Two months of Terra time had passed since the launch of version 3.0. For the players, it was nowhere near enough. Many had barely gained a few levels, their equipment was far from fully enhanced, and everyone was still stuck in a transitional phase.
Although players who joined Tomorrow's Development could exchange mission contributions for resources, they now needed far more time than before to level up and to study and master new knowledge. Quite a few players, even after two full months of Terra time, had managed to learn only a single new skill. This would have been unthinkable in the past, but with the increased difficulty, slower progress and extended timelines were unavoidable.
During this period, Tomorrow's Development players were grinding missions at a frantic pace to stockpile resources and supplies. Since they had all signed up for Rhodes Island's expedition to Chernobog, they needed to prepare enormous amounts of provisions and maintain a state of wartime readiness. This was despite Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical repeatedly emphasizing that this was not a siege operation. Amiya had explained it so earnestly she was nearly in tears. She truly had no intention of invading Chernobog.
Even so, the players still treated the mission as one that would inevitably involve clashing with local forces, and they prepared accordingly.
They were convinced that combat was unavoidable, especially after the Holy Knight Federation had just released a wartime alert announcement on the forums.
Three days earlier, Mr. Han had just returned from an outing to gather materials with Thorns. Although he had not joined Tomorrow's Development particularly early, his loyalty rating and contribution points were both high. After completing several missions, he successfully exchanged for a Clever unit. That was the only reason Thorns was finally willing to act alongside him, which made things considerably easier. Even so, Thorns still found this adventurer rather strange due to his occasional bouts of erratic behavior.
Not long after returning to camp, a scout from the Minotaur Guild rushed in with urgent news.
"Han, Han! Reunion Movement has begun to mobilize!"
"What?"
Ever since watching the 3.0 PV, infected players living in Ursus knew that Reunion would not be a minor threat in this version. They were certain it would take action, just like in the trailer, capturing one city after another. The only comfort they had was that during the month when they had been offline, Reunion had not come their way. The Brotherhood was not particularly aggressive, but it possessed a powerful sense of territorial control, which was precisely why Reunion was willing to leave its rear exposed to them.
However, Reunion did not truly occupy cities either. It behaved more like a swarm of starving locusts. After stripping a city bare and taking its inhabitants with them, they left behind only devastation, finishing the rest with fire until nothing but ashes remained.
What puzzled the players was the apparent indifference of Ursus's authorities toward Reunion's actions. This indifference was precisely what allowed Reunion to advance almost unopposed from one mobile city to the next. Typically, when they encountered fierce resistance, they would simply withdraw and target another city instead.
The city lords of Ursus seemed to have no sense of shared fate. They watched nearby mobile cities fall without lifting a finger to help.
Like beasts driven by pure destructive instinct, Reunion advanced without purpose. Their next destination was unknown. Their next target was unknown.
They moved forward aimlessly, spreading war wherever they went. That was Reunion as it existed now.
"Our mole inside Reunion says their next destination is a mobile city in the south, Chernobog."
"What did you just say?"
Mr. Han raised his voice. When the scout nodded repeatedly, he continued, "Han, my source is solid. It's Chernobog, the same place Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical is heading for."
Mr. Han slapped his own forehead, feeling the situation slipping beyond their control. What if Reunion arrived in Chernobog at the same time as Rhodes Island's operators? The mission briefing had clearly stated that Rhodes Island was going there for a standard relief operation, not a combat mission, and they had not made full wartime preparations.
With that thought, Mr. Han's expression turned grim.
Half an hour later, the three senior leadership groups of the Brotherhood gathered together. They shared what information they had, trying to reach a conclusion everyone could agree on.
"Some new players from the Russian region were picked up by Reunion," said Raph from War God's Bloodline. "They haven't fully defected and are still in contact with us."
Those Russian newcomers had been incredibly unlucky. After choosing the Ursus race and entering Ursus, their starting village was wiped out by Reunion within days. To survive, they had no choice but to join Reunion. Out in that empty frozen wilderness, the only alternatives were death or death. "They confirmed that Reunion's next target is Chernobog."
