A Rich Man's Regret and the Emergence of a Real-World Safe Zone

To protect his family, he had no choice but to decisively withdraw from the vortex of controversy.

Among the many candidate cities, he was more familiar with Ling City because of his early business experience.

In addition, the climate here is suitable.

More importantly, Ling City has recently become a rare "peaceful oasis" in China.

He knew that if he didn't act quickly, it would be even more difficult to move back here in the future.

After all, the locals don't want outsiders to take over their land.

Especially those with superpowers.

So, through the introduction of a friend in Ling City, after much deliberation, he coincidentally settled down in the same neighborhood where Zhang Mingzhen lived.

This wasn't a coincidence; it was because he used big data AI recommendations.

Because, based on big data analysis, this place is the safest location in the entire city.

To quickly integrate into their new environment, the Zheng family held a grand banquet soon after moving in.

They invited almost every neighbor in the entire villa area—except for the one next door that remained completely silent.

It is said that there was only one person in that household.

However, they never interact with the outside world and have remained secluded since moving in, rarely seen except for occasional food deliveries.

Although the property management confirmed that someone was living there, they knew very little about the specific circumstances.

Zheng Guohua had a feeling that this person was definitely extraordinary.

Because he's also a gamer.

Moreover, his special talent is "spiritual perception: a slight sense of fortune and misfortune..."

He came here hoping to get their contact information.

He understands the importance of personal networks in today's world.

But after trying today, I was unsuccessful again.

Zheng Guohua stopped insisting and turned back to his new home.

At home, the meal was ready, and his family was waiting for him to eat.

"Dad, you're busy so late again."

The youngest son, "Zheng Yingcai," was chewing something and mumbled, "If you ask me, what you should be spending your time doing right now is playing games with me and leveling up."

"You're not even level 20 yet; you're practically at the bottom of the guild."

Zheng Yingcai is a well-known expert in the game "God's Domain".

Relying on the Zheng family's substantial wealth, and being a hardcore gamer himself, he invested heavily in his District 33, consistently ranking among the top in both level and combat power.

Later, he got his older brother and father involved in the game as well.

The elder brother could keep up with the pace, but the father, Zheng Guohua, couldn't muster much interest.

After all, I'm getting old, and I can't just have someone else level up my account for me in this game.

Even after he learned that his gaming abilities could influence reality, he was unable to dedicate enough time and energy to it.

This put him in an awkward position within the large guild his son belonged to.

He's clearly a wealthy man, but his social status isn't high.

If Zheng Yingcai hadn't been so powerful and influential, he probably would have been expelled from the association long ago.

"You know I'm not cut out for gaming, and my energy can't keep up with you young people," Zheng Guohua waved his hand and sat down at the table. "Now I run a shop in the game, and it's not too bad."

"Our guild focuses on combat, so even if we do casual gameplay like running a shop, we still need to improve our combat strength."

"Otherwise, people in the guild will easily gossip about it."

Zheng Yingcai, a well-known Berserker in Region 33, has always preferred direct confrontation.

This was a stark contrast to his brother's experience of choosing the Priest and only being able to provide healing support while accompanying the team.

In the eyes of their brothers, Priest, without Powerful front-line protection, is almost considered a marginal character with no presence.

"I understand, do you need to remind me?"

"If all else fails, I'll do what your mother did and find a guild for leisure and entertainment. There aren't so many rules there," Zheng Guohua replied with a smile.

Chen Suxin nearby, gently patted her husband's arm. "Although our guild is casual, we mainly recruit female players."

"You probably won't be able to get in."

"Let's talk about the game later."

The eldest son, Zheng Yingjie, gently interrupted the discussion, saying, "It's rare for the whole family to get together offline, let's eat first."

"By the way, Dad, has there been any progress with the neighbors you wanted to contact?"

"There's still no response," Zheng Guohua sighed.

"Since they don't want to be disturbed, we don't need to force a visit," the youngest son, Zheng Yingcai, interjected nonchalantly. "In my opinion, that family is probably also gamers who are immersed in the game, and they may not want to return to reality at all, spending all their time in the virtual world."

Even if you go to their door, they might not want to meet you, so why bother yourself?

So the family of four sat around the dining table, creating a harmonious and warm atmosphere.

Among many distinguished families, such a loving family with harmonious brothers is truly rare and has always been praised by the neighbors.

Most prominent families are vying for their inheritance.

The two Zheng brothers were considered ideal candidates for marriage alliance, and their relocation of the entire family from the capital has been met with regret by many.

As dinner was drawing to a close and everyone was about to return to their rooms to restart the game, the butler rushed in to report.

