Chapter 11 Investigation and Standoff
At the edge of the withered forest, the mist was thicker than usual, like a layer of moldy cotton wool wrapping the earth.
"I'm not a husky" lay behind a rock that had been raised by tectonic shifts, his breathing as low as it could go. Although he wore the only legendary item in the entire server—the [Evil God's Heart Mirror]—on his chest, which allowed him to see clearly in the distance (a monster status display function, actually an extension of Levi's observational abilities).
"Does this count as an infrared detector?" the husky thought to itself.
He turned his head and gestured to a player lying in the grass a few meters behind him.
The player's ID was "Shennong Tastes Hundreds of Herbs". In real life, he was a botany master's student. He originally wanted to enter the game to study otherworldly plants, but he was conscripted by the husky to act as a "human telegraph machine".
The husky lowered its voice and spoke rapidly: "Shennong, listen up. The coordinates are southwest, 800 meters away. The kobold squad has stopped advancing and is starting a fire. They don't seem to be planning an immediate attack; they appear to be waiting for nightfall. I repeat, they intend to launch a night attack."
"receive."
Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and nodded, then made an extremely strange move—his eyes rolled back, and his body instantly went limp to the ground, as if he had suddenly died.
That was because he chose to [force log off].
...
Earth, the real world.
In the WeChat group "God's Forsaken Land First Test Strategy Group".
Shennong (Botanist): [Urgent report from the front! Husky reports: The kobolds are resting in an open area 800 meters southwest of the temple, most likely preparing for a night attack! They seem to be wary of something.]
Less than a second after the message was sent, someone in the group replied.
Wolf of Wall Street (Financial Worker): [Received. I'll log in immediately to inform the Commander. Also, by the way, could you tell if Husky can identify the material of those kobolds' equipment? If it's metal, then it's valuable; if it's wood, then this is just a simple experience farming operation.]
Shennong tastes hundreds of herbs: […Brother Wolf, you're really obsessed with money. I'll go online and ask him.]
...
Another world, temple square.
"What canned food, I said" was pacing anxiously in front of the fortifications. Next to him, a player with the ID "Wolf of Wall Street" was leaning against a pillar, "sleeping".
Suddenly, the "Wolf of Wall Street" shuddered, opened his eyes, and a shrewd glint appeared in them.
"Awake?" Canned Food immediately leaned closer. "What's the situation at the front?"
"Good news, and bad news."
The Wolf of Wall Street dusted himself off and adjusted his non-existent gold-rimmed glasses (a professional habit). "Shennong sent a WeChat message saying that the kobolds are 800 meters away, planning a night attack. This gives us more time to prepare, which is good news."
"The bad news is?"
"The bad news is that the other side is very cautious, not like mindless monsters," Wall Street Wolf analyzed. "And Shennong just said that Husky saw that although the kobolds' equipment was worn out, they had a lot of iron. This means that their attack power is high, but the return is also considerable. As the future logistics officer, I suggest that we focus on the leader with the iron axe. That axe can be melted down and used to make a lot of nails."
"What time is it and you're still thinking about nails..." Canned Food was both amused and exasperated, but then his expression turned serious. "Since it's a night raid, let's add some bait to their inevitable route. Wolf, you continue to'sleep' and stay on standby, keep in touch. I'll go set up the trap."
"Yes, sir. I'll also go offline and keep an eye on the market." After saying that, the Wolf of Wall Street tilted his head and "died" again.
Although this "cross-dimensional communication" has high latency and is cumbersome to operate, it is the only remote command method for players at this primitive stage.
...
Frontline, reconnaissance point.
The husky was unaware of the discussion behind him about how to melt down the kobold's axe; his attention was entirely focused on the kobold leader.
Through the infrared vision of the breastplate, he could clearly see every movement of the elite monster named "Bonebreaker Gru".
Gru stood atop a boulder, the rusty iron axe in his hand still dripping black blood. Unlike his minions, he didn't scramble for the rotting flesh; instead, he stared intently at the distant, dilapidated yet magnificent black temple.
It seemed to sense something, and a deep sense of apprehension flickered in its murky yet cunning red eyes.
