It was supposed to be a casual game, but the Long March dungeon brought tears to everyone's eye

The old squad leader's rough palms, carrying a strange warmth, gently landed on the soft top of her head.

The movements were clumsy, yet they conveyed the tenderness and affection an elder has for their daughter.

Ruan Ruan's tears suddenly burst forth.

She wasn't acting.

This was the first time in her life she had been treated this way.

It wasn't because of her face, nor because of her fame, but simply because she did something "foolish".

But like this...

But like this...

How can she possibly leave behind those black lumps like this...?

"Keep it, and be obedient."

Seeing that Ruan Ruan was still holding out her hand, the old squad leader gently pushed the half of the black dumpling back into Ruan Ruan's arms.

"The road ahead is still long."

Ruan Ruan held the piece of dry food that was harder than a rock, biting her lower lip, and sobbing.

In the live stream, those gentlemen who usually talk about "wife" all the time couldn't find a single frivolous emoji.

"Don't cry, Ruanruan."

"I'm a grown man, I can't stand to see this."

"Hey streamer, eat your rations, and I'll send you a Supreme Tomato!"

"Damn it, what's wrong with this game?!"

Kuang Ge watched from the side, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He recalled his initial disgust when he first threw away the dry rations.

Looking at Ruan Ruan, who was now crying her eyes out, and the old squad leader, who looked completely at ease, I felt my face burning with embarrassment.

Hawkeye also fell silent.

His theory of "data-optimal solution" seemed pale and laughable at this moment.

What is the optimal solution?

Is it to give the dry rations to the weakest person to maintain the team's overall survival rate?

Or should I keep it for myself, to ensure that I, as the "core output," can survive?

In the old squad leader's world, it seems that such calculations simply do not exist.

He just felt that she was a "silly girl" who needed to be taken care of.

Just then, a system notification sounded in everyone's ears simultaneously.

[Warning: Daily immersive gaming time has reached the legal limit.]

The system will forcibly disconnect the neural connection in 10 seconds.

【10...9...8...】

"Holy crap?"

Kuang Ge was the first to react, and he suddenly looked up as if trying to grab something.

But before his eyes, the old squad leader's smiling face, Xiaodouzi's profile as he dozed off with his gun, and Ruanruan's tear-streaked face all rapidly became transparent.

"No!"

Kuang Ge reached out to grab it, but only managed to grasp a vague pixelated light spot.

"I haven't even spoken to the squad leader yet!"

Ruanruan was getting anxious too. She wanted to plead with the old squad leader again to get him to accept the dry rations.

Hawkeye stared intently at his status bar.

He wanted to record the current body temperature, hunger level, and team morale data so he could analyze them tomorrow.

But it was all too late.

【3...2...1...】

[Connection lost. Have a nice day.]

The world instantly transformed from a cold, snowy plain back into their respective luxurious gaming rooms.

The air conditioner, with its constant temperature, blows out a comfortable warm breeze. A soft, ergonomic chair envelops your body, and a half-finished bottle of iced soda sits on the table.

Everything was so comfortable and safe.

But the three top livestreamers all felt a chilling emptiness.

Crazy Brother abruptly removed his helmet, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath.

He touched his stomach.

The pain is gone, and I'm not hungry anymore.

But it felt empty, as if something was missing.

In the live stream, millions of viewers were forcibly kicked out of the live stream at the same time.

The barrage of comments was delayed by half a second, then exploded with an explosive burst of anger.

"I cursed your old man's Luo'an Studio, I even shed tears and you just cut it off?"

"Just five more minutes, just five minutes! I want to see the squad leader eat his rations!"

"I forgot, it's already midnight without me realizing it! This damn VR anti-addiction system!"

VR addiction prevention is a legal requirement of "Golden Immersive Night".

In the Blue Star Dragon Kingdom, VR games require connections to neurons, and to prevent brain overload, the law stipulates that they are only open from 18:00 to 24:00 on weekdays.

Looking at the screen full of wails, Kuang Ge had no mood to interact for the first time.

