Wang Zhifan moved his gaze away from the menu in his hand and looked across at Chu Wei to speak.
Chu Wei paused slightly, clearly contemplating which parts of her work she could talk about, knowing that as a member of the official management bureau, there were strict regulations on what could be disclosed to outsiders.
"Fan, you're right, much of the work in the bureau isn't allowed to be made public; there's a confidentiality agreement in place...
But since you're now the well-known strong foreign aid in the Second Bureau, already involved in some major tasks, I can disclose a portion."
Chu Wei thought for a moment before starting to narrate:
"Recently, besides participating in the Gray Realm clearance and other matters you know about, I've also assisted in tracking down some criminal players.
It feels like more and more disruptive players are appearing in society; it's not just the restless ones from abroad, but also some good citizens who've turned bad...
Additionally, the bureau has received a national defense plan from above, stating that a group of elite players should be selected to go to the borders to watch foreign players and civilians sneaking around the area, to prevent any trouble, and the military will make corresponding moves to cooperate..."
"Such big actions? Has the international situation changed?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Zhifan was a bit surprised. Previously, he'd only heard player-related news concerning players and transcendent games, but it was the first time hearing about foreign civilians and military.
"Overall, there's not been any real change yet... but the trends are indeed increasingly off, which is why the country is making preparations in advance."
Chu Wei nodded upon hearing this and continued to explain:
"If you frequent the forums, Fan, you'd notice sporadic news of Gray Realm solidification in various countries and regions. It's all real; if anything, it's not exaggerated but rather understated.
Because once some Gray Realms solidify, it's challenging to make accurate assessments through satellite observations, and we can't just send people abroad to investigate; we can only make rough deductions...
India is among the more severe cases; it's said that the situation there is quite chaotic, with Gray Realm monsters roaming in major cities, making it hard for civilians to survive, pushing them to migrate collectively to the borders of other countries. Fortunately, there's a mountain barrier between our country and India, so the impact isn't too severe.
This kind of situation isn't limited to India; other countries are more or less trending this way, especially those impoverished countries with weak organizational capabilities, which, according to expert predictions, might face the risk of extinction and get completely devoured by solidified Gray Realms in a few years.
With no land to live on, military conflicts are foreseeable, and, in fact, they've long started in many regions; ordinary military weapons can't eliminate Gray Realm monsters, and seizing safe land of other countries is more practical.
Recently, many foreign criminal players have appeared in our country because the external environment is too harsh; they've snuck in, bringing with them the bad habits fostered in a jungle society.
Our country's borders are too long, and the players' methods are too numerous; currently, we can only solve one issue at a time, with no effective way to stop them from entering, whereas foreign military forces are easier to handle..."
Chu Wei elaborated for a while, outlining the general state of Earth Star, primarily affected by Gray Realm expansion, with increasingly sharp conflicts and contradictions.
Wang Zhifan had somewhat anticipated these developments, not because he could foresee the future but because anyone who regularly browsed forums and read related news would draw similar conclusions.
"Gray Realm is indeed difficult to handle... even if it's timely cleared, it reappears; if not dealt with swiftly, it solidifies and becomes entrenched, accumulating and becoming harder to manage... I hope one day the country finds a solution to this major problem."
Wang Zhifan touched his forehead, ending the topic that's troubling all humankind on Earth Star, and shifted to asking about Chu Wei's personal dungeon experiences.
He had once teamed up with Chu Wei for a dungeon but hadn't partnered up for a long time since. He acted as a lone wolf, whereas Chu Wei tackled dungeons with a professional team from the management bureau, so he was curious about her dungeon experiences.
"In our bureau, dungeons are tackled with a division of labor and coordination, with the strategy primarily aimed at safely clearing rather than risking for extra rewards...
However, even so, unexpected situations still arise in dungeons, resulting in personnel losses...
As a Summoning profession, I'm better off hiding in the back, whereas those who need to charge into battle are in the most danger...
We cleared our last dungeon the day before yesterday, experiencing one called Fierce Ghost Street, where most ghosts are special Spirit Bodies, with attack methods that are incredibly elusive, and normal means of dealing with Spirit Bodies barely work.
Most team members lacked the capacity to deal with the ghosts' attacks, resulting in various injuries early on, and we even lost two members, who nearly caused a team wipe as the ghosts swapped places with them.
Later, I, possessing the ability to deal with Spirit Bodies as a Spiritualist, became the core to tackle the dungeon, barely withstanding wave after wave of attacks, surviving until the end alongside everyone.
So now, like many team members, I'm increasingly reluctant to tackle dungeons; many are simply too sinister, and I just want to stick to completing the weekly minimum of one dungeon, allowing myself to breathe more freely for a few days..."
Chu Wei vented vehemently about her dreadful dungeon experiences, leading to her teammates frequently perishing, resulting in her losing the initial enthusiasm for tackling dungeons, noting it's better to delay as much as possible.
This change in mindset is, in fact, prevalent among players in Earth Star.
After all, people value their lives, and having witnessed many comrades perish, they begin to feel deep-seated fear towards dungeons themselves.
If the transcendent game offered an option to cancel player identity, one could imagine a mass withdrawal from the game.
Only a few who truly aren't afraid of death or those who disregard matters of living and dying, solely aiming to earn rewards and make progress, would dive into dungeons promptly and consistently, never considering that they might not come out again.
On the surface, Wang Zhifan seems to belong to this group of crazy players but actually differs fundamentally from others.
He doesn't lack fear of death but rather has his unique advantage in choosing rewards which overcomes his fear of dying, making him eager for dungeons daily, always thinking about the rewards upon clearing rather than worrying about failing, thereby gradually thriving with reduced survival pressures in dungeons.
"Fierce Ghost Street dungeon... I haven't done that one, but I've experienced a few similar ones, and indeed, the mortality rate among personnel is higher than in other types of dungeons... The recent one I experienced was called the Land of the Dead Soul, where at least six players died..."
By this point, Wang Zhifan and Chu Wei had already ordered food, and dishes began to be served at the table as they continued chatting, exchanging various dungeon experiences and essentially sharing detailed dungeon intel.
After a while, after wine and dine, it was time to part ways.
Before parting, Wang Zhifan accompanied Chu Wei for a stroll along the nearby river to help digest, and then, taking advantage of a moment when no one was around, slipped a small piece of equipment into her hand, saying it suited her better, and keeping it himself would be wasted.
Upon close inspection, Chu Wei almost cried out in surprise because it turned out to be an exceptional necklace!
[Heart of Dominion (Exceptional)]
[When you wear this necklace, all your summoning creatures receive: +4 additional levels, 30% extra health...]
[Dominion: Your excellent command skills unleash the potential of your summoned creatures, granting them higher intelligence, understanding more complex commands...]
"Fan... I can't accept this... it's really too valuable..."
For a moment, Chu Wei was stupefied.
One must know that exceptional equipment is the standard high-grade equipment, with only a few pieces owned even by the entire Dongjiang Second Bureau, yet Wang Zhifan offered it as a gift, truly making her feel astonished and flattered.
"Why can't you accept it? This equipment is meaningless to a Warrior player like me; it's perfect for you!
Just consider it a loan from me; send me a nice piece of Warrior equipment you obtain one day in return!"
After saying this, Wang Zhifan vanished, leaving no room for Chu Wei to hesitate.