Cold-eyed spectators and a hopeless world

'Cloud Ridge' World was a codename Yang Jian gave to this place he was passing through!

He was in the world opposite the Time-Space Altar.

He heard that the place where the Abyssal Monsters were besieging there was called Cloud Ridge!

It was similar to what Lingyun City in Longwei County would be like in the future.

Clearly, the Time-Space Key for that world was in Cloud Ridge City.

Back then, Yang Jian didn't delve deeply into this world.

He hurried back to Bluestar, just passing through.

Only when he came again this time did he feel the impact of the Abyssal invasion.

This main city was called Peak City.

It was one of the twelve main cities on this continent.

And this game world was called Starry Night World... Starry Night World was actually the name of the world opposite the Time-Space Altar.

When players from Starry Night World entered 'salvation' and became deeply bound to this continent.

This place was temporarily named 'Starry Night World'.

Why temporarily?

Because only by holding off the Abyss could there be a possibility of occupying this place long-term!

...A tavern is always the best place to gather information.

Unfortunately, due to the approaching war.

The tavern in Peak City had already closed down!

As a last resort, Yang Jian came to a restaurant in Peak City.

Yang Jian casually ordered a few signature dishes.

As he sat down, Yang Jian couldn't help but sigh.

A mistake.

There wasn't a single person in the huge restaurant!

He had wanted to listen to some gossip!

When the Golden Hair Girl, a blonde, blue-eyed waitress in a revealing shirt, served the dishes.

Yang Jian could only ask her about the situation!

"Hey, wait a moment!"

The Golden Hair Girl turned to Yang Jian with a puzzled expression.

Her eyes held a question.

Yang Jian casually tossed her a gold coin as a tip.

The Golden Hair Girl's attitude immediately changed drastically.

A smile instantly appeared on her face.

She checked her attire, pulling her already revealing shirt down a bit further.

Then she bent and leaned in front of Yang Jian, asking with a smile.

"Guest, how can I help you?"

Yang Jian was bewildered by her smooth, practiced movements.

"Sit down. Where have all the players in this world gone? Why is there no one in a main city?"

Yang Jian clearly remembered that when he passed through more than ten days ago.

The players here were still bustling about!

Hearing this question, the Golden Hair Girl's smile became more genuine.

"Are you a big shot from another world?

Then you've come at the wrong time!

The players' Starry Night World has been invaded by the Abyss.

They're gradually losing... They might have gone to earn money!

They probably don't have the heart to wander around anymore."

Yang Jian knew about the invasion.

Yang Jian also knew they were losing.

But why would they want to earn money and not have the heart to wander around?

It seemed there were changes Yang Jian didn't know about.

Seeing that Boss Yang was puzzled.

The Golden Hair Girl, having received her money, spoke freely and without reservation.

"Knowing that Starry Night World was about to fall, many high and mid-level guilds started sending their families into the game world!

It's easy to come over via the Time-Space Altar.

But ordinary players can't afford the housing prices in this main city!

Now, our East District, as a commercial area, a single room has already risen to thirty thousand gold coins!

The South City residential area has also risen to ten thousand..."

"So those players went to earn money?"

The Golden Hair Girl curled her lips in disdain.

"Earn money for what? Now, almost all the maps outside the main city are occupied by the Abyss!

Many ordinary players can only huddle with their families in the slums outside the South City!"

Yang Jian was stunned.

"What about the small towns on those maps outside the city?"

"Small towns belong to the gods, and within the town's boundaries, there's also divine protection, so the Abyss can't enter!"

Yang Jian was even more confused for a moment.

"Then how long will this protection last?"

"I heard it's until Starry Night World is completely defeated.

Until their world is dragged into the Abyss.

Once all the high-level players are dead, the gods will act and drive the Abyss out of the game world!"

"Why would they operate this way?"

Now it was the Golden Hair Girl's turn to be confused.

No way, big brother.

You, a big shot who can cross worlds, don't know.

What could a mere wage-earner like me in the main city possibly know?

All the information I just gave you was from what I used to hear from the diners!

They haven't been here in a long time, so my information hasn't been updated in a long time either!

Dismissing the Golden Hair Girl, Yang Jian felt a bit regretful about the one gold coin he'd spent.

