Genius Chapter 185: Unrecognizable

Chapter 185: Unrecognizable

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

“Unrecognizable!?”

Watermelon’s explanation left everyone in a brief silence before they quickly shifted the topic to another point. This week, they had captured both the Spring and Winter points. On the surface, it seemed like there were no issues, but in reality, they had only taken the relatively weaker two points. Overall, they were still at a disadvantage.

“The Spring point provides a healing effect buff, while the Winter point offers a defensive buff,” Haitang continued, “The resource war isn’t necessarily going to be easy. We at Abyss don’t have a shortage of healing.”

BrokenOracle said, “But in a sense, taking the Spring point actually weakened Eclipse. We’ll have to see how the new week’s defenses shape up. The resource war needs to be closely monitored. You saw our disadvantage today; the resource gap is too lethal.”

The resource disadvantage meant that even though they had more people at the Summer point compared to Eclipse faction, CloudTraveller could still use resource management to sustain a prolonged battle. In the past, with a smaller resource gap, he hadn’t felt an acute resource crisis. After this round, he finally understood that Eclipse faction’s ability to capture the Summer point the previous week wasn’t just due to a simple respawn advantage; they had likely started focusing on resource management much earlier.

Deputy commander said, “So what should we do? Should we start focusing on resources too?”

Strawberry replied, “Of course we should, or we’ll fall behind.”

Deputy commander asked, “Should we still call brother Mo next week?”

“Brother Ge?!”

“You’re already calling him that?!”

“What kind of spell has Momo cast on you?!”

“If you’re being held hostage, just blink.”

Deputy commander looked confused and said, “What are you all talking about? Didn’t you guys say that Momo couldn’t take the Spring point before? Now that he’s done it, if he hadn’t done it, we wouldn’t have even held the Spring point. We’d have been scolded this week as well.”

“That wasn’t our point.”

“But calling him brother Mo is kind of strange.”

“Yeah, but didn’t brother Mo say he wasn’t familiar with faction wars? I feel like he’s quite familiar with them!”

Watermelon explained, “When we were looking at the map, he was just wandering around the edges of the Spring and Summer points. He didn’t actually participate in the battles. But the locations and height for our ambush were chosen by him.”

Banana nodded in agreement, “While we were fighting, he kept checking the map and running around.”

“Earlier, when we were running dungeons with momo, I noticed that his focus and reaction time were very quick. He always noticed things we overlooked,” Bitter Melon said. “Maybe he wasn’t familiar with the maps before, but he’s good at seizing opportunities and has a sharp mind. He might have figured things out just by listening to our commands.”

“That’s exactly why we brought him in,” someone else said.

BrokenOracle smiled and added, “CloudTraveller and Midnight Bell are familiar with us, but they’ve had limited encounters with momo and might not be used to his style.”

Beach asked Banana, “You didn’t mention that momo was leading today, right?”

Banana replied, “No, we only mentioned his ID and called him Little Yellow Fish.”

“Tell others that Little Yellow Fish was the one leading, but keep it hidden. CloudTraveller isn’t easy to deal with,” BrokenOracle continued. “He’s helped us a lot. We still have some materials in the guild warehouse. I’ll talk to him about it when he’s online tomorrow…”

Before he could finish, others chimed in.

Watermelon said, “It’s hard to say about tomorrow.”

Apple added, “A few days ago, I saw him chatting with ScarletFruit in a small group. It seems like school is starting soon.”

BrokenOracle asked, “…He’s a student?”

Bitter Melon confirmed, “Yes, that’s right. And next week is the start of the school year for Capital Planet, isn’t it?”

***

The start of the school year meant that Su Mo’s days would be very busy.

At home, Su Mo’s return to school became a major topic. Facing his parents’ inquiries, Su Mo had to explain everything in detail. Chen Shanxue only then realized that her child usually lived at school and only came home when there were no classes.

“It’s more convenient to stay at school during the week, so I come home only on weekends.”

