Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 699, Floor 94 (1)

While the three previous teams might have given the illusion that they 'could probably find a way to survive,' they were actually just able to last a little longer than other low-level players. This is because almost all the players spawning in the plazas didn't, or didn't realize quickly enough, that their spawn location actually determined certain things. As an unfinished instance, the first level where the plazas were located was essentially an incomplete safe zone. They wouldn't encounter any real enemies, only low-level targets that could be considered neutral units. Therefore, although many low-level players perished, nearly 70% of them died from environmental damage, such as stepping on traps or falling into dangerous terrain. As for those who died at the hands of monsters, it was actually quite undeserved, since all the monsters on the first level were neutral units. As long as players didn't get too close or attack instinctively out of fear or tension, the monsters wouldn't actively attack them.

And most importantly, the first level doesn't actually have any real quests. This is because the instance isn't complete. The markers found by the three teams were indeed crucial clues for the first level's quests, originally intended by the designers and engineers. The design concept was that the first level, the area where lower-level players congregate, would have a main quest and several outpost-clearing side quests. The main quest involved confirming the locations of several first-level markers, using the map scale to determine the distance between each marker, and then using the map to roughly determine the locations of all the markers. Players would then proceed to the center of the grid formed by the marker network. Originally, lower-level players would find a teleportation node here, leading to other levels or areas, and encounter the first level's boss. After defeating or driving away the boss, they could open the teleportation node. The system would then assess the player's level and strength to decide whether to continue to the next area or level, or simply 'clear' the level. Currently, the marker network is complete, and there is indeed a teleportation node at the very center of the grid leading to other levels and areas. However, the first-level boss was not created, and the teleportation nodes cannot verify the player's strength; teleportation is random. This means that even if a low-level player is very lucky and manages to find a teleportation node by chance, if they choose to use it, they will most likely be sent to an area that is completely beyond their capabilities.

However, it seems that this worry may be unnecessary. The team closest to the teleportation node is at least ten kilometers away, and they seem to be planning to hide in the building and not continue exploring.

Another important point is that lower-level players rely heavily on the system's guidance. This is why some survivors seek safe havens instead of venturing out. According to the game's design, the first level enters a state of extreme cold at night. While this is indeed a difficult and dangerous situation for lower-level players, all hostile and neutral units on the first level are also affected, and to a greater extent than lower-level players. At night, this special cold state freezes all hostile and neutral units, including mechanical units and even the boss guarding the teleportation nodes on the first level, without killing them. Therefore, nighttime is a prime time for players to farm experience, materials, and gold. For teams challenging the boss, it's a good opportunity to continuously output damage for several hours. Even for lower-level players who need frequent health regeneration, as long as there aren't too few players, it's entirely possible to defeat the boss without taking damage within three hours using the cold environment. Furthermore, frozen units don't reduce resource production. Therefore, the normal strategy for the first level is to rest and recover during the day. Wait until the temperature drops at night before venturing out to explore. Consumables for restoring various stats are plentiful on the first floor; you could practically find one that can be used multiple times to fully restore your health by simply flipping over a rock. However, most low-level players are currently too reliant on the system and haven't considered this. Furthermore, because there are so many monsters on the first floor, even if they did think of it, they wouldn't have the time to search.

As for the so-called flood, it's actually a highly randomized, area-specific method of rapid movement. When a flood occurs, large water waves will appear in various locations on the first floor. Players can use these waves to quickly move a significant distance in a short time. The waves themselves don't harm players; instead, they grant a positive 'warmth' buff. This buff not only counteracts the low temperatures at night but also provides two additional effects to players within the waves: continuous healing and removal of all abnormal statuses. Crucially, no hostile or neutral units exist within these waves. Even if the waves pass through areas with hostile or neutral units, they won't be swept away. Furthermore, while within the wave's range, all hostile and neutral units, including the first-floor boss, will enter a 'tranquil' state, unable to attack players and silenced by the waves, but still vulnerable to player attacks. It's a very useful, albeit unpredictable, environmental state.

However, some lower-level players had already noticed the flood situation. Most of them were survivors who hadn't managed to escape the water's reach and thought they were doomed. Although they still didn't know what to do on the first level, they made the right decision: to stay in the water. If some of them had chosen not to leave, they might actually have survived after the Ferdinand family's technicians discovered the problem with the instance.

As for the Ferdinand family's technicians, they were certainly not idle. They had discovered some anomalies in this colossal instance and had begun repairs using the technology of the Infinite City and the technology they had seized from the Infinite Corporation. Although they hadn't yet discovered all the problems, they had at least identified the most serious one: the instance was inaccessible, and all players who entered were essentially trapped inside.

The matter was quickly reported up the chain of command, eventually reaching Sebastian's ears. Sebastian took this very seriously. This colossal instance had already attracted countless players of all levels; if they all perished, it would be an unmanageable public relations disaster for the Ferdinand family. For Sebastian, who planned to gradually bring the family into the public eye, this was a problem that needed to be addressed immediately. So much so that Sebastian even suspended some of his current tasks and personally went to the headquarters of the Infinite City.

