Chapter 66

As midnight approached, Blue Planet seemed enveloped by an intangible tension, the air itself appearing frozen. Within the virtual battleground of the internet, the scramble for the game slots of Interstellar Fantasy Sea had reached a fever pitch. A myriad of novel, eccentric, yet creative methods for securing a registration number sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. The enthusiasm of the players resembled a raging wildfire, burning with a prairie-fire momentum that scorched the entire cyber world to a blistering heat. Meanwhile, in the distant and mysterious Peace City, Shen Yi gazed with keen interest through a special medium at this bustling, all-people carnival unfolding on Blue Planet. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and his eyes gleamed with anticipation, as if he had already foreseen the massive transformation that would follow this fierce competition.

Finally, when the clock on Blue Planet pointed precisely to twelve o'clock, the curtain officially rose on the distribution of the Interstellar Fantasy Sea game slots. In an instant, the entire internet erupted with astonishing, overwhelming energy, like a giant powder keg ignited by a fuse. Countless commands darted through cyberspace like shooting stars chasing the moon. The major servers emitted a series of agonizing and helpless hums, like overburdened old oxen, seemingly complaining to the people about the immense pressure brought by this crazy registration rush.

Amidst this fierce registration storm, the registration army composed of one million Chinese soldiers resembled a well-trained, iron-willed division, displaying breathtaking discipline and execution. With meticulous division of labor and seamless coordination, relying on formidable network technical strength and efficient teamwork, they acted like a sharp blade, quickly tearing open a breach in the melee and seizing the leading advantage. Professional technicians concentrated intently on operating complex and exquisite scripts, their fingers dancing fluidly across keyboards as pages refreshed under their control, precisely capturing every fleeting and precious opportunity like hunters. Meanwhile, ordinary soldiers stared fixedly at screens without blinking, hands hovering over keyboards, ready to input information at a moment's notice, resembling leopards poised to strike.

However, other nations naturally refused to sit idly by. Several technologically powerful countries also mobilized their entire forces, deploying top-tier national cyber-technical teams in an attempt to breach the tight defense lines of the Chinese registration army. The various counter-programs they developed through day-and-night research acted like hidden daggers, engaging in a thrilling, heart-pounding cyber confrontation with the Chinese soldiers' registration scripts. Code collided and intertwined wildly in the virtual space, sparking dazzling bursts of light, while data surged like a turbulent torrent. Every second decided the ultimate ownership of the precious resource of game slots, transforming the entire internet world into a smoke-free yet perilous battlefield.

In the real world, the streets that were usually bustling and crowded appeared hauntingly desolate. Thoroughfares that were once jammed with traffic now saw scarce human presence, with only an occasional car darting past like a released arrow, shattering the deathly silence.

"What on earth is going on today? Where has everybody gone?" an elderly vendor muttered, staring at the empty vegetable market with total confusion and bewilderment, a trace of unease in his eyes.

"Could something major have happened? But when I checked the news yesterday, I didn't see reports of any big events," a nearby vegetable-selling auntie remarked, falling into deep thought with tightly furrowed brows and mumbling to herself.

Yet in the cyber world, of which they remained entirely oblivious, it was an exceptionally lively scene. Comments surged in like a tidal wave, refreshing by the hundreds per second, leaving people completely overwhelmed. Compared to the technological contest at the national level, ordinary netizens' registration behavior reached an extreme frenzy. Some spent lavishly to rent entire internet cafes, dedicating every computer to securing a slot; others used out-of-the-box thinking to buy out the network access of entire residential compounds in hopes of gaining an advantage; and even more astonishingly, a wealthy tycoon bought out every single computer in a small county just to secure an edge in this rush for the coveted game accounts. Everyone understood clearly that snagging one of these accounts was equivalent to holding a golden rice bowl; simply streaming online afterwards would rake in a fortune.

Just past twelve o'clock, the ten thousand game slots were snatched away in the blink of an eye. Some computers suffered a momentary stutter, causing the opportunity to vanish like a shooting star, leaving players pounding their desks in regret and letting out sighs of helpless frustration.

Nevertheless, this rush was destined to bring joy to some and sorrow to others.

"Haha, I told you I am a person favored by the goddess of luck! From now on, I shall be the man standing at the summit looking down upon all beings!" shouted an elated player who had secured an account, dancing with joy before his computer screen.

"Transfer the money quickly! Although I'm a bit bummed I can't play this account myself, if you don't wire the cash right now, I'm calling the police!" threatened a player who had grabbed an account for someone else, speaking directly into the other end of the phone.

"Brother, don't get excited. The money is being wired to you right this second. Rest assured, next time there's a good thing like this, I'll still come to you!" the person on the other end replied hurriedly with a forced smile.

