Chapter 230

The second level of the Black Tower.

whoosh—

A gust of cold wind howled and hit my face, carrying coarse ice shards that scraped and stung my skin.

Before the players could even get a good look at what the place looked like, they were shivered by the cold.

Looking around, everything was a vast expanse of white, with streets and land submerged in a thick layer of snow, as if the whole world were under a blanket of ice and snow.

"What the hell is this place? It's so cold! Achoo!" The gravity player's teeth chattered as he spoke, his arms trembling like a leaf, and he exhaled white mist from his mouth.

The fact that his B-level body was so cold and disheveled meant that the surface temperature here was at least minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius.

If an ordinary person were standing here wearing short sleeves, they would have been frozen stiff and numb all over, and their muscles would have died from hypothermia!

Xie Xubai was slightly weak, and both cold and hot environments were deadly to him.

The moment the deadly chill rushed to his cheeks, his muscles contracted as if he had a premonition, his breath hitched, and he subconsciously tried to use his mental power to resist.

Unexpectedly, the grapevine rooted in his body suddenly swayed, and a warm aura seeped out from within, like a transparent velvety film, covering his body and perfectly insulating him from the harsh cold of the environment.

Just then, the gravity player, who was hurriedly pulling out his enchanted cold-resistant gear, seemed to see something incredible and exclaimed in astonishment, "What a huge furnace—!"

The layout of the second floor seems no different from the first. Low-rise earthen-tiled houses are arranged in a square, and the streets lead in all directions. Near the central teleportation tower, the buildings stand tall and distinct, showing that the second floor is more developed than the first.

In that central area, there stands a huge cylindrical furnace that can be spotted at a glance. It is made of high-quality steel and has a complex structure.

The translucent inspection window, devoid of flames, was submerged by mountains of snow and covered in a layer of frost.

The world was eerily quiet, and the snow continued to fall, gradually covering the giant iron furnace.

Like crisscrossing pipes carrying heating, they silently and coldly penetrate the buildings that are devoid of any sound.

Xie Xubai's eyes swept left and right, and when he caught sight of a protruding outline next to a tree stump, his brows suddenly furrowed.

He unleashed his spiritual power, and the snowflakes scattered.

The gravity player gaped in shock, because there were several corpses piled up under the snow.

The ruptured blood vessels caused his entire body to turn bluish-purple, and his skin to become stiff and deathly pale.

Without exception, the hands of the corpses were all clasped to the half-tree stump, while the other hand held an axe-like tool. Their eyes were wide open in death, as if they were thinking of digging up the half-tree stump to make a fire for warmth before they died.

Realizing this, the gravity player suddenly jolted, turned his head, and sure enough, did not see a single intact tree on either side of the street.

If you look even closer, you can see some houses that were mostly burned down, perhaps because the heavy snow prevented them from burning completely, leaving only half of the collapsed roofs and blackened walls.

To what extent must one be driven to desperation to burn down their house for warmth? Gravity players can't imagine, and can only feel a chill run down their spines.

Just then, Xu Ji, who had successfully made contact with his teammates, rushed over: "We've found him! Everyone come quick!"

The first group of players had already taken precautions against the cold under the orderly arrangement of the elite members, but the extreme cold here seemed to have a rule-based effect; the campfire would go out after a short while, and using barriers to block the wind was of no use.

Some low-level players who haven't strengthened their bodies, especially the elderly and children, were still shivering and their skin turned blue from the cold even when they were wrapped in thick blankets.

It wasn't until everyone reunited that Xie Xubai and the others used their divine power to protect everyone, and they felt a little better.

The top members reported the latest clues they had discovered to Xu Ji and his team.

They found news reports posted on the notice board and searched the library's wall of famous people. By piecing together the various pieces of information, they could basically conclude that the extreme cold weather was due to the area being restricted to this floor.

