Crossing the Line

"What an amazing and special event!"

1

A hotel.

Zhao Qingdai looked out the floor-to-ceiling window. "Do you think the Coordination Bureau is having a headache right now?"

"Of course it hurts."

Li Zhong walked to Zhao Qingdai's side, also gazing at the city scenery, his expressionless face blank. "The system is designed to force both sides in a battle to make choices in a completely unknown dark forest. Without knowing how the other side will choose, whether to send top players to the other side, how many to send, who to send, whether to prevent us from going—these are all questions."

So what are your thoughts?

At this moment, Wei Zhe was as big as a small mountain, walked over. "Stop talking nonsense! This new version is a PVP event!"

This is fantastic news! I've always felt that this gamified world was incomplete without PVP gameplay!

I just didn't expect this gameplay to be so closely tied to the Architect! The combat scenario—if we went to the other side, wouldn't we have a natural advantage facing Lu Xiu's dungeon?

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingdai turned around, leaning against the French windows, a complex glint in her eyes as she looked at Wei Zhe: "So, you're tempted?"

So what if you're attracted to someone?

Wei Zhe snorted coldly, his towering frame leaning forward slightly, his rough voice echoing in the spacious room. "Does the Coordination Bureau want to implement new regulations to tame me, and I'm expected to kneel down and become their loyal dog? The attempt to win over Lu Xiu is clearly not going to work. I've challenged her for two days, but haven't even managed to exchange three words—just taken beatings! Do you have any other ideas?"

Li Zhong paused for a moment, then said, "Let's first see where the passage is located, how to enter, and what the relevant conditions are—"

Zhao Qingdai remained silent, lost in thought.

The three had different thoughts.

Nobody knows what their choice will be.

[Countdown to channel opening: 9 hours 46 minutes]

At the same time.

Coordination Bureau.

Meeting room.

--

Li Bao remained silent and thoughtful throughout the entire argument, until the debate escalated to a fever pitch, with some even slamming their fists on the table in their excitement.

He then reached out and gently tapped the table.

Knock knock.

The sound wasn't loud.

But in the tense atmosphere, the two light knocks were like a heavy hammer, instantly silencing the noisy conference room.

Everyone immediately fell silent and turned to look at the head of the table, the director of the Coordination Bureau who had been resting with his eyes closed.

Li Bao slowly opened his eyes. He didn't look at anyone, but instead focused his gaze on the window in front of him. "A full-scale defense, sending all the top players to Maple Leaf Avenue, can indeed ensure Lu Xiu's safety to the greatest extent. But this also means that we have completely given away those twenty overstepping quotas, the initiative, and even the opportunity to try and fail."

Li Bao's voice was low. "Therefore, the Strategy Group has to send people; at least ten top players should be sent to occupy half of the passage's slots."

"Chief!"

Upon hearing this...

A high-ranking officer who advocated for a total defense strategy panicked. "Sending ten top combatants to a completely unknown world is too risky! What if—"

"There's no 'what if'."

Li Bao interrupted him directly, "Sending these ten people over is not just because we don't want to give up the opportunity to behead the enemy Architect, but also to prevent large guilds or other people with ulterior motives from entering the other world in an organized manner and then using the fifth rule to collectively betray us. If they defect, it's equivalent to the other side having two thousand more powerful enemies who understand the Lu Xiu dungeon. They might even become the enemy's strongest vanguard."

Lu Xiu is very skilled, but she has only released four dungeons. And of these four dungeons, except for the last one, top players have basically figured out the others.

We don't yet know what the new version of the arena will look like. If most of the 20 people defect to the enemy, the situation will definitely become extremely bad.

Sending ten people from the Strategy Group can effectively cut the uncontrollable risk of top players leaving the region in half. As long as we firmly hold onto those half of the spots, even in the worst-case scenario, the situation will still remain within our bottom-line control.

"Brothers may quarrel within the walls, but they unite against external threats."

"If five of the remaining ten choose to come back and not betray us, then we can bear the price."

"As for someone actually choosing to betray us, then the next time we meet, we'll be mortal enemies, fighting to the death."

"Then there's nothing more to say."

The higher-ups exchanged glances upon hearing this, and then fell silent.

No one dared to object.

really.

Even if the ten top players from the Strategy Group are wiped out in the worst-case scenario, it's still better than letting twenty unpredictable, top-tier amateur players cross over, with most of them eventually turning against Counterkill back.

This is indeed the best option.

"That's the decision."

