Global Collapse

At this moment, there were quite a lot of people in the bedding area.

It looked like everyone was being tormented by the low temperatures, and with the widespread power outage, relying on air conditioning for heating was out of the question. The distressed players had no choice but to stock up on more quilts to fend off the cold of the night.

The sales clerk in this area looked very happy, as if he was going to make a good commission.

Some players had already chosen their items and left, hugging their purchases. Many others were still hesitating in front of the merchandise displays.

Fatty jogged over a couple of steps and glanced at the price. He was looking at a thin blanket that cost 50 Game Coins, the same as the supermarket admission fee.

"Come to think of it," Fatty said, returning to Gu Mian after checking the price, "didn't they change the instance mechanics? So we get rewards after the Instance Evaluator's assessment? I didn't get any Game Coins in the last instance. Doctor, do you know how to get Game Coins now?"

Judging by the worried expressions of the players at the counter, it was clear Game Coins weren't easy to come by.

Gu Mian rubbed his chin and recalled, "I remember when we cleared the last instance, someone got a D- rating and received 80 Game Coins for it."

"Eighty?" Fatty's face twitched slightly. "My instance rating was also D-. Does this mean many players are only getting around a hundred Game Coins for clearing an instance now?"

It seemed Game Coins were harder to obtain after the instance update.

Chu Changge began, "The change in instance mechanics is intended to encourage player initiative. Before this scoring mechanism, a significant portion of players were passive, basically just following others and completing tasks by luck—just like you."

Fatty gave an embarrassed laugh.

Chu Changge continued, "The new game rating feature tallies a player's activity at the end of an instance. In theory, the more active a player is, the higher their score. Of course, you have to survive until the task is completed to receive a score. Those who die midway are still directly eliminated and lose Game Coins. Players who fail this way receive no instance rating."

"Players who just follow others and do nothing won't get much from this scoring mechanism. So, if you want to gain more resources, you have to be active."

Chu Changge paused here. "To put it bluntly, if you want a high score, you have to court death."

"And you have to court death while ensuring you stay alive," Gu Mian interjected. "Otherwise, you'll die and be eliminated."

Fatty's face fell. "Isn't this difficulty a bit too high…"

Now, players not only faced losing equipment, attributes, and Game Coins upon death in instances, but they also had to actively court death in these horror instances. And as if that weren't enough, they had to ensure they survived while doing so... This was too tragic!

Chu Changge adjusted his glasses. "Of course, courting death is a method tailored for you. There are other ways to improve your instance ratings."

Fatty looked at him expectantly.

"Most of the instances we've experienced are puzzle-solving instances," Chu Changge continued. "Though we've rarely cleared instances by actually solving the puzzles..."

"If you don't want to court death, you need to find suspicious points, analyze clues, use deduction, and ultimately figure out the instance's path to survival. I suspect using this reasoning method would yield a very high score, possibly even higher than Gu Mian's."

"However, I doubt you could deduce much, or even spot the suspicious points in an instance. That's why I recommended the first method to you."

Chu Changge pushed up his glasses after speaking.

Fatty's face twitched. "Luckily, I can still scrape by with compensation…"

Gu Mian patted his shoulder. "That's right. You're lucky you can still scrape by with compensation."

Chu Changge continued, "So, I predict a trend of polarization among players is already emerging, splitting them into intelligence-focused and strength-focused types. Once this division becomes clear, the amount of Game Coins most players can obtain will significantly increase—at least enough to sustain them, if all goes well."

"But right now, we're in a transition period, and it's a very difficult one."

The scoring mechanism, combined with the harsh weather and the sudden cutoff of various resources, was enough to eliminate most players during this transition.

Fatty exhaled. "At first, I thought this was a game where no one would die. Now it seems I was too naive."

How could an evolution game not have eliminations?

"Before I left home today, I checked the tap; the water had already been cut off," Chu Changge said, looking toward the distant merchandise displays. "I suspect other resources will also disappear, though it hasn't been officially announced."

Fatty furrowed his brow. "So, we need to earn more money now, right?"

Just then, coughing sounds came from nearby. Gu Mian looked up and saw a middle-aged man in front of a display cabinet, covering his mouth and looking unwell.

Harsh weather often leads to the spread of disease; the ill effects of the cold were already beginning to show.

Gu Mian took a few steps back. "You two should buy some warmer things. Don't get sick. I'm going to the medical supplies area to take a look."

Fatty nodded obediently and headed to the bedding area.

Chu Changge, on the other hand, said he was going to check out the mechanical supplies area.

Gu Mian followed the supermarket signs to the "Medical Supplies Area."

The medical supplies area in this supermarket was quite large, with ceiling-high shelves on three sides. Few people were here, likely because most stocked up on medicine at home. Of course, another reason for the scarcity of customers was the high price of the items.

The supermarket sales clerks were very human-like; ignoring the three letters above their heads, one couldn't tell they were NPCs.

This particular sales clerk was dozing off by the counter but quickly hastened over when he saw Gu Mian approach.

Most medicines in the game supermarket were unfamiliar to Gu Mian; they were all produced by the game itself. These medicines could also be used in instances.

The sales clerk quietly yawned, then enthusiastically began his pitch: "These medicines can be used both in the real world and in instances. Of course, their effects are much better in instances."

"In an instance, you might lose a hand, a head... or a foot. Our specialized medicine can immediately stop the bleeding. While it can't regrow limbs instantly, just stopping the bleeding is remarkable."

"If used in the real world, the effects are somewhat diminished. The medicines on this wall are specifically for instances; those for real-world conditions are on that wall over there…"

The sales clerk led Gu Mian to another wall of ceiling-high shelves.

Gu Mian followed his gaze.

He possessed the Doctor profession, but it seemed he had rarely fulfilled the role of a healer.

Reflecting on his past conduct, Gu Mian decided to seize this opportunity.