Chapter 45: Unlocking Communication to Welcome the Beast Tide and Defend Our Home! ...
Lin Nanxing looked at the small icon representing his territory, teetering precariously amidst the swamp, and his heart sank: "Brother Zhou, you didn't wake me up because the swamp is about to cover our territory, did you?"
Zhou Qisheng noticed her panic and nodded solemnly, but his tone remained calm: "The swamp has indeed begun to form, but don't worry."
He pointed to the transparent barrier outside the window, "Our barrier has now been upgraded to the town level, with greatly enhanced defense and automatic attack capabilities. This swamp poses no threat to us for the time being."
Long before the territory was upgraded, Lin Nanxing informed Zhou Qisheng that the barrier would also be upgraded after the upgrade.
As the person in charge of overall planning, he needs to know this key information in order to make arrangements in advance.
"Originally, we had a very relaxed schedule according to our initial plan, but this year winter came a month earlier, which caught me off guard." Zhou Qisheng said, secretly rubbing the calluses on his hands.
Thankfully, we made it in the end.
As if to confirm Zhou Qisheng's words, the writhing gray-green swamp in the distance outside the window continued to expand, but it never touched the territory's barrier, as if a shielding device was blocking the swamp's movements.
Having personally witnessed the barrier's effective protection, Lin Nanxing finally felt relieved and let out a soft sigh of relief.
Just then, a semi-transparent system screen unfolded in front of her.
[Territory upgrade complete, now at the town level.]
[Congratulations on leveling up, host. Your level-up rewards are being calculated.]
[Reward 1: Territory area expanded by 300%]
[Reward 2: The protective barrier has been upgraded to level 5, its health has been increased to 150,000, and the "Thorns Reflect Damage" function has been successfully acquired (effect: reflects damage equal to 50% of the attacker's attack power)]
[Reward 3: Enhanced resident privileges; regional communication network now covers the entire territory, enabling real-time short-range communication]
At the same time, the 'World Channel' icon, which had been grayed out on Lin Nanxing's control panel, suddenly lit up.
Lin Nanxing read out the reward details from the system to Zhou Qisheng one by one.
When Zhou Qisheng heard the specific effects of "Thorns Reflect Damage," his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "50% damage reflection? This effect is practically a bug!"
The barrier can restore health by spending money, and at the same time it can cause damage to attackers. Most monsters have higher attack power than health. With this ability to combine offense and defense, as long as you have enough money, you can wear down even the highest level monsters.
Lin Nanxing nodded in agreement. When she thought of the benefits, the first thought that came to her mind was: "In this way, Da Rong can finally rest a little."
As the magical plant she initially contracted with, the banyan tree is the most diligent and reliable of all her plant companions. It tirelessly takes root on the outermost edge of the territory, always standing guard on the front line to block any monsters that might attack the territory.
Even though it's a plant and doesn't need to sleep, it still gets tired. After the barrier is upgraded, even if someone still needs to guard the territory, it will greatly reduce the workload of the guards.
Later, a rotation system can be adopted, allowing her magical plants to take turns guarding the territory, especially the coriander spirit who always steals milk tea.
Now that the farmland has been taken care of by professionals, it has been slacking off for a long time.
Lin Nanxing instantly made arrangements for the magical plants under her command, but almost at the same time, she heard a few soft and familiar "beep" sounds, just like the notification sound of a mobile phone receiving a new message in the old world.
Lin Nanxing thought of the third reward that the system had just mentioned: real-time short-range communication. Wasn't that just a chat function?
With a thought, she brought up the player information panel and found a brand new communication icon in the corner. Clicking on it, the interface was simply divided into "Public Channel" and "Private Channel".
At this moment, the public channel was already flooded with messages from residents who had discovered the feature first, with information scrolling so fast it was dazzling.
Clearly, Lin Nanxing and Zhou Qisheng were not the only ones who were unexpectedly awakened this morning.
"What happened? I was just woken up by a system notification. How come there's a communication function all of a sudden?"
"Damn! How did a swamp appear outside? Isn't that something that only happens in winter?"
"Didn't the people above see the system notification? Winter has arrived early."
"But what's with this communication function? And what was that commotion in the territory just now?"
"I guess the territory has been upgraded. I just looked out the window, and the concrete area of our territory has expanded quite a bit."
Although the barrier of the Star Territory is transparent, the land inside the territory is all concrete, which contrasts sharply with the barren sand or dangerous swamp outside, making the boundary clear at a glance.
"The guys confirmed it, this communication function is a benefit for regular residents. I just tried it, and my friend who didn't get a regular resident spot doesn't have this function. He's so jealous."
"Ten years! A full ten years! I've finally gotten a little closer to modern society! Long live the Star Territory!"
Looking at the rapidly scrolling comments on the channel, Lin Nanxing felt proud. Every compliment to Star Territory was also a compliment to her.
Within the territory, more and more residents were forcibly awakened by the commotion of the previous territory upgrade and came out of their homes.
They huddled together, gazing uneasily at the still bubbling gray-green swamp in the distance, worried about the impending eternal night.
