Late Ming Dynasty: Summoning players from Liaodong to support the Ming Dynasty

Chu Ze simply stood there calmly, his cold gaze sweeping across the entire room.

His gaze carried no murderous intent, yet it was as heavy as a mountain.

All the noisy players, including the fearless Wang Han, felt an invisible pressure bearing down on them. It was an instinctive fear, stemming from the depths of their genes, when facing a predator at the top of the food chain.

The entire barracks fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Holy crap..." Shi Dali subconsciously swallowed, feeling his two-meter-tall frame suddenly appear shorter than this man's. In the corner, Qin Jue (ID: Shadow Meteor), who had been silent all along, narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Chu Ze's left hand on the hilt of his knife, a posture that suggested he could strike with lightning speed at any moment.

The aura is exactly the same as in the promotional video, even stronger because of the overwhelming sense of real pressure!

For the first time, a genuine glint of light flashed in Wang Han's eyes, which had previously appeared somewhat frivolous behind his black-rimmed glasses. He knew that the real person in charge among this group of NPCs, who were behaving like monkeys, had arrived.

Chu Ze looked at the group of "chosen ones" whose faces were filled with shock, curiosity, and excitement, and slowly spoke.

"Welcome everyone to Guangning."

His tone was steady and devoid of any emotion, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears, as if possessing a peculiar magic that firmly drew everyone's attention.

"As you all probably already know, this place is in a critical situation."

Chu Ze cut to the chase without wasting words. His gaze swept over Wang Han, over the eager Shi Dali, and over Zhou Keke, who was curiously examining the scratches on his armor.

"You are righteous warriors who have been summoned by Heaven to come and help us in this battle."

He paused, giving these newly arrived souls time to process their arrival.

"The granaries are empty, the stoves are without fuel. The Tartars surround the city, and there is no news of reinforcements from the imperial court. Guangning is now an isolated city, a dead city."

He spoke of this desperate reality in the calm tone of an epic storyteller.

The players looked at each other, their playful and jovial expressions gradually fading.

A lonely city? A dead city?

This is such a hellish start!

But then, a strange sense of excitement welled up from the bottom of their hearts. Wasn't this the apocalyptic atmosphere depicted in the game's trailer? The more desperate the situation, the more important they, the "chosen ones," became!

Chu Ze took in everyone's reactions and sneered inwardly. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

He raised his hand and, from a perspective unseen by others, lightly tapped the GM interface of "The Map of Mountains and Rivers," his fingertips seemingly plucking the strings of the world.

"But your arrival is Guangning's last hope."

"I will name this battle—'The Bloodshed of the Lone City'!"

The moment the words fell, a system notification written in seal script, filled with the aura of blood and fire, popped up in the "vision" of all players.

[**Epic Main Storyline Unveiled in Closed Beta: Bloodshed in the Lonely City**]

**Synopsis:** In the second year of the Tianqi reign (1622), the Later Jin invaded the border, and Guangning was besieged. With no food supplies inside and no reinforcements outside, the lives of 100,000 soldiers and civilians hung by a thread. You, the chosen ones, must use your flesh and blood to build a city, your souls to raise a banner, to assist General Chu Ze in breaking this deadly stalemate and protecting the honor and dignity of our Chinese nation!

"Holy crap! An epic main storyline!"

"Here it comes! I told you this game was no simple task!"

"The assistant general Chu Ze... is that the big shot in front of us? The faction leader NPC!"

The player base erupted in excitement. Just moments ago, they felt the start was terrible, but now they were filled with exhilaration. The level of sophistication and immersion was off the charts!

Just as they were filled with excitement, thinking that the next step would be to pick up weapons and climb the city walls to fight the Tartars, Chu Ze's next words poured cold water on them.

"The city is about to fall not because the soldiers are incompetent or the battle is poorly fought, but because the foundation is not solid and the people's hearts are not united."

As he spoke, he posted the first batch of tasks on the GM interface.

Instantly, all players received a new quest notification.

**New player tutorial tasks have been released.**

**Task 1 (Logistics):** Assist the cooks' battalion in processing a batch of moldy military rations. *(Description: The rations have emitted a sour, rotten smell and are covered with a slippery mat of mold. This is a double test of your sense of smell and willpower.) ***Reward: 5 Merit Points.**

**Task Two (City Defense):** Reinforce the damaged section of the western city wall for 100 meters. *(Description: A biting wind is blowing in through the breach in the wall; every loose brick tells a story of the hardships of defending the city.)***Reward: 10 Merit Points.