Shroud narrowed his eyes. "When our scouts went to trade with the infected camps in the rear, they found that all the elderly, the weak, and the sick had already been evacuated. Neither the Yeti Squad nor the Icefield Squad leaders were there, and FrostNova herself was nowhere to be seen. All we found was this."
He took a note from his pocket. The neat handwriting did not look like FrostNova's. It was far more likely written by Alina.
[Order transmitted from Talulah. All combat units are to proceed to the front line. The elderly and children are the Yeti Squad's greatest concern. Under these circumstances, I will choose to go to the front together with them.]
"We only traded with them a week ago,"
Mr. Han coughed lightly. "I think this is an opportunity."
Raph and Shroud both turned their gaze toward him. Mr. Han stood up and continued, "This might be our chance to leave Ursus."
"Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical will be working together with Tomorrow's Developments on the Chernobog relief operation. In the worst case, Chernobog will already be occupied by Reunion. In the absolute worst case, there will be four factions inside the city."
Raph frowned. "Four factions?"
"Reunion, the Ursus military, the civilians of Chernobog, and Tomorrow's Developments together with Rhodes Island."
Shroud rested his chin on his hand and nodded. "That truly is the worst scenario. In that state, the entire city would descend into chaos, greatly increasing the difficulty of the mission."
Raph snorted. "Don't forget there are still around ten thousand players within Reunion. Some of them are highly skilled, and some are nothing but chaotic evil thrill-seekers. It's not hard to imagine what they might do."
Red-name players were never known for rational thinking. Mr. Han cleared his throat. "That's exactly why I said this is our chance to leave Ursus. We need to move on, to go farther, to truly see this land for what it is. I believe we should march out, follow behind Reunion. When they attack Chernobog, we might be able to stab them in the back, or perhaps link up directly with Tomorrow's Developments."
Both Shroud and Raph agreed that this was a sound decision. More importantly, with version 3.0 already underway, it was time to act. They had already missed the most popular Kazdel storyline in version 2.0, and they had no intention of missing the Warring States of version 3.0.
After informing the other members of the CN strategy group, Mr. Han spent several days organizing the assets they could take with them. After all, it was very likely they would not be coming back for a long, long time.
"So you're really going to Chernobog for Tomorrow's Developments?"
Xiao Ran Asagiri looked at Mr. Han with confusion. "Didn't Thorns say he was heading south in Ursus to gather materials?"
"How could I let him go alone?" Mr. Han replied righteously, hands on his hips. "And besides, this is the perfect chance to leave Ursus. The brothers have suffered through two versions already. It's time we enjoyed something better."
The Brotherhood began moving toward Chernobog.
Felix learned of their actions through the forums, while the Scout team stationed near Chernobog sent back intelligence reports. The city's garrison was extremely tight, and their equipment looked highly advanced, resembling products from Tomorrow's Developments.
During the meeting, Felix explained that the city lord and nobles of Chernobog had previously signed a trade agreement with him. That was when he sold off some inventory that had been gathering dust in his warehouses.
The explanation was perfectly reasonable.
In December, winter gales swept across Ursus. Felix stood on the deck, gazing at the faint horizon in the distance. Two days earlier, he had received confirmed intelligence from Scout: Reunion had already clashed with Chernobog and was now fighting outside the city.
The Venus had arrived at the outskirts of Ursus ahead of the Rhodes Island landship. After just a few more hours of travel, they would reach Chernobog, the city engulfed in flames of war.
"Your Majesty, please issue your command."
Behind Felix stood the team he had personally designated for this operation. They had been summoned to the deck that day, fully armed, all believing that the King was about to order them into action.
"Let's go," Felix said. "We're entering the city."
W fell silent, momentarily stunned, just as she was about to speak. Jesselton immediately stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, your noble person should not venture recklessly onto the front lines. Such trivial matters can be handled by your subordinates!"
