Chapter 166: Extremely Brutal Monster Battlefield

Imbuing players with the essence of the Lord of Fear was easily achieved by installing the Fear Crystal within the teleportation cave. Yang Qiu, well aware of the players' penchant for mischief, took extra care to embed the crystal into the cave wall and ensured it was beyond the players' ability to "Identify" or tamper with.

Yet, through the imprint matrix, he witnessed the futile attempt by his sister and her friend to pry the crystal loose using weapons. Yang Qiu, back in Exile Town, couldn't help facepalming.

The image of his sister etched in his mind was far too gracious… How could he have forgotten the unrelenting tenacity of his older sister?

When Yang Qiu was bullied by the older kids in their neighborhood back in his youth, it was his sister who fearlessly confronted the bullies at their doorstep, causing a scene until their mother had to drag her back home in embarrassment. In their family of three, Yang Ying was definitely the most capable, and Yang Qiu himself was greatly influenced by his older sister.

"…Never mind, they'll give up if they can't remove it," Yang Qiu muttered, diverting his attention from the embarrassing spectacle to the national team's home venue.

Ji Tang and Zhao Zhenzhen, the industrious national team duo, were meticulously planning the development direction of an industrial area in Weisshem. Limited by funds and manpower, they were considering converting half of the town's main street buildings into factories and relocating residents near the industrial zone to avoid disrupting their lives once the factories commenced operations.

"Not bad… Production lines have to be prepared for them," Yang Qiu mused, thoroughly impressed by the Ji Tang–Zhao Zhenzhen duo. He then shifted his attention to yet another branch of the national team.

Protected by over 20 Weisshem staff, the railway survey team (essentially a modified infantry combat vehicle) had ventured into the eastern plains of Taranthan. The initial phase of the railway project had also been finalized.

"Looks like the nearly two thousand detainees can finally be of use." Yang Qiu too was satisfied with the railway survey team. "We can't rely on natives for operating machinery, much less the players… Guess it's time to provide the 'experts' with more helmets."

Allowing players to operate construction machinery in the "game" wasn't outright impossible, but Yang Qiu knew the players too well. He had no doubt they would misuse such equipment; perhaps even joyriding excavators to hunt down little monsters.

Had he not gotten the native NPCs to strictly monitored construction sites and even tacitly granted them the rights to kill players, his investment in picks, shovels, and other tools would have been squandered by the players' antics.

In any case, the expert task force was definitely interested in exploring this unknown world and contributing to third-world development aligning with their national policies, so it made sense to lean on the national team for more labor.

The diligent work of the two national teams' branches added pressure on Yang Qiu's finances, prompting him to take action. He swiftly went to the teleportation circle in Exile Town town hall's basement and moved to Desolate Outpost.

Desolate Outpost, second only to Exile Town as a player hub, offered high-risk, high-reward monster hunting in the Poisonous Marshlands and the most favored gold farming site for players and studios: the lumberyard.

Merely three kilometers from Desolate Outpost, a ten-minute journey for players, the lumberyard was a rudimentary site with just two tents and a vast open space.

Despite its simplicity, it was Yang Qiu's most stable source of income, managed only by two zombie NPCs tasked with quest assignment and settlement and only the most basic logging tools provided—hand-held diesel-powered chainsaws priced at 400 yuan each.

Though the efficiency of this makeshift lumberyard couldn't compare to a professional one, the low operational costs were its advantage. Labor costs were minimal, paid in in-game currency, with no concerns about workplace injuries. Injured or even killed players would be back on their feet in half an hour, with no compensation claims directed at Yang Qiu.

The usual logistical nightmares of storage and distribution was absent, nor were the painstaking steps of drying and processing needed. Trees, once felled and stripped of their branches, were simply left to dry in the open air square before Yang Qiu "transported" them to Earth for sale.

Of course, the wild forests sprawling across the Taranthan wilderness couldn't all be of exotic timbers coveted on Earth. The majority were more common species like paulownia, palms, and photinia. These weren't particularly valuable, but with the cost of procurement virtually nil, there was no shortage of factories willing to take them off his hands.

Initial transactions were facilitated by the expert task force, but soon Yang Qiu found himself dealing directly with the factories. The volume of timber he supplied was neither overwhelming nor negligible, and the expert task force had more than enough samples.

Upon arrival at the lumberyard, Yang Qiu was greeted by the sight of players at the forest's edge working diligently like a colony of industrious ants. They buzzed around with their chainsaws, felling giant trees, then carting the roughly hewn logs toward the drying area.

"Haa, gold farming teams have grown," Yang Qiu noted, nodding approvingly at these players and studios eager to farm in-game currency as he made his way to the square to collect the timber.

Yang Qiu's understanding of economics was limited, and the economic system within OtherWorld was rudimentary at best. Monsters didn't drop money, only materials that could be exchanged for reputation, equipment, or used for job advancements. The only avenues for players' copper coins were for trading or repairing equipment.