“Lele occasionally follows along.”

“I don’t come home because the lab sometimes has work in the evenings.”

“The school provides special meals for those who are ill; the nutritional meals are good.”

“It’s a single-person apartment with complete medical facilities.”

Once everything was explained, if the school hadn’t provided single-person apartments, Su Zhixing and Chen Shanxue would have considered moving in together with Su Mo.

Su Zhixing and Chen Shanxue had both graduated from Capital University. When they heard that their child was about to start school, they had begun preparing a week in advance. Su Zhixing’s hovercar driver’s license hadn’t been updated in time, so on the day Su Mo started school, Yu Zhen was the one who came to pick him up.

Su Mo had attended many schools throughout his life, and since high school, it had been rare for elders to accompany him. When he was younger, various uncles and aunts had taken him to school, but now, the people accompanying him had changed from unfamiliar elders to his parents and his boyfriend.

Chen Shanxue asked, “Xiao Yu, you’ve worked hard. Aren’t you working today?”

The car was on autopilot, and Yu Zhen glanced slightly towards Su Mo in the passenger seat, speaking in a relaxed tone, “The project team took a two-day break for adjustment. We had a bit of time off.”

Su Zhixing said, “Make sure to balance work and rest.”

“I will. I’ve been resting and also playing games with Mo Mo during this time,” Yu Zhen replied. “I heard from my grandmother that you’re going back to the research institute in a couple of weeks?”

Su Zhixing explained, “I’ve completed the handover of my previous work. The data and clues we’ve collected over the years have proven very useful. The Alliance has made new breakthroughs in the study of the Eternal Winter Star Zone and has reestablished a research group for ancient culture in the Eternal Winter Star Zone. They asked me and your aunt if we wanted to take on this project.” Noticing Su Mo in front, he added, “Currently, there won’t be any missions to the relevant areas; the focus will be on data analysis, not secret missions.”

Su Zhixing said, “We won’t be taking on any dangerous missions either. We just want to spend time with our child.”

Su Mo remained silent upon hearing this, but Yu Zhen noticed that his mood had slightly improved.

The Eternal Winter Star Zone had become a thing of the past, but it was this very place that had caused the Su family’s separation for over a decade. Now that his parents were taking on the project again, the biggest challenge was likely Su Mo.

Thinking of this, Yu Zhen reached out slightly and placed the back of his hand over Su Mo’s cold hand in the unseen corner of the back seat.

The touch was icy, and as he wondered whether to turn on the car’s heater, he suddenly felt a tickling sensation in his palm.

The youth in the passenger seat still had his head down, fiddling with messages on the terminal, but his hand, which had been covered, had somehow spread open.

Without their fingers interlocking, Su Mo was using his nails to scratch Yu Zhen’s palm.

The conversation in the car continued, and Yu Zhen found himself unusually distracted. The mischievous fingers scratched inch by inch, as if touching the very tip of his heart.

They endured the drive to the university parking lot, where Su Zhi Xing and Chen Shan Xue got out of the car. Capital Planet had changed dramatically over the years, and the University had undergone a complete transformation. For the new semester, all that was required was to report to the academic advisor. After reporting, Su Mo and Yu Zhen planned to visit the laboratory, while Su Zhi Xing and Chen Shan Xue met old classmates who were teaching at the university and were invited to chat elsewhere.

On the road, only Yu Zhen and Su Mo remained.

“Have your uncle and aunt talked to you about their work?” Yu Zhen asked.

Su Mo paused slightly, knowing what Yu Zhen was referring to. He replied casually, “They mentioned it. When the director came to our house, I was there too.”

“They initially refused,” Su Mo continued. “But the last time I visited the laboratory, I saw a lot of related resource documents on my father’s desk.”

Su Zhi Xing and Chen Shan Xue had been the leading researchers at Capital Planet’s top archaeological institute for over a decade. At that time, they were at the pinnacle of their careers and had access to the core exploration tasks of the Star Alliance— the secret missions related to the Eternal Winter Star Zone. However, an accident occurred during one of these missions, and more than a decade had passed in the blink of an eye. Their appearance remained strikingly similar to how they had looked ten years ago, and for them, the passing of those years felt like only five.

