The motorcycle weaved deftly through the streets as Eric skillfully avoided every traffic light intersection, slipping through a labyrinth of bustling thoroughfares—now threading through commercial districts, then passing by vibrant farmers' markets. Along the way, she purloined several motorcycles, stashing them inside supermarkets as contingencies.
She ceased her frequent costume changes; with the wanted list nearly updating in real time, there was little to gain by pausing to change when pressing forward made better use of time. As long as she evaded direct encounters with the Pursuit Bureau, it was nearly impossible for bystanders to recognize the fugitive on the speeding rider's back.
Of course, some did catch glimpses and shout "Stowaway!"—but all they ever grasped was the motorcycle's trailing exhaust.
Yet her luck was not infinite. Upon entering a commercial street, Eric suddenly observed officers blocking all roads ahead and behind, conducting thorough checks. Swiftly, she veered into a pedestrian zone where a shrill voice blared through a loudspeaker: "Stowaway Eric! Pull over immediately!"
She charged into the crowded promenade, crashing into a vendor's clothing stall. Amidst the NPC screams, the canopy collapsed, sending racks of garments tumbling. In the resulting chaos, Eric concealed her motorcycle, seized several garments, and melted into the throng, shedding clothes as she fled.
Navigating nimbly—climbing, diving, and dodging—she eventually slipped beneath a manhole cover, a refuge inspired by Matsuhara.
Remaining hidden, Eric awaited the onset of total darkness; night was her ally. With pedestrians retreating home and public watchful eyes thinning, she could move with greater freedom.
The sewers reeked appallingly, but Eric endured the stench until deep into the night before emerging.
Unexpectedly, a nearby manhole was lifted. Eric fixed her gaze intently, until a head cautiously appeared from below.
The stranger scanned the surroundings warily, their eyes meeting her own.
"Hey," the figure greeted with a wave.
Eric nodded in acknowledgment, replaced the cover, and hastened into the shadows until she vanished.
The other player muttered, "Fellow wanderers cast adrift—yet you run so fast." She tidied the manhole cover and disappeared into darkness facing away from Eric.
That night, the surviving players all hurried onward—this was the final sprint. Dawn would herald an even grimmer ordeal; they must flee the Oasis before daylight.
All thought thus, and the Pursuit Bureau knew it well. They labored through the night, dispatching countless agents and enlisting volunteer civilians to scour every corner. Every vacant dwelling was inspected, even the dilapidated house Eric had occupied.
Motorcycle engines roared unnaturally loud in the stillness, yet Eric would not relinquish her swift steed; its velocity imbued her with a rare sense of security.
When one bike ran dry, she switched to another; upon hearing the approach of Pursuit Bureau vehicles, she swapped for an electric scooter. Supermarkets even housed bicycles. In short, she exploited every transport that promised speed.
Sleepless through the night, she stole brief moments to snatch bread and milk while evading detection, quickly replenishing her strength as she forged onward.
Only upon glimpsing the towering walls of the Oasis did Eric exhale in relief.
It was 5:43 a.m., and based on her experience within the quest, dawn would break in about half an hour.
Though still dark, the number of NPCs outdoors had noticeably increased. This was the Oasis's outermost ring—a place densely packed with structures and teeming with residents. Once dawn arrived, her path would be fraught with peril.
She had to find an escape route within thirty minutes.
Suppressing her rising urgency to maintain composure, Eric scrutinized the Oasis's exit. Guards manned the high walls with strict vigilance; incoming and outgoing supply vehicles were subjected to rigorous inspection—even beneath their chassis, leaving no refuge for her plan to stow away beneath a vehicle.
The exit bore clear evidence of Pursuit Bureau presence—it was the final barrier against the stowaways, their flight utterly constrained.
Eyes fixed upon the electronic screen at the exit, which displayed the latest ten fugitives' photographs, Eric donned her hat as her own picture refreshed in real time. Removing the hat, she sank into deep contemplation.
After lengthy deliberation, she resolved to engineer a grand diversion.
Creeping into a convoluted alleyway, Eric produced gasoline and set a fire.
As dawn's first light was breaking, a piercing scream shattered the lingering stillness: "Fire!"
The flames roared fiercely, shooting skyward and swiftly drawing the guards' and officers' attention at the exit. Some guards rushed to battle the blaze, but their shock stemmed not from the fire itself, but from the enormous head engulfed within the inferno.
How to describe this head?
It rose to the height of a full storey, so massive one had to crane their neck to see it clearly. Bathed in firelight, it exuded eerie surrealism. Whispers rippled through the crowd: "It's a dinosaur head!"
Indeed, it was—a perfectly executed replica identical to those in the movies.
The guards scrambled to muster forces and extinguish the flames, striving to salvage the blazing dinosaur head.
Having shouted to reveal the true nature of the dinosaur head, Eric darted swiftly toward the exit, vociferously proclaiming, "A dinosaur head has appeared at the fire's source! It seems to be brought by the stowaway!"
With her agile frame, she spread the rumor far and wide, capturing the attention of the pursuers.
Half of the officers hastened toward the blaze, while those left behind soon grew distracted and began to follow suit.
A dinosaur head—long extinct even before the viral scourge—manifesting alive within the Oasis was far more captivating than mere stowaways. No one could resist the urge to catch a glimpse.
As more converged on the conflagration, the remaining guards at the gate, though dutiful, became palpably inattentive.
