Chapter 437: Someone like you wouldn't survive three episodes! (Requesting subscriptions, monthly passes)

Looking at the high wall before him, Song Ren felt a slight sense of anticipation.

Previously, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild had given him the greatest impression that the freedom of movement was simply too immense. Although he understood techniques like wind bombs and shield surfing mentally, his hands just couldn't execute them. He hadn't even managed the simplest stasis-charged tree-cutting for airborne travel.

However, in that game, combined with Link's climbing skills, no mountain, no matter how high, could block him, especially with stamina elixirs and stamina-boosting food available.

And now, being in the immersive VR mode, it was even more thrilling and exciting.

Song Ren controlled the young Nathan Drake to climb as per the prompts.

In the game, climbable areas were clearly marked: protruding bricks, recessed holes, and even things like rebar and pipes were very conspicuous.

Song Ren also quickly noticed that while the entire game scene appeared vast, in reality, there was only one or two connecting paths available. The remaining areas were either blocked by structures or impossible to traverse.

However, this was normal, as previous promotional materials had already informed players that this was a linear game, not an open-world one.

"Fortunately, there's Awakening Mode; otherwise, that guy Old Zhang definitely wouldn't be able to play this game." Climbing the building, Song Ren looked down and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

While he himself wouldn't engage in entertainment like Ferris wheels or bungee jumping, it wasn't because he had acrophobia, but because he was afraid of dying. Simply put, he was a bit paranoid; for instance, on a Ferris wheel, he'd always wonder what he'd do if it suddenly stopped at the peak, or if the rope snapped during bungee jumping.

But in the game, it was different. Especially with Awakening Mode activated, Song Ren only felt a sense of excitement and thrill.

However, compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild where one could only climb, Uncharted, as an action-adventure game, clearly had a much richer climbing system.

Not to mention Nathan Drake's various force feedback and detailed movements while climbing.

When faced with distant gaps, swinging back and forth on an iron bar to propel himself across, and using a rope to swing—these were all incredibly cool and certainly thrilling. Especially when swinging across, the wind rushing past his ears and the vibration feedback from the gaming pod upon landing gave Song Ren a very realistic illusion.

Midway through, Song Ren even slipped once. The moment he fell, accompanied by his vision going black, his heart also seized with panic.

But once it happened, it happened again. After falling to his death twice during the swinging segments, he got used to it. And once he got used to it, the highly realistic climbing, combined with this new familiarity, made him play with great enjoyment.

After a series of climbs and plot interactions, Nathan Drake and Sam Drake climbed out of the orphanage and arrived outside the town. Riding the motorcycle Sam had earned money to buy, the two brothers, Nathan and Sam, simply chatted and reconnected.

This was clearly a prologue, or rather, content designed to guide players through the game's basic operations. The ship level taught players shooting and driving, while the orphanage level taught players climbing techniques.

Afterward, the brothers got back on the motorcycle, and the camera slowly focused on Nathan Drake's face. Slowly, the young Nathan Drake transformed into the youthful Nathan Drake, with a faint smile on his lips.

Clearly, these were his fond memories, though the setting seemed a bit off.

Before Nathan Drake's smile could last more than a second, a fist the size of a sandbag landed on his face. Amidst the many prisoners watching, Nathan Drake was brawling with a muscular, bald inmate. With the appearance of a prompt, Song Ren understood: this was clearly the melee combat tutorial.

For Song Ren, it wasn't a big problem. After a round of fighting, the warden, Bargas, arrived and separated the two.

"Foul play! Foul play! Are you all in on this? You're playing dirty, aren't you! He hit me so many times, and you didn't stop him! I only hit him once!" Song Ren exclaimed, full of indignation, seeing that he had just managed to push his opponent to the ground and land one punch before being pulled away.

This is a setup, isn't it! You're all in on trying to mess with him!

This prisoner must be connected to the warden!

Watching Nathan Drake being dragged away to solitary confinement, Song Ren felt indignant yet also a little curious. How did Nathan Drake end up in prison? Could it be that he was caught for destroying cultural relics?

As he watched Nathan Drake in solitary confinement in the game, Song Ren began to speculate about the game's storyline. Referencing the story of Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption:

Nathan Drake might have initially been a great thief, but due to grave robbing and destroying cultural relics, he broke the law and was imprisoned by the authorities. However, a reformed prodigal is more precious than gold. After serving his sentence, he was recruited and became an archaeology expert, battling thieves while exploring and preserving ancient tombs and ruins. Ultimately, the thieves' downfall could lead to two endings: one where Nathan Drake, once a thief himself, sacrifices himself, and another where Nathan Drake completely eradicates the gang of thieves.

