Strategy game? Then I'll have to control you properly.

"This is too much of a cheat." Lin Miao muttered to himself in a daze after confirming the power of the malfunctioning entities through the residents.

Although the defensive wall did not collapse as expected, victory was achieved after a fierce battle.

But the enemy's relentless rate of evolution and growth still made him feel suffocated.

If you relax even slightly, you will be overtaken.

No, to be honest, even if we don't slack off, we'll be caught up sooner or later.

If things continue like this, we'll eventually be overtaken.

The outcome would be a complete annihilation, leaving no survivors, including oneself.

"Although the system's power is also cheating, I do have limitations," Lin Miao thought to herself.

The system that brings games and programs to life is indeed powerful, but this power is not free.

The reality is that we have to desperately squeeze out the small number of points awarded based on achievements.

"What exactly keeps those monsters alive?" Lin Miao wondered irritably.

The proliferation, evolution, invasion, and combat of the malfunctioning entities seem to disregard resource consumption entirely.

Of course, the fact that they also seek efficient modes of action shows that faulty entities do not have unlimited resources.

Even with limited resources, they were clearly much more plentiful than those of the residents or Lin Miao.

"At least we can confirm that each of those swarming insectoids, those ant-like monsters, has independent dominance over its nests." Lin Miao summarized several points based on the information he had gathered so far.

Because the Zerg invade through various means such as spatial rifts, nest building, and erosion, and their forms are too complex, including swarm type, assault type, and solitary type.

Earth users are actively sharing intelligence about them in order to respond effectively.

Lin Miao, who has not yet appeared, is no exception.

He bit his lip as he wrote down the Zerg information he wanted to share with Li Sushang.

"There even seems to be competition between the different nests. Some mutants may have emerged not only because of us, but also because of their internal competition. What's even more frightening is that they all share the same ultimate goal and will not hesitate to join forces to attack us if necessary," Lin Miao continued to organize.

The intelligence on the Zerg in the current conflict between China and Zerg, especially the information on the first appearance of swarm-type Zerg in the north, is gradually becoming clear.

This is the most formidable enemy to date.

"The assault-type Zerg that appeared from the rift behind us this time looks completely different from the swarm-ant-type Zerg... Could these guys be exchanging information with each other?" Lin Miao muttered to himself in a daze, then suddenly sighed.

The evolution of racial traits based on imitation and rapid iteration is merely a facade.

What's truly terrifying is that the Zerg are also accumulating experience and knowledge.

"No, we are growing, we are evolving." Lin Miao shook her head forcefully to shake off this thought.

The sheer number of possibilities the enemy held, even just imagining them, created a sense of oppression that crushed his confidence.

But he shook his head forcefully to shake off the thought.

The residents living on the screen may not know it, but he, who can see everything from above, always believes in the program he wrote, the game, and these residents.

The group of fugitives they encountered by chance was only about thirty people.

His assistance was clearly indispensable in enabling the tribe to develop into a powerful force with massive walls, fortresses, well-equipped weaponry, skills, and resources in a short period of time.

To be fair, in the eyes of other forces, the growth rate of Cinnabar is even faster than the evolution shown by those swarm-type Zerg.

Moreover, they are not puppets controlled by the central government.

These residents, whom some regard as guardian deities, will notice the details he overlooks; they are independent individuals capable of autonomous development.

"It's too early to worry now. Although I was startled, I haven't lost yet," Lin Miao told herself.

Since we are not out of options, we should continue to train the residents as we have been doing so far.

Although it is a conventional method, it is also the most effective and optimal solution.

"It's a pity, but it's also true. If, as that trickster magician Paul wishes, a force emerges that monopolizes the entire grassland, and it's us, then..." Lin Miao unconsciously swallowed her dry throat.

Although I kept reminding myself that the residents were not NPCs in a game but real people, I still couldn't stop my restlessness.

The war with the Zerg will continue, and it is only natural that more forces are needed.

The core of this power lies in people, that is, talent.

The games and program loops he designed were intended to uncover and enhance the hidden talents of the residents.

More people and more resources can make war easier.

And coincidentally, the desktop world contains countless fertile grounds that enable these things.

"Is this something we can't do? What should we do?" Lin Miao fell into deep thought.

To date, it has adopted a passive attitude towards external forces.

They only repelled those who forcibly invaded, never going beyond the scope of revenge.

Although Attila was proactive, Lin Miao respected his choice but actually wanted to focus more on dealing with the Zerg.

But now that sentiment is changing.

Even in order to stop the Zerg, they want to take more proactive action and spread their power.

"This isn't a matter of right or wrong," Lin Miao thought to herself.

Survival is the only value that is most important to life.

In its presence, the good and evil that humans arbitrarily define are meaningless.

Besides, how effective can the values ​​of the inhabitants of another world be?

As the Healers, who were tending to the wounded and mourning the dead, celebrated their victory, the Divine Race, led by Lillie and Attila, collectively gave thanks to the heavens.

Victory cannot overshadow all sacrifices.

After the initial excitement, which ignited so easily like a flame, faded, only brutality remained on the battlefield.

This is true on every battlefield.

Although the veterans felt uncomfortable, they had long been used to this scene.

"No, this is not war at all." But this is just the opinion of veterans from Aurora.

Paul, the royal magician who was neither a novice nor an inexperienced soldier but had accumulated solid combat experience, was now staring blankly at the brutal battlefield, just like the other inexperienced ones.

The soldier who never gave him a friendly look protected him during the crisis in order to complete his mission.

