Thinking of Defecting

Half an hour later.

The third floor of the Astera.

Lu Xiu watched as the old man and his entourage slowly descended the stairs, their figures gradually disappearing from sight.

After confirming that they had left.

Lu Xiu then turned her head away.

Shen Nian blinked, looked at Lu Xiu, and spoke again, "So, the leader of the leader of the Coordination Bureau personally came to the front line just for you, right?"

Do you think it looks like it?

Lu Xiu rested her snow-white chin on her hand, looked at the Chef who was performing again, and casually asked a question.

In just over half an hour, the old man chatted with her about everyday things, asking if she was used to the place, if the food suited her taste, inquired about Shen Nian and Jian Li's situation in the instance, and even sat down to taste a piece of the meat ribs that the Chef had personally grilled, praising the skills of these hairy chefs.

That's all.

Throughout the entire process, the old woman didn't mention anything about dungeons or related matters, nor did she make any strategic plans ahead of time. She didn't even ask what new dungeons the official team needed her to create.

It was as if he were just a kind elder passing by, stopping by to see if the younger generation in his family was eating well.

Hearing Lu Xiu's question and recalling the old man's actions, Shen Nian was unsure and could only say, "It's hard to guess what important people are thinking."

On the other side.

Jian Li glanced at Shen Nian and couldn't help but gently shake her head.

I don't know if it was just Shen Nian's imagination.

She always felt that Jian Li looked down on her.

However, Shen Nian didn't mind at all, and didn't care that she was a few years older than Jian Li. She directly and unashamedly asked, "----Do you know the purpose of that important person just now?"

"----Among the entourage just now were people from the Coordination Bureau, high-ranking military officials, and members of the Coordination Bureau's higher-level committees."

Jian Li calmly said, "Lu Xiu has always been outside the system. There are dissenting voices even within the Coordination Bureau, let alone in other places. Do you think the committee has any?"

The person who just called Lu Xiu a national hero and chatted with Lu Xiu for half an hour was practically telling her outright not to have any unrealistic ideas about Lu Xiu. Whether it was joining the Coordination Bureau or making her a frontline assistant, it was all unacceptable.

He was just making small talk; whatever others thought, they could only think, not act on it. They couldn't and weren't qualified to do so.

Shen Nian: "----"

"Another meaning is that he wanted to tell Lu Xiu that he knew Lu Xiu found things troublesome, and that all orders, deals, or empty promises were meaningless, so he avoided mentioning official business—he wanted to tell Lu Xiu that she was completely free to do whatever she wanted."

Jian Li continued, "Lu Xiu can be the biggest variable outside the system in Nine Provinces —ultimately, he can tell other High Sequence players who are not part of the system, such as guild members, not to do anything foolish, because even he was just chatting casually."

""

Shen Nian stared blankly at Jian Li: "Is it that complicated? I thought he was here to inspect the meals—"

Jian Li:

Don't listen to her nonsense.

2

Lu Xiu then turned to the side, extended a slender white finger, and gently poked Jian Li's cheek. "The old man just came to inspect the food, to see what kind of food made Shen Nian so fat—"

Lu Xiu's cool fingertips poked her cheek.

Jian Li's cool expression faltered slightly, then she nodded. "Yes, I was just talking nonsense—"

"I'm not stupid!"

Upon seeing this, Shen Nian instantly exploded. "And who's gotten fat?!"

"Yeah?"

Lu Xiu turned around, withdrew her hand from Jian Li's cheek, and once again rested her chin on her hand. Her gaze followed Shen Nian's pretty face down to her undeniable curves, her beautiful eyes filled with a hint of mischief.

Shen Nian, who was still in a bad mood, looked down following Lu Xiu's gaze.

She instantly calmed down, all traces of embarrassment and anger gone. "--You mean this? On this point alone, you have absolutely no right to say anything to me!"

That's all.

They looked at it from the other side.

This time, Jian Li also joined in the fun.

"

Lu Xiu's body stiffened.

Realizing she'd shot herself in the foot, she decisively raised both hands, one on each side, to cover Jian Li and Shen Nian's mouths. "Alright, no talking!"

Shen Nian's mouth was covered, her words were silenced, but her watery eyes curved into crescents as she laughed heartily.

On the other side.

Outside the first exit of the Astera, a row of off-road vehicles stood ready, waiting at any moment.

Of course, the old man couldn't possibly come to the Astera to check out the equipment, have a cat meal, and then head back home.

I definitely need to go to the front lines, and I certainly need to visit and comfort the soldiers.

Surrounded by security personnel, the old man walked to the door of the SUV in the middle.

Just before getting into the car, he stopped, turned around, and took one last look at the Astera, gazing at this truly miraculous place, while recalling the appearance of the Chef named Commander Lu Xiu.

The old man couldn't help but smile, looked away, and bent down to get into the car.

With a roar of engines, the convoy sped away from the Astera and headed towards the defense zone.

Until the convoy's taillights completely disappeared at the end of the road.

Zhou Zhenyue, Chu Huai, and several other high-ranking officials who had been standing in front of the base Astera slowly withdrew their gazes.

The group stood still, remaining silent for a moment.

Then, they turned around simultaneously, their gazes turning complicated as they looked towards the third floor of the Astera.

We need to completely change our attitude towards Lu Xiu from now on.

Compared to this...

Zhou Zhenyue, Chu Huai, and other personnel in the frontline military system are doing alright.

Because they always knew who was responsible for opening up the situation on the front lines.

"A national hero?"

Zhou Zhenyue withdrew his gaze and murmured something.

