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

The scout immediately bowed and replied, "They clearly stated that they had no intention of fighting, and they did indeed abandon their weapons."

This completely unexpected news left the messenger with the same shocked expression.

The scout continued, "Although they've been brought into the territory, they're temporarily housed on the old battlefield from the last battle with the Gael tribe. What should we do with them?"

Attila stroked his chin, pondering in his mind: Could it be because we counterattacked and killed the troops they sent, and then annexed those people?

Because this group of people claiming to be envoys insisted on meeting the tribal chief Attila before explaining their purpose, their true intentions remain unknown to this day.

Even so, Attila had no reason to refuse. Since he could expand his power without waging war, why not?

He thought to himself: If we can make them understand the mission we bear, perhaps we can really reach an agreement.

Attila was planning to release information about the Zerg, showing that their true enemies were those monsters.

If Theodore acknowledges this fact, there is no need for hostility between the two sides. If they can use this opportunity to establish communication, they can actually gain more benefits.

All of this is the result of their fighting to the death, proving their strength, and elevating their status.

The soldier had just received Attila's will and was about to get up to reply when Attila pressed him back down to rest: "You rest, I will send someone else to convey the message."

Since he would have to turn back anyway, he figured it wouldn't take too long.

Attila thought to himself: That lord will help.

Sure enough, after Attila finished giving instructions to the new soldiers, Lin Miao, who was watching from the sidelines, used the mouse to lift the messenger up, horse and all.

The messenger lands at the furthest coordinate point controllable by the mouse, instantly crossing the screen to rendezvous with the allied forces who were holding Theodore's envoy captive.

He smiled at the bewildered envoys and said, "Great! The chieftain has agreed to listen to your demands."

The envoys were immediately at a loss, exclaiming in surprise, "Wait, how could it be so fast?!"

Theo's envoys, completely unaware of the situation, had no idea that the messenger had "flown" over, and were utterly at a loss when faced with this mission completed in an instant.

The Aurora scouts grinned as they watched the group embarrass themselves, then led them to the village.

Because of the presence of non-friendly units, they could not teleport using the mouse, but since the agreed meeting place was located in the middle of the journey, they soon encountered Attila, who had set off from the village.

A guard approached Attila and whispered, "Chief, they've arrived."

Attila chuckled as he watched a group of people approaching from afar, and said softly, "I'm looking forward to seeing what they have to say."

The meeting began quickly.

Attila's arrival and waiting made the messengers sent by Theodore visibly nervous.

This was exactly the effect Attila wanted.

To strike first, he wielded the gleaming divine sword bestowed upon him by the guardian deity, wore earthen dragon armor inlaid with eerie blue scales, and donned a horned dragon skull helmet.

This posture exudes a sense of mystery that ordinary leaders lack, and also carries a strong sense of oppression.

Attila looked at the leading envoy and said in a deep voice, "I've heard that the renowned Patriarch Theodore, whose fame has spread to the frontiers, has sent an envoy?"

Bjorn, the envoy who was already at a disadvantage in terms of presence, quickly bowed and introduced himself, "Yes, yes. I am Bjorn, the warrior of that lord."

Attila immediately launched into a barrage of questions: "Previously, a chieftain named Gael led his tribe to attack us upon sight, claiming to be followers of Patriarch Theodore. If you claim to be acting on the Patriarch's orders, are you here to take responsibility?"

Bjorn wiped away his cold sweat and shook his head repeatedly: "The immigration was indeed the Great Chieftain's order, but he did not order an indiscriminate war to be waged during this process."

He first followed Theodore's orders and labeled the Gaelic tribe's actions as arbitrary and self-defeating, thus completely severing ties with them.

Attila frowned and continued, "Why did the Great Chieftain send you here? Most of us fled here because we could no longer endure the plundering by the tribes under the current Great Chieftain."

Bjorn finally revealed the key to this trip: "It's... because of the black monster."

The word "black monster" sent a collective gasp through everyone present, including Attila.

Bjorn quickly explained the whole story in detail: "Among the defeated and fleeing Gaelic warriors, some were hunted down by giant black centipedes, resulting in the annihilation of the entire small tribe. Although the chieftain sent a punitive expedition, the expedition was also wiped out."

Fortunately, that creature has been slain, and even the smaller monsters have vanished. However, the chieftain is very worried that these monsters will endanger us all. He asked me to inquire whether you know anything about those black monsters.