They knew all too well what these harbingers of winter meant.
However, before this worry could fully spread among the crowd, a muffled and dense rumbling sound rolled in from the distant horizon, and the earth began to tremble slightly.
Sharp-eyed players, realizing what was happening, shouted in terror, "A monster tide! A monster tide is coming!"
Lin Nanxing received an emergency alert from the system almost simultaneously. With the early arrival of the Eternal Night, the monster horde attack that was originally scheduled to occur within five days after the territory upgrade also arrived ahead of schedule.
Her face instantly turned ashen. "This damn game is too much! They launched a surprise attack!"
According to the plan she and Zhou Qisheng had initially carefully devised, the territory upgrade was supposed to be scheduled for the afternoon of December 1st, with a five-day buffer period after the upgrade to make thorough preparations.
All official residents above level 40 must remain on standby within their territory to prepare for the inevitable beast tide that will follow their level up.
This was one of the obligations players had to fulfill when they became official residents.
But now, before any plans have been made and personnel have been organized, the monster horde has arrived, disrupting all the plans!
Lin Nanxing didn't want to see the scene of the fire lizards burning their territory and leaving it cratered up again.
Zhou Qisheng immediately pulled out his notebook, looked at the data he had prepared in advance, and said in an unusually calm tone: "Don't panic, our barrier has been upgraded now, which can buy us some time, enough for us to organize our manpower to deal with it."
No sooner had Zhou Qisheng finished speaking than the vanguard of the monster horde, a pack of bloodthirsty hyena-like creatures howled and charged fiercely into the territory.
"Bang, bang, bang," the dull thuds of impact continued.
The violent fluctuations in the barrier that everyone expected did not occur. Instead, the demons that crashed into the barrier suddenly let out a shrill scream, and bursts of blood flowers appeared out of thin air on their bodies, disappearing as data in the next second.
"Huh? What's going on? Those monsters got injured on their own?" a girl exclaimed in surprise as she hurriedly pulled out her staff upon seeing the monster horde.
A knowledgeable player nearby squinted, carefully examining the flowing energy patterns on the barrier's surface, and suddenly realized: "It's damage reflection! The newly upgraded barrier has a high-level damage reflection effect. The harder they hit, the more damage they suffer. Our territory's barrier is even more powerful than we imagined!"
At the same time, the once unsettling swamp has now become a natural moat.
The sticky, muddy swamp greatly hindered the monsters' charge. Many low-level monsters roared as they sank into the mud, quickly being swallowed by the bubbling mud, thus minimizing the attack pressure on the barrier near the swamp area.
After the initial panic subsided, the residents' morale soared upon seeing the barrier's formidable strength.
At the same time, a message appeared in everyone's public channel.
[Star Territory System Announcement]
A beast tide is approaching. All official residents are requested to assemble immediately to fight off the beast tide.
After the battle, you will receive rewards based on your contribution, including but not limited to weapons, meal cards, etc.
Defend our homeland, this is the battle!
This is the first time Star Territory has described itself as a home, but it has stirred ripples in the hearts of everyone who sees it.
Yes, this is no longer a temporary refuge camp, but a home they have watched develop little by little, a home worth protecting with their lives.
"Brothers, the barrier is strong enough to reflect damage back at those bastards! Grab your weapons! For our homeland, let's kill them!"
Someone shouted this slogan at the top of their lungs, instantly igniting everyone's passion. Players gripped their weapons and spontaneously formed battle formations, rushing towards the edge of the barrier where the roar was most intense.
The archers quickly sought high ground, and experienced players shared their tips: "Aim for the eyes of those big guys to save your arrows."
In this spontaneously formed defensive line, Shu Yi's figure stands out.
The apartment building is located on the edge of all the buildings, and you can see the world outside the barrier as soon as you open the door, which also makes it convenient for Shuyi.
He had opened the window when the monster horde arrived, and the cold wind, carrying the stench of the monsters, rushed into the room, but he remained motionless.
"Whoosh—"
An arrow tore through the air and accurately struck the monster's wide-open mouth. The monster's attack on the barrier came to an abrupt halt, and it instantly vanished as data.
As a master archer, Shu Yi was unerring in his aim, single-handedly eliminating most of the high-level monsters and relieving immense pressure on the melee team members.
"As expected of a high-level player, their destructive power is too strong." This thought echoed in the minds of the protected players at the same time.
The high-level players that Lin Nanxing had been longing for also made a huge contribution in this battle.
The swamp to the east served as a natural barrier, allowing the archers to fire efficiently. To the west, Shu Yi held the line single-handedly. To the north, Xu Yongfeng's team of four worked together seamlessly, creating an impenetrable defense. To the south, Wei Feiyang, Wang Qian, and others each used their unique skills to firmly hold the line.
Behind her, level 50 priest Tanya Shao was enveloped in soft holy light, and the wounds of every wounded person brought to her side healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Lin Nanxing's magical plants shuttle between battlefields, dedicated to rescuing injured players from the clutches of monsters and reducing casualties.
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Author's note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone! [cheering emoji] Did everyone eat mooncakes?
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