Chapter 63

Half an hour ago, inside the Zerg base of the Boundless Forest.

Through recent periods of development, the Zerg forces could be described as changing with each passing day. Massive Overlords hovered high in the sky, their densely packed compound eyes acting like precision detectors, overlooking and patrolling the surrounding territory. The moment any disturbance occurred, the information was instantly transmitted back to the base. On the ground, the spreading creep acted like the nervous system of the Zerg; the instant any foreign object stepped upon it, the entire Zerg swarm could sense it immediately.

The main base of the Zerg was not exposed on the surface, but rather hidden a thousand meters deep underground. Here, relying on the collaborative labor of various specialized strains, the Zerg had carved out an extremely vast space, which continued to expand and extend deeper into the underground.

Players equipped with powered armor had been stirring up trouble everywhere lately. No sooner had a few players stepped into the Zerg Empress’s territory than Yang巔峰 (Yang Dianfeng) received the message instantly. He couldn't help but ponder to himself: "What is Shen Yi trying to do? Does he want to start a war with me? That's hardly likely. We chat often, and just two days ago, he even said he was going to organize a team to explore the Sea of Death!" Yang Dianfeng took out his phone and quickly dialed City Lord Shen Yi's number.

"I know what you're going to say. It's about those few Marines, right?" Shen Yi spoke first.

"That's right, what on earth is going on? The moment they showed up, they started firing wildly at my Zerglings like rabid dogs!" Yang Dianfeng paused briefly before continuing, "If I hadn't ordered my subordinates not to retaliate, those Marines would have long since lost their lives and gone to be reincarnated."

"Well... it's hard to explain all at once. How about this: whenever any Marines attack you, don't ask me, just go ahead and deal with them directly." Shen Yi really had no good solution, so he could only let these players fend for themselves.

"Fine, with your word, I can rest easy!" With that, Yang Dianfeng hung up the phone.

"Hmph, it's been so long since I've been active; have people forgotten that I, Yang Dianfeng, exist?" He immediately issued an order: "All Zerglings on the surface, mobilize immediately and wipe out those dozen or so Marines at top speed!" Following the command, the Zerglings that had been sleeping beneath the creep instantly opened their bloodthirsty eyes, bursting out from the earth one after another, letting out roars to answer the Zerg Empress's command.

Meanwhile, those few players were still chasing after a few Zerglings and firing frantically.

"Haha, this game is simply amazing! Compared to it, those games on the market are pure child's play!"

"The realism is off the charts! I threw up several times at first. The developers really should tone down the gore; a big guy like me can barely handle it."

"Can't handle it? Then why don't you hand your account over to me?"

"Do you take me for a fool? If I could transfer it, I would have done so long ago. Back at the beginning, a tycoon offered a price high enough for me to spend for generations. It's just a pity this account can't be sold at all, sigh!"

"Cut the crap, hurry up and kill them. Once I take down these few, my military merits will reach a hundred."

"Who knows what military merits are even good for? Probably upgrading equipment or something."

"Who cares? As long as it feels awesome, that's all that matters! Watch my flying shot!" A player kicked off hard with his hind legs, leaping into the air with the assistance of the powered armor while continuously firing the weapon in his hands. The rattle of gunfire echoed endlessly, clearly showing he was completely lost in the fun.

Just as the group was having a blast, danger was quietly approaching.

"These beasts look a bit familiar, but I can't place them for a moment. They're way too fast; the dozen of us teamed up and it took forever just to kill two."

"Forget it, kill them first, maybe they'll drop some good loot!" A player holding a rifle stared intently at the fleeing Zerglings ahead and shouted loudly. The other players chimed in, quickening their pace to give chase.

Some players noticed something was wrong as the number of monsters kept increasing—from five to ten, and still growing. Before one player could react, a Zergling leaped onto his body, its sharp claws digging fiercely into the powered armor, its wide-open jaws biting down onto the helmet. With a heave, the helmet was brutally ripped off, revealing the terrified little face of the player inside! The terrifying bloody maw continued to expand in his vision!

