The prickling pain hit right at the threshold where the pain-filter system didn’t activate, just enough to hurt and itch all at once. The feeling was utterly unbearably.

“AAAGHH!” The veteran floored the accelerator, both hands clamped tight on the steering wheel.

But just as the pickup was about to burst out of the thick fog, a lump of flesh dropped from the air and smashed down in front of the left tire.

The sudden blast threw the truck sharply to the right, slamming it into a roadside concrete block.

The veteran in the driver’s seat nearly blacked out from the impact. The four newbies in the back bed stumbled forward, almost tumbling over the cab onto the hood.

Even with a shovel in place of a bumper, people weren’t made of metal.

“Damn, bro! Can’t you even drive straight?!” the strength type player groaned, rubbing his dizzy head as he got up, shaken to the core.

“Shut up!” The veteran scowled, about to reverse and get back on the road, when a deep tremor rolled up from a nearby alleyway.

His pupils shrank sharply. Almost on reflex, he yanked an assault rifle from the passenger seat.

And at that same instant, two monsters burst from the alley, half their bodies covered in crimson flesh-growths, roaring at the group with gaping maws.

“The hell?!”

What the hell are those things?!

Not only the veteran driving the truck. Even Spring Water Commander on the rooftop was stunned.

It was another new Evolved Type, one they had never seen before.

The spore concentration was climbing fast and visibility on the ground was nearly gone.

Spring Water Commander reacted quickly, barking orders through the communication channel. “Sector 2, ready up! Lock onto northwest coordinates! Heavy machine-gun squad, open fire!”

“Recon team, unload the corpses from the truck and drag one of those big ones back! We need a sample!”

Unidentified mutants showing up outside the defense line meant only one thing, they needed to find out what those things were, and they needed to do it quickly.

Two sharp replies crackled through the comms.

“Copy that!”

“Copy!”

From a dark window about 10 floors down, a roaring muzzle flash erupted,

A strength type player crouched behind a 20mm autocannon, unleashing a stream of tracer fire down the street.

The glowing rounds tore through the air like molten snakes. The monster’s chest burst open in a spray of blood and gore as it staggered backward.

The rookies crouched beside the pickup, watching in awe as the tracer fire danced along the pavement, feeling their hearts thunder in their chests.

They had only seen scenes like that in the official promotional videos. Standing in the middle of it was a completely different experience.

Adrenaline surged through their bodies as every nerve screamed with excitement.

Except, there wasn’t much left for them to do.

The supporting fire from the rear had shredded the mutants that got close. Just as the strength type hesitated about finishing one off, the veteran ducked out of the driver’s seat, tossed him a thick coil of rope as wide as his thumb, and yelled, “Tie this around the big one’s right leg! Make it tight!”

The rookie blinked. “But the guns are still firing...”

“Trust your teammates! They can see you! Now move!”

Cutting him off, the veteran grabbed another coil and crouched low, sprinting toward the creature’s left leg.

Still afraid but unwilling to lag behind, the strength type player gritted his teeth and followed.

Just as the veteran had said, the gunners tracked their advance, shifting their aim forward with them.

The bright tracers drew a curtain of light that shielded them, suppressing the monsters in the alley and keeping them pinned behind the fire net.

The strength type player finished tying the rope, then saw the veteran running back toward the truck and followed at once.

As he stepped back onto the road, a dark shadow lunged from the wall of fog ahead.

It had the rough shape of a crocodile. It had a flat, narrow snout, thick hind legs like a bull’s, and a long tail stretched straight for balance. It’s body was bare of scales. It was just raw, red flesh covered in burn-like wrinkles, its skin the color of a plucked turkey.

It was fast, blindingly so.

He didn’t even get a clear look before the monster barreled into the veteran, sending him flying.

Turns out in Wasteland Online, awakened players weren’t much tougher than anyone else. When things went wrong, death still came fast.

Maybe an exoskeleton would’ve helped, but sadly, the veteran wasn’t wearing one. Before he could even scream, his throat was bitten clean through.

The crocodile-like creature pinned him down and began devouring him in a frenzy.

Crack!

The sound of breaking bone was loud and crisp. The strength type player froze, terror crawling up his spine, hands and feet turning ice cold.

In the span of a single breath, the man who had been training him was gone.

So this... is the Wasteland?

But there was no time for shock.

Seeing the two ropes tied to the truck bed, he instantly understood the mission. Ignoring everything else, he sprinted for the driver’s seat.

A shrill scream rang out behind him. The girl had been dragged into the fog by something unseen.