"Sir, there seems to be an unidentified object approaching outside our mansion gate. It looks terrifying, and no one dares to go out to investigate."

"What?"

Zheng Guohua immediately became alert.

In today's world, any abnormality could mean a deadly threat.

The whole family immediately became alert and gathered in front of the monitor to observe the situation.

In the darkness, countless slender black shadows writhed and moved like a tide, resembling a swarm of snakes.

As they approached the camera, their densely intertwined and writhing bodies became clearly visible.

Zheng Yingjie quickly retrieved a high-powered telescope and a drone, operated the equipment, and took off to conduct reconnaissance—wherever the camera could see, the entire Little Shirt District was covered with snake tracks.

"Ah!"

"Damn it, how could this happen?"

"Get to the underground shelter immediately," Zheng Guohua instructed.

"No, what if these snakes start digging burrows?"

"Isn't that just blocking the way?"

"Then hurry upstairs, to the rooftop."

"I'll call a helicopter!" Zheng Guohua said immediately.

Soon, the whole family, along with the butler and servants, left the room and headed for the rooftop.

At this time.

Ling City officials simultaneously issued an emergency notice:

"Multiple areas are being attacked by snake-like monsters!"

"It contains highly toxic substances, and the public should avoid contact with it. Several people have already died from poisoning."

"Residents are advised to stay indoors, keep doors and windows closed, and await rescue."

It was already late at night, and only a few players who were confident in their abilities were still active on the streets.

These snakes are no match for players when fighting alone, but they are adept at concealing their tracks and launching group attacks. A moment's carelessness can lead to death in their jaws.

If it were still daytime, many ordinary people would definitely be attacked by snakes.

Zheng Guohua dared not be careless and directed the servants to check the doors and windows one by one, and to reinforce all possible gaps for intrusion.

The whole family temporarily stopped logging into the game and gathered on the rooftop to prepare their equipment and get ready for battle.

The helicopter that was called at the same time is on its way.

But then a phone call came halfway there, "I'm sorry, Mr. Zheng, we can't make it there right now. There's a gentleman..."

"Damn it, I should have just bought a private helicopter," Zheng Guohua with a hint of regret.

He did not buy one because helicopters were considered unsafe.

After all, although they are wealthy, money doesn't grow on trees.

He has seen many wealthy people rise and fall because of a trend.

Therefore, they are unwilling to be extravagant or wasteful.

Many of those extravagant and wasteful wealthy people went bankrupt or even ended up in prison.

A tense atmosphere filled the living room.

Zheng Yingjie operated a drone to continuously monitor the movement of the snakes. Fortunately, these creatures lacked means of attacking the air, allowing the drone to safely hover at high altitudes.

The lights in the surrounding streets were going out one by one, and with screams, the dark horde of snakes gradually engulfed the streets and alleys—except for one area.

"Wait, what's that over there...?"

Zheng Yingjie suddenly let out a low cry.

Zheng Yingcai leaned closer to the screen upon hearing the sound.

"Whose house is this? There aren't a single snake near it, and that area is brightly lit!"

Zheng Guohua stared intently at the house, then his heart skipped a beat: it was the very family he had tried to visit many times but had never been able to contact.

Within a radius of several kilometers centered on that mansion, not a single snake could be seen, as if an invisible barrier existed.

"This is the family I was talking about... How did they manage to do that? Is there really a way to drive away monsters in real life?"

Zheng Guohua's voice betrayed barely suppressed excitement.

If this method truly existed, he would have gone to seek its guidance no matter what; at this moment, he couldn't help but feel deep regret.

"Brother, should we get the drone closer for a better look?" asked the youngest son Zheng Yingcai, his curiosity piqued.

"No, it's not appropriate. Promptly peeking in might anger them." The eldest son, Zheng Yingjie, shook his head in disapproval, his gaze still fixed on the mysterious area shrouded in light.

"What's the panic? It's so late at night. This drone you have is a top-of-the-line new model. It has a wide reconnaissance range, clear images, and is almost silent."

"Even if they find out, we can take the opportunity to apologize and start a conversation," Zheng Yingcai said.

Zheng Guohua couldn't help but wonder if the person living inside might be a hidden master in the game.

After a moment's hesitation, he finally nodded to his two sons.

The situation is critical. Even if they are discovered by the other party's family, they can use the excuse that they came to warn about the Warcraft attack or to suggest a joint defense.

So the drone silently glided into the villa area where Zhang Mingzhen lived.

Moreover, using the dim yellow light of the courtyard streetlights, they circled around and finally locked onto a window on the third floor from which light was shining.

Just as it was about to reach the windowsill, the surveillance camera suddenly crashed into a gaping maw filled with sharp, white teeth... The next second, the screen went completely black.