The money was spent, but he hadn't heard any useful information!

He could only go out and ask around himself.

Yang Jian first went to look at the so-called slums outside the South City.

Without player status, Peak City now strictly restricted ordinary people from entering the city.

Of course, if you had a place to settle, that was another matter.

Like the high-ranking members of large guilds.

Those who could afford to buy their own houses in the main city.

They could settle people in the houses they purchased.

People from Peak City would check periodically.

Or if you were rich, you could just stay in a hotel.

Anyway, don't even think about sleeping on the streets of the main city.

Sorry, it affects the city's appearance!

It was cruel.

But very real.

People like Chen Ergou in the Star Palace guild.

To be able to make a living in Zhenhai City meant their ancestors were once prosperous.

Without some ancestral ability.

Under such a cataclysmic disaster.

They simply wouldn't survive!

And now, as Yang Jian stepped out of Peak City's South Gate.

A scene of filth, chaos, and noise appeared before Yang Jian.

He didn't know how long they had been here.

Stepping out of the system's protective barrier, a foul stench unexpectedly rushed into Yang Jian's nostrils.

Choking him, he quickly held his breath.

Previously, he had only seen the tragic state of a nation destroyed and homes lost in films and TV shows.

The real situation was much more desolate than in films and TV shows.

Fortunately, although Peak City didn't allow entry.

At least there were still guards on the city walls maintaining some order.

Order hadn't broken down, so they still had the energy to argue.

Looking at the helpless old and weak.

They were like a powder keg, ready to ignite at any moment.

Yang Jian took out his professional equipment from Bluestar.

He began recording the tragic scene outside the city!

Sometimes, no matter how much you shout.

It's not as effective as seeing with your own eyes what people of a fallen nation are truly like.

If he couldn't dispel their laziness.

Who would be willing to buy Yang Jian's value-added package?

As long as everything went smoothly, with the whole world working for him, gathering materials.

Only then would he truly lack nothing.

As he filmed, Yang Jian himself felt a little uneasy.

Just now, under Yang Jian's lens, an old woman starved to death.

Startled, Yang Jian quickly turned the camera to film elsewhere.

"Alas, she still starved to death. Don't blame us, my son is also struggling on the front lines. In this situation, it's already very difficult to feed ourselves!"

"What a pity, her husband sent her in, but he himself died in Starry Night!"

"When will these days end!"

Listening to the discussions around him.

Yang Jian finally understood the whole story.

Unfortunately, being neither relative nor friend, Yang Jian had no way to help.

Moreover, there were hundreds of thousands of refugees here.

How could he help them all?

He could only ignore what he couldn't see!

After filming the refugees' plight, he left the city's no-fly zone.

Wings grew from Yang Jian's back.

He flew towards the guild station in his memory that led to Cloud Ridge.

Along the way, looking down at the land from high in the sky.

There were Abyssal Monsters all over the mountains and plains.

Among them, Imps and Fallen Demons were the most numerous!

Closer to the coast, it was all Murlocs and Naga!

These Murlocs were standard Abyssal species.

Not the Murloc tribes left behind in the game world that took root and developed.

After filming a large circle, Yang Jian himself felt a little shaken.

How could there be so many Abyssal Monsters?

Yang Jian hadn't measured how large a continent was.

But he knew how large a map a main city could cover.

Although these Abyssal Monsters were far from dense.

They had basically replaced the original wild monsters.

Now, the wild monsters on this map no longer spawned.

Instead, there were Abyssal Monsters everywhere.

In the early stages, Abyssal Monsters were hard to find.

Later, they could force you to stay indoors.

Who could you complain to about this?

After a tour, there were also unexpected gains.

Yang Jian saw that on a map far from human habitation on the distant coast, it was all Abyssal Monsters around level 45... Originally, Yang Jian wanted to catch Abyssal Monsters in Starry Night World.

After all, there were also game rules here, and with a game system, there was level suppression.

Outside, Yang Jian could beat the hell out of a level 70 Abyssal Monster.

Here, a level 60 Abyssal Monster could chase Yang Jian everywhere.

However, if there was a place with all level 45 monsters.

It would save him from any accidents over there.

After all, the closer to the time-space development of Cloud Ridge.

The more uneasy Yang Jian felt...