Not a God, After All

At the same time.

Jade Capital Frontline.

Command Center.

There are just too many High Sequence players.

This was completely unexpected by everyone on the front lines.

So at this moment, in the command center conference room, the high-ranking officials at the Jade Capital front are experiencing a happy dilemma.

Zhou Zhenyue rubbed his slightly swollen temples as he listened to the report from the officer below.

"General, the front lines are practically bursting at the seams!"

The frontline officer looked at Zhou Zhenyue and said helplessly, "The number of High Sequence players flooding into Jade Capital today is three times higher than our estimated peak! Now these people have not only taken over the Monster Tide outside the defensive line, but they almost started fighting over positions."

"That's right."

Another officer added, "There are just too many of them, and right after the fight, they insisted on immediately releasing the material blueprints for that S-class weapon [Yama Type I], asking everyone they could find."

The chief of staff added, "This is just the first batch; many more players are on their way."

"Again?!"

The expressions on everyone's faces in the conference room turned strange.

Who would have thought?

The defensive lines that previously caused headaches for the front lines and required lives to fill have one day become something that players are fighting over.

"There's no rush to release the materials and blueprints. You don't need to worry about it. The Astera won't say anything either. If they really ask, just tell them that the Astera doesn't belong to the front lines, it only belongs to Lu Xiu personally, and tell them to wait for the base's announcement."

Zhou Zhenyue lowered his hand and finally spoke, "Also, since there are so many players at the front lines now, let's send another battalion to the Astera to ensure its safety, especially the third floor."

"As for the continuous influx of High Sequence players, report to see if they can be guided and diverted to other front lines to help with defense. Currently, Jade Capital's combat power is already severely overstretched, but front lines like Skysea and Quicksand are still facing immense defensive pressure."

"General, this may be difficult."

The chief of staff frowned and said, "These players came to Jade Capital for the Astera and top-tier equipment. There are no Astera in other defense zones. Even if they manage to get the materials, they'll have to run back to Jade Capital, and I suspect many players won't be willing to do that."

"That's why I asked you to report this to the higher-ups, inform them of the situation, and come up with a solution as soon as possible."

Zhou Zhenyue said, "My suggestion is to adopt a system where players can exchange battle merits for equipment. Simply put, players can participate in the defense of other lines and record battle merits. As long as the battle merits meet the requirements, they can directly exchange materials for equipment."

Of course, this is just a rough idea; the Liaison Bureau should just mention it briefly when drafting the report.

The chief of staff nodded. "I'll have the Liaison Bureau draft a report after the meeting."

This matter needs to be expedited.

After Zhou Zhenyue finished speaking, he looked at Chu Huai: "So High Sequence players flooded into the Jade Capital Defense Line today. What's the situation with the Patrollers? Will they be affected? How many Variant Monster materials have they collected? How much can be collected from a single Monster Tide?"

Upon hearing this,

The other officers also turned their gazes toward Chu Huai.

Currently, the most difficult thing to obtain in the Yama-Type is not the Crawler's tongue, but the materials that come from the Variant Monster.

This is the key reason why mass production cannot be achieved.

However, when faced with Zhou Zhenyue's gaze...

Chu Huai's expression, however, was somewhat strange.

He opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then said helplessly, "Today, one of the Variant Monster — the Patrollers— was killed on the front lines."

"What?"

Zhou Zhenyue was taken aback. "Those High Sequence players are that powerful?"

"Not those High Sequence players."

Chu Huai's facial muscles twitched slightly. "It was Miss Lu—she single-handedly killed all the Variant Monster again today."

Zhou Zhenyue: "----"

Others:

Therefore, the data I have cannot be used as a reference.

Chu Huai continued, "Let's ask about the situation on the other front lines—or ask Lu Xiu how much material she obtained."

Zhou Zhenyue was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I understand. I'll go ask her myself later."

This is quite important.

This not only relates to the production capacity of [Yama |type], but also involves another matter that Zhou Zhenyue is currently concerned about.

That's the issue of frontline soldiers clearing dungeons.

Now, a massive influx of High Sequence players has entered the Jade Capital front lines, drastically reducing the defensive pressure.

Even if most of the frontline soldiers were to be transferred to the front lines, it would be fine.

So many soldiers.

In the short term, they can be given necessary rest.

But this definitely won't work in the long run.

The update mentioned in the new expansion, which will enhance the mutations of monsters on the front lines in thirty days, is coming soon.

By then, those High Sequence players might not still be willing to stay on the front lines.

Even if they were willing, they would still need the assistance of disciplined frontline soldiers.

After all, the discipline of those High Sequence players is simply indescribable.

This period is the best opportunity for frontline soldiers to improve themselves.

So Zhou Zhenyue also had an idea, wondering if he could take advantage of this gap to send the soldiers into the Monster Hunter dungeon in batches to test the waters.

The current problem is that the Coordination Bureau's Strategy Group has yet to produce a strategy guide.