In that instant, Song Ren mentally conjured what he imagined to be the story of Uncharted.

In his mental visualization, the in-game Nathan Drake was also locked in solitary confinement. In real life, as a law-abiding citizen, Song Ren had never been confined, let alone been to a police station except to get his ID card. Now, he was experiencing it in this game—a pitch-black room, not even a spittoon.

With the heavy iron door closed, it was completely dark, with only a sliver of light peeking through the cracks in the door. Coupled with the immersive VR experience, it was truly very oppressive.

But fortunately, it only lasted a few seconds before a subtitle appeared before Song Ren's eyes: One day later. As the subtitle faded, footsteps sounded outside. Then the iron door was pushed open, and the previous warden, Bargas, came in to take Nathan Drake away.

Along the way, Nathan Drake appeared quite optimistic as he observed the surrounding inmates, though he was a bit glib. He bantered with the prisoners and even chatted with Bargas.

Song Ren couldn't help but worry a little that Nathan might get beaten up at any moment.

'Where are you taking him?'

'It's a surprise.'

'Have fun.'

Song Ren: ???????

Listening to Bargas's conversation with his colleague, Song Ren suddenly felt like the story was getting a little gay?

Many question marks popped up in Song Ren's small head.

Passing through a path like a sewer, what awaited them was an entirely different world and a sudden reversal.

Bargas: 'I was a crew member under Henry Every… Do you know who Henry Every was?'

Nathan Drake: 'A pirate.'

Bargas: 'A pirate who committed the greatest heist in history… and escaped punishment. I've looked up his records.'

Nathan Drake: 'That's great… So, what are we…?'

Bargas: 'Over four hundred million dollars worth of gold and jewels, all from the same ship.'

Nathan Drake: 'Uh, I'm familiar with that story, but can you just get to the point?'

Bargas: 'I was imprisoned in the highest cell of the Spaniards. I hoped that one day you would find your way into this hell, bear my cross, and unearth the riches of this paradise.'

"Gang operation! Collusion between inside and outside!" Song Ren suddenly realized. "One of our own! We were partners all along! So, this is a gang operation, collusion between inside and outside! We're all in this together!" Nathan Drake's imprisonment was intentional, to find clues to the treasure! As for Bargas, he had clearly conducted some investigation, not only accepting a payment but also wanting to join the venture.

"With that bushy beard and bald head, thick neck, foul mouth, and greed... honestly, someone like you, I don't believe you'd survive three episodes." Watching Bargas forcefully trying to join, Song Ren in the game finally understood the situation.

'So, how do you get up there?'

'You climb.'

After the brief plot dialogue concluded, the game officially began, and Song Ren controlled Nathan Drake to explore the path ahead. Compared to the climbing on the orphanage roof, the content after entering the main game was much richer.

It wasn't just simple climbing; it also required utilizing certain objects in the environment. Pushing wooden crates to suitable locations to create a path, and swinging across the air with a rope—the entire process was thrilling and exciting. Just looking at the sheer cliff face was truly terrifying; it was much more intense than the orphanage roof earlier.

Especially when some rocks and decayed wooden planks collapsed midway, it scared the soul out of Song Ren. Although it wasn't real and he had activated Awakening Mode, the VR's incredibly strong immersive experience still left Song Ren with lingering fear.

The level wasn't difficult, as the path forward was clearly indicated. Also, because Song Ren had chosen the easiest difficulty, if he got stuck in one place for too long, system prompts would appear to ensure players could proceed smoothly.

Along the way, Song Ren also found some old letters, left by former prisoners and guards. From these letters, Song Ren learned some of the story's background. He also noticed something: among Nebula Games' three major titles for the New Era Huanyu VR, the protagonists seemed to share a common hobby: keeping a diary.

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Soap recorded his experiences in his diary, which was also his only relic. In Red Dead Redemption, Arthur Morgan also recorded various stories in his journal. And now, in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Nathan Drake remained true to form, recording what he saw in his notebook.

After a perilous climb, Nathan finally reached his destination. It was also here that the game's first puzzle level began. (End of Chapter) <>