Chapter 170
Player Space, Parliament Building.
The meeting room was almost full, with a large electronic projection screen positioned on three sides in front of it. Various miscellaneous items, resembling electronic components or documents, were scattered on the tables.
Attendees who were in a hurry and were delayed by something saw the clearly visible words on the document and their hearts pounded like drums. Without thinking, they rushed over and grabbed the paper.
The sound of his body hitting the table was quite loud, drawing the attention of those around him.
"What is this?" Ignoring the strange looks from everyone, the attendees stared intently at the clear text on the page, their voices rising sharply in shock, almost lifting the ceiling. "How can the information from the copy be recorded?"
As is well known, all information related to the content of a copy cannot be recorded using any form of medium.
This extremely demanding setting once resulted in a consistently low dungeon completion rate.
Even in dungeons that have been cleared multiple times, the number of casualties is still countless.
If all clearance information could be recorded and shared from the beginning.
If everyone can use data integration and analysis to come up with a safe and reasonable way to clear customs.
If everyone can unite and work together.
Why are players so passive?
The people next to him quickly pulled him down to sit, gesturing for him to calm down.
The attendees then noticed the unusually somber atmosphere in the meeting room.
Upon closer inspection, it was found that the room was equipped with at least four layers of advanced anti-peeping and anti-eavesdropping devices, with each person having their own independent protective device.
The meeting was still chaired by the Speaker of Parliament, but the front row was filled with relatively unfamiliar faces, all of whom were composed and authoritative, like swords with their blades hidden in their sheaths.
When they heard the commotion behind them, they only glanced at them briefly before looking away.
Those people were wearing identical uniforms, and the insignia embroidered on the side of their sleeves were... military ranks?!
The attendees were surprised; heaven knows how long it had been since he had seen a proper soldier since the bizarre game began.
The Speaker of the Council was originally a soldier, but he had to appear in the live broadcast room frequently to appease people and shoulder heavy pressure. He had long been worn down and looked tired, and most of the time he looked more like a dejected old man struggling to hold on.
Perhaps it was because of the arrival of this group of people, but the Speaker of the Council seemed much more energetic today, and there was a hint of his sharp edge about him.
The person next to the attendee then pointed to one of the young men in black military uniforms and whispered, "The information was all brought by him. I heard he was a top-notch military researcher who worked in military industry before the game was released. According to his rank, we should call him Major General!"
The attendees held the paper document as if it were priceless, not daring to exert any force on it, and looked at the young major general with astonishment: "How did he do that?"
“It’s related to his skills.” The person next to him clicked his tongue and explained roughly, “I don’t know the principle either, but it’s basically about putting the information on the paper in a quantum state of indeterminate form. Only when we consciously observe it will the text collapse into reality. Otherwise, it will appear as a probability wave with the vibration frequency of particles. And the Major General set a limit on the visible wave amplitude that can only be observed by humans… Okay, okay, to put it bluntly, it’s like the system is looking at these words like it’s looking at Schrödinger’s cat. It can’t be determined whether they exist.”
The attendees, seemingly understanding but not quite, exclaimed in amazement, "...Wow, amazing!"
Soon, a new question arose: "If you have this ability, why didn't you use it when you cleared the dungeon for the first time?"
The person next to him shook his head: "They haven't shown up yet, probably because they suspect something..."
He suddenly shut his mouth, his face darkening, his expression unreadable.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, the attendees almost immediately recalled the uproar surrounding the Hu Chang incident, and their expressions turned quite grim.
—There are traitors within the player community who have turned against the system, and not just one or two. Their numbers are so large that they can form an extremely large and secretive organization behind the scenes, which has only been discovered now.
It must be admitted that this incident was a resounding slap in the face to all players.
What's even more unsettling is that this organization actually managed to produce a god-level artifact.
If the system can blatantly disregard the fairness of the game and give its henchmen a free pass, how can they fight back?
At this point, the Speaker of the Council stood up: "Now that everyone is here, the meeting will officially begin. This is a video clip from our recent communication with Team America. Please take a look."
Everyone put on translation headsets.
The light from the 3D stereoscopic projection radiates from the instrument and shines on the large screen, quickly outlining a lifelike virtual scene.
