The missing players and the authorities' response

"Zhiqiong is also missing."

"Looks like he's been infected and become Plague Germ Carrier... This must be that unknown guy from the Firefly Flower Sea's doing again!" "Yes Yes Yes??" he gritted his teeth.

The female players who had previously disappeared in the Firefly Flower Sea all succumbed to the same fate, vanishing without a trace as they became the spreaders.

The same conclusion came to mind for "Imperial Dynasty Defies Heaven".

He felt a sense of emptiness, and an indescribable pain.

He slowly closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment.

For the first time, he understood what it felt like to lose someone important.

The descriptions in those books are too superficial.

He felt as if his chest was blocked, making it difficult for him to breathe.

He had experienced the death of elderly people before, but he was already mentally prepared for that.

Now it's someone close to me, still so young, someone I was laughing and joking with yesterday, and today they're gone.

"We must find her no matter what; we cannot allow her to continue existing as a monster."

People have given up hope of a resurgence of the "Plague Germ Carrier".

These special infected individuals are completely different from ordinary infected players—except that they have not yet been removed from the system's list, their appearance shows no trace of humanity.

"Zhiqiong has always cared most about her appearance. How heartbroken would she be if she knew she looked like this?"

We cannot stand idly by.

"Let's kill her, hopefully she can be resurrected," Imperial Dynasty Defies Heaven said with difficulty.

"I heard that the authorities have captured a spreader and are researching a plan to restore humanity. Maybe there is real hope..." But there were still voices in the meeting unwilling to give up.

"Do you really think they're arresting those who spread the virus to find a solution? Right now, the authorities are too busy boosting player power to care about anything else."

"Those statements to the outside world are just to reassure people; don't take them too seriously."

At this very moment.

Within the Legion Guild.

"Report: An evolutionary substance has been successfully extracted from the body of Plague Germ Carrier. This substance can enhance gene sequences in a short period and has an intervention effect on Mental Threshold."

Military researchers are reporting their latest findings to Lu Zheng.

"Since it's effective, we should accelerate the purification Liuzhou and get everyone in the research institute to speed things up."

In addition, personnel have been dispatched to closely monitor the Firefly Flower Sea area, and any unusual activity should be reported immediately.

"Shouldn't we take the initiative to find the source of the hiding place?" one team member asked.

Now that the target has been identified as being entrenched in that area, it seems more appropriate to eliminate them directly.

"Things aren't that simple." Lu Zheng knew in his heart that, based on the strength of the extract, he could roughly deduce that the level of that unknown entity was definitely not low.

They are very likely to be top-tier opponents. With "Chongxing" still Cheater and not yet back, it will be difficult for them to contend with him. Even if they manage to win, they will pay a heavy price.

After all, Earth's strength is still too weak.

It seems like they can only survive by using cheat codes.

He is now unwilling to excessively deplete the resources of Earth players.

Since the advent of video games, the global population has plummeted to around two billion.

He naturally didn't know that this was because Gao Linzhi, out of nostalgia for his hometown, had opened up many absolutely Safe Zone.

Of course, although these absolutely Safe Zone have been made public by some people with ulterior motives, most people still believe that they are the result of high levels of protection due to information asymmetry.

They didn't realize that this was part of the game's mechanics.

Without these Safe Zone, the Earth would have already entered the game's apocalypse, with at most tens of millions of people remaining.

With so many disasters, how could an ordinary person withstand them?

From the Legion Guild's perspective, the best strategy at present is to wait for Chongxing return and hand over that troublesome entity to it.

However, plans can never keep up with changes.

Soon, an urgent report arrived:

The Firefly Flower Sea area has attracted a large number of Plague Germ Carrier. As if controlled by some force, they are actively attacking surrounding players, causing multiple deaths.

The world chat is strongly urging high-level combat forces and official troops to go and eliminate them.

"What are the officials doing? Such a big commotion in the wild and nobody's doing anything about it? How are we supposed to level up in peace?!"

"My squad was just attacked! If it weren't for the help of the healers, the whole team would have been wiped out outside!"

"Since we can't rely on the authorities, we'll organize our own team to eliminate them."

Are there any major guilds willing to take the lead?

Sure enough, players began to seek help from large guilds, especially those whose friends and family had been attacked, who were particularly abhorrent of the attack.

"Dragon Soul Guild members will have priority in joining the team; players from other guilds can join the fifth, sixth, or seventh raid groups!"

"Dragon Soul Guild will be leading a team to the Firefly Flower Sea. Those interested in participating, please apply to join the guild through the guild leader!"

Our team has healers available, please join us! If we are full, please transfer to another team!