Paul's pupils trembled violently as he looked at the soldier's corpse, which had been easily cleaved in two by the newly emerged mutant.

The first time engaging in a group battle against the Zerg.

Whether it was suppressing bandits, quelling rebels, or even fighting against tribes on the grasslands with Luke, I had never felt this way before.

It didn't feel like experiencing war; it felt more like fighting against a natural disaster.

The problem is that this is neither the first nor the last time.

"No, that's not how it is!" Paul suddenly stood up and rushed out of his seat.

"Lord Paul!" The other magicians tried to stop him, but failed.

Paul ran all the way and finally arrived at the command post where Commander Mista and Lillie were located.

Before anyone could react, he knelt down in front of the two men.

"What's going on? What happened?" Mista shuddered in fright.

Paul's eyes held a disturbing madness that would make an uninformed person think he had just returned from a brutal battlefield and had gone insane.

"Please approve! The kingdom must know what's happening here!" Paul pleaded desperately.

Imperial expansion, grassland unification, containment policies—all those complex international situations are irrelevant.

The most urgent task is to stop the Zerg from launching a large-scale invasion.

Therefore, everyone must unite immediately, he argued.

"But this is too sudden..." Mista said hesitantly.

"I understand what you mean," Lillie, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. "But will your king really believe it? Even the people who live on this grassland together don't know what kind of monster we are fighting."

Paul shuddered upon hearing this, but then shook his head vigorously.

"Whether you believe it or not is not important; the key is to raise everyone's vigilance. That way, they will at least think twice before doing something foolish." Paul already firmly believed in this.

From the perspective of having to stop the Zerg, his seriousness was no less than that of any Aurora.

He firmly believed that the growth of the Zerg meant the destruction of the world.

"What should we do?" Mista asked, glancing at Lillie's face.

"He is a prisoner, I cannot make a decision on my own," Lillie replied firmly.

Releasing Paul would obviously raise political issues.

This was not something she, as a warrior, could decide; it had to be decided by the great patriarch Attila.

"That makes sense." The news quickly reached Attila.

"It's fortunate that we were able to hold off the offensive without suffering heavy casualties, but we can't let our guard down now," Attila said.

"That's right, defense alone is meaningless. We must take down their stronghold," one of his men chimed in.

Attila, who was discussing a cooperative mission with miners' representative Allen, fell into deep thought after receiving a message from Lillie.

Because Paul's request is indeed reasonable.

If the Southern Kingdoms hear the news and offer assistance, China will receive strong support in its fight against the Zerg.

"But compared to the Southern Kingdom, we are far too weak," Attila thought to himself.

Although he had become the chieftain of tens of thousands of tribes, this scale was at most equivalent to a city in the Southern Kingdom.

The gap in strength between the existing powers and Aurora, as learned by Paul and his group, is still ridiculously large.

"Will there be any problems if we just assist in clearing out the black monsters?" Allen asked.

"Our duty is not only to stop the black monsters, but also to uphold the will of the gods. Those who can overwhelm us with sheer numbers might just snatch the guardian deity from our grasp," Attila said, shaking his head.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Allen jumped up in shock.

For them today, the guardian deity is an absolutely indispensable and revered being in the literal sense.

The reason they were willing to fight the Zerg was precisely because of the protection of their guardian deity.

Therefore, what Aurora needs to protect most is the guardian deity they believe in and follow.

"So it's impossible to join forces with them?" Allen asked.

"Not necessarily. If we can become a great tribe that is no less powerful than them, no, if we can become a kingdom... then perhaps there won't be a problem." Attila chuckled, his eyes gleaming.

His gaze fell upon this vast land.

This land, scattered with grassland tribes, is by no means small.

In terms of area alone, it might be even larger than the Southern Kingdom.

Beyond what they thought was the end, a wider plain stretched out.

In what is truly considered the end of the world, a race of aliens known as dwarves has lived in seclusion for a long time.

"This land is enough." Therefore, Attila curbed his territorial ambitions.

Population was not a major problem; as long as the grassland tribes conquered the surrounding tribes, their population could expand rapidly.

Nowadays, no one in this region dares to defy China.

Even the survival rate of newborns has improved significantly, and no more children will die from illness.

This is all thanks to the protection of the guardian spirit, which was obtained by sacrificing points.

"After annexing the defeated Theodore tribe, our size has increased dramatically. But Allen, don't you feel uneasy? What if the enemy attacks again with more troops and greater strength..." Attila asked.

"Of course I'm uneasy. Great Patriarch, you wouldn't be thinking of taking over this land..." Allen said hesitantly.

"We haven't even unified the tribes of the steppe, so who would believe our claims about the black monster? Those guys who think we're barbarians?" Attila said.

Attila craved war, or more accurately, expansion by any means necessary.

On the grasslands, tribal warfare and plunder of wealth and people are commonplace.

"I'm afraid it won't be easy. We still have to guard against the northern forces," Allen said worriedly.

"If we absorb the remaining remnants of Theodore's forces, we might have a chance of winning. Besides... to take such action, we ultimately need that lord's permission," Attila said.

Although he temporarily backed down, Attila's mindset remained unchanged.

Finally, the next morning, in the center of the battlefield, those who had followed Theodore were slaughtered by Luke's soldiers.

Attila began to offer sacrifices to the sky, revealing his true feelings with a touch of frankness.

Whether it's launching a larger-scale war or engaging in exchanges, he wants to further expand his power.

As a result, the content of their all-night conversation could not possibly go unnoticed by those outside the screen.