When the game shut down, I took my skills with me.

"The Age of War Begins Now!"

When Lu Yuan's voice, devoid of any emotion yet filled with supreme authority, resounded in the minds of everyone in the world, the entire planet fell into a three-minute-long, absolute silence.

Time seemed to stand still.

Immediately following was a volcanic eruption of noise.

China, Dragon Shield headquarters.

Qin Shiyue abruptly stood up from his seat, knocking over the chair behind him in the process. He paid no attention, his eyes fixed on the golden, magical-looking exchange list in the sky, his breathing rapid as if he had just finished a marathon.

"Stargate... Sky City... Absolute Defense Barrier... Planet Destroyer..."

His advisors were all deathly pale, drenched in cold sweat. Some, overwhelmed by the shock, muttered to themselves, "How is this possible? The contribution points needed to build a Sky City would be enough to purify the entire land of China ten times over... This is an impossible task!"

"Shut up, all of you!" Qin Shiyue roared, his voice like thunder, shaking the entire scene.

There was no fear in his eyes; instead, they burned with a fervent flame called "enlightenment."

"Don't you understand yet? This isn't a disaster at all; it's yet another guidance from the administrator to our civilization! It's a major test for all of human civilization!"

Qin Shiyue walked to the huge holographic map and pointed to the flashing lights on it.

"In the 'Chapter of Creation,' the Master taught us to rebuild our homes and establish order. That was 'life,' teaching us how to survive. Now, the 'Era of War' begins, and the Master is teaching us how to 'survive'! How to possess the power to protect ourselves in this cruel universe!"

"Those exchange options aren't impossible tasks, but rather the technological path that the Master has shown us! It's the future form of civilization! He has already laid out the final answer before us; whether we can successfully copy this assignment depends on ourselves!"

This top commander of Dragon Shield had an unprecedentedly clear mind at a time when everyone was gripped by panic.

In contrast to China's firm stance of immediately interpreting the crisis as an opportunity, other forces fell into varying degrees of chaos and panic.

North America, the headquarters of Project Lighthouse, an underground bunker.

The acting president, in a frantic state, roared into the communicator: "I don't care what methods you use, you must integrate all player guilds! The nation needs your strength! Faced with the alien threat, we must unite!"

However, all he received in response was the cacophony of guild leaders making excuses and demanding more weapons and resources. Faced with imminent disaster, the selfishness of human nature was laid bare.

"Sword of the Oracle" guild.

Xiao Xue stood on the top floor of the headquarters, looking down at the crowd below that had begun to stir because of the announcement, her beautiful face showing only a cold calm.

She didn't dwell on the horrors of war; instead, she immediately opened the guild's resource statistics panel, her mind racing with calculations.

"War means elimination and opportunity. Whoever scores the highest in this great test will be one of the future rulers of this planet." She ordered her most trusted lieutenant, "Pass down the order: all guild combat personnel are canceled from leave and placed on maximum combat readiness. War is the best catalyst for contribution; our goal is to surpass everyone else in contribution!"

At this moment, countless forces around the world made their own choices.

Ark, in Lu Yuan's villa.

Leander was still reeling from the immense shock. She looked at the man before her, who, with just a few words, had forcibly shifted the world's trajectory from the peaceful symphony of "civilizational revival" to the bloody battle song of "interstellar preparation."

"Sir...you..." She didn't know what to say.

"Scared?" Lu Yuan sat back down on the sofa, his expression returning to its familiar calm, as if he wasn't the one who had just stirred up the world's storm.

Leander nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook her head.

"I just...cannot imagine what kind of enemy you are talking about."

"Don't worry about it." Lu Yuan waved his hand. "You just need to know that when playing games in my world, you have to follow my rules. It doesn't matter who they are."

He glanced at the global data stream projected by Xiaoya.

Panic, greed, ambition, hope... countless emotions intertwined to form a massive torrent of data.

"Pressure alone isn't enough; we need to give them a clear goal so they can focus their efforts in one direction," Lu Yuan muttered to himself. His current mindset was very similar to that of a planner who had just launched a new version, found the players at a loss, and was preparing to release the first "world event."

He didn't want to deal with the internal turmoil caused by panic anymore; it was too much trouble.

"Xiaoya."

"Yes, sir."

"In my name, I issue the first divine decree of the 'Age of War'." Lu Yuan brought up the GM panel and began setting parameters as if designing a new instance. "In the center of the Pacific, open a 'Pioneer Rift'. Hmm, don't make the difficulty too high, let's set it to... beginner level. Use the low-tier Sentinels of the 'Reaper' for the monster models, reduce their attack power by 50%, and their shield value by 80%. Add a mini-boss, a projection of the 'Centurion,' with its health set to 1%. As for the loot..."

He thought for a moment and casually set an extremely low drop rate.

"That's it, let's release it."

"Command confirmed."

The next second, a new system announcement resounded through the sky once again.

[World Announcement: The Era of War - World Events Have Begun!]

A high-dimensional energy reaction, known as the "Pioneer Rift," has appeared above the central coordinates (XXX, XXX) of the Pacific Ocean.

The Rift will continuously spawn lower-tier projected units of the Reaper, causing data pollution in the real world.

Mission Objective: Enter the rift and destroy its core.

[Task Rewards:]

[1. The first faction to successfully destroy the Rift Core will receive a reward of 100 million "World Contribution Points".]

2. All factions participating in this event will receive contribution points based on the damage they cause and their contribution to purification.

[3. Successfully defeating a projected unit has a very low chance of dropping 'Astral Shards,' which can be used to enhance equipment or exchange for rare materials.]

The announcement caused another global uproar.

If the previous announcements brought a sense of urgency akin to a landslide or a tsunami, then this announcement is like hanging an enormous, fragrant cake in front of everyone's eyes.

One hundred million contribution points!

It's enough to make any faction soar to the top of the rankings, and even directly exchange for some low-level strategic defense facilities!

"Quickly! Assemble the fleet! Target: Pacific Ocean!"

"All Heroic-level players, assemble at the port immediately! This is our only chance!"

"We absolutely cannot let China take the lead again! Their contribution is already far ahead!"

At the headquarters of Dragon Shield, Qin Shiyue looked at the new announcement with an unprecedentedly bright gaze.

"This is the first 'monthly test' the Master has given us! It's also forcing us to transform the newly established order into real combat power!" He immediately ordered, "Order the East China Sea Fleet to advance at full speed! Notify all players of rank A and above to immediately board transport planes and proceed to the target sea area! China must win this battle!"

In an instant, the eyes of the world were focused on the once calm Pacific Ocean.

Countless fleets set sail from the coastlines of various continents, cutting through the waves and converging on the same goal. In the sky, fighter jets representing various factions roared overhead. A global competition surrounding the "Pioneer Rift" had officially begun.

Inside the villa, Lu Yuan looked at the countless points of light on the holographic screen, surging towards the center from all directions, as if he were watching a real-time strategy game that he had personally activated.

He leaned back on the sofa, picked up the Coke beside him, and took a small sip.

The salted fish that only wanted to sleep peacefully seems to have really disappeared.

Instead, a true "player" has emerged, having just found new fun.