An official in a suit appeared before the crowd. He had a hooked nose, sharp features, and distinctive facial characteristics; he was a typical Caucasian and belonged to the CIA.
In the video, the official faces the crowd, looking down at them with an obvious air of disdain, and casually raises his chin.
"Excuse me for disturbing you, members of the Central Continent Team. On behalf of the European and American Alliance, I extend my greetings to you all."
The official spoke arrogantly: "I believe you have all received the news that in the last trial dungeon, our heroic members lived up to expectations and successfully won the crown of victory, achieving a clearance progress of [9]!"
And I must emphasize to everyone that there is only one player on the list at present [9], and his value is incalculable. No matter how many players there are [8], they cannot compare to the weight he represents.
Without a doubt, he will achieve final victory in the next game, reaching the record of [10] completions and becoming the savior of all humanity!
The official said, "The European and American Alliance will maintain its original proposal, requiring the Central Continent Team to fulfill the international joint wartime convention and fully assist the hero members and their squads in clearing the next dungeon."
We hope you can send the top 50 players on the combat power ranking and order them to go to the European and American Alliance district to await orders.
At the same time, their combat power level and skill details, including basic values, activation conditions, skill range and weaknesses, are all disclosed in great detail.
Especially Xie Xubai, the new deity who appeared in the Central Continent game area.
We must know His methods of summoning, His likes and dislikes, His allegiance, and His historical allusions to assess His level of danger and whether He might be at odds with humanity.
Finally, please mobilize the entire Central Continent team to collect as many strategic resources as possible, such as points, items, and military technology products, so that the hero squad can obtain necessary supplies when needed.
"Everything is for the survival of humanity," the CIA official said in a deep, almost oppressive tone. "We hope that the Central Continent Team will follow your consistent principle of prioritizing the greater good and fully cooperate."
A suffocating, deathly silence filled the entire conference room.
Many attendees were furious upon hearing those outrageous demands.
Before he could even utter the words "This is outrageous!", he heard a seemingly composed soldier in the front row sneer and lean back, saying, "I think the Americans aren't awake yet, making wishes here."
"This is just a projection. No matter how much you mock it, those guys whose opinions are determined by their own interests won't hear it."
“That’s right.” The officer looked at the Speaker of Parliament and asked, “Have we responded to this communication?”
Speaker of the Council: "Not yet, we cannot agree to such an outrageous request, but the heroic member of Team America..."
The tone was hesitant.
Regardless, it is a fact that players in Europe and America have achieved the record [9], while the highest record for the Central Continent team is [8].
[9] represents an extremely important weight, just as the official said. Only one more game is needed to redeem the home of all mankind and end this nightmare.
Regardless of what the current 300 million players think, what their intentions and plans are, whether they are giving up or actively trying to pass the levels, they will all pay close attention to the player with the record [9], simply because he determines the future of everyone.
The officer nodded knowingly: "Then let's clarify everything today."
He tapped the table with his pen, and his assistant immediately understood, turning his head to make a video call, with the video being shared in real time on the big screen.
Less than half a breath later, the image unfolded outwards.
Someone noticed that the assistant seemed to be holding some kind of prop.
The fact that the call was connected so quickly clearly indicates a forced communication.
The scene is set in a private office. Before you can even see who's there, you can hear a series of indecent, erotic sounds coming from the sofa.
The official who had just been impeccably dressed and charming in front of everyone was now disheveled, pinning down a young woman while breathing heavily with impatience.
The conference room fell into an indescribable silence once again.
Finally, someone covered their eyes, feeling like they were about to be blinded by the poison, and blurted out in exasperation, "Damn it—!"
The official on the sofa shuddered, looked up and met the indescribable gazes of everyone in the conference room. His face instantly turned ashen, and he angrily cursed "fk" in despair, pulling out a suit jacket from the side and throwing it to cover the communication camera.
A series of chaotic noises followed, accompanied by angry shouts in English.
Before long, the cursing gradually turned into a bit of panic.
It seems that the official looked left and right but couldn't find a way to shut down the communication, and couldn't figure out why he, who was crossing an entire continent, could be locked down.
The officer finally spoke slowly, and said with a polite, light mockery, "I didn't mean to disturb your good time, but now that we are at the critical moment of life and death you mentioned, you still have the leisure to enjoy yourself in the heart of the office. This kind of behavior, which fully embodies the optimistic style of Europe and America, is truly astonishing."