"Dragon Soul Guild has taken action; they certainly have a sense of responsibility!"

"I'm a fan!"

"Everyone, hurry up and join the team! We can't rely on the official support, we players can rely on ourselves! Is there any high-level player willing to lead the team?"

Among the teams tasked with conquering the "Firefly Flower Sea," the Dragon Soul Guild was undoubtedly the main force.

Due to the death of Vice President Fengming, almost all of them came out.

Guilds such as Century Imperial City and Red Rose also sent large teams to participate, and the massive player army marched towards the Firefly Flower Sea.

"The troops at the front have halted their advance!"

Something's not right.

The leader, "Longyin," had just stepped into the border of the Firefly Flower Sea when he sensed something was amiss.

Before my eyes, there was a dense mass of exposed root systems from various plants.

He used to come here often when accompanying Fengming, so he was quite familiar with the area.

But I have never seen such a dense plant root system—it's as if vegetation that doesn't belong here has been forcibly planted into the soil.

Meanwhile, some players noticed that the number of Fluorescent Butterfly in the area had decreased sharply, and there wasn't even a single one to be seen deep in the flower field.

"There's definitely something wrong with that area. Not only are there no monsters, but the vegetation is also unusually lush!" a player pointed in a certain direction.

At first glance, it seems unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, many inconsistencies can be found.

"Go that way!"

"Reconnaissance from the air!"

As the group approached the airspace above the Stream, they indeed discovered signs of life wriggling on the ground.

Before the commander could give the order, countless tentacles suddenly burst from the ground and swept towards the player Legion.

At the same moment, a large number of Plague Germ Carrier emerged from the soil, each with a tentacle extending deep into the earth, as if drawing nourishment from it.

"Brother, Zhiqiong and the others are there too!"

"Imperial Dynasty Defies Heaven" stood at the front of the group. When he saw that his long-lost sister had indeed turned into a mindless monster, he felt a sudden pain in his heart.

Despite having anticipated it, he still couldn't help but look away when he witnessed her complete transformation from the inside out into something inhuman.

"... Later, let's send her to rest in peace ourselves."

This is what happens when you only care about appearance.

Not focusing on improving combat effectiveness is like a noble family still indulging in luxury during a chaotic world.

While the "Imperial Dynasty Little Princess" was indulging in all sorts of beautiful outfits, the other players were desperately accumulating combat power.

Luxurious families that neglect developing their military strength often end up being crushed by rebel armies.

The players were locked in a chaotic battle with swarms of tentacles and monsters, and soon realized that everyone had been infected with an abnormal status.

Although the Mental Erosion is not immediately fatal, it spreads over time—the lower the player's level and the weaker their strength, the weaker their resistance, and the more terrifying the Mutation Tier after being poisoned become.

Attrition began to occur, and even the Priest responsible for treatment collapsed one after another.

The team, which originally numbered 50,000, has lost over a thousand in the blink of an eye.

Only then did people realize the rashness of this operation: the team had already been decimated before even seeing the leader's true face, which showed that the enemy hiding in the shadows was far more powerful than expected.

This is an existence that they cannot easily shake!

"Run!"

"We can't win, retreat!"

"Damn it, we dialed the wrong number!"

Once the thought of retreat took hold, the already disorganized battle line immediately began to falter.

Players in the back rows involuntarily moved backward, and a cacophony of shouts rose and fell.

"We can't hold on any longer! Let's retreat and wait for the authorities to handle this!"

"Retreat! Our team's Priest is gone, who can heal us now?"

"Never mind that, I'm leaving. Am I supposed to stay here and wait to die?!"

Fear spread like wildfire.

The constant fall of their companions made everyone realize their own insignificance, and the Dispel, inescapable erosion was the final straw that broke their will.

"No retreating! Front row, hold the line! What's the point of retreating!"

Seeing the battle lines crumbling step by step, Longyin was extremely anxious.

Once the rear firepower collapses, the close-quarters combat on the front lines will inevitably be in danger.

As expected, due to the large number of players withdrawing on their own, the pressure on the front lines suddenly increased dramatically, and the number of casualties rose rapidly.

"So this is what happens when you lack the discipline of the Legion Guild!"

"President, we can't hold on any longer! If we don't retreat now, we'll all be wiped out!"

The members of the Dragon Soul Guild are also nearing their limit.

More and more tentacles emerged from the ground, even beginning to drag the player deep into the depths and make them disappear without a trace.

With this shift in power, the tide of battle turned in an instant.

"Withdraw! Everyone evacuate!" Longyin finally issued the retreat order.

Although the losses in this battle were heavy, if the conflict continues, the entire guild may cease to exist.