**Task 3 (Public Welfare):** Repair the No. 3 public toilet in the south of the city. *(Description: Warning! This area is contaminated with biochemical substances. It is a testing ground for courage and the ultimate test of the soul. Improving the sanitation here will greatly boost the morale of the military and civilians.)***Reward: 20 Merit Points.

The barracks fell into a deathly silence once again as they looked at the three tasks that came with "sensory descriptions".

Three seconds later, there was a deafening uproar, like a landslide or a tsunami.

"What the hell? We were supposed to be fighting on the battlefield, and you're sending me to deal with biological weapons?" One player felt like he could already smell the sourness, and his stomach churned.

"I can understand building city walls, but what the hell is building latrines? And public ones at that! And the reward is the highest! Is this some kind of insult?"

"My greatsword is itching for a fight, and this is what you show me?"

Shi Dali threw his rusty waist knife on the ground, his face full of displeasure: "I won't do it! I'm here to chop people up, not to shovel manure!"

Many battle-obsessed gamers echoed this sentiment.

Wang Han grabbed him and hissed, "Shut up! What do you know?!"

He adjusted his glasses, lowered his voice, and quickly analyzed, "This is a typical tutorial mission! To familiarize us with the game mechanics! Besides, didn't you see the rewards at the end of the mission?"

Merit points?

Only then did everyone notice this crucial information. Wang Han pointed to the [Merit Points: 0] marker in the corner of his field of vision, and then to an exchange list that could be clicked next to the taskbar.

[**Beginner Merit Exchange List**]

**Supplies:** Half a rye cake = 1 merit point

[**Supplies:** Clean drinking water (one bamboo tube) = 1 merit point]

**Weapon Category:** Unbent waist knife = 50 Merit Points

**Armor:** Standard Leather Armor = 200 Merit Points

……

The list wasn't long, but its contents made all the players' hearts sink.

Just then, a strange "gurgling" sound came from Shi Dali's stomach, which was particularly clear in the quiet barracks.

He then felt a strong hunger rising from his stomach, so real it made his scalp tingle.

"I...I'm hungry..." Shi Dali was a little confused.

Not just him, but all the players felt hungry and thirsty. They finally understood. This damned level of realism meant they had to earn their own food and water! Without working, they couldn't even get the most basic rye bread!

This is the pressure of survival!

Chu Ze coldly watched the players' expressions shift from anger to astonishment, and then to realization. What he wanted was not a bunch of mad dogs who only knew how to howl and charge forward, but an army that was absolutely obedient and capable of doing anything.

Even repairing outhouses.

"In Guangning City, military law is as firm as a mountain."

He delivered the final blow, his hand casually resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"Those who are passive and negligent in their duties, or who disrupt morale, shall be executed without mercy."

A chilling, bone-chilling killing intent emanated from him. This was no longer the aura of an NPC, but the true pressure of a ruthless general, forged in the crucible of countless battles.

The players all shuddered. They suddenly realized that this NPC was definitely not joking. He... really would kill!

Chu Ze said no more, turned around, and left the mess to the dumbfounded Wang Erniu.

"Erniu, take them there."

"Yes, General!" Wang Erniu shuddered, looking at the group of "heavenly soldiers" who had instantly become deflated. His awe of the general surged like a surging river. So this was the method to subdue these unruly monsters!

Although the players complained bitterly, they had no choice but to split up and grumble under Wang Erniu's scolding for the sake of those crucial merit points.

"Damn it, I'll put up with it for a bite to eat!" Shi Dali picked up the knife and walked dejectedly toward the cooks' quarters.

Wang Han, along with a few quick-witted men, headed straight for the western section of the city wall.

The female player named Zhou Keke (ID: Cement Fairy) was the first to rush out the moment she saw the "Repair Toilet Body" quest.

She led several players who had also chosen the highest reward mission, rushing to the south of the city. When they saw the public toilet, which was made up of a few pits and broken planks and resembled a biohazard zone, everyone was forced to back away by the overwhelming stench.

Only Zhou Keke pushed up her glasses, which weren't even on her nose, and instead of disgust, her eyes shone with an almost fanatical light.

"Very good!"

The players around her looked at her with expressions of utter disbelief upon hearing this.

"This is a perfect blank canvas, allowing me to unleash my full potential!"

Zhou Keke took out a small notebook that she had somehow gotten her hands on and began to write and draw rapidly while muttering to herself.

"No! We're not just repairing! We're going to build Guangning City's first modern, three-chamber septic tank with anaerobic fermentation and sedimentation filtration functions!"