Maybe This Was the Real Point of the Dungeon

The atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Much later.

Li Shengkai then said, "It's not realistic to have all the soldiers train; the cost is too high. Entering the instance requires a cost, but that cost is acceptable. The main issue is the time cost. It's unrealistic for a large number of frontline soldiers to leave the front lines; a long gap in combat strength would cause problems—so how about selecting a group of elite soldiers?"

"How do you know these elites are talented? We've never had any contact with equipment like this before."

"Too."

Li Shengkai nodded slowly, then thought for a moment and said, "Then we can only filter them. After your Strategy Group comes up with an effective strategy, let all the frontline soldiers try using the Jump Kit in the dungeon on their own. Then select those with talent and have them practice intensively."

Yan Fushou nodded slowly. "This is the only way—but the real world is more complicated. Hopefully, they can adapt after leaving the instance."

"If you can't adapt, practice in real life. If you still can't learn, select a few talented players from the Strategy Group to act as instructors in real life."

"Um."

Upon hearing this, Li Shengkai said directly, "For example, Jian Li. She should have no problem learning it. If there are any parts she doesn't understand, then let Jian Li ask Lu Xiu. I just noticed that she kept looking at Lu Xiu, but she held back from saying anything. This is a good opportunity to let the two of them get to know each other better. Otherwise, Jian Li's personality is a big problem."

Although Wei Yidong is the same age as Jian Li, he's a bit dim-witted and also a girl. Jian Li can't get along with him at all. Now that Lu Xiu has finally come along, aren't you going to give her a push?"

"That's difficult."

Yan Fushou was silent for a moment. "Jian Li was indeed very interested in Lu Xiu, but later I found that she was a little resistant to communicating with Lu Xiu. I guess it's because— Lu Xiu's temperament is a bit like her older sister's."

"Sister? That one who betrayed the Coordination Bureau —it really is her."

Upon hearing this, Li Shengkai seemed to realize something and shook his head. "That's not a problem. It's just that their temperaments are similar. Lu Xiu is just a girl her age, how can she be related to someone else's older sister? They'll get used to it after spending more time together."

We'll see.

Yan Fushou shook his head, then looked at the spot where the frontline military representatives had just disappeared. "It seems they won't be out as quickly as we are—I wonder what the situation is like."

"After all, that's their home turf."

Upon hearing this, Li Shengkai didn't say anything more. After all, Jian Li was a member of the Strategy Group: "Trust them. Although they will inevitably be influenced by Lu Xiu, they definitely understand better than us that the battlefield is not a playground."

Wang Huai, frontline military representative.

He was sitting in the cockpit of the Titan, breathing softly.

The blinding flames and billowing smoke in front of them were reflected on three huge holographic screens.

This is IMC's underground water treatment facility, filled with deadly toxic sludge, and right in front of him, the heavy Scorch Titan belonging to the enemy mercenary Kane is collapsing with a deafening roar.

He never imagined that one day he would be piloting a mech in a dungeon, throwing thermite bombs at another mech, maneuvering around using cover, using the terrain to his advantage, and punching each other—something unlike anything he had learned in the Training Ground.

But they also have many things in common.

It feels psychedelic, yet it also gets your blood pumping.

--

"Call----"

Wang Huai let out a long breath, his tense shoulders relaxing. He then jumped out of BT's body, went to the defeated Titan's side, opened the hatch, took the radio from the enemy's helmet, and began to Steal the enemy's communications.

During the Steal of communications.

Wang Huai leaned against the charred enemy Titan, but he was somewhat absent-minded, especially after seeing the standard-issue rifle he was holding in his arms.

"How long has it been----"

Wang Huai muttered to himself.

Since the World Gamification four years ago, monsters have descended like a tidal wave, rendering the modern firearms that were once commonplace ineffective.

He also remembers the days when modern weapons gradually became ineffective.