The success of this rescue mission reignited the Star Alliance’s desire to explore the Eternal Winter Star Zone. The institute had established a new project, and Su Zhi Xing and Chen Shan Xue, as the first batch of exploration members, naturally became the candidates for the project’s leadership.

Su Mo was more aware than anyone of his parents’ excellence. Over the years, as he reviewed the materials left behind at home and observed the traces his parents had left, he saw their noble and grand passion for their ideals. He wanted to be a pillar of support for his parents but not a burden to them.

“The director of the institute came again later,” Su Mo recounted calmly. “After discussing things with them, they changed their minds. Although this project rarely involves fieldwork, they always become especially cautious when it concerns the Eternal Winter Star Zone.” He continued, “It’s true that there are unhappy moments, but I’m not a child. For my parents, this project represents years of dedication, and they need an opportunity to readjust to the current research pace.”

It was both a dream and an opportunity, and this opportunity was very rare. He moved forward, hoping his parents would also move forward and not remain stagnant.

Yu Zhen suddenly stopped walking.

The snow on Capital Planet’s campus paths had been cleared away, the heavy snow was melting, and winter had passed its coldest time.

Su Mo looked at him hesitantly and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Time is a very strange thing,” Yu Zhen said, his cool hands cupping Su Mo’s face. “It makes the person I like grow up and become the person I adore.”

Su Mo was momentarily stunned by the comment and then asked in return, “…Am I really that great?”

Yu Zhen replied, “Not really.”

Just as Su Mo was about to ask how he wasn’t great, he suddenly noticed that his hand was held in the man’s grip.

Yu Zhen was biting him, biting his fingers.

Through the heated gloves, Su Mo seemed to feel the sharpness of the man’s teeth. His heart raced, and the words he spoke were both mischievous and bold, much like his quiet, playful teasing in the hovercar.

Su Mo said, “Brother, it doesn’t hurt at all when you bite like that.”

“How about we try a different spot?” The man chuckled softly.

In response, there was the collision and nibbling of lips and teeth.

The predator had captured his prey, crushing all his words between their lips.

***

After the start of the new semester at Capital Planet, the courses became intensive, with more specialized classes added, and the project at the advisor’s office had passed its initial phase and was handed over to Su Mo. His parents, who had been frequently visiting and delivering things before the start of the semester, had to follow Lele’s advice to avoid disturbing their busy child. They channeled their concern into other things.

So, whenever Su Mo finished his classes, his terminal was always filled with new messages from his parents and boyfriend.

This also brought attention to Lele’s new exoskeleton. The exoskeleton had arrived before the New Year and had been sitting in the lab for a long time. Finally, one day Su Mo opened it, presenting two new exoskeletons to Lele for choice. One was similar in height to Lele’s original mechanical exoskeleton, while the other was a smaller model. Su Mo’s parents particularly favored the smaller one.

Adults always had a soft spot for things that were smaller.

Lele, who had a deep affection for the tall, handsome exoskeleton at 1.9 meters, initially rejected the choices of 1.6 meters and 1.3 meters. However, upon seeing the serious preference of the two main owners for the 1.3-meter model, Lele, realizing the height crisis, eventually chose the 1.6-meter exoskeleton when asked by its owner.

Su Mo asked, “Is this the one you really want?”

Lele responded, “This one! Once a robot speaks, even four horses can’t pull it back.”

Su Mo inquired, “Picked up on that well?”

Lele proudly replied, “The master taught me. The exact words were ‘A gentleman’s word is as binding as a law.’”

“Alright then,” Su Mo said casually, “I was thinking if you preferred the old exoskeleton, we could just leave these two unused. Since you like this one so much, we’ll start with it. As you said, once a robot speaks, even four horses can’t pull it back.”

