Chapter 276 I Picked Up Trash on the Battlefield of National Fortune 32
In the Dragon Kingdom's exclusive rest hall, in a private communications room, Jiang Zhe took a deep breath and initiated a communication request.
Opposite them was the highest command center of the Blue Star Dragon Kingdom.
Several familiar faces, leaders who carry the future of the nation on their shoulders, are sitting around an oval table.
Their faces still bore the lingering joy and excitement.
"Comrade Jiang Zhe, you've worked hard!" The elderly man at the head of the group said in a loud voice, with a smile on his face: "Nine million points in exchange for a boost to everyone's morale, what a brilliant deal! The national treasury is empty, but the people's hearts are full, it's worth it!"
“Yes, we are preparing to discuss a reward scheme for your frontline team,” another leader wearing glasses added.
Jiang Zhe looked at the smiles on their faces, but his heart was heavy.
He made no small talk or pleasantries: “Comrades, the situation has changed.”
His voice traveled clearly to the command center, freezing the atmosphere there instantly.
The old man at the head of the group lost his smile and leaned forward slightly: "Speak."
“There’s something wrong with this auction.” Jiang Zhe spoke slowly, but every word hit home: “The four final items were too coincidental.”
He repeated Merchant 1024's analysis verbatim.
“Each item precisely emptied the pockets of a specific group. This is not like an auction, but more like a premeditated wealth confiscation targeting all players.”
Jiang Zhe paused for a moment, then dropped a more crucial piece of information: "That merchant reminded me to check out the system shop."
"The last page of everyone's shop is grayed out and cannot be opened. We always thought that the last page was just a place to exchange for higher-level items. We thought it was a long battle and that we would unlock the last page sooner or later, so we weren't in a hurry. But that merchant pointed out that there might be something hidden there that the system doesn't want us to know."
In the command center, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, the expressions of the leaders had shifted from joy to grim.
"You mean..." The bespectacled leader astutely grasped the crux of the matter: "The system is deliberately preventing us, or rather, preventing anyone, from accumulating enough points to unlock the final page?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a young analyst at the table stood up, his brow furrowed: "Sir, there's a logical flaw in this."
"Merchant-1024. He's an NPC, why is he telling us this? What's his motive?"
The analyst's voice was uncertain: "Could this be a deeper trap? Leading us to fight the system, thus trapping us in another snare?"
This question directly points to the weakest link in the entire reasoning. Inside the command center, everyone's attention is once again focused on Jiang Zhe on the screen.
"I don't know his motives," Jiang Zhe answered frankly.
His voice was calm: "But I can tell you all about this businessman's actions since he appeared."
"He sold us life-saving medicine at prices far below those in official stores, relieving our enormous logistical burden."
"He repaired our equipment at half the price of the official price, or even less, ensuring our basic combat capabilities."
"He appeared when we needed help the most, and every transaction he made showed great goodwill towards our player community."
“I can’t tell if he has any other motives, but I’m sure that everything he’s done so far has been to help us survive.”
The command center fell silent again.
The leaders exchanged quick glances. For some reason, the National Fortune Sky Screen would block the view of this NPC every time it traded with Jiang Zhe, so they had only seen what the NPC looked like in the flea market. All other information came from Jiang Zhe's feedback.
They were weighing the pros and cons and risks behind this, trusting an NPC of unknown origin to challenge an unknown system that controlled their life and death.
This is a huge gamble in itself.
If you lose the gamble, it could mean utter ruin.
But if you don't gamble...
“We can’t afford to gamble.” The elderly man at the head of the group spoke slowly, breaking the silence and making the final decision.
His gaze pierced through the light screen, as if he could see the blood and fire on the battlefield of national destiny: "We cannot afford to gamble on the consequences if he is right and we have missed our only chance."
The old man's voice wasn't loud, but it carried the weight of an entire civilization.
"Jiang Zhe."
"arrive!"
"You only have one task now." The old man stood up and slammed his hand heavily on the table.
"We must find out what's on the last page at all costs!"
The communication ended, the light screen went out, and Jiang Zhe stood still for a long time.
After a long while, he walked out of the communications room and summoned all the core members, including Lin Feng and Wolf Brother. The hall was still filled with the lingering warmth of the revelry.
Comrades.
Jiang Zhe's voice silenced everyone: "Now, I announce a top-level order from Blue Star headquarters."
He looked around at the crowd, and every face showed confusion.
"Project codename—Ascend to Heaven!"
"From now on, stop all unnecessary point consumption. All points will be concentrated in my possession."
As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the crowd.
"Old Jiang!" Lin Feng was the first to step forward, his face full of anxiety and confusion: "Gather all the points? What about the supplies for the other team members?"
"We can't even afford a single basic stamina potion! The casualty rate will skyrocket on the next mission!"
Wolf Brother frowned as well: "Yeah, Elder Jiang, if the equipment is damaged and can't be repaired, how are we supposed to complete this mission?"
“This is an order.” Jiang Zhe’s voice was heavy as he looked at the brothers who had risked their lives for him.
He didn't explain the system's conspiracy, as that would cause uncontrollable panic: "From now on, everyone's daily consumption should be kept to a minimum. The 20% attribute bonus from the amplification card is our biggest asset right now."
"We will use it to exchange for a greater future."
"Blue Star's intelligence department speculates that the last page of the system shop contains an ultimate strategic weapon capable of turning the tide of the entire nation's fate on the battlefield. Our mission is to unlock it as quickly as possible!"
He paused for a moment, then added, "I will purchase the daily stamina potions from Merchant 1024 in the captain's name, and then distribute them uniformly."
Upon hearing that it was about unlocking the ultimate weapon and that it was an order from Blue Star, the commotion gradually subsided. Although the team members still had doubts, their trust in Jiang Zhe and Blue Star headquarters led them to choose to obey.
"I understand." Lin Feng gritted his teeth and was the first to express his understanding.
"I'll listen to you, Elder Jiang." Wolf Brother nodded as well.
The plan is being implemented.
A series of transfer instructions rang out in the hall.
On the virtual screen of Jiang Zhe's bracelet, the numbers began to scroll upwards at an alarming speed.
100,000.
Three hundred thousand.
Eight hundred thousand.
Meanwhile, the accounts of other players were quickly wiped clean, with many left with only single-digit points. In the lobby, no one spoke, and the atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive.
This is a trust that entrusts one's entire life and fortune to another, and it is also a high-stakes gamble that stakes the future of all players in the Dragon Kingdom.
When the last point was transferred in, Jiang Zhe looked at the balance on his bracelet that had exceeded several million, but he did not feel any joy.
His fingertips were icy cold, and his heart was pounding heavily. He didn't know how many points he would need to unlock the last page, but he didn't stop. Instead, he immediately followed the second instruction given by Blue Star and opened his contacts.
He found the image of the burly man from the Xiong Kingdom and sent an encrypted private communication request.
The communication was quickly established, and Vasily's stubble-covered face appeared on the screen. He looked somewhat tired, clearly still regretting missing out on 'Dawn' at the auction.
"Jiang? What do you want with me? If you're here to show off your enhancement cards, there's no need for that."
Jiang Zhe ignored his emotions, looked into the other man's eyes, and spoke clearly, word by word.
Vasily.
"I have a deal to discuss with you regarding the future."
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