1: Playing for life right from the start?

A deafening roar echoed from above the dim forest, occasionally accompanied by the booming of artillery fire.

This noisy commotion finally woke Li Xiao, who had been playing 'chicken' all night.

But before he could fully come to his senses, a cold, arrow-like female voice rang in his ear.

“Welcome to the Inverse Fire World!”

“Esteemed Commander, congratulations on becoming one of two billion Commanders! You will receive your own exclusive military base!”

“Please upgrade and develop your base as soon as possible, and assemble a powerful combat force to deal with threats from various factions on Hanhai Star, as well as other Commanders!”

“Note: Your base is currently under system protection for 48 hours, during which time it cannot be attacked!”

“Note: Whether your troops accept your command and are loyal to you depends entirely on your attitude. Please cherish the comrades who fight for you through thick and thin!”

“Warning: If your base is completely destroyed or you are killed, you will be eliminated and perish permanently!”

“What?! Did I hear that right? I just transmigrated?”

Li Xiao was stunned after hearing several prompts from the system, which appeared out of nowhere.

“Damn it, I wasn't prepared at all! Is it a crime to pull an all-nighter at an internet cafe and doze off?”

However, Li Xiao soon realized that the system's voice didn't sound like a joke, because he clearly saw a flying vessel, like an aircraft carrier, slowly moving through the clouds under the moon.

An aerospace carrier!

Something like that would be hard to research in a hundred years on Blue Star.

“Alright, transmigration is transmigration, but why didn't you let me transmigrate to ancient times to be a prince or something? Why did I transmigrate to such a heavily strategy-game-themed war world?”

If he hadn't spent a few years reading web novels, Li Xiao would have had a hard time accepting it for a while.

Fortunately, there were two billion other unlucky souls with him, so he didn't feel lonely at all in this new world.

Calming down, Li Xiao didn't forget what the system had just said: this world not only had two billion players, but also local indigenous forces. One wrong move could lead to eternal damnation.

So, the most urgent task was to quickly develop and protect himself.

“Right, where's the base?” Li Xiao remembered the system saying it would give him a military base at the start.

Uh... Li Xiao turned around and immediately saw a small, reinforced concrete bungalow, less than twenty square meters, and it was an unfinished shell without any decoration.

“Holy crap! You're telling me this is a military base? System, come out, I promise I won't beat you to death!”

Li Xiao had originally thought a military base would have all sorts of shooting ranges, training grounds, helipads, and barracks.

And that it would be equipped with heavy machine guns, anti-aircraft missiles, and all that stuff. This... Li Xiao felt it would be an insult to call it a public restroom.

“Alright.”

What could Li Xiao do? He had no choice.

He hurried over. This so-called base house didn't even have a door, and actually, it didn't even have windows.

Standing at the entrance, he glanced inside. The room's furnishings were simple: a bed, a table, a laptop, a bathtub, and a wardrobe.

“This is also called a military base?”

Just as Li Xiao was about to complain, a flood of information suddenly poured into his mind.

This made him feel dizzy and disoriented for a moment, but he recovered in just a few seconds.

Li Xiao reviewed the new information. It turned out to be basic virtual operating methods and rules about this Inverse Fire World, all instilled by the system.

For example, he could now open 'Base Information', 'Communication Channel', 'Trading Center', and many auxiliary system menus.

Li Xiao opened the Base Information casually, getting a preliminary understanding of the current situation.

“Unnamed Base Lv1 (Can claim 'G-Class Conscription Order' * 2 daily)”

“Commander: Li Xiao (HP 100/100)”

“Inverse Fire ID: 0202120800”

“Facility Count: 1”

“Storage Limit: 50”

“Upgrade Conditions: Steel 50, Fuel 50, Rare Ore 20”

Now, his primary goal was to collect resources and upgrade his base as quickly as possible, then build a strong team.

Next, he opened the Communication Channel, which was perhaps the only way to communicate with other players who had come to this world at this stage.

After entering the Communication Channel system, Li Xiao found that only a National Channel was accessible; the Legion Channel and World Channel were both inaccessible.

Li Xiao clicked to enter the National Channel on the virtual screen within his field of vision, then heard a system prompt.

“You have entered National Channel 131069.”

Presumably, there were too many players, so the system seemed to have directly set up several chat channels.

As soon as he entered, Li Xiao saw the chat interface scrolling rapidly, looking very lively. Judging from the chat content, it seemed that those pulled into this other world by the system were mostly younger people, aged between 18 and 40.

“Holy crap! What the hell is this place? I just booked a room with a girl, how did I end up here?!”

“Family, guess what I saw? Mechs, the kind with Gatling cannons on both hands!”

“Does anyone know how to get back? I'm willing to pay thirty million for information!”

“Great! This is fair, I'm a single guy. Everyone starts on the same line, by their own abilities!”

“Little brothers, fighting and stuff is the worst. Is there anyone kind enough to take me back? I can offer some rather excessive conditions, you know.”

“Don't be delusional, this is clearly a mass transmigration. It's probably hard to go back. First, think about how to survive!”

“What's it like to play a real-life strategy game in another world? Out of curiosity, Big SOLO will try it for you guys...”

Li Xiao watched for a while. Most people were still in a state of panic, but many had also begun to face reality.

Of course, for a small number of people, this might have become a new starting point in their lives. The unwillingness to be defeated by reality before transmigration became their motivation to stand out in this other world.

Li Xiao also saw many people who had already started exploring and developing, and discussions about this Inverse Fire World grew more frequent.

After synthesizing some information, Li Xiao concluded that the areas around almost all players' bases were not peaceful. Large numbers of local indigenous military forces were threatening their safety.

He had just seen someone say that after running outside the base's safe zone, they saw unknown troops engaged in firefights, and they were well-equipped and powerful.

“It seems I can't delay any longer...”

The system clearly stated that the protection period was only 48 hours. In two days, he could only recruit four soldiers at most, which probably wouldn't even be enough to fill the teeth of a small indigenous force.