Chapter Seventeen: The Path to Survival

The function hall was shrouded in silence, broken only by Tina’s voice: “The Road to Survival is actually an undersea passage, said to connect to a military base—a demolition center. Once an explosion breaches it, the passage opens, and the territories of the two Federations will be accessible to one another.”

At that moment, Wu Hua couldn’t help but marvel at Tina’s resourcefulness. She even knew information like this.

As if reading his thoughts, Tina smiled and said, “I got all this from the Federation headquarters.”

Wu Hua sighed, “Not everyone has your abilities.”

Tina replied, “Currently, the people from the Holy Federation have also launched the Road to Survival mission. Their plan is to defend the base and prevent the passage from being opened.”

Wu Hua asked, “And our side?”

Tina explained, “We’re mainly split into two factions: one advocates fighting, the other peace. The pro-war faction is led by Blue Ocean Corporation, which holds an overwhelming advantage.”

Wu Hua knew that, within the game, the Federation government’s actions and policies essentially followed the majority opinion of the players. With Blue Ocean’s reputation, once they called for war, countless others would blindly echo the call.

Tina said, “Personally, I actually support going to war. Without war, companies can’t make money, especially big conglomerates like Blue Ocean. Their weapons and energy supplies need a market.”

Wu Hua couldn’t help sighing inwardly: Women, oh women, why are they all so eager for profit in times of crisis?

But despite his sighs, Wu Hua was also curious about the mission. Just the name alone was exhilarating; he imagined rivers of blood and mountains of corpses. In moments of chaos, his talent for fishing in troubled waters would truly shine.

“This is a Federation-class mission,” Tina continued in a deliberately light tone. “Large teams can participate. It’s not a triggered quest, meaning casualties are your own responsibility. The mission objective is simple—blow up the base and make it back alive.” Yet Wu Hua could hear the peril beneath her words. The mission wasn’t just hard—it was extremely difficult.

“This isn’t something one or two people can pull off,” Wu Hua said.

“That’s right,” Tina replied. “The news only broke today, and already over ten thousand people have signed up in Dreamstar City alone, not counting those coming from other cities. Anyone who registers can collect a 500-credit subsidy at the Federation’s General Affairs Hall.”

Wu Hua was shocked. “Five hundred credits per person? The game company is really splurging on this event.”

Tina nodded. “In my opinion, such a large-scale mission probably isn’t just about opening a passage. But what dangers lie ahead, I’m not sure. The government refuses to reveal anything.”

Wu Hua pondered, then asked, “Miss Tina, I imagine you have plans regarding this mission?”

Tina offered an approving smile. “Mr. Blast, you have sharp insight. Yes, our Qimen Corporation is forming an elite special operations team—not many, but the best. Thirteen people in total; we already have twelve.”

Wu Hua laughed. “What’s the pay, Miss Tina? Let’s hear it.”

“Mr. Blast, you’re not only skilled and courageous, but also straightforward,” Tina replied with a smile. “Our offer is simple: the company has specially produced a Komore M18 mine, set to detonate thirty minutes after activation, displaying the Qimen logo after the explosion.”

Wu Hua chuckled again. Qimen’s scheme was brilliant—if this team managed to set off the mine, Qimen’s reputation in Star Wars would skyrocket.

“And the remuneration?” Wu Hua pressed.

Tina’s smile deepened. “My boss has instructed that, aside from the system rewards, each member will be equipped with exclusive gear, receive a 10,000-credit deposit, and sign an electronic contract. Upon successful completion, every member will get 200,000 credits and a Platinum VIP card from Qimen, with all services at half price.”

Wu Hua’s heart raced—200,000 credits was thirty thousand yuan. Tina’s boss was about to shell out hundreds of thousands in one go. Incredible.

“A generous offer, truly,” Wu Hua said with admiration.

Tina replied, “It’s still nothing compared to Blue Ocean. I’ve heard they’re sending a special ops team as well, including members of the ‘Seven Fairies’.”

Wu Hua was taken aback. “This mission has really stirred things up.”

Tina said, “With your strength and wit, Mr. Blast, I have no doubt you’ll excel in this mission. If you’re interested, meet me here tomorrow at nine a.m., and I’ll brief you on the details.”

“No problem,” Wu Hua agreed immediately. Since they were signing an electronic contract, it was no empty promise—such contracts were binding under Federation law, and malicious breaches would be severely punished by the system. This was Qimen’s show of sincerity.

After leaving Qimen, Wu Hua logged off and, first thing, opened the Star Wars player forum on his computer.

The forum was in an uproar—nearly every thread discussed the survival mission. Players had split into two camps: on one side, the Glorious Federation players were clamoring to wipe out the Holy Federation, blow up the military base, and rack up points.

Wu Hua learned that the mission awarded points: each opposing player killed earned ten points, which could be exchanged for credits, experience, or merit after the mission. But the conversion rate was steep—one thousand points for a single merit, meaning a hundred kills for one merit. That was seriously tough.

On the other side, the Holy Federation players were making vows to defend the base at all costs, insisting that no one from the Glorious Federation would get through alive.

The forum was a chaotic battlefield, with arguments raging on all sides.

Wu Hua noticed an interesting post: a family guild from Dreamstar City called “Dragon City Clan” was recruiting for the mission, offering three hundred credits and three bundles of blood serum to each volunteer. They’d already signed up over eight thousand people and were making quite a show of it.

It was obvious the guild was spending money on advertising, buying cannon fodder. Creative, perhaps, but completing a system mission didn’t always depend on sheer numbers. Mass tactics could be a tidal wave, but if things went wrong, casualties would pile up as quickly as a collapsing wall.

After a night’s rest, Wu Hua logged in early, made his way to Qimen Corporation, and pushed open the hall doors to find a crowd already assembled.

Tina greeted him with a smile. “We were just waiting for you. Come, let me introduce you—this is my boss, Mr. Iron.”