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

"A black behemoth?" Paul asked, puzzled.

"Don't you know? This area is practically hell on earth because of those monsters," a Zhen Dan warrior replied in a deep voice.

When Attila successfully defended the position and led his troops to counterattack the enemy lines, the captured Paul and the magicians were taken somewhere.

Although China did not say it would execute them, they could not help but feel uneasy.

In addition, Paul was confused by what the soldiers escorting him said.

In particular, the dwarves testified that the things about their homeland and their fellow countrymen could never be lies.

"This, this is..." Paul exclaimed in astonishment as he stared at the strange sight before him.

"We'll get there if we go through here," a warrior said, leading them toward the undulating curtain.

Once they pass through here, they can reach the northern lands in an instant.

The other inhabitants, including warriors and dwarves, were used to it.

But Paul and the magicians were horrified when they saw this.

"That...that's just a legendary space distortion magic!" a mage exclaimed.

To the magician, this was utterly absurd.

They don't even understand the principles behind it.

But they did indeed reach the northern fortress controlled by China after passing through the veil.

"An army of this size didn't even participate in the war?" Paul, once again shocked, let out a bitter laugh.

He had secretly thought that he wouldn't have been defeated if it weren't for the fierce battle at the city wall.

As it turned out, the other party never really meant anything from the start.

"Your expression is quite interesting. Are you curious why we're not using our troops?" Mista asked Paul with a smile.

"How could I not be curious?" Paul answered honestly.

"Soon we'll be able to see for ourselves what we're fighting..." Mista had barely finished speaking.

Suddenly someone shouted, "They're here! And there are winged creatures!"

At this moment, Paul no longer doubted the black monster.

The soldier who brought them was grinning and saying they would see each other soon, but then something unexpected happened.

The swarm has begun attacking the fortress.

"Attack...attack..." a mage murmured in panic.

"It's just a regular meal, get ready for battle!" a veteran shouted, picking up his weapon.

When the swarm attacks the fortress, the repeatedly upgraded defensive towers automatically fire light guns and magic to retaliate.

Meanwhile, hastily armed soldiers climbed the city walls and fired arrows in resistance.

The swarm of insects, mixed with a large number of mutants, was defeated under fierce resistance and ultimately failed to cause any real damage to the fortress, retreating with corpses scattered all over the ground.

"We were lucky. This time they only probed briefly before retreating. It's not uncommon; these guys are always looking for an opportunity to stab us in the back, trying every possible way to climb out of the ground," Mista said casually.

"This is ridiculous," Paul muttered incredulously.

The surrounding Cinnamon people were cheering for having easily held their line.

Paul and the magicians, who witnessed the entire battle, collapsed to the ground in disbelief at the reality.

It's shocking enough that this world harbors threats they never imagined.

It is even more unacceptable that those who stand in the way of these threats are the very people they despise as barbarians.

"I've already heard the news. Judging from your expression, I don't need to say more. Now, you should understand who's right?" Mista looked at the dejected Paul and couldn't help but sneer.

"I admit it. But what exactly do you want us to do? It may sound like an excuse, but I'm just following orders," Paul said, looking up in despair.

Paul, having learned the truth about the existence of the Zerg, was brought before Mista, the fortress's commander.

Mista, who had already read Attila's letter, was aware of the situation.

"The final decision hasn't been made yet. We'll discuss it again after the Great Chieftain returns from his expedition. Until then, we hope you'll assist us and pay the price for invading us." Mista gave Paul, who seemed to have given up on himself, the order to stay and fight the Zerg for the time being.

In fact, Paul and the monks had no choice at all.

"We're surrounded by at least thousands of enemies, and this land is teeming with unknown monsters. Escape is impossible; we have no choice but to prepare ourselves." Paul swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and made up his mind.

Since we are destined to be cruelly driven as slave soldiers, let's make it our goal to return to the Southern Kingdom alive no matter what.

[Achievement Completed: Kingdom Conditions (1)]

[Optional Rewards]

Lin Miao remained silent.

Attila's counterattack, which he anticipated and planned before the enemy's attack, created a miracle.

They launched a surprise attack on the enemy forces, which had not yet assembled, and crushed them in one fell swoop. They then began to absorb most of the power of the former Theodore forces that had been conquered by Luke.

At this moment, Lin Miao also saw countless people lining up to walk through the tunnel and arrive at the village.

But a more accurate indicator than what you see with your own eyes is the achievement and status table displayed by the system.

The system demonstrated to them the possibility of rising from the level of a border tribe to a kingdom through Attila's achievements.

"That's truly remarkable," Lin Miao couldn't help but exclaim.

After all, he was one of the people who had been with them from the very beginning.

Starting as a small tribe of refugees with only a few dozen members, they gradually absorbed surrounding tribes and displaced people, and have continued to this day.

I can still vividly recall how they looked when they first entered the game world.

Those who were once wary and fearful of Lin Miao when she appeared as a game character have now far surpassed her in their ability to use game skills.

The miracles they created are proof of their exceptional abilities.

