw hope, everyone seemed to regain their strength and exert themselves again! Their accuracy returned, and even their foot speed increased!

The vehicle was almost upon him, but something seemed to be on Jiang Chuan's mind. For a moment, he felt confused, and his pace slowed down...

But then the middle-aged man's voice came from behind: "Want to die?!"

He pushed Jiang Chuan to the car, yanked open the door, and shoved Jiang Chuan inside.

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!!!"

Soon, everyone got on the bus.

The car burst into speed, and the driver floored the accelerator, hurtling headlong into the outside.

……

Looking at the scene, Old Song smiled and said, "It seems Jiang Chuan is about to pass the level."

"He did a great job, with no injuries or harm to his teammates."

Feng Xiaobo nodded and then shook his head: "He did a very good job, but for this hurdle... I didn't set a happy ending."

Old Song was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean?"

Feng Xiaobo spoke at an astonishingly fast pace:

"Jiang Chuan will definitely pass the test, but he cannot complete the mission unscathed."

"This test is essentially an assessment of his command, coordination, and leadership abilities, but the task has been flawed from the start, and he hasn't noticed it yet."

Old Song frowned slightly, seemingly lost in thought, but remained silent.

……

The armored vehicle rampaged away from County C, shaking off the zombies that were trailing behind.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the car finally relaxed a bit.

Especially the gigantic figure, five meters tall, that emerged from the alley at the end, still sends chills down Jiang Chuan's spine whenever he thinks about it.

There are actually zombies that have evolved into this?

It seems that if I continue to drag this out, that zombie will become my opponent?

The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief and said excitedly, "Jiang Chuan, you're very good."

"I didn't expect you..."

The man's words abruptly stopped. And it wasn't just the man...

Everyone in the carriage stared at Jiang Chuan in astonishment.

They saw that Jiang Chuan had already drawn his pistol, pulled back the bolt with a clatter, and then raised his arm, pointing the gun at the woman.

The middle-aged man's eyebrows shot up, and he demanded sharply, "What are you doing?!"

"Put the gun down! Are you crazy!?"

Jiang Chuan sneered, "Why would she attract zombies?"

"What kind of disaster would taking her back to the shelter cause?"

"I'd rather our mission fail."

The man's expression stiffened for a moment, but he immediately drew his gun and pointed it at Jiang Chuan: "I'll say it again, put the gun down."

The woman named Zhou Ying was utterly shocked and terrified, seemingly having no idea why this had suddenly happened, and was at a loss for what to do.

The atmosphere inside the car instantly became tense.

……

Feng Xiaobo's eyes flickered as he looked at the screen.

He was somewhat surprised...

Jiang Chuan discovered the anomaly so quickly?
This is much ahead of schedule.

But...it doesn't matter.

This advance has no essential difference in terms of the progress of his script.

Feng Xiaobo had previously mentioned to Song Lao that the task itself was problematic.

The problem, of course, lies with Zhou Ying, the only NPC with a name.

Now, Jiang Chuan faces a choice.

His choice at this moment will lead him to different outcomes.

A: Kill this woman and keep the shelter safe.

B: Put down your gun and complete the task he is supposed to do.

But no matter what Jiang Chuan chooses, the result will be the same...

There are currently three zombies over five meters tall blocking the car's only way. Bullets are meaningless to these zombies, and Jiang Chuan can only run away. The woman will definitely be injured and go berserk, and then launch an indiscriminate attack that will injure Jiang Chuan. Most of the team members in this car will also be killed or injured, or even wiped out!
Therefore, it doesn't matter even if Jiang Chuan notices this problem.

Whether he fires or not, this woman will cause a devastating disaster!

……

Feng Xiaobo has a more detailed design for the NPC Zhou Ying.

After the apocalypse broke out, Zhou Ying conducted a lot of research, even using her own body for research.

In terms of character design, Zhou Ying is a rather complex and contradictory character, a unique existence.

If she were in room 604, the zombies would treat her as the mother and gather there, surrounding her like bodyguards.

Therefore, the zombies will protect her and will chase after the rescue team that rescued her.

However, Zhou Ying is not a pure zombie, so she will also be attacked by mindless zombies.

This challenge was destined to be a tragedy from the very beginning!
……

At this moment, Old Song also looked at the screen in front of him, a hint of curiosity on his face:

Is this the situation you wanted to see?

Feng Xiaobo nodded and said, "Yes."

"I want him to realize it as soon as possible..."

"No one can make the right judgment all the time."

No one can be successful forever.

"And not every problem has the right answer."

"A qualified leader must at least be aware of these things in order to make more rational judgments."

