169: Arrival

A shielded zone near the Port of Friendship.

Nine humanoid lifeforms, dressed in vastly different styles, floated above an asteroid on the brink of destruction.

"Since everyone is awake."

The leading man in black robes said indifferently, "Dongcheng, analyze this mission."

"Heh... interesting."

A thin young man squatting on the ground withdrew something he had inserted into the soil, a playful smile appearing on his face.

"This mission might not be as simple as we imagined."

"What did you find?"

The thin youth patted the dust off his clothes and stood up. "I did a simple test. The energy of this asteroid has been completely absorbed; the dissipation scale doesn't exceed 0.01... This doesn't look like technology a low-level world should have. At the very least, it's far stronger than we previously imagined. If we still treat it as a low-level world, we might suffer a great loss."

"What do you mean? Stop talking in riddles and just tell us what to do."

A burly man bumped his fists, which were as large as sandbags, producing a metallic clanging sound.

"Look at your own wristbands."

The thin youth seemed accustomed to this and showed no irritation. He tapped his wristband, and rows of text projections appeared.

Main Mission: Survive until the end and obtain more points.

Optional Mission 1: Take control of one of the three major factions in this world. The first success rewards 10,000 points. Maintaining control grants an additional 10 points every calendar month.

Optional Mission 2: Kill members of other teams. Each kill rewards 1,000 points.

Optional Mission 3: Explore prehistoric ruins. Point rewards will be based on the value of items brought out.

Optional Mission 4... "This is the final trial. All twenty surviving teams have entered. We are relatively lucky to belong to the Free Faction; we have many choices."

The thin youth said calmly:

"I originally planned to find the local leader directly and control him to secure the point goldmine first. But now, it seems this world isn't that simple."

"What's not simple about it? They're just some natives. Hey, Strategist, point me in a direction, and I'll go catch that guy."

The burly man from before said carelessly.

"No, the Strategist is right."

A woman wearing a green floral dress lightly touched her forehead with a slender finger.

"I can faintly feel that beyond the protective layer, there are countless pairs of eyes watching us, everywhere. But I can't lock onto their positions. It's like... ghosts existing in the void."

"Even you can't lock onto them?"

The burly man looked startled and said incredulously, "Is this world that strong?"

She was the strongest information specialist in their team; even in level 2 rules worlds, few could escape her tracking.

"It's not quite that exaggerated."

The thin youth spoke up, "The 'Great Inspiration Method' cultivated by Qingnü mainly targets soul-based lifeforms, while this plane primarily uses technological means."

He looked at the black-robed man standing in front:

"Boss, my suggestion is to wait and see. Based on my understanding of the Sect, to escalate the conflict, other teams will definitely have opposing missions, such as protecting the local factions or assassinating leaders."

"Our greatest advantage is being in the Free Faction. We can wait for them to make the first move and then take them all out at once."

"How do you plan to deal with the technological surveillance?"

The black-robed man pulled down the brim of his hat, covering his entire face, and said coldly, "I don't like being watched."

"Don't worry, Boss."

The thin youth's expression remained unchanged as he touched a black USB-shaped object on his chest:

"I have my ways."

...Meanwhile, outside the Dawn Star Sector.

The moment the shielding field vanished, two teams from different directions flew toward Lihua Star at the center of the star sector almost simultaneously.

One side was using a shuttle-shaped treasure.

Its speed was almost comparable to a "Legendary Generation III" starship running at full power, charging recklessly all the way.

Neither asteroids, planets, nor the starry sky isolation zones set up by the Star Alliance acted as any sort of hindrance.

The other side was using a technology similar to "Warping," but they seemed to be able to traverse the void directly by themselves without any device.

Of course, the downside was that the distance was much shorter than long-range warp devices, and the burden was immense, preventing continuous use.

Meanwhile, inside the shuttle team.

"Hey, Captain, are we really going to be the first to act?"

One of them asked with a frown.

"This is a 5,000-point mission, and it's rare for the distance display to be this close. What, are you afraid of these low-level world natives?"

The man addressed as Captain snorted.

"Not really, I'm just worried that other teams hiding in the shadows will expose our location."

"What do you know? We've just arrived. I bet most teams are still waiting or gathering intelligence. This is the best opportunity. We just need to drive straight in, quickly eliminate the mission target, and then leave immediately. It's an easy 5,000 points."

A hint of pride flashed in the Captain's eyes, appearing quite satisfied with his decision.

"True, Captain is wise!"

Hearing this, the other team members nodded in agreement.

Under the energy input from everyone, the shuttle's speed grew faster and faster, completely defying the laws of physics. It soon entered the core area of the Dawn Star Sector.

Bang!

Just as it was about to reach Lihua Star, the rampaging shuttle seemed to hit a steel plate and was suddenly bounced back.

In the previously empty void, seven figures quietly emerged.

It was the group that had been teleporting continuously earlier.

"It's you!"

The Captain waved his hand to put away the shuttle and looked at them with a gloomy expression. "'falcon' team, do you want to start a war right now?"

His team members took out their weapons, and a vast amount of spiritual energy condensed in the void.

"'iron wire' team, we have no intention of fighting now; that would only benefit others. But due to our mission, please leave."

The "falcon" team captain explained patiently, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

Their main mission was to protect the current head of the "Free Star Alliance" faction for at least one year. Failure would result in a deduction of 1,000 points from each member.

If they truly failed, it would be almost equivalent to being eliminated from this trial. That was why they had rushed here immediately, not hesitating to consume pills for teleportation.

"So it seems your mission is to protect the leader of this faction."

The captain of "iron wire" narrowed his eyes, quickly guessing the truth.

"Exactly. So, will you fight or retreat?"

The seven of them formed a formation, looking at the opposite side warily.

"Damn... these guys came too fast and happened to block our path. They must have used some special item. But such items definitely won't be many. A hard fight will only benefit others. Better to retreat for now and find an opportunity to sneak in and kill that native."

The "iron wire" leader's expression shifted. After pondering for a long time, he slowly said, "In that case, I'll give you some face..."

"Stop arguing."

But before he could finish, a cold voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears.

"Since you've come to my territory, none of you shall leave."

...