For humanity, burn the stars.

Outside Mine Area I, the players discussed how to deal with the rock worms below.

As the mission progress was reported, they received new missions.

[Mission: Pest Eradication Operation]

These numerous creatures have become an obstacle to our development; it's time to make them give way.

[Reward: 1 point for each rock-dwelling insect; more points will be awarded for defeating powerful individuals]

[Additional Rewards: Players with outstanding performance will be rewarded, their reputation will be increased, and they will receive corresponding titles.]

The rewards for the mission are clear: even without considering any subsequent bonuses, 1 rock worm for 1 point is quite good.

After all, there are a lot of bugs below, so each player doesn't need to worry about whether there are enough bugs to go around, but rather how many they can kill.

Going down rashly would only result in being overwhelmed, but even if we act together, we don't know if we can stop the swarm of insects.

Just then, the players heard the sound of a vehicle moving in the distance.

The players instinctively looked back and saw Qin Heling's exploration vehicle heading towards the mining area.

Soon, the car arrived at the vicinity of the mining area and slowly came to a stop.

The players who were originally sitting together stood up and greeted Qin Heling as he got off the car.

The players' eyes lit up when they saw the guard robots following Qin Heling.

Could it be that we can watch fireworks again?

Qin Heling ignored the players' stares and simply addressed the crowd:

"Based on the report, I think this is something that deserves attention."

"The Human Federation needs to develop now, and we cannot accept the mining area being occupied."

"So next, we need to completely take over this place."

Qin Heling then went to the edge of the collapsed cave and took out a palm-length rod-shaped metal device from his waist.

He pressed a button on it casually and then threw it into the darkness below.

As the metal device landed, it bounced twice with a crisp sound, and then a burst of light suddenly emerged from it.

In the burst of light, much of the original darkness inside the cave was dispelled.

While it's impossible to capture every corner, the surrounding area below is clearly visible, providing ample opportunity for players to observe.

It was only then that the players realized there were other passages below, instead of just a single cave.

It was just too dark before, so not many people noticed it.

After observing the situation, Qin Heling had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

There are indeed quite a few rock-dwelling insects at the bottom, but there are only about a hundred of them. A player only needs to deal with five or six to clear this layer.

It might be a bit challenging for first-time players, but it won't be enough to stop them from making any progress.

Once the subsequent production lines were officially established, these grunts became weak.

Qin Heling stood up, smiled slightly at the players watching behind her, and said:

"Then let's do it together."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the surrounding players changed slightly.

They originally thought Qin Heling was just coming to inspect, but he said he wanted to take the lead himself.

This immediately brought back some unpleasant memories for the players.

In some games, there are missions to protect specific characters and help them complete battles.

Those characters are often completely bot-like, with low damage, slow movement speed, and low health; even dying counts as a failure.

Although it wasn't explicitly mentioned in the mission, as the faction leader, Qin Heling's death would obviously mean the game was lost.

Is this game going to have a high blood pressure quest like this?

The painkiller's expression was somewhat strange as it asked:

"Captain, are you also going to join the battle?"

Meanwhile, the war correspondent beside him was focused on another issue:

"Can't we just use the robots to fire cannons and blast these bugs to smithereens?"

Clearly, he probably just wanted to see fireworks.

Qin Heling shook his head, responding to the other party's question:

"The guard robots' weapons are too powerful to be used here."

"It would be terrible if we accidentally caused a landslide."

Qin Heling paused for a moment, then turned and walked towards a certain place.

"As for our current situation, as you all know, the direct manufacture of weapons is restricted."

"We don't have any usable weapons right now, unless the production line is fully operational."

"So... let's wipe out the bugs in our own way."

Qin Heling didn't bring any high-tech weapons, or rather, he didn't bring any weapons at all.

The power of technology has already been demonstrated by the plasma cannons of the guard robots, so there is no need to repeat it.

Therefore, at this moment, Qin Heling simply walked towards the other side of the mining area where production tools were piled up.

Furthermore, when fighting side by side, overly good equipment can make players feel powerless when facing whales who spend a lot of money.

They won't shout "Leader is awesome!" or "Captain is mighty!" from behind; they'll probably think it's just a staged performance, and what's so special about using high technology to kill bugs?

Therefore, to enhance the player experience, Qin Heling simply picked up a construction hammer from the mining area.

Only by using the same weapons and being on the same front lines can players truly understand—

"They are comrades-in-arms on the same front"—this statement is not just empty talk from Qin Heling.

Seeing that their leader had set an example, the players, though somewhat worried, also took up various "weapons" such as pickaxes, shovels, and hammers and went back down into the mine.

This time, the rock-dwelling insects reacted even faster, stretching out their limbs again and surging towards the group.

Qin Heling took the lead and swung his hammer, smashing the carapace of one of the rock-dwelling insects.

Without stopping, he charged forward again at the swarming insects.

The players around him also displayed their unique skills, engaging in their first battle against the rock-dwelling insects with weapons that could hardly be called weapons.

Although the wave of rock-dwelling insects spread again for a time, it was unable to overwhelm the players.

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

After they went down into the mine, the players kept a close eye on Qin Heling's performance.

At first, they thought it was the classic teammate protection segment.

But how... how come their leader is even more formidable than them?

[Gummy Bear] Holding the slightly deformed iron rod, my arm was so sore that I could barely lift it.

In this game, each person's body has different attribute tendencies, and his body clearly has an advantage in terms of strength.

During this period of fighting, he successfully killed more than ten rock-dwelling insects, which is probably the most among the players.

Even so, he already felt exhausted.

What was once a shell that could be shattered in one blow now requires several swings to barely break.

A decline in physical strength is not something that can be recovered after a period of time; fatigue can also affect subsequent power output.

This game is a bit too realistic in some unnecessary ways.

However, when Little Gummy Bear looked at Qin Heling, she saw that he was still killing rock worms and seemed to have energy left.

At this point, most of the players were exhausted and returned to the top, with fewer and fewer still able to fight.

Therefore, all the players who were making corrections above also noticed Qin Heling's amazing performance.

The disdain and worry before the battle have now turned into surprise and admiration.

Players are actually quite straightforward beings. If an opponent is this strong when they have the same equipment, then in their minds the opponent is truly strong.

[Gummy Bear] pondered for a moment, and then something came to mind.

Could it be... related to the development of physical attributes?

I should definitely ask about it afterward; it might be an opportunity to learn more about this part.