The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

It's better to develop your strength stealthily in the Wither Territory than to venture into unknown areas.

Sparrow's logic is clear and well-organized, and it is entirely from the perspective of a data analyst.

You're blocking my way.

Lin Mo finally reacted, but not to answer its question. Instead, he impatiently pushed away the sparrow that had come close to his eyes with his finger.

Lin Mo didn't even glance at the sparrow.

"Alright, I know your concerns, but players aren't stupid. If they can't beat them, won't they just leave?"

These words, spoken with such confidence, only drove the sparrow even more mad.

That's true.

[But who could resist the temptation of such tempting rewards from your "the more the merrier" event—A-rank source soldiers, gene serums, and more? How could they not go crazy?]

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

What's more, they are a group of perverts who treat death as a daily occurrence, and some even enjoy it.

Lin Mo was so angry at the question that he laughed.

"Hey, is it wrong for me to offer good benefits? What kind of robber logic is that?"

As expected, all crows are black; he worked hard to benefit the players, but in the end, it became his fault.

【Can......】

Sparrow wanted to continue arguing, but Lin Mo interrupted her directly.

"Alright, I know what you're thinking. Can't you see I'm working on it?"

Lin Mo's voice deepened, carrying an undeniable tone.

After saying that, Lin Mo ignored the chirping sparrows, held the armor in his left hand, and pointed his right hand like a knife.

An invisible spiritual force surged from his fingertips, transforming into the sharpest carving knife, which began to traverse the surface of the armor.

Complex and profound runes were inscribed on them, and as spiritual energy was injected, the runes seemed to come alive, emitting a faint light.

The temperature inside the forging chamber suddenly rose, and the air became somewhat distorted.

Although the sparrow wanted to say something more, it instinctively shut its beak upon seeing this, flew to a nearby shelf, and nervously watched Lin Mo's movements.

The final stroke was made.

"Buzz—!"

A clear, resonant buzzing sound filled the entire room.

The armor in Lin Mo's hand burst forth with a dazzling golden light, so intense that it even penetrated the doors and windows of the forging room, bathing the entire general store in a golden glow.

As the light faded, a dark gold armor with an ancient design yet exuding a sense of power floated silently in Lin Mo's hand.

Every joint and every plate of the armor was covered with flowing golden runes, exuding a heavy yet sharp aura.

Lin Mo held the masterpiece, feeling the immense power it contained, and chuckled, revealing a set of white teeth.

He turned around and waved the armor at the dumbfounded sparrows on the shelf, his smug expression exactly like that of a child showing off a new toy.

"See, isn't that working?"

This armor was a special weapon he prepared for players who were struggling in the Shadow Forest.

The inscription on it is a metal rune specifically designed to counter wood-type energy.

Lin Mo weighed the dark gold armor in his hand and showed it off to the sparrow on the shelf, who looked dazed.

He looked so smug, just like a child showing off a new toy to his friends.

The sparrow flapped its wings, seemingly just snapping out of its daze from the dazzling golden light.

He tilted his head, his two black bean-like eyes filled with confusion and scrutiny, as if assessing the true value of the equipment.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Lin Mo wasn't in a hurry and directly showed him the information about the armor.

The pale blue light curtain unfolded out of thin air once again.

【Golden Armor】

[Grade: B-rank Origin Soldier]

Overall combat strength: 30000

[Core Special Effect: Thunderclap - Upon hitting a target, there is a 5% chance to summon a golden bolt of lightning to strike the target, dealing additional damage and inflicting a brief paralysis effect on wood-type units.]

Sparrow carefully scanned every word on the panel, and the slight expectation that had been raised by the golden light instantly vanished.

The attributes are just so-so.

His assessment was exceptionally fair, even tinged with a hint of disappointment.

Based on the data I've collected, the tree spirits in the Shadow Forest, being an unknown area, are enhanced by the special environment, resulting in at least a five-fold increase in their actual combat power.

[For example, an ordinary elite-level individual could possess leader-level combat power in that forest, except for their intelligence not being improved, their combat strength genuinely reaching the leader level.]

Even if it's a B-grade armor specifically designed to counter a specific enemy, its effectiveness won't be significant.

Faced with the system's massive database, any fancy special effects must ultimately be reduced to cold, hard numbers.

An armor with a combat power of 30,000 is like a drop in the ocean when facing a monster horde whose combat power completely overwhelms it.

"Of course I know that."

Lin Mo's reaction was surprisingly calm. He casually tossed the Golden Essence Armor onto the forging table, making a dull "clang" sound.

"That's why I'm still doing it."

A big question mark appeared on the sparrow's head.

【? 】

Still doing it? Are you courting death?

[And haven't you already finished it?]

Lin Mo chuckled, a sly glint in his eyes.

He stretched out his finger and tapped it a few times in mid-air.

There is a type of equipment called a set.

"Besides the armor, there's also a belt, leg guards, boots, and shoulder armor."

Lin Mo's voice was light and cheerful, and every time he mentioned a component, it made Sparrow's little heart flutter.

"If the quality isn't good enough, make up for it with quantity."

Lin Mo shrugged, speaking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The sparrow hopped around on the shelf a couple of times, its logic working at lightning speed, and it quickly arrived at a new conclusion.

[As you said, five B-grade source weapons are needed to complete the set you mentioned.]

However, based on my financial data analysis, most players currently have savings that would be insufficient even to purchase a single B-grade source weapon.

The system's analysis hit the nail on the head, directly pointing out the most fatal flaw in this grand plan—the source crystal.

Being poor isn't scary; what's scary is being a poor wretch like me.

Players were being killed by the tree spirits in the Shadow Forest, and all the little money they had managed to save was spent on medicine. Where would they find the extra money to spend on such luxuries?

What's more, it's a complete set.

Lin Mo's smile deepened.

"Who said I was going to sell?"

Lin Mo immediately spoke, his tone light and casual, yet it stirred up a storm in Sparrow's mind.

The sparrow froze for a moment, forgetting even to flap its wings.

Not for sale?

Upon hearing this, even the sparrow's voice faltered slightly.

[Not for sale... or are you planning to give it away for free?]

Even Sparrow herself thought this guess was outrageous.

[The current active user base of "Wasteland Era" alone is 50 million. Even if you give away just one-tenth of them, that's still 5 million sets! If you give them all away, you'll go bankrupt!]

This isn't just losing money; it's like emptying out our entire fortune to fill a bottomless pit!

There isn't even enough to fill it; you don't even need to do the math to know that even if you added in all the revenue, it wouldn't be enough.

Sparrow couldn't understand this behavior; it made absolutely no sense in terms of business logic!

However, Lin Mo nodded slowly, his smile becoming increasingly cunning, even carrying a chilling undertone.

"Send it, we absolutely must send it."

"And it's absolutely free, with no hidden tricks."

Sparrow: [Are you crazy?!]

No! I must be the one who's gone mad...

Lin Mo chuckled: "Hehe, you're too short-sighted. You should know that sometimes, what's free is often the most expensive."

The sparrow's feathers bristled as it looked at the familiar smile on Lin Mo's face—a smile that only appeared when he was plotting some earth-shattering conspiracy.

A chill, generated by the flow of data, surged from the depths of its core code and instantly spread throughout its body.

Please stop laughing.

I'm scared.