I, the screenwriter, have experienced a resurgence of inspiration.

……

The man stood at the broken section of the highway, looking blank as if he were dreaming.

The neat and wide four lanes stretch forward, then disappear neatly at a certain point.

The golden sand beach stretches all the way into the sea, where the water reflects the moonlight.

The sound of the waves was very loud.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty scent, swept over us, and further away, whales surfaced, their massive sprays of water bursting down like fireworks in the silvery-white sea.

Three o'clock in the morning.

On the inland highway.

Look at the sea.

Watch whales swim.

Everyone present thought they were dreaming.

……

……

3:21 AM. Baoji City Public Security Bureau Command Center.

The phone never stopped ringing.

[Police station? I'm on the Lianyungang-Huoerguosi Expressway, driving from Xi'an to Lanzhou. Just past Baoji West section... the expressway ends! There's the sea in front of me! And a beach! Beach! Sea! Please come quickly! Is this some kind of anomaly? Should we go to the shelter?]

[Hello! 110? I'm on the Longhai Railway! I'm on a train, it's stopped, and there's the sea ahead! What? You're asking me what sea? It's the sea! Come quick!]

[Feed? I'm a fisherman from Xi'an Province, no, I'm a farmer from Xi'an Province. Half of my orchard is gone, it's turned into the sea! Please come and see!]

[Help! My friend just caught a jellyfish in the sea. Are they poisonous? He got stung and can only hop around now!]

Someone jumped into the sea! Someone jumped into the sea!

[Hurry, everyone! The other half of my neighborhood is flooded by seawater!!]

[Special Administration Bureau? I think I entered a dungeon while walking my dog, but wait, I don't think I did. Anyway, there's the sea in front of me!]

……

……

3:27 a.m.

All Chinese citizens living near the borders of Gansu and Shaanxi provinces received an urgent notification from the Special Administration Bureau.

Special Administration Bureau

[Urgent Notice: An abnormal area has appeared at the border of Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. Satellite confirmation indicates that the area is a physical manifestation of the completed dungeon of "The Legend of King Arthur" (formerly known as "Merlin").]

The shallow sea area is currently being explored, while the deep sea and the central island are protected by a barrier that prevents them from getting close.

Due to the potential presence of numerous dangerous magical creatures in the area, citizens are advised to stay away from the coastline, refrain from fishing for marine life, and avoid contact with unidentified creatures.

Residents in the surrounding area should remain calm and follow the instructions of the local government. In case of emergency, please call 12379.

Along with the text message, a satellite map showing the fog had lifted was also sent.

As can be seen directly from above, a sizable island has appeared on the vast sea.

Most importantly, the shape of this island seems, might, perhaps, should—somewhat familiar.

……

……

……

At 3:30 AM Beijing time, Washington, D.C., 11:30 AM West Coast time.

In the White House Situation Room, the National Security Advisor is giving the President a routine briefing.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds and fell on the documents on the long table.

The president looked exhausted after finishing a meeting.

An emergency alert suddenly popped up on the screen, from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), with the priority level marked as "highest".

The consultant clicked on it, and a satellite image immediately appeared on the screen.

"Mr. President," the advisor said, his voice strained as if someone were choking him, managing to utter a few words, "I think you need to take a look at this."

On the screen, the border between Gansu and Shaanxi provinces in China is shown as a deep blue area.

It covers an area of ​​650,000 square kilometers, with an island in the middle, shaped like Britain.

There are giant creatures moving on the island.

"What is this? A real-life Jurassic Park?"

The president sat up straight, his tone somewhat expectant:

"Is it another instance anomaly? Has China encountered an instance anomaly? Like in Tokyo?!"

"It's not certain yet."

The consultant bowed slightly.

"But this sea is real; it's inland in China and appeared in the past half hour."

The situation room remained quiet for a long time.

"Gather everyone. Now."

……

Five minutes later, the conference room was full of people.

Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Director of the CIA, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of Energy.

The same satellite image was displayed on the screen in front of everyone.

"Mr. President, gentlemen."

We can currently confirm the following facts: First, this sea area covers approximately 650,000 square kilometers, and the central island covers approximately 209,000 square kilometers.

The island's shape—as you can see—is like a clone of Great Britain.

Secondly, this area is surrounded by a 100-kilometer-wide body of water, whose properties are consistent with ordinary seawater, including salinity, density, and spectral reflectance curves.

Third, and most importantly.

He paused, then moved his finger down:

"This sea is located between Gansu and Shaanxi provinces in China, which means that China—an inland country—now has its own Mediterranean Sea."

Someone whistled softly in the conference room.

"What's underneath it?"

"Based on ground-penetrating radar scans—limited scans, because there is some kind of interference in that area—we have made a preliminary judgment that there are oil and gas structures on the seabed."

The reserves are currently impossible to estimate, but the 650,000 square kilometers of seabed... even if only a portion contains oil and gas, it would be enough to change the entire energy landscape of East Asia.

"What about the shipping lanes?"

"One hundred kilometers of water is sufficient for ships of any size to navigate, and the coastline is roughly estimated to be over three hundred kilometers long. There are at least twenty natural harbors suitable for building deep-water ports."

Mr. President, this is not just about gaining more land. It's about gaining access to the sea, gaining an entire coastline, gaining a naval base site, and gaining a deep-water port capable of accommodating aircraft carriers.

"From a military perspective, this means that China's blue-water navy will no longer be restricted by the first island chain, and they can deploy fleets in their own inland waters."

If China had already controlled that sea, it could have easily turned it into an impregnable inland fortress.

What about the economy?

"Economically."

The Energy Secretary flipped through his tablet, his tone complex, as if he doubted whether he was fully awake:

"If we extrapolate the direct economic output of the 650,000 square kilometers of sea area in terms of port economy, marine fishery, oil and gas extraction and tourism development, it is conservatively estimated that it will generate an average annual GDP growth of no less than two percentage points over the next twenty years."

The indirect stimulus effect—logistics, shipbuilding, marine engineering, and marine new energy—could potentially double.

Moreover, this sea is located inland in China, and it does not involve any international shipping lanes. No other country can contest it, meaning that under ideal circumstances, the economy will only see pure growth, without any losses.

"So China's territory hasn't decreased; on the contrary, it has gained 650,000 square kilometers of sea area, plus an island, making it a second Great Britain?!"

"Yes, according to information revealed by the Chinese side, this is very likely related to Chinese players completing the Merlin Legend dungeon."

A long silence fell over the meeting room.

Can you achieve painless territory growth by clearing a single instance?

If you had appeared sooner, would countries have had to fight each other over such a small amount of oil?

—Wouldn't the world be at peace by now, and the United States be the first to sing the song of peace?

"Everyone."

The president leaned back in his chair, staring at the sea for a long time, his eyes burning with fervor.

"Why wasn't it our hero who cleared the level?"

"Contact NATO, contact Tokyo, contact Seoul, contact Canberra."

In short, I need to see the joint assessment report within 48 hours, and at the same time, all reconnaissance resources against China should be concentrated in that area.

I need to know what's there, how they plan to use it, and whether China's success can be replicated!

God bless America!

"ladies and gentlemen!"

"Our Age of Exploration has arrived!"

"Every instance is a new continent!"

"We need more players, more!"

……

……