Seeing that no one objected, Li Bao looked directly at Yan Fushou, "Go pick the people, but remember one thing: Jian Li, Cheng Xiu, Fan Lixin, Wei Yidong —these four people absolutely cannot cross the line. Let them go directly to Maple Leaf Avenue."

What I just said was based on the premise that Lu Xiu could not get into trouble.

Yan Fushou's expression turned solemn, and he nodded heavily.

The high-ranking officials present were all fully aware of this.

These four individuals are currently the core top combat force of the Coordination Bureau —including Wei Yidong, whose innate skill has derived the most powerful domain at present, bar none. It is impossible for them to cross the boundary and take risks.

Moreover, protecting your own only capable Architect is indeed more important than killing the opponent's Architect who crosses the line.

After instructing Yan Fushou, Li Bao turned to the frontline military representative sitting on the other side of the conference table and asked in a deep voice, "Having received intelligence about a special operation, I asked you to arrange for elite troops to be transferred back from the front lines. How is the situation now?"

"The timing was terrible—"

The military representative at the front shook his head with a grim expression. "A large-scale Monster Tide has just broken out at the front, and all the major defense lines are under strain. Even if we spare no expense and forcibly transfer personnel from the war zone closest to Chen Capital, we still cannot transfer too many people here."

However, once the Monster Tide subsides, the soldiers may not be able to reach Chen Capital immediately.

Is this also a limitation?

Is the system preventing the use of sheer numbers or is it just a coincidence?

Thinking of this, Li Bao shook his head slightly, thinking that there was no point in thinking about these things.

He paused for two seconds. "----Let's do our best, bring back as many as we can."

The military representative at the front nodded slowly.

Finally, Li Bao looked at the director of the Internal Security Division: "Also, go to the player forums and post an announcement, making the rules of this special event public."

"Since we can't control the major guilds, let's open up the remaining ten spots completely and make them public across the entire network. If any top players from the community are willing to cross the line and take a gamble for the future, that's fine too."

"It's better than letting those with ulterior motives cross the line."

The director of the Internal Security Response Division nodded in agreement.

[Countdown to channel opening: 8 hours 36 minutes]

Player forum.

The forum, which had been gripped by panic and endless speculation due to that nonsensical global announcement, was once again plunged into an unprecedented upheaval after the Internal Security Response Division released a long, bold, and officially pinned post.

The post's title alone was extremely eye-catching. "[Details about the upcoming Hunt and Watch special event and recruitment of Vanguard]".

The Coordination Bureau made no attempt to conceal anything, posting the rules for the upcoming special event verbatim.

This includes the limit of twenty slots, the consequence that killing Architect will completely erase their instance, and the faction betrayal mechanism!

The post had only been published for less than ten seconds.

The replies completely exploded.

[Holy crap!!! Holy crap!!! What kind of lousy event is this?!]

[Both sides are killing each other's core Architect?! And once someone is killed, that Architect's entire fan-made content will be completely wiped out?! Holy crap!! If there's no Lu Xiu fan-made content, then we're doomed!]

[Wait! In our country, in this region, who else besides Lu Xiu can reach the threshold of a core Architect whose overall rating and regional influence have reached this level?]

[That's all, I can't think of any. Maybe there are a few in the amateur Builder Group? For example, their group leader is also a core Architect?]

[Are you crazy?! If Lu Xiu's instance is gone, how are our brothers on the front lines going to hold off the Monster Tide?!]

[Absolutely not! It's obvious that the new version's PvP is strongly tied to the Architect! How can we let Lu Xiu's dungeon disappear! Rely on those bastards in the Construction Club? We're doomed! Can't we just let the Construction Club members die? Their dungeons aren't worth much anyway.]

[Seriously, what's with that betrayal mechanism? Can you switch sides after crossing the line? System, what are you doing?]

[The system is designed to cause trouble, to throw both sides into chaos first.]

[Wait, what about the guild leaders of those big guilds, the raid leaders of those Builder Group —what if they overstep their bounds and then betray us?]

Who knows?

This problem arose.

The post exploded even more.

Clearly, the others weren't fools either.

Many people have seen the problem and guessed the purpose of the Coordination Bureau in announcing the rules for special events.

Many top players who received notifications about the special event but did not join the Strategy Group or guild were caught in a dilemma.

[Countdown to channel opening: 5 hours 15 minutes]

Chen Capital, Maple Leaf Avenue.

The night was deep, and the entire street was completely shrouded in a suffocating and chilling atmosphere.

--

Han Xiao had already led his men to Maple Leaf Avenue and quietly set up camp inside.

now.

Han Xiao finally finished processing the news he had just received.

only----

Han Chi looked up at the sky and couldn't help but sigh.