Following his demise, another Marine was pounced on by a Zerglings and subsequently torn limb from limb by the swarming pack that arrived in support!

Some players spotted wave after wave of Zerglings rapidly closing in from the distance!

"Oh no, their numbers are growing! Run!"

Seeing that the situation had turned sour, the remaining Marines turned tail and ran!

One player glanced back while running and saw the mountains and plains covered in Zerglings; his heart turned cold!

Amidst the wave of Zerglings, the remaining few Marines merely made a few ripples before being mercilessly submerged! The last player to be pounced on looked up ahead and caught sight of two elves and three Marines not far away! Then, he too was swallowed up by the surging tide of Zerglings!

——————

Wang Gang and the others found themselves immersed in this perilous scene, their hearts tightly gripped by an invisible hand, filled with sheer terror. That pack of baring-fanged, clawing Zerglings carried a fierce momentum like a rushing tide crashing toward them. They all thought that in the next second, they would be mercilessly torn to pieces, and their souls would dissipate within this cruel game world.

However, at this critical juncture, those Zerg entities that had been attacking like mad demons suddenly stopped dead in their tracks, as if they had received some mysterious and irresistible command. The creatures that were baring their fangs and acting aggressively just a moment ago were now as dead silent as an abyss. That eerie silence sent a creeping chill straight up from the depths of their souls.

Immediately afterward, the swarm parted like an invisible hand brushing them aside, slowly clearing a deep path. A girl in her early twenties was seen walking calmly and steadily out from the path with poised and elegant strides. The surrounding Zerglings bowed their heads submissively to her, as if she were the absolute ruler of this chaotic domain.

Yang Dianfeng walked unhurriedly step by step right up to the five of them, a trace of scrutiny and warning in her gaze as she said coldly: "Leave this place immediately if you don't want to die. This is not somewhere you people should be meddling!"

"May I ask, are you the Zerg Empress?" Ai Guoguo raised her eyes to look at the woman before her, discovering that she was around the same age as her own older sister, which slightly alleviated the fear in her heart. Besides, she had already quietly completed the deployment of the teleportation array; once things went south, oiling her feet and making a run for it would still be entirely possible.

"What, do you have a problem?" Yang Dianfeng furrowed her brows slightly, a flicker of puzzlement flashing in her eyes. She truly couldn't understand how these few individuals could be so reckless as to dare blindly barge into such a dangerous place.

Ai Guoguo cleared her throat and said with a solemn expression: "The Peaceful Academy accepts talents from all over the world. I sincerely hope that you Zerg can also send out capable individuals to participate in the examination hosted by the City Lord!"

"Heh, utter nonsense." Yang Dianfeng sneered, her eyes filled with disdain, "We Zerg have our own way of survival; we don't need to learn those so-called pieces of knowledge! I appreciate your good intentions, but I'll pass."

"But, Zerg Empress, if you don't ally with us, your kind will really fall behind." Ai Guoguo said anxiously, a hint of urgency in her gaze, "This is the grand trend; my mother told me this personally! Please reconsider, I really am doing this for your own good!" At this moment, Ai Guoguo was already scheming in her heart: if she could successfully persuade the Zerg to join, that would be an astronomical achievement, and by then the City Lord might reward her with some peerless treasure!

"Uh, is that so." Yang Dianfeng pondered for a moment, then took out her phone and skillfully dialed Shen Yi's number. Once the call connected, she turned the volume all the way up so that everyone present could hear.

"What is it again?" Shen Yi's exasperated voice came from the other end of the line, "I told you, just go ahead and kill those Marines who attacked you, don't call me again! I'm playing Virtual Glory right now and I'm about to win, oh!"

Following that came a string of roars: "Push the tower! Push the tower! Why are you hitting people? Do you even understand a tower-pushing game, A-Biao?! You absolute pig-headed teammate! Bring Hu Yuzu into the next match, I really can't carry you!"

