Chapter 268 181: Prelude to War, Part 2

Brother Miao Won't Fail the Exam: "Oh? Then who do you think is the best person for the job?"

My Son Failed, But I'm On Shore: "Who do you think? Hehe. By the way, I've led many large-scale campaigns, all of which ended in victory. I'm well-versed in all kinds of tactics, like holding the line, breaking through, encirclement..."

Sitting and Not Forgetting the Dao: "? Report! A Class-A war criminal has been spotted! Requesting artillery strike!"

Brother Miao Won't Fail the Exam: "Just stop embarrassing yourself. If you ask me, Faraway Lord is the best fit. @Poems and the Faraway Place."

My Son Failed, But I'm On Shore: "..."

Against anyone else, Shore might have put up a fight, but with that name brought up, he lost all his confidence.

Li Miao's suggestion was met with widespread agreement. The Prison Players were all well aware of Faraway's strength. Even if he lacked experience in this specific area, they had complete faith in him.

Summoned by the host of players, Faraway finally responded.

Surprisingly, there was no modesty, no lengthy explanation—just a single, simple word.

Poems and the Faraway Place: "Alright."

...

Time slowly ticked by.

Even though it was still day, many players were already on high alert, grinding Levels while eagerly anticipating the coming war.

Meanwhile, players who were already high-Level began hunting Firewood Thieves in Sea Zone One to rack up War Contribution.

Overall, the players' prevailing sentiment toward the war was one of "excitement."

As players, they had no idea this war would drastically alter the future of Candle Island. They just saw it as new content, something to look forward to like a game's DLC.

Thus, the only one who truly understood the war's importance was Luo Ge.

Luo Ge let out a soft breath, but the pressure in his heart didn't ease.

Gazing at the Dark Boundary, which seemed to stir restlessly, his expression remained calm, yet the air around him felt incredibly heavy.

'The Firewood Thieves have had their eyes on Candle Island for a long time now.'

'Even after incinerating one of them, he still couldn't fathom the true objective of these creatures.'

'These Firewood Thieves gave him only one impression... tools!'

'That's right. They were like robots with pre-set programs and tasks—unfeeling tools. Everything they did was to achieve an objective. Their minds were empty and cold, nothing like a living person's.'

'The only thing Luo Ge could be certain of was that they were foes, not friends.'

'Their purpose was to "Seize Firewood"!'

Noxia stood quietly behind Luo Ge. Watching his back, she pursed her lips, lost in thought.

Burton Mage was still poring over the intelligence reports, trying to uncover some clue.

Everything seemed calm.

But just then, the unexpected happened.

RUMBLE—

A colossal tremor suddenly swept across Candle Island and its surrounding Anchor Islands. It was an Earth-Shaking and Mountain-Trembling event, and even space itself began to destabilize.

Space itself was vibrating!

And the epicenter of this massive tremor was in the distance—in Sea Zone One, the very peripheral battlefield Luo Ge had prepared in advance!

'They're here!'

Luo Ge's gaze snapped to the battlefield in an instant.

Noxia's face filled with worry. Burton Mage put down the Scroll in his hand and rose to his feet.

Luo Ge looked back at the two of them.

"Noxia, Burton Mage, I'm leaving Candle Island and Sea Zone One... to you!"

"Noxia will be with you, Mr. Luo Ge." She placed a hand over her heart in a salute, her expression utterly serious.

"May the Firelight protect you."

Burton Mage also gave a solemn salute.

Looking at the two of them, Luo Ge nodded slightly. The great weight on his heart seemed to lighten.

He turned, and his body began to burn. In the next instant, an azure Firelight flared and vanished.

...

[Attention all players!]

[The regional war has now officially begun! Enemy forces are about to arrive on the battlefield!]

[Do you wish to join the war?]

[Attention all players!]

[...]

At that moment, this incredibly conspicuous message appeared before every player, no matter where they were.

Many players were instantly thrilled!

"Fuck! It's finally here! Let's do this! Fight, fight, fight!"

"Combat! Hell yeah!!!"

