Spies and Hand-to-Hand Combat

"So you think Queenie's defection was genuine?"

Coordination Bureau.

Yan Fushou touched his bald head, looked at the members of the Strategy Group who were participating in the battle, and asked a question.

now.

He had learned every detail of the cross-border battle that had just taken place, and what concerned him most right now was Queenie's final betrayal and defection.

I personally don't think so.

Cheng Xiu shook his head and gave his opinion. "At first I thought it made sense—after she died, all her equipment and skills were gone, and it was normal for her to be reluctant to give up the wealth she had worked so hard to accumulate, so it was normal for her to choose to betray and join Nine Provinces in the end. But when we brought her back, the more I thought about it, the more I felt something was wrong."

"In the final stages when all was lost, she was even trying to direct the players in Prison Rock to escape. Would someone like that suddenly betray you out of fear of losing equipment and skills? I think it's unlikely and illogical."

Cheng Xiu recalled Queenie's gaze at the time, "And after she surrendered, she kept looking at Lu Xiu —although you could explain it as her caring about Lu Xiu, she looked at her far too many times."

"I'm wondering, is it possible that she's planning to become an undercover agent?"

"The confirmed information for the new version is that there will be an arena, a PVP mode, and it will be closely related to the Architect's dungeon."

Cheng Xiu continued, "After Queenie's betrayal, it seems she can no longer meet and communicate with the players of Prison Rock. But what about when the new version is released? Then she will be able to represent the players of Nine Provinces and fight against the players of Prison Rock."

"And if we do face-to-face combat then, we can communicate with the players from Prison Rock ----"

Upon hearing this...

Yan Fushou continued, "So she can share the information she's gathered about the Lu Xiu copy in Nine Provinces with her compatriots, right?"

"Right."

Cheng Xiu nodded. "That's what I think anyway, but the new version of the rules hasn't been released yet—I'm not 100% sure."

I overheard their conversation.

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

----That's actually quite possible!

"I personally think so too."

Yan Fushou gently tapped the table. "If that's the case, then all the information Queenie provided about Prison Rock is unreliable."

"Really."

Cheng Xiu replied, "So first we need to figure out Queenie's purpose."

What about Zhang Chongshan?

At this time.

Wei Yidong finally understood and asked, "Is he in the same situation? Does he also want to become an undercover agent?!"

Yan Fushou frowned upon hearing this.

A betrayal by one's own people is indeed a bigger headache than a Prison Rock.

But was Zhang Chongshan reluctant to give up his skills and equipment—or did he want to go undercover?

It is equally difficult to confirm.

After all, they are two different regions—perhaps even separated by the Milky Way.

They can't even communicate.

The moment Zhang Chongshan chose to betray him, his name was blacked out on his friend list.

"Zhang Chongshan ----"

Cheng Xiu read the name aloud, "The special event isn't over yet, and the players who went to Prison Rock haven't returned. We'll only know the truth when the other players come back. Let's ask them when they get back."

They might be fleeing for their lives right now. It's foreseeable that as the players from Prison Rock who invaded Nine Provinces die and return, the pressure on their side will increase even more. Let's wait patiently."

"I hope he wants to go undercover!"

This time, Wei Yidong didn't make a big fuss. Instead, he said sullenly, "But actually, there's no need for this. It's not like we can't beat them!"

The others ignored him this time as well.

However, Cheng Xiu, who was standing next to him, patted him on the shoulder.

They're just kids.

There's always a hope for a happy ending.

After comforting Wei Yidong.

Cheng Xiu looked at Yan Fushou again and asked curiously, "Chief, since you think Queenie is an undercover agent, most people should think the same way, right? So what does the department plan to do? Just wait for the 24-hour shield to disappear and kill her? Or use tools to restrict her mobility and prevent her from accessing any external information?"

"It hasn't been discussed yet; we need to wait for the Internal Security Response Division to complete its review."

Yan Fushou gently shook his head. "Although the possibility of her being an undercover agent is high, the possibility of directly killing her is very small. Even if we don't want the civilian information from the other side, it would still be valuable to learn about the overall situation on the other side of Prison Rock through her."

As for restricting her mobility and preventing her from accessing any external information, that would be difficult to prevent her from opening the game system—never mind.