Old Song chuckled and said, "You've really put a lot of thought into this."

Feng Xiaobo knew that his understanding might be superficial, and he might not even be able to reach the level of a true leader.

But at least, I've tried my best to help this kid avoid some detours.

If this virtual reality environment can spark some thought in him, then this extra training will not have been a waste.

Those who never experience failure can never truly grow.

Even the most powerful forces, when faced with a fork in the road leading to the unknown, can only choose one path to take, without knowing whether it will bring fortune or misfortune.

In the future, he may face life and death, the pain of seeing his comrades die before his eyes, or the desperate situation of being the only survivor of the entire team...

Now, we need to make him realize this.

So that he can remember this forever in his future missions...

Sacrifice is inevitable.

……

The atmosphere in the car was tense.

The older man would never let Jiang Chuan kill this woman.

He had to complete his mission; he had his own responsibilities.

Fortunately, Jiang Chuan's actions just now improved the soldiers' goodwill towards him; otherwise, a chaotic battle would have already begun.

At this moment, the former captain looked at Jiang Chuan and said in an extremely solemn tone:

"Jiang Chuan, you have no idea how many of us sacrificed our lives for her."

“I don’t care who she is, or what’s so special about her, I will definitely break your hand before you can even make a move.”

Jiang Chuan narrowed his eyes and spoke up: "You clearly know she has a problem, yet you still want to take her back?"

"You're saying I'm crazy? Who's really crazy?"

The man's voice was firm: "Fan Lisheng said this woman is useful, so we must complete the mission!"

Jiang Chuan immediately retorted: "Foolish! Your judgment could lead to the destruction of the entire containment facility!"

The man replied without hesitation, "Boss Fan has kept the shelter running without any problems!"

"If we didn't trust his judgment, the entire shelter would have been finished long ago!"

"You call it stupid!? Why weren't you the one who built the containment facility!?"

"Jiang Chuan, you're a formidable character. I admire your abilities and wisdom..."

He paused here, then said, slowly and deliberately:

"Don't push me."

Jiang Chuan was shocked that this AI could have such rich emotions. He was stunned for a moment, feeling as if this virtual reality was not a created world, but that he had come to another world with the help of the helmet.

But the surprise was only momentary; Jiang Chuan immediately spoke:
"I'm your captain, and my decision is to kill her!"

"If you don't have the courage, then I'll do it!"

Zhou Ying watched in horror as everything unfolded before her eyes.

Her life and death were in the hands of others, leaving her confused, bewildered, and filled with fear.

She couldn't understand why, even though she had been rescued, she still had to die.

"why?"

Frustrated and bewildered, she frowned and, suppressing her anger, posed the question:
"Didn't they just rescue me? What does it matter to me if those zombies are chasing me!?"

"It's not like I asked those zombies to come and chase me!"

She was extremely confused:
"If you want me to die..."

"Then why don't you just not come to save me?!"

Jiang Chuan did not respond to her question.

The other four team members in the car remained silent, as it seemed difficult for them to speak at this moment.

Jiang Chuan is facing increasingly complex choices.

He couldn't help but wonder what he would do if he encountered this situation in reality.
The problem is that what the former captain said also makes sense. Does that shelter director surnamed Fan have any further plans?

Perhaps I am the one who is blinded by a single leaf?
Let's think further: what was the designer of this level thinking?

This can't just be a game, it's the final level of this series...

So what is the significance of this event?
Reflecting on everything that had happened so far in this challenge, Jiang Chuan finally understood something.

At that moment, he smiled in astonishment and then put down his gun.

"parking."

……

When Jiang Chuan put down his gun and said "stop the car," both Old Song and Feng Xiaobo were stunned for a moment.

Old Song stared at the screen and asked Feng Xiaobo, "Was this also part of your plan?"

Feng Xiaobo was stunned. He shook his head: "No...no..."

Old Song smiled and said, "You underestimate this kid."

"He saw through your design."

Feng Xiaobo was stunned for a moment: "What?"

Old Song said, "He's about to turn things around."

……

Since Jiang Chuan anticipated the danger ahead, he would have to stop the car at the nearest possible location, no matter what he wanted to do.

Amidst the bewildered gazes of the other team members, Jiang Chuan drew his dagger, looked at Zhou Ying, and said, "I've been thinking about it..."

"You don't have to die."

"But you have to cooperate with me."

Zhou Ying looked at Jiang Chuan, mainly at the dagger in his hand, and asked with a forced smile, "How do we cooperate?"

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "Give me your hand."

While Jiang Chuan was sorting out the ins and outs of this mission, he finally realized the most crucial point of the task.

