Wanjie Game Hall, I sent Kiana to Silent Hill

Wang Xuanqiao thought about it and directly called the system to ask it to tell him about the situation in the player mall.

[Boss, you don't know this. Directly receiving skill rewards is actually quite rare. Normally, guests are rewarded with points or items from the game world. But your gaming equipment is truly impressive, so guests can directly receive skills in games they've unlocked themselves.]

After all, most arcades are equipped with standard arcade machines and computers. Some even offer only mobile phones, forcing customers to rub glass boards inside. It's quite shabby. In places like these, customers essentially only receive points for playing games, and they have to navigate the online store on such a tiny phone screen. It's truly pitiful.

The system seemed to have been holding it in for a long time. As soon as Wang Xuanqiao asked, it started to babble a lot.

Putting aside the exaggerated content, the remaining essential information can be summarized into two points.

First, the mall prices for customers are generally three or four times higher than those for him as the store manager, and they can only be exchanged for items and skills; second, the points that customers can get are passed around twice, the system draws one, he draws one, and the remaining points are given to the customers.

At first glance, it really does have the flavor of a black-hearted capitalist.

The people's money is divided into 30% and 70% -

"If you want to replace something, I recommend getting a portable mobile terminal first."

Wang Xuanqiao quickly sifted through his system's shopping mall for inexpensive yet excellent value items. He finally settled on this gadget, which had similar functionality to a smartphone but was more durable than a brick.

Combined with his cross-border information interaction station, this mobile terminal can not only play its original function and provide players with access to the game hall system, but can also be used as an entertainment product.

To put it bluntly, it's a high-tech mobile phone, but it's more like an information carrier used by units with intranets like the military.

But for Wang Xuanqiao, he felt a sense of melancholy as if the mobile phones he had bought before had become waste.

"A portable mobile terminal? It's not too expensive. Since the store manager recommended it, let's buy one."

Zhongli didn't care too much about whether to save or keep the points, and directly exchanged them for the portable mobile terminal as Wang Xuanqiao said.

As the exchange was completed, a square yet small "brick" appeared out of thin air and fell into Zhongli's hands.

Of course, "flat brick" is just a joke. After all, how could the surface of a fired brick be so smooth?

Zhongli took off his gaming helmet and picked up the final brick. The small body instantly expanded outwards to become a twelve-inch screen.

It's a folding phone, and if it were put online it would probably be criticized as worthless.

Wang Xuanqiao took the opportunity to teach Zhongli how to use the terminal. After he got the hang of it, he also helped Hu Tao exchange one for her at her request.

The two people from the Hall of Rebirth had a blast and even got new toys. They seemed reluctant to leave, their steps noticeably slower. After Wang Xuanqiao saw them off, he suddenly realized that with so many people signing up for membership cards, he hadn't given away a single bottle of iced Coke.

Since the guests don’t have a chance to drink, it seems I’ll have to drink it all by myself!

Wang Xuanqiao took a bottle of ice cola from the freezer, lay down on the sofa in the rest area, and exchanged a terminal for himself, ready to copy all the data on his mobile phone into it.

Since members can also unlock the system mall, then the mobile phone thing is really unnecessary. Otherwise, in this network environment with a real-name system, it would be difficult to assign identities to a group of people from another world.

We can't let everyone rely on his identity, right? Is this like playing "A Thousand 'I's'"?

Two days passed like this. Having freed himself from the limitations of his phone's memory, Wang Xuanqiao downloaded a slew of games onto his device. He tried the popular game "Collapse" (presumably a game title), "Star Railway," the newly released "Zone Zero," and the retro tower defense game "Arknights." He tried almost every popular game.

Wang Xuanqiao also found that current games seem to be developing towards a multi-platform common model. Obviously, the user base of mobile carriers is much larger in today's era.

If this is the trend of the times, then the independent game development environment is likely to enter a downturn. Wang Xuanqiao expressed some regret about this, saying that this deadlock may not be reversed until the equipment is upgraded again.

This period of quiet gaming time came and went quickly.

The arcade's customers soon returned. However, they weren't new customers, but rather the first customer to receive a non-talent tree skill reward: Liuying.

This time she didn't come in wearing armor, and she looked a little surprised when she walked into the store.

"Really got in? Is this really another memory space?" Liuying first looked at herself, muttered to herself, and then turned her gaze to Wang Xuanqiao who was sitting on the low wall.

"Manager, why are you sitting there?" Her eyes were filled with confusion. The arcade chairs were clearly very comfortable; even in her synesthetic dreams, she would occasionally recall that feeling.

"I'm tired of sitting on the sofa, let's change the taste." Wang Xuanqiao answered and climbed down from the low wall.

"How's your hero seed?" He walked slowly towards the freezer, ready to get Liuying some drinks. "Have you been trying to do good things recently, but found that you have gained little?"

