Virtual Warfare

For several days in a row, the time was spent practicing magic and its control. Rie could now summon two skeletons simultaneously and was quite adept at providing them with usable weapons.

Having received notice from Heming, they were to rest for one day before embarking on a mission. During this time, Rie had grown accustomed to being with Heming, even though the two remained friends.

Today, as agreed, the two prepared to head to the Pitch Black arcade to play the newly released Simulated Roman Combat System. Rie had risen early; even with her physical enhancements, she still required six hours of sleep daily to replenish her energy. Heming was his usual self; the moment Rie rose, he ceased his internal energy cultivation. Since the last incident, and with Rie now accompanying him on missions, he felt a greater urge to grow stronger—not only to protect her but to ensure he suffered less harm himself.

The members of the Pitch Black action team generally had no material requirements, as money was unnecessary for them. Any real-world items they desired could be requested from the supply depot, and it took at most a few hours for the items to be delivered to their homes.

Heming drove the vehicle he had just collected to the arcade. Upon arriving at the Pitch Black arcade and entering, he realized it had been a while since he last visited. Rie seemed to be in the same boat. The two stepped out, entered the arcade, and after Rie collected her VIP card, they headed up to the second floor together.

The second floor had not changed much in layout, but the decorations of terrorist organizations and United Forces had been replaced by Roman-era warriors and knights. The firearms and equipment that were once visible everywhere had now been swapped for swords, shields, and armor.

After setting up the memory device, they prepared to enter the special action pods. Just then, Heming's phone rang.

"Hello? Is this Heming? It's Deng."

"Deng? It's me. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. I heard yesterday that you were attacked after we caused that scene last time. Man, I'm really sorry. If we hadn't been called for an emergency assembly, you wouldn't have been in danger."

"Ah, it's fine. Just a minor injury, don't give it another thought."

"Glad to hear it. I have a mission later, but Zeng sent something over for you. Go pick it up at the company supply depot when you have a chance. Anyway, see you later! Keep in touch."

"Yeah, got it. Thanks."

After hanging up, Heming said to Rie, "It was the two people who accompanied me on the last mission. They were just checking in and happened to send something over for you." Although they hadn't explicitly told Heming what it was, he could guess it was for Rie.

"Oh, for me? I'll thank them next time." Rie had already learned to speak Chinese.

Heming walked into the special action pod and gestured for Rie to join him. It was a double pod specifically prepared for VIPs.

The player count wasn't high enough to start yet, but they could already select character appearances, abilities, weapons, and equipment.

Heming chose a traditional warrior's face with a small scar, which made him look particularly formidable (this time, they didn't use the system to reconstruct their real faces; they could choose their own appearance). He chose sword-and-fist as his weapon, a style very popular in Roman arenas, and equipped heavy armor—a rather mismatched combination. His faith was set to the God of War.

Rie designed herself a classic Roman beauty's face with large eyes and a small mouth. Her fair legs were visible beneath a blood-red gown. She chose dual daggers as her weapon and the blood-red gown as her equipment. An assassin—she had chosen such a daring profession, and her faith was the God of Death, which stood in complete opposition to the assassin's path.

The Simulated Roman Combat System was not like the old games where dozens or hundreds of people fought each other. This time, the entire world was networked to fight against the computer. The computer's opponents were chosen by the players—they could fight humans or monsters, and once the game reached a certain level, they could even challenge the gods.

This time, the system featured a real-damage setting: 20% for males and 5% for females. Players had to be over eighteen and pass a test to participate. Those with low mental fortitude or pain resistance were unable to join the game.

The system also implemented a combat upgrade system. As long as you fought, you gained experience and leveled up. Furthermore, the enemies were like real living creatures; they all had weaknesses, and identifying those weaknesses was undoubtedly the best strategy, yielding more experience.

The game opened once a week. Each session lasted from the start until everyone died or the level was cleared. Death resulted in the loss of half one's level and experience, and there was a certain chance of dropping one's weapon.

Equipment and weapons used a growth system; as the user gained experience, the gear gained half of that amount. The user's own experience was not reduced.

The faith system was relative to the god chosen by the player. If a player consistently performed actions that interested their deity, they would receive rewards. Conversely, the god would impose penalties. These rewards varied depending on the god and the action.

Potions and other items were available, but they were primarily obtained by killing enemies.

The game was about to begin...

The number of players in this zone is 5,000. Please vote for the level you wish to play. The one with the most votes wins. The available levels are...

Desert Oasis Encounter: The player faction will encounter enemies at an oasis on the edge of the desert. The enemy count is four times that of the players.

Great Naval Battle: The Roman Empire dispatches the player legion to kill pirates and their pet sea monsters that are wreaking havoc on the people.

New City Construction Battle: Players are dispatched to defend a castle that has not yet been completed. They will face an Iron Cavalry force coming from afar.

Moonlit Night Ambush: Fifty thousand enemies passing through the forest at night will be ambushed by the player army. Eliminating all enemies will result in victory.

Players, please begin voting...

Both Heming and Rie voted for the Great Naval Battle.