He scratched his blond hair in frustration, opened his contacts, and dialed Hawkeye's number directly.

The call was answered instantly.

"Feed." Hawkeye's voice was a little hoarse, and he also sounded out of sorts.

"Create a group chat," Crazy Bro said succinctly.

"it is good."

One minute later.

A small group of three people named "Snow Mountain Demolition Office" was successfully created.

Group members: Crazy Bro is not a brother, Eagle Eye only looks at the sky, Softie wants to eat meat.

Crazy Bro: "@All members, are the three of us the only ones in this instance?"

Hawkeye: "Most likely. I checked the forums, and other players are randomly matched, with at most one streamer in each team. There's no situation like ours, with three top streamers in one group."

Ruanruan sent a crying emoji: "Is Luoan Studio doing this on purpose? Are they using us as guinea pigs to test the server's capacity?"

Kuang Ge sent an angry emoji: "That old scoundrel Luo is too cunning! He tied the three of us together, instantly maximizing the buzz! He's really outsmarted me!"

Hawkeye: "Whether he did it on purpose or not, we have to beat this game."

His tone was calm, yet resolute.

This game is unlike any of the flashy, cheap games they've played before.

Let's not talk about the issue of creating a sense of empathy that would bring them to tears.

Even if it's just for traffic, they'll keep playing this game!

"I will review the recording tonight, and compile all the NPCs' behavior logic, terrain data, and resource consumption rates."

"Tomorrow, we must improve our efficiency."

Crazy Bro: "That's right! We have to make the most of that pot tomorrow! No one else can fall behind!"

Ruan Ruan: "Mmm! I...I won't cry tomorrow, I'll definitely catch up!"

……

Six o'clock the next day.

As the light and shadow shifted, the biting cold wind once again filled my lungs.

Kuang Ge shuddered, instantly returning from the warmth of reality to the coldness of hell.

But this time he didn't curse; instead, he immediately checked his condition.

"Body temperature normal, hunger level yellow line, location... still the same place where I logged off last night."

Kuang Ge looked around. The old squad leader and Xiao Douzi were all there, like statues whose pause button had been pressed.

As players log in, the bodies of these NPCs begin to "thaw" and slowly come to life.

"Is it dawn?"

The old squad leader rubbed his eyes, was the first to stand up, and looked around warily.

Ruan Ruan also came online. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the old squad leader and subconsciously hugged the half piece of dry food in her arms even tighter.

"Class monitor..."

"Once you're awake, quickly pack your things and get ready to leave."

The old squad leader patted the snow off his clothes, his tone leaving no room for argument.

After Eagle Eye went live, he immediately opened the system menu and saw Luo An's newly updated "Historical Resonance Protocol".

[Sign or not? After signing, you will relinquish 10% of your pain shield in exchange for enhanced NPC emotional perception.]

"Ha, exchanging pain for empathy? You old bastard Luo, you're something else!"

Hawkeye clicked "No" without hesitation.

He's a technical expert; he doesn't need those vague, emotional embellishments.

But then he remembered the strategy guide he had made the night before.

Hawkeye's core tactic is to leverage his advantage as a "false prophet".

He wants to try to spoil the plot.

Even though the world of the old squad leader and his group is clearly not the current history of Earth.

But the old squad leader and his comrades are also Chinese, and Chinese people don't lie to other Chinese people, cough cough.

If you can get the NPCs to trust you and avoid some of the death traps that players have discovered in advance, you can greatly improve your efficiency in clearing the game.

Thinking of this, Hawkeye walked up to the old squad leader.

"Class monitor."

Hawkeye cleared his throat, trying to make his tone sound sincere and reliable.

I had a dream last night.

The old sergeant was inspecting his guns when he heard this. He looked up at him with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"What did you dream about? Did you dream about eating meat?"

"No." Hawkeye's expression was serious. "I dreamt of the future."

"I dreamt that we won."

"They drove away all the bad guys, divided the land among themselves, and everyone lived a good life."