However, as soon as the command was given, the underground tentacles suddenly erupted as if they had been provoked!

Amid screams, countless players were grabbed by tentacles and dragged underground.

Immediately afterwards, the ground of the entire Firefly Flower Sea began to slowly undulate, as if some enormous creature was about to break through the soil.

Longyin, who was directing the evacuation at the front, suddenly felt a darkness behind him, as a huge shadow descended.

He instinctively turned around--

Thick, inky Black Mist rushed towards us, instantly swallowing up all light and sound.

This sudden and hastily concluded battle ended with heavy casualties for the player's forces.

His vision went black.

The Dragon Soul Guild suffered a devastating blow: Guild Leader Longyin was killed in battle, leaving the guild leaderless and its strength relegated to second-rate status.

With the earlier death of Vice President Fengming, a promising guild has been lost in an instant.

This is reality—cruel, cold, and independent of individual will.

Without cheat codes or powerful backers, you'll only have luck to rely on when facing risks.

Other major guilds that participated in the battle also suffered losses. The vice president of Century Imperial City also died in the battle, making the casualties heavy.

"What a pity about the Dragon Soul Guild... We even did dungeons together with Longyin before."

The managers of the Hero Alliance are gathered to review the incident.

Because they did not send their main players to participate in the battle, the War Alliance suffered almost no losses and narrowly escaped disaster.

"Looks like there's an advantage to having a guild full of male players."

"Those female gamers are idle all day, taking pictures and wandering around, they're never serious."

"Luckily, none of our people went to join in the fun."

War Sky couldn't help but feel fortunate that none of his sisters were involved; otherwise, being dragged down like Longyin and Imperial Dynasty Defies Heaven would have been a truly unbearable ordeal.

"Guild leader, you have to thank these female players in our guild. Unlike them, they don't just care about dressing up—that's like saving our guild's life, understand?" a female manager said disdainfully.

War Sky scoffed, "Someone like you..."

"Yeah, even if you wanted to apply to join their association, they probably wouldn't even look at you. You don't even have a decent outfit..." One Sword Nine Provinces muttered in a low voice.

"What did you say?!" The female manager was instantly enraged...

At this time.

A Legion Guild scout is reporting the situation at the front to headquarters.

A cold snort came from beside the conference table.

"These players didn't even do any scouting before assembling a large-scale team battle; they brought it on themselves by losing their lives."

"Completely disorganized and undisciplined."

"Now you should understand that the Legion Guild is the only pillar; they are only suitable as support and supplements," a senior manager said sternly.

"After all, these are losses suffered by Earth players. With so many high-end combatants falling, the overall strength is bound to be affected."

"But this is also a good thing, letting all the guilds see just how vulnerable a player team without a proper army to command really is."

Another person expressed concern. "After this battle, the monster on the other side of the Firefly Flower Sea will probably grow even stronger."

"I heard that many participants have gone missing, similar to the previous 'Plague Germ Carrier' incident... They've probably been assimilated again."

"Commander-in-Chief, should we strike first and wipe out the Firefly Flower Sea before the situation deteriorates?"

All the managers' eyes turned to Lu Zheng, who was sitting in the main seat, deep in thought with his eyes closed.

"The reconnaissance team continues to monitor the Firefly Flower Sea and has issued a ban prohibiting players from approaching the Cherry Blossom Sea area."

"We must be fully prepared and tally the number of participants from each guild in their previous campaigns."

"Yes!"

At this moment, a research institute director in a white coat spoke up, "In addition, we have extracted a drug from the 'Plague Germ Carrier' that can enhance life resistance."

"It can temporarily restore blood volume after consumption; the higher the purity, the stronger the effect."

"Unfortunately, none of the player test subjects can currently withstand more than 90% purification... their level and combat power are insufficient."

The burly head of operations, standing nearby, said with displeasure, "Do you think it's easy for the combat department to collect experimental subjects?"

"You still want to limit it to high-combat-power individuals? Your research institute might as well do it themselves."

"We are not your dedicated logistics support."

"That's enough." Lu Zheng interrupted the argument.

These test subjects were all criminal players secretly captured using special methods, and most of them came from other countries or small guilds.

They used their supernatural powers to commit murder, evil deeds, and vent their frustrations.

Naturally, they would be arrested.

Especially those guild members who do not obey official jurisdiction, they have no obligation to indulge them.

"The experimental subjects are indeed precious; the research institute must proceed with extreme caution."

"First, prepare a safer, secondary purified reagent and distribute it to the players in the Training Camp."

Now, after joint selection by various countries, the number of official members of the Training Camp has been reduced to fifty, almost all of whom are elites from various guilds and will be the backbone of the future battlefield on Earth.