"Flight advisory! This vessel is approaching the designated battlefield outside Ptolemy's royal city. Commanders and warriors assigned to the ground assault, please take your positions! The route to the drop pods is now open. Follow the guidance markers!"
Eden's calm, cold electronic voice rang through every compartment of the Millennium Sands, making the 3,500 elite players selected for the operation immediately stop what they were doing. They donned their protective gear, picked up their weapons, slung their Ravager rifles—already loaded to capacity with burning-gold bullets—across their chests, and left their quarters to join the orderly queue.
When the student faction rushed out of their quarters, they still had scraps of paper stuck to their faces from playing cards. A passing veteran of the Qing army gave them a fierce glare.
In real life, this would have been the moment for "the squad leader's beloved flying kick." But after playing the game for so long, the Qing veteran, as a member of the commander class, had learned not to hold players to the same standards as soldiers.
As long as they didn't chicken out when it was time to act, they counted as good player-soldiers.
"Look, Ge Bao! We finally get to set foot on the battlefield with power armor support! This is so damn cool!"
With a magnificent pair of mechanical short swords for a halfling strapped to his back and a stylish, warm "Silver Wolf Pelt" on his shoulders, Zha Bao nudged Ge Bao beside him and pointed toward a special conveyor belt. He wasn't the only one looking over; many veteran players were turning their heads that way, and some had even taken out their Adventure Assistants to snap pictures.
On that conveyor belt, sixteen imposing suits of power armor were being transported in a line toward the