The Food Problem, Searching for the Nest

In the following days, unusual occurrences were frequently observed outside Safe Zone around the world.

In some areas, monsters have even begun to loiter around cities for extended periods.

They seem to treat players as domesticated food; anyone who steps outside the Safe Zone will be besieged by a large number of Warcraft.

Humanity's living space is being squeezed once again.

The ruler is no longer the lofty human being.

In order to survive, everyone now has to risk venturing into the world outside the Safe Zone.

The Safe Zone Gao Linzhi had set up as their escape route were eventually exposed on a large scale as the Warcraft attacked them.

Because it can be clearly seen with just a satellite scan.

There are some places surrounded by hordes of Warcraft, but people don't go in.

In other words, this Warcraft invasion served as a natural symbol.

"A natural Safe Zone has been discovered!"

"Yes, those Warcraft don't come in, and the natural Safe Zone is quite large, mostly plains and areas with rivers and lakes!"

"Perfect for providing basic necessities like food, medicine, and clothing!"

"This is clearly Game System setting; just like in the game, it's a place where monsters can't get in!"

For a time, people divided the Earth into "Safe Zone" and "occupied zones".

"Occupied territory" is actually enemy-occupied territory: it refers to areas where Warcraft is active.

These are mostly large shopping malls, supermarkets, or factory facilities, where Warcraft lurk, waiting to attack humans who enter.

However, in order to search for essential supplies such as food and daily necessities, people have no choice but to enter these dangerous areas.

The Safe Zone includes both the "human- Safe Zone" and the "game Safe Zone".

Therefore, the official organization issues daily missions to players to occupy territories.

In order to obtain basic necessities such as Gold Coin, equipment, food, and clothing, players have no choice but to form adventure teams to venture out.

Adventure teams are mostly based on Fixed Team within the God's Domain Game, while major guilds also coordinate their members to go to occupied territories to collect resources after accepting guild missions.

Suddenly, the situation for the independent workers became dire.

These collected real-world resources can not only be exchanged for daily necessities in the real world, but also for Gold Coin and equipment from official organizations.

After completing their daily quests in the God's Domain, many players return to reality and head to the conquered territories to find useful items.

In the God's Domain Game Forum.

Players post team-up requests every day.

"Searching for medical supplies in the occupied territory of Ling City. Those interested can DM me to join! There are currently 130 people!"

"The Bright City is collecting grain and urgently needs physical damage dealers. The magic damage dealers are full, so we need ten more!"

"Bright City players, please do not travel to the occupied territories in the near future!"

"Martial law has been declared throughout the city!"

"Official report: A large number of Warcraft have gathered outside the city and are attacking players who have ventured out. Do not go out recently!"

"Luckily, we've already formed a team and haven't set off yet, otherwise we really wouldn't have returned."

"Have all the Warcraft learned to block gates now? Is Bright City in danger too? What's the situation in Harvest City? I heard they've been besieged for days."

"Harvest City has been trapped for almost five days. I heard that the official team has organized players to clear out the Warcraft around the city many times, but they have all failed. Those monsters are endless. Could they be like in the game, respawning infinitely?"

"It seems like they really will keep respawning indefinitely. There are always tentacle monsters moving underground, making it impossible to defend against them. You clear out one batch, and another batch just pops up."

"Harvest City has now begun seeking assistance from outside."

"Alas, in the course of natural evolution, we humans are also endlessly evolving monsters to wild animals. So, let's start protecting animals from ourselves."

"Good heavens, even with the apocalypse approaching, these people are still active."

"This is terrifying! Are they going to trap the people of Harvest City in the city forever?"

"Being trapped isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the thought of a large number of Warcraft lurking outside the city gives me the creeps."

"Then why don't you join a rescue team and save people from fire and water?"

"I just said it casually, how could I dare to go to such a dangerous place? I still have elderly parents and young children to support."

Harvest City's current predicament urgently needs to be overcome.

The official team has issued a call to action to players in all cities, and the rewards for joining the rescue team are extremely generous, but few have responded.

Furthermore, since players are now the main group, it's not feasible to forcibly requisition them.

In essence, it comes down to this: strong individual players can easily escape, unlike before the game's invasion, when most ordinary people found it difficult to flee quickly.

Therefore, when faced with a summons, one can only obey.

At this very moment.

Inside the emergency meeting room of Dragon Han's senior management.

The rescue plan for Harvest City is at a standstill.

Have we gathered enough reinforcements?

"If we really can't gather enough people, should we consider lowering the entry requirements for the rescue team?" a senior official anxiously suggested.

The rescue commander immediately rejected the idea. "Lowering the standards is tantamount to sending unqualified soldiers to their deaths; this is absolutely not a good strategy."

