Chapter 59: First Encounter-Global Gamification: Tower Defense and Civilization(Slayer of Tyrants)

Karl walked into Yang Jie’s office, held a private discussion with him for about twenty minutes, and then pushed open the door to leave.

Seated upright in his office, fingers intertwined on the desk, his thumbs spinning ceaselessly as though pondering something deeply.

This was a golden period of development; Yang Jie was determined not to let a new mortal enemy emerge by his side. Yet since the other party had already stepped in unannounced, Yang Jie could hardly swallow his anger. If he acted, it would be with decisive force—strike once, and strike to kill.

After brooding quietly for a long time, Yang Jie’s thoughts gradually became clear.

He lounged on the long bench, the stifling heat draining any desire to stroll about, so he decided to open the system panel for the first time in a while.

He entered the regional chat channel. In-game time had already passed over a year; the newbies from the beginning had either been crushed outright or had crushed others to become local powerhouses. The world channel now felt rather deserted.

[Warning: In the central region of the Rox Continent, an undead scourge has appeared, formed by six undead lord players. Wherever they go, no life remains. Reliable sources say they have broken through four cities already. It is estimated that in two months, they will enter Audran. Everyone, please be careful!]

[I am a lord in the northern part of Audran. Add me as a friend and let’s discuss the details!]

[Sigh, all those who group up deserve to die!]

[The strong always walk alone; cattle and sheep gather in herds! Whoever invades Audran, even from afar, must be punished!]

[Listen to me, brother above—pack up and move while you still can. It’s not too late now. You’re too young to handle this.]

…

[Burning Coast in crisis! Is anyone nearby willing to help me? These mermen have been besieging my city for half a month. I’m about to collapse! I’ve worked so hard to develop this base; how could I bear to see it destroyed? Can anyone lend a hand? Name your terms!]

[What a coincidence! I’m the one besieging your city. Listen to me—surrender while you still can!]

[Brother, let me tell you—if you can’t win, just join us. Why insist on holding out?]

…

As Yang Jie was idly browsing, a friend request suddenly popped up in the lower right corner…

[Lord player Xue Hui requests to add you as a friend. Do you accept? ✓]

[Brother, let’s talk—something serious!]

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“Xue Hui? Something serious?”

I’ve never heard of this guy before; what serious matter could there be? Well, might as well add him—there could be some history between us.

Yang Jie tapped the system panel, selecting “accept.”

[You have successfully added Xue Hui as a friend. You can now start chatting.]

Inside Iron Forge on the Parlando Highlands, Xue Hui was assigning tasks to his subordinates when he suddenly received a system notification…

[You have successfully added Yang Jie as a friend. You can now start chatting.]

His expression sharpened. He waved to his cadre and said, “Let’s end today’s meeting here. Finish the tasks I’ve assigned; I have some private matters to attend to.”

“Understood!”

The dwarven ministers rose, bowed, and left the conference room.

Once alone, Xue Hui opened the system panel and navigated to the chat interface.

[Xue Hui: Greetings, brother.]

[Yang Jie: Do we know each other?]

[Xue Hui: We didn’t before, but we do now.]

Before entering the game, Xue Hui had been a seasoned flirt, skilled in various conversational tactics. Rather than being direct, he set the scene, subtly pressuring Yang Jie by keeping things mysterious. But Yang Jie wasn’t easily fooled; he didn’t play along.

[Yang Jie: Speak plainly—time is valuable.]

[Xue Hui: Are you the rat lord on the Northen Plains?]

[Yang Jie: That’s me. What’s your business?]

By now, Yang Jie had pretty much guessed the other’s identity and intentions.

[Xue Hui: Here’s the thing—someone in my guild heard there’s been a bit of trouble with you lately.]

[Yang Jie: Trouble? If trespassing on my territory and slaughtering my peasants is a ‘misunderstanding,’ then please tell me what isn’t.]

Yang Jie had already deduced the purpose. The ballistae mounted on the nine warships had long ago been dismantled and installed on his city walls; returning them intact was out of the question…

[Xue Hui: Listen, I wasn’t aware of this incident. If you’re willing to return the nine remaining warships, we can discuss terms. We’re close by—being allies could be a good option.]

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Lounging on the bench, Yang Jie couldn’t help but chuckle at this. The first half of the message was likely true, but the latter half was pure nonsense…

He claimed the terms were negotiable, but in reality, he wanted to form an alliance for free.

Be allies? Dream on!

[Yang Jie: Sorry, Brother Xue. Publicly, you can’t offer what I want; privately, we have no relationship.]

[Yang Jie: Besides, those warships have already been dismantled. Tell your friend to learn his lesson.]

At this point, Xue Hui realized it would be virtually impossible to get the ships back.

[Xue Hui: Brother, let’s not rush—let me show you something and see if you’re interested!]

With that, Xue Hui pasted the attributes of a blueprint into the chat…

Four-Star World Wonder: Great Wall—Blueprint

Building Effect: Significantly increases the prosperity of all civilizations within your territory.

Yang Jie gasped at the sight of the gleaming blueprint, exclaiming, “A four-star wonder!”

As a veteran player, Yang Jie was well acquainted with world wonders—high investment, high reward, the very definition of labor-intensive. But in his view, world wonders were the most effective buffs for advancing civilization.

Two-star and lower wonders could boost the comfort of territory residents, leading to greater labor efficiency and, indirectly, higher productivity.

Three-star and higher wonders, on the other hand, increased the prosperity of the territory.

Prosperity bred talent, and talent was indispensable for any civilization. How many historic figures in his own country had single-handedly shaped entire eras!

But Yang Jie still chose to refuse. A good item, certainly, but for him now, it was nothing more than a stack of useless paper. When Emperor Qin built the Great Wall, he conscripted five hundred thousand laborers, and construction lasted 282 years, with over five million perishing in the process!

Though “Tower Defense and Civilization” wasn’t as extreme as actual history, given Yang Jie’s current tribal capacity, any such plan was sheer fantasy.

[Yang Jie: It’s a fantastic item, but I’m not worthy of it at the moment. I’ll hang on to those nine warships for now—if you have something else worthwhile, we can talk. That’s all for now; I’m off to take a bath.]

Yang Jie refused politely, much like gently declining a friend’s request for a loan. But Xue Hui saw it differently—especially the last line about bathing, which felt like a provocation.

The conversation ended there. Xue Hui said nothing more, simply leaning back in his chair, eyes narrowed as if plotting something, his expression cold and calculating…

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