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

Chapter 66 The Council's "Simulation Management" Game

The atmosphere in the virtual meeting room of the Global Security Council, which held the highest authority, was so heavy it seemed like water could drip from it.

There are no physical tables and chairs here, only holographic figures made of data streams surrounding a model of the Earth suspended in the center. Each figure's face is etched with undisguised anxiety and exhaustion.

On the seventh day of the "Legacy Recovery" project, the first global war damage report came like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone's heads.

"My man was eaten in half by a bunch of damned tarantulas in the permafrost of Siberia!"

The report said it was a Class D threat area, but those monsters were at least Class B in strength!

General Ivanov, commander of the Russian "Red Bear" unit, slammed his massive, imposing figure onto the virtual table in front of him with a dull thud. His voice, like suppressed thunder, was filled with rage: "The 'Order' intelligence system demands an explanation!"

"An explanation? General Ivanov, you should be thankful your men at least managed to send back some intelligence." On the other side, Serafina Vince, the chief analyst of the American "Lighthouse" project, stood with her arms crossed, her tone icy. "Our three elite teams sent into the Amazon rainforest completely lost signal after entering the 'Emerald Dream' area. They didn't even have time to send out a distress call."

Her gaze swept across the room: "I agree with the general's point. The mission information issued by 'Order' is too vague. This isn't exploration; it's sending our people to their deaths!"

"We are too!" A leader of a small European Union nation, his face somber, said bitterly, "Our knightly order, which we had painstakingly organized, encountered the life-draining Shadow Panthers in the Black Forest," and was completely wiped out. We—we no longer have the strength to carry out the next mission.

For a moment, the entire conference room turned into a grievance session.

"We encountered a fire lizard nest in the Australian desert and lost an entire armored unit!"

"Our fleet was attacked by a giant sea monster at the Cape of Good Hope, and three warships were sunk!"

Failure, failure, and more failure.

Faced with the alluring rewards of being listed as a World Heritage Site, all the major powers rushed out like they were on steroids, only to be met with a harsh reality check. The dangers of these areas designated as World Heritage Sites far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Watching the red casualty figures scroll across the screen, everyone's hearts bled. These weren't just cold statistics; they represented the most elite force they had painstakingly built up in the New Era.

Just then, Qin Shiyue, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke.

His voice wasn't loud, but it had the power to instantly quiet the noisy meeting room.

"Everyone, calm down."

Qin Shiyue's portrait stood ramrod straight, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, his eyes deep and solemn.

"Everyone here is a leader of their respective factions, a hero who led their people out of the ruins in this new era. Do you really think that the Administrator released this list of legacies just so we could follow it and collect some equipment and materials?"

His words stunned everyone.

Ivanov frowned: "Qin, what do you mean?"

Qin Shiyue did not answer directly, but pointed to the Earth model in the center.

"Look at us. In the old era, we ruled our own territories and fought for thousands of years for territory and resources."

"Now, the apocalypse has arrived, and the administrator has given us a new world, new rules. But what have we done?"

"We are still fighting our own battles. Your people are bleeding in Siberia, her people are missing in the Amazon, and our people—are also paying a heavy price in the Kunlun Mountains."

—"We are like a group of wild animals kept in different cages, only able to guard our own little plot of land, drooling over the fat meat outside, but not thinking about how to cooperate to bring the meat back."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious.

"This is the root cause of our heavy losses!"

"The master's test has never been how powerful the monsters are! It's whether we, when faced with the test, still resemble a heap of loose sand!"

"This heritage list is not a treasure map, but an exam! It tests us, tests all of human civilization, to see if we, as a whole, are qualified to meet the true challenges of the future!"

Qin Shiyue's interpretation of "Dihua" to the extreme was like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's minds.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Ivanov's anger vanished, replaced by contemplation. Serafina's furrowed brows relaxed, and a look of sudden understanding flashed in her eyes.

They carefully considered Qin Shiyue's words, and the more they thought about them, the more they felt that this was the true "divine will" hidden behind the mission.

Yes, they were too focused on the rewards of the task and neglected the purpose of the task itself.

However, while we may understand, the real problems remain.

"You're right, Qin," Serafina spoke first, her tone much gentler. "But cooperation—how easy is that? Our equipment systems, combat styles, and command structures are completely different. Even if we force them together, it will only create greater chaos."

"That's right," Ivanov nodded in agreement. "My heavy infantry can't possibly cooperate with your flea-like agents. Besides, how would resources be allocated? Who would take command? How would the spoils be divided?"

A series of practical problems cooled down the atmosphere that had just been ignited.

Just then, a cool and calm voice rang out in the conference room.