In this gamified era where power belongs to oneself.

He single-handedly changed the fate of countless soldiers on the front lines.

Based on this alone.

She truly deserves those two words.

the next day.

Lu Xiu remained in Jade Capital mainly because she wanted to kill a few more Variant Monster.

Meanwhile, the offline entrance to the instance has also reopened.

In order to allow more High Sequence players to go to Jade Capital, Jade Capital ultimately decided not to blockade the Astera.

If you want High Sequence players to help defend the front lines, you first need to get them to the front lines. Calling for help is useless. Right now, the best slogan is that the offline dungeon entrance for Monster Hunter is in Jade Capital.

For this reason, it's impossible to block Astera, since the offline dungeon entrance is located inside Astera.

And on the day the Astera opened.

Early in the morning.

He Yan then arrived at the location where the square had been before.

He also went to the front lines to help yesterday.

The Astera was locked down all day yesterday, and no one was allowed to enter.

Therefore, although He Yan witnessed the appearance of the Astera, he really didn't know what the situation was like inside.

He got up early this morning, not only to enter the instance, but also to see what the real-world Astera was like.

Compared to before, there was only one instance entrance.

The controls are now much stricter. At the entrance queue, fully armed frontline soldiers are solemnly verifying the IDs of each player and informing them of many new security regulations for the base.

"What's going on? They check my residency just to enter a dungeon? It's like entering some kind of military restricted area—"

While waiting in line, He Yan muttered complaints under his breath and impatiently showed his ID.

However.

The moment he finally passed the verification and stepped into the Astera.

The complaint vanished instantly, and he froze, his pupils dilating, his mouth agape, his mind blank.

"No----"

He Yan looked around, then swallowed hard. "Isn't this the Astera from the game?!"

Yesterday, the base had just appeared.

The Monster Tide arrived.

The only option for Jade Capital is a swift and decisive strike: blockade the outer perimeter.

All the players could only get a general view from a distance.

He Yan was the same, so he still thought that this real Astera was just an empty shell.

But what he saw with his own eyes after he came in—

Isn't this just the Astera from the dungeon? Even the NPCs are the same!!!

This isn't just an empty shell! It's a 100% replica of the entire instance scene in reality!!

"Why—why are scenes from the dungeon appearing in reality?!"

He Yan looked utterly astonished. "Even NPCs came? How did they manage that?"

Not just him.

The interior of the Astera was already in an uproar.

Those High Sequence players who came from Four Seas included members of guilds, lone wolves, and even members of Construction Club —but no matter what their secret identities were, they all gasped in shock the moment they stepped into the base.

"Am I dreaming? These are the NPCs from the dungeon! Why is the base suddenly appearing in Jade Capital?!"

Shocked, bewildered, and incredulous.

A mix of emotions.

But no one explained to them what was going on.

All the players could do was inquire and discuss, and Lu Xiu's name was mentioned repeatedly.

Amidst the cacophony of exclamations and murmurs,

Sudden.

A sudden, even bigger commotion erupted from the second-floor workshop area of Astera, completely drowning out all the surrounding noise. "Holy crap!!! Are you serious?!"

He Yan reacted instantly, turned and ran, forgetting even that he wanted to go to the offline dungeon entrance to enter the dungeon.

He's now more curious about what this base is all about!

Because they run fast.

He managed to grab a good spot near the front and overheard the impatient explanation from above the Smithy: "Commander Lu Xiu said that if you can gather all the materials, I can forge this equipment for you. As for the materials—you'll need to hunt, not in the New World, but in the Monster Tide outside. I'll post what materials you'll need later."

That's all.

He once again demonstrated the attributes of the Yama -type Giant Bow.

Like the other players, He Yan fell silent upon seeing the equipment's attributes.

Then.

The players suddenly realized what was happening and surged forward, shouting wildly.

"Really?!"

"Materials from the Monster Tide? Did Lu Xiu really use the materials she collected yesterday to craft equipment???"

"Holy crap!!! This equipment can be made? Mass-produced? Without any restrictions?"

"No way! Really?! Isn't this weapon invincible at long range?!"

"I peeled a lot of Crawler scales and tongues yesterday! Can I do it now?"

"What does Commander Lu Xiu mean? I want to see your commander! I am from Sapphire Star!!!"

The players started shouting excitedly, their voices mingling with excitement.

no way.

Weapons have consistently been the least frequent type of reward in dungeons.

Not to mention long-range weapons.

This real- Astera can actually be built! And it can be built using materials from Monster Tide! And it's even rated S!

Long-range weapons!

moment.

All the players have gone crazy!

Many more people brought up the System Panel and started sending messages to others.

As for who it's sent to—it's sent to all sorts of people.

Those who received the message went completely mad.

He Yan also opened the communication panel, but he paused before sending the message.

He looked at the grand scene before him, then surveyed the base, finally fixing his gaze on the communication panel. Looking at the contacts listed, he suddenly thought—it's okay not to send the message.

I might as well just quit this damn Construction Club!

Look at Lu Xiu.

It brings the Astera directly into reality, and allows players to craft S-grade equipment within the base.

And his previous deeds----

Can Construction Club to do that? They probably couldn't do it even if they had a lifetime.

Compared to them, the Construction Club is nothing but a bunch of insects!

There's no future in following them!

After all, what can Construction Club compare to Lu Xiu?! Survival Points, perhaps?

Yes.

He Yan was the one who Construction Club.

But seeing the scene at the Astera, he wanted to defect immediately.

Because, even though they are both Architect, the difference between them is simply too great.