An Instance Where Weapons Were Forbidden

Then, as commander, Itō Hidetaka chose Mission Two: Economic Overtaking on everyone's behalf!

"Firmament, select mission two!"

[Firmament notification: all challengers have successfully selected mission two. The following instance will proceed in a nonwar format! The instance will test the challengers' logic and management skills!]

[The nonwar format prohibits the use of any weapons or any armed violence within the instance. All military weapons brought into the instance will be temporarily frozen!]

The moment Firmament issued its warning, the ships anchored outside the harbor, the rows of tanks and armored vehicles parked in the military camp, and the guns and weapons in everyone's hands all turned gray.

Then they dissolved in the wind into patches of mosaic.

The sudden change gave many challengers visiting the instance for the first time a fright.

They stared at one another, somewhat at a loss.

"You can do that?"

"A completely nonwar instance? This is the first I've heard of one... But aren't instances meant for fighting? If you can't fight, what's the point of an instance existing?"

"All weapons are frozen. Doesn't that mean military technology has nothing to do with this entire game..."

"Does that mean Raging Waves has become an instance that relies purely on brains?"

In fact, many people had assumed that, since they had chosen the economic warfare of mission two, the instance would most likely combine economic management with military attacks.

During the economic war, enemy forces would come and harass them from time to time.

No one had expected weapons to be completely locked down! It was a purely Non-Combat Mode.

An instance mode without combat was a first in Firmament's history of instances.

In the thousands of years Firmament had existed, every instance without exception had involved slaughter and war.

All of them used military weapons, tactics, and terrain to create a strategic advantage and achieve victory.

To a certain extent, the strength of an instance was really a contest of military technology. This was something everyone had already accepted without even thinking about it.

Now Lin Ye had suddenly come up with a Non-Combat Mode, breaking what could be called an unspoken rule everyone had accepted.

In a conference room at the First Instance Research Institute of the Great Xia Dragon Soaring Settlement.

Ding Chang and a group of researchers watched the progress of the Raging Waves instance live on the big screen, just as they had the day before.

This activity was now a mandatory assignment for the institute. Whenever Raging Waves opened, everyone had to be there on time to observe.

When they saw Firmament's notification about the nonwar format, everyone drew a sharp breath, their faces full of disbelief.

"So instances can be designed this way?!" one researcher exclaimed.

"In that case, wouldn't choosing mission one or mission two give you two completely different challenge modes? Wouldn't that make it equivalent to two instances?"

"Then the sheer scale of this one Raging Waves instance is completely unimaginable."

Having never seen anything like it before, all the researchers looked excited.

This kind of Non-Combat Mode instance had opened the door to a whole new world for them!

If instances didn't need weapons, that would suddenly open up countless possibilities for instance design.

"What an idea! Director Ding, this Lin Ye really is a genius."

"We specialize in instance research, yet we never once thought of this..."

"Since this works too, could we try making a nonwar instance ourselves in the future?"

The researchers launched into a heated discussion about Lin Ye's new instance format, and the conference room soon buzzed with activity.

"Ahem."

Ding Chang coughed twice, signaling for everyone to be quiet, then slowly spoke.

"Quiet, everyone. Now isn't the time to discuss such long-term matters..."

"Whether it's nonwar or war, those are only outward forms. The core of every instance is still its internal logic."

"Since this is a new format, everyone should be watching even more attentively."

The room gradually quieted down. Ding Chang took a sip of tea, then turned his gaze to Zhao Jianyu beside him.

Ever since the new round of Raging Waves had begun, Zhao Jianyu had felt uneasy.

She was gently drawing on a slim Lemon Cigarette and exhaling, staring at the ceiling in some agitation.

"Jianyu, you seem worried. If you have any thoughts, why not share them with us?" Ding Chang said calmly.

"Teacher... this is what I think."

Zhao Jianyu hesitated, but finally voiced the doubts in her heart.

"Maybe my knowledge is limited, but I can't help feeling that by designing this new instance mode within the instance, Lin Ye has picked up a rock only to drop it on his own foot."

"Hmm... go on." Ding Chang still wore a kindly smile.

"Teacher, you see, a person's energy is limited no matter what, and an instance's capacity is limited too."

"Lin Ye made this instance so large and put so many ingenious touches into it. He must have put a lot of thought into them." Zhao Jianyu frowned and explained, "Those are all his advantages."

"But now, doesn't this nonwar mode wipe out everything he designed before? In effect, it makes his instance smaller."

"And I really don't understand. Lin Ye clearly has the military power of an aircraft carrier—that's his biggest advantage! Doesn't this nonwar mode wipe out that advantage too?"

Hearing Zhao Jianyu and Ding Chang's conversation, the other researchers gathered around.

They all fell silent, seemingly realizing the problem as well.

This time, Ding Chang did not refute Zhao Jianyu's words. Instead, his expression grew solemn.

Even he had the same doubts and suspicions in his heart.

At this moment, he couldn't quite understand what Lin Ye was thinking.

Since he had a devastating weapon like an aircraft carrier, wouldn't it have been better to give the instance only mission one: the war scenario of capturing Pearl Harbor?

When the time came, he could send out the world-destroying Nation-Destroying Fleet. Even if twenty thousand Great He Clan challengers joined forces in a Group Assault, there would be nothing to fear.

Instead of using this steady, step-by-step approach, which could even be called foolproof, he had insisted on creating an economic war for mission two.

"Jianyu, what you just said is actually what I've been thinking too."

A puzzled look appeared on Ding Chang's face as well.

"In this world under Firmament's control, everyone's core competitive strength is really the technology and weapons in their instances. That's also why all instances have always been themed around war."

"Because that way has the greatest killing power, and it's the most direct!"

"This nonwar mode Lin Ye has created is really like making all beings equal. Whether you're Level 0 or LV4, suddenly no one can use weapons."

"If this were an instance designed by a newly promoted LV1 with no technology to rely on, I'd think it was brilliant, because it would erase the gap between them and the higher-level challengers."

"But Lin Ye isn't a rookie without technology. He's the hottest big name in technology on the whole of Azure Star right now. By doing this, he's more or less cutting off both his own arms."