25: A conspiracy by the beacon of the United States! A dirty trick!

The collective breakdown in the Japan's livestream room was just a minor interlude.

For the Dragon Country Operations Center at this moment,

their attention was fully focused on the upcoming assault operation.

"Report! All four members of the Assault Squad have arrived at the Hongyuan Building and successfully rendezvoused with contestant no. 3 Zhang Wei!" a communicator reported loudly.

On the main screen, the largest display had already switched to the interior of the Hongyuan Building.

On the 32nd floor, inside a massive, cleared-out office.

Wang Yi, Chen Hu, Zhao Zihan, Wu Qiong, and the building's "landlord," Zhang Wei—the five of them were gathered together.

This was the first true offline assembly of the Dragon Country contestants.

"Captain Wang!"

"Hello, Captain Wang!"

Chen Hu, Zhao Zihan, and Wu Qiong

all showed absolute respect for Wang Yi, their captain.

It wasn't just because of Wang Yi's illustrious reputation as the "Thousand Kill,"

but also because of the distinctively calm and reliable aura of a soldier that he radiated from within.

"Good work, everyone."

Wang Yi nodded to the three of them, his gaze sweeping over each of them.

Clad in heavy EOD gear and wielding a high-frequency battle blade, Chen Hu looked like a steel God of War, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Zhao Zihan carried a high-tech compound bow; she was tall with a sharp gaze and a heroic bearing, looking like a huntress ready to strike at any moment.

Wu Qiong wore a stealth combat suit, his entire being seemingly merging into the shadows; his presence was restrained, appearing mysterious and professional.

Wang Yi nodded inwardly.

"Engineer Zhang, what's the situation with the building?"

Wang Yi looked over at the Architectural Engineer, Zhang Wei.

"Reporting, Captain Wang!"

Zhang Wei's face was flushed with excitement; being able to fight alongside the legendary God of War made this ordinary middle-aged engineer's blood boil.

"I've already performed preliminary modifications on the building. All elevators and fire escapes leading downstairs have been completely sealed off with rebar and concrete. Currently, everything from the 30th floor up in this building is absolutely safe!"

"Beautifully done," Wang Yi praised.

A stable rear base was the foundation of all operations. A professional like Zhang Wei was incredibly valuable.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, let's keep this brief."

Wang Yi opened the team-wide voice channel;

what he was about to say wasn't meant for outsiders to hear.

"According to the latest mission issued by the Administrator, our Assault Squad's next objective is the First Police Station located in the city center!"

"Mission Objectives: Clear out all zombies within the Police Station, secure the armory, and find the first password clue hidden in the safe inside the Chief's office!"

Wang Yi's voice was clearly transmitted to every corner through the voice channel.

In the operations center, everyone held their breath.

The real assault was about to begin!

"As for the situation at the Police Station, the Administrator has already provided us with very detailed intelligence,"

Wang Yi continued.

"The Police Station is a five-story building. The main threats come from the ground floor lobby and the underground parking lot, where a large number of zombies have gathered. It's estimated there are at least five hundred."

"Our plan is for Chen Hu and me to act as the primary attackers, forcing our way through the main entrance to draw the attention of most of the zombies."

"Zhao Zihan, you will be at the high point of the building opposite us to provide long-range fire support, prioritizing the elimination of any special infected that pose a threat to us."

"Wu Qiong, your mission is the most critical. After Chen Hu and I clear the lobby, you must immediately find the stairs to the Chief's office, sneak into the fourth-floor office as quickly as possible, find the safe, and retrieve the password clue."

"Zhang Wei, you will stay behind at the base and be ready to provide structural support at any time."

"Everyone else, stand by, ensure your own safety, and wait for further instructions!"

Wang Yi's tactical deployment was well-organized with clear divisions of labor, without a hint of hesitation.

"Understood!" the members of the Assault Squad responded in unison.

"Good. There are still three hours until dark. Let's move immediately!"

At Wang Yi's command, the Assault Squad began their preparations with swift efficiency.

Watching this elite squad on the screen about to set out, everyone in the Dragon Country Operations Center felt a surge of excitement.

"So professional... This is practically a real-life special forces unit!" Li Guodong exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

"Wang Yi's command ability is beyond doubt," General Lin Zhan said with a look of appreciation. "He has maximized the role of every individual."

"Now, let's see what surprises our Logistics Commander-in-Chief can bring them," Li Guodong said, smiling at Su Yuan.

Everyone's eyes focused on Su Yuan once again.

They knew that while the squad's tactical execution was important, the pay-to-win support from Su Yuan, the Administrator, was the key factor determining their upper limit!

Su Yuan smiled slightly, full of confidence.

He had long since prepared a trump card for this assault operation.

"Since it's an assault, insufficient firepower just won't do."

Su Yuan opened the mall, his eyes locking onto an item he had been eyeing for a long time but hadn't been willing to buy because of the price.

