A Harsh Reality and People Fleeing in Droves

He could only instinctively throw a blazing fireball at the monster.

However, a quiet resentment Immortality: why wasn't her brother a shield warrior anymore?

The spell struck the beetle's dark shell, only sending up a few sparks, as if it were just a tickle.

Zhang Song completely panicked and couldn't even muster the strength to run away.

The giant insect closed in instantly, its mandibles like spears piercing his shoulder blade.

Zhang Jin, who had been lying in wait, finally spotted an opening and, while using his brother as a shield, suddenly appeared.

In a split second, he channeled all his strength into the tip of the blade and stabbed at the weak spot where the beetle's head and neck met.

The attack finally worked. The beetle let out a piercing screech, suddenly shook off Zhang Song, and turned to attack Zhang Jin.

Fortunately, the assassin was extremely fast and narrowly escaped the fatal stab.

Seeing the next attack looming, Zhang Jin yelled at his younger brother, "Go get help! I'll hold it off!"

He knew that the damage inflicted by the two men was far from enough to deal with the beetle, and that today's outcome was likely grim.

But at the very least, the younger brother needs to escape.

"I'm not leaving! Brother, I'll help you!"

Zhang Song suddenly felt a wave of shame. He struggled to get up from the ground, and the sharp pain in his shoulder brought him back to his senses.

He understood that if he ran away, his brother's situation would only become more dangerous.

Don't talk nonsense!

"Your spells are useless against it; you're just a burden here! Go call for reinforcements—that's the real way to help me! Let's go!"

While dealing with the beetle, Zhang Jin cursed fiercely.

His tone was stern and devoid of any emotion.

Zhang Song trembled, finally realizing his powerlessness.

He gritted his teeth, took one last look at his brother, and turned to run as fast as he could towards the nearest security post outside the park.

Watching his younger brother's departing figure, Zhang Jin a slight sigh of relief.

Next, all he needs to do is buy his brother enough time.

The beetle did not pursue the fleeing person; it was more fixated on the target that had injured it, and only by completely destroying the other could its rage be quelled.

Zhang Song rushed out of the park and ran desperately toward the garrison base in Bright City.

Along the way, a heavy sense of powerlessness overwhelmed him like a tide—he couldn't protect anyone, and had instead become a burden.

His Immortality; he must bring reinforcements as soon as possible!

After arriving at the nearby superpowered individuals' residence, he nervously explained the situation and then led a large group of official superpowered individuals back to the vicinity of the park.

However, when they stepped into the park again, the beetle was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a woman's mutilated body and a lonely man's head.

That was his older brother, Zhang Jin.

He stood there, motionless, for a long time.

A few players patted him on the shoulder, offered a few words of comfort, and then began cleaning up the mess and scouting the situation.

After all, some players have already died at the hands of this monster, so there will be another one, and they need to be prepared.

At this moment, Gao Linzhi frowned slightly.

He accessed the game code and Earth Reading world.

The selected piece was defeated.

There are, of course, quite a few pieces that die before they can grow.

The main problem was that the cheat codes weren't high enough, plus the environment was much harsher.

Unlike Zhang Mingzhen, who had a stable environment at the beginning and was very Powerful, allowing him to quickly develop in the game.

Otherwise, if there had been many monsters in reality from the beginning, the disabled Zhang Mingzhen not have survived to the point where he could show off.

At that moment, he realized the other person was dead.

He thought of those two idiots, Bored and Single Player; weren't they just cheaters with a ghost in their backs?

Since that's the case, he'll create a new cheat for the other party.

At this very moment.

Zhang Song's world was extinguished completely at that moment.

Back in his empty home, he sat alone in the darkness.

Having lost their parents at a young age, the two brothers had relied on each other for many years, but now even that last bond had been severed.

He didn't know why he should stay in this world, or where he could find the courage to live.

He was naturally unaware that behind him, there was a soul silently Protection him... his brother spirit.

My phone suddenly rang; it was an unfamiliar number.

The bell would ring again after it stopped, repeating this process over and over.

Zhang Song finally pressed the answer button.

"My code name is Watch, the Watch of Watch."

A steady male voice came from the other end of the phone, "I am a liaison officer for the Thorn Bramble Organization."

We are aware of everything you have been through.

Would you like to join us in fighting against Warcraft and disasters, and become stronger together?

"You've seen it with your own eyes today. The so-called upper echelons are just like those alarm clocks in anime—completely unreliable."

