After the internet was disconnected, I connected to the magic world.

Li Jianguo nodded, tapped his fingers on the table, and frowned deeply.

His desk was piled high with intelligence reports, all of which had been sent up in the past few hours by liaison points in various locations.

The information is too mixed.

Some say that the Xuanhuang Sect in the Eastern Continent was wiped out by troops sent by the Dayao Dynasty, suffering heavy casualties.

Some say that dozens of Xiantian (a type of cultivator) from the imperial court arrived and killed all the players.

There are also claims that the players rebelled and were suppressed; there are various versions of the story, making it difficult to discern the truth.

When Song Xian returned, he was in a very bad mental state. He was confused and couldn't explain the specific situation clearly. He only said that many people had died.

They waited for almost an hour, hoping that Zhao Hao and the other two Xiantian cultivators would return and explain what had happened.

"It's good that you're all alright." Li Jianguo took a deep breath, his tone unconsciously carrying a hint of command from a superior.

"Zhao Hao, the three of you, please explain the situation of Qingxi Peak in detail."

"Also, you few innate cultivators, come up with a plan for how to deal with this next."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hao's brows furrowed instantly.

Zhang Lei and Zhou Ming also stopped what they were doing, and their expressions were not good.

Is this tone implying that they're being treated like subordinates?

Zhao Hao looked up at Li Jianguo, who was sitting at the head of the table. The young man's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire conference room:

"Director Li, we are just cooperating partners."

With just one sentence, the entire conference room fell silent instantly.

You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned, staring at Zhao Hao in disbelief.

The military major general frowned, and Old Zhou from the action team also changed his expression.

Li Jianguo was also stunned. He stared at Zhao Hao for several seconds before he suddenly realized what was happening.

He was too hasty.

Over the past few hours, I've seen all sorts of messy intelligence coming in, saying that the Xuanhuang Sect, the first official stronghold in Kyushu, was completely uprooted by the local royal family and sects.

With so many players dead, and having been the head of the Special Investigations Department for so many years, when has he ever suffered such a huge loss?

In his haste, he lost control of his tone and began to command these three innate beings as if they were his own soldiers.

Forgot that they weren't from the Special Investigations Department; they were just collaborators.

People can help if they want to, and it's nobody's business if they don't.

"I lost my temper." Li Jianguo softened his tone, suppressed his anger, and nodded to Zhao Hao.

"I'm sorry, I was in a rush just now. The information I received was too mixed up, and Song Xian couldn't explain it clearly. My mind was in a mess, and my tone wasn't right."

Zhao Hao remained silent, which was taken as acceptance of the apology.

He wasn't deliberately picking a fight, but the commanding tone he used was indeed unpleasant to hear.

He's not from the Special Investigations Department, so why is he bossing him around?

However, he will still say what needs to be said.

After all, those who died were all Chinese players.

"The situation is more serious than you think." Zhao Hao leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the table.

"The Great Yao royal family, in alliance with six major sects, has sent a total of ten Innate Realm experts, three thousand soldiers, and two thousand sect disciples to besiege the Xuanhuang Sect."

"The three of us, plus Daoist Xuanqing, make a total of four Innate Realm cultivators."

"Even the three of us combined couldn't defeat just one of the Heavenly Spear Sect's elders who was at the mid-stage of the Innate Realm."

"The remaining nine innate masters stood by with their arms crossed, watching the show from beginning to end without lifting a finger. They were just there to laugh at us."

"If it weren't for Master Xuanqing arriving in time and using talismans to help us escape, the three of us would have perished in the Nine Provinces today."

"The difference between innate talents is much greater than you think; it can't be achieved simply by increasing numbers."

The meeting room became even quieter.

Everyone looked very grim.

Three innate masters, yet they can't defeat one opponent?

Are the remaining nine still watching the show?

If ten of them attacked together, wouldn't we have no chance to fight back?

Zhou Ming adjusted his glasses, picked up the conversation, and spoke in his usual steady voice:

"Director Li, there's something even more troublesome."