Unfortunately, when the results were announced, the Great Naval Battle only had 10% of the votes. The most popular choice was the New City Construction Battle.

The most popular choice is the New City Construction Battle. Please enjoy the most thrilling and blood-pumping...

Heming and Rie were teleported to the city gates. Aside from the players arriving one after another, there were NPCs working diligently. Once the players had finished teleporting, several men in golden armor, carrying golden swords and large imperial shields, walked onto the watchtower. Without a doubt, these were the Roman officers commanding the battle. Their intelligence was simulated by supercomputers; as far as anyone could tell, no one was smarter than them.

"Brave Roman warriors, you will face knights coming from afar. They are powerful and numerous, while there are only 5,000 of you. You are all heroes, and I believe you can complete the mission. The Emperor believes in you, too!"

"Due to the unique terrain here, we cannot arrange a complete defensive formation. You must rely on yourselves and discuss with your comrades how to proceed. Civilians will build more defensive towers as quickly as possible to assist you."

The castle was still under construction, so relying on it for defense was impossible. The 5,000-strong army had to defend in front of the castle. There were cliffs on both sides, leaving only the front and back open, and both were endless flat plains. This army of 5,000 had to face the Iron Cavalry head-on.

The 5,000 men began to assemble. The cavalry, along with the sword, spear, hammer, and shield infantry, were called to the front line, followed by the archers and crossbowmen, then the cavalry, and finally, those who used strange weapons. Heming and Rie were naturally among them—a group of about three hundred people who didn't use standard weapons. They were ordered to go and die...

No one objected, as this was their own doing. The three hundred or so formed a swallow-shaped formation and moved forward slowly. Heming and Rie were on the far right of the formation, perhaps the safest spot.

About 1,000 meters from the castle, the group stopped. The leader was a woman wielding a Giant Axe. She ordered everyone to rest in place and then form a long, snake-like line.

This was the confrontation point. The mission of these three hundred people was to stall the cavalry for ten minutes, as ten minutes was enough to build several defensive towers. Archers on the towers would appear automatically; players didn't need to assign anyone, though player archers and crossbowmen could also climb up.

A massive, surging force of cavalry appeared in the distance. Judging by their equipment, they were light cavalry scouts.

"Prepare! Engage at will! Target the light cavalry ahead!" the Giant Axe leader commanded.

The light cavalry moved quickly and soon charged toward the three hundred. Fighting broke out on both sides immediately.

Compared to the Iron Cavalry, the light cavalry was much easier to deal with. Their horses had no armor; as long as one attacked their legs, the horse and rider could be brought crashing to the ground. In the first round of fighting, the most effective units were the greatsword and giant-axe wielders, who could both block the light cavalry's attacks and quickly hack the horses down.

Heming stood in the middle and joined the fray. Instead of attacking the horses directly, he leaped onto an enemy's mount, dispatched the rider, and then vaulted onto another.

Rie, on the other hand, was much more relaxed. She wove through the light cavalry, each of her strikes piercing the horses' bodies in particularly tricky spots, causing almost every horse she hit to go into a frenzied, chaotic run.

The battle ended before long. The enemy light cavalry was almost completely wiped out, with only a dozen or so men managing to flee back, while the group of over three hundred was reduced to just over two hundred.

"Clear the ground, mission accomplished, retreat quickly!" the Giant Axe leader commanded once again.

If the mission had been to stall for fifteen minutes, then these men had indeed fulfilled their duty. The two hundred-plus survivors began a slow retreat; there was no other choice. By estimation, those light cavalrymen from before had numbered at least fifteen hundred. Although they had only lost a little over a hundred men, they certainly wouldn't be able to withstand the next wave of attacks. Rather than waiting here for death, it was better to head back first and think of another way.

Retreating back to the vicinity of the castle, the friendly cavalrymen were allowed to rest first before regrouping with the crossbowmen; their new mission was to protect the crossbow unit.

Heming sorted through the items he had obtained. Aside from a few healing potions, there was almost nothing of use, while Rie had acquired a purple cloak.

New City was still under construction, and there were several more defensive towers than when they had first set out. Defensive spikes and traps had been built on the ground as well. Normally, each defensive tower would only hold one crossbowman, but now there were two at every window, and even more at the very top—fortunately, the towers were large enough.

The infantry unit was also fully prepared. Each row held identical weapons, clad in heavy armor and arranged in a formal formation that stood out remarkably; behind them stood the orderly cavalry unit.

The officers who had been speaking earlier had already entered the city. They would come out to help when necessary, but the primary reliance was still on themselves. If they could eliminate all the enemies, then this campaign would be considered a victory.

As for those NPC civilians, they would also join the battle at the very end. In short, as long as all the enemies were dead and at least one player remained, they would successfully clear the level.

Heming and Rie were assigned to the front of the formation this time, with the Giant Axe leader standing right in front of Rie...

A massive tremor...

This must be the Iron Cavalry unit...

Such a majestic and awe-inspiring force, clad in uniform silver armor, wielding longswords...

Morale was, without a doubt, the greatest enemy...