Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Bai Xingshu instinctively yanked the paper bag he had just removed back onto Shen Geng’s head.

Shen Geng: "..."

Was this some new prank stunt from Bai Xingshu?

Silent, Shen Geng twisted his wrist, shaking free completely from the ropes, then reached up to remove the paper bag from his own head. Just as he was about to voice his disapproval at Bai Xingshu, he lifted his eyes only to see Bai Xingshu forming a heart with his fingers.

"Surprise!!" Bai Xingshu, a master of cheeky distractions, grinned brightly and exclaimed.

Faced with the heart gesture and Bai Xingshu’s beaming smile, every complaint died on his lips.

Truly, he was completely at someone’s mercy. Shen Geng could only look at Bai Xingshu with fond exasperation.

"Stop fooling around," Shen Geng said without conviction, his voice laced with helplessness and an involuntary smile, proving just how thoroughly Bai Xingshu’s antics had delighted him.

After this half-hearted protest, Shen Geng glanced around. "Let’s help the others."

Bai Xingshu naturally had no objections. The game’s design was such that once one person broke free, they could easily help the others escape their restraints.

That had been Bai Xingshu’s original plan too.

Except he’d encountered a tiny ‘oops’ moment when trying to help Shen Geng, leading to a brief failure.

Bai Xingshu threw a look at his ‘setback,’ then moved to the nearest tourist, quickly cutting through their bindings with practiced ease.

With the two of them leading the way and the newly freed individuals helping one another, it didn’t take long for everyone to break loose.

A few among them began comparing notes on tactics they’d gathered online.

Some said taking the side door was the most comfortable route, but it was loaded with patrols and made recapture likely.

Others claimed squeezing through the doghole was the most humiliating, but the path beyond had few thugs, slashing the chances of being caught—there were even records of players counterattacking thugs from that route.

Then there was the advice to head west toward a first-aid station, where nurses could provide temporary shelter—though if you stayed longer than fifteen minutes, thugs would barge in.

The police station to the east seemed the most reliable, but the path there was crawling with thugs, making a breakthrough nearly impossible.

They also shared stories of past players’ absurd exploits, like the one who’d gone southwest to the power station and cut off the entire experience zone’s electricity, causing chaos and ultimately getting ‘arrested’ by a joint force of police, thugs, and civilians—an epic ‘demise.’

Or the dense northern woods, where agile players could run circles around thugs (since NPCs didn’t have real guns anyway)—the first survivor to last until the end had done so by hiding in that area.

After listening to the tourists’ enthusiastic exchange of tactics, Bai Xingshu’s eyes lit up at the sight of the warehouse’s side door.

That door led east—straight to the police station.

Lots of thugs, huh? Even better!

Bai Xingshu cracked his knuckles eagerly.

Since he hadn’t taken on any temporary staff work as a police officer during this semester’s long vacation, he’d been itching for action!

Real thugs were off-limits for now, but messing with these stand-ins sounded like fun.

Entertainment facilities shouldn’t just cater to the guests, right? Guests could give *them* some fun too!

Bai Xingshu, ready to stir up trouble, glanced at the people around him.

Clearly, everyone was more interested in the route involving the dog crawl mentioned by those people.

Since no one else was going for it, Bai Xingshu felt even more sure of his choice.

He raised a hand to tap Shen Geng, signaling they should team up.

However, when Bai Xingshu turned his head, he saw Shen Geng lost in thought, eyeing the passageways as if considering another plan.

Bai Xingshu blinked, holding back his suggestion. After analyzing Shen Geng’s expression briefly, he blurted out, "You... want to defend the warehouse?"

Shen Geng didn’t deny it and directly shared his thoughts: "Yeah, check it—this warehouse has just five exits: the main gate, the small door, two windows, and a dog passage. The main gate is already sealed, and the others are a breeze to hold but tough to breach."

"We have a hundred people here, and the warehouse has tons of stuff. Even if we all just arm ourselves with sticks, we can easily hold these exits together."

"This way, we can hold out till the four hours are up." Shen Geng was used to breaking things down tactically, landing on the best move.

The Combat Department had covered basic tactics, and Bai Xingshu himself had relevant experience, so he could tell Shen Geng’s plan made sense.

In a real fight, they’d have to worry about thugs opening fire or busting down doors, but this was just a theme park for kicks.

The rules barred visitors from laying a hand on NPCs, and likewise, NPCs couldn’t harm visitors.

The warehouse was also park property—visitors couldn’t damage it, and the NPCs wouldn’t either.

Under these conditions, Shen Geng’s strategy was simple and practical.

"But where’s the fun in that?" Bai Xingshu said.

He hadn’t considered such a straightforward tactic not because he couldn’t think of it, but because he saw no need.

According to the park director, visitors came to experience being hunted and robbed.

With Shen Geng’s plan, the entire activity would just involve staying in the warehouse—where’s the fun in that?