Lele, belatedly realizing, felt deceived. To make it willingly choose the 1.6-meter model, the owner had even bought a 1.3-meter model as a decoy!

Thus, Su Mo’s parents found new amusement. Since Su Mo’s busy schedule at school couldn’t meet their costume needs, Lele at home became the ready model. Su Mo received frequent messages with new photos of Lele, and they even bought matching outfits for Lele and its “brother,” saying they would wait for Su Mo to try one on when he came home.

—[I’m heading out with my brother, and we’ll be back very late.]

This semester, Su Mo continued to collaborate with Senior Brother Zhou on the new project. Zhou had decided to pursue further studies and received an invitation to join a research institute. This meant that after finishing the semester’s courses, he would have to juggle between the research institute and the university laboratory, leading a busy life. With the new semester’s demands, he was not only occupied with laboratory work but also had to handle the paperwork for his graduate studies, often saying he was on the verge of losing his hair from stress.

[-mo: Alright, no need to come over tonight. I’ll go to the lab after class to sort things out.]

[Senior Brother Zhou: Okay! I’ll treat you to a meal later. I’ve been really busy lately.]

This class was a theory class, which happened to be held in the experimental building. There was some free time during the class.

“Su Mo, are you going to join the Y-type mechanical hands-on class this semester?” The class monitor, who happened to be sitting next to Su Mo, handed him an application form via terminal. “This course is assessed through practical work, even though it’s theoretically based. Professor Tang will be teaching it, and there’s an option for off-site observation.”

Su Mo took the application form with curiosity. He had known about this course before. “Has it changed this semester?”

“Yes, Professor Tang said there were too many people with weak theoretical foundations, so the assessment method was changed.”

The class monitor continued, “You can be assessed when the course ends, so I got you a copy of the course application form. Just fill it out and submit it through the backend. Oh, and remember to download the new timetable from the backend.”

“Alright, thanks.”

The class monitor said cheerfully, “No problem. You can help us during class. I barely passed several of Professor Tang’s courses, so I’m glad I made it… Oh, here they come!”

A few students crowded around, making the already cramped long table even tighter.

“What’s everyone crowding around for?”

“Class monitor, are you joining the faction battle this week? It’s the Battle of Shame!”

“Of course, I’m participating. I’ve already said on my social media that I won’t be going out this Saturday.”

“Then let’s go to the internet café at the entrance. I’ve booked a private room. Do you guys have your own loading devices?”

Su Mo looked up from filling out the application form and saw the people around him already connecting to StarNet through their external interfaces. Su Mo’s terminal was an old model, without bio-information linkage and couldn’t connect to StarNet. Moreover, his bio-information didn’t match; F-class bio-information was well-protected by the medical system, and high-risk connections like StarNet were generally not permitted.

People who logged into StarNet might have had different experiences. Theoretically, StarNet required an external loading device as a medium for access.

With the rapid advancement of portable terminals, new functionalities could be expanded on modern terminals after biometric verification on StarNet. Recent updates to Celestial Horizon included text extensions for the Celestial Horizon forum, allowing players to connect through a third-party terminal and browse the StarNet Celestial Horizon forum from either 2D or 3D perspectives.

Su Mo glanced at it and realized that this feature was one of the new instruments developed in collaboration with Yu Zhen’s friends and Celestial Horizon. It was somewhat similar to the virtual interface Yu Zhen had used for access. At that time, Yu Zhen’s friends had even visited Su Mo to sign an agreement and purchase a small device he had developed.

As Su Mo completed the application form, his mind wandered freely. The degree of freedom in the virtual network was increasing, and interactions with reality were becoming more frequent.

Perhaps, even before his physical condition improved to E-class, the transition between terminals and StarNet could become more seamless.

Lance asked, “Su Mo, I saw you shared the Celestial Horizon announcement on your social media last time. Are you playing Celestial Horizon too?”

Su Mo paused for a moment. Did he really share it? It might have been an accidental click when checking the game announcement.