Wang Gang and the others, along with the Zerg Empress, froze in place upon hearing these words, as if struck by a binding spell. Their original mental image of the City Lord had been that of an imposing, solemn, and dignified middle-aged man, but the scene they were hearing right now completely subverted their understanding. What was this? A full-blown gaming addict? Their inner worlds were currently churning like stormy seas, with countless complaints they wanted to hurl at the game developers, yet they were momentarily at a complete loss for words, unable to describe their current feelings.

"Hold on a second, Beauty Yang, I'm almost done! Ultimate skill! Ultimate skill! What are you waiting for, A-Biao? That's it, that's right, well done—didn't we just win like this? Alright, you guys play by yourselves for a bit, I've got something to attend to!" Shen Yi hurriedly shut down the game, his tone still carrying a trace of lingering reluctance.

"I'm done, Beauty Yang. Speak, what's up?" Shen Yi's voice came through the phone once more.

The corners of Yang Dianfeng's mouth hooked up slightly into a faint smile as she said, "People from your Peaceful City have come to persuade me to surrender. Tell me, should I accept or not? By the way, what's your name?" With that, she turned the phone toward Ai Guoguo, signaling her to state her name.

"City Lord, I am Ai Guoguo, and I'm on the Prodigy Rankings!" Ai Guoguo hastily said respectfully, though a trace of hidden pride leaked into her gaze.

"Oh oh, I know." Shen Yi's voice sounded completely nonchalant, "Don't worry about Zerg affairs; they are also allies, but they don't need to go to Peaceful City to study.辛苦你了 (Thank you for your hard work), little Elven girl, come back!"

"Understood!" Ai Guoguo's expression instantly turned serious as she respectfully replied. After a moment of thought, she added, "City Lord, my Han Xin is currently ranked number one! If you have time, could you carry me a bit?"

Before Shen Yi could reply, Yang Dianfeng glanced sideways at Ai Guoguo and said with disdain, "Ranked number one, big deal! My Wukong is also ranked number one, let's fight if you dare!"

"Fine, who's afraid of you!" Ai Guoguo was instantly provoked into a combative state, putting her hands on her hips and saying aggressively, "Name a time, and this young lady will show you what despair feels like!"

"I hope your mouth is as sharp as your character!" Yang Dianfeng sneered, then gently waved her hand. In an instant, the surrounding Zerglings that had been standing by in full battle array burrowed into the earth as if receiving some mysterious command, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

This sudden turn of events once again gave Wang Gang and the other two players a massive fright. The scene of the Zerglings disappearing was far too shocking, as if they had never existed in the first place. However, what they found even more baffling was: what on earth was going on here? The NPCs in the game were actually playing games themselves—then what did that make them, slaving away playing the game? They felt as though they had plunged into a massive mystery with no sense of direction.

Before Wang Gang and the others could recover from this cascade of shocks, Ai Guoguo decisively activated the teleportation array. Accompanied by a blinding flash of light and leaving behind a single phrase of "until we meet again," the five of them vanished from the spot instantly.

Watching the spot where the five had disappeared, Yang Dianfeng picked up her phone once more and said to Shen Yi on the other end: "Is she carrying you or am I carrying you? You can only pick one! City Lord."

Shen Yi fell into a brief silence on the other end of the line, evidently struck by a severe bout of decision fatigue. After a short while, he helplessly replied, "Either one is fine!" With that, he hurriedly hung up the phone to start another match.

As for Wang Gang and the others, they only felt a dizzying spin, as if their souls were being twisted by this powerful force. When their vision recovered, a gigantic, sci-fi-infused city came into direct view.

Wang Gang’s eyes widened, his mouth agape in absolute disbelief as he muttered to himself: "Did we just leave the starter village? But where on earth is this? Where am I? Who am I? What am I supposed to do again?!"

Li Yang had long since been rendered speechless by the sights before him, his gaze filled with astonishment and bewilderment.

Wang Linlin couldn't help exclaiming: "This must be an open-world game, but the freedom here is just too insane! It feels completely beyond our imagination."