Therefore, Zhou Zhenyue wanted to make a trip in person to ask Lu Xiu, the Dungeon Architect, if she had any solutions.

After all, her visit to Jade Capital directly solved the problem of heavy defensive pressure on the front lines.

What if she also has an idea about the dungeon?

Half an hour later.

Zhou Zhenyue led Chu Huai to the third floor of the Astera.

However, to their surprise, Lu Xiu, who should have been resting or watching the Palico perform, was nowhere to be found.

Zhou Zhenyue immediately summoned the guards.

But the soldiers reported that they did not see Lu Xiu leave.

Upon hearing this...

Zhou Zhenyue's expression changed instantly.

--

They just didn't wait for him to give the order to go find them.

In front of the restaurant.

Two beams of Bai Guang suddenly flashed by.

Jian Li and Shen Nian were teleported out of the instance.

"General Zhou, General Chu, what are you doing here?"

Shen Nian looked around but didn't see any familiar figures. Instead, she spotted two powerful figures standing not far away and asked in surprise, "Where's Lu Xiu?"

Jian Li, on the other hand, remained much more indifferent.

She simply nodded slightly to the two of them as a greeting, then glanced around the third floor. Not seeing that familiar figure, she walked straight towards the Hunter's Cabin without saying a word.

only.

After Jian Li Open Gate with the key Lu Xiu had given her, she found the room empty.

She paused slightly, then lowered her eyes, seemingly somewhat disappointed.

After a while.

She then quietly withdrew.

When Jian Li, Shen Nian had already struck up a conversation with Zhou Zhenyue and quickly figured out the purpose of the other party's commotion.

"No need to look anymore, General Zhou. Lu Xiu isn't in the room, so she's probably Construction Space."

I saw Jian Li walking back alone.

Shen Nian had a better idea of what was going on and replied, "The Monster Tide hasn't broken out yet, so she couldn't possibly go to the front lines, nor could she run away without saying a word. The only possibility is that she went to Construction Space."

"---- Construction Space?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhenyue nodded slowly, finally putting his mind at ease.

However, since Lu Xiu isn't here----

Zhou Zhenyue looked at the elite Strategy Group again and couldn't help but ask, "Shen Nian, how's the progress of your Strategy Group's Monster Hunter dungeon strategy? Can you come up with a strategy guide in the near future?"

"----Progress is slow right now, and we definitely won't be able to come up with a walkthrough anytime soon. We haven't even finished the game yet."

Shen Nian replied helplessly, "This dungeon is much more troublesome than we imagined—"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhenyue rubbed his temples and continued, "Then ordinary soldiers have absolutely no chance of clearing this dungeon?"

"The vast majority of soldiers have no way to do it."

Shen Nian nodded. "The learning cost is too high, and it takes too long. It's faster to wait for a guide."

Speaking of which...

Shen Nian seemed to have guessed Zhou Zhenyue's thoughts and reminded him, "General Zhou— Lu Xiu can't help you with this. You haven't forgotten Lu Xiu's Title of [Goddess Blade], have you?"

Zhou Zhenyue was startled, then gave a wry smile.

He really forgot about that.

Perhaps it was because Lu Xiu left such a deep impression on him.

Someone like him even subconsciously felt that Lu Xiu was omnipotent.

"I see."

Zhou Zhenyue took a deep breath. "Thank you for reminding me, sorry to bother you."

That's all.

He turned around, frowned, and left the third floor of the Astera.

"----I was too greedy."

Before going downstairs.

The battle-hardened old man glanced back at the third floor of the Astera, gave a wry smile, and muttered something under his breath.

Since Lu Xiu arrived in Jade Capital and the Astera appeared, the defensive pressure on Jade Capital has been relieved. She even used materials from frontline monsters to create an S-rated piece of equipment, and there is hope for mass production— Zhou Zhenyue has seen all of this.

This led him to subconsciously develop the illusion that whenever he encountered trouble, seeking help from Lu Xiu would solve it.

He only came to his senses now.

Lu Xiu is very strong, but ultimately she's not a god.

Some things are simply unsolvable.

For example, the soldiers taking advantage of their free time to enter dungeons and increase their strength.

The frontline soldiers definitely won't be able to clear this Monster Hunter dungeon anytime soon.

After all, even the elite members of the Strategy Group haven't cleared the game yet.

Needless to say, the soldiers on the front lines were in even worse condition.

Unless Lu Xiu can immediately launch a brand new dungeon that requires no learning cost, has almost zero barriers to entry, and that soldiers can try directly without needing a guide.

Otherwise, the soldiers on the front lines will have to wait for the strategy guides from the Strategy Group.

But how could that be?

Lu Xiu has been busy these past few days, working at the Astera, crafting high-level equipment by hand, and today she even spent three hours on the front lines hunting Variant Monster at high intensity.

Human energy is limited.

Even if she were a genius or possessed extraordinary abilities, it would be impossible for her to conjure up a suitable copy out of thin air in such a short time.

Therefore...

Zhou Zhenyue said he was too greedy.