As Bai Xingshu pondered this, he saw Shen Geng freeze halfway through a nod, his gaze abruptly shifting past him to the people behind.

Bai Xingshu: "?"

Following Shen Geng’s line of sight, Bai Xingshu turned and spotted several people whose eyes lit up with interest in Shen Geng’s words.

From the start, it was obvious that a lot of visitors were equal parts excited and scared—like the ones who cried on the bus earlier.

The promo videos and write-ups made it look thrilling but safe, but once inside, plenty were still on edge.

Those thugs looked terrifying!

Like they could wipe out ten guys in one slash!

That was why most were drawn to the safer tips after hearing them.

But now, hearing they could win without even leaving the warehouse... why not go for it?

Who wouldn’t prefer victory over defeat?

"Hey, hotshot, how’s this work?" Several people eagerly asked Shen Geng.

Bai Xingshu folded his arms, watching Shen Geng lay out the plan to the group.

He began to ponder why these people could get so excited just by guarding a warehouse.

Their enthusiasm seemed far greater than when they were actually exploring the park’s attractions earlier.

However, not everyone was interested in staying inside the warehouse.

For some visitors, adventure was their main draw.

After glancing at the crowd gathered around Shen Geng, a few approached Bai Xingshu and asked: "Want to come with us?"

Bai Xingshu’s slightly slender frame, coupled with the calm vibe amplified by the effects, made him look like he needed looking after when silent—hardly surprising that someone would invite him along.

Bai Xingshu turned them down flat.

He pointed at Shen Geng: "No, I came with him."

Hearing Bai Xingshu’s refusal, those surrounding Shen Geng cheered his decision.

"Staying is the right call. Every guide online pushes venturing outside, but holding down the fort in the warehouse is a first."

"This is a one-time thing!"

"If you want adventure, you can always come back later. You can go out alone whenever you want."

"But a ‘tower defense’ gig like this? That’s rare!"

These words made even those initially planning to leave hesitate, and in the end, almost eight in ten visitors gathered inside the warehouse.

Holding the warehouse didn’t require much command. After making his suggestion, Shen Geng stayed hands-off, simply watching as everyone jumped into roles they could handle.

Some cracked open crates for weapons, others reinforced the barricades at the main entrance, and a few kept watch through cracks in the warehouse to scout the thugs outside.

Everyone got into it full throttle.

Bai Xingshu even spotted an engineer among the visitors, figuring out how to turn the warehouse tools into defensive devices.

However, this idea was eventually abandoned after others pointed out that traps weren’t allowed in the scenic area, and NPC safety had to be respected.

Watching all this, Bai Xingshu was kinda amazed.

It reminded him of the bonding drill during his freshman year, where his classmates had responded with similar enthusiasm.

Back then, he had assumed it was due to an us-against-them mentality after the teachers made the first move.

But now, it seemed that wasn’t the whole story.

Ordinary people, too, could be just as passionate about such collective efforts.

Puzzled, Bai Xingshu naturally turned to Shen Geng for answers.

Shen Geng hadn’t given it much thought before, but with his background, studying group behavior was part of his extracurricular studies. After a brief consideration, he quickly provided an explanation.

"Most people rarely get to experience this kind of teamwork in daily life."

"Normally, people do their own thing, busy with their own affairs. Compared to the usual routes of evasion and adventure, this kind of group activity might be the newest thrill for them."

While teamwork was commonplace in military academies, it was a relatively rare way of life for most people, who usually just focused on their own tasks.

Hearing this, Bai Xingshu went quiet for a sec, recalling his time as a temporary police officer and the cases and people he had encountered.

"So, here, everyone can thrive even if they're alone," Bai Xingshu remarked with a sigh.

Now, as Bai Xingshu looked at the bustling scene before him, he saw things differently now.

In the post-apocalyptic world, people had to team up in small squads or groups just to dare venture out. After crossing over, Bai Xingshu naturally entered the military academy, and his internship was in an environment like the police station—he’d never really thought about it before.

Being able to live safely alone—that’s what peace means.

Shen Geng watched as Bai Xingshu gazed at the crowd with a hint of longing in his eyes: "..."

Yes!

Exactly!

It made it seem like Bai Xingshu’s past life must have been terrifying!

Shen Geng exhaled in exasperation, glancing up at the ceiling.

Oblivious to yet another slip-up, Bai Xingshu finished his musings and clapped once.

"But being stuck in the warehouse doing this for four hours is pretty boring. I think we should give everyone a chance to see the world beyond this harshness!" Bai Xingshu said, cracking his knuckles.

Just as he had hoped in the post-apocalyptic world—to let everyone have the opportunity to leave the base and explore the wider world.

Shen Geng turned to look at Bai Xingshu and instantly understood what he intended to do. He smiled in response.

He raised his fist and tapped fists with Bai Xingshu’s.

"Then it’s up to you!"

"You got it!" Bai Xingshu replied.