First the missiles veered off course, then the bullets jammed. It was as if an invisible hand was confiscating the weapons that humanity relied on for survival, piece by piece. They retreated from missiles to artillery, from artillery to rifles, and from rifles to pistols.

That was the most desperate year. In order to survive and hold the line on the front, they laid down their guns, picked up heavy melee weapons, and learned everything from scratch in the gamified world, and adapted to hand-to-hand combat that involved bloodshed.

Wang Huai hadn't properly touched a spear in four whole years.

But just now, during the breakout battle on Typhon in the first stage, the gun in his hand truly tore apart the enemy's body. The feeling of the recoil hitting his shoulder, the crisp sound of the hot cartridge case ejecting, the strong smell of gunpowder in the air—all of this reminded him of the past.

Unlike those other players, he didn't shout "Legendary Rifleman" and rush out to his death.

Because he knew better than anyone what a real battlefield was like, and he revered the battlefield more than anyone else, the moment the Outlast pod opened, the instant he smelled the burning in the air, and looked at the chaotic battlefield, his life-and-death instincts honed over four years on the front lines, as well as his past qualities as a soldier, were fully awakened.

When facing the enemy, Wang Huai did not attempt to imitate Lu Xiu.

He chose the simplest approach: relying on cover, proceeding step by step, and advancing with his teammates—and adapted quickly.

Although the dungeon was somewhat exaggerated, although it was essentially a science fiction action game rather than a serious military simulation, and although his lack of familiarity with the warp Jump Kit and piloting the BT led him to several close calls—

But this place also needs cover, firepower, and tactical judgment. He had fought for four years, and these things were ingrained in his bones.

The equipment is new, the enemies are new, you can even run across walls, but the logic of the battlefield remains the same.

That's enough.

This is my home turf!

Wang Huai gripped the rifle tightly, his eyes resolute.

Then he arrived at the next level.

A massive underground automated assembly plant.

Above them were intricate steel tracks and high-speed rotating heavy robotic arms, while below them lay a bottomless, endless dark Abyss.

And if he wants to move forward----

Wang Huai raised his head and stared intently at the so-called road ahead.

It was a death track pieced together entirely from mobile armor plates suspended in mid-air, tilted prefabricated housing modules, and metal walls that were almost perpendicular to each other at ninety degrees.

There were no trenches, no cover, and not even much flat ground where one could stand safely.

He had to use the Jump Kit to continuously perform wall runs, double jumps, and extreme mid-air turns between these suspended, high-speed moving objects, climbing vertically upwards towards the extremely complex structure.

Wang Huai stared at the spectacular yet chilling scene in silence for a moment.

You've been tricked.

This isn't his familiar home ground.

He finally understood why Lu Xiu possessed such exaggerated parkour skills in the video verifying her success, and why this unit was called Pilot, not Infantry.

Because on this battlefield created by Lu Xiu himself, if you can't scale walls and roofs, if you can't control the Jump Kit, you can't even do the most basic thing like traveling, let alone fight.

However, he remained silent for only a moment.

As a veteran who has fought his way through countless battles and emerged from the most desperate monster hordes, the word "retreat" has never existed in Wang Huai's dictionary.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the slight shiver that arose from the bottomless Abyss beneath his feet.

Unlike ordinary players who complain about the difficulty or fall into pointless panic, he relied on the system's assistance and used the Jump Kit to begin ascending.

The wind howled in his ears, and the Abyss beneath his feet seemed like a giant beast with its jaws wide open, ready to devour him. Wang Huai tensed all his muscles in mid-air, feeling the violent thrust from the plasma tail flames of the Jump Kit in his lower back.

It was truly a mess at first.

But gradually, he discovered that although the scenario was very difficult, it was clearly carefully designed, and there was always an optimal path.

The optimal path is quite obvious.

All he needs to do is jump bravely the moment he notices that path.

Then, with the help of the system, adjust your posture, seize the opportunity, and do the most appropriate thing at the right time.

He lacked Lu Xiu's unrestrained and agile movements; his actions were methodical and even somewhat stiff due to nervousness.

