Zhang Heng only rested for a day before he returned to the game checkpoint. Although the proxy war would only start in half a month, he still had to complete a basic quest before that.
At the same time, in the same booth, Zhang Heng lay on the sofa and placed the alarm clock on his chest.
[Player identity verification …]
[Verification passed. Randomly selecting the eighth quest for player number 07958 …]
[Draw complete – Current quest is Chewing Smoke and Horseshoe]
"The vast and fertile west is where countless wealth is buried. For only 10 dollars, you can get 160 acres of land here. No matter where you come from or what kind of past you have, you can start a new life here. However, with wealth comes endless danger. Remember, only the most tenacious and tough people can survive in this land and be nurtured by it …"
[Mission Objective: Settle in Lincoln County and find the Lucky Horseshoe]
[Mode: Single Player]
[Time Flow Rate: 480] (One hour in the real world is equivalent to 20 days in this game. After 40 days, the player will be forced to return to the real world.)
[Friendly Reminder: The game will officially start in five seconds. Please be prepared.]
When Zhang Heng saw the quest's name, he could almost guess where he had come to this time. The game's background proved his guess right. If he remembered correctly, the rule of "10 dollars in exchange for 160 acres of land" came from the Homestead Act. This act was signed by the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, during the Civil War, pushing the already surging westward movement to a new climax.
Countless American citizens eager for wealth flocked to the vast land of the west, working there and building their own homes with their own hands. At the same time, however, many villains, thugs, gamblers, murderers, and those who had just lost their land and wealth in the Civil War joined the ranks of the pioneers. Far from the prosperous and stable East Coast and a sound legal system, the west had become a paradise for the outlaws.
The massacre and exile of the Indians that accompanied the westward movement intensified the conflict and hatred between the North American natives and the pioneers, making the west dangerous.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the middle of a desert.
As far as the eye could see, there were red rock cliffs everywhere. Sparse shrubs and cacti were probably the only colors in the Gobi Desert.
This time, the situation was similar to the Soviet-Finnish war. He was still wearing his own clothes, short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and sneakers. His phone and keys were also in his pocket. He did not bring the Pestilence Bone Bow because it was too eye-catching. Instead, he brought the White Horse Crown, which was also from the Pestilence Knight. The other game items were in his backpack.
Zhang Heng gave his character panel a quick check.
Name: Heng
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Player ID: 07958
Rounds played: 7
Current game points: 23
Items in possession: Infinite Building Block (B), White Horse Crown (C), Filter Lens (D), Paris Arrow (D), Shadow Key (E), Lucky Rabbit's Foot (E), Betty's Shell (E), Hunter's Blessing (F), Water-melting Metal (F), Oath Ring (F)
Skills: Swordsmanship Lvl 4, Sailing Lvl 3, Language Proficiency Lvl 2 (eight languages at daily communication level), Lego Assembly Lvl 2, Archery Lvl 2, Field Survival Lvl 2, Driving Lvl 2, Modification and Maintenance Lvl 2, Shooting Lvl 2, Aerospace Lvl 2, Criminal Investigation Lvl 2, Makeup Lvl 2, Piano Lvl 1, Skiing Lvl 1, Rock Climbing Lvl 1.
Evaluation: The player has incredible swordsmanship. As an opponent, you will not want him to touch any kind of weapon in battle. At the same time, he is also a Lego master with excellent criminal investigation and camouflage skills. His luck and chance of encountering enemies are slightly higher than that of ordinary people. He is sheltered by shadows and storms. The white horse is his mount. He has excellent sailing experience, is good at using bows and firearms, can drive cars, airplanes, spacecraft, and other vehicles, and can adapt to the wild environment. He has a rich reserve of skills, has strong combat effectiveness, and keeps his promise.
…
In order to recast the Ordinary Sword, Zhang Heng invested all the points he had accumulated, leaving only 23 points for emergencies.
In terms of items, there were not many changes from the previous rounds. Other than the White Horse Crown and the Pestilence Bone Bow, the Evil Wall had used up its last usage in the battle with the Arc of Light. Zhang Heng also obtained a necklace from the Shadow Suit, the Shadow Necklace, but he did not bring it with him this time.
In terms of skills, Zhang Heng had acquired two new skills after completing the Deductive Reasoning quest. They were Criminal Investigation and Makeup Skills, both of which had reached Lvl 2. (Art Appreciation Lvl 0 is not displayed) Of course, his biggest change was the Lvl 4 Swordsmanship skill. This was the highest level of skill he had developed so far, and it was probably the limit of a human being. In the newly updated evaluation, the first sentence was a description of his swordsmanship.
Other than that, Zhang Heng also noticed that his combat effectiveness had changed from excellent to powerful, and the final overall evaluation had upgraded from eye-catching to rare.
That was his latest status.
Zhang Heng did not spend too much time examining it. Although each quest would take a long time because of his special ability, the scorching sun above his head obviously did not give him too much time to be in a daze.
Zhang Heng knew that he needed to act as soon as possible. He had no clue about the main mission to find the Lucky Horseshoe. He knew that in some Western legends, horseshoes and rabbit feet were regarded as lucky items. However, this mission was certainly not as simple as finding a random horseshoe.
Other than that, he didn't have much of an impression of Lincoln County. Although he spent some time in the United States during the sixth quest, the Apollo Program Training Camp, he only learned about the states. Unless the counties were very famous, he didn't have much of an impression of them. Lincoln County should be a town established not long ago during the Westward Movement.
His guess was right. Lincoln County was located in New Mexico. It was originally just a small village inhabited by Mexicans. In honor of the assassinated Lincoln, the village was renamed Lincoln.
However, whether it was Lincoln County or the Lucky Horseshoe, it was something that needed to be considered later. Right now, the priority was to find a place with people.
Zhang Heng first used the surface observation method to confirm the direction. However, even if he could distinguish north, south, east, and west, it was useless if he did not know where to go next. Fortunately, since the quest had thrown him here, it was impossible that there were no hints. It was purely a matter of luck.
Zhang Heng then climbed a relatively high red rock nearby and soon found his goal.
— A section of railroad.
The first railroad in the United States was built around 1826. At that time, it was only used to transport granite. However, with the vigorous development of the Westward Movement, the United States had more than 410,000 kilometers of railroad in just a few decades, more than the rest of the world combined (later, because there were too many railways, they had to dismantle half of them).
Where there was a railroad, it often meant that there would be towns inhabited by humans along the way.
Zhang Heng climbed down from the rock wall and walked in the direction of the railroad.
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