The class monitor suddenly recalled, “Oh right, didn’t the list of loading devices updated by Celestial Horizon include an F-class device?”

“Is that loading device safe? Can Su Mo’s body handle it?”

“I’m also concerned about the safety. With so few F-class individuals, why would the Firmament Group make this?”

“It must be safe; things that are released to the public are said to have gone through multiple layers of closed beta testing.”

“Are you dumb? If something were unsafe, it wouldn’t be released.”

Hearing the discussion from his classmates, Su Mo hesitated for a moment before speaking, “The Celestial Horizon F-class loading device is guaranteed to be safe. Their system has gone through several iterations, and its safety is assured. The information flow interaction only involves the game, which is within the tolerance range for F-class physiques.”

He then recalled Dr. Wu’s advice and added, “However, severe F-class cases still need to use it under a doctor’s supervision.”

Upon hearing this, the classmates immediately understood. Su Mo was indeed a top student and must have researched such loading devices extensively. His explanation was more detailed than their understanding.

“You know!” The class monitor said with a smile, “Su Mo, do you want to play Celestial Horizon? Lance and I can show you around. We’re really strong!”

Lance waved his hand dismissively. “It’s no big deal. I’m just in the top 500, and the class monitor is only a newbie—he’s in the top two hundred.”

Su Mo only then realized that this was the first time he had discussed something outside of his studies with his classmates. For some reason, he felt unexpectedly pleased.

This happiness seemed strange but wasn’t unwelcome.

“Alright, alright, I get it, you’re newbies.”

“If I do a few more quests, I’ll catch up with you guys, won’t I?”

“Come on, Su Mo, playing with the class monitor and the others is really fun. They’re so strong, they can handle any dungeon.”

“Do you want to play a healer? It’s easy to pick up!”

The discussion about Celestial Horizon continued unabated, with the class monitor and others endlessly talking about the game and introducing Su Mo to different professions.

At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of class and the need to change classrooms.

The topic shifted back to Su Mo, and the class monitor asked, “Do you want to play? It’s really fun, and I can show you how!”

“I already have an account. I’ll add you as a friend next time,” Su Mo replied with a smile. “But I don’t play as a healer; I play as a summoner.”

“A summoner! Wow, Su Mo, you’re really brave!”

“But Su Mo has high mental power, and summoners rely on mental power,” another student added.

Su Mo said, “I’m just average at it. We can play together when we have time.”

“Newbies in games always start out slow,” the class monitor patted Su Mo on the shoulder. “But let’s not talk about that now. We need to switch classrooms.”

While his classmates went to their experimental class, Su Mo headed to his personal laboratory.

The process of analyzing data in the lab was quite lengthy. With Zhou Shixiong absent that day, Su Mo found himself somewhat distracted halfway through his work. He opened his terminal and checked his chat with Yu Zhen, where the latest message was from noon, saying that Yu Zhen had a meeting in the afternoon.

Feeling bored, Su Mo decided to send a message to Yu Zhen.

The messages sent by Su Mo seemed to have disappeared into the void. Su Mo knew that Yu Zhen was busy, so after sending the messages, he continued to immerse himself in the formula derivations.

When Yu Zhen finished his meeting and noticed the messages in his terminal, he paused in front of the meeting room without moving.

“Mr. Yu?” the assistant asked, puzzled.

Yu Zhen nodded, “Just a moment.”

[-mo: Today in class, the students were discussing Celestial Horizon. It seems our class monitor plays as a warrior.]

[-mo: I saw the feature your friend developed for Celestial Horizon.]

[-mo: Have you finished your meeting?]

……

[-mo: Zhou Shixiong is not in the lab tonight; I’m thinking of going out to eat.]

[-mo: Is my boyfriend working late tonight?]

[-mo: [Picture] The robot I made last time.]

A soft glow appeared in Yu Zhen’s eyes, and the fatigue of the day seemed to melt away when he saw the messages.

