Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

The group rode their horses along the official road for another half an hour, until they saw a cluster of lights in the distance.

Liuhe Town is small, with about a hundred households. At the entrance of the town stands a wooden pole with a lantern hanging from it, swaying back and forth in the night wind.

There was only one main street, paved with bluestone slabs, which were pitted and uneven from being trampled by horses' hooves.

Most of the shops on both sides were closed, with only a few still lit up.

Wu Feng reined in his horse and scanned the street with his eyes.

In the middle of the town, a signboard hung with the words "Liuhe Inn" written on it. Several horses were tied up at the entrance, and a dim light shone from inside.

"There it is," he said, turning back, and rode over.

The inn was small, a two-story wooden building, and the facade was a bit old.

The waiter was dozing off at the counter when he heard the sound of horses' hooves. He looked up, rubbing his eyes, and came out to greet them.

"How many guests are there, sir?"

"Five people, we need a small courtyard." Wu Feng dismounted.

The waiter hesitated for a moment, then quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, yes, there's a secluded courtyard in the back, clean and quiet." He then called out, "San'er, come out and get the horse!"

A boy of about half a year ran out from inside, took the reins, and led the horse to the backyard.

The waiter led the way through the lobby and out the back door. There was a short corridor leading to a small courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, with three main rooms and two side rooms. In the middle of the courtyard was a stone table and several stone benches, and a few clumps of bamboo were planted in the corner. It was kept fairly clean.

"Sir, how is this courtyard? It has three main rooms and two side rooms, which should be enough for you."

Wu Feng glanced at it and nodded: "This is it. Go prepare a table of food and wine and bring it over quickly."

"Alright!" the waiter replied, turned around, and walked away quickly.

Wu Feng pushed open the door to the main room and peeked inside. There was a wooden bed, a table and chairs, and the bedding looked newly changed.

I also looked at the other two main rooms and side rooms, all of which were clean and tidy.

He turned to the group and said, "There are three main rooms and two side rooms. You can choose whichever you prefer."

Li Qinglu was the first to run in and chose the main room on the left.

Mu Wanqing chose the main room on the right.

Azi looked around, then ran into the left-hand room with her bundle in her arms.

Wu Xingyun didn't say anything, walked into the right-hand room, and closed the door.

Wu Feng entered the main room in the middle, took the map out of his pocket, and spread it out on the table.

Using the light coming from inside the room, he looked down at the map.

The area of ​​the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun is densely marked with mountains, rivers, cities, and passes.

His gaze fell on the vicinity of Yingzhou, and he looked around carefully.

Yingzhou City is to the north, and Liuhe Town, where they are now, is to the south of Yingzhou, about thirty miles away.

The town is surrounded by flat land, and further south is Qingshizhai Mountain.

He looked north and saw that there were some hills around Yingzhou City, but they were either too high or too steep to be suitable for building a stockade.

It's either a barren mountain with no water source, too desolate, and there isn't even a decent road.

He looked around to the east and west again, his brows furrowing.

I've seen on the forums that most of the good mountain strongholds have bandit strongholds.

There are more than a dozen villages, big and small, such as "Black Wind Village," "Tiger Crouching Village," and "Eagle Beak Village," which have occupied all the suitable places to build villages.

Wu Feng tapped his finger twice on the map, then looked back at the location of Qing Shi Village.

This hill was just attacked today; the terrain is indeed excellent—there's a water source halfway up, the summit is flat, and there's only one road leading up, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The official road runs at the foot of the hill, with many merchant caravans passing through, making recruitment convenient. It's also not far from Yingzhou City; it only takes half a day to reach on horseback.

The only problem is that monsters spawn in that area.

The system refreshes the counterfeit area; if the NPC dies, it will respawn.

He stared at the location of Qing Shi Village for a long time, several thoughts running through his mind.

Destroy that stronghold completely, cutting off the monster spawn point, and then rebuild the stronghold on the original site.

This method is not impossible.

Most people wouldn't do something like this—monster spawn points are experience and equipment packs; destroying them is like cutting off your own source of income.