"This is Warcraft; you can't win by just risking your life!"

"With insufficient player numbers, hastily dispatching teams will only increase casualties; we must plan carefully."

"But Harvest City is in imminent danger, and those tentacle monsters keep coming."

"Although we can obtain limited supplies through the Game System, it's ultimately just a temporary fix."

"First, increase the rescue allowance by 10%, and prioritize assembling a team to rush to Harvest City."

"I'm afraid it will still be a drop in the ocean... What if the rescue teams repeat the same mistakes and get trapped inside the city like the players in the lockdown?"

"The most urgent task is to find out the root cause of the monsters' infinite regeneration and discover their respawn patterns!"

"I think we still need to strengthen mobilization and publicity within the game, organize the players, fully mobilize their enthusiasm, and tell them that if the real world falls, the game world will also cease to exist!" a senior executive said earnestly.

"That's right, this is the time to show our mobilization capabilities."

Despite the various problems, it must be said that Dragon Han's mobilization and organization were unparalleled, at least in terms of rescue and problem-solving.

Gao Linzhi nodded slightly upon seeing this.

This is what distinguishes Dragon Han from the Corporate World.

In the Corporate World, there aren't so many rescue ideas; instead, there's a lot of beggar-thy-neighbor policies.

Cities are isolated from each other, connected only by markets and the economy; when it comes to aid, it depends on how much money you can contribute.

The news of Harvest City's dire situation quickly reached Zhang Mingzhen's ears through the game channel.

These endless tentacled monsters reminded him of the Xuancheng plague incident—which likely formed the core of a "flesh and blood nest."

If the lair is not destroyed, the monsters will appear endlessly, and sending more people will be futile.

He remembered the "Resurrection Pill" in his storage space that he hadn't used yet, and thought he should prepare some more.

In Gao Linzhi's view, this was just the pawn's awkward mentality.

They didn't want to be used by their superiors, but they also couldn't bear to see the deaths so horribly.

So he found an excuse to go and slaughter the Warcraft.

He's still immature after all.

A truly mature and strong person is one who understands what they want and then does it, without considering anything else.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Mingzhen had already teleported to the Fragrant Cloud City Pharmacy and found the pharmacist Ganoderma.

He naturally had no idea how the person behind the scenes viewed him; he simply felt that he shouldn't waste his time now.

"I may acquire another batch of materials for the Flesh and Blood Nest, and I need your help to refine a new batch of Resurrection Pills. Please prepare accordingly."

Ganoderma smiled and said, "No problem, just pay the fee as usual."

"But what about the quality of this Flesh and Blood Nest?"

What are the key considerations for quality?

"If it's that low-grade stuff from last time, it can only be used to refine resurrection pills."

"But if the quality is superior, it can have other wonderful uses—for example, refining the core of the nest for one's own use can yield a continuous stream of Warcraft embryos; some high-level nests can even purify the bloodline of Warcraft."

"Efficacy varies depending on quality."

A glint of light flashed in Zhang Mingzhen's eyes. "After I obtain it, I'll ask you to assess its quality."

He then turned and left, heading straight for the source of the tentacle monster.

In the real world, Zhang Mingzhen spread his wings and soared across the sky, flying swiftly towards the Harvest City defense line.

The entire Harvest City area is now under martial law, and any unusual activity is being monitored.

A total of seven military satellites are closely monitoring the area.

Under the daylight, a person with wings on their back approached from the distance, and the near-ground reconnaissance satellite system immediately issued an alarm.

You're saying that someone with the ability to fly is heading towards Harvest City?

The city defense commander Zhen Wu, stared intently at the screen.

The adjutant beside him hesitated and said, "In the world of God's Domain, there are only a handful of players with wings... As far as I know, even the Imperial Dynasty Defies Heaven of Century Imperial City has not yet collected a complete set of feathered armor."

"It must be that Cheater, no, it's that big shot! Come with me to greet him!"

Zhen Wu, who had been besieged by tentacle monsters for days, suddenly stood up upon hearing this.

Hope ignited in his eyes. "No matter what, his arrival is a turning point for Harvest City!"

In truth, he couldn't help but feel resentful.

Despite having such powerful players, the higher-ups can't forcibly recruit them; in their view, they should be available 24/7.

Unfortunately, people nowadays are exposed to too much information.

Each and every one of them harbored too much resentment towards those in power.

Of course, he understood why: some people's extravagance was too much to bear in public.

For over a decade, the wages of ordinary people have remained at two or three thousand, four or five thousand, or even six or seven thousand, while some people are living a life of luxury, owning large villas in the Mai Kingdom...