Yan Fushou waved his hand, not continuing the conversation on the topic.

Nothing is set in stone yet.

There's no point in talking about this with the Strategy Group members now.

Let's talk about Lu Xiu instead.

Yan Fushou a deep breath, temporarily putting the matter of traitors and undercover agents out of his mind, and brought up another matter.

Upon hearing this name...

The originally somber atmosphere immediately underwent a subtle shift.

"They spared no effort to protect Lu Xiu, but Lu Xiu ended up becoming the main character, right?"

Yan Fushou noticed the change in their expressions and was somewhat amused and exasperated. "Although I knew she was strong, this is truly unexpected—so, you all witnessed her entire battle firsthand, what's your assessment? Although I've heard your accounts of the battle, I still don't quite grasp the reality of it."

Especially after Yan Fushou recalled Lu Xiu's appearance----

And because Zane's territory, there was no recording or anything like that.

"The Wolf Played by the Constructor."

Wei Yidong immediately replied, "And there's also an enhanced version of Sword Saint One Mind!"

Cheng Xiu said, "Her fighting style is indeed very similar to the characters in Sekiro, but even more abnormal. I still can't figure out how she manages to deflect any attack. Her attributes are also outrageous. If I hadn't confirmed it, I would really doubt that she has the same talent skills as Jian Li."

Fan Lixin added, "Her combat skills are very strong. Although it sounds unbelievable, she does have a wealth of experience in life-or-death battles—her ordinary girlish appearance seems like an act."

Immediately afterwards.

Others also offered their opinions.

Yan Fushou listened to things like "drawing lightning," "invincible Deflect," and "the prototype of One Mind feels like her"—and then reached out to rub his bald head again, feeling a slight ache in his head.

The strategic value of a top-tier Architect capable of constructing a dungeon of that caliber is already staggering.

Moreover, judging from the reactions of the players in Prison Rock, their Architect don't seem to be very good at combat either.

But Lu Xiu's own combat strength now seems to be no less than that of the top players present!

A girl who can build top-tier dungeons and is also very skilled in combat—it feels like she's got all the buffs stacked up.

She displayed such a level of martial arts prowess; how should we deal with her going forward?

Headache.

I had originally planned to arrange for close protection, but now it seems completely unnecessary.

No wonder Lu Xiu was so resistant.

Thinking of this...

Yan Fushou turned his head and looked at Jian Li, who had been standing quietly in the corner.

The girl stood there quietly.

He didn't say a word from beginning to end.

I wonder what she's thinking.

Yan Fushou hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Jian Li, you didn't have a chance to mention to Lu Xiu that you wanted to move in with her, did you?"

Jian Li shook her head slightly, with very small movements.

It's good that you didn't say anything.

Yan Fushou then said, "Given Lu Xiu's current strength, that kind of constant, close protection isn't necessary for now, so you don't need to bring it up again—"

But he hadn't finished speaking.

Jian Li: "Yes."

Yan Fushou was taken aback for a moment, then said, "I mean—"

"Need."

On the other side.

After returning to her familiar apartment, Lu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief, then summoned the System Panel and activated the [Cat Step] equipment at her feet.

Released.

--

As her white sneakers turned into specks of Bai Guang and dissipated into the air, her slender feet, clad in boat socks, gently touched the floor.

As Lu Xiu walked forward, she bent down and casually took off her boat socks, then, with her small and delicate feet bare, she threw herself onto the large sofa in the living room.

Then I opened the System Panel and found the planning document I had written not long ago for the next dungeon.

They began to carefully summarize the lessons learned from this battle.

first.

With the existing skill set and the Immersion Function.

Most of the time, it can handle high-intensity close-quarters combat without any problems.

As long as there is Perfect Deflect.

However, upon closer examination, her current combat system still lacks many crucial elements.

For example, large-scale group attack skills.

She didn't have that at all.

For example, remote output methods.

Currently, only Dragon Flash can barely qualify as one of her.

Another aspect is unarmed combat ability.

The first two points can be addressed gradually; after all, you can't bite off more than you can chew.

She doesn't have any good ideas at the moment.

But after the recent battle, Lu Xiu felt that it was best to find a solution to the last problem as soon as possible.

The Perfect Deflect skill is indeed powerful.

