Survival of the Nation: My luck was a tiny bit worse.

The two of them stared at the screen.

"The camp's defenses are...extremely strong..."

Sarah frowned.

"Two S-class mutated creatures..."

James's lips twitched.

"Avoid direct confrontation, avoid direct confrontation, avoid direct confrontation..."

I'll repeat important things many times.

Sarah and James exchanged a glance and remained silent.

"Was Mike forced to post this?" James asked dryly.

"Morse code is encrypted internally by us, and others cannot understand it. If he is coerced, he will add coded hints to the message."

Sarah frowned and read the message again, confirming that there were no coded hints.

"So what Mike said is true?"

There was a hint of disbelief in James's voice.

"S-class mutated creatures?? Two of them???"

Is Mike living in a dream?

Or are they living in a dream...?

"And their defenses are so strong that even Mike advised us against a direct confrontation?"

Mike, that guy...

James and his teammates are among the latest batch of players from the United States.

When they entered, the Dragon Kingdom's camp was almost completely destroyed—they knew that the Dragon Kingdom's camp had been attacked by a devastating alien beast, almost wiping out the entire army, and that the previously rock-solid camp fortifications had also been destroyed.

As for what happened later...

They were then sent here, without ever finding out the answer.

However, given the attack, rebuilding the camp is not so simple.

Therefore, this is clearly an excellent opportunity to invade!

Even though Mike was in charge of the plan, it seems like he's the first one to mess things up.

Sarah did not answer.

Her fingers tapped rapidly on her tactical watch, sending a reply.

"Received. Plan B is cancelled. Remain on standby and await further instructions."

After sending the message, she leaned against the tree trunk, closed her eyes, and her mind raced.

Mike is the most skilled of the three in infiltration and psychological warfare.

The fact that he issued three warnings in a row indicates that the enemy camp's defenses were indeed beyond their expectations.

The problem is that if a direct breakthrough is not feasible, then their previous plans will be completely scrapped.

The three men split up and defeat each other one by one—this tactic works only if the opponents are fighting independently.

But now it seems that the camp's defense system is likely more sophisticated than they imagined.

"So what do we do now?"

James asked, "Take it back? Wait until the restricted area interaction function is enabled?"

The restricted area interaction function will be available in three days, at which time all players will be able to sense each other's approximate location.

By then, it will be very difficult to hide one's whereabouts.

"We will not withdraw."

Sarah opened her eyes, a cold glint flashing in her blue eyes.

"Mike's already in, that's our advantage. Although he said the camp is heavily fortified, in other words—we've successfully infiltrated a step."

"you mean……"

"Continue to observe. Let Mike stay for a few more days to find out as much as possible about the enemy's personnel composition, equipment level, specific types of mutated creatures, and weaknesses."

She took a deep breath. "We'll formulate a new action plan once we have enough intelligence."

"What about the area interaction feature three days later?"

"It's actually a good thing for us."

Sarah's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Don't forget, our goal has never been just the Dragon Kingdom."

There are other teams in the forest—those from small countries, scattered players; they are the first resources we harvest.

As for the Dragon Kingdom, let them be smug for a few days. Once we've gathered enough strength, we'll devour them whole.

James thought for a moment and nodded.

Mike, you absolutely have to make it to the second level!

*

Night fell over the entire forest.

Sarah put away her binoculars and was about to climb down from the tree when she suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck.

It felt like something was watching her.

It wasn't from afar—it was from a very, very close place.

She turned around abruptly.

There was nothing there.

Only the dappled moonlight filtering through the tree canopy and a few leaves rustling in the night breeze.

James noticed her unusual behavior. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Let's go, let's get out of here."

The two quickly slid down from the tree and disappeared into the depths of the dense forest along the pre-marked escape route.

Of course, what they didn't know was that right there in the tree canopy above them, a pair of golden eyes were watching their departing figures without blinking.

It was a robust lynx, its figure blending perfectly with the shadows, making it impossible for ordinary humans to spot.

Once the two were completely out of sight, the lynx silently leaped down from the tree and landed on the soft pine needles.

Then it turned and ran towards the camp.

The lynx herd's intelligence network had already spread throughout the entire mountainous area on the very night Leng Ruolan ordered increased patrols.

Sarah and James thought they were hiding well.

But their eyes are everywhere in this forest.

*

Just as the lynx was rushing back to camp to report the news, Mike in the stone house was facing the most severe test he had ever faced in the Dragon Kingdom camp.

It was not a battle, nor an interrogation.

It's a bath.

"Take a bath?"

Mike stared at the change of clothes that Ou Yun handed him, his expression as if he had heard something incredible.

"You have a bathroom here???"

"Yes, I have."

Ou Yun nodded matter-of-factly. "It's right next to the ice cellar. We built a makeshift shower stall out of sheet metal, and the water is heated river water poured in. If you're not used to cold water, I can have Storm Black Hawk power it up for you. It won't take long. Have you ever used an electric kettle? It's like that—"

"Give me a shock???"

"Just kidding. You can't exactly use an electric kettle when you're using water, can you?"

Ou Yun chuckled twice, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Go on, go on, take a shower so you can go to sleep. We turn off the lights here at 10 p.m. every night, and we won't wait for you if you're late."

Mike, carrying a set of clean clothes, walked dazedly to the door of the supposed bathroom.

It was a small cubicle built with sheet metal and wooden planks. Although it was simple, it did serve as a form of privacy.

Next to it was a water tank with an iron pipe attached to the bottom. At the other end of the pipe was a simple showerhead—the kind made of sheet metal with a few holes poked in it.

The water in the storage tank is indeed warm water.

Mike stood under the showerhead.

She let the warm water splash haphazardly on her face.

The camp has generators, ice cellars, and bathrooms.

It has a complete agricultural system, forging workshops, and a sentry tower defense system.

There are at least two S-class mutated creatures acting as gatekeepers!

Is this a matter of national survival or a forbidden vacation?!

The more he washed, the more desperate he felt.

The more he learned about the camp, the clearer he became of a harsh reality—

Their meticulously planned sneak attack was nothing short of suicidal in the face of the camp's defenses; it was downright suicide.

Mike turned off the water in a daze, dried his hair in a daze, and a dazed thought popped into his mind.

Or... should we just surrender?

After surrendering... although you will inevitably suffer some living tortures, you can be spared the death penalty, right?

Isn't this alone much better than the forbidden area?

Didn't they live a life of death every day in the forbidden area?

Anyway, they can't go back.

Isn't it good enough to make a living in this wretched place?

Putting everything else aside, let's just try to survive first, okay?

Isn't just surviving better than anything else?!