At the same time the Southern Archipelago Federation’s patrol team was leaving, Irene and Elf Wang’s exploration squad had also departed from camp and headed deeper into the rainforest.

This hastily assembled expedition had only ten people. Aside from the two leaders, the other members were newly advanced players just over level 10, each equipped with basic miner exoskeletons and a mix of light and heavy armor sets.

The fires set off by the napalm had long since burned out, and the forest’s whispering chorus of insects had returned, as if nothing had ever happened.

No one dared to relax.

The locals’ choice to live on isolated islands rather than on the mainland was not because of any fondness for ocean views.

Though most players had come to this new map full of excitement, no one wanted to end up as fertilizer for mutants, especially not on the first day, before they had even earned back their airship ticket.

“This area used to be the coastal port district of Shilong City. If we go northwest another kilometer, we should reach the seaside residential zone, lots of villas and scenic ocean parks...”

Comparing the scene to the tourist brochure in her hand, Irene glanced around at the dense tropical vegetation. His expression turned wry. The resemblance was zero.

Although Clearspring City also had overgrown urban zones, what they were looking at was something else entirely.

There, a few fragments of reinforced concrete remained, mostly from drainage systems and old roads, but they were shattered beyond recognition.

As for the skyscrapers and beachfront villas? They were gone without a trace. Not even a hint they had ever existed remained.

Studying the map, Elf Wang circled the north side of the harbor with his pencil and tapped it. “The underground parking lots up there might have flooded, just like in Clearspring.”

Irene shot him a knowing look. “They turned into Hives?”

Elf Wang rubbed his chin. “Quite possible.”

Irene grinned. “Perfect. Two quests in one.”

“For safety’s sake, we’ll split up,” Elf Wang said, ordering the team into three groups arranged in a triangular formation. This way, even if one squad got ambushed, they wouldn’t all be wiped at once.

If danger struck one team, the other two could quickly flank and support. It was a formation born from countless player battle experiences, an opportunity to teach the newbies some hard-earned wisdom.

Even with careful planning, their advance through the jungle was painfully slow.

In less than three kilometers, they were attacked 10 times by mutants.

Twice it nearly became a team wipe, once by a barrel-thick mutant python, and once by a swarm of batlike dog-muzzled creatures.

If Elf Wang hadn’t fired an explosive arrow straight into the flock before it dispersed, the squad might not have made it out.

Beyond the monsters, the rainforest itself was the enemy.

Thick vines hidden in the underbrush tripped the unwary, while webbed creepers formed natural walls that blocked their path.

“Damn... this jungle is thick as hell,” grumbled a strength type player, hacking through a tangle with his machete.

“Why don’t we just burn through it?” complained the agility type behind him, rifle ready and eyes scanning the rustling shadows.

The constitution type player bringing up the rear chuckled. “Napalm? You kidding, man? This is a tropical rainforest.”

Historical data said a single napalm bomb could cover 2,500 square meters, but would only actually burn about 50 square kilometers in a rainforest. Wet wood wasn’t dry timber. Clearing the entire jungle by fire would take astronomical amounts of fuel, costlier than wiping out the Na Fruit nonsense around Brocade River Province.

“... So this used to be a city?” Wiping sweat from his brow, the vanguard strength player stared at his chipped machete.

“According to prewar maps, yeah. We should be near an old highway,” the perosn taking the rear said, pulling a notebook from his exoskeleton before tucking it away again.

“A highway? Here?” The agility type turned back, incredulous.

His teammate nodded. “Two centuries of typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes, and wild growth... No maintenance, no civilization. It’s no wonder the traces are gone.”

The trio’s in-game names were Squirtle, Blastoise, and Dumb Turtle, all clearly buddies from real life, maybe even dormmates.

Such groups weren’t uncommon in Wasteland Online. Closed beta access had never been truly random. Selection tended to favor pairs or groups of compatible candidates.

According to an old alpha tester’s theory, Wasteland Online wasn’t just a game but an experiment in creating a harmonious AI-human virtual society. So if two close friends both fit the criteria, it wasn’t unusual for them to get in together.

Of course, that was only one factor among many.