But while the game's economy was underdeveloped, the players were anything but. They devised their own systems for trading materials for copper coins or even real money. They competed for reputation, jostling to serve Yang Qiu as a tool (mayor).

Players even established a secondary market for equipment, ensuring the value of copper coins remained stable. They even speculated on the exchange rate between copper coins and real money and would funnel vast amounts of in-game currency back into the system (essentially Yang Qiu's hands) during the monthly auction events.

The players' ingenuity in addressing the game's economic shortcomings deserved commendation.

While Yang Qiu busied himself transporting the air-dried timber back to Earth, he simultaneously notified the factories to collect their orders (his low prices meant delivery fees were out of the question) while also placing orders with a machinery factory.

G Province lacked heavy industry, but there were factories capable of producing simple production lines. Unable to compete with larger manufacturers, these factories targeted rural markets with their low-cost products, selling to Southeast Asia or serving as subcontractors to larger names, operating on razor-thin margins.

Yang Qiu had previously collaborated with one such unremarkable machinery factory when purchasing oil presses and tofu machines. Reaching out to them again, he casually dropped an order for a dozen low-tech production lines, receiving an almost instant response riddled with typos.

It was a sign of the times. Business wasn't really good everywhere this year…

As Yang Qiu navigated his way through the complexities of earning and spending, his sister Yang Ying and the first batch of players to experience the battlefield mode were unimaginably torturous trials.

"I swear… I barely got grazed by that bizarre creature and died. I didn't even see my own death animation. How is that even possible?!"

Yang Ying emerged from the cave, covered in dirt, her frustration palpable as she vented to Blossoming Strokes, who had come out just a moment before her.

"It's probably because your health bar was wiped in one go. The damage system in this game is weird. Like with the giant rat at the town exit… Some players get killed in one hit, some turn into white light while flying through the air, and yet others need to be smashed into a wall to die," Blossoming Strokes grimaced, sharing her own bewildering demise. "I didn't even see what killed me. One moment I was fine, the next I was respawning."

"I saw how you died, Blossom," Tang Jia interjected from behind, having respawned shortly after Yang Ying. "A bone wyrm breathed fire on you. It was high up in the sky and could only be seen if you were looking from a distance."

"Great… Now we have to watch out for threats from above too? Is this even possible to clear?" Yang Ying was at a loss.

"Let's regroup with the others," suggested Blossoming Strokes. "We can't keep getting wiped like this and have to think of something."

The girl trio hadn't walked another five steps when a wave of curses erupted behind them.

Blossoming Strokes turned around… There was no need to seek the main group. All of them had died and returned.

"Weren't you guys hiding in that cave? How did you all get wiped?" Yang Ying asked in astonishment.

"That was no cave but the nostril of a gargantuan creature," groaned Qin Guan, the frustrated group leader. "That monster lay motionless until we all took shelter inside, and then it sneezed or something, blasting us all skyward… It was only from up in the sky that I got a clear view of the monster's entire form."

"The heck?!" Blossoming Strokes, Yang Ying, and Tang Jia, who were lagging behind the main group, were flabbergasted.

Jia Luo lamented in despair, "And here I thought I'd never have to experience being catapulted into the sky and turning into a flash of light again as long as I steered clear of that giant rat. Clearly, I was mistaken… I'm scared of heights, for god's sake!"

"Who would've thought that things seemingly part of the scenery have to be 'Identified'!" Unceasing Entropy muttered with resignation. "Let's not dwell on that first… We have 30 minutes per battle, and we're already halfway through without completing even the first battle mission. Maybe we should hold off on storming the main battlefield and come up with a plan first?"

Upon entering the battlefield, players discovered that victory wasn't determined by the traditional method of head-to-head combat but by completing specific tasks. Initially, this left many feeling underwhelmed. What fun was there in a battlefield where the thrill wasn't in the unrestrained combat but in task completion?

But as players received their assignments from the battlefield NPCs and nonchalantly made their way to the so-called main battlefield, any lingering discontent completely vanished.

This was no ordinary skirmish but a monstrous free-for-all that could rival the Battle of the Five Armies!

Not only were there sheer numbers, many of the monsters towered over ten times the size of any player character! Were it not for the green-named allies among these fierce, ultra-realistic creatures that outdid any 3D movie special effects, the players might have conceded defeat then and there. A battlefield like this that had only enemies would have meant certain annihilation!

Even with allied monsters in the fray, venturing into the battlefield was perilous. The tug-of-war between the factions was intense; territories held by allies one moment could be overrun by enemies the next. Previous routs had unfolded in just this manner.

In any case, influenced by the brutal atmosphere of the monster-ridden battlefield and having experienced several complete team wipes, players abandoned their initial skepticism. They began to take this new mode seriously, recognizing the challenge and strategy it demanded.