The other two turned to help, fired a few shots, and were yanked into the mist as well.

Machine guns poured fire into the fog, but the tracers vanished like swallowed light. No sound came back.

On the rooftop, Spring Water Commander’s face tightened.

The Slime Mold had gotten smarter.

They weren’t swarming the defenses in mindless Tides anymore. They were coordinating, working together like soldiers.

They were like noobs who had suddenly learned micro-control.

“... So this time, the mutation is in their brain?”

Realizing this, his expression darkened further. He would have have to post that on the forums later.

Meanwhile, the ground fight raged on.

Seeing his teammates dead, the strength type player didn’t dare hesitate. He scrambled into the driver’s seat, half crawling, half falling in.

It was his first time driving one of the trucks, but New Alliance vehicles were designed for simplicity.

Gritting his teeth, he slammed the pedal. The pickup roared to life, dragging the half-eaten monster’s corpse behind it as it sped toward the inner defense lines of Defense Sector 06.

The crocodile-mutant chased after him for a few steps, as if reluctant to let the corpse go, but heavy machine-gun fire stitched across its path.

After circling a few times without success, it turned back, retreating into the gray-green fog.

The rookie didn’t dare look back. His right foot might as well have been welded to the accelerator.

He burst through the gate just before it closed, slamming the brakes hard and skidding to a stop by the roadside.

Several soldiers in exoskeletons rushed over, cutting the ropes with combat knives and sliding a body bag over the mangled mutant corpse before loading it onto a forklift bound for the rear.

The New Alliance Biological Research Institution would handle the autopsy.

Between the body and the tissue stuck to the tire and shovel, they would finally get a look at two of the Hive’s new cards.

Panting heavily in the driver’s seat, the strength type player listened to the gunfire echoing in the distance, heart pounding like crazy.

Minutes ago, he thought the monsters were too weak and were no challenge at all.

In just three short minutes, his 5-man team was dead and he was the only one left alive.

This game is too realistic!

As he caught his breath, a man in an exoframe approached from afar.

The rookie immediately recognized that turtle-shell armor and the mounted cannon. There was no doubt about it. He was Spring Water Commander, leader of the Storm Corps and the New Alliance’s Marshal.

He jumped out of the truck, face flushed with guilt, staring at the battered vehicle.

“Sorry... I-I was the only one who made it back.”

“No need to apologize,” Spring Water Commander said kindly, patting his shoulder. “You did well. Most first-timers can’t even figure out what to do under pressure. What’s your name?”

“Uh... Oldie Leaving Eggs!” the rookie blurted.

Spring Water Commander blinked. “... Santa Claus?”[1]

A normal username, for once?

Well, whatever. The man seemed competent enough.

Spring Water Commander decided to extend an offer on the spot. “Interested in joining the Storm Corps?”

The rookie froze for a second, then his eyes lit up. “Yes! Of course I am!”

Spring Water Commander grinned. “Good. From now on, you’re a reserve member. Once you hit LV10, I’ll bring you in officially.”

Pure joy replaced the fear on his face.

Moments ago he’d been terrified out of his wits, now, the corners of his mouth lifted into a wide smile.

First he had won the ultra-rare closed beta slot. Now, he had just been invited to join one of the server’s top corps.

What kind of main-character treatment was this?!

Wait, shouldn’t he, according to every online novel trope, decline calmly and play hard to get?

Unaware of the newbie’s wild inner monologue, Spring Water Commander simply regarded him as a promising recruit. He was brave and level-headed, even a bit reminiscent of Battlefield Cheerleader back in his rookie days.

He was good enough material to mold.

Nodding in satisfaction, Spring Water Commander turned to head back toward the line.

As the commander’s armored back disappeared into the gray mist, the rookie suddenly remembered something and called out.

“Wait, what about them?”

Spring Water Commander stopped, glancing back. “Them?” 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“The ones dragged into the fog...”

“... Hard to say.” He paused for a long moment, then shook his head.

He had once been captured by a fungal mother during a Tide himself, but it had lost interest almost immediately and killed him. He barely remembered how he died.

However... The Mother Body was different this time. No one knew what it would do.

Still, a small silver lining remained. Three of them had been taken alive.

Maybe, once he checked the forums later, he would find some... interesting information.

1. Pinyin for both names is the same, but Spring Water Commander mistook it for Santa Claus. Name: 剩蛋老人 - Sheng Dan Lao Ren, 圣诞老人 - Sheng Dan Lao Ren (Santa Claus) ☜