Liuying was immediately shocked. She wondered if Wang Xuanqiao had installed a surveillance camera on her? How could he know so much?

Wang Xuanqiao didn't hear the answer for a moment, so he turned around and looked at Liuying. He found that she was looking at him in surprise, and immediately understood what had happened.

"I was right, wasn't I?" Wang Xuanqiao took two bottles of iced black tea from the freezer, kept one for himself, and threw the other directly to Liuying.

After she caught it steadily, Wang Xuanqiao continued to speak.

"To be honest, it's not that I can't understand your predicament. After all, it is indeed difficult to show heroic qualities in ordinary life, because excellent qualities are actually common to many identities, such as good people and knights," he said.

"But if the identity of a hero must be based on utilitarianism, then it has to be about saving people, saving many people." Wang Xuanqiao took a sip of iced black tea. "So that's why you came here. Do you think that if you want to cultivate the seeds of heroism, you might have to do it in the game?"

Liuying nodded.

"That's right. I think maybe only in that world can I have the opportunity to show the qualities of a needed hero," she said.

Wang Xuanqiao said nothing, only smiled. Liuying's move actually had a bit of a path-dependent feel to it. But it wasn't entirely unreasonable. After all, in a place like Pinocchio, she couldn't really do much as a stowaway.

Otherwise, if you show up in public, it is hard to say whether you will not be targeted by the family's hounds.

After all, in the original plot, Liuying had been surrounded by hounds once.

"Do you need me to accompany you into the game this time?" Wang Xuanqiao led Liuying into the game area and asked while standing next to the equipment.

"Well, thank you for your help, Manager." Liuying nodded gently, "If possible, I would also like to take this opportunity to ask you more about the definition of a hero."

——The author has something to say——

After thinking about it, I decided to say this in advance: I have never played a boat game, and I haven't even played many clouds. As for the content about boats, I seem to have only read more about the Setu map (?

So, please don't expect to see the introduction of the "Boat Tour" plot in our book. Once again, I apologize to all the book lovers who like "Boat Tour," as I really don't have enough energy to play so many games at the same time.

Also, I have good news. We have a rough idea about the plot of Heimalou. If you are interested, please guess which character will unlock Heimalou 233.

Volume 084: 228: A new story started by Base

A game like "Earth Defense Force" is most fun when played with a partner.

Wang Xuanqiao had actually been waiting for Kiana to arrive. In his mind, Kiana was a perfect match for this kind of chuunibaku, high-energy game. She was open-minded and could go wild, and the thought of everyone playing this kind of game together and yelling and laughing was enough to make him happy.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Liuying can’t go crazy, it’s just that her madness is of a different kind.

As the equipment started up, the two returned to the base warehouse. Considering that the battlefield after the fall of Base 228 was an open-air environment, Wang Xuanqiao naturally changed into equipment befitting the name of an air raid soldier.

What sticky bomb guns, all thrown aside. All of them are stuffed with beacons that call for air strikes. The main point is that if there is not more life, air strike until death!

The support vehicles were replaced with Nix combat mechas. Wang Xuanqiao vaguely remembered that the enemies behind Base 228 were mainly fly-like creatures like flying saucers. While it was a no-brainer to bring a Barga, it wasn't very suitable for the battlefield.

Liuying also changed her weaponry. She discarded her lances and heavy artillery, replacing them with twin, rechargeable blades capable of slashing with gusts of wind. She also used all of her exoskeleton armor's enhanced components on her amplified jetpack, significantly increasing her mobility.

Compared to long-range weapons, Liuying seemed to prefer close combat. This might be related to her affiliation; her Firefly IV mecha wasn't particularly well-suited for long-range attacks.

After playing on the Starry Sky Railway, Wang Xuanqiao had a better understanding of Liuying.

After getting ready, it was time to enter the plot battlefield. Wang Xuanqiao walked towards the gate terminal and was about to select the level after Base 228 when he suddenly saw a prompt pop up on the screen -

The fate of Base 228 has changed. Will it continue to explore the unknown future?

Is there an independent plot? Wang Xuanqiao raised an eyebrow, and his mind quickly flashed back to the end of the previous mission, when the dark red sky suddenly swallowed up the blue sky.

It seems that the "Earth Defense Force 5" produced by System will be renamed 6 or PLUS.

Wang Xuanqiao chose yes without hesitation, and the two of them disappeared from the warehouse in an instant.

A mournful whisper from someone unknown reached the ears of the two.

"From that day on, humanity lost hope."

As the words fell, a dark crimson sky, like a picture scroll, spread across the distance. The darkness rapidly receded, and the ruins of the city and the remains of human creations gradually filled the two men's vision.

Between the buildings that still clung to life, towering objects resembling ball orchids blew white mist into the air like breaths. The mist lingered only for a brief moment before merging into the overwhelming crimson.

"Manager, those things are..." Liuying walked closer to Wang Xuanqiao wearing heavy exoskeleton armor.

