Shut Up – This Is a Serious Game

Chapter 2: Radar Basics

Chen Jiu's mind was blank.

What the heck?

So the so-called sacred object is a radar antenna?

That explains why it doesn't snow in Xiahe Village anymore.

It's probably because of the electromagnetic microwave radiation from the radar.

But the problem comes again, how powerful must the startup power of this thing be to achieve such a level?

I guess the rumor of "roasting rabbits 300 meters away" is nothing compared to it.

Wait a minute, if the relic is a radar antenna, how are we supposed to bring it back?

The mission said to "retrieve" this antenna and deliver it to a research institute called "Three Feet,"  and according to the map on the UI, this Three Feet Institute was hidden in the nearby mountain, about four kilometers away from Xiahe Village.

What the heck?!

What kind of ridiculous mission is this?

Chen Jiu had seen a lot of unreasonable games, but he had never seen one that was so shamelessly unfair; it was as if they had put "complete the mission on foot" right in front of his face.

Maybe "retrieving" is just an abstract way of saying that actually all that needs to be done is to restore the radar's normal function? But Chen Jiu doesn't know how to repair a radar. Chen Jiu is completely clueless. But now he has no other choice but to keep going and see what happens.

Just as he stepped out of the narrow alley, someone in the crowd on the open ground noticed him. "A stranger is here!" The person shouted, pointing at Chen Jiu.

In an instant, everyone turned around, and there were people carrying swords and other strange weapons. They rushed to Chen Jiu's face and surrounded him.

Chen Jiu stood awkwardly in place. According to the normal game routine, there should have been a cutscene or dialogue option at this time, but all he saw was the bare UI interface.

After a moment of hesitation, he tentatively said, "I accidentally came in; it's too cold outside..."

He didn't expect that an elderly person in the crowd nodded after hearing this completely unconvincing sentence and then said, "It's too cold, the ice tide is coming... We don't care how you came here, but once you enter Xiahe Village, you can't leave."

Just as his words fell, two burly youths walked up and gestured to grab Chen Jiu.

"What's this?" Chen Jiu's face showed a look of surprise, but he quickly reacted.

Yes, in this post-apocalyptic world, having such a "heating device" would undoubtedly be a coveted object for everyone.

To survive, either this group of people had extremely high combat powers or they had hidden themselves.

Obviously, judging from the geographical location of Xiahe Village, surrounded by mountains, and their performance, they had chosen the latter.

This was indeed an effective means, but the problem was that it was not good for him.

Who knows how they will deal with themselves? Kill? Bury? Raise to increase population? No matter which one, it would not be beneficial for them to continue the game process. They must be free and still be able to contact the radar antenna to figure out what the so-called "retrieval" in the mission means. Chen Jiu's mind was spinning quickly, and he saw the man with a weapon walking towards him. Suddenly, he had an idea and shouted, "I know what's wrong with your furnace!" Everyone around them fell silent, and the expressions on their faces showed deep suspicion and dread.

A stranger from outside the mountain, who claimed to know what was wrong with the furnace, made it hard for people not to doubt his identity and purpose.

Chen Jiu also noticed the abnormality and hastily added, "I have been to a place where they also have a furnace. They know how to repair it and how to sacrifice to the furnace!"

In fact, Chen Jiu was just speculating. He didn't know what was wrong with the radar, and even if he knew, it was unlikely that he could solve it with his own strength, but at least he could use this to buy some time.

"Have you seen any other furnaces?"

The old man who spoke first asked solemnly.

"Yes, more than one. I have traveled a long distance, and there are people offering sacrifices at the altar in many places! What you are doing is wrong!"

Chen Jiu said this with great confidence.

What a waste of words! Could that possibly be right? There were all kinds of unknown meats and grains on the radar's base; what use could it be?

But to come out and say that others' rituals were wrong, that was certainly a risky move.

Fortunately, he was right about his gamble.

There was whispering in the crowd.

"I said it couldn't be done like this; my grandfather said before that the offerings to the gods were made with stones..."

"Yeah, I heard it was a cylindrical stone, but from my father's generation onwards, it's been made with meat..."

"That's inevitable; that kind of stone is very special; you can't find it on the mountain; and the rituals for offerings are also complicated; nobody knows them now..."

Chen Jiu moved inside, he probably guessed the problem with the so-called "god furnace".

Cyclinder-shaped stones?

This radar station—it can't be powered by nuclear fuel, right?

If that's the case, then it's impossible for them to restore their so-called divine furnace.

In this icy and snowy land, where can one find nuclear fuel rods?

However, in a rush, the old man's expression wavered, and he quickly took advantage of the situation and said:

"Your divine furnace doesn't even eat flesh and blood, and even the offerings are wrong; how can it be useful?"

Upon hearing this, the old man's face changed.

He surely knew that his offerings were wrong?

As the only priest in the village, he was very clear about what to offer on the altar.

Even so, he knew that the offering was not really an offering but something more like burning fuel on the altar.

However, the stones used as fuel had been unavailable since the time of his two predecessors.

He could not tell the truth because the people of Xiahe Village needed faith.

Once they knew that no sacrifice could restore the power of the furnace, the village would fall apart instantly.

It was absolutely essential to stop the young man from speaking further.

He had originally wanted to spare the young man's life, but now it seemed impossible.

Thinking this, he gave a look to the people around him.

"His words have misled the people; seize him and bring him to the furnace; use his blood as an offering!"