Having ascertained the envoy's purpose, Attila sighed deeply and acknowledged the existence of the insectoid race: "Of course I know. They are extremely evil monsters that attempt to devour us and the world. We are doing our utmost to stop them, upholding the will of our guardian deity, and fighting those villains with our lives."

Bjorn blinked in surprise, repeating in a trembling voice, "Guardian...Guardian Angel?"

Attila gave him a stern warning, making it clear that this was not something to be taken lightly: "If they spread there, we must join forces to stop them. As you know, those enemies are terrifyingly powerful."

In the face of indiscriminate calamity, personal feelings, grudges, or rewards are meaningless; frankly, this is a matter of life and death for everyone.

Even a powerful clan leader who becomes a hegemon through plunder and conquest would never be able to deal with this alone; they would have to join forces whenever possible.

Bjorn said, forcing a smile, "These arguments are really hard to understand. I'm afraid I can't easily believe them."

Attila immediately spoke up: "In that case, why don't you come with us? The rest of you go back and convey our wishes to the Great Chieftain. Tell him that the Black Beast is a terrifying monster that seeks to devour the world, and if you want to join forces before suffering even greater losses, come and negotiate with us."

He had Bjorn follow him while instructing the other messengers to return and deliver the message.

Everyone immediately noticed Bjorn's expression and stared at him intently. In this atmosphere, it was impossible for Bjorn to refuse the suggestion.

Bjorn swallowed hard and said stiffly, "Let's go... let's go."

Ultimately, Bjorn accepted Attila's offer.

Although his face clearly showed his reluctance to be taken to a strange place, he had no other choice.

Attila, seeing his reaction, let out a hoarse laugh and said, "I guarantee it. Once you witness that lord's power and protection, you will absolutely not dare to disobey."

He was certain that although the other party was currently filled with fear and doubt, they would have to change their minds after witnessing it firsthand.

Now that things have come to this, Bjorn can only accept his fate. He thought to himself: Well, this is an opportunity.

It's good to find out who these people are and what gives them the right to be so arrogant.

The only way to survive is to obediently follow instructions, talk to the enemy, and then cautiously evacuate.

But as the group headed toward the village of Zhen Dan, what first caught Bjorn's eye was naturally the towering, under-construction giant city wall.

His wide eyes trembled uncontrollably as he cried out in shock, "What...what is this?! What is that thing?!"

This wall is taller than the walls built by settled peoples to defend against plunder.

Everyone, including Attila, was amused by his reaction, but Bjorn had no time to pay attention at the moment.

Attila personally introduced the village to Bjorn, his tone laced with undisguised pride: "We follow that great man and fulfill our mission. In doing so, He will bestow grace upon us."

Even if detailed information about the game is hidden, simply showing their affluent lifestyle is enough.

Bjorn, his neck aching, stared blankly at the laborers building the city wall with their bare hands, nodding mechanically and muttering to himself, "Really... not a single person here is starving. How is that possible?"

The game features an extremely abundant supply of rapidly produced food, enough to stockpile large quantities of food even with a surge in the population.

Therefore, regardless of class, gender, or age, there were no emaciated starving corpses to be seen.

When the smooth, gravel-paved road came into view, Bjorn let out a dry laugh: "How is this possible..."

This goes far beyond simply having abundant resources. Even Bjorn, from the wealthiest Theodore clan, felt the disparity was terrifying.

The warehouse was filled with high-quality ironware that could arm soldiers, and the unique weapons and equipment that the soldiers held were, in the eyes of Bjorn, who was also a soldier, simply divine weapons.

The residents have no worries about food and clothing, and these highly skilled laborers can soon be transformed into a powerful army and productive force.

Bjorn thought to himself: Although their appearance and behavior are no different from other steppe tribes, their way of life is completely different...

Who in this world would dig up soil and pave stones to fill in muddy roads?

Rather than building sturdy warehouses with stone or erecting city walls to defend against enemies, most tribes preferred to migrate to safer lands, which was more cost-effective.

The Aurora before my eyes looks exactly like the people who live on the other side of the city walls in the legends.

Bjorn finally came to his senses, looked at Attila, and cautiously asked, "Is all of this truly thanks to that guardian deity?"

Attila grinned, nodded, and said, "We were originally just immigrants looking for new lands. If the Great Chieftain can negotiate with us properly, he will surely gain many benefits."