"I specifically crafted an alien statue and prayed to it every single day. I never expected it to actually work! Brothers, does anyone know if aliens eat incense offerings?" shared an excited player online, boasting about his secret registration formula.

"The idiot right above me, you might want to consider sacrificing yourself! Maybe aliens actually enjoy eating humans, haha!" instantly retorted a netizen in the comments below, mocking the post.

Meanwhile, inside a heavily guarded scientific research base, the atmosphere was equally tense and fervent.

"Are the results out? Exactly how many slots did we secure?" asked a leader with an anxious expression urgently.

"Reporting, the results are out. China has secured a total of five thousand slots this time, with the military acquiring two thousand five hundred, and the civilian sector grabbing two thousand five hundred," shouted the statistician in charge, making the report.

"An even number?" The leader paused slightly, seeming somewhat surprised.

"Yes, an even number!" the staff member replied affirmatively.

"Could this have been prearranged? What was the point of us fighting so hard then?" General Chen muttered upon hearing the numbers, his brow wrinkling into a deep frown.

"General Chen, don't be too discouraged. Actually, this outcome is quite acceptable. The quantity we secured accounts for half of the total slots, and our advantage remains very obvious," reassured an elderly scientist standing nearby.

"Hmm, what you say makes sense," General Chen nodded slightly, then rallied his spirits and spoke to the guards beside him: "Next, group all the soldiers who secured slots together and place them under my direct command. Assign them a new designation: 'Wolf Pack.' Also, double all their benefits and allowances. Is that understood?"

"Understood!" replied the guard with a solemn expression, executing a crisp, standard military salute before turning on his heel and departing with resolute strides.

"Wait, what about our Academy of Sciences?" the elderly scientist asked anxiously upon hearing this, quickly stepping forward to catch up.

"Oh, look at my memory, I almost forgot, my sincere apologies. Give the Academy of Sciences ten slots, with the requirement to select researchers with the highest academic degrees. Alright, go make the arrangements!" commanded General Chen.

"Understood!" The guard turned once more, saluted, and hurried away toward the mission destination!

---

A city stood proudly! The soft and bright lighting within the command hall illuminated various complex and advanced instruments, casting a faint technological glow. Shen Yi, the pivotal figure controlling the city's destiny, sat quietly in the spacious command chair, holding a vial emitting a peculiar luster and lost in deep thought.

"You just said this vial contains demon blood?" Shen Yi frowned slightly, shifting his gaze from the vial to the respectful subordinate standing nearby, a hint of surprise and gravity in his eyes.

"Yes, Commander," the subordinate responded promptly, his tone filled with awe. "We acquired this from a dwarf. According to him, their family once participated in an extremely ancient and mysterious battle, and this vial of demon blood is a precious heirloom left behind by their ancestors from that conflict."

Shen Yi nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the vial in his hand as he muttered to himself, "The component analysis results show that this is actually ore?"

"That's correct, Commander," a researcher in a pristine white lab coat stepped forward eagerly, pushing up the bridge of his glasses and speaking with intense focus. "Through our detailed and precise analysis, we have conclusively determined that this vial of demon blood is fundamentally a type of ore, and furthermore, an extremely rare mineral variety."

"Alright, I understand," Shen Yi waved his hand gently, signaling the researcher to withdraw. The researcher bowed respectfully, turned around, and walked steadily out of the command hall.

Shen Yi sat alone in the command chair, staring at the vial in his hand and pondering inwardly: "It seems this battle is now inevitable. Even demon blood turns out to be ore—could these demons be some sort of mysterious robots? This is simply incredible!" A moment later, he abruptly stood up, a flash of determination in his eyes, and decisively issued an order: "Begin the operation!"

At Shen Yi's command, the engineering corps that had long been standing by outside the city rolled forward like an iron torrent, marching majestically ahead. They paced with neat and powerful strides, passing through the vast, boundless, and mysterious Primeval Forest. The dense foliage intertwined overhead into a green canopy, letting through occasional shafts of sunlight that cast mottled shadows across their steel bodies.

Meanwhile, the residents of Peace City, deeply captivated by this sudden, large-scale operation, poured into the streets one after another, whispering and discussing animatedly, their eyes filled with curiosity and excitement.

"Look, the Lord is starting another major move!" a skeletal resident emitted a hollow, shrill voice, its empty eye sockets flashing with excited light.

"Stop dawdling, let's go check it out right away!" an elf beside it impatiently reached out, grabbing the skeleton's arm bone, and dashed toward the city gates, her agile posture resembling a brilliant flash of light.

"My dear, please pull a bit lighter; if you snap my arm bone off, repairing it will be such a hassle!" the skeleton cried out helplessly while being dragged along by the elf, though its voice carried a trace of excitement and anticipation as well. The entire Peace City seemed injected with a fresh burst of vitality, everyone stirred by the impending events as their gazes converged upon the engineering army marching toward the Sea of Death...