"The Ark already has preliminary solutions to these problems."

Everyone looked up at the sound, and there stood a holographic image of Su Muqiu, appearing beside the main seat. Her appearance caused everyone to instinctively sit up straight.

As Lu Yuan's "representative" and the actual manager of "Ark," every word she utters represents the embodiment of the world's highest will.

Su Muqiu ignored everyone's gaze and simply waved his hand lightly.

Two project proposals, radiating golden light, appeared before everyone.

[Draft of the Global Joint Logistics System (GLS)]

[Regional Cooperative Operations Mechanism (RCOM) Outline]

"First, establish a global joint logistics system." Su Muqiu's voice was clear and powerful. "Using the Ark's resource allocation center as the hub, and managed uniformly by the AI ​​Order, all factions can input their idle resources, technical blueprints, and unique outputs into the system to exchange for corresponding logistics points. When you need any resources or technical support, you can use these points to redeem them. This will completely break down resource barriers between factions."

"Second, establish a regional collaborative operations mechanism," she continued. "Forcefully divide the theaters of war based on geographical regions. All forces operating within these regions must establish joint command headquarters to share intelligence and coordinate operations. Command of the mission will be temporarily assumed by the force that contributes the most to the operation within the region. The final rewards of the mission will be automatically distributed by Order based on the actual contributions of each party in the operation."

"I object!" Ivanov immediately stood up. "Isn't this tantamount to asking us to hand over our entire fortune? Why should command be given to the person who has contributed the most? What if it's an incompetent person?"

"The assessment of 'Order' is absolutely fair." Su Muqiu's tone left no room for doubt. "Furthermore, all forces that join these two plans will receive priority access to the Ark's latest generation power core, energy shield, and space communication technology."

This statement was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

Ark's technology!

That's something every power dreams of!

Ivanov's objection caught in his throat. Serafina's eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance; her "Lighthouse" project desperately needed top-tier energy technology.

Carrots and sticks.

Su Muqiu presented a choice that no one could refuse in the simplest and most direct way.

Qin Shiyue was the first to stand up and bowed slightly to Su Muqiu: "The China Dragon Shield Bureau fully supports the Council's resolution. This is precisely the right path that you hope we will take."

With his statement, the remaining factions also made their choices.

"Red Bear — Agreed."

"Lighthouse, no objections."

"The European Parliament seconds this."

What would have been an argument that lasted for days was resolved in less than ten minutes after Su Muqiu appeared.

Seeing these leaders who were just blaming each other now enthusiastically discussing how to divide war zones and share resources, Su Muqiu's face revealed a subtle smile.

She knew that from this day forward, the world would truly begin to unite as one.

All of this was simply to make the man who was lying on the beach drinking Coke a better "worker".

Just as the council was busy with a "simulation management" game to prepare for the next global exploration.

In the pitch-black depths of the ocean, eleven thousand meters above sea level.

The atmosphere in the command center of the flagship "Kunlun" of the East China Sea Fleet was extremely tense.

The deep-sea submersible "Striver" has been hovering on this desolate seabed for more than three hours.

"Report: All communications with the Striver are normal."

"The vital signs maintenance system is normal."

"The energy shield is maintained at 90%."

All the reports showed that everything was normal, but everyone in the command center felt a chill run down their spines.

Because on the huge main screen in front of them, the beams of light from the searchlights on the outside of the deep-sea submersible were illuminating a scene that ordinary people could not imagine.

A city.

A magnificent and enormous dark city, whose architectural style completely defies human cognition, filled with distorted straight lines and bizarre angles, stands silently on the seabed tens of thousands of meters deep.

The entire city seemed to have been carved from a single, massive, dark green rock, exuding an ancient,

An eerie and chaotic aura.

"Is this... R'lyeh?" a young staff officer asked in a dry voice.

No one could answer him.

Just then, the submersible pilot sent a report in a trembling voice.

"Command Center—We—We have arrived at the mission coordinates."

"Turn the searchlights to maximum power! Transmit the image of the target area back!" the commander ordered.

The searchlight beams of the "Striver" suddenly brightened, piercing through the deeper darkness.

At the end of the pillar of light, the outline of an enormous temple slowly emerged. And directly in front of the temple stood an even larger statue.

The moment the statue's appearance was clearly seen, several suppressed gasps of fear rippled through the command center.

It was a terrifying being with an octopus-like head, a face covered with countless tentacles, a body like a bloated giant covered in scales, and a pair of broken, bat-like wings on its back.

It sat quietly on its enormous throne, as if it had been asleep for millions of years.

It also seemed as if it might open its eyes at any moment.