After logging off, the little players erupted into a heated argument on the forum. They were all eager to share their thoughts and opinions on the matter.
They'd also used their helmets' camera function to record the military map in Murphy's hands. While the students and chatterboxes showed off their wild ideas, the more prepared ones had already started making calls.
If there was one major difference between working adults and students, it was that people who'd been beaten up by reality understood that professional matters should be left to the professionals.
They all spent their days sitting in offices, and even a MOBA game with just three lanes could spark arguments over strategy. Clearly, they didn't have the professional knowledge or skills to plan an excellent ambush in a 100% realistic game.
Especially when the two sides' strength was so wildly uneven.
Fortunately, the best thing about this era was how the internet connected all kinds of people. It was like never knowing whether the person giving you advice from the other side of the screen was a human or a dog.
The murky online world was always full of hidden talents.
Meow Brother took off his gaming helmet and put on his Bluetooth earphones. He pulled a can of milk from the fridge, then walked out onto the balcony and turned on the treadmill.
Looking at the brightly lit city outside in the dark, he stretched and started his daily jog. Though he always called himself an old office drone, Meow Brother was actually quite well off.
He had his own software outsourcing studio. The four sleazy guys he'd brought into the game earlier were employees who'd started the business with him, and they got along extremely well. Of course, they occasionally went out together to "check out massage parlors" and the like.
A few seconds later, the call connected.
"Hello?"
A groggy male voice came through his earphones. Meow Brother laughed as he jogged and teased him:
"Hey, big shot, what time is it? You're already asleep?"
"Bullshit. Get to the point! I just finished playing a wargame with a bunch of idiots, and I'm exhausted. I swear, if I ever play with idiots again, I'll be a fucking dog!"
The man on the other end was blunt. It was the kind of impatient but harmless tone only an old friend would use.
"I've got something I need your help with, buddy. I need you to put together a tactical plan. You'll definitely be interested. Here's the situation."
Meow Brother kept up his steady jog as he explained what was going on. The other man fell silent for a few seconds after hearing him. Then came the sound of a lighter flicking and a cigarette being lit through the earphones. The man asked:
"Have you lost your mind? Fully immersive virtual reality technology? Are you kidding me? There isn't any mature technology like that on the market yet.
Don't you know what the AR and VR industries are like right now?
No way. This is your field!"
"I didn't believe it either. I thought it was a hoax, too, until reality slapped me hard across the face. It just goes to show that there are always incredible people out there.
It's hard to describe what this game feels like, but I can tell you it'll absolutely turn your worldview upside down."
Meow Brother sighed ruefully, then brought the conversation back to the point. He asked:
"Just tell me if you can handle this. You spend all day shooting at imaginary targets with a bunch of idiots. Wouldn't a real battle be a lot more exciting?"
"Fine. For this situation—eighteen against more than two hundred—I've got two suggestions from a professional perspective."
The man on the other end of the call blew out a ring of smoke and said jokingly:
"The easier option is for all of you to become Spartans, or for one of you to suddenly master the Super Saiyan transformation and wipe out the enemy with a Spirit Bomb.
"The harder option is to do your best to come up with a proper strategy, throw everything you've got at turning the tide, and pray to whatever god you like that you can actually win.
"You've got to be kidding me, man!
"That's a ten-to-one difference in numbers! And your individual strength isn't better, either!
"Even if you know the slightest thing about the real world, you should know you've got no chance of winning. This isn't a problem tactics can solve.
"You could reincarnate Han Xin or Xiang Yu for all I care. They'd tell you the job was impossible, climb back into their graves, and put the coffin lids back on."
He continued to complain:
"Besides, from the way you described it, there are both guns and melee weapons. Even if I wanted to help, I'd need to go check out the terrain in person, wouldn't I? Send me the map first so I can take a look, and get me an invite code while you're at it.
"Paying for it is no problem."
"I don't have any damn invite codes. I can only ask."
Meow Brother grinned as soon as he heard the other man give in. He knew his buddy was interested.
He stepped off the treadmill, put his helmet back on, and connected to the social app. After sending over the map of the Transia region that he'd saved, he logged into the forum and sent the administrator a private message.
Alpha replied soon after.
Alpha: You want an invite code for your friend?
Meow King: Yeah. He's a tactical expert. He used to work in Africa—uh, as an instructor. Now he does wargame simulations, and he's pretty well-known in his circle. I figured bringing him in could help us get through this test more smoothly. If nothing else, you could give him a trial account so he can check out the terrain in person.