But what he needs now is not to grind monsters, but a base where he can settle down, develop, and recruit people.

He leaned back in his chair, propped his face up with one hand, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

After thinking about it, I felt it wasn't quite right.

There are too many players over there. I encountered twenty or thirty of them when I was fighting at Qing Shi Village today.

Building a stockade there is tantamount to making the stronghold public.

When the players saw the newly emerged knock-off, they flocked there out of curiosity, to grab a bargain, or to seize an opportunity.

Report it to the authorities? Players are really capable of doing that.

Before the mountain stronghold could even develop, Liao soldiers arrived first.

Wu Feng shook his head, shifted his gaze from Qing Shi Village, and continued looking at other mountains on the map.

I looked at them one by one, but I wasn't quite satisfied.

The information available on the forum is limited, and you can't tell much from just one picture.

To find out which mountain has water, which mountain has roads, and which mountain is surrounded by villages that can hire people, you have to go and see for yourself.

He put away the map, thinking to himself that he would log off later and ask Li Hu about it.

The government definitely has more detailed intelligence. The posts on the forums are all from players' own investigations, which are fragmented and cannot compare to the information gathered by the system.

Footsteps came from the courtyard gate, and the waiter came in carrying a tray, followed by two other waiters, each carrying a dish.

"Sir, the dishes are here." The waiter placed the tray on the stone table and arranged the dishes one by one.

Braised pork belly, stewed chicken, steamed fish, stir-fried greens, cucumber salad, a large bowl of egg drop soup, a dish of peanuts, and a plate of braised beef.

Five bowls of rice, chopsticks set out.

"Please enjoy your meal, sir. If you need anything, just let me know." The waiter bowed and led the other waiters out.

Wu Feng put the map away and called out, "Come out for dinner."

The doors opened one by one, and several people came out and sat down at the stone table.

Li Qinglu sat next to Wu Feng and picked up her chopsticks to put a piece of fish on his plate.

Mu Wanqing and Azi sat opposite each other, while Wu Xingyun sat on the other side, slowly eating from their bowls.

The group ate quietly, occasionally exchanging a few casual words.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Wu Feng put down his chopsticks and looked at the others: "Go back and rest, we have things to do tomorrow."

Li Qinglu nodded and stood up.

Mu Wanqing and Azi also stood up.

Wu Xingyun put down the bowl, got up and went back to his main room.

Wu Feng watched the others enter the house, then walked to the water vat in the corner of the yard, scooped up a ladle of water to wash his face, and went back into the house to close the door.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, and with a slight thought, the game interface unfolded before my eyes.

Tap "Log out of game" with your fingertip.

A flash of white light.

The hatch slid open slowly, and a faint blue light seeped out from the edges.

Wu Feng opened his eyes, sat up, and jumped out of the game pod, using the edge as leverage.

My joints cracked twice when my feet landed.

He stretched his shoulders, walked to the table, picked up his phone and keys, and went out.

As he walked out, he flipped through his contacts, found the name "Li Hu," and dialed it.

It rang twice, and then the other end answered.

"Wu Feng? What's the matter?"

"I got the stronghold construction token," Wu Feng said as he walked. "I want to build a stronghold in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, accumulate some strength, and gather some followers."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, then Li Hu's voice became serious: "Good news. Where do you plan to build it?"

"It's not decided yet. Looking at the map, all the good hilltops have been taken by the system's strongholds. Qing Shi Village is in a good location, but there are too many players there, making it too conspicuous. I'd like to ask if you have any more detailed information about this area—the terrain of the hilltops, water sources, surrounding villages, and the specific strength of those strongholds."

"Okay, I'll tell Professor Zhang. Come directly to the conference room later so we can discuss the details. Can you come at ten o'clock?"

Wu Feng glanced at the time on his phone; it was just past 8:30. "Yes."

"Okay, see you at ten o'clock."

The call ended. Wu Feng put his phone in his pocket, turned a corner, and headed towards the cafeteria.

There weren't many people in the cafeteria, just a few scattered tables.

He went to the food counter, grabbed a tray, ordered two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and three bowls of rice, and found a seat by the window.