After listening to the technicians' report, Sebastian's think tank, at its core, began a lengthy discussion of countermeasures, ultimately dividing into two routes. The first was to quickly create a mission that would allow all players in this instance to clear it swiftly. The second method was to connect the Infinite City's main processor sequence with the latest prototype of the Infinite Corporation's cognitive modification device, which the family had seized. This would modify the memories of players who had already died in the instance, or those who might die in the instance, making them mistakenly believe that the time they died was normal. Thus, when they were resurrected, they would believe that the 'waiting' time of their death was completely normal. With the various bizarre settings of other instances in the Infinite City as a prelude, this would minimize the players' perception of this event.

After much discussion, no decision could be made on which of the two methods to use. The first method could solve the problem of being unable to clear the dungeon the fastest, but some high-level or experienced players might realize that the dungeon was somewhat abnormal after leaving it. If there were influential people among them, once they voiced their thoughts, it might gradually arouse public suspicion about Infinite City. For the Ferdinand family, who had not yet completely controlled all the resources of Infinite Corporation, this was obviously not something they wanted to see.

The second method addresses the time issue. By creating a trustworthy and 'excellent' questline, and leveraging the groundwork laid by the various bizarre dungeons within the Infinite City, and addressing the issue of players dying too early, controversy surrounding this massive dungeon can be minimized. The only problem is that this method requires time, at least weeks. While the Infinite City is now under the control of a clan, and its technicians and researchers possess the ability to understand its system sequence principles, the system sequence utilizes a significant amount of Infinite Corporation technology and some supernatural elements. Even if the clan can fully comprehend it, extensive experimentation and learning are necessary.

The controversy continued, but eventually everyone quieted down and turned their attention to the head of the family, Sebastian. At this moment, as the highest leader and ruler of the Ferdinand family, only he could make the final decision on what to do next.

After much deliberation, Sebastian finally decided to use the second method. He believed that the Infinite City would be a crucial asset for the Ferdinand family in the future. Due to its unique nature, the family could not only use it to mass-produce armed forces with various abilities more safely and effectively, strengthening their members, but also use it as an extremely secretive and secure experimental base and testing ground to support the Ferdinand family's future research. Therefore, the Infinite City absolutely could not afford any problems, especially in terms of public opinion. Although Sebastian was a ruthless dictator, he knew that even if he could rule the world through terror, he would leave behind countless 'time bombs' that were impossible to trace and eliminate. He wouldn't be foolish enough to blow up the Earth, so the best approach was to keep everyone in the dark about what had happened, or at least maintain the public perception. The number of players in the Infinite City had gradually reached one-tenth of the global population, and currently, the number of players in this massive instance had reached one-fifteenth of the total player base—a number that could not be ignored. Therefore, Sebastian decided to spend time to weather this unexpected event.

Following Sebastian's instructions, besides connecting the Infinite City's main processor sequence to the latest prototype of the Infinite Corporation's cognitive modification device (seized by the family), thus altering the memories of players who had already died in the instance and those who might die, making them mistakenly believe they died at a certain time to cover up the truth, Sebastian also recruited some Infinite Corporation employees who had voluntarily defected to the Ferdinand family. Among these were designers and engineers who had participated in the instance's design. Sebastian ordered them to create several different quest lines, each with the original quality, allowing players of different levels to complete the instance. All resources needed during this process would be provided by the family. Simultaneously, using the technology and equipment seized from the Infinite Corporation, they were to increase the quantity of supplies and positive resources within the instance within a reasonable scope, thereby increasing the survival rate of a reasonable proportion of players. At the same time, Sebastian's think tank was also tasked with devising a solution to minimize controversy surrounding the instance after players complete it, without causing controversy among the player community or negative public opinion. Sebastian even dispatched several experienced combat squads, disguised as NPCs within the instance, to help lower-level players complete 'tasks' and increase their survival rate. He even used the system's processing sequence to revive all the lower-level players who died in the first wave, teleporting them back to their respective plazas. He then used the system's announcement channel to disguise it as a special rule of the instance: 'Due to the instance's characteristics and slightly higher difficulty, each player has a certain number of resurrection attempts based on their level.' The reason he did this was because lower-level players not only constituted a large portion of the Infinite City's player base, but he also needed to consider the future development of new players in Infinite City.

After Sebastian's handling and assessment, and thanks to the groundwork laid by other instances in the Infinite City dungeons, most players quickly accepted the situation. Unaware of the risks, they assumed it was a special dungeon mechanic—free resurrections without items, and more than once. For low-level players, this was like stumbling upon a bag of cash on the street. Therefore, no one had any lingering emotions; most were simply overjoyed at surviving. The unexpected situation was temporarily resolved.