The conditions for passing this level are completely different from the clear objective of "escaping the city" mentioned in the previous level. Instead, it is ambiguous and states "cooperate with the team to complete the mission".

Moreover, the name of this level is "Rescue Team".

So the theme of this level isn't actually about completing the team's mission, but rather about the team itself.

They're currently on their way to evacuate, and it seems the crisis has been averted...

But since the challenge isn't over yet, it means there must be danger ahead.

Especially considering the discrepancy between the prompts when entering a level and the prompts after entering the level, Jiang Chuan now understands that the level creators have changed some of the difficulty.

Based on the various anomalies happening before his eyes, Jiang Chuan realized the problem, understood the designer's intentions, and knew that the road to the containment facility would not be smooth sailing!
The real crisis lies on the way back to the shelter!
This woman is both the dangerous trigger and the key to breaking the deadlock!
She is unique, but what makes her unique?
How will Fan Lisheng, the head of the shelter, use her in the future?
A PhD in biochemistry?

What research findings are in her room?
The zombies, drawn by the scent, chased after them, seemingly driven mad, wanting to tear them to shreds...

The answer is actually quite obvious.

Considering the current situation, Jiang Chuan has roughly found a way to break the deadlock.

Jiang Chuan approached Zhou Ying with a dagger in hand.

As Jiang Chuan approached, Zhou Ying gritted her teeth and stretched out her bony arm:
"What do you want to do?"

Jiang Chuan said, "I want some of your blood."

The woman paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

Jiang Chuan took a mineral water bottle and began collecting blood.

……

Jiang Chuan's action of collecting blood made Feng Haibo somewhat lost in thought.

His mind was screaming:

"How could he!?"

"How is this possible?!"

Originally, both A and B would have led to the woman's rampage.

If you choose option A, Jiang Chuan will fire, and the woman will go berserk while she is dying, killing everyone in the car. The mission ends after Jiang Chuan is seriously injured.

If they choose option B, and Jiang Chuan doesn't fire, then after their team encounters three five-meter-tall super zombies, the other team members will be killed, Jiang Chuan will struggle to hold on, and the woman will also be targeted by the three super zombies after she is injured. Then Zhou Ying will go berserk, and Jiang Chuan will also be seriously injured, ending the mission.

But now, in addition to options A and B, Jiang Chuan has somehow managed to find an option C!?
The fact that he started actively collecting blood means that he had already thought of a way to attract zombies using Zhou Ying's unique blood.

This woman's blood is the key to the extension of other levels in his script.

It can attract zombies and delay the zombification of others who are about to turn into zombies.

Therefore, starting from the second level, there will be a time limit for the event, so he must injure Jiang Chuan.

But Jiang Chuan shouldn't have thought of these things!
How did he obtain the information about the blood?
I clearly didn't leave any clues in this level!
That's all part of the later plot!

From initially receiving the script, to revising it, and now continuing to write?
In fact, there was no need to look any further. Feng Xiaobo understood that Jiang Chuan had already surpassed his design and completed the second half of the first stage.

But... who exactly is the designer?!
Feng Xiaobo looked at the screen.

Jiang Chuan and his group's car encountered three super zombies.

Jiang Chuan threw the clothes stained with Zhou Ying's blood out of the car window.

The three super zombies immediately chased after the clothes.

The car passed through smoothly...

Nothing happened.

The entire planning team office watched quietly as Jiang Chuan and his teammates left.

The NPC Zhou Ying did not go berserk as planned in the script.

Jiang Chuan was still unharmed.

Old Song patted the stunned Feng Xiaobo on the shoulder as if to comfort him. He didn't say a word, but just looked at him deeply. That one look seemed to speak louder than a thousand words.

Feng Xiaobo muttered to himself in bewilderment, "This shouldn't be happening?"

Old Song smiled and said, "There's nothing wrong with that."

"This just proves that the virtual reality you designed is excellent."

"If there's no connection between these levels, how could he possibly have guessed these settings?"

“If your designs are all independent of each other, then no matter how powerful Jiang Chuan is, he can’t break your plan.”

"But as long as there are clues to follow, as long as it makes sense..."

There will definitely be a clear answer.

Feng Xiaobo was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses: "Very...very outstanding?"

He was already starting to doubt himself. Jiang Chuan dissected his meticulously crafted plan piece by piece, as if he could see right through him...

Every action, every detail, was completely etched into Jiang Chuan's mind.

Old Song nodded: "Very excellent."

"Don't underestimate yourself."

Human strength has its limits.

"And this is, after all, for training purposes, which makes the intention too obvious."

"It's normal that he would notice."

"However, you have achieved your goal in any case."