"I need to establish a firm foothold first," Lin Miao thought to herself.

"Where should I start..." Lin Miao pondered for a moment and decided to first help the new members get a foothold.

After all, to transform them into new combat power, we must first lay a solid foundation.

These immigrants must truly feel that they are one with us.

Let them understand that this new land is not a monster-infested hell, but a home full of hope and resources.

All the power Lin Miao gained was for the purpose of achieving this goal.

"It's time to open up new areas, which will not only increase the number of hunters but also allow us to harvest more monster essence," Lin Miao muttered to himself.

Although we considered activating a new game module after the defense game "Kingdom Rush", we decided to postpone it.

After all, with a surge in population, the priority should be to strengthen the existing system.

So Lin Miao first upgraded the active phase of the third game module, "Monster Hunter," increasing the number of deployable players from 6 to 10.

The upgraded Monster Hunter will focus on veteran hunters Thorfinn and Durin, training new hunters and mass-producing blacksmiths who can learn crafting techniques and forge equipment.

After consuming some of the points accumulated during this period, the number of people that can be deployed almost doubles.

Among the hunters, there are those skilled in combat and those proficient in gathering; with the increase in the number of hunters, there is a wider range of choices.

The first game, Minecraft, is a precious gold mine that provides them with food and various resources, and also gives miners, porters, and other workers efficient abilities.

This game has long been activated to the highest level, and apart from frequently changing deployment personnel, there's not much else that can be done.

However, one of the precious resources collected there, monster essence, can be used to open up new hunting grounds with a higher drop rate and frequency.

The guys who were working hard inside suddenly became agitated when they saw Lin Miao's character appear.

"We must open a passage to the void," Lin Miao thought to himself.

The monsters in the underground world of this game are indeed stronger than those on the surface, and their drop rate is also higher.

But there are monsters that are even higher in rank than them.

The place where those guys gathered was another realm known as the Void.

To get there, simply digging with a titanium pickaxe won't work; we need another method: opening a portal.

"If they won't give us the materials, we'll just switch them out." Lin Miao's lips curled up slightly.

In this game, which has been clearly modified to prevent items of a certain level or higher from dropping, there was originally no way to enter the void.

But Lin Miao had already found a breakthrough when making the titanium pickaxe.

It's a file converter, a function that can convert external items held by residents into in-game items.

[The Dwarf's Helmet] [The Kingdom Mage's Memory Ring] [The Tribal Chief's Baton]...

Opening the dimensional portal requires multiple items, so Lin Miao had to forcibly collect many of them.

Seeing the residents, dwarves, and captured royal mages slumped on the ground, their faces ashen, Lin Miao naturally felt terrible.

But this is for everyone's common good.

Having made up her mind, Lin Miao spent her points to convert what she could give them and handed it over.

Everyone remained silent.

What Lin Miao handed over was an energy that allowed residents to grow rapidly after using it—the Soul.

The people who received the golden bead dazedly stroked it.

If it's around 100 points, giving a few isn't too much of a burden.

The crowd gasped in surprise.

Afterwards, Lin Miao used the gathered materials to select a location to build the dimensional gate.

It's right next to the wall leading to the underground world.

Under the watchful eyes of many residents, Lin Miao laid out a base by stacking blocks on the ground and began to install materials on the wall to construct the dimensional gate.

The production process was completed in the blink of an eye.

Simply arrange the materials according to specific conditions.

After setting up the steps to ensure passage, Lin Miao used the mouse to summon the warriors who usually specialized in killing monsters to obtain essence.

The task of grinding monsters to obtain essence has now become a place for new warriors who have switched classes from the Hunting Mode in Dark Souls and have mastered some skills to accumulate experience.

As equipment was replenished and more predecessors changed to this class, the warriors' skill level also improved.

It's about time to increase the difficulty.

"I'm already quite familiar with the entrance area. If I operate it properly, I should be able to get deeper inside," Lin Miao thought to herself.

The warriors gathered now are nothing more than novices who have just changed jobs and are learning new skills compared to Lillie and Mista.

But Lin Miao thought it was entirely feasible, so he picked up his sword and waved his arm to signal them to follow.

"As long as we know it's a new hunting ground, that's enough," Lin Miao said.

Passing through the dimensional gate and stepping into that new land with a seemingly burning red sky, Lin Miao watched as the other warriors arrived in twos and threes.

They have discovered that their void monsters are approaching.

Lin Miao planned to teach them how to hunt these guys.

Even if fixed patterns of behavior are no longer meaningful, their physical weaknesses and characteristics still exist.

For example, characteristics such as not chasing after them if you stare at them.

The problem is that this knowledge and information should be expressed through actions and gestures rather than language.

It's incredibly difficult that the actions weren't even performed by Lin Miao herself, but rather conveyed through the character's movements.

Even when Lin Miao circled around trying to catch the monsters whose weak point was the back of their heads, showing them the large eyeballs embedded in the back of their heads, they would just stand there dumbfounded.