"[Item: Individual Electromagnetic Pulse Grenade (EMP) x3]"

"[Price: 2,000 national fortune points]"

"[Effect: Upon detonation, it generates a strong electromagnetic pulse within a 30-meter radius, capable of instantly paralyzing all zombies within range for ten seconds.]"

Paralyze all zombies! For ten seconds!

In a rapidly changing battlefield, it was self-evident what ten seconds of absolute control meant!

This was practically a team-fight divine tool tailor-made for assaulters like Wang Yi and Chen Hu!

"Though it's a bit expensive, it's definitely worth it!"

Without hesitation, Su Yuan spent 2,000 national fortune points to exchange for three EMP grenades and designated them for delivery to Wang Yi.

"Also, while Wu Qiong can open the armory door, it's better to use a more direct method to save time."

Su Yuan found another item.

"[Item: C4 Plastic Explosive (Small)]"

"[Price: 500 national fortune points]"

"[Effect: A piece of high-energy explosive, sufficient to blow open an alloy door of bank vault caliber.]"

"Let's prepare this for Wu Qiong as well."

Another 2,500 national fortune points were spent!

Dragon Country's national fortune points balance shrank significantly once again.

But in the operations center, no one felt distressed.

Everyone knew that these investments would translate into the invincible combat power of the Assault Squad!

...Just as Dragon Country was intensely preparing for a textbook assault operation,

on the other side, the atmosphere in the Lighthouse Country's command center was terrifyingly gloomy.

"Report! Contestant No. 6 encountered a Tyrant; death confirmed!"

"Report! contestant no. 11 was besieged by a pack of Zombie Dogs; death confirmed!"

"Report! contestant no. 17 showed symptoms of infection after drinking contaminated water and has turned into a zombie!"

Bad news arrived one after another.

The Lighthouse Country's supposedly luxurious starting lineup was now reduced by nearly half.

In particular, of the five elites from the SEAL Team and Delta Force, only contestant no. 1 Michael and another Delta Force member named "John" were still alive.

Everyone else had died at the hands of various accidents and monsters.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

The Blonde Director angrily swept all the documents off the table.

"Why is this happening? We have the most elite soldiers in the world; why is it turning out like this?" He couldn't accept this reality.

"Mr. Director..." an analyst beside him said cautiously,

"our soldiers are indeed the most elite. But... we are missing one thing."

"What thing?"

"Intelligence."

The analyst hit the nail on the head.

"We know nothing about this world. Our contestants don't know where the supplies are, where the danger is, and certainly don't know the weaknesses of those monsters.

They're like dancing in a minefield blindfolded; every step is a gamble with their lives."

"But the Dragon Country people... they are different."

The analyst pointed at the screen, showing the clear movement routes and explicit tactical objectives of the Dragon Country contestants.

"They seem to... know this world like the back of their hand. They can always avoid danger in advance and find the most critical resource points, as if there's a mysterious person behind them guiding their way!"

The Blonde Director's expression grew increasingly grim.

"We can't just sit here and wait for death anymore!" a military representative slammed the table.

"The Dragon Country people are frantically grinding points and snowballing. If this continues, by the time the first dungeon ends, the gap in national fortune between them and us will reach a terrifying level! When that manifests a hundredfold in reality, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"So what can we do?" another official spread his hands helplessly. "We can't contact our contestants; we can only watch."

The entire command center fell into silence once again.

A deep sense of powerlessness enveloped everyone.

Just then, a man who had been sitting in the corner, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking refined,

but with an exceptionally sinister gaze, spoke slowly.

"Perhaps... we can change our approach."

Everyone's eyes turned toward him.

This person was a top strategic analyst, codenamed Ouroboros.

He was known for his eccentric thinking and ruthless methods.

"What approach?" the Blonde Director asked.

Ouroboros pushed up his glasses, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Since we can't improve ourselves, why not... try to weaken our opponents?"

"Weaken the opponents?"

Everyone was stunned.

"Exactly."

Ouroboros's gaze

fell upon the screen,

specifically on the Dragon Country Assault Squad moving at high speed toward the Police Station.

"The Dragon Country's greatest advantage right now is their teamwork and their almost omniscient intelligence.

"Their Assault Squad has a clear goal, heading straight for the Police Station.

"This indicates that there is something in the Police Station they are determined to get."

"And what we need to do is... create a little trouble for them before they get that thing."

Ouroboros's smile became increasingly chilling.

"Mr. Director, I need authorization. I need to mobilize all our resources lurking around Dragon Country to execute a plan."

"What plan?"

Ouroboros slowly spat out two words:

"Dragon Catch."

In his eyes, a light like that of a venomous snake flickered.

"Since we can't enter the dungeon, we'll muddy the waters. I'll set Dragon Country's backyard on fire, leaving them with no energy to calmly direct their contestants!"

"I want them to know that this struggle for national fortune isn't just happening on the stage!"

"It's also happening off-stage!"