He patiently replied to Su Mo’s messages—

[Are you still in the lab?] [Your boyfriend isn’t working late; I’m going to pick you up after your class.]

After sending the messages, Yu Zhen told his assistant, “Have someone get me a cup of fresh milk tea, less sugar, no additional ingredients.”

The assistant asked, “From the usual place?”

“Yes,” Yu Zhen unfastened the button at his neck, “Their fresh milk is safe.”

No additives, no extra ingredients; Su Mo could drink it.

Time passed quickly in the afternoon, and the sky began to take on a twilight hue.

When Su Mo finished with the formulas, the lab lights had already turned on. He glanced at his terminal and saw that many messages had been set to “Do Not Disturb.” When he opened them, he discovered that Yu Zhen had replied to his messages over an hour ago. Each message he sent had been addressed, and half an hour ago, Yu Zhen had already arrived at the school, saying he was waiting downstairs in the experimental building where Su Mo had class.

[The robot is very kawaii.]

[I’ve arrived. Is it Experimental Building D?]

[[Picture] I’m here by the flower bed.]

Oh no.

Su Mo hurriedly tidied up the documents on his desk, organized the calculation formulas, and locked them in the cabinet. After quickly packing up, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed downstairs.

He wasn’t in Experimental Building D; that was the building where he had his classes. His lab was in Building A.

On the campus of Capital University, students bustled about, chatting and laughing as they left their classes.

A tall man stood outside the experimental building. Dressed in a stylish trench coat, his presence and demeanor were quite striking. His gaze was fixed on his terminal, as if waiting for someone’s message. The students passing by occasionally glanced at him, and a few bold students approached to ask for contact information, while others recognized Yu Zhen and rushed over for an autograph.

The alumni wall displayed his name—Yu Zhen, an honorary alumnus of Capital University and the head of The Firmament Group.

With such a distinctive appearance, many people recognized him.

Before long, a student emerged from the exit of Building A, walking quickly.

The man politely nodded to the surrounding students. “Sorry, for professional inquiries, you should ask your instructors. My boyfriend has arrived.”

He said this and then walked towards the young man.

“You’re so rushed. Didn’t you say you’d wait for me?” Yu Zhen adjusted Su Mo’s hat. “Don’t run too fast.”

“I’m not running, I was just walking over,” Su Mo said, a bit out of breath. “Why didn’t you contact me? I thought you were waiting at Building D.”

Yu Zhen replied, “I just arrived a short while ago, and I figured you might be busy.”

Su Mo handed Yu Zhen a small robot. “Here you go.”

Yu Zhen paused for a moment. It was the robot Su Mo had shown in the photo earlier that day.

“I made this before. You can play with it; it has some basic intelligence and can communicate normally,” Su Mo said, “It might be a bit clumsy, though.”

Yu Zhen put the gift into his coat pocket. “What would you like for dinner tonight?”

Nearby students watched as the man adjusted the young man’s scarf and helped him adjust his hat. The two of them, appearing quite affectionate, mingled with the crowd of students leaving class. The man walked on the outside, and the young man walked on the inside, gradually disappearing into the crowd.

On the way, Su Mo used Yu Zhen’s terminal to check the forum. After hearing the class leader and others discuss the faction battle in the afternoon, he became curious about this week’s faction war. Yu Zhen’s terminal was the latest model, and its functionality to connect with StarNet was already enabled. After his biometric information was verified, Su Mo could browse the simplified text version of the StarNet forum.

With the start of the new semester, Su Mo hadn’t had much time for gaming these past few days. BrokenOracle had sent him a message the day before, asking if he had time to command the faction battle this week. Su Mo had agreed immediately, feeling somewhat unsatisfied after last week’s battle. If he had the chance, he would definitely join in again.

