Storm Abyss - Lava Campaign!

For a full ten seconds, the voice channel was deathly silent.

"Brother Feng..." Cloud Pomelo's voice trembled with tears. "You can't joke about something like this..."

"I'm not joking."

Chen Feng sat in the pitch-black room, staring at his steady, powerful right hand. His voice was terrifyingly calm. "Just now, I tore up my application to return to the professional team. From today onward, I, Chen Feng, will stake my life on Titan."

"And keep this buried for now." Chen Feng's voice suddenly turned exceedingly stern. "Until all of us advance and gain a huge lead over ordinary players, don't make it public. Understand?"

"Understood!"

"Got it!"

Chen Feng knew perfectly well that once the news that "games can cure illnesses" leaked out, it would not just attract ordinary players. Capital tycoons and state machinery would come flooding in as well. If a few independent players like them did not hold an overwhelming advantage by then, they might not even get a sip of the soup. Large organizations discovering it was only a matter of time, but everyone had selfish desires and wanted to seize the initiative.

"Now, the key that can change our fate is in the Gene Shop." Chen Feng glanced at the game screenshot, his brows tightly furrowed. "But after I bought that vial, the shop displayed [Restocking], without giving a specific time."

"Restocking?" Brute Force Yields Miracles froze for a moment. "Even critical items like this have a cooldown?"

"The system prompt says: 'Divine recovery in the current war zone is insufficient. Unable to condense.' Looks like money alone isn't enough." Chen Feng took a deep breath, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes. "The system is forcing us to push forward. Only by opening new maps and recovering more resources will the shop restock."

High-Dimensional Perspective: Titan Divine Body.

Gu Yuan gazed at the vast, boundless star map.

Although the players were fighting fiercely in Storm Abyss—the entrance to the lung—and had established several outposts, from Gu Yuan's perspective, these little ants had merely brushed against the entrance of [Right Lung Leaf - Bronchiole No. 494 - A7 District].

This was a long corridor stretching tens of millions of kilometers. Yet after a week of effort, the players had advanced their position by less than five kilometers, with their farthest range only reaching 30 km.

"Too slow."

Gu Yuan looked at that despair-inducing progress bar. At this rate, by the time they cleared this bronchiole, he would already be dead and cold.

A small-scale scuffle with ten thousand people would not do. This was an interstellar war. It required an army-level force.

Gu Yuan glanced at the soaring attention metrics in the backend and the reserves of Bio-Energy. Stimulated by Vanguard Across the Realm's first class advancement event, along with the spread of those forum videos boasting "insane realism," the number of people applying for accounts on Blue Star had already exceeded ten million.

"Then let's expand recruitment."

With a wave of his hand, Gu Yuan not only expanded capacity but also used divine power to launch a precise information-stream bombardment across Blue Star's major social media platforms.

[Titan: Genesis Third Beta Announcement (No Wipes)]

[Version Codename: Star River Expedition]

[Additional Slots: 39,000 people (Total: 50,000 people).]

[New Content: Legion System, Campaign Missions, Regional Lord Bounties.]

[Promotional Slogan: This is not merely a game. It is an epic expedition across light-years. We await you in the Abyss.]

This recruitment expansion directly blew up the Blue Star gaming community. Fifty thousand slots! Though it was still a drop in the bucket compared to over ten million applicants, this was already the largest-scale full-dive game test currently on the market.

In-game time, the first day of the third beta.

Coordinates: Storm Abyss - Dawn Fortress.

White light fell like a torrential downpour. Thirty-nine thousand new players descended, instantly turning the previously spacious fortress into a packed mess.

"Move aside! Don't block my view!"

"So this is the world of Titan? It's way too real!"

"Party up, party up! LV.1 newbie looking for a carry! I can spam 666!"

Meanwhile, atop the fortress command tower, Vanguard Across the Realm watched coldly. He had logged back in. Though he had become terrifyingly strong after advancing his class, he had not rushed to challenge Living Flame: Ember alone.

Because he knew that on this front line, individual strength was insignificant. The monster tide was endless; alone, he could not even make a splash.