But as it continues to rise...

Wang Huai gradually adapted and gained a deeper understanding of the Jump Kit.

Jump, slide, push off the wall, pull up.

Wang Huai gradually figured out the nature of the Jump Kit. He discovered that although the auxiliary mode was rigid, as long as he followed its rhythm, he could walk on flat ground above the Abyss.

His movements became increasingly fluid, and his confidence with the gun grew stronger.

The Abyss beneath his feet was still staring at him, but he no longer looked down.

finally.

He saw BT being taken away.

Upon re-entering the BT cockpit, Wang Huai glanced back at the chasm he had just jumped over and suddenly remembered a strange question.

When Lu Xiu designed this scene, was she afraid when she jumped?

When Lu Xiu first created this scene, was she afraid when she took her first jump? She looks so delicate and frail, what were her thoughts when designing such a scene?

Were those optimal paths planned out during the initial construction, or were they found only after countless trials and errors?

How many times did she fall?

That's amazing!

Wang Huai sighed, then put aside his extraneous thoughts and began to fight the enemy Titan and Ash.

With the final, heavy mechanical punch, sparks flew everywhere.

The enemy Ash's highly mobile Ronin Titan was completely reduced to a pile of twisted scrap metal in a violent secondary explosion.

"Call----"

Wang Huai let out another long sigh, his chest heaving violently, and wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.

Although I'm very tired.

But the thrill of this perfect combination of absolute violence and tactical maneuvering made his blood boil.

He learned to use the Jump Kit, and he began to get used to operating BT.

He felt he had gradually figured out the pattern of this instance!

Many times, Wang Huai even felt—exhilarated.

Because the Pilot class truly fulfilled all his fantasies about future warriors.

The extremely realistic gun handling, the lightly puzzle-solving map design, the novel experience combining shooting and parkour, coupled with the roar of guns, futuristic weapons and enemies, and mech battles, all truly get your adrenaline pumping.

besides.

Another point that surprised Wang Huai was -- BT.

He hadn't expected that Lu Xiu would give BT, this Vanguard-class Titan, such distinctive characteristics.

He was not the tool expected.

On the contrary.

He was more like a comrade-in-arms.

Although a bit naive, they are reliable and provide a sense of security, like a warm heart hidden beneath a cold exterior.

It provides Wang Huai with various intelligence during missions, chats with Wang Huai casually, reflects on itself, acts as a diversion in Wang Huai's adventures, and accompanies Wang Huai at all times.

This feeling of having comrades-in-arms made Wang Huai forget for a moment that he was on a brutal alien battlefield.

Following BT's instructions, they escaped the experimental facility.

Successfully advanced to the next level.

[Pilot, Colonel Anderson is here, investigating the facility. I'll meet you on the other side.]

BT's voice rang out.

Upon hearing this, Wang Huai seemed to realize something and said as if on cue, "Then you'd better not get arrested again, you BT."

BT's voice rang out again, immediately saying, "I won't take shortcuts anymore."

"Ha ha ha ha."

I overheard this conversation.

Wang Huai couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Previous level.

In order to execute Protocol 2, BT followed Anderson's lead and then found what it considered a shortcut—it took the Pilot with it.

And on this shortcut...

BT was humiliated by being grabbed by the robotic arm.

Unable to break free, he became so anxious that he stopped calling for the Pilot and started shouting for Cooper's help.

Wang Huai risked being smashed to pieces to climb all the way up in order to save it.

This is also why Wang Huai made fun of it.

interesting.

Wang Huai had experienced the camaraderie between humans on the front lines countless times.

But this was truly the first time he had ever experienced being bound to a cold, massive mech weighing tens of tons.

He found himself actually starting to like the big robot.

Thinking of this...

Wang Huai patted BT's thick mechanical legs, then picked up his rifle and infiltrated the massive research facility ahead alone.

But soon...

He then realized that something was wrong with this stage.

