Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

The food was alright. The braised pork ribs were stewed until tender, and the scrambled eggs with tomatoes were sweet and sour. We ate quickly, finishing the whole thing in just over ten minutes.

After finishing your meal, take your tray to the recycling area, walk out of the cafeteria, and head towards the conference hall along the main road.

A night breeze blew by, carrying a slight chill.

There weren't many people on the road, and the streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow.

After walking for about ten minutes, the gray building housing the conference hall came into view.

The two soldiers at the door glanced at him, and one of them recognized him and nodded.

Wu Feng pushed open the door and walked along the corridor until he reached the entrance to the conference hall.

All the lights were on inside, and everyone had arrived.

Professor Zhang sat on one side of the long table, with several documents spread out in front of him.

Li Dahu sat next to him, holding a notebook in his hand.

There were two other researchers, one fiddling with the projector and the other typing something on a laptop.

There were also two or three people in military uniforms sitting in the back row, who looked like they were there to listen in.

Seeing Wu Feng enter, Professor Zhang raised his hand and said, "You're here. Have a seat."

Wu Feng went in and sat down at the front of the long table.

Professor Zhang looked at him and got straight to the point: "Li Hu told me that you got the token. You want to build a stronghold to accumulate strength, and that's the right idea. The situation in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun is complicated, and it's indeed slow to fight alone."

Wu Feng nodded: "I've looked at the map, all the good hilltops have been taken. Qing Shi Village is in a good location, but there are too many players there, it's too conspicuous. I wanted to ask if you have any more detailed information."

Professor Zhang turned his head and glanced at the researcher fiddling with the projector.

The researcher pressed a button, the projector lit up, and a map appeared on the large screen in front of him.

This is not an ordinary map.

The mountains, rivers, and roads were clearly marked, and the location of each stronghold was marked with a red dot, along with its name and a brief description of its power.

Some of the red dots have photos attached next to them, screenshots from the game, showing the stronghold's gate, watchtowers, and terrain.

Professor Zhang stood up, walked to the screen, picked up a short pen, and pointed to the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun region on the map.

"This is map information we gathered over three months by sending people to investigate on-site. It's much more detailed than the maps in the game."

His short pen dotted the location marked by a blue dot, "This is Yingzhou City. The Liao army garrisoned it with about three thousand troops, and the commander was Yelü Zhong, a Liao general, a top-tier second-rate figure."

The short pen moved upwards and pointed to a red dot. "This is one of the closest mountain strongholds to Yingzhou, Black Wind Stronghold. A second-rate force, its leader a second-rate martial artist, with about a hundred men under his command. The terrain is average, nothing of value."

The short pen continued to move downwards, stopping at a point in the southern part of the map. "This is Tiger Crouching Stronghold. The leader is a peak second-rate leader, and the second leader is a mid-second-rate leader, with over three hundred men under his command. The mountain is steep, with only one path leading up, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. However, its location is remote, far from Yingzhou and other states, making it unsuitable as a stronghold."

The short pen marked a few more red dots, and he went on to describe them one by one. Wu Feng listened, his brows furrowing slightly. These mountain strongholds were either too remote or had bad terrain; none of them were suitable.

Professor Zhang's short pen finally landed on a red dot in the eastern part of the center of the map. The red dot was larger than the ones next to it, and next to it were the three characters "Wohuzhai" (卧虎寨), with a line of smaller text below.

"This is Wohu Village," Professor Zhang raised his voice slightly, "a relatively remote mountain peak within the Yingzhou territory. Take a look at the terrain."

He pressed a button on the remote control in his hand, and the map on the screen zoomed in, with the mountain taking up the entire frame.

Wu Feng stared at the screen for a while.

The mountain resembles a reclining tiger, its head facing east and its tail swinging west. The mountain isn't particularly high, but the terrain is complex—the south side is a steep slope with jagged rocks and almost no path. The north side is dense forest, with tall, deep trees that cavalry cannot pass through. There are two mountain paths, one on the east and one on the west. The eastern path is narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side, while the western path is wider but winding and has several treacherous sections.

