Future Crisis

Chapter 18: Future Crisis

Li Tie's chosen spirit weapon build, Star Vein, spread among players.

Some players followed Li Tie's footsteps to Spirit Valley, hoping to capture Primal Spirits and get rewards.

Spirit Valley didn't have many monsters, but their levels were very high. The deeper one went, the higher the spirit hunting level, and the more dazzling their appearances became.

Several teams returned in defeat after multiple attempts.

Li Tie was no exception. After capturing five spirit weapons, he didn't venture further into Spirit Valley.

Besides the five spirit weapons at the entrance, the ones inside had a minimum hunting level of 30. He couldn't even withstand a single blow, so continuing the challenge was meaningless.

The emergence of the spirit weapon build gave many players a direction for their future efforts.

Emperor's Tomb Village, underground

Qi Sheng sat cross-legged on the Primal Altar, network data from Guider rapidly flashing through his mind.

Just then, the elusive Guiding Water Orb suddenly appeared:

[Boss, I've detected Black Tide's aura on Earth.]

"Where?"

[North Pole direction.]

"Let's go take a look. Notify Uncle Yan."

[Roger that, on my way!]

Guiding Water Orb then vanished into thin air.

Not long after, a cold voice echoed:

"Little Qi, I'm here."

A holographic projection appeared before Qi Sheng. The scene showed a room with antique decor. A round table in the room was lit by a faint blue flame, and beside it sat a man with an extraordinary aura.

He had long, jet-black hair, pale skin, and a delicate bowtie outlining his perfect neck. Yet, his handsome face was devoid of any expression.

Mysterious and noble – these were the thoughts that came to Qi Sheng's mind the first time he saw Yan Ming.

The man in the projection was one of Di Zhao's four great attendants, Yan Ming, who controlled spatial power.

The spatial teleportation part of the Challenger System (Player Recruitment System) was completed by him, while Guider was responsible for the data processing and content analysis.

During a past confrontation with the terrifying Black Tide, Yan Ming lost most of the vitality within his body. Since then, he had become like a puppet, appearing incredibly cold.

Qi Sheng was accustomed to this.

If it weren't for Yan Ming and the other attendants sacrificing themselves to save him back then, he would have long since died in the terrifying black mist.

He had Guider notify Yan Ming this time because he couldn't perform ultra-long-distance spatial teleportation himself and needed Yan Ming's help.

"Uncle Yan, thank you for your trouble." Qi Sheng nodded politely.

"Prepare yourself."

As Yan Ming finished speaking, his pupils scattered a faint ice-blue light, and a swirling, deep blue teleportation array appeared beneath Qi Sheng's feet.

A strong sense of weightlessness struck him.

Boom!

Deep blue flames enveloped his body, and in an instant, he vanished from the spot.

When the deep blue light that obstructed his vision dissipated, he was met with a sky full of snow. Looking around, everything was an expanse of pure white. Glaciers covered the vast land, meeting the azure sky in the distance, forming a pure and magnificent panorama.

Piercing cold winds converged in the air, tearing at his ears with a desolate howl.

The ambient temperature plummeted, causing Qi Sheng to shiver involuntarily. He decisively switched to his Di Zhao form.

Boom!

Crimson flames spread from his head to his entire body, and the chill dissipated.

He then flew into the sky, heading in the direction indicated by Guider's senses.

Several minutes later, he saw a black line suspended high in the air. Reaching out to touch it, the black line immediately extended multiple thin black tentacles, attempting to wrap around his palm.

But under the tempering of Di Zhao's flames, the tentacles instantly disintegrated.

This discovery made Qi Sheng realize the severity of the problem.

His former homeland was being corroded and invaded by the terrifying Black Tide.

Unlike the monster world, the Black Tide's invasion of Earth was still in its initial stages and had not caused any impact on the world's ecosystem.

However, it was foreseeable that in the future, Earth would also be corroded and devoured by the terrifying Black Tide.

This made Qi Sheng recall a previous guess.

In the years he was away, many alien forces had appeared on Earth. Their emergence might be related to the terrifying Black Tide.

A few days ago, he saw a discussion post online.

The discussion revolves around why the virtual game Dark Land has limited issuance of purchase qualifications.

Logically, the virtual servers built by Moon Eclipse Clan can fully accommodate a massive player base. However, they always issue limited numbers to the Human Federation and other alien races that have settled on Earth.

If it's a hunger marketing strategy, it doesn't make sense.

Although Moon Eclipse Clan uses currency to purchase resources from other alien races, they mostly gift technology and resources to various races.

Someone has done statistics: the resources Moon Eclipse Clan provides to foreign races annually far exceed their consumption from purchasing resources from them.

Regarding this issue, the poster offered a conjecture.

They believe the essence of Moon Eclipse Clan creating virtual games is not to earn resources from other races through the game, but to train troops in a near-realistic virtual environment. The purpose is to prepare for some potential great crisis.

Issuing game qualifications to other races is merely incidental, serving as sparring partners.

In the virtual games Moon Eclipse Clan usually develops, Moon Eclipse Clan is one faction, and other races unite as another faction to engage in conflict.

Therefore, troop training is the primary objective, which must first serve the internal needs of Moon Eclipse Clan.

One point can corroborate this conjecture.

According to historical records, when Moon Eclipse Clan fled to Earth three hundred years ago, they stated that their home plane world was eroded by some mysterious force, causing the world to collapse and shatter.

Under the apocalyptic crisis, Moon Eclipse Clan ultimately abandoned resistance. The surviving members escaped to Earth through spatial technology before their world collapsed, eventually building Moon Eclipse City on the moon.

Other alien forces that came to Earth have similar accounts.

And Qi Sheng already has the answer in his heart regarding this issue.

The apocalyptic crisis that Moon Eclipse Clan's former home world faced was likely an invasion by the Black Tide. The years of fighting against the Black Tide led the Moon Eclipse civilization from its peak to decline. Other alien forces have had similar experiences.

Now, Earth is also showing preliminary signs of a terrifying Black Tide invasion.

This corroborates the speculation in the discussion thread: Moon Eclipse Clan is training troops to deal with an unknown terror.

Another point can support his conclusion.

The area of the monster world is expanding, and its terrain and environment are constantly changing.

He initially thought it was some unknown change caused by the Black Tide's erosion. Now he realizes it's likely that the terrifying Black Tide devoured other worlds, merging fragments of those worlds into the monster world, causing its area to continuously grow.

This is also why the game's "map" feature has exploration fog.

It's not that he doesn't want to give players a complete world map, but the monster world's terrain changes too much, and the old maps can no longer adapt to the current monster world.

[Boss, this world will gradually worsen in the future. Your player recruitment plan needs to be accelerated.]

Guider said with a serious expression.

"Let's proceed steadily. At least for now, there won't be any impact."

[Boss, I have a question.]

"Ask."

[If this world enters the climax stage of the terrifying Black Tide invasion, with evil spirits running rampant, what will you do?]

"If that day truly comes, perhaps I will grant players permission to bring the power of the monster world back to reality. At the very least, I need to ensure their safety in the real world... But before that, I won't reveal any information."

[Why?]

"Players without real-world pressure can experience happiness and enjoy the game process in the monster world. And happiness is the source of their fearlessness and creativity."

(End of this chapter)