Chapter 48: Rough Street

Open the panel and select Log into the Killing Ground.

The scene before his eyes shifted abruptly; a howling wind swept past, flapping his clothes violently.

Li Cheng lowered his center of gravity, steadied his stance, and squinted to observe his surroundings.

This was a steel metropolis so vast it defied imagination—no low-rise buildings existed; every skyscraper soared over a kilometer high, connecting the rock strata below to the steel surface above.

The buildings were linked by bridges and tunnels; at this moment, Li Cheng stood on a metal bridge, and as far as he could see, tangled cables, wires, and pipes littered the area, covered in scorch marks.

【Rough Street】is a uniquely designated zone where players are forbidden from harming, colliding with, or touching each other.

If you find any content errors, please visit using your browser!

They are the constructs mentioned on the forum, building and maintaining this uninhabited city like hive worker bees.

These mechanical entities varied in shape but generally had streamlined bodies, white ceramic-like shells, and multiple mechanical arms of differing functions.

"Five bucks, five bucks, everything's five! Five game coins won't cost you much, but you'll get the newest, toughest, most firepower-packed military-grade firearms!"

Uh… he himself wasn't much better off.

Tens of thousands of constructs worked silently across the city, welding steel plates and installing cables; they paid no attention to Li Cheng's sudden appearance.

Lockheed Martin's M134 minigun, Belgium's FN SCAR assault rifle, Barrett, Glock, grenade launchers, portable rocket launchers—all were present and accounted for; the air itself reeked of gunpowder.

Here was 【Rough Street】—the largest gathering spot for players in the Physical Killing Ground, the headquarters of every guild, the most bustling commercial district among players.

It resembled a lively, noisy commercial street, with severe light pollution from colorful neon signs, as if he had stepped into a Punk World.

A thunderous roar echoed from the giant pipe at the city's edge; all the hive constructs in the city simultaneously halted their work, either diving beneath the bridges or retreating into the buildings, as if hiding from something.

Alien corrosive blood splattered, scorching dense pits into the ceramic floor.

As a model student, Li Cheng had never seen so many firearms; under the sales clerk's enthusiastic guidance, he picked up weapon after weapon: "This one, and this one—also pack the ammo for me, thanks."

Any attempt to harm, harass, or detain other players would trigger attacks from special constructs—namely, security guards—making it a truly safe haven for players.

The small clinic's door stood open; a blonde female physician, her face still bearing grotesque surgical scars, used a bone saw to cut apart the corpse of an alien on the autopsy table.

Li Cheng glanced around and instinctively calculated the total volume of steel within his line of sight, arriving at a staggering astronomical number.

These phone booths were special structures within the Physical Killing Ground, functioning as teleportation stations—the primary mode of transportation for players.

Li Cheng nodded, paid ten game coins via the pop-up transaction interface, and entered a nine-digit number on the phone's dial.

The shop was of moderate size, with only one sales clerk; shelves, cabinets, even the ceiling were crammed with an array of firearms.

This was merely a tiny fraction of the Killing Ground's total structure; gazing far into the distance, he could faintly see the city's far end connected to a pipe over ten kilometers in diameter, leading to unknown regions.

Boom—

"Silver-Scale Chestplate, rare item, 600 each! First come, first served!"

Li Cheng looked around and spotted a blue phone booth with a penguin logo and serial number 4090, fifty meters away at the bridge's end.

"Accept."

114.41.80.172

"Time is limited, no leisure to wander—better stick to the plan."

It was like walking into a cosplay convention—everywhere were oddities.

Li Cheng scratched his head; if he removed his restrictions and summoned his mantis-arm bone blades along with his spikes and plates, he too would appear as a monster to ordinary eyes.

The sensation was peculiar—like being rolled back and forth by a rolling pin, his body flattening and elongating as he passed through a colorful river; his perception of the outside world slowed, as if drunk.

Li Cheng rubbed his palms together and, following the forum's map, strode into a gun shop named 【Full Firepower】.

Crowds thronged the streets; many wore bizarre outfits—Stormtrooper armor from Star Wars, Akatsuki robes from Naruto, and unitard suits from Evangelion.

Banks, fast food, clothing stores, hair salons, jewelry shops, electronics vendors, gyms, pharmacies—all were present, alongside clinics, gun shops, and martial arts dojos rarely seen on real-world commercial streets.

It was simply unimaginable how vast the entire Killing Ground complex was, or what purpose such a colossal structure served.

"Alright then, will you pay with Killing Ground points?" the clerk said enthusiastically. "Need a membership card? Upgrade to premium and get a 20% discount."

He sprinted to the phone booth, pulled open the glass door, lifted the receiver, and heard a voice within, oddly sly and mocking.

The phone suddenly emitted a suction force, pulling Li Cheng entirely into the receiver.

Li Cheng nodded politely; he had not used his real face, but instead assumed a new one, and wore a night suit sprayed with deodorant.

Aside from Li Cheng, no trace of human activity could be seen anywhere in the city.

According to forum summaries, new players typically find a teleport phone booth nearby upon first logging into the Killing Ground, allowing immediate access to a safe zone.

"Need a haircut, buddy? Get a membership? Try swimming, fitness—check it out! Beauty and haircare too!"

Li Cheng took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and stepped onto the bustling street.

Perhaps noticing Li Cheng's gaze, the female physician paused her work, grinned at him, and waved the alien's arm.

Architectural styles were wildly inconsistent and chaotic: a towering modern bank building stood to the left of a three-story classical Chinese restaurant, while to the right was a witchcraft shop selling toads, salamanders, and wands—utterly incongruous, fitting the name 【Rough Street】 perfectly.

Seconds later, Li Cheng tumbled out from inside the phone, appearing in a new blue phone booth with serial number 39. Outside, noise and clamor echoed.

"New Galaxy Casino opens its first offline branch! Sexy dealers, live card dealing! Deposit any amount, get the same amount free! Withdraw up to one Bitcoin per day!"

The gym had no door; a group of muscular men in tank tops sweated profusely, lifting barbells weighing over five hundred kilograms each.

At the street corner stood a figure in a white lab coat, sporting a massive dragon head and holding a bottle of soy sauce, speaking to a spirit.

【Akili Remote Teleport Program is honored to serve you. This service charges 3% of your total spiritual energy value in game coins. Accept?】

Before Li Cheng could answer, a familiar voice rang out from outside the gun shop: "Personal advice: skip the card—pay with Rough Street currency at checkout."

Li Cheng turned; behind him stood Changsun Yao, accompanied by several employees of the World Nuclear Peace Bureau, nodding at him with surprise and friendliness: "Again, we meet."

(End of Chapter)