The restrictions stem from the excessive exploitation of nature by the kingdom's upper-class inhabitants. Their unrestrained pollution emissions during the development of heavy industry led to global warming, which indirectly affected the freezing winds of the polar vortex, making them uncontrollable and creating an extremely cold environment in the lower and middle levels of the Black Tower.

Players who lived in Australia before the game's release can attest to this; it's really hard not to complain.

To resolve this crisis, the high-ranking alchemists of the Black Tower Kingdom's Alchemy Guild united and finally forged the divine artifact "Volcano"—the enormous furnace outside.

Regardless of the principle or internal structure, as long as the stove continues to operate, the heat will be continuously delivered to the underground pipes.

Simply put, it means installing underfloor heating throughout the entire residential area of ​​the floor.

So the problem at hand is quite obvious.

The factory that manages and maintains the "volcano" or some other event on this floor suddenly causes the "volcano" to malfunction, resulting in a sudden eruption during extremely cold weather and freezing to death a large number of people.

The gravity-loving player couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is the reason? Has it been found out?"

The top logistics team said, "Riot."

"What?"

“In this factory where we are, there are signs of fierce fighting at the security checkpoints at the entrances and exits, in various important workshops and the armory. Some important components and operating systems of the ‘volcano’ furnace have been maliciously damaged.”

"Then, we found some leaflets on some of the corpses who were all dressed in black robes. They had slogans written in blood, such as 'Overthrow the Black King's dictatorship and tyranny.' Look."

Xie Xubai and the others accepted the flyers.

As the top members said, the higher-ups relentlessly criticized the Black King's autocracy with various intense and indignant words, and strongly urged the citizens of the kingdom to wake up, join the rebel army, and overthrow this filthy and corrupt royal rule.

One player touched his nose dejectedly: "I don't know why, but I'm not surprised at all."

Even before they entered the game kingdom, the extent of the citizens' fanaticism towards the Black King's regime was enough to suggest how morbid the living environment of the entire kingdom was.

Oppression and resistance have always gone hand in hand. Under long-term repression, some insurgents will naturally emerge, some wise and righteous, and some crazy and extreme.

Xu Qingran said, "Let's wait a bit. According to the plot, we're bound to have to fight a faction war between the Black King and the rebels later on. Since Xie Shen and the Black King are close friends, and the Black King even helped us lower the difficulty of climbing the tower, does that mean we have to find a way to join the Black King's faction in advance?"

Xu Ji shook his head: "The Black King is at the highest level. Even if a war breaks out, it will only break out in the middle or later stages. Those things are too early."

The most urgent task is to find a way to climb the tower as soon as possible. We just took a look, and the entire passage is frozen, just like the main entrance on the first floor of the Black Tower. There are rules restricting access, and skills and items cannot break the seal.

Xu Qingran immediately understood: "So we need to start with the giant furnace outside and get it running again?"

Xie Xubai pointed out incisively: "The spare parts in the factory may have been destroyed, but the supplier should have stock or assembly parts. Go to the purchasing department to look for the purchase orders. If you can't find them, go to the factory manager's office and the archives to look through the files."

Xu Ji echoed, "And the central administrative building, any confidential documents are usually kept on file by the officials with management authority."

Gravity players are worried: "But what if we don't know alchemy?"

Xie Xubai said, "Let's take it one step at a time. This is a game; there won't be any unsolvable problems."

Nearby, the players who had been protected by divine power finally recovered completely.

However, some people, and indeed most people, do not appear particularly relaxed or relieved when they regain their energy.

Wrapped in blankets, they listened half-asleep to Xie Xubai and the others' discussion.

The members of the top logistics team explained things very clearly, so they could understand almost everything and keep up with the train of thought.

However, the gap always exists. For example, they need to follow the clues and make connections for a long time before they can find a solution, while Xie Xubai and others can act without hesitation after reaching a conclusion.

I can't help but feel empty.

Low-level players like them seem to never be able to possess the decisiveness and execution ability of high-level players.

Watching Xie Xubai and the others rushing away, some players suddenly made a decision.

