【Feng Bujue, Level 57】
【Si Yu Ruo Li, Level 54】
【Wang Tanzhi, Level 55】
【Bei Ling Xiao Gu, Level 54】
【Shi Shang Hua Jian, Level 54】
【Xu Huai Shang, Level 55】
【Please select the game mode for the team to join.】
【You have selected Team Survival Mode (Nightmare), please confirm.】

After everyone finished preparing, Feng Bujue still served as the captain, leading the team into the script queue.

【Your team is joining Team Survival Mode (Nightmare). The team size has reached the limit: six players.】
【Your team has entered the queue.】
【Coordinating neural connections, script generation in progress…】
【Loading begins, please wait.】

As the system prompts appeared one by one, everyone in the login space simultaneously experienced that familiar sense of weightlessness and fell into darkness.

The transfer… has begun.

"Welcome to, Thriller Paradise." A dry, hoarse male voice uttered the opening line.

【Loading complete. You are currently playing Team Survival Mode (Nightmare).】
【This mode provides a script introduction and has a chance to spawn side hidden quests and special worldviews.】
【Script Completion Reward: Optional Puzzle Card *4】

Seeing the reward for clearing this time, everyone in Hell Frontline was shocked. Even "Random Puzzle Card *4" was already a very rare reward, but this time the reward for clearing was actually four "Optional Puzzle Cards"?

In this version with a puzzle card exchange, every player's storage space always has three or five cards that they can't use. If they were given four "Optional" cards, they could combine them with their original cards, exchange them at the exchange, and most likely put together a set of puzzle card combinations with a large number and very difficult to assemble. Furthermore… this would be equivalent to giving them a powerful legendary-level equipment.

"Although I had a premonition when joining as a six-person team..." Feng Bujue thought to himself, "but judging from the content of the rewards, perhaps this script will be more difficult than I expected..."

【An error has occurred.】
【Reloading the introduction…】

The next second, an unprecedented abnormal situation confirmed Jue-ge's premonition.

【The script has encountered an unknown error, disconnecting…】
【Encountering unknown data stream traction, initiating emergency pro…】

The last section of the system voice stopped as if it had been cut off by some force.

And the players… were not disconnected.

***

Chaotic Scorched Earth, a blood-soaked realm.

Dark clouds cover the sky, ashes blanket the ground.

At this moment, in this land of slaughter filled with demons and monsters, a teleportation array surrounded by dozens of magical reliefs is emitting a light that is incompatible with the surrounding environment.

Buzz buzz buzz—

Accompanied by a buzzing sound, three figures appeared in the array.

Those… are three players: [Feng Bujue], [Wang Tanzhi], and [Xu Huai Shang].

"Finally succeeded once..." When Jue-ge and the others appeared, a young boy who looked fifteen or sixteen years old, but had an old-fashioned face, muttered beside the array.

"Lao Wang?" Feng Bujue looked in the direction of the voice and immediately recognized the other party as "Dian He Wang".

"Long time no see, Feng Bujue." Dian He Wang was obviously too lazy to complain about Jue-ge's address to him, and he just greeted him directly as if he hadn't heard it.

"Ho, you've grown a lot in a while." The last time Feng Bujue saw Dian He Wang, the latter's appearance was still that of a child, "Speaking of… that… is that part of your new look?" As he spoke, Jue-ge cast his gaze to a strange bird that was standing on Dian He Wang's shoulder.

It was an owl-like creature with a brown back and white belly. Its body was larger than an ordinary owl, and its head was completely cat-like. It was truly a "cat-headed" owl.

"It's me." Unexpectedly, a second later, the cat-headed owl actually opened its mouth and responded to Jue-ge.

"[BEEP—]" Feng Bujue blurted out an exclamation that was blocked, and then recognized the identity of the strange bird, "Zun-ge?"

"Yes, it's me." Zhuan Jiezun continued, "A lot has happened during this time… In short, I can only exist in this form for the time being, and my strength… is also much weaker than before."

"Although I don't want to interrupt your reminiscing..." At this moment, Xu Huai Shang suddenly interjected, "but I must remind you that something seems to be coming..."

She is indeed a top-notch expert, and her perception of danger and hostility is very敏锐 (minrui, sharp).

Just as her voice fell, a monster with bat wings suddenly burst out from mid-air about twenty meters away from the group, raising its claws and pouncing.

This monster resembled a gargoyle, but it was purple and extremely thin. It should have the ability to be invisible and fly silently, because before Xu Huai Shang spoke, its figure was still in a stealth state, and the sound of its flight was hidden in the wind and extremely difficult to detect.

Whoosh—

It was too late, but just in time!

As soon as the monster's pouncing action started, the sound of a sleeve arrow breaking through the air also whistled out.

Immediately afterward, a "噗 (pu)" sound was heard...

Xiao Tan's attack launched with [Altair's Touch] accurately hit the monster's head, right in the center of its brow.

Even if the monster was strong, there was no saving it after its brain was pierced by an arrow. A few seconds later, it fell diagonally downward with inertia, heavily hitting the ground, its twitching body and the brain matter spilling on the ground announced its death.

"Well… there isn't even a 'safe time' to adapt to the environment after entering the script…" Xiao Tan has now become accustomed to various situations in the game, and is accustomed to calmly handling this kind of sudden crisis and casually complaining…

"Heh…" Dian He Wang laughed dryly when he heard the words, "Being in the Chaotic Scorched Earth, what safety are you talking about? Breathing is unsafe here."

As he spoke, Zhuan Jiezun silently flew down from his shoulder and quickly landed next to the monster that had just died, lowering his head and licking the brain matter on the ground twice.

While licking, Zun-ge also said, "These teleportation reliefs are indeed too conspicuous. Let's talk somewhere else."

"I won't ask what you want to do by summoning me here with the teleportation array..." Feng Bujue didn't express any opinion on the other party's brain-eating behavior. He knew that Zhuan Jiezun's behavior must have its reasons, so he directly asked the real question, "I'm just asking… why are you two doing this on the Chaotic Scorched Earth? Wouldn't it be better to set up the array in the Reasoning Club?"

"Good question." Dian He Wang looked at Jue-ge with a cold face and said an amazing piece of news, "Let me tell you a piece of news that is no longer a big deal at this stage—the Reasoning Club has been destroyed."