"Given the way the Dayao royal family operates, they will definitely have people deployed at the Xuanhuang Sect, which is the player's death resurrection point."

"Three days later, those players who were resurrected will be killed as soon as they appear."

"They might even send innate masters to guard the respawn point and kill the enemy."

"The difference between the innate and acquired realms is too great. Acquired players are no better than ants in the hands of innate players, and have no chance to resist at all."

Zhang Lei nodded and replied in a gruff voice:

"Moreover, players at the Acquired Realm will automatically be connected to Kyushu as soon as they fall asleep, and there's no way to avoid it."

"You lose one level of cultivation every time you die; if you die a few times, your cultivation will be wiped out."

"After they clear the numbers, they might actually arrest people."

"It's not just that our cultivation levels in Kyushu are gone, but we're also affected in the real world."

"Dying once will cause a mental shock, which will greatly reduce the speed of cultivation in reality, or even bring it to a standstill."

"This can't go on."

The people in the conference room looked even darker.

What does this equal?

It means that once players enter Kyushu, they become sitting ducks; they die as soon as they enter, lose levels, and become useless in real life as well.

"Oh shit!"

The military major general slammed his fist on the table, his face turning pale with anger. "If only we could move our weapons in!"

Missiles! Nuclear weapons! They razed the palace to the ground!

When has our nation ever suffered such a great loss!

"It's useless." Zhou Ming shook his head. "The player enters the world of the day after tomorrow through their spirit, so they can't bring anything from reality with them."

Although those at the Innate Realm enter through the physical body, they cannot carry such a massive weapon. Even if they could, we couldn't withstand ten Innate Realm cultivators on the other side.

Everyone fell silent.

Yes, it's no use.

That world is one where individual strength reigns supreme, and firearms simply cannot be brought in.

Even if you bring them in, you still won't be able to hit a master of innate talent who can fly.

What should we do now?

New players will be randomly teleported upon entering. The Eastern Continent is currently capturing supernatural beings everywhere. Without cultivation, entering means certain death.

Even veteran players, once resurrected, will be killed until their numbers are wiped out, rendering them useless in real life as well.

All eyes involuntarily fell on Zhao Hao and his two companions.

The only hope now lies in these few innate abilities.

Only if their strength improves further and surpasses those local innate talents can they rescue the veteran players.

Otherwise, we can only wait.

When more players enter Kyushu, when tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of Chinese players enter.

Only by sheer numbers and the loss of lives can a victory be turned around.

Zhao Hao glanced at the looks in these people's eyes and sneered inwardly.

They have done everything they could to be kind and righteous.

He himself almost died in Kyushu, so why should he risk his life for them?

Zhao Hao stood up, dusted himself off, and waved to the people in the conference room:

"Alright, that's the situation."

"You all take your time to discuss this. We martial artists are seriously injured and will not participate. We'll take our leave first."

After saying that, without waiting for their reaction, he turned and walked out.

Zhang Lei and Zhou Ming exchanged a glance, then stood up and followed Zhao Hao out.

Everyone in the conference room was stunned, staring at the three people's backs, and no one spoke.

Walking into the courtyard of the Special Investigations Department, the three of them looked at each other and smiled.

The next second, all three of them simultaneously activated their innate internal energy.

"Bang!"

The three people transformed into three streaks of light, took off from the spot, soared into the sky, and flew towards their respective homes.

The soldiers on guard at the gate were dumbfounded, their heads tilted back, mouths agape, unable to close for a long time.

In the conference room, Li Jianguo and the others watched the three streaks of light fly away outside the window in silence.

The entire conference room was deathly silent, the oppressive atmosphere making it hard to breathe.

But what can we do?

no way.

They're right, it's just a cooperative relationship.

Moreover, the fact that three of them almost died in Kyushu during this battle is already quite generous.

We'll still have to rely on them for many things later on.

Li Jianguo sighed and tapped the table:

"Alright, stop looking and let's continue the meeting."

Let's discuss what to do next.