"When a real crisis strikes, they will never be able to lend a helping hand."

"They are only good at handling aftermath and protecting VIPs, not protecting everyone."

"Only when we stand shoulder to shoulder, Watch, can we become the true Protection of this land."

"Only in this way can we prevent more similar tragedies from happening."

The man, who called himself "the Watch," constantly instilled in Zhang Song the idea of self-reliance and becoming a savior.

For Zhang Song, this young man who had lost everything, a glimmer of light returned to his heart.

Most members of the "Thorn Bramble" organization were gathered together in this way.

When people are at their lowest point, they are easily swayed.

Many real-life victims fall for this scam in this way.

After a brief period of silence, "Thorn Bramble" has returned to the stage with the global catastrophe.

This time, they have grown even stronger, recruiting a large number of players with superpowers, with the intention of building a completely new system of order.

And more and more players are joining in.

Disasters occurred frequently in various places, and the authorities gradually became exhausted in dealing with them, so they had no choice but to adopt a tacit attitude.

The main problem is that the Warcraft appear and disappear unpredictably, exceeding the coverage of the forces above.

In this situation, it's similar to a chaotic world.

In times of peace and prosperity, the government can easily dispatch troops to suppress bandits and rebels.

But in chaotic times, there's nothing that can be done; all one can do is focus on the big picture and let go of the small details.

Meanwhile, spontaneous organizations like "Thorn Bramble" are spreading like wildfire around the world.

Within many factions, multiple large local powers have begun to emerge.

The authority of the upper echelons was constantly being eroded.

In some regions, the situation has even devolved into a new era of separatist warfare.

The emergence of the God's Domain Game has allowed some people's ambitions to quickly spread into reality.

In chaotic times, whoever has guns is king.

Everyone knows this concept.

Since some Powerful individuals have arbitrarily beaten the weak, the idea that "reasoning" can prevent being beaten, or that good social skills can eliminate enemies, has lost its credibility.

The peaceful zone between the powers is becoming increasingly blurred.

Any small change could trigger a major war.

Guilds formed by players from different regions have grown rapidly, and the game reflects real-world conflicts—without official checks and balances, conflicts between guilds over profits have intensified, with weekly guild wars serving as a microcosm of this.

Zone 99 was originally under the official leadership, responsible for coordinating the protection of player rights and supervising various factions.

However, with the global landscape becoming increasingly turbulent, the order along this line has gradually weakened.

Each guild carved out its own territory, leading to frequent conflicts that were difficult to quell even with intervention from higher authorities.

The land of Dragon Han.

Legion Guild, High-Level Elders Meeting.

The commanders of the various theater commands were once again embroiled in a heated argument.

Faced with the current situation where many guilds refuse to obey orders, some people advocate establishing authority through drastic measures.

Others advocate for compromise and survival.

Some people even made secret deals with him, seeking a way out for themselves.

The Legion leader, "Lu Zheng," sat in the main seat, and in just a few days, he seemed to have aged ten years.

He now vaguely sensed that some kind of torrent was unstoppable.

"We must establish our authority!"

"We can't back down any further! Otherwise, where will our authority be?" a staunch hawk elder shouted sternly.

"Now is not the time to solve problems by taking a hard line," a dovish elder who advocated for a more moderate approach said, shaking his head.

"The mutations of the Warcraft in various cities have not yet been quelled, and the public panic continues. Our strength is insufficient."

"Our current resources are insufficient to reach everyone, which inevitably leads to a loss of their trust."

The hawkish elder retorted, "Even if we can't be covered, why aren't we trustworthy?"

"Those guilds and organizations are actually worth it?"

"Absurd! This is like asking a tiger for its skin! They're completely disregarding the bigger picture!"

"Even so, these forces have already grown stronger. Forcibly coercing them will only result in mutual destruction and will not be worth the loss," the dove elder advised.

"What do you mean by that? You keep making excuses for them. There have been rumors that we've been infiltrated, and I think you're the prime suspect!" the hawkish elder accused.

"Shut up! You're making baseless accusations! All my considerations are for the greater good, for the safety of millions of people," the dove elder said angrily.

"If those organizations can truly protect the people, as long as they don't jeopardize the foundations of society, they might not be unacceptable during special times!"

"Nonsense!"

"If it falls apart, how can it be stable?"

"Only we are reliable. Those players who have sided with other organizations are all ambitious and want to rebel!" The hawkish elder was very angry.

