The Reunion players clashed with the Emperor's Children in wave after wave of fierce engagements. Reinforcements continued to arrive, swelling Reunion's numbers to nearly one hundred thousand. Individually, they were far weaker than the Emperor's Children, but they made up for it with sheer numbers.
Not every Reunion player took pleasure in slaughtering civilians. Many of them had become Infected in Ursus and were later recruited by Reunion. They hoped to carve out a different storyline within the movement. The idea itself was beautiful, but the moment they saw the objectives Talulah had assigned them, their spirits sank. As ordinary people, they still retained a sense of conscience. Occupying civilian homes and forcibly turning civilians into Infected to swell their ranks was not something they could easily accept.
As a result, some players began to slack off deliberately. Talulah did not punish them for this. Instead, she reassigned them to the front lines to face the Emperor's Children.
PvP against the Emperor's Children? Me?
The players were baffled. No one wanted to die in PvP. Death meant losing experience and equipment, even if the gear they wore was junk that the Emperor's Children would never bother looting.
While tens of thousands of players were locked in battle against a few thousand, even more Reunion Infected began looting everything Chernobog had to offer. Food was their top priority. As Reunion continued to grow, whether supplies could keep up became a critical issue. Their first target was Chernobog's granaries. Controlling them meant holding the city's lifeline.
With a steady flow of provisions secured, Reunion shifted its focus to the civilians within the city. They did reap grim gains. Civilians who had failed to evacuate in time, as well as those protected by police but slowed down by Reunion's advance, soon fell into their hands. Amid screams, they were turned into Infected. Some of the newly infected sank into despair, collapsing to the ground and giving up on life. Others joined Reunion against their will.
Victims became perpetrators.
At this point, Reunion was nothing more than a mob of violent thugs.
Ten hours after the Emperor's Children arrived in Chernobog, player reinforcements from the Venus finally reached the city. Lower-level players took on logistics and support roles, while higher-level players joined forces with the Emperor's Children to discuss how to drive Reunion out of Chernobog.
"If we combine our forces, could we wipe out Reunion's headquarters? They've occupied the granaries. That place connects to everything. What if we rush them together?"
"Don't forget they have a huge number of players too. Even if our numbers now completely overwhelm theirs, tens of thousands of players could still fight to carve out a path and cover Reunion's retreat."
"My informants say that more than half of those players are lunatics or thrill-seekers. They'll definitely try to drag us down with suicide attacks."
The strategy team clicked their tongues in frustration. PvP was one thing, but enemies who self-destructed when they couldn't win were truly troublesome.
Yang Yan XF swayed his Sarkaz tail. "Brotherhood players say there's something wrong with Reunion's leader. It's like she's being controlled. They've received related missions and are preparing to infiltrate and strike when they get close."
"So even with our numbers, we wait and see?"
"Split into multiple squads," Yang Yan XF said with a sigh. Civilian safety had to be ensured. This had nothing to do with the mission. After so many years playing in Terra, this world had long since become a flawless alternate reality. Stay here long enough, and you grow attached. Seeing the civilians of Ursus suffer like this stirred genuine pity in them.
Players spontaneously formed small groups and began to move out. They arrived at battlefields ravaged by Reunion. Most residential buildings had been forcibly broken into. Some players entered the apartments and found bloodstains, along with civilians collapsed on the floor, crying in despair. Clearly, they had already become Infected.
Faced with scenes like this, the players could only offer comfort, then gather the civilians together and escort them to the outskirts of the campus, which had become the players' temporary base.
While the players were fully engaged across the city, the long-fallen Eastern District welcomed a group of unexpected visitors.
ACE shoved aside the broken rubble blocking his path and wiped the sweat from his brow. Beneath his sunglasses, his eyes flickered faintly. "I never imagined Chernobog would end up like this."
"War never truly ends," Doctor Kal'tsit said calmly as she followed behind him, walking side by side with Amiya. "It merely changes its form on this land. For the people of Ursus, this is arrogance, and also retribution they cannot escape."
"This is far too cruel,"
ACE said softly, noticing the police officers lying lifeless on the ground. He let out a sigh. "I didn't expect Reunion's methods to be this extreme."
"Ha!"
The next moment, the feline operator behind Kal'tsit bristled. Her ears shot straight up, and her tail fluffed out as well. "There's a very powerful presence!"
Even without her warning, ACE had already sensed it. But when he saw the calm-faced figure step out from around the corner, he let out a breath of relief. "Lord Felix, you're here."
"Mhm. Just in time."
Felix wore a longsword at his waist as he walked steadily across the dust-choked, shattered ground. His golden eyes were as still as an ancient well, showing not the slightest ripple. When he recognized familiar faces, the corners of his lips lifted faintly. "The adventurers are already fighting Reunion's adventurers. That's bought us some precious time."
Amiya couldn't help herself and ran straight up to him, throwing her arms around him in a big hug. Felix dropped to one knee, lifted her up, and spun her around twice, making her giggle with delight.
The feline operator watched with warm eyes. Kal'tsit pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
"Sigh… this time, we really owe you."
ACE spoke frankly. That was one of his greatest strengths. It might be somewhat unpolished from a diplomatic standpoint, but it was often the most reassuring way to speak to the other party.
"I never thought Reunion would take Chernobog. Without Tomorrow's Development, we probably would have been ambushed the moment we entered the city, with no way to retreat safely."
ACE glanced at the Rhodes Island operators following behind him. He scratched the back of his head and lowered his voice. "I originally brought mostly rookies, thought it'd be good training for infiltration. Who knew we'd run into Reunion Infected the moment we got inside and it'd turn into live combat. Gives me a headache."