"Boss," a skinny scout leaned closer and whispered in a language that sounded like a dog's bark, "why don't you charge? There's...fresh meat in there…"
"idiot!"
Gru slapped the scout away, revealing his fangs, and pointed at the faint black mist above the temple.
With the help of the [Basic Language Proficiency (Passive)] built into the breastplate, the husky saw a line of fragmented translated subtitles:
"...That place is...forbidden."
Gru's voice trembled slightly, but then its nose twitched, and a ferocious, maniacal laugh, as if it had seen through the truth and the falsehood, appeared on its face.
"But... that 'thing'... is dying."
It could sense it. That terrifying being that once made the entire wasteland tremble was now like a candle flickering in the wind, its divine power extremely weak.
Having survived for years in the wilderness, Gru discovers a deadly "secret".
Gru licked his lips greedily, then slammed his iron axe down on the withered tree beside him. "As long as we... don't go in... He... can't kill us."
It pointed to the invisible boundary surrounding the temple.
"His power...cannot escape...that cage."
These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the ears of the eavesdropping husky.
The husky was stunned for a moment, then felt a chill run down its spine: "Holy crap? This NPC is so intelligent? It figured out that our god is in prison?"
On the high platform of the temple.
Having been listening to the entire scene from a "God's-eye view" through the husky's breastplate, Li Wei slowly opened his eyes. A cold killing intent flashed in his purple-gold pupils, but more than that, there was a helpless self-mockery.
"So, even this lowly stray dog can see through my disguise?"
Li Wei looked down at his pale hands.
That kobold was right.
He now holds absolute control within the temple grounds—if these kobolds dare to step into the temple, he can crush them into powder with a flick of his finger.
However, once he leaves the temple grounds, his divine power dissipates as quickly as a drop of water losing its gravity.
The price of his shattered divine status was the loss of his ability to expand his "divine realm." The temple he now occupies is both his fortress and his prison.
This is why those kobolds dared to set up camp so openly outside, because they knew that the gods couldn't come out.
"That's why I need you, my 'Fourth Calamity'."
Li Wei glanced at the husky hiding in the bushes, then at the players busily setting up traps around the temple, and a smile returned to his lips.
"I can't get out, but I can let these 'crazy' people out."
The divine power cannot leave, but the player can.
Players can not only go out, but also respawn infinitely, and bring back everything they see like locusts—whether it's resources, equipment, or enemy corpses.
The scene shifts back to the front lines.
The kobold leader, Gru, seemed to have made a decision. He waved his hand, signaling his men to rest and sharpen their weapons.
"Wait… until tonight…" Gru grinned maliciously, "when the fog… is at its thickest… we'll go in… and kill all those… cowards…"
It wanted to use the cover of night to avoid the core area of the temple and only hunt down the weak humans (players) on the periphery.
The husky, having grasped the situation, turned around and kicked the newly "resurrected" Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs.
"Shennong, wake up! Log off and send a WeChat message! They're really going to launch a night attack! And this BOSS seems to know that the gods can't come out, so it's trying to exploit a bug to kill us!"
"Received!" Shennong, who tasted hundreds of herbs, rubbed his eyes and skillfully "died" again.
...
Inside the temple, Li Wei withdrew his gaze.
The sky had completely darkened, and the two moons were about to rise.
He could sense that the dozens of new soul links in the void were already restless, like athletes waiting for the starting gun.
"Mia."
His deep voice echoed in the hall.
The cat-eared girl, who had been peeking out from behind the throne, immediately stood up straight, her tail standing on end in nervousness: "Yes, yes!"
"Go and open the gate."
Li Wei straightened his seemingly high-class black robe, maximizing the effects of [Deception] and [Intimidation]. The black mist behind him instantly surged, transforming into countless indescribable tentacles that danced in the void.
"Prepare your welcoming words, my little divine messenger."
Li Wei looked down at the increasingly bright teleportation array below, his eyes gleaming with a light that seemed to say "harvest."
"Our reinforcements arrived even before nightfall."
"Tell them that the war… has begun."