[Server-Wide Long-Term Epic Campaign Released: Storm Abyss - Lava Campaign]

[Description: We are currently trapped in the narrow corridor at the entrance to Storm Abyss. Ahead lies the Lava Zone, filled with endless darkness and fire. For survival, for reclaiming Titan's territory, we must launch a full-scale offensive.]

[Campaign Objectives:]

Advance the Front: Push into the depths of the fog. Each new "Hundred-Kilometer Outpost" established will count as a stage victory.

Clear Obstacles: Kill high-threat creatures obstructing the advance along the way.

[High-Threat Creature Codex (Expandable)]

[Campaign Reward System (Server-Wide Shared):]

For every 10 kilometers advanced: Gene Shop [Titan Blood (Diluted Version)] stock +1.

Advance 50 kilometers: Gene Shop unlocks [Guild Creation Token].

Advance 100 kilometers: Unlock [Chitin Standard Set (Green Equipment)].

Upon seeing the first reward, Vanguard Across the Realm's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Ten kilometers... for one vial."

This was even harsher than he had imagined. Fifty thousand players, and every ten kilometers of advancement only produced one slot.

That meant only true top-tier powerhouses, or leaders controlling enormous resources, were worthy of possessing "rebirth."

"Since those are the rules..." Vanguard Across the Realm opened the server-wide [Regional Channel].

As the only class-advanced big shot on the entire server, his messages came with a golden border, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

Vanguard Across the Realm:

"I am Vanguard Across the Realm."

"I know many of you want to go deeper to sightsee, or find the legendary BOSS in the codex and farm equipment."

"But you can't get through."

"Starting thirty kilometers ahead is the Lava Zone. The temperature there is extremely high, and the air is filled with fire poison."

"If your level isn't high enough, entering alone will dry you out in three seconds."

The channel erupted in an uproar.

"How are we supposed to play this?"

"Even God of Blades can't get through?"

Vanguard Across the Realm:

"At the entrance to the Lava Zone, there's a Living Flame blocking the way. It counts as an elite monster, but there should be plenty of similar elite monsters in the Lava Zone."

"If we don't kill it, we can't even establish the first new outpost. If we don't advance the front, the shop won't get new stock."

"So this isn't only for me. It's for all of your gaming experience too."

"Now, everyone who wants to enter the new map, follow my command."

"Oh, right. Newbies should probably grind some levels first."

Coordinates: A7 District Front Line - Flame Corridor Entrance.

This was a narrow canyon terrain, where violent winds carried scorching waves of heat as they howled past.

At the canyon exit, [Living Flame: Ember] (LV.12 Elite) stood like a burning lighthouse. The [High Temperature Aura] emanating from its body warped the air within a hundred-meter radius.

Any creature that stepped into this range would suffer 30 to 50 points of burning damage per second. For players at this stage with only a few hundred HP, this was a forbidden zone.

"This heat wave is insane!" Brute Force Yields Miracles stood outside the safe distance, feeling as if his eyebrows were about to singe off. "Brother Feng, what do we do?"

"Set up the field."

Vanguard Across the Realm gave the order calmly. "We can't fight while enduring the heat wave. That's environmental damage, so we have to use the environment to counter the environment."

"Cloud Pomelo, lead the Life Weaver Corps in!"

"Received!"

Cloud Pomelo waved her hand, and a full two thousand Life Weaver players behind her stepped forward at once. They did not attack. Instead, each carried a massive liquid storage tank on their back.

"Everyone, get ready—[Bio-Gel]!"

Pssh—!

Two thousand streams of white gel sprayed forth like a rainstorm, covering the scorching ground ahead.

The instant the gel touched the high-temperature ground, it hissed and rapidly hardened, forming a white insulating layer.

"Keep laying it down! Don't stop! Cover the ground!"

Under the Life Weavers' efforts, a white "cooling passage" extended toward the monster's feet.

"Divine Guard Corps! Prepare the shield wall!"

Vanguard Across the Realm waved his hand again.

Brute Force Yields Miracles (LV.9) roared as he raised the specially made [Heavy Bone Shield] in his hand, reinforced with three extra layers of chitin.

"Brothers! Charge with me! Anyone who retreats is a coward!"

"Kill!!"

Five thousand Divine Guard players followed close behind. Treading along the gel path laid by the Life Weavers, they raised their shields and charged into the high-temperature zone.