Listening to his fervent declaration of loyalty, Mountain nodded slightly. Perhaps this was the part he himself lacked. W curled her lips in disdain, but no one spoke up in opposition. They all believed that Felix should not go to Chernobog. In just a few days, it would descend into complete chaos, turning into a true battlefield.
Felix should not go, and could not go.
That was the downside of being a king. Wherever he wished to go, there would always be voices urging him to stay back. He knew it came from loyalty, yet at times, it still left him feeling weary.
"I'm going to meet the enemy commander."
Felix said calmly. "I need to assess her current state before deciding our next move."
In this life, Talulah was even more unhinged than she had been before, and the Reunion Movement was the same. That was precisely why Felix needed to meet her in person. As for what would follow, killing her or imprisoning her would depend on just how far her madness had gone.
Talulah was powerful. Felix knew this well. And within Reunion stood Patriot, who was even stronger. The combined combat strength of those two was never a simple matter of one plus one equaling two.
Felix looked toward the gloomy sky in the distance. "The Catastrophe Messenger once warned that a severe Originium catastrophe would strike the skies over Chernobog in a few days. Our primary plan remains unchanged: enter the city, locate the key, and then drive Chernobog out of here."
Ines immediately understood the King's intent. He meant to save the city itself from the coming catastrophe.
"And if the plan goes out of control?" someone asked.
Felix nodded slightly. "Then we prioritize evacuating the civilians. Cities can be rebuilt. The dead cannot be brought back."
"Understood!"
Everyone answered in unison.
"Move out."
Jesselton bent forward deeply, almost to the point of blurting out an apology.
Two hours later, several Black Hawk helicopters reached the outer boundary of Chernobog. From the aerial view, flames were already rising along one section of the city wall. W clicked her tongue at the sight. "Don't tell me those bastards already broke through."
"Chernobog's defensive forces are equipped with former Tomorrow's Development combat gear," Mountain explained calmly. "They should be able to hold for several days. However, considering that Reunion also has adventurers among its ranks, they may defeat the defenders a few days earlier than expected."
Adventurers were immortal. As allies, they were the most reliable comrades. As enemies, they were a living nightmare.
After the Helicopters landed, Felix disembarked. Chernobog had been under strict curfew during this period. At the other city gates, civilians attempting to flee were continuously driven back by the nobles' troops with cold indifference.
"Disasters and man-made calamities," Kal'tsit said softly with a sigh. "A catastrophe is imminent, Reunion's army is outside the city, and these people are completely innocent."
"It's just a pity that Tomorrow's Development has no law enforcement authority in Ursus," Ines said in a low voice. "If our forces openly enter Chernobog and fight, it would give them leverage against us. Covert infiltration is different from outright war."
W remained unconcerned. In her view, it would be simpler to just storm in loudly and violently. Ursus or not, wherever the King of Liberation set foot, Tomorrow's Development's banner should stand.
The group did not enter through the main gates. Instead, they used a hidden passage Scout had discovered during reconnaissance. Calling it a secret passage was generous. It was, in fact, a sewer.
After silently putting two guards to sleep, Ines emerged from the shadows and led the group out of the underground tunnels and back onto the surface.
Pedestrians hurried past them, faces filled with panic and helplessness. With war breaking out before their eyes, there was nothing they could do but hope it would end quickly, allowing them to return to the quiet normalcy of their daily lives.
Others appeared less afraid. They trusted that the nobles' army would protect them as it always had and easily crush this infected alliance that had emerged from nowhere.
Efficient as ever, Jesselton soon located an abandoned residence near a middle school. It was an attic that had been deserted for years. After half an hour of thorough cleaning and disinfection by him and Shining, he returned to Felix's side and quietly invited the King inside.
"Try to contact Scout," Felix said. "This city may not be able to hold out for much longer."
He glanced at the nearby school, where classes were still in session. A flicker of blue flame flashed briefly in his eyes.