When Bjorn suddenly asked a question using honorifics, Attila grinned and nodded.

Now that things have come to this, anyone would be curious.

And this scene was witnessed by the very guardian they were praising, through the screen.

◆◆◆

"The reaction is interesting, but is Attila really planning to negotiate?"

Bjorn, Theodore's messenger, was a man who wore his heart on his sleeve, though it was also possible that the scene before him was too much for him to bear.

What Lin Miao considered trivial might not be so to them.

Upon closer reflection, the residents' ability to apply their gaming skills in real life is truly remarkable.

Even Lin Miao, who was watching from the sidelines, was astonished when he witnessed them building a city wall out of stones without using cement.

"They know best themselves."

Lin Miao muttered blankly, pausing the game to observe further.

Lin Miao understood Attila's intentions. With the powerful enemy known as the Malfunction Entity at the moment, there was simply no time to wage war against other forces.

If a problem can be resolved through dialogue, there is no need to resort to force.

[Level 3 fault detected]

The system just happened to pop up a notification that a fault had occurred.

He hurriedly turned the screen to check, and sure enough, a large number of enemies were surging in from the northern land.

"Is it a fissure, the kind that's disposable?"

Emerging from the empty ground was a familiar black rift.

These rifts, whose destinations are unknown, are of two types: one is a temporary rift that disappears immediately after spitting out the enemy; the other is a permanent rift that remains in place.

According to the intelligence Lin Miao has compiled so far, the malfunctioning entity nests that need to be infiltrated and eliminated are a type of permanent rift.

The rift that appeared at this moment disappeared after spitting out a certain number of enemies.

The malfunctioning ant and its appearance resemble ants, including a giant queen ant covered in armor and the size of a truck, as well as numerous worker ants the size of wolfhounds.

Upon realizing the invasion, the villagers immediately went into battle mode, arming themselves and mounting their horses.

The opportunity has arrived.

Although she didn't stop them, Lin Miao decided to take this opportunity to try out the newly unlocked program.

Another weapon obtained as a price after upgrading the desktop destruction to the second stage.

The hammer is ineffective against faulty components, but this is different. Although it only lasts for a few seconds, it can directly punish those guys.

"Oh."

Watching the chainsaw move with the mouse, Lin Miao let out a meaningless laugh.

To an uninformed person, he probably looks like an older man playing with desktop icons like a primary school student.

But when Lin Miao zoomed in on the screen, the desktop, which was originally covered with tiny worm-like creatures, instantly transformed into another window reflecting reality.

The weapon, which transformed from a flat icon into a semi-transparent giant chainsaw, sparked as it sawed the enemies on the ground to shreds, body and all.

The effect was surprisingly good; the scene of those seemingly tough ants being collectively shredded into pieces was clearly visible.

Of course, we also saw the terrified expressions on the faces of the residents who rushed over.

Hopefully, they can treat this as a solid shield to protect themselves, just like before.

Although Lin Miao has gained another means of intervention, the truly important main body is still them, and they will continue to fight side by side in the future.

"!"

Although Lin Miao used a chainsaw, there were still living monsters.

The residents charged on horseback and defeated them, ending the battle completely.

The chainsaw performed satisfactorily on my first use. Although the usage time was a bit short, it seems capable of devastating effects when used at the right time.

Residents wandered around the ruins, collecting loot.

Those loot items are also valuable assets; you can make money by selling them at the Hunter Guild in Monster Hunter.

By using the money earned to equip their residents, they can gain an advantage in battles against the Zerg.

[Level 3 fault detected]

"what?"

But the subsequent notifications stunned Lin Miao, who stared blankly at the screen.

The residents, who were celebrating their victory and hurriedly collecting their spoils, gradually froze with joy when they saw the view of the plains in the distance.

A similar horde of enemies to the ones we just dealt with are now surging towards us again through the one-time rift.

The enemy's numbers have increased.

Whether it was a coincidence or inevitable is hard to say. In any case, the obvious fact is that the enemy has attacked again, and the residents are shouting and hurriedly preparing to fight once more.

Lin Miao couldn't help this time, and it would take some time before he could use the chainsaw again.

While the healing power can be used, it must be considered carefully. Perhaps this is not the end.

Leading the soldiers was a warrior named Lauren, who wielded a bow and arrows made from mutant byproducts. He calmed his panicked comrades and resumed the battle against the surging enemy.