Chapter Fifty-Six: Situfeng's Post

In a villa within the Lanling Community of Qinan City, the capital of Qilu Province, Situfeng removed his gaming helmet, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. In the traditional gaming world, Situfeng ranked among the top hundred in China, and his development in “War” had been promising—yet he hadn’t expected to stumble in such an unforeseen way.

Situfeng was slender, his complexion slightly pale from spending so much time indoors playing games. His long fingers tapped rhythmically on the table; he’d grown used to keyboards in traditional games, and though virtual neural computers now relied on voice and thought commands, he still found himself tapping out of habit.

His thoughts drifted back to the game. After triggering a regional quest in Qinghe County, he’d analyzed the situation: in the original storyline, the Great Village’s church was breached and burned, so joining the church’s side was an act of altering the game’s plot. Players who could change the system’s scripted missions were sure to earn generous rewards, but the chances of success were slim.

Both the attacking and defending sides had two hundred players each, but Situfeng wasn’t worried about the attackers. In warfare, the defenders had the advantage of terrain, and players who’d joined the church were even provided with firearms. With two hundred against two hundred, Situfeng believed there was no way the attackers could break through the church.

Thanks to his reputation in the gaming world, most of the defending players accepted his leadership—the idea to carve firing ports into the walls was his. The church walls had eight firing ports in total; since most players were poor shots, the four ports at the edges were of little use. The main firepower was concentrated at the four ports flanking the church’s rear entrance.

Under Situfeng’s command, the defenders repelled two attacks without suffering any casualties, which made the players even more confident in him. Once he realized the attackers posed little threat, he adjusted their defenses: only sixteen players remained at the firing ports to repel assaults, while the rest began constructing defensive works inside the church, ready to counter any NPCs who might breach from other directions.

Situfeng calculated that with sixteen players rotating at the firing ports, they could easily cover the approach routes with fire. If a defender fell at a port, a substitute could step in immediately; even if the enemy adopted new tactics, as long as the port defenders could delay them for a minute, those inside would have time to respond.

What Situfeng never anticipated was the enemy’s use of shotguns aimed at the firing ports. In a single volley, four ports were rendered useless. It would have been better if the players at those ports had simply been shot; instead, they were blinded, colliding with their substitutes and causing chaos.

Situfeng had believed his plans thorough, yet the enemy executed a perfect strike, turning his careful defenses into a joke. Blinding the defenders with shotguns and then charging amid the confusion—it seemed simple on the surface, but repurposing abandoned shotguns and timing the assault so precisely revealed incredible skill on the planner’s part.

Could it be one of those top-tier players who outranked him in the gaming world? Situfeng logged onto the forums in search of answers, certain that the conclusion of the Qinghe County regional quest would be the subject of discussion.

Indeed, as soon as he logged on, the first post he saw was about the regional quest. The title read: “The Game’s Number One Shows His Might; the Second-Raters Flee in Panic.”

Situfeng let out a wry smile—he was one of those so-called second-raters. Yet to call the strategist the game’s number one after a single skirmish was certainly an exaggeration. Only after reading the entire thread did he realize the poster was being sensational; the “game’s number one” referred to Chen Baxian, the first player to reach level 10 and earn the rank of Second Lieutenant.

Traditional gaming elites were proud, believing that, despite “War” being unique, the fundamentals of gaming remained unchanged and that their skills would still shine. Their sharp instincts had ensured most of them fared well in the new game, which only strengthened their conviction. Even when the relatively unknown Chen Baxian was the first to reach level 10, they dismissed it as mere luck.

But after reading the thread, Situfeng was forced to admit that Chen Baxian’s achievement was no accident. According to the forum, Chen Baxian had devised the attack plan as soon as he joined the team, his keen observational skills unmatched.

Situfeng wasn’t a sore loser. Not only did he hold no grudge against Chen Baxian, but he also posted a thread titled “Gaming Elites Should Not Be Arrogant.” In it, he candidly admitted to leading the church defense and losing in strategy to Chen Baxian.

Situfeng pointed out that “War” was very different from traditional high-fidelity online games, and that it was no coincidence someone outside the top thousand—like Chen Baxian—was first to reach level 10. As more talented individuals entered the game, the rankings of China’s top players would inevitably change. If the old guard remained arrogant, they’d only bring about their own downfall.

Chen Hao’s observational skills were indeed sharp, but his use of the shotgun came down to memory rather than insight; Situfeng gave him more credit than was due. Nevertheless, Situfeng’s conclusion was correct— as the game progressed, unfamiliar names began to rise, while many traditional elites faded into obscurity within “War.”

Even though Chen Hao was the first to reach level 10, few people actually recognized the name Chen Baxian; even Lin Xiaofeng’s team didn’t immediately realize who he was. The battle at the Great Village’s church became a classic, sparking heated discussion on the forums, and it was only because of Situfeng’s post that Chen Baxian started to gain some notoriety.

The battle had a significant impact on the game, chiefly by changing perceptions of the shotgun. Previously considered obsolete and unwanted, the shotgun’s value became apparent, and many teams began assigning a dedicated shotgunner.

Once players reached level 10 and could hire NPCs as gun mounts, more would switch their shooting specialization to machine gun proficiency, since being a gun mount required little skill—any hired NPC would suffice.

Chen Hao hadn’t logged out of the game and was unaware of the forum discussions or the shotgun’s sudden rise in value. He accepted the player “Fishing Passerby” into his leveling team; since the machine gun specialization, which enhanced a gunner’s abilities, was rare, every player with it could be a top-tier gunner.

With the Gatling and Maxim heavy machine guns now available in China, if they were lucky enough to acquire one, Fishing Passerby would become a key source of firepower for the team. Though this newcomer seemed a bit scheming, Chen Hao decided to keep him in the team for observation. After all, his future core would be NPC-based, and cooperation with players was only for leveling—there was no fear of betrayal.

Chen Hao, accompanied by Fishing Passerby, went to find Lin Hei’er. His performance during the church assault had greatly impressed the NPCs. Zhao Sanduo praised him effusively in front of Lin Hei’er, which delighted her. Seeing Chen Hao, she handed him a Colt pistol and said, “Nephew Baxian, you performed admirably. This is the foreign pistol I promised to give you.”