【Blue Star’s first Promotion Defense Battle is about to begin. All attacking and defending participants, please prepare yourselves.】
Early the next morning, Liu Xuan was jolted awake by the announcement.
When he stepped outside, he saw that quite a few people were still bleary-eyed, poking their heads out to look around. Clearly, they had just been woken up as well.
【The detailed procedures for the Promotion Defense Battle will now be announced.】
【From this moment onward, Chinese Battlefield 2468 and the area within three kilometers of Orenburg will be enclosed by a barrier. No one may leave.】
【The battle will officially begin in one hour. During this period, the defending side may deploy personnel and fortify the city, but the defensive line may extend no farther than one li outside the city.】
【NPCs will not participate in this Promotion Defense Battle.】
【All thirty thousand attacking warriors will automatically enter a war channel for pre-battle communication.】
【All attacking warriors can now open a war map showing Orenburg and the surrounding area within a three-kilometer radius. Each warrior may freely choose a location between one and three kilometers outside the city. Once the battle begins, they will automatically appear at their chosen location.】
【On this map, attacking warriors can see the positions already chosen by other warriors, but they will not be able to see the defenders’ arrangements.】
【The battle will be broadcast across Blue Star in a manner similar to the settlement display from before.】
【The countdown begins now. Fight bravely and achieve promotion!】
After the announcement ended, a massive countdown appeared in the sky.
One hour remained. The battle was about to begin!
As defenders, Liu Xuan and the others did not have much to discuss. Zhang Meng and his comrades had made their plans long ago.
Since very few people died on the Chinese battlefield, and outsiders frequently entered it, the total number of people currently stationed there had risen to more than 4,700.
Liu Xuan alone would guard the southern gate, while roughly 1,500 people would defend each of the other three directions.
There were also about 200 people left over. Some would patrol the city, while the others would guard the flag at the city center.
Under normal circumstances, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to break in. However, they had to be wary of people with special abilities sneaking into the city.
Liu Xuan remembered seeing an island nation warrior on the rankings a long time ago whose class was [Ninja].
Ninjas came in many different varieties, but what if that person happened to know Earth Release?
For that reason, they still needed to station some people inside the city.
Liu Xuan also handed the [Life Flag] the village chief had given him to the people guarding the flag in the city.
For one thing, it could serve as a decoy. For another, it provided area-wide healing, so it was at least somewhat useful.
There was not much else worth mentioning about the defenders. The attackers, however, were in a completely different state.
More than thirty thousand people from countries across Asia were crammed into a single channel. One could easily imagine how noisy it was.
Several battlefields had already reached Orenburg, so the attackers were not completely ignorant of the city’s situation.
Inukai Ichiro (Island Nation—Level 10 Soldier): “I think we should focus on the southern gate. The city gate there is gone, so it’ll be the easiest place to attack!”
Sucha Touda (Sawadika—Level 10 Archer): “Idiot! Do you think the Chinese haven’t thought of that? The defenses at the southern gate are definitely the tightest.”
Inukai Ichiro (Island Nation—Level 10 Soldier): “Who are you calling an idiot? The fact that the southern gate is so heavily defended means it’s precisely the best place to attack. Otherwise, why would they send so many people there? The other directions either have only small breaches or lead through the sewers. If the enemy has fewer people there, you still won’t be able to break through.”
Aditya Sharma (Three-A Nation—Level 10 Archer): “We have thirty thousand people and the numbers advantage. Why not divide our forces evenly? If the group attacking one direction runs into the most heavily defended position, that means the other three directions won’t be facing the strongest defenses. In other words, three of our forces will be attacking their weak points. Three to one—the advantage is ours.”
José Reyes (Monkey Country—Level 11 Priest): “Holy crap! Genius! Discharged!”
Park Dae-tong (Stick Country—Level 10 Priest): “I suggest muting everyone from Three-A Nation. They’re too stupid. Everyone, be careful not to let their stupidity contaminate your intelligence.”
“I agree.”
“I second that.”
“...”
As the argument in the chat channel continued without end, Ikeda Masato shook his head.
How could they possibly win a war while fighting alongside this rabble?
He would have to rely on himself.
Ikeda Masato (Island Nation—Level 15 Ninja): “Everyone, considering my level and class, may I ask you all to quiet down and listen to what I have to say?”
“An Island Nation person? I’m not listening.”
“He’s level 15. That gives him at least some authority, doesn’t it?”
“Why don’t you look at the level rankings? The top-ranked Chinese player is level 26! What difference does level 15 make compared with us level 10s and 11s?”
“He’s still the highest-level person we’ve seen so far.”
Although there were plenty of sarcastic remarks, many people felt that it was worth hearing him out.
At a critical moment, most people still found it easier to trust someone strong.
Seeing that the channel had quieted down somewhat, Ikeda Masato began:
“Ladies and gentlemen, have you ever heard of the art of going all in? If you haven’t, it doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that we people from the Island Nation understand it best.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that instead of spreading out, we should concentrate our forces. All thirty thousand of us should attack a single direction! Think about it. Assuming both sides distribute their forces evenly, we would have four groups of 7,500 attacking just over a thousand defenders each. But!”
Ikeda Masato continued explaining: “The information available to the attackers and defenders isn’t equal. The defenders have to station people in all four directions. They don’t dare gamble on which side will have more enemies. But we attackers can gamble. If all thirty thousand of us attack one direction, that becomes thirty thousand against a little over a thousand! Doesn’t that make our advantage enormous?”
Once Ikeda Masato put forward this theory, quite a few people began to consider it seriously.
“That... kind of makes sense?”
“But what if they see that all of us are in one direction and move troops over from the other sides?”
“Then we attack quickly! It’ll take time for them to redeploy, and no matter what, they won’t be able to move everyone away from the other directions. They’ll definitely have to leave some people behind!”
“That makes sense. I support this strategy.”
In truth, Ikeda Masato had another reason for arranging things this way.
He needed the others to stack buffs on him, so it would be best if everyone stayed together.
At that moment, another person with a hidden class stepped forward.
Chen Weijie (Slope Country—Level 14 Sharpshooter): “I agree with this strategy too, but which direction should we focus our attack on?”
Ikeda Masato had already decided on the answer. Without hesitation, he replied:
“The southern gate! Of course it’s the southern gate! The city wall there has collapsed, leaving the largest breach. It’s the most suitable place for an attack that relies on overwhelming numbers.”
Chen Weijie frowned and raised an objection: “If I’m not mistaken, Liu Xuan—the enemy’s strongest fighter—will be stationed at the southern gate. Why not go through the northern gate instead? The breach there should also be a good place to break in.”
“No. The breach at the north gate is too narrow—we won’t be able to capitalize on our numerical advantage,” Ikeda Masato said with absolute certainty. “As for Liu Xuan, don’t panic. I’ll deal with him!”
The channel immediately erupted in laughter.
“Hahaha, did I hear that right?”
“Has this Japanese guy lost his mind? You’re going to fight Liu Xuan?”
“Brother, you’re eleven levels below him!”
Ikeda Masato was just about to retort when someone beat him to it. It was Chen Weijie.
“Everyone, don’t worry. Even if he can’t handle it, I can. This sharpshooter of mine isn’t just for show.”
Did this guy really think he could take down Liu Xuan too?
Moreover, after Chen Weijie said this, quite a few hidden-class players began stepping forward.
“My Voodoo Mage isn’t weak either.”
“Can you match my Jungle Warrior?”
“Hmph. I’ve wanted to cut Liu Xuan down and take the title of Blue Star’s Number One Warrior for myself for a long time.”
Ikeda Masato: What? There are even more experts?
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
