Chapter 316: Pioneers Capture the Bird‑people, Form Up!

Society Bro was so angry he wanted to snap the pickaxe with his knee, but this thing, being an experimental product of the Rat Tribe imitating dwarf craftsmanship, seemed a tad harder than his leg bone, so in the next second…

Aoa ooo (Tom voice)… what kind of shovel is this!?

He collapsed on the ground in pain, mouth open and eyes shut, repeatedly grimacing, his face a mess, feeling he had no face left to embarrass himself in the game.

"Brothers, this game really looks down on us. I'm thinking of quitting; if you think it's still okay… then keep grinding."

"No, big brother, boohoo, we can't be without you!"

After all, we're brothers wearing the same trousers, the others hurried over to intervene; whether they liked it or not, they had to keep the big brother and share the suffering.

But just as they were singing back and forth like a mountain ballad, shouting "You mustn't, big brother, absolutely mustn't!" and "Brother, I've made up my mind, don't stop me any more," new footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the cavern.

They all quickly stopped tugging, standing in a line with hands bound like elementary students caught by a teacher, only to see that coming in faced not just a short mole‑person with three hairs on his head, but also another group of players being led in bound.

The leaders on each side glanced at each other, like two people who for the first time followed their wives back to their natal homes for the New Year, idly strolling to the village entrance to light a cigarette, only to unintentionally see each other's son‑in‑law.

"Ah? Ah, haha..."

In chaotic times one must use heavy measures, especially during the early chaotic phase of testing.

Under Ji Ming's orders, the dungeon security forces—comprising the Dog Town Guard, the Lizard Patrol, and the Rat Tribe Guard personally overseen by Mouse Kid—went out everywhere; anyone who didn't want to simply enjoy the game but only sought to cause trouble and make a name for themselves was arrested.

Moreover, each arrest was paraded publicly, letting them make a spectacle before the crowd, then they were escorted to the mine shaft for labor re‑education—though given a target, it was essentially POW‑level treatment.

As for the most important and cruelest measure, the live‑stream function was disabled, making them taste the pain of losing several days of development time and being unable to convert any black‑red hype into profit!

In less than three and a half minutes, the thugs who had just been stuck with their necks now completely collapsed.

"Ahhh, my money! All my money has slipped away!"

"Wuwu, I know I was wrong, Your Holiness, please let me out."

"I was really stupid, truly, I thought playing a text game wouldn't get caught..."

Thus, after instantly gaining over two hundred volunteer laborers, the restless dungeon finally returned to peace; the players even recalled real‑world etiquette, lining up outside each monster‑farming room to enter, each pure as if back in college days.

I don't know if the players can actually hold the literal in‑game queue, but the livestream audience certainly can't hold on.

【2:30 am late night, I lie in bed watching others obediently queue in the game, even bored enough to squat on the floor and play tic‑tac‑toe with strangers?】

【Come to think of it, since I graduated and started delivering parcels I haven't queued at all—not that I don't want to, but I'm afraid a stranger would open their mouth and snatch the front spot.】

【Tsk, now that you mention it, I actually miss it a bit.】

But according to Ji Ming and the little boss's pre‑agreed "Public Test Rules 1.0", the official‑mandated arrests only occur in the dungeon that serves as the newbie village, intended to give novice and farming players a happy, safe haven, at least so they aren't drafted by veteran players the moment they open their eyes.

So...

"Damn, this damn game is over‑controlled, isn't it? Isn't this a 3A‑level VR game that should be immersive? Why won't they let us play freely, not even letting the bitter tea seed be removed!"

"Boss, don't rush, I've read the rules carefully; the NPC patrols ordered by the officials are limited to the dungeon interior. As soon as we get out of here, the sky's the limit, the sea's open... huh?"

"If you're uncultured, stop splashing ink around!"

In a sour mood he smacked the junior's head, and Society Bro II swept his hand.

"Let's go, we're not going to the training camp, we're leaving the city!"