There is a flat area on the top of the mountain, and a stream flows down from the mountain, circling around the foot of the mountain for a short distance before heading south.

"Wohu Mountain is a relatively remote mountain within the territory of Yingzhou." Professor Zhang pointed to the surrounding area of ​​the mountain with his short pen. "Look at its location—Yingzhou is to the north, Mozhou to the east, Weizhou to the west, and Shenzhou to the south. It's right in the middle of these states, making it convenient to develop in any direction. It's only half a day's ride from Yingzhou."

He paused, then pointed to the terrain around the hill with his short pen: "The south side of the mountain is a steep slope, and the north side is a dense forest. There are only two roads leading up the mountain, one to the east and one to the west. It's easy to defend and difficult to attack. There's a water source on the mountain, and a stream at the foot of the mountain. There are many forests around, so there's no shortage of timber. Moreover, this place is remote, with no large villages nearby, so few people usually come here."

Wu Feng leaned back in his chair and stared at the map on the screen for a while.

The location is indeed excellent.

It's neither too far nor too close to Yingzhou, about half a day's journey away, making it convenient for gathering information and purchasing supplies.

And in the middle of several states, it can expand outwards in any direction in the future.

The terrain is also suitable, with only two roads leading up the mountain, making it easy to defend.

With water and timber, the basic conditions for developing a mountain village are met.

"However—" Professor Zhang changed the subject, pointing with his pen to the red stronghold marker, "Wohu Stronghold is now a giant stronghold. According to our investigation, the leader is likely a first-rate martial artist, while the second and third leaders are both second-rate. He probably has five or six hundred followers. The fact that it hasn't been wiped out by the Liao Kingdom after developing for so long shows that this place is indeed difficult to conquer. It's not that the Liao Kingdom didn't want to fight, but that they couldn't—the terrain is too complex; a large army can't get in, and a small force would just be easy prey."

Wu Feng looked at the tiger-shaped mountain on the screen and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

A massive mountain stronghold. A top-tier martial artist serves as its leader. Five or six hundred henchmen.

"This is a good spot," he said. "He's the one."

Professor Zhang turned to look at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "You did it yourself?"

"Mm." Wu Feng nodded.

Professor Zhang didn't speak, looked at him for two seconds, then turned back to look at the map. "That chieftain is likely a first-rate martial artist, and he has two second-rate leaders under him. You alone—"

"It's alright," Wu Feng interrupted him. "We can beat them."

Professor Zhang glanced at him again but didn't say anything more.

Li Dahu opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

The men in military uniforms in the back row exchanged glances, their eyes filled with surprise.

Wu Feng ignored those stares.

A first-rate martial artist? He himself is a first-rate martial artist, possessing multiple first-rate martial arts techniques at the Great Perfection stage.

If you've learned so many advanced martial arts, it would be a joke if you couldn't even beat a bandit leader from a remote mountain stronghold.

"You two hurry up and come over." Wu Feng looked at Professor Zhang and Li Dahu. "It would be best if you brought more people. After I build the stronghold here, I need to recruit and train troops as soon as possible. Once you arrive, we can plan together—build more strongholds and recruit more troops. When we fight the Liao Kingdom later, I can't do it alone; I need manpower to defend our territory."

Professor Zhang nodded, tapping his fingers twice on the table: "We're already mobilizing people. The first batch will consist of about fifty people, all second-rate martial artists with divine beasts, who should arrive near Yingzhou within three days. The second batch will be larger, but it will take longer."

He paused, then added, "You handle things here at the stronghold yourself. Once it's built, make a list of any supplies you need, and we'll try to get them for you."

"Okay," Wu Feng replied.

The group chatted about a few more details—the meeting place, the method of communication, and the plans for future expansion.

Having said that much, Wu Feng stood up.

"Then I'll head back now."

Professor Zhang nodded: "Go ahead. Be careful on the way."