"Hmm, it's probably a facility used by aliens to alter Earth's environment. They probably want to completely transform Earth into their second habitable planet."

Wang Xuanqiao was no stranger to this kind of thing. Rather, the struggle between civilizations was so brutal that sometimes even leaving behind traces of their existence was a luxury.

"Why did humans lose so quickly?" Liuying looked at the huge white spheres and asked, "Last time, we clearly won, didn't we?"

"It's simple. We shouldn't have won back then." Wang Xuanqiao glanced at her. "The enemy who invaded Earth might have some kind of weapon that can alter cause and effect. When we triumphed at Base 228, they used that weapon to change cause and effect."

Liuying took a breath of cold air for a moment.

Enemies that can alter cause and effect? How can one defeat them? If one cannot reach their core, wouldn't any victory be reversed in an instant?

"Is this...is there any meaning in such a battle?" Liuying couldn't help but ask.

This wasn't a denial based on so-called conviction. Although the Grammer Iron Cavalry had fought to the death for so many years for a lie, the insect plague wasn't an enemy the Iron Cavalry couldn't defeat.

However, the battles the Earth Defense Force faces are no longer about beliefs or positions. When the enemy holds fate in their hands, any struggle or resistance is futile, even a joke in their eyes.

They are high and mighty, viewing humans as ants. Even if one ant steps out of line and grows to a point where it threatens them, it will be instantly wiped out by the reversed cause and effect.

This isn't a fight at all!

This is an invader's mockery of humanity!

So, is there any point in fighting this kind of enemy? Wang Xuanqiao smiled softly and shook his head.

"If it's meaningless, then why not fight for the survival of civilization?" He looked into Liuying's eyes and said, "This is the first lesson of heroic qualities—knowing it's impossible but still doing it."

After saying that, Wang Xuanqiao raised the beacon-guided gun in his hand and shot at the spherical objects standing on the ground.

As the beacon hit the sphere, a cannonball suddenly fell from the sky and hit the sphere heavily. The huge sound instantly broke the silence and stirred up the dust around that was unwilling to kneel down.

The enemy soon appeared.

They were a group of monsters with teardrop-shaped heads and bodies that looked like they were made of tubes. Their head-to-body ratio was very strange, just like the top-heavy monsters that humans often imagine.

These enemies were entrenched in the ruins of the city, and as soon as they heard the sound of artillery, they immediately rushed over like a tide.

"Get ready for battle." Wang Xuanqiao raised the device to call for an air strike and locked the bombing range on the path where the monster group was advancing.

Soon, fighter planes came from nowhere and swooped down from the sky, spreading a field of hellfire, and then roared past under the sky.

The falling artillery fire created a heat wave that swept in all directions. Facing the fierce wind, Wang Xuanqiao raised his beacon and guided his gun, charging forward.

"Look, there are still people fighting!" He didn't look back, but just shouted loudly, letting his voice be transmitted to the firefly behind him along with the strong wind.

Liuying stared at Wang Xuanqiao's back, and suddenly sighed softly. She raised her hands and tightly grasped the sword locked on her shoulders.

Knowing it is impossible but still doing it. Isn't that kind of thing the same as yourself?

For the embers of Grammer's Iron Cavalry, loss of entropy is the final outcome of this remaining flame.

But have you given up? If you already know where the end is, why would you still run towards it?

Because - even if the ending is already determined, the way to reach the end is still determined by your own will!

Liuying activated her jetpack, the powerful propulsion allowing her to instantly leap high into the air, stepping on the wreckage. She unsheathed her twin swords, their razor-sharp blades transforming into a ray of divine retribution, which descended upon the horde of monsters!

The strong wind tore the monster's metal body into pieces, and its huge teardrop-shaped head fell weakly to the ground with a deafening noise.

During the natural descent, Firefly activated its jet again and instantly turned into a meteorite, crashing into the monster!

In the blazing battlefield, the bursting sword light tore apart all enemies who dared to face it.

Liuying clenched her teeth, and the blade wrapped in energy danced wildly with the gradually rising fighting spirit, like a ferocious beast with bared fangs, biting its prey madly.

And what the final outcome will be is still unknown! She buried her voice in her chest, like a roar from her soul.

Wang Xuanqiao, observing this, continued to direct airstrikes to clear out the surrounding monsters that had rushed to support him. At the same time, he also directed artillery fire to destroy the alien planets.

However, those spheres seemed exceptionally strong. Wang Xuanqiao realized that it would be difficult to truly eliminate these stubborn diseases by himself.

At this moment, a weapon unique to the earthlings suddenly roared!

"Our brothers are fighting! Come and support them!"

Following the roar of guns and cannons came the cries of humanity.

"hold onto!"

The voices were shouting.

"You are not alone!"

——The author has something to say——

Volume 085: : Wanting Her to See Hope

Reinforcements from the defense forces arrived.