As if provoked by these sarcastic remarks, the clothes covering the communication device were unintentionally torn off by the official.
The official wore a wrinkled shirt, his face flushed with anger.
He rambled on and on with strong words, mostly accusing the people in the meeting room of invading his privacy.
However, because their expressions and postures were too disheveled, they lacked any imposing presence.
The officer said, "This communication is mainly a response to the unreasonable demands recently made by the European and American alliances."
"We all agree that only a union based on mutual trust and without barriers can be considered an effective union."
Therefore, we demand that the European and American sides also disclose the information of your hero players to the public.
Please provide all details regarding your combat strength and skill information, as mentioned in your communication logs, including basic stats, activation conditions, skill range, and weaknesses. No detail should be overlooked.
The senior officer raised his head, his tone neither warm nor cold, but his words sharp: "If we cannot do it, we have reason to doubt that the European and American alliance is sincere in establishing this cooperation. At that time, the Central Continent Team will defend and reclaim our homeland in its own way."
"Of course, according to the international wartime contract, for the future of all mankind, the Central Continent Team will also do its best to assist the European and American Teams during the game."
A senior military officer said, "Out of humanitarian concern, we are reminding the Western side."
Record [9] is important, but if we fail this time, record [8] will take over and shoulder the responsibility. There's an old saying in Middle-earth, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket,' so be prepared for both victory and defeat.
"The above statement is a response from K778 Communications. Please take note."
Communication ended, and the image disappeared.
The assistant added several more layers of security to the meeting room. The senior officer scanned the members present and announced, "In the next game, Pinnacle will continue to participate."
This statement instantly caused a huge uproar in the conference room!
Those who had been secretly observing finally realized why the soldiers in front of them looked so familiar.
These individuals belong to the guild "Peak," and were among the earliest frontline strategy teams after the game's release! In its early days, they assembled almost all of the most elite combat talents from across the Central Continent!
Aside from the top members and those in the know, several questions kept popping into everyone's mind at the meeting.
Why did the once-glorious peak members disappear halfway through, and then reappear at this time?
The senior officer continued, "In the last trial, the system activated the all-out war mode, and a quarter of the players were forced into the game."
As always, the core story of the dungeons in each continent remains unchanged, while the background incorporates local culture.
For example, in the "Dragon Slayer" dungeon, we encounter Jiang Kaile, the young master of a wealthy family, while in the Western world, we meet a mixed-race prince from a remote mountain village castle. Similarly, in the "Please Follow the Settings" dungeon, our reward level is the First Hospital, while in the Western world, it's the Central Church.
"Because the dungeon's background is compatible with our daily cognition, knowledge, culture, and social system, although clearing the dungeon is somewhat difficult, it is not a hindrance for the frontline strategy team."
The senior officer's eyes darkened, and he rested his hands on his chin: "But according to the system's consistent approach, these favorable factors may all disappear in the next trial."
"We will encounter challenges from different cultural backgrounds and face language barriers. Furthermore, at least half, or even 100%, of the players will be forced into this game. Therefore, everyone should prepare for the worst."
The people at the meeting heard these words and many of them showed solemn expressions, but no one backed down.
Those who can sit here have long since disregarded life and death.
In the following time, everyone passionately discussed how to deploy the operation and build the team based on the documents and materials in their hands, and spoke freely.
However, human strength is finite.
When discussing the limits that the physical body cannot break through, and comparing them with those powerful and bizarre numerical values, everyone fell silent, exchanging speechless glances.
"Although I cannot tell you now, we have prepared a secret weapon to fight against the game."
He paused for a moment.
“I once heard a prophecy.” As if to liven up the atmosphere, the officer next to the senior officer suddenly spoke up, smiling gently, “When the gods are in decline, there will be a being embraced by the stars, who will take over the power that symbolizes hope and lead humanity to a brand new future.”
"Yan Yue".
Yan Yue, whose name was called, quickly turned his head and met the piercing gaze of the senior officer.
"You have had the longest contact with Him, so as one of the representatives of this war council, please introduce us to that benevolent deity, Xie Xubai."
...
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
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