The group remained inside the Elliott family villa, unaware that outside, someone was peering through a sniper scope, watching everything unfold.
"F-Cell 'Hunter Fox' reporting to the command post, target in sight. Should I proceed with the daylight plan?" He was crouched on a dark canopy, holding a sniper rifle, and communicating with his command post via radio.
"Hunter Fox, hold your position. Do not take action unless further orders are given by the command post," came the reply through his earpiece.
The sniper lying in wait outside confirmed the order with a sharp voice, "Order received, entering standby mode now..."
He shifted his keen gaze away from the scope, a cold smile forming on his lips.
"You're lucky for now, but you won't have many good days left."
...
As night fell, an Asian man huddled in a pile of garbage, shivering and trembling.
Exhausted and in an unfamiliar place, he had been hiding for three or four days.
His name was Lin Jun, a novice player from the dark realm who had come to this place. Because he had been hiding in secret locations, only venturing out to scavenge food from garbage, even Xu Lin's police search couldn't find him.
After some homeless people robbed him of his wallet, Lin Jun was left penniless, enduring days of misery.
Just as usual, after grabbing some scraps from wild dogs and barely filling his stomach, he soon fell into a groggy sleep.
"I just want to go home. This must all be a dream. Once I fall asleep, everything will go back to normal."
He mumbled to himself, as if trying to convince himself. Perhaps from hunger and exhaustion, Lin Jun quickly fell into a deep sleep.
His dreams were silent and peaceful, as if sinking into the abyss of the sea.
Lin Jun didn't know how long it took before he woke from the dream.
"What’s happening, why am I here again?"
He saw a city, submerged in the sea, full of towering pillars, its eerie atmosphere enveloping him.
"When it emerges from its deep-sea kingdom, the tides bow to its will, and the shores tremble and flee upon seeing its form."
"It slumbers at low tide. It devours at high tide."
"In R'lyeh's abode, Cthulhu waits dreaming to enter yours..."
The sound of the ritual echoed as endless darkness spread from the deep sea, sinister forms emerged, drawing Lin Jun into a cold and malevolent dreamscape.
Minutes later, a stray cat leapt atop a trash can, finding no food, it leapt back down. It soon discovered a pile of clothes in the garbage, yet their owner was nowhere to be found...
This wasn't an isolated incident. Besides Lin Jun, three other players disappeared silently in this small town.
"Player Lin Jun, Luo Dezhang, Xiao Qi dead. Four players have died in 'The New Shadow Over Innsmouth!'"
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The voice of the Death Space's Pinocchio echoed in every player's ear.
Alexander awoke from a nightmare, startled by the message. He rubbed his eyes, realizing he couldn't sleep anymore.
"Things have gotten complicated..."
Just as Alexander muttered to himself, it indeed became more troublesome. Unknown to him, not only did others share his fate, but throughout Innsmouth, more people began experiencing the same dream—R'lyeh's dream.
In their nightmares, a dark presence beneath the ocean roared continuously.
"When it emerges from its deep-sea kingdom, the tides bow to its will, and the shores tremble and flee upon seeing its form."
"It slumbers at low tide. It devours at high tide."
"In R'lyeh's abode, Cthulhu waits dreaming to enter yours..."
...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After several gunshots, bullets whistled through the indoor shooting range, piercing the targets accurately.
Xu Lin took off his ear protection, turning to the group: "This is the basic handgun shooting stance, always use both hands. Most TV shows get it wrong..."
"The Weaver stance is a fundamental shooting posture, using your strong hand to hold the gun, locking your elbow and wrist, utilizing your skeleton and body weight to counter recoil. The weak hand supports, with thumbs un-crossed; push with the strong hand, pull with the weak hand to stabilize the gun."
"When using a handgun, be cautious, especially indoors. Don't aim at the floor, walls, or ceiling, so control your gun-handling stance. Also, if you're in an open environment, avoid stray shots that might hit innocent bystanders; bullets can fly off wildly, easily injuring ordinary people."
"Pay attention to shooting distances as well. Effective lethal range is about 50-60 meters, but beginners should be thankful if you can strike a target within about five meters..."
Xu Lin instructed the group on using handguns as they stayed at the Elliott family villa. Two days had passed, and the police search was underway, but even quickly, it couldn't be completed instantly.
Seizing this chance, Xu Lin reinforced the group's understanding of the script world and taught them how to use weapons.
—They had acquired some firearms through special connections. Since several newcomers had never handled a gun, Xu Lin led them to the indoor shooting range at the Elliott villa to teach them firearm handling.
"Those hybrid Deep Ones aren't particularly powerful creatures. With more firepower, can't we handle them easily?"
Jin Jianshu toyed with an FN-45 handgun, speaking softly. Unfamiliar with the Cthulhu mythos, he didn't grasp the real situation, relying on information shared by Xu Lin and Alexander. Such a view was unrealistic here...
"Your thinking is too simple. Remember, this isn't the real world. Many situations can't be measured by common sense. I've faced those hybrid Deep Ones; a single one matches a strong adult male in strength, speed, and has a certain level of brute force..."
Xu Lin adjusted his glasses: "Most of you are novices with limited combat capability. Facing one or two hybrids may be manageable, but if there are many, no one can escape."
"Our main task isn't to fight monsters, but to survive. Each of you needs to earn 300 survival points..."
Carmen continued, "In this ordinary-level script world, main tasks offer only 200 survival points. If you don't earn an additional 100, even if you return to the dark realm alive, you'll still face erasure!"
"What should we do then?"
An elderly man with the surname Cheng, leaning on a cane, asked: "Given my condition, how can I independently earn those so-called 100 survival points?"
"Don't worry, sir. Earning survival points doesn't necessarily rely on force; strategy is key..." Alexander reassured kindly.
"Correct, earning survival points involves several aspects. First, complete main tasks; second, complete side tasks; third, avoid death flags."
Xu Lin looked at the group seriously, speaking slowly: "Side tasks are divided into personal and group ones. Higher risks yield higher rewards. I advise against rushing into personal side tasks; these are unique to each script, unseen and unknown to others..."
"You should focus on two points: complete group side tasks when possible. The first act's group side task was building relationships with the protagonist's group. Alexander did well and got 500 survival points, enough for the next..."
Carmen glanced at Alexander, who quickly understood her implication.
He addressed the group, "Yes, I completed the first act's group side task. It wasn't difficult or dangerous..."
Hearing this, the group's eyes reflected complex emotions towards Alexander.
"The second act's side tasks haven’t appeared yet, or someone may have triggered personal ones; that's not the focus. We are a team, and the goal is for more people to survive."
Carmen surveyed the group, a solemn expression on his face. After a pause, he exhaled, turning to Xu Lin: "Xu Lin, it's about time. They should learn more now."