"Hehe, it's fine. I like live combat!"
"Blaze… who asked you?"
ACE rubbed his temple in frustration, then bowed to Felix in thanks. "Even knowing we were relying on Tomorrow's Development, I didn't expect you yourself to come and meet up with us."
"The command center has adventurers now. Its strength is sufficient. There's no need for me to keep sitting there."
The golden throne Jesselton had found for him was comfortable, but not meant for sitting all the time. His back would ache, and his legs would go numb. If Loughshinny were here, she could probably give him a massage.
"Brother Felix, are you coming with us to save the Doctor?"
Amiya looked up at him, her tone warm and familiar.
"Yes, of course. I wanted to stretch my legs anyway."
Felix smiled and patted Amiya's head. His gaze met Kal'tsit's, whose expression was complicated. After meeting his clear golden eyes, she looked away. It wasn't that she didn't worry about Felix making a move against the Doctor. Her plan was to take the Doctor and leave immediately. But if Felix chose to forcibly detain the Doctor, Kal'tsit judged that she was no longer his match.
When had Felix grown to this extent? Back when he was merely the leader of a faction, she hadn't expected that after becoming a king, his strength would undergo such a dramatic transformation.
Kal'tsit sighed inwardly, grateful for the choice Her Highness had made back then. Still, she had misjudged Felix. She once thought he might become something like a saint. She never imagined he would become a king who ruled the Sarkaz.
As they moved deeper into the city, the wails and cries of residents gradually reached their ears. ACE's expression tightened, and the same was true for the inexperienced operators behind him. They fared even worse, their faces paling as if they were staring into hell itself.
No. What lay before them was hell.
Some of the younger operators couldn't take it and retched by the roadside. The medics in the team rushed forward to examine the civilians' wounds. Most of them still clung to life, but their injuries were severe. Without immediate treatment, they could die on the spot.
"Just let us die."
A middle-aged man said this with eyes wide open. His lips were bloodless, his gaze hollow yet fierce. "Becoming Infected is worse than death. Just let me die."
"This…"
The medics were at a loss. They exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.
From a doctor's perspective, saving lives and treating wounds was paramount. But when the patient himself was bent on dying, they were left helpless, unsure whether they should intervene at all.
Amiya heard the commotion coming from the medical team and hurried over, speaking gently. As she faced the middle-aged man whose gaze was growing more and more ferocious, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing her arm. On her smooth, pale skin, a few Originium crystals had already begun to grow.
"…You."
"I'm an Infected too. We're trying to find a way to treat the Infected."
"Infected… can be cured?"
"For now, we're still exploring… but I believe that one day, the Infected will overcome Oripathy, walk beneath the sun, and hold their heads high!"
From a distance, Felix and ACE heard Amiya's words. ACE smiled with clear satisfaction. "Amiya's growing up far too quickly. As expected of our leader."
"She's a precocious child," Felix replied softly, "and one who makes people ache for her. When Her Highness entrusted her to me back then, in truth, it was Doctor Kal'tsit and you, ACE, who took care of her far more."
ACE shrugged. "I didn't really do much. Amiya's always been obedient and sensible… and yes, all of us operators know that. Even though she's very young, we all respect her deeply."
Amiya quickly returned to the front of the group and reached out, taking Felix's free hand in her small one.
"Is it resolved?"
"Yes… it still looks dangerous, but the medical team gave them painkillers. They've fallen asleep for now…"
There was a sigh in Amiya's voice as she pressed her lips together. "Reunion shouldn't be doing this."
Felix soothed her, gently patting her head. With ACE clearing the way ahead, the group spent about an hour reaching the place they had arrived at before. Only now, the entrance had already been seized by Reunion members. At a glance, there were also several players among them.
"We'll hold them here."
ACE patted Blaze on the shoulder, then nodded to Doctor Kal'tsit and Amiya. "These small fry won't be our opponents."
Amiya showed her concern, but she still nodded.
ACE and Blaze charged out, drawing the attention of the Reunion mob and several players as well. Seeing intruders, they immediately raised their weapons and stepped forward, intending to question them. In the next instant, however, the intruders drew their weapons and struck without mercy.
There was no courtesy at all. Before the Reunion Infected could react, several were knocked down in short order. A few players clashed with the Rhodes Island operators, while the remaining players, sensing danger, chose to cut their losses and flee.
ACE stood at the very front, shield in hand. He did not underestimate these Infected because of their weakness. He knew Reunion reinforcements were already on the way. He had to hold them here.
Felix followed Doctor Kal'tsit as they moved smoothly into the basement. Under Kal'tsit's operation, the reinforced, password-protected doors opened one after another. The place where the Doctor slept soon came into view, and Amiya's anxiety became plain. Her grip on Felix's hand tightened.
When the final door opened, what appeared before Felix was exactly the same as the scene he had seen in the past, unchanged. Kal'tsit stood to the side and initiated the awakening sequence of the stasis pod. Amiya leaned anxiously over the sarcophagus, her eyes fixed on the Doctor lying within.
Beneath the mask, she looked no more than a high school or college student. As the nutrient injections flowed in, her eyebrows began to twitch faintly.
"…All right."
Under Kal'tsit's operation, the sarcophagus slowly opened. Amiya leaned forward, stretching out her hand toward the inside.
"Doctor, your hand!"
"Doctor… please, please grab my hand!"
"Doctor, Doctor!"