They discussed it for a long time in a private channel and realized that everyone had had the same thought sooner or later.

When Xie Xubai and the others returned, several of the foreign players raised their hands and volunteered: "Hey! If it's alchemy, a few of us have specialized in it and should be able to help!"

This is truly an unexpected delight!

In the following period, all the players worked together to help the "Volcano" furnace as much as they could.

It must be said that as long as no one causes trouble or slacks off, group collaboration can really bring about twice the result with half the effort.

The maintenance worker on the top shelf of the furnace shouted hoarsely through a megaphone: "It's about to start up, everyone get out of the way!"

The group quickly removed the folding ladder and other tools and retreated.

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and a piercing buzzing sound penetrated my eardrums.

People hurriedly turned around and saw scorching flames gushing out like a flood from inside the huge high-temperature-resistant inspection window!

The scene was truly as awe-inspiring as the name of the furnace suggests, akin to a volcanic eruption. The heating pipes glowed red-hot, like molten lava flowing into the earth, and the chimneys spewed ash, resembling volcanic ash billowing out.

Under the scorching heat, the thick snow melted at a visible speed, gradually revealing streets and houses, restoring the original appearance of this layer.

The fiery red reflected in everyone's eyes, like a flame burning fiercely in their hearts.

—They finally managed to get the stove running again before nightfall and the cold snap arrived.

And then.

Captain Xu looked at most of the players in front of him in surprise: "You don't want to leave, why?"

The leader paused for a moment, then scratched his head awkwardly: "You might be disappointed to hear this, but that's the truth. We don't need that many cannon fodder to climb the tower, and we can't really do anything about it."

"Why would you think that? Just now..."

“We are not afraid, nor are we backing down, Captain Xu. We just discussed it together. Those skilled players will continue to follow you, while those of us with average abilities, the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled will stay behind.”

The player chuckled: "It sounds like you're trying to have your cake and eat it too, but the thought of you having to worry about our safety during the battle makes me feel uneasy."

"Furthermore, not all players are good at fighting or playing games and can win the game immediately. Nobody wants to falter at this crucial moment."

"And we've also heard that you're worried that if the furnace malfunctions again, the extreme cold will spread to the next level like the pollution source that erupted on the first level, affecting the entire Black Tower. So isn't this perfect?"

“The furnace is too big and requires a lot of manpower to repair. We will stay here to guard this floor, so that you who are fighting on the front line will no longer have any worries.”

He and all the players behind him looked sincerely at Xie Xubai and the others: "Trust us, we also want to do our part."

Captain Xu seemed to be moved.

Yan Chuyi, who was standing next to him, suddenly said, "They're serious. Let them stay. As long as we keep going up and eliminate those dangerous factors that might be lurking down below, they'll be safer than if they try to climb up."

Yan Chuyi's words always carried weight within the group, and besides, his words were not without reason. Since it was a decision they had made after repeated discussions and considerations, it deserved to be respected.

The players who stayed breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Yan Chuyi, a hint of longing flickering in their eyes.

He concealed his disappointment and sadness, moved closer to Yan Shuo and hooked his arm around his shoulder, but to his surprise, the big boss didn't dodge.

So he chuckled and joked casually, "Sigh, although we tried our best not to hold anyone back, the result looks more like deserting in the face of battle. We ordinary people who are mediocre at everything probably will never gain the favor of the gods in our entire lives, right?"

Before he could finish speaking...

A sudden burst of golden light caught the eyes of the players.

They were not able to react for a moment until they suddenly realized: Wait a minute, why is the light coming from below at an angle?

In a daze, I seemed to realize something.

The air grew quiet, the rapid heartbeats pounded in their chests, their veins bulged and blood rushed, and they slowly turned their heads in disbelief, staring at the back of their hands bearing the mark of the God-favored One.

Pupil dilation!

Although it wasn't the complete emblem of the Chosen One, and was semi-transparent overall, they could indeed feel the flow of divine power, and—

The deity lowered his eyes, casting a gentle gaze upon him.