However, he hadn’t kept up with game-related matters for a few days, so he was surprised to find that this week’s forum section was still discussing the faction battle. The Eclipse faction had taken the summer and autumn bases, while the Abyss faction had captured the spring and winter bases. It seemed evenly matched, but there were many players on the forum who were vocally dissatisfied. Losing three bases felt like a thorn in the side of Abyss faction players, and even though they had secured an additional base this week, the forum’s criticisms had not diminished.

[How did we end up with the spring base…] 

[What’s the use of the spring base? It’s only useful for healers and clerics. It’s not as good as an attack buff.] 

[This week, every outdoor fight felt unsatisfactory. We could easily take out enemies with attack buffs before… Even a control would be fine.] 

[I heard there was a long fight for the summer base?? The numbers were suppressed and couldn’t break through. Don’t use lack of resources as an excuse, okay?] 

[Has UnchainedWanderer become too weak lately? Getting weaker as the fights go on.]

Su Mo was absorbed in reading the forum. It was his first time seeing how hostile the StarNet forum could be. With so many posts, he decided to use Yu Zhen’s terminal to ask friends in the group.

• UnchainedWanderer: [Link] Has the forum been very lively these days?

• ScarletFruit: Didn’t expect it, Brother Wanderer, you’re gossiping now too? As expected, only forum trolls can stir up a collective sense of honor.

• UnchainedWanderer: ?

• UnchainedWanderer: He’s driving, I’m momo.

• ClearWind: …You guys using each other’s accounts is one thing, but now you’re even sharing terminals?

• ScarletFruit: Oh, you guys are actually driving!

• ZenSlasher: …

• UnchainedWanderer: ?

ScarletFruit’s joking tone soon shifted as he sent a voice message in the group, “I’m outside and can’t type, but about those forum trolls, it’s very common in game forums. Everyone who argues there acts like they’re the master theorist of the entire server. When you check their bound accounts, none of them are even in the top 500 of the leaderboard. They all talk with righteous indignation, but in the end, it’s just resource wars with some fish in troubled waters. They fight and then start criticizing the command.”

“After last week’s faction war, capturing two bases was supposed to turn the tide. But some extreme players in the Eclipse faction started trash-talking us Abyss players in the wild, using quite harsh language. Later, it was posted on the forum, which ignited a flame war between the two factions.”

Conflicts between factions had always existed. Even if the faction commanders were friends privately, the other players were not necessarily on good terms.

Hostility, conflicts, and friction increased. After being at a disadvantage for two weeks and getting criticized in the wild, Abyss faction players naturally had grievances, which quickly became a hot topic among other players, all pointing fingers at the 1,000 Abyss players involved in the skirmishes, with the main criticism directed at the command.

“Don’t pay attention to these people. When we were winning consistently before, they criticized us too, saying our strategy was lacking. These people come online to seek a sense of existence because they can’t achieve anything in reality. They just criticize for the sake of criticizing. And some Eclipse players stir up trouble, aiming to incite internal strife within our Abyss faction,” ScarletFruit continued, “Most players are reasonable. If you look closely, you’ll see that the ones spreading negativity are just a few well-known trolls. I had a spat with them a few days ago. They act tough with their words, but when it comes to actual combat, they just stick to theoretical arguments. It’s all personal conjecture, not real data.”

ClearWind added, “Exactly, and these types are particularly annoying. They haven’t really insulted anyone, and when you report them, the official platform might not even take action.”

ScarletFruit replied, “The most infuriating part is that they also try to sow discord between BrokenOracle and CloudTraveller. They’re both friends, yet some people are saying BrokenOracle is intentionally letting CloudTraveller keep their base, not pressing hard enough. They say some really nasty things, but there’s nothing you can do about it. After all, they haven’t directly insulted anyone. The most you can do is report and delete, but the rumors spread anyway.”

…

By the time they reached the dining location, ScarletFruit’s ranting finally came to a stop.