Thus these few fish‑out‑of‑the‑net swaggered out of the dungeon, intending to earn wealth with their own hands, ascend the pinnacle of an otherworldly life, and the concrete job was probably just to go to the nearby Tribe and borrow some stuff...

Unfortunately they clearly didn't grasp the difference between Double Moon Struggle and other MMORPGs, acting like elementary students who, after briefly greeting the homeowner on stage, swarmed in, ransacking the place, ruthlessly wanting to yank even the smoked meat hanging from the beams.

Thus, as this group of eight‑year‑old, several‑hundred‑month thieves gleefully prepared to move on to the next place for more riches, their path was blocked by a tall figure.

"Hey, what are you doing!?"

It was the homeowner, who had been firmly restrained by such crazy behavior for over a minute; Society Bro II's companions said nothing, merely froze in place.

"... This isn't right, I clearly packed everything into my backpack, how could they still notice?"

"Holy cow, could this be a game bug?"

But true hardcore ruthless people never complain about the environment; seeing the old sneaky tactics fail to adapt to the current version, they immediately reverted to their old trade, deciding to use a bit of violence to protect their profit.

They're also professionals with their own go‑to strategy: first, the fastest member of the squad draws the opponent's attention; the rest follow the big member to shoulder‑charge, and while the target isn't watching they slip behind, then…

Sigh, this time they lost their minds and actually snuck into Lord Niu's house—did they manage to steal anything from his place?

They could only be smashed by this big brother Niu‑head with a single punch or hammer into iron‑hoof meatballs; besides being maimed, broken limbs, tossed about, they had no room even for a hint of resistance—without a sound, they were all assigned to the urinal.

And the other groups who tried deceitful theft, even outright robbery of other players, were quickly subjected to the natives' righteous punishment.

"Wait, I'm a Pioneer, please, recall the friendship between us!?"

Seeing the lizard women brandishing cleavers, the master thief cornered in the wall let out a pitiful, terrified scream.

Yet even though the game has entered public testing, and even during the relatively gentle closed beta due to few players, the so‑called "Pioneers" have for a long time been just a vague label, not a real collective.

Therefore, fearing that the reputation they barely kept from being tarnished, the closed‑beta guilds had long ago produced a holy dissenter, announcing under the High Tower Community that they were cutting ties with the trouble‑making Pioneers' justice.

"Although theoretically we come from the same place and should stand on the same side, where are there no good or bad people? Some ruffians inevitably slip in."

—Really unfamiliar!

"But rest assured, if anyone errs later, as long as they aren't members of our guild, you may deal with them however you wish—kill them, it's fine; they can respawn, perfect for waking them up!"

"No, even our own guild members may be dealt with under our observation; that's the rule, and our friendship! May the High Tower Community's friendship endure, long live unity!"

Tsk tsk, look at how enlightened the old Pioneers are, and compare that to these fresh rookie newbies, sigh~

Thus, after the lizard women asked the master thief whether he belonged to guilds like 【Gunblade】, 【Starry Sky】, or 【Justice】 and received a shake‑head, they bitterly raised their knives.

The master thief was then completely stunned, having long forgotten that the game lets you respawn, and shamefully recanted on the spot.

"Wait! Wait! Everyone, I remember now, I'm from the 【Gunblade】 guild, trust me, trust me!"

But the lizard women weren't fools, and someone immediately asked,

"Is that so, then where's your token?"

"I left in a hurry, forgot to take it, could you trust me a bit more?"

"... What do you think?"

Yet the misbehaving players who tried to cause trouble on the underground plain, though all were slaughtered, certainly weren't satisfied while stuck in the urinal; they began crying to the livestream audience's families, claiming the game's high freedom was a scam, trying to swindle gifts and hype.

Little did they know the closed‑beta guild had already anticipated this and, under the High Tower Community, opened a 【Peaceful Tower】 livestream room to interview innocent NPCs harmed by rogue players, and although no ID was stated, a skilled scribe would write the entire crime process clearly.

So the troublemaking players were crushed to the ground before they could even stir up a public outcry, and even their own comment sections were overrun on the spot.