"Our mission," Blossoming Strokes began, "is to locate an enemy camp guarded by a Headless Knight and launch the signal flare given by the NPC into their midst. We've encountered the Headless Knight before during our last wipe. Although its name is visible, its level and details are all question marks, suggesting it's an unbeatable super boss. We need to complete our mission when it's away from the camp."

"But that knight moves so fast, it's impossible to tell where it's coming from, and with the density of monsters, finding the camp seems like a tall order," Qin Guan lamented.

"It is difficult," acknowledged Blossoming Strokes. "However, we have 25 people in our group. If we all head out together, we risk another wipe. If we split up, we get 25 chances to do reconnaissance. What do you all think?"

"I agree," Unceasing Entropy was quick to support the idea. "Given that we stand no chance against the monsters here, and death is almost certain upon entering the main battlefield, we might as well try to map out the terrain and possible routes before we fall."

Qin Guan glanced around and, seeing no one raise any dissent, declared, "Alright, let's give it a try or two."

With their plan set, this bunch once again set off toward the frontlines with grim determination…

No sooner had Qin Guan and his team departed from the rear base, which doubled as a respawn point in the form of a cave, a fresh wave of players materialized en masse.

"This game is unplayable!" An infuriated Brother Lahong slammed his weapon to the ground in a fit of rage.

"Calm down, Lahong. At least this time we managed to spot where the mission objective is," Guileless Gale tried to soothe him with a level-headed remark.

"Let's be real, even knowing where the mission is doesn't bring us any closer to completing it…" Phantom commented, deadpan. "The area's swarming with giant octopus monsters. How are we supposed to sneak in and drop the flare?! It's impossible to get close without dying!"

"If we die a few more times, there's no way I can stomach takoyaki anymore," lamented Study Obsessed sorrowfully.

Brother Lahong wasn't genuinely ready to give up the mission. This boss had a streak of stubbornness and, as he strode out, gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, let's go ask the NPC for more flares. We'll split into groups and charge in. I refuse to believe we can't be a fish that slips through the net!"

"Hey hey, 'fish slipping through the net' isn't exactly the right phrase to use here, right?" Phantom mocked.

"As long as the meaning is clear!" Brother Lahong retorted.

As two groups of determined players once again left the camp for the battlefield, Wagner and Kenn, these two sort of acquainted old timers, were seated together.

Yang hadn't abandoned them in this perilous demon world alone… He had left them with a few "Spellcaster's Eyes"—four floating above the battlefield facing their camp, one along the route from the battlefield to the camp, and one directly above the camp itself.

Spellcaster's Eyes transmitted live images to mirrors, allowing the two "battlefield NPCs" to spot danger signals in time. Should the forces of Calamity move their way, they could instantly retreat into the cave and activate the teleportation circle for living beings to return to Exile Town.

The six mirrors displaying the Spellcaster's Eyes' feeds were housed in Wagner's "barracks."

Wagner adjusted the mirrors to the scenes of the undead heading to the main battlefield and couldn't help but say, "Though these undead often leave us baffled and frustrated, they do have their merits."

Kenn remained silent for a moment before adding somberly, "Indeed, they don't give up easily… If it were any other army, even the vaunted Iron Legion of the Sokri Empire, they would likely falter when faced with such an inhuman battlefield."

Then, after a brief pause, Kenn added with annoyance, "But that's also because these undead possess the characteristic of immortality… I believe if they had but one life, their resolve wouldn't be nearly as unyielding!"

Kenn, an accomplished mercenary leader accustomed to commanding a hundred-strong force, had quickly discerned during his forced service in Exile Town that these undead were truly immortal.

While conventional wisdom held that undead could be banished by clerics or purified by exorcists, they wouldn't reappear as relentlessly as those in Taranthan. No matter how the Taranthan undead were dealt with, they'd soon be back, lively as ever.

Wagner empathized with Kenn's mixed feelings of respect and annoyance toward the undead. Frankly, his own sentiments weren't much different.

"At least, the task Yang demands of us isn't as daunting anymore," Wagner mused, his emotions complex.

If the undead could maintain this dogged determination to complete their battlefield missions at all costs, then using them as the main force to defeat the Radiant Sun Church's forces wouldn't pose a problem.

Overcoming the Radiant Sun Church wouldn't just allow Yang to flex but also provide him with more leverage in negotiations with the Church of Lady Gold Coin.

If the Church of Lady Gold Coin could be persuaded to begrudgingly support Rex, then Rex could openly challenge the Bartalis family for their territory in a manner that all Rhine nobles would have to acknowledge as legitimate.

This realization left Wagner with even more mixed feelings…

Indahl, which he had given his all throughout his life without receiving fair treatment, might be about to change hands.