I want things to move faster in the game so we can get to the public beta sooner. I can't stand having such a great thing right in front of me but only getting to enjoy a little bit at a time.
Alpha: I'll have to put in a request with the development team. The temporary server should still have room for a few more testers.
Have your friend fill out an application. And this time, don't give him the "answers" beforehand. Faking things will lower the weight of his feedback.
Murphy sent a few reminders, then began thinking it over in the carriage.
He still had the five test invite codes he'd received as a reward for completing the last mission, but Murphy had planned to save them for emergencies.
Having fifteen little players was just right. Any more, and things could get chaotic.
At this stage, quality mattered more than quantity.
But after thinking it over carefully, Murphy decided to give Meow Brother's friend an invite code.
If he really was a professional, then the group would at least have a potential commander. Even if he was only third-rate, Murphy would accept that.
A third-rate expert was still much better than an amateur like himself. He understood the principle of leaving professional matters to the professionals, too.
A few minutes later, Murphy saw a long, detailed review of the gaming helmet in his private messages from Meow Brother. It not only explained how to use the helmet and what each subprogram did, but also covered its built-in air conditioning and various power modes.
It looked like the only thing Meow Brother hadn't done was take the thing apart and put it back together. Murphy couldn't help admiring his professionalism. He'd heard that Meow Brother did software outsourcing in real life. Maybe, like Murphy, he'd started out as a software tester.
Alpha: Great. I'll submit this report to the hardware development team. If they approve it, they'll use it as a template for an official guide. You'll also get your in-game physical reward at the start of the next stage.
By the way, Meow Brother, you're so professional. Why not quit your job and come work with us on game testing? Laughs.
Meow King: Could I really? What would the requirements be? I work in the same industry, and I'm really interested in your company's technology. Could I come visit?
Alpha: Umm, visiting is definitely out of the question. If you join, you'll have to sign a confidentiality agreement and a lifelong non-compete agreement, move to the company headquarters, and strictly follow our internal military-style schedule. Also, make sure you talk it over with your family beforehand. You might not get a single vacation for two or three years, but we can discuss the pay.
Meow King: Sweating. Pretty much what I expected. Sounds like a government project. I think I get it. I won't ask any more. Thanks for considering me.
While Meow Brother was probing the administrator for information and the two of them went back and forth, Yang Hen—looking haggard after staying up late the night before—had just made herself a cup of coffee.
Wearing her pajamas, she pushed back her hair and glanced at the battle plan she'd drafted on her computer. After staring at it blankly for a while, she decided she must have been out of her mind when she wrote it. She deleted the whole mess and opened a special group chat named "Mensa."
"Hey, smarties, your adorable little Yang Hen has run into a problem. Here's the situation."
She posted the problem in the group, which had only seven members. A few minutes later, someone with the ID "Cement Heart" replied:
"Forget it!
"Strategies and tactics are most effective when the two sides are evenly matched or close in strength. If so-called brilliant stratagems were really that powerful, there wouldn't be just a handful of famous battles throughout all of human history that people still write about.
"Looking at the difference in strength you described—eighteen versus two hundred—if you really go through with the decoy mission, you'll most likely suffer casualties or even get wiped out. Strategy and tactics won't do you much good.
"But I think you can try a different approach.
"Start by changing the way you look at the problem."
"???"
Lumina's eyes widened. She quickly set down her coffee cup and typed humbly:
"@Cement Heart
Sis, could you be a bit more specific?"
"Hah. Why should I explain it to you? You get to play games at your leisure, while I'm absolutely fed up with everything. The three new grad students I just got stuck with are all idiots. They can run the same experiment five times and get five different results, and they've spent a whole week revising a paper without finishing it.
"I'm sick of it.
"My hands aren't a trash bin! Stop dumping every piece of garbage on me."
The furious "Sister Cement" joked with Lumina:
"How about coming to be my grad student, Little Luna? Your IQ may be lower than everyone else's in this group, but you'd still be more than qualified for grad school.
"Playing games all day is such a waste of time. Your advisor's wasting your talents, too."
"Sis, could you act normal for once? I'll be graduating and returning to my country in a year. Let's talk properly—tell me your idea, please. I'll treat you to dinner sometime!"
"Pfft, as if I need you to buy me dinner. Fine, I'll say a few things.
"You've got tunnel vision. Try looking at the problem from the decision-maker's perspective. In the game, all you have to do is destroy the target.
"That much is clear.
"You've split into a decoy group and an execution group, but in practice, there's no real difference between them. Instead of trying to use your own strength to solve an impossible problem, keep it simple.