"Train his leadership skills, let him know that even team members have their own agendas, make him understand that the mission objectives may change, and make him aware of the ulterior motives of those who assign the tasks..."

"Your design has achieved a very good training effect."

Feng Xiaobo nodded in relief.

But he knew very well that Old Song was just trying to comfort him.

Therefore, an unstoppable sorrow still flows through his heart.

Old Song patted him on the shoulder again, then waved and turned to leave.

At that moment, Feng Xiaobo suddenly felt...

This was clearly a training course I designed myself, so how did Jiang Chuan end up teaching me a lesson instead?
This kid's awakened memories are still a secret. Who exactly is he?
……

[021010101D Jiangchuan, Level 1 (Part 2) successfully cleared];
[Second level access has been enabled];
[First level (Part 2) completion time: 2:17:10]
[Number of reopens: 0];
Number of injuries: 0;
[First Level (Part 2) Completion Rating: A]

[Current total clearance time: 6:02:06.]

[Current overall ranking: 13].

Jiang Chuan was stunned when he saw the ranking.

What do you mean?
Is this ranking based on total duration?
They went straight from first place to 13th?

Damn it...

But there was nothing he could do to change anything, so he could only secretly hope that he could clear the game faster in the future.

He exited the virtual reality and saw the classroom again, but his mind was still on everything that had just happened in the virtual reality.

"Are AIs this powerful now?"

"Is it another user? Like a GM? Is someone actually communicating with me?"

"..."

"Probably not, what organization has that kind of idle person?"

He was a little tired and planned to go back to his dorm as soon as possible.

This virtual reality environment consumes a lot of mental energy, especially the strenuous exercise within it, which further exacerbates the drain.

I never expected that mental training would be done in this way.

One has to admire the designers of this third phase; they truly compressed the training process to its extreme.

During the process of clearing the first level (second half), Jiang Chuan also realized the designer's good intentions. Although it was very difficult, it did not completely block the possibility of clearing the level. It was just that he needed to explore this possibility in depth.

"This designer is really good."

"I almost didn't figure out the real route to clearing the level."

"This is much more interesting than those games with fixed routes, and the NPCs are really fun too."

"If we developed something like butter..."

Jiang Chuan didn't think about it in detail, mainly because he couldn't think about it in detail.

Because he received a phone call.

Looking at the caller ID, it was an unknown number, but the location was Beijing.

In the past, Jiang Chuan would hang up immediately on unfamiliar numbers, but now that he was in a good mood, he answered the phone: "Hello?"

A strange voice came from the other end: "Jiang Chuan?"

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "No, you've dialed the wrong number."

Trying to scam me? No way!

But then the voice came again: "I know it's you. I'm from the headquarters planning team. I need to tell you something about the third phase of training."

Jiang Chuan was taken aback, then brought the phone to his ear again: "Ah, hello, hello, please speak."

There was a hint of embarrassment in the stranger's voice:

"Because you are different from others, there are additional levels, and you will get some information that you shouldn't have to get for the time being."

"Therefore, I must make an additional statement to you: the information and clues obtained in this bonus level must not be shared with other trainees."

"This would deviate from the original purpose of training, and we do not want any shortcuts to happen."

Jiang Chuan said "Oh" four times and readily agreed: "No problem."

He paused slightly, then added:

"But I must say, the design of these levels is ingenious."

"It's very difficult to truly break through the level; the truly correct routes are all hidden very deeply..."

"The creators of these levels are amazing!"

There seemed to be a slight choke on the other end of the phone: "Th...thank you..."

Then he hung up the phone.

Feng Xiaobo was in a real bind.

The truly correct route? Hidden deep within?
Is there a possibility...

Those aren't the correct routes?

Is there a possibility...

Are you the kind of person we don't want to take shortcuts?

Looking back now, I realize that I wanted Jiang Chuan to fail and experience the pain, so that he could recover quickly when he encounters setbacks in the future and not fall into despair.

But... it wasn't Jiang Chuan who failed, it was himself.

Perhaps, as Mr. Song and Mr. Wang Xuejun said, I am indeed too small-minded about Jiangchuan.

Judging from his performance in this training, it seems that I don't need to worry about anything at all.

Jiang Chuan's potential is beyond imagination...

He seems to have been born for this era.

Thinking this, Feng Xiaobo took a deep breath and then exhaled heavily, as if to throw away all the distracting thoughts in his mind.

Then, he looked at all the staff who were busy preparing to upload the zombie rat data and said:
"Correct the data for Jiang Chuan's account in the second level..."

"Thank you all for your hard work. Let's work overtime tonight."

(End of this chapter)