Su Mo learned the details of the situation from their conversation. When he talked to Yu Zhen about it, the latter added, “Actually, part of the issue is that the skirmish battles aren’t transparent. Some players might stream their battles, but the actual resource consumption and combat situations are very one-sided.” Yu Zhen continued, “It’s not surprising that the command of the skirmishes falls to major guilds. It’s also not surprising that they have the authority to allocate resources, as the players on the skirmish roster need the battle data from the resource wars. The players selected are generally those ranked at the top. The fairness is there, so the criticism tends to be less about the players and more about blaming the command.”

Su Mo understood Yu Zhen’s point, “The conflicts didn’t erupt before, but now with the increasing issues, the problems have come to light.”

“But don’t worry about that,” Yu Zhen said. “The game’s data operation is controlled by the main system, and the rules are fair. How to resolve these conflicts is up to the official team. When such conflicts arise, strategies are usually developed quickly.”

Not long after Yu Zhen’s reassurance, before the weekend’s faction battle started, the official team released a temporary announcement.

The announcement stated that the skirmish battles would be made transparent. Besides the battle voice communications involving the strategies of both factions, the official team would open a live streaming channel for the skirmish battles. This channel would showcase all the contest situations from all angles during the skirmish and would invite expert players to provide commentary from the sidelines.

When this strategy was released, all the players cheered loudly. Su Mo only learned about it on Friday night when he arrived at the UnchainedWanderer guild camp.

The meeting was attended by the major commanders and leaders from last week’s faction battles. When they saw Su Mo and UnchainedWanderer arriving together, their looks were somewhat curious.

“Some things need to be arranged in advance; we need to accumulate more resources for the resource wars,” BrokenOracle said, skipping the pleasantries and getting straight to the point. “We plan to have elite teams from each guild lead the charge to capture resource points starting from the beginning of tomorrow’s faction battle, but the resource war will be difficult.”

The faction’s Four Symbols buffs would not affect the skirmishes but would influence the resource wars. This meant that during resource battles, players from both factions could use buffs. Eclipse faction’s attack buffs and control buffs were indeed a variable. The two buffs they obtained were not suitable for attacking, which was quite unfriendly to their output professions.

“We have quite a few healers on our side, so the healing buff isn’t very useful, making us disadvantaged in this week’s resource war,” BrokenOracle said. “After two weeks of setbacks, some players might abandon the faction battles, so we can only rely on our team leads to boost player enthusiasm.”

After discussing some strategies, everyone turned to look at Su Mo, who had been silent.

Su Mo was studying the sand table, examining the large sand table in the UnchainedWanderer guild base, and discussing quietly with UnchainedWanderer.

“Cough, cough.” Watermelon, standing next to Su Mo, reminded him, “Boss.”

Su Mo looked up and noticed BrokenOracle’s gaze. “I am listening. Do I need to lead a team?”

The tone of his voice had clearly shifted to team leadership matters, and BrokenOracle sighed in relief. Seeing this, he said, “Do you have any thoughts on the resource war?”

“The strategies you mentioned are quite good; you’ve thought about them more thoroughly than I have. I’ve been discussing resource defense with Xingzhi. During last week’s skirmish, I noticed that you preferred attack and control buffs. Eclipse faction did the same, leaving the defense against Spring God quite weak.”

Su Mo pointed to a spot on the sand table. “But isn’t the resource war also about resource accumulation and capture?”

“We don’t necessarily have to defeat them; holding onto the resources will be sufficient.”

“The Spring and Winter buffs are pretty good… What do you think about an all-tank defensive team?”

There was a brief silence as everyone turned their attention to Fruit Platter guild master Bitter Melon.

An all-tank team… Resource wars require mobility, but an all-tank team’s mobility is too poor, making actual deployment very difficult. They might end up leaving some resources behind, but other points’ resources could be seized by others.

Bitter Melon said with a smile, “I think it’s a good idea.”

Watermelon nodded in agreement, “I also think it’s a good idea.”

Strawberry asked, “Why do you think it’s a good idea too?”

“It’s not me leading the tank team,” Watermelon replied, looking puzzled. “Isn’t it satisfying to see the enemy struggle with an all-tank team?”