"Hiss!" Zheng Yingjie gasped.

This was completely unexpected. Could it be that the house wasn't inhabited by humans?

That place has long been occupied by Warcraft?

What exactly was that thing that flashed by just now?

In the game, Zhang Mingzhen sensed that his pet had entered battle mode the instant the Azure-Scaled Dragon Python launched its attack.

Something went wrong in real life?

Fortunately, he felt that something was off lately, and Ling City was unusually calm, so he left the Azure-Scaled Dragon Python at his home in the real world out of concern.

This actually came in handy.

He immediately chose to quit the game.

Stepping out of the game pod, he quickly scanned the room to make sure no one had broken in, then looked out the window.

With his current eyesight, he can clearly see the situation in the entire area.

The situation is crystal clear.

Turning on the TV, the news was indeed reporting on the changes that had befallen Ling City:

"Dear viewers, this is an breaking news report."

"Countless serpentine Warcraft suddenly invaded the city, almost covering the entire area."

"The authorities are organizing an emergency rescue operation."

However, Zhang Mingzhen thought to himself that, given the current situation, even the authorities themselves were probably struggling to manage it.

Expecting them to quickly rescue the vast Ling City is simply unrealistic.

Fortunately, he had set up a protective array in advance, and no snakes or beasts nearby were able to break in.

Why did the Azure-Scaled Dragon Python enter the battle?

He walked up to the coiled python and saw it lower its head and spit out some fragments of drone wreckage.

Zhang Mingzhen glanced at it and roughly understood the reason.

It seems someone noticed the anomaly here beforehand and came to investigate...

"Brother, what do we do now?"

Zheng Yingcai always says he looks down on his brother playing the Priest class, but when it comes to important matters, he knows that his brother is more composed and resourceful than anyone else; otherwise, he wouldn't be the commander in the guild.

Faced with the disappearance of the drone and the attack of the Warcraft, he immediately turned to his brother for advice.

The family is now facing a difficult decision: just now, twice as many snakes as before have densely swarmed onto the exterior wall of the villa.

Even more alarming is that they seem to possess some kind of devouring ability, constantly gnawing at the walls, attempting to invade the interior in the most brutal way.

Meanwhile, the family was on the rooftop of the third floor of the villa.

They had just sealed all the entrance doors and windows with steel plates—in these turbulent times, families with even a little means would keep some defensive materials on hand.

Who could have predicted that these serpent beasts would act completely unpredictably?

If we don't take action now, it's only a matter of time before we're breached.

Zheng Yingjie's mind raced.

There are only three options: First, defend the villa to the death, and once the snake beast breaks through, concentrate firepower to attack the intruder.

This method might work against a small number of Warcraft, but against the surging tide of snakes before them, the family of four and a few servants alone were simply no match.

Secondly, they did their best to reinforce the houses and sought assistance from the official troops.

Leaving aside whether reinforcements can arrive in time, this is an attack covering the entire city, and our family doesn't have the influence to warrant the government sending someone to rescue us.

The third remaining option is to actively break out, rush out, and reach a safe location as quickly as possible.

And the nearest safe spot was, without a doubt, the house they had just scouted with the drone.

He had just checked with his binoculars, and up to this point, not a single snake-like creature had approached the vicinity of the house.

We have no choice but to take a gamble.

He immediately told his family about his idea.

"There's no other choice right now, this is the only way," Father Zheng Guohua nodded.

He now deeply regrets not having contacted the other party earlier.

And the others naturally had no choice but to agree.

They began an urgent discussion about their route and battle formation, determined to reach that place of hope with minimal cost and maximum speed!

After being forced to make a difficult choice, the group ultimately decided to quietly abandon the household servants.

These ordinary people who failed to awaken their supernatural abilities had become a burden in the escape plan and had to be excluded.

They then ordered everyone to prepare for battle.

Ignoring the hesitant and fearful looks of the servants, the family quickly devised a route, secretly jumped down from the back window of the third floor of the villa using a rope, and retreated into the distance along a narrow path that they had scouted beforehand.

Before leaving, Zheng Yingjie turned back to the servants who remained and said, "I'm sorry, we really can't take you with us."

"My brother and I must prioritize protecting our parents."

"You'd better hide in the wine cellar; you might escape the first wave of attacks... If you're really in dire straits, you might as well set the wine cellar on fire."

"It's better than being torn apart alive by those serpent monsters."

As soon as he finished speaking, he led his family to the nearby Safe Zone.

The distance may seem short, but if everyone came over, it would only attract a swarm of snake beasts.

To put it bluntly, they were using ordinary people as bait, placing them in the villa to continue attracting the snake-like beasts.