She was indeed very skilled at it, and she enjoyed practicing with it—as long as the opponent was using a melee weapon, she could hold her own.

But this skill has a prerequisite—you have to be armed!

Lu Xiu only realized what was happening right after the battle.

I seem to have become too reliant on this skill.

Although her current combat system is largely derived from the Sekiro arc.

But relying on it too much is definitely not an option, especially after seeing Zane's domain. Lu Xiu couldn't help but worry. What if one day she ran out of weapons, or her weapons were destroyed by special means? Wouldn't she be completely helpless?

For example, what if you encounter a player whose innate skill has a disarming ability or forces both of you into a melee-only brawl?

This is not just unfounded worry.

Her own Audience was a skill of this kind.

Moreover, players' talents and skills are incredibly diverse.

If something like that really happens, you can't just start throwing punches at the enemy, can you?

That's not a good idea.

That would be worse than simply choosing death.

Therefore, you definitely need to learn some martial arts skills!

As long as the martial arts skills are also improved.

This way, you won't be afraid of those kinds of messy fields or skills.

If one day, an enemy, after going through countless hardships and even paying a heavy price, knocks the long sword from her hand, and then, with a face full of ecstatic joy, thinks that she is finally powerless to fight back...

She could also calmly and unhurriedly flick her hands, striking a starting stance that exuded the air of a grandmaster.

Then shout it out.

Actually, I also know a little bit about martial arts!

Then he rushed in and delivered a short punch!

Just thinking about it is hilarious!

so.

The next dungeon will definitely be built based on [Sifu].

only----

Lu Xiu frowned slightly.

Before making a decision, she hesitated again.

She felt that relying solely on the relatively realistic, evasive, and defensive techniques found in the game "Sifu" would be insufficient to deal with top players whose talents and skills were a mixed bag.

For example, that grenade that was struck not long ago.

That kind of enemy.

I feel that relying solely on traditional martial arts will likely put you at a disadvantage.

So, should we add some other high-intensity gameplay elements to this hand-to-hand combat dungeon framework?

Dungeons don't necessarily have to completely follow the game's blueprint.

wrong.

The gameplay of [Sifu] is very similar to Sekiro, using the same Posture Bar system.

Can we do a parry with Deflect hands?

Lu Xiu was caught in a brainstorming session.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to stop doing anything else and, while the effects of the intense battle hadn't completely worn off, immediately summoned the virtual keyboard and began refining the design document for the next instance.

Let's see if we can stitch a mechanism in there.

And then my thoughts wandered.

Various interesting ideas began to pop into my head.

Lu Xiu found it increasingly interesting, and became more and more engrossed in her thoughts.

Time slips away quietly.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the thick, dark clouds that had been hanging over the apartment, perhaps due to the Nameless Blade, began to gradually dissipate.

A ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and streamed into the living room through the huge glass window, landing perfectly on the girl's smooth, jade-like feet.

But Lu Xiu was completely unaware of this.

She was completely absorbed in the brainstorming session, unable to pull herself away.

until.

bite-

That grand and cold, mechanical system voice rang out again, exploding once more in Lu Xiu's ears.

This abruptly interrupted her thoughts.

At the same time, the system notification sound resounded in the ears of all players throughout the entire Nine Provinces Region.

[Note: The special pre-release event "Hunt and Watch" has officially ended!]

[The overstepping vanguard passage is closed; settlement is in progress----]

[Settlement complete.]

[Regional and World Ratings Begin to be Issued--]

[Nine Provinces Region Overall Rating: IV]

[World Overall Rating: VI]

[Reason for assessment: In this cross-realm special event launched simultaneously in multiple regions, too many regions of this world failed to achieve victory, directly resulting in a large number of core Architect being successfully hunted down and permanently killed by hostile cross-realm intruders.]

[The world's largest collection of unofficial copies has suffered irreversible and devastating deletions, resulting in a significant loss of its overall heritage.]

[Nine Provinces and Franca are the only two victors in this special event.]

[Overall win rate is low.]

[The world's overall rating has fallen from IV to V.]

[----]

"A large number of core Architect were hunted down and killed?"

Lu Xiu looked at the announcement in front of her, somewhat bewildered.

no.

So there are only two areas that won?