They spend money overseas almost without batting an eye.

These messages, along with videos, comments, and news reports, reached the grassroots level.

In this environment, how can we still demand high moral standards from the powerful at the bottom?

If they are the weak, they can be fooled, since they have nowhere else to run.

The strong have places to go.

Therefore, forced requisition is not an option; coordination is the only recourse.

Now that the other party has taken the initiative to come, it is naturally a pleasant surprise, but at the same time, it is also the source of the tragedy of the past few decades.

At this moment, Zhang Mingzhen, without any particular thought, was diving down towards the Safe Zone within the Harvest City protective barrier, while thick tentacles kept emerging from the ground along the way in an attempt to intercept him.

These monsters have an attack range far exceeding expectations; when flying at low altitudes, they can easily be ambushed if one is not careful.

However, even when approached at close range, monsters of this level are difficult to break through their defenses.

Needless to say, the eagle-shaped energy blades and gusts of Jifeng he casually unleashed could easily shatter his opponents.

Wherever he went, the tentacles broke off and dissipated, allowing him to easily break through the encirclement and land in the Safe Zone.

As soon as they landed, a whole squad of city defense troops dressed in standard military uniforms lined up to greet them.

Zhen Wu, who was in the lead, quickly stepped forward and shook hands with him. Although he was cursing under his breath, he had a relieved smile on his face.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are Chongxing, aren't you?"

"Thank you for coming to Harvest City. Your arrival has given us a glimmer of hope for victory!"

Zhang Mingzhen cut to the chase. "I only came for the monsters outside the city."

"I'll make a deal with you—I'll investigate the root cause of the monsters' endless regeneration and try my best to destroy them, but I need you to provide all the information about the tentacle monsters."

"That's only fair! Please come to the command post for further discussion, and we will provide you with complete information on the 'Devil Vine'."

"Devil Vine?"

"That's the scientific name for those tentacle monsters outside the city."

"Our team obtained specific information from system notifications when we were eliminating its underground main body."

Zhen Wu then shared his game screen, projecting a data panel, which he showed to Zhang Mingzhen.

[Devil Vine (Level 25)]

[Intelligence Attribute: 289]

[Physical Defense: 668]

[Spell Resistance: 649]

[Special Skill: Corpse Vine Entanglement - Binds the target with Vine coated in paralyzing slime, rendering them unable to move.]

After showing Chongxing the information on the Devil Vine, Zhen Wu continued, "This type of Devil Vine isn't too high-level; we players can barely handle it as a team and defeat it one by one."

"But the problem is that they seem impossible to kill completely; they keep reappearing."

"We've organized several clean-up operations, clearing away Vine near the city, but a new batch always pops up soon after... It really makes us lose all hope."

Real-world combat is not like a game; once you're injured, it's a real injury or death, and if the Priest's healing isn't timely, the person will truly die.

Therefore, each time a player team is recruited, a high price must be paid.

Despite repeated attempts to eradicate the threat, the players in Harvest City have been unable to completely eliminate it, and their morale has now plummeted.

Many players have already secretly left.

They weren't a tough team, so naturally they lacked the tenacity to persist in resistance.

In particular, killing these monsters doesn't bring much benefit.

Unlike in a game, there are no experience points or equipment.

"Therefore, Chongxing, we sincerely hope that you can find out the reason why the Devil Vine keeps regenerating and help Harvest City get through this crisis."

"Please feel free to name your conditions, and I will do my best to meet them."

"I heard you're looking for something to replace nutrient solution. Have you found anything yet?" Zhang Mingzhen asked.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhen Wu decided to tell the truth, "As expected, nothing can be kept secret."

"That's right, our exploration team has indeed discovered a food in the game that is more suitable for players than nutrient solution."

"Consuming it not only replenishes satiety but can even affect the body in reality—not only eliminating hunger but also subtly stimulating potential."

"It can accelerate the transformation of Ordinary Player into ability users, and it also improves the physical fitness of those who have already become ability users."

"More data is still being analyzed."

This food is called 'Vermilion Fruit'.

They naturally didn't know that this was the Skyfall Game System, which had materialized using a small amount of real-world solar energy.

When in doubt, consult quantum mechanics; when you can't think straight, rely on a system.

"You've already studied the Vermilion Fruit? Is it ready for large-scale use?" Zhang Mingzhen asked, slightly surprised.

"Currently, the Vermilion Fruit is just a raw material. Eating it directly can increase satiety, but the effect is not as good as after processing."

"It was discovered by one of our players who has the Gourmet Subclass. After being processed by him, the efficacy of the Vermilion Fruit will be significantly enhanced."