"Ugh, this is so annoying," Lin Miao said irritably.

I already had a lot on my plate, and I always thought we were communicating quite well, but I never expected his frustration to erupt for the first time.

[Recommended Real-Time Strategy Simulation Games]

"Hmm?" Lin Miao looked at the screen in confusion.

Immediately afterwards, a notification popped up.

The system recommended a new game, saying it could calm his current frustration.

Lin Miao stared blankly at the scene of the warriors automatically fighting the monsters while reading the game instructions.

"Age of Empires, a real-time strategy simulation game," Lin Miao murmured.

The game recommended by the system was one that Lin Miao played a little bit of when she was a child, but she hardly touches it now.

It's the kind of game where you gather resources, produce troops, and then fight your opponent.

Lin Miao roughly understood why this was being recommended to him now.

Age of Empires: 5000P

"This is too expensive..." Lin Miao muttered to herself.

At the crucial moment, when he finally had the spare money to buy it.

Refunds or cancellations are not possible.

Moreover, this choice may lead to the complete annihilation of him and countless other residents.

This is also why he never activates the game casually.

Lin Miao hesitated, stroking the mouse.

After all, he wasn't even sure how the game would help him.

All the games currently active follow the same pattern: summoning residents into the game world and having them bring the skills and items they acquired there into reality to help him.

The recently activated Kingdom Rush, on the other hand, allows him to bring in-game abilities into the real world for his use.

"We can't really send people into that crazy world, can we?" Lin Miao chuckled to herself to dispel her unnecessary unease, and carefully moved the mouse.

Lin Miao speculated that this new game would likely provide him with game features, similar to Kingdom Rush.

After all, no matter how you look at it, it's not like you'd send the residents into space to fight monsters.

Those guys who fight by firing beams of light in space, even if they've learned skills from fantasy games, are still not guaranteed to be safe.

Of course, that was all the evidence; when it came time to press the button, Lin Miao's hand still trembled uncontrollably.

[Game Activation]

Fortunately, even though the game was activated, there was no prompt to deploy personnel.

In other words, you don't need to enter the game world for now.

[Can command troops]

[Currently commandable units: 1]

[Additional tasks required, 0/4 personnel available for deployment]

Lin Miao fell into a brief moment of thought.

This activated version of Forbidden Wars incorporates features from all game genres to date.

"Anyway, let's give it a try first," Lin Miao thought to herself.

Although her temples were throbbing, now that she had immediately gained power, Lin Miao didn't control the character but moved the mouse instead.

So far, the only things Lin Miao can do with the mouse are clicks and drags.

But now it's different.

The twelve warriors chosen by Lin Miao can be controlled at will by him.

Whether it's deploying troops or issuing attack orders, it's all a piece of cake.

"This is a double-edged sword." After experiencing it firsthand, Lin Miao was convinced that it was not a good feature.

The soldiers' terrified expressions at being forced to act on their own, along with Lin Miao's extremely rudimentary instructions, said it all.

It's more appropriate to leave the fighting to them.

Therefore, the support Lin Miao provided with this function was limited to basic action instructions, such as where to go and when to attack.

Of course, this is enough for now.

With this feature, clearing out those dull monsters in sandbox mode is so easy it's almost boring.

"Could it be that it can be used outside too?" Lin Miao wondered.

Seeing that the warriors had become skilled at hunting down the void minions, Lin Miao turned the camera away.

The many residents of the village are working ordinary jobs.

With a "let's give it a try" attitude, Lin Miao selected them all.

"It's a success." Lin Miao couldn't help but smile wryly.

The twelve people he selected all rushed toward the direction he right-clicked.

They were all so frightened that their eyes widened.

Although you can only control a small squad now, as other games continue to evolve, it is not impossible to control dozens or even hundreds of people at the same time in the future.

"Looks like I'll have to save it for a crucial moment," Lin Miao thought to herself.

While the ability to control villagers through willpower is indeed a huge advantage, the risks are equally enormous.

Lin Miao, who neither needed to arrange for special personnel nor wanted to use the function rashly, decided to temporarily seal it and finish dealing with the matters at hand first.

The creation of the new Monster Essence Farm is finally a success.

It seems that we can appropriately increase the number of warriors gathering resources.

People who were awakening to their peasant nature began to cultivate wasteland.

Although raids on farmland, like those carried by Luke's expedition, were risky, they were a necessary measure for securing food supplies.

Fortunately, farmers have the ability to accelerate crop growth, which allows them to maintain yields even with much smaller farmland than usual, thus compensating for the shortcomings.

With fewer farmers and more warriors, the efficiency of gathering monster essence increases.

And more essence can inspire the awakening of new warriors.

A virtuous cycle is exactly the situation Lin Miao hoped for.

"The front lines are fine too," Lin Miao said, looking at the screen.

Attila, Lillie, and other key figures are leading a large number of warriors in their conquest, and so far everything is going smoothly.

New immigrants continue to pour in.

However, thanks to the residents' hard work, Lin Miao actually had fewer things to worry about.