The research facility was overgrown with weeds, with collapsed load-bearing walls, exposed steel bars, stagnant water, and Mutation vines everywhere.

But as they walked...

Everything around them suddenly distorted, accompanied by a strange and shrill sound.

The scene before my eyes suddenly changed.

The dilapidated facilities were instantly restored to their original state.

Wang Huai found himself in a time and space where the research facility was still intact and brightly lit.

He was somewhat taken aback.

Before he could react, the next second...

As the image distorted again, he was forcibly dragged back into the dilapidated, desolate, and gloomy research facility.

What happened?

Wang Huai was somewhat surprised and uncertain; this seemed a little different from the previous challenges.

It seems they heard Wang Huai's words over the phone.

BT's voice rang out at the right time. According to its explanation, this was because some kind of powerful energy caused spacetime distortion, resulting in a time rift in the facility, which is why Wang Huai was frequently traveling back and forth between the past and the present.

Moreover, the enemy from another dimension seems to be able to see Wang Huai as well, and may even react accordingly.

How do we fight this?

After hearing the explanation, Wang Huai looked at the scene around him that was constantly flashing and changing wildly due to instability. He felt shocked, but also a little curious.

Why did Lu Xiu design this kind of content? How is the player supposed to complete the game? Are they just supposed to passively watch?

With these questions in mind, he continued exploring the facility and, guided by BT, found the core target of this mission— Colonel Anderson.

But he died.

Wang Huai suddenly stopped in his tracks.

On the ceiling.

There was a corpse wearing Pilot soldier gear stuck there, half of its body embedded in the space-time above the floor slab, while the other half was abruptly hanging from the ceiling below.

It's so tightly sealed that you can't pull it off.

This way of dying, which completely defies the common sense of physics, makes one wonder what he encountered before his death.

Finally, having no other choice, Wang Huai jumped up and took off his Pilot helmet.

After BT scanned Colonel Anderson's helmet, it handed over control of this special operation to Wang Huai.

Anderson's mission was not simple. The Militia intercepted the IMC's communications and discovered that they had found something extremely terrifying on Typhon, which was the culprit behind the spacetime distortion. That's why the Militia commander sent him to investigate.

Now that Anderson is dead and the collected data is incomplete, Wang Huai has to take his place and continue the in-depth investigation.

But before continuing this mission, Wang Huai needed to do one more thing.

That means going around to the top of the floor, to the other half of Colonel Anderson's remains, and retrieving the wristband device he left behind.

When Wang Huai successfully obtained the uniquely designed technological wristwatch and put it on his wrist as instructed...

He finally understood how to beat this incredible challenge.

Following BT's instructions, Wang Huai subconsciously spread his five fingers, then clenched his fist tightly.

Without any warning, the world before Wang Huai's eyes changed the instant he clenched his fist.

The ruins, once overgrown with weeds, covered in dust and puddles, and utterly desolate, vanished in an instant!

In its Take Their Place are brand-new facilities, brightly lit, clean and cold, with all kinds of high-precision instruments running at full speed!

Even the musty, rotten smell in the air instantly transformed into a cool, refreshing airflow from the ventilation system.

Clench your fist again.

Buzz!

Everything instantly returned to ruin and deathly silence.

Wang Huai:

His pupils dilated wildly, and he instinctively looked ahead.

In front of him was a passage that had been completely destroyed and was burning fiercely, which was insurmountable for ordinary people.

Wang Huai stared at the sea of fire, then suddenly accelerated and sprinted forward, just before crashing into the flames.

Make a fist!

Time and space intertwine!

The scorching sea of fire vanished instantly, Take Their Place a pristine, brand-new corridor floor from the past.

He landed steadily, and as he looked up, he met the terrified gazes of several security personnel who were on high alert.

These former soldiers couldn't understand why an enemy had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

But Wang Huai did not hesitate at all.

He raised his gun, and the muzzle spitting fire, instantly killing two people.

As more security personnel and defensive mechs arrived from the depths of the corridor, the crossfire of Heavy Machine Gun was about to tear him apart.