Seizing this opportunity, Eric slipped beneath a truck that lumbered slowly toward the exit. The guards performed a cursory inspection and waved the vehicle through.
The truck rolled out from the Oasis, bound for the supply collection point.
In a shadowed corner, a player's eyes glimmered with curiosity: A dinosaur? How could such a creature appear in this quest? Is it a player's creation, and by what means?
Perplexing, yet irrelevant—this distraction paved Eric's chance to clandestinely slip away.
Beyond the Oasis sprawled vast wastelands—not barren desolation, but a realm abundant in resources. Though tainted by the virus, the research institute possessed technologies to purify infected materials, rendering them safe before circulation in the Oasis market for the populace.
Eric concealed herself beneath a mining truck among a convoy of seven or eight vehicles all bound for the mines. Once clear of the watchful sentries atop the high walls, she released her hold and lay flat as the truck passed over her.
Watching the convoy recede, Eric nestled within the dense underbrush nearby. Lying amid the towering grasses, she remained motionless for a lengthy moment.
Fatigue overwhelmed her—day and two nights had elapsed since entering this quest, not once granting her true respite. Reclined in the tall wild grasses, the temptation to drift into sleep was irresistible.
Yet she refused submission to drowsiness, abruptly sitting up and vigorously rubbing her face. From a supermarket, she produced a lemon, slicing a wedge and placing it onto her tongue.
A sharp tang puckered her face, banishing all traces of lethargy and rejuvenating her spirit.
Chewing the lemon slice, Eric mounted her motorcycle and pressed onward, initiating her search for the portal. Given the quest cast players as stowaways of the wasteland, she surmised the portal lay within a human settlement there.
Viruses permeated the wasteland. From intelligence gathered online, Eric knew this contagion resembled a zombie plague: infected humans and animals developed intense urges to attack and a resistance to death itself. Though passed down through generations, the virus no longer possessed its initial terror; most wasteland inhabitants retained sanity, albeit fragile, often succumbing suddenly to bouts of madness without warning.
"Settlement" was a generous term—residents lived scattered, bound by tenuous, indifferent connections.
Three hours into the wasteland, Eric sensed unease—a sudden surge of feral rage assailed her, an urgent need to vent mounting within.
"I must hasten; the wasteland's virus is assaulting me," she gritted her teeth, battling to maintain lucidity. Perhaps past trials within the beast-fighting laboratory had inoculated her somewhat against the virus's grim incitements, enabling her to suppress her murderous impulses and remain conscious.
Where was the settlement?
Eric searched relentlessly. A beast's roar erupted nearby; air rent by a slicing sound as her motorcycle deftly veered aside. Glancing back, she spotted a crimson-eyed wolf, salivating, muscular, and fiercely aggressive.
With a guttural snarl, it lunged again.
Now was no time for combat with a wild beast. She accelerated immediately.
Her motorcycle thundered along abandoned, decrepit roads as the wolf pursued relentlessly—but Eric eventually distanced herself from the predator.
Slowing down, she resumed her vigilance. She sensed unseen gazes from derelict structures around her, yet when she turned to peer within, there was nothing to be seen.
An inkling formed—the human settlement must lie nearby.
But where exactly was the portal?
Her heart pounded with sudden ferocity, Eric felt as though her blood itself was ablaze, and her vision began to blur. Retrieving a mirror, she observed delicate crimson veins slowly creeping into the whites of her eyes.
The wasteland virus was insidiously invading her body; lingering any longer would prove perilous, and she had no desire to resort to a healing kit. Halting her motorcycle, Eric moved with swift agility, bursting into a nearby house to seize an NPC who had been stealthily watching her.
"Where is the iconic location of the wasteland! "She placed a sharp kitchen knife horizontally on the NPC's neck, lightly scratching it, and thin blood lines appeared.
The NPC glared at her angrily and said, "You are indeed from Oasis! You have the ability to kill me! I won't tell you"
The residents of the Oasis harbored disdain and suspicion toward those from the wasteland, and likewise, the wasteland dwellers bore profound resentment against the Oasis inhabitants.
Eric dismissed her and resumed capturing others.
After apprehending four individuals in succession, the fourth—a mere child of seven or eight years—sobbed out, "Clearwater Lake, Clearwater Lake… boohoo…"
Clearwater Lake?
"Take me there!" Eric tossed the child into her vehicle, compelling him to guide her.
While browsing the internet at an Oasis cybercafé, Eric discovered scant information regarding the wasteland; nowhere was Clearwater Lake mentioned.
An hour's drive later, she beheld a crystalline, bottomless lake, suffused with a gentle halo beneath the sunlight, and was overwhelmed with awe.
Clearwater Lake was a vast portal, and irresistibly, she stepped forward—only to have a pair of hands clutch her tightly.
Looking down, the child strained with all his might to pull her back, his face flushed crimson.
"…We all drink from this water," the child's wide eyes streamed tears incessantly. "My grandfather says Clearwater Lake's waters are pristine, with surely very few viruses. We have been drinking it for generations, and our bodies must have fewer viruses now. My little sister—her health is better than mine. Please don't pollute Clearwater Lake; I beg you, don't…"
He was a timid child, and Eric recognized the timidity in his gaze at once, which was why she seized him.
"I swear I won't. I simply wish to return home," Eric whispered softly, tapping gently on his neck.
She ventured into Clearwater Lake, and upon stepping into its waters, was instantaneously transported back to the forest of stone pillars.
[Player Eric has completed the standard quest: Citywide Pursuit, earning 4 points.]