[Warning: Entering high-temperature area. Protected by gel. Damage reduced by 50%.]

[Receiving 15 points of burning damage per second.]

"Healers! Heal us! Don't stop!"

The Life Weavers in the rear laid down more paths while frantically casting healing skills.

The Living Flame was finally disturbed.

It let out a roar, its enormous flaming fist smashing viciously toward the Divine Guards charging at it like ants.

The fist struck the shield wall, and a heat wave exploded outward.

The health bars of dozens of front-line Divine Guards instantly bottomed out. Several were even killed outright by the shockwave.

"Hold the line! Don't scatter!" Brute Force Yields Miracles felt as if his arms were about to break, but he braced his shield with all his might. "As long as we don't get one-shot, the healers can bring us back!"

This was the brutality of positional warfare. The front line held with their lives.

"Now!"

Vanguard Across the Realm's gaze sharpened.

The giant entered an attack recovery window.

"Spirit Pivot Envoys! Cover it with an electric net!"

Three thousand Spirit Pivot Envoys had long been ready.

"Lightning, descend!"

Thunder King pointed his staff.

Crackle—!

Lightning from all over the sky gathered into a blue ocean and poured violently onto the giant's body.

Though level suppression meant each person could only deal single-digit forced damage, when three thousand single-digit hits stacked together, it became a bloodbath!

The giant's health bar visibly dropped.

And the real killing move was hidden in the shadows.

Vanguard Across the Realm activated [Shadow Step].

Like a black bolt of lightning, he crossed the hundred-meter battlefield in an instant and appeared directly behind the giant's burning spine—where a crack flowed with golden magma. That was its core.

The purple [Shadow Fang] in his hand carried all the power of the server's first class-advanced player as it stabbed in fiercely!

[-620! (Weak Point Critical Hit)]

[Passive Triggered: Wound Tear (Continuous Bleeding)]

"Roar—!"

The giant roared in pain and tried to turn around and crush the little insect.

But Vanguard Across the Realm had already dissolved into a cloud of black mist, appearing in another blind spot the next second.

"Don't even think about touching me."

Vanguard Across the Realm's voice was icy. He was like an elegant god of death, dancing amid the giant's fury.

"Divine Guards! Lock down its feet! Don't let it move!"

"Spirit Pivot Envoys! Keep blasting! Don't save your mana!"

"Life Weavers! The gel in front has melted! Reapply it! Hurry!"

This was an extremely precise demon-slaying operation.

Over ten thousand players, including the new players who had come to slack off and coast—though only a few thousand at the front could even reach the monster—operated like a massive machine at high speed under Vanguard Across the Realm's command.

Ten minutes later.

Accompanied by an earth-shaking wail, the ten-meter-tall Living Flame finally could not hold on. Its massive body collapsed with a boom, breaking apart into a sky full of fiery rain and white experience light.

[Living Flame: Ember (LV.12 Elite) killed!]

[Obstacle cleared.]

"We won!!!"

Cheers resounded through the heavens.

Vanguard Across the Realm stood atop the giant's still-smoldering corpse without celebrating.

He glanced at the system panel.

[Front Line Advanced: 30.5 kilometers.]

[Titan Blood (Diluted Version) Stock: 3]

[Distance Until Next "Titan Blood" Unlock: 9.5 kilometers.]

Vanguard Across the Realm raised an eyebrow. Clearing the trouble at the entrance had unexpectedly jumped their progress by such a huge amount. It seemed that the scattered minor monsters did not count as much of a threat.

"Don't stop."

Vanguard Across the Realm pointed his sword toward the bottomless dark corridor ahead.

A corner of the fog dispersed, revealing denser monster hordes behind it, along with even harsher conditions.

"That was just the gatekeeper."

"Push the front line through! Charge!"

High-Dimensional Perspective.

Gu Yuan watched the players swarm forward like worker ants after the elite monster fell, quickly establishing a new temporary stronghold, setting up beacons, and clearing the surrounding minor monsters.

The progress bar that had previously stalled finally began to move slowly but steadily.

"Very good."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly.

"At this rate, they should be able to secure a foothold within the first fifty kilometers today."

"However, as they go deeper, stronger monsters should be getting restless soon, shouldn't they?"