Wang Huai subconsciously clenched his fist again.

The whistling bullets vanished into thin air, and the deafening gunfire faded into the distance in an instant.

He returned to the dilapidated present, to a passage filled with water and rubble. Thinking of the direction the enemy had just been, Wang Huai bypassed the line of fire from the past.

Then, he clenched his fist again, switching back to the past, and appeared behind the enemy like a ghost, calmly reaping the rewards.

Wang Huai: "----"

Defense mechanisms? Infrared-shielded iron doors?

Switch to the dilapidated present, crawl through the cracks in the collapsed walls, then switch back to the past and open the intact sensor door.

Despite the Abyss and sea of fire beneath their feet, they can traverse the gaps in time as if walking on flat ground.

Wang Huai thus constantly traveled back and forth between two completely different times and spaces.

It moves between ruin and perfection, and roams between deathly silence and clamor.

Following in the footsteps of the deceased Colonel Anderson, while experiencing the exhilarating, time-ghost-like dimensional warfare, we gradually piece together the truth about the Ark, the ultimate weapon capable of folding time itself.

After dealing with another group of enemies in the hall, Wang Huai paused for the time being.

He stared at the time-space wristband on his wrist, which emitted a faint blue light, and stood there for a long time, his heart churning as violently as the distorted spacetime.

Dungeons can be designed like this?!

Is this even possible?!

Treat the coldness of time as a switch that can be flipped at will, and forcibly fold the past and present into bunkers and springboards for the battlefield!

That's incredibly imaginative!

It's simply out of this world!

Wang Huai stood there for a long time, so long that only one thought remained in his mind: he had been tricked.

I haven't figured out the pattern of this instance at all—or more accurately, this instance has no pattern at all!

Much later.

Wang Huai realized what was happening, looked at the scene, and seemed to understand something. He murmured, "Is this the meaning of Architect?"

They freely unleash their imagination.

It realistically presents scenes, monsters, equipment, and so on that have never existed before to everyone.

Not only can players get rewards from dungeons, not only can soldiers learn combat skills from dungeons, but it can even make people enjoy dungeons.

Resident Evil is about the Ordinary Person's Courage. Ethan, an ordinary person with no combat experience, bravely ventures into the monster's lair to save his wife. The dark scenes and the torment of the monsters are indeed painful, but the brilliance of an ordinary person who still moves forward even when fear is extreme can be felt by everyone.

Sekiro is the Loser's Obsession. Those imposing and powerful enemies, those monsters that require countless restarts and make you question your existence but still have to get up and face them, force players to hone their skills on the brink of life and death, until the final Perfect Deflect that crosses the mountain brings unparalleled sense of accomplishment and transformation.

As for what Titanfall is now—he doesn't know yet.

But there's also the plasma tail flame that leaps across the Abyss, the steel behemoth that descends from the sky and creates a sonic boom, the robot comrades who fight side by side and can be entrusted with your back, and this ingenious idea that defies the laws of physics and folds time and Effect and Cause into individual weapons.

They are all fascinating.

In those cold, system-generated instances, humans are merely laborers driven by lofty rules to fight monsters, their minds filled only with Survival Points, rewards, and how to survive, creating a suffocating atmosphere of oppression.

But in the world constructed by Lu Xiu, Wang Huai, a veteran who had fought in the real front lines for four years, actually felt a long-lost joy at this moment.

Yes, happiness.

It wasn't the relief of surviving a disaster, but rather the pure awe and exhilaration of a teenager seeing the vast world for the first time, fueled by boundless imagination and an adrenaline rush.

They weave captivating worlds with their exceptional talent, subtly bestowing courage, skill, and powerful weaponry upon humanity.

At the same time, it also brings a touch of awe and brilliance to this despairing and heavy gamified world, allowing people to immerse themselves in it.

System dungeons are meant to keep you alive—but Lu Xiu's dungeon makes you want to live.