In his view, this was self-evident.

The sounds of arguing echoed continuously in the conference room, much like the deepening darkness of the night outside the window.

After an unknown amount of time, the argument in the meeting room finally subsided.

With an unquestionable tone, Lu Zheng began to bring this chaos to a close:

"Alright, let's end this argument."

"Which meeting hasn't been filled with arguments about the same things?"

Has the threat of Warcraft been completely eliminated?

Are we truly safe in every city?

"Are the guilds within the God's Domain operating flawlessly?"

"If these fundamental problems are not resolved, nothing else is of utmost importance!"

"Our core objective has never changed: to become stronger in the game, to explore the ultimate mysteries of this world, and to Protection the people from monsters."

"Right now, my focus is only on these things."

"As for other matters, the higher-ups will discuss and decide on them themselves; we must not panic internally."

Everyone fell silent.

That's the truth.

The current situation in the Dragon Kingdom is still dominated by official forces.

However, the influence of more and more non-governmental organizations and guilds is gradually penetrating from the game world into reality.

Regardless of their affiliation, everyone shares the same fundamental goal: to survive, and to survive more safely and with more dignity.

At this very moment.

Zhang Mingzhen arrived at the Fragrant Cloud City Pharmacy and received three vials of medicine that were faintly glowing from the proprietress.

It is a miraculous medicine that Resurrection.

The proprietress handed it to him with great reluctance.

He then checked the drug's system instructions.

"Consuming this buff grants a permanent resurrection buff, which takes effect and disappears upon death."

Without hesitation, he immediately took a dose.

In an instant, a delicate and mysterious heart-shaped mark quietly appeared next to his character status bar.

"Resurrection Medicine (Spirit-grade): After consumption, one resurrection blessing is granted."

"When your health reaches zero, you can revive on the spot."

"The cooldown period after use is thirty calendar days (the effects do not stack)."

After reading it, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, and his sense of security increased greatly.

That's an extra life!

He rallied, summoned the Flower Spirit to accompany him, and once again threw himself into the endless battle against wild monsters.

His real-life residence was already Protection by an array, and now there was an additional layer of protection in the game, allowing him to focus more intently on leveling up.

His experience bar is now nearing its critical point, and he is determined to break through level 41 today.

While Zhang Mingzhen was focused on improving his strength in the God's Domain Realm, in the real-world city of Ling City...

Some subtle and eerie changes are quietly brewing in the shadows, unnoticed by anyone.

Ling City is currently one of the more stable areas within Dragon Han, with no reports of horrific or unusual events or large-scale unnatural deaths.

Because Zhang Mingzhen's power level is so high that the current Warcraft hordes pose no threat to him.

As soon as it appeared, he would casually sweep it away.

As a result, the number of people flocking to Ling City from other turbulent cities has been increasing daily, leading to a sharp increase in the city's population burden.

The prices of various living resources, especially housing prices, have risen accordingly.

It's important to understand that housing prices were initially experiencing a sharp decline.

Especially after the release of the God's Domain Game, many people no longer An Family in big cities.

The fact that Ling City was able to buck the trend and rise is simply unbelievable.

The sprawling villa district where Zhang Mingzhen lived naturally became a coveted target for many wealthy individuals.

Some people have even started secretly communicating with certain residents, hoping to buy the property at a high price.

People started asking about Zhang Mingzhen's residence again.

Because the other party kept their doors tightly shut, they were clearly a seasoned player.

Villa property management office.

"Mr. Zheng, I'm so sorry, but we must protect the privacy of homeowners and cannot disclose relevant information casually. We hope you understand."

The property manager of the villa complex wore a professional smile and spoke politely.

But there was no room for negotiation, and they refused a visitor's inquiry.

"I understand, of course I understand." The middle-aged man referred to as Boss Zheng was named Zheng Guohua.

He said with a smile, "We're new here and just want to get to know our neighbors and build good relationships."

"We've visited several houses around here, but we still haven't met the owner of the house next door, which is a bit of a shame."

Zheng Guohua was a wealthy businessman who moved from the capital. After settling in Ling City, he chose this villa area.

Logically speaking, the capital city should be a place that everyone flocks to, and few people would turn away.

However, Zheng Guohua's situation was special. He learned through certain channels that various forces were secretly vying for power in the capital, and a storm was brewing.

The days to come will likely be filled with unrest.