For humanity, burn the stars.

Qin Heling watched as the players gradually emerged in the crew cabin and came to a conclusion.

Perhaps... his "Noah's Ark" has become one of the game's spawn points.

Or perhaps, this is the only designated spawn point in the closed beta?

No matter what, this is his chance.

Watching the players playfully bickering with each other, Qin Heling couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and even relaxation.

After all, in this world, those who could be considered his compatriots were actually these other extraterrestrial visitors.

Unfortunately, I can no longer go back, nor can I have a close conversation with them.

If I had to put it that way, he's just an NPC right now.

However, Qin Heling did not necessarily see such a status as a bad thing.

Because getting players to obey other players is quite difficult.

It's only natural for players to accept quests from NPCs.

Undoubtedly, the arrival of the players is a good thing for Qin Heling.

A bold idea began to emerge in his mind.

What in the world is more suitable to be exploited than players, the fourth calamity?

No matter what kind of predicament they face, they will be driven by their strong curiosity and continue playing while cursing the game's balance.

Moreover, players are clearly capable of much more than the clones they initially had no expectations for.

Qin Heling pondered how to use the players as tools.

He quickly came up with an answer.

The original Starry Sea was a world with a high degree of exploration and extreme freedom.

Players are free to choose their own playstyle, whether it's exploring everywhere, expanding their power to fight for supremacy, or even rushing off to have a romantic relationship with bizarre NPCs...

Now, Qin Heling is going to change a strategy game that has a very high degree of freedom, no main storyline, and allows things to develop at will.

He wants to turn this into a game that is equally open, but with a clear main storyline and plot.

And this main theme, of course, is to make humanity great again.

For gamers, as long as the game is fun, it doesn't matter what they play.

Qin Heling was determined to squeeze the players to the extreme.

It's important to understand that even if players were immortal and could be resurrected, it wouldn't be an advantage against more advanced cloning technology.

Not to mention that there are races like the Zerg in this interstellar space, which are created solely for the purpose of massing troops.

Even with his pain reduction of 40%, he still has no advantage against undead creatures and other beings that have no sense of pain.

However... for him, what is truly important is the players' consciousness.

Those who treat this place like a game will stubbornly stick to one path as long as there's a progress bar.

This is a powerful force that can be united for the goal of "winning the game" and for the revival of humanity.

Now, before the remaining clones are produced, Qin Heling needs to work on the somewhat monotonous interface.

The main function of the interface is no longer resource scheduling, but rather forums and communication channels similar to those in large-scale cooperative games.

Next up are the quest system, achievement system, faction reputation, title system...

With these guidances, he can make players his weapons to defeat all enemies before humanity's revival.

Having done all this, Qin Heling looked at the players who had been created one after another and muttered to himself:

"It's time."

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked outside.

-----------------

【SoulFIVE】sat in front of the door, looking somewhat dejected, and said:

"The door cannot be opened from this side..."

He turned around and looked at the other players with a strange expression.

"Or is this some kind of room where you can't leave without killing everyone else?"

But looking at the other seventy-nine players behind him, he shook his head.

Forget it, if he brought up that possibility, he was afraid he'd get chopped into mincemeat first.

But... why hasn't the game started yet?

Putting aside the fact that there isn't even a tutorial for beginners, what does it mean to trap all the players in a room?

Inside the crew cabin, as the initial novelty wore off and the players discovered they were trapped, their overall emotions began to shift.

Some of them started searching around, trying to figure out if this was a way to decipher and escape.

Another group began to question whether the planners even knew how to make games.

"Why isn't it starting yet?! I want to see rivers of blood!"

"I can't wait any longer, hurry up and bring it out!"

Suddenly, the door opened, and two robot figures appeared in front of them.

They are security units provided by the Starsea Federation. They are bulky and sturdy, with a matte black finish and blue indicator lights flashing at their joints.

Although it may look unassuming, this is a dangerous combat unit that a single soldier could annihilate the population of an indigenous planet.

Unfortunately, the restrictions cannot be lifted, otherwise Qin Heling would definitely have deployed them to the battlefield.

At that moment, cold, mechanical voices emanated from the two robots:

"Soldiers, please follow us."

Qin Heling arranged for him not to come directly.

The players are sitting and standing, quite relaxed, not the right setting for conversation.

This will clearly have the opposite effect on his upcoming speech.

As for what players are asked to do, such as being asked by NPCs to stand up straight and listen to them, it might even cause a rebellious reaction.

In the beginning, before players could develop a liking for Qin Heling's character, they had to be careful.

Moving to another location forces them to get back on their feet and also reignites their anticipation.

As expected, following the robot's notification, the players lined up in an orderly fashion and set off.

When they moved to the designated area, Qin Heling was standing in front of the ship's huge porthole, leaving them only with her back to them.

The robots flanked him, alerting the player to his unusual identity.

As the hatch closed, Qin Heling turned around gently.

His gaze slowly swept over each player in the cabin, his eyes calm and profound.

In that instant, the players felt an invisible pressure—it wasn't the aura of an ordinary NPC.

Of course, they were just marveling in their hearts once again at how technically advanced the game was, even giving NPCs such an aura.

Qin Heling's resolute face and upright figure made it clear to the players that he must be an important NPC.

Seeing that the effect was quite good, Qin Heling finally spoke:

"I am Qin Heling, the former Rear Admiral of the Earth United Fleet and the manager of this 'Noah's Ark'."

"From now on, I will be responsible for your lives and assign tasks."

A player named "[I'm such a noob]" raised their hand and asked:

"Captain, may I ask which joint fleet we belong to?"

Qin Heling stared at him silently for two seconds before slowly shaking her head and saying heavily:

"Unfortunately, the situation we are facing is far from ideal."

"The combined fleet was defeated, Earth has long been occupied by aliens, and humanity is now on the verge of extinction."

"On this 'Noah's Ark' you are now, you are the last hope of Earth's civilization."

Upon hearing Qin Heling's words, the players present all gasped in shock.

Isn't this plot a bit too exaggerated? Has Earth already been occupied?

They? The hope of Earth's civilization?

This...this is so interesting!

At the same time, the information that Qin Heling had set up was simultaneously transmitted into the minds of all players:

[Closed beta testing has begun; the current difficulty level cannot be changed.]

[Hell Difficulty: In a malevolent starry sky, you must create humanity's future with your own hands]

Your actions could alter the plot and the future of this entire star system.

[The worst-case scenario would be the complete extinction of the human species from the stars.]