Jupiter

Shoran stood up, his gaze shifting to Jerry. The air was thick with tension, and the weight of the situation wasn't lost on either of them.

Jerry, without a word, lowered his sniper rifle. His eyes, sharp as ever, scanned the horizon before settling back on Shoran.

"What is it?" Jerry asked, not bothering to hide the concern in his voice.

Shoran's gaze didn't waver. His mind was already processing the new threat. He slowly nodded, his lips parting for the first time in a while. "It's Jupiter. A gate opened on Jupiter"

Jerry cursed under his breath. "The Nightmare gate opened on Jupiter!!!" His face turned grim as the realization sank in. "F*ck. So that means our worlds is under attack too?"

Shoran didn't answer immediately, instead taking a moment to assess the situation. " we knew this was going to happen. The question was when. In last 4 month, we learn many latest weapons of our worlds dont work work on Nightmare Creature. you need pure metal weapon. bullets, knives, swords etc. Now how the hell do we deal with it? We cant step in directly "

Jerry sigh than grabbed the walkie-talkie and clicked it on, the static crackling through the speaker. "Uncle Bai, we've got a situation."

Uncle Bai was in the middle of preparing food when the message came through radio. . His expression remained calm, his hands slowing as he wiped them off on his apron. After a brief pause, he nodded to himself, understanding what needed to be done.

The players around him were too caught up in their cooking to pay much attention. Uncle Bai found some amusement in the fact that so many seemed more invested in cooking than in fighting the nightmare creatures or doing anything practical. 

He glanced at the player sitting by the fire, a bottle of beer in hand. The man stood up as soon as Uncle Bai approached, offering a quick salute. 

​As Uncle Bai walked through the mud road to his house, he overheard snippets of conversation among the players gathered around the food stalls.

Player 1: "Man, this game feels different. It's like, every step I take, I actually feel the weight of the environment."​

Player 2: "I know, right? Back in Earthscape Chronicles, I could run for miles without breaking a sweat. Here, I get winded just climbing that hill."​

Player 3: "And the hunger and thirst mechanics? I had to stop hunting because my character was starving."​

Player 4: "It's like they took all the conveniences out. Remember Worlds of Titan? I could teleport anywhere in seconds. Here, if I want to travel, I better pack supplies.

Player 1: "True. But there's something about other no matter how they highest virtual reality games, I was always aware I was playing a game. Here, sometimes I forget. If this game open up to public. this gonna be universal hit."​

Player 2: "Yeah, I am hording lots of silvers man. who knows in later part can find a rich buyer for them"​

Player 3: "ahh, damm. I was busy fighting ghoul. I got a new sniper though. I met this guy who really acts and talk like some gangsta. thought me how to use it."​

Player 4: "Ohh, Now that you mention about it. for some reason most of the npc like character seems to be too real but all of them have a gangster vibe. .

Uncle Bai sigh hearing there chats than slowly walked to his residence—a modest wooden house that he'd built with some of Jerry's men. The place wasn't much, but it was home, and it was functional. As he entered, the familiar smell of wood and a hint of the forest outside greeted him.

The house was simple. Just a bed, a small desk, and few crates beside it. Uncle Bai had lived in places like this before, but there was something different about this one—something that reminded him of his past life.

He opened the crate, and inside was a relic from the past. It had been passed down through his family for generations, hidden away in the hopes of a day when it would be needed. When he revealed it, the machine gun gleamed, old but sturdy. With the world of energy weapons it was just relic. but now its a holy weapon.

Uncle Bai's hands moved he placed the weapon on the bed. Next, he opened another box, filled with ammunition. The process was one he knew well—he had been preparing for something like this for years. Taking out stacks of Rune Paper from the desk. Each of these papers actually made from the skins of the Nightmare creature they slew. Gone though many process than become a normal paper, he began setting them on top of the weapon. Then, he retrieved a row of red stones from his closet.

He picked up a ruston stone, its edges jagged and rough. He tapped it gently against the paper. Slowly, the ruston began to shrink, its energy pulsing faintly. The ammunitions began to glow red, charged with an energy that was unmistakable. This was the only way to make the weapons effective against the nightmare creatures.

Uncle Bai was used to this by now. The first few times it had been strange—almost magical—but in the three months since their arrival in Solva, he'd seen stranger things. He was starting to understand the power that surrounded him and how vital it was for them to control it. Without this process, the weapons were practically useless against the ghouls and the nightmare creatures.

The work was slow, deliberate, and methodical. While Uncle Bai worked, Jerry and Shoran continued their conversation about Jupiter. Jerry had done some small meeting his management team, .

"So, what do you think Shaoran, any plans?" Jerry finally asked, the tension in his voice palpable. "Jupiter's army's gotta be huge. They have high-tech weapons,"

Shoran give a light chuckle.

"But even if they've got high-tech, those damn nightmare creatures are different. You can't kill 'em with energy weapons."

Jerry nodded slightly, acknowledging the truth in Shaouran's words. The nightmare creatures were not like anything he ever seen or imagined before coming solva. Energy weapons didn't affect them the way they should. They were resilient, and their numbers were grow very fast. He had slight pick near the gate. the scene give jerry a trauma. They try bombing that place it didnt work. Shoran's mind raced, calculating the risks. If Jupiter's forces weren't careful, they might get wiped out.

"We need to head back," Shoran continued, breaking the silence. "We've got our hands full in the here. Shoran took his walkie talkie, Uncle Bai, you will need you to take over here. We can't afford to lose this base. You also need to focus on the town construction. also Issue some more missions for ruston mining. Leak the news about that we will introduce a game currency which can be exchange on real world."

Uncle Bai, standing at the his residence, heard shoran's words in his radio. He had already been expecting this. Shoran already explain him and shared many secrets. He had been the third in command here, though publicly, he was the second. But Shoran's existence was kept hidden from most of the people in Solva, his role as the true leader a secret.

"I'll take care of it," Uncle Bai replied, his voice steady as he finished preparing the last of the ammunition. 

On the other part near the wooden wall, the sounds of battle echoed through the air. The ghouls were relentless, and the players, though not experienced in combat, were doing their best to hold the line. They were still caught in the mindset that this was just another game, their lives not truly at risk.

One of the players, a young man with a scruffy beard, looked up from his rifle as a nearby ghoul let out a horrifying screech. "This is insane. The difficulty level's way too high for this shit."

Another player, an older man with a weathered face, snorted. "You think this is hard? I am playing this for 2 months now. Why tf we need to bring take food while fighting. I am not in military anymore"

"I don't know," the young man muttered. "I was expecting more of a basic tests as this game not even public. But character freedom in insane though. You Know that larker55 that guy actually stole penties from some female players. but those girls are too savage they literally hacked him to death"

Another player, chipped in. "But did you Notice he didnt show up for last 2 weeks. so it means respawn is kinda very long. I wonder how long is the respawn. they didnt give anything official statement."

"You should check the forums, the people who died crying to get back to game. some even so angry they try to burn the game pod. but didnt make a single scratch, "