Lu Xiu lives upstairs, right?

Special event----

It feels like we were just getting on the right track when another unexpected event occurred.

Why is it so hard to just survive?

He slowly lowered his head, gazing at the night view outside the window, somewhat dazed.

It wasn't until the sound of the vice-captain's approaching footsteps that his thoughts were pulled back to reality.

Han Xiao withdrew his gaze, glanced at the exhausted but still spirited team members, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "Take turns resting in place! Take advantage of the time to close your eyes and recover your strength. Tomorrow—there might be a tough battle ahead."

"Yes!"

Time slipped away in agonizing seconds.

finally.

Dawn breaks.

A faint gray-white light appeared on the horizon, piercing through the oppressive clouds of Chen Capital City.

But the cold morning wind did not dispel the somber atmosphere over the city.

The Coordination Bureau Strategy Group worked through the night, and after evaluation, finally confirmed the list of top players who had crossed the line and those who remained before dawn.

Seven o'clock in the morning.

Only ten minutes remain before the passage opens.

In front of the cordon outside Maple Leaf Avenue, Wei Yidong, wearing a casual jacket and with his hair in a small bun, followed behind the group with a disgruntled expression, grumbling and cursing.

Why can't I go to the other side?

As Wei Yidong walked, he scratched his hair in frustration and Cheng Xiu beside him, "If my talent skills were in another world, I could go on a killing spree! Why do they have to keep me at home! Lu Xiu is so strong! She doesn't need any protection! Do you think the director is getting senile?"

"Don't underestimate top players from other worlds."

Cheng Xiu replied, "After all, we don't understand how their world works, nor do we understand their combat system."

Wei Yidong immediately said, "Then do they even know anything about Lu Xiu?"

Cheng Xiu couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.

Jian Li and Fan Lixin, who had an afro, didn't say a word from beginning to end.

Needless to say, the others are even less likely to be included.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him and he had gotten a nod, Wei Yidong could only roll his eyes.

Then, listlessly, he walked toward the apartment building.

Time slipped away, bit by bit, as everyone's nerves tightened.

As the first rays of morning sunlight tore through the clouds and shone on the cold asphalt of Maple Leaf Avenue, the countdown finally began its final beat.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1----

[Channel opening countdown: 00 hours 00 minutes 02 seconds]

The special event "Hunt and Watch" has officially begun!

boom-

Just as the countdown reached zero, a terrifying roar, seemingly capable of tearing the heavens apart, suddenly resounded from the sky.

Immediately afterwards, a white beam of light shot down from the void without warning!

This beam of light not only appeared in the sky above Chen Capital City, but also in the sky above the capital city of Prison Rock, illuminating the view of all players in both areas.

You can see it clearly no matter where you are.

Immediately afterwards, the system's cold, grand voice resounded simultaneously in everyone's minds.

[Pioneer channel is now connected!]

To make it easier for those who cross the line to pinpoint targets and to increase the fun of the hunt, both sides have added a "Architect Overall Influence Ranking" for their respective areas.

Generated!

[This is now being publicized!]

Accompanied by the system's announcement.

A golden light curtain appeared.

Next.

The golden light screen was split in two, standing on either side of the pillar of light. One side displayed the rankings of the hostile alien world [Prison Rock], while the other side displayed the rankings of the local region [Nine Provinces].

This moment.

Whether it's Han Xiao in the apartment, Wei Yidong on Maple Leaf Avenue, Li Bao sitting in the Coordination Bureau, or the various guild leaders with their own agendas—

All the players in Nine Provinces looked up at the golden light screen.

Everyone wants to know how many core Architect the system has determined have reached the hidden threshold, and they also want to see if, besides Lu Xiu, any other unparalleled masters in the folk Construction Club are hiding and can share the firepower.

However.

When everyone finally saw their half of the list, which belonged to their region, the entire world seemed to fall into an eerie, deathly silence.

[Ranking of Architect' Overall Influence in This Region:]

[1. Lu Xiu - Overall Influence: 28000 points]

[2. Jin Yi - Overall Influence: 400 points]

[3. Fu Xi's overall influence: 350 points]

Everyone: "----"

Maple Leaf Avenue.

Inside the apartment.

Lu Xiu also stood in front of the French windows, looking up at the golden list in the sky.

When you see the 28,000 hanging high next to your name, and the pitiful 400 next to the second place.

She fell silent.

After a full ten seconds of silence.

Lu Xiu slowly raised her hands, covering her beautiful face, and let out a mournful cry.

What iKeKeKeKe was most worried about happened!

This Construction Club!

What do you usually do?!