"Redirect the threat!"
Though she was typing on her computer, Sister Cement's careless attitude came through clearly in her words. She patiently explained to Lumina:
"Switch the roles of the two friendly groups. Draw the enemy's attention to the stronger execution group, then have your light cavalry move in and take them by surprise by destroying the main target.
"Backstab them!
"That's the best solution to this problem.
"If you're clever enough, you might even be able to hide the truth while completing the mission. Think about why the development team gave you a group of powerful NPCs in the first place.
"They were obviously trying to guide you in this direction, to deepen the so-called realism and freedom of this damn game. If it really is as amazing as you say, then you can't control it the way you'd play an ordinary game.
"I've said enough. You can figure out the rest yourself.
"Wouldn't want your intelligence to deteriorate until you become a big-boobed airhead."
"Sister Cement, you're amazing!"
Lumina felt her thoughts suddenly click into place. She excitedly replied in the group chat:
"No wonder you're the smartest person in this seven-person group!"
"Hah. You'd have to subtract at least fifty-five from my IQ before you could call me 'smart.' As for you, you'd only need to subtract fifteen or twenty at most.
"I'm starting to think inviting you into this group was a mistake. You're not helping anyone improve. But since everyone in this group except me is basically useless already, this little mistake doesn't matter."
Sister Cement didn't appreciate the praise at all. She said disdainfully:
"Learn as much as you can while you're young. I can practically hear your head echoing hollowly through the computer. All right, I'm going to the lab to enjoy slacking off.
"Talk to you next time."
"Sister Cement, how about filling out this application?"
Lumina didn't want to let this powerful ally get away. She sent over an application and explained:
"The game I'm playing really is different. It's not just something to kill time with. Try it and you'll see. It's a black technology you'll definitely be interested in! Super black!"
"Forget it."
Sister Cement replied coolly:
"I don't have time to play house with you, kid. Seriously, though, how about coming to be my grad student? Just say the word, and I'll talk to your advisor. That old lady ought to do me this favor.
"Write whatever salary you're hoping for. Just don't go overboard."
"But I'm going back to my country. Please let me off the hook."
At noon, a day and two nights later, Miss Femis's convoy arrived at the designated location. They would scout out the terrain that night and begin the operation the following day.
At the same time, Murphy gathered all the little players currently on hand for a meeting.
He planned to hear out their tactics first. If those didn't work, he'd go with his own plan.
There were sixteen people this time. Along with the five unlucky players who'd just respawned and Banzai Happy Stick, who was logging in for the first time, the group now included the professional friend Meow Brother had brought in through a back door.
But the guy's bizarre ID made Murphy start to question his professionalism.
"Holy crap! The lighting! The resolution! Holy crap, the immersion! Holy crap, that smell—ugh, it's so strong. Are we near a swamp?
"This smell reminds me of the rainy season in Central Africa."
As soon as he logged in, the new guy started shouting in the scrubby woods by the Filthy Swamp. He even sprawled on the ground to inspect the details of the shrubs.
The other players had seen it all before.
They'd acted much the same way the first time they logged in. Since they'd embarrassed themselves, they wanted to make sure the newcomers got to experience this "time-honored tradition," too.
"You guys go on ahead. We'll take him to check out the terrain and pick an ambush site. We can work out the tactics tonight."
Meow Brother felt a little embarrassed. He hurriedly hauled his friend up off the ground and led the Four Heavenly Kings under his wing and his two middle-aged male buddies off to escort the rookie.
Once their group had left, only eight students remained.
The Dormitory Six Bros looked at one another, unable to come up with a plan. They clearly hadn't managed to devise any presentable solution during their dormitory discussions, and they looked very unsure of themselves.
The burly Niu Niu didn't care.
He was a sports student, responsible for charging into battle and fighting. Even if he wanted to get involved in the planning, nobody would trust him with it.
"Um, Lord Murphy!"
Lumina glanced around. When nobody else spoke up, she walked over to Murphy and said quietly:
"I don't have a suitable tactic or plan, but I think we've been approaching the problem the wrong way. No matter how fancy we make our tactics, our strength means we can't avoid taking losses. So I've got a somewhat half-baked idea."
"Hmm?"
Murphy looked at the only female player in the closed beta, wondering what the little player was up to.
He put on an interested expression and waved a hand:
"Let's hear it."
My big brother's new book is a great story with a fascinating setting. Give this promising new book some support, add it to your favorites, and water it while you wait for it to grow.
Before you continue