【Evidence is solid! No amount of arguing can refute it!】

【I said, why are you all crying so fake and speaking so exaggerated? Turns out you're just acting!】

【Damn, still being tough in the live stream, you lot are truly worthless—go ahead and report them, families!】

Moreover, the players will soon discover that, whether it's the official rules in the dungeon or the player rules on the underground plain, they essentially exist to protect the players—at most they're like a father's slap or a teacher's ruler; although somewhat violent, as the saying goes, an unpruned sapling won't grow straight, so when it's crucial, you have to use it; otherwise……

When those who have endured countless hardships yet still refuse to give up, insisting on becoming tough nuts in the game world, finally arrive in Sunshine City, this otherworldly Gotham opens their eyes completely—society's beatdown is extremely harsh; if players' corpses didn't disappear upon death, the eaves would have to be hung with many more sunshine dolls.

However, this still isn't the worst; Sunshine City, having been at least somewhat straightened out by the players, does have some semblance of reason, whereas those who headed to the surrounding small towns—or who simply ran into bandits and robbers on the road……

I won't go into the minor details, but all I can say is that Double Moon Struggle, as the game's bottom line, saved their lives; otherwise it would be slapping people's heads and smearing flowery stuff on their wives, and today they'd have to either use a toilet or a banquet hall to experience the taste of extreme human pain.

The three waves of beatdown that gradually escalated from inside to out also allowed some overly excited players to fully regain their composure, clearly realizing that since Double Moon Struggle lets them act as freely as in reality, it naturally also entails many real‑like shackles.

If one had to say, it's merely a reboot of an otherworldly life……

But this isn't worth feeling down about, after all 'transmigration and rebirth' is the opening for countless novel protagonists, and now I can have this treatment—doesn't that mean everyone should be like a dragon? Grind!

Meanwhile, as normal players and prisoner‑player types buried themselves in hard work, launching their own first day of open testing filled with confusion and curiosity, Ji Ming was also handling a batch of his own prisoners.

Strange Werewolf Cloi stood arrogantly at the front, with the excellent POW representatives Rock Dragon Sub‑God Leinorz and Golden Wing Lich Rodrigues on either side, left dragon right lich, looking quite imposing.

「Pioneer captive Shadow Feather Person, step forward! 」

The feather person, with hardly any hair left, lowered their head and responded weakly.

「Present! 」

「Pioneer captive Strange Spider Queen, step forward! 」

The Spider Queen, still missing chunks here and there, was also spiritless, lifting her foreleg that was about to break.

「Present! 」

Besides these two major war criminals handed over to Ji Ming, the prisoner ranks also contained many fanatics not killed by players, or necromancers sent by Lao Yang Tou for support, all of whom Cloi called out by name one by one.

As for why she emphasized that these people were Pioneer captives……

Just as players divided themselves into closed‑beta and open‑beta factions, this group of remodeled POWs also began to split into Envoy and Player factions—like Cloi, Leinorz, Rodrigues, and including the Purple General; when they were captured, the Envoy Sir was present, so surrendering and admitting defeat isn't cowardly, it's being subdued by the Envoy's kingly aura; losing to a big shot is no disgrace!

In contrast, these shadow‑affiliated POWs were actually captured by the Pioneers who were ordered and controlled by the Envoy Sir.

What the heck is this? Even my little brother can't beat them, and they're all embarrassed—doesn't that mean they're inherently inferior to us?

So Cloi, the lowest‑ranked, is basically a weakling dragging everyone down—no wonder she can strut arrogantly before these big shots; there's a reason for that——

Nonsense—I'm the first one personally captured and personally disciplined by the Envoy Sir. What is this? 'Grace extends like thunder and rain'—this is a special kind of favor!

So after roll call ended, the fully self‑PUA'ed master‑level worker Cloi immediately ran over to Ji Ming, fawningly, sat down, and wagged her tail.

「Report to Envoy Sir: expected 246, present 246, all present, report complete! 」

Ji Ming smirked.

「……Very good, in fact I've already seen it. 」