"Quick, tell everyone on the forums and in the chat groups! It's on! It's on!"

"Time to kill some Pot Heads!"

"Wait, how did the war just start all of a sudden? They couldn't even wait until tonight?"

"That's ridiculous. You wait for the war, the war doesn't wait for you."

"It's a game, couldn't they at least wait until evening? A buddy of mine is still on the assembly line, hasn't clocked out yet! You don't have to be *this* realistic with the timing, do you?"

"Who cares? I think it's great. If we knew the exact start time, it would just turn into '3, 2, 1, team fight!', wouldn't it?"

"Fair point..."

"Enough talk. Bros, hurry up and rally the troops. I'm heading in first!"

"Hold on! Let's prep first! Stick to the plan from the group chat. Where's our suicide squad? Let's give these Pot Heads a big surprise!"

"..."

It was still the middle of the afternoon, a while before most people would get off work. The only ones online at this time were either idle or hardcore grinders.

As the war began, the players fell into their roles: recruiters started recruiting, frontline fighters moved to hold the line...

...

BZZT—BZZT—

Niuniu, wearing slippers and gnawing on a chicken foot, jumped as his phone vibrated nonstop, notifications popping up like crazy. He immediately started complaining.

"'What the hell is buzzing all of a sudden?' he grumbled. 'Don't tell me that punk Mushroom is acting up again.'"

Grumbling, Niuniu picked up his phone.

But the moment he saw the message, he shot up without another word and slapped on his helmet.

"I've been waiting for this!"

Niuniu gave an excited, wicked grin, then closed his eyes.

Commander of the Explosive Bulls! Officially online!

...

"Sigh... sigh!"

"My fish!"

Near the Jinghai Islands, Brother Yu clutched his chest in anguish as he watched another fish get away.

Old Yan, however, briskly packed up his fishing rod and excitedly whipped out his Magic Staff.

"Old Yu, forget about the fish! The guild... no, the team war has started! Let's go!"

Old Yan was thrilled.

The game Spirit Candle seemed to take him back to his youthful days as a game-addicted teenager.

Hearing this, Brother Yu could only sigh and pack up his fishing rod.

"...Let's go."

Before he left, he sent a message to his fishing buddies' group chat.

...

「Gael's Depression, at the Altar Vine Lizard Milestone Spirit Candle.」

Li Miao, who was sitting cross-legged to recover his Physical Strength, saw the notification, and his eyes instantly lit up.

But he didn't use Teleportation right away. Instead, he returned to Candle Island, opened his chat window, and began notifying his friends one by one.

Poems and the Faraway Place: "Already here."

My Son Failed, But I'm On Shore: "Fuck, I've been here forever! Shut your trap!"

I do Bull's Push-ups: "Already here, man! Hurry up!"

My hamster's name is Guagua: "Almost! I'm taking off my makeup..."

"..."

There was a good reason most players called Li Miao the "Spirit Candle Enchanting Demon."

A friends list that an ordinary player could never hope to fill was, for him, completely maxed out.

After notifying his friends, he cracked his neck, and his form began to grow, becoming taller and more robust with a mere thought.

He exhaled. "'...Come on.'"

In the next moment, the pitch-black Law Knight's Helmet slowly descended over his face. The cold, heavy faceplate completely transformed Li Miao's aura.

In the next instant, his armored hand touched the flame. The tall, imposing Knight merged into it in a flash, leaving behind only a few specks of azure Firelight that slowly faded away.

...

「Battlefield Zone.」

Luo Ge stood silently before the enormous Milestone Spirit Candle, his gaze fixed on the churning, Rolling Dark Boundary in the distance.

'Without a doubt, the Firewood Thieves were about to arrive.'

'This war could only be described as a surprise attack.'

'If it hadn't been for Xiaoluo's help, he would have likely only noticed something was wrong when the Dark Boundary began to stir.'

'In that case, the situation would not have been one of thorough preparation, but of a completely unprepared war.'

'Reacting in a frantic scramble is a world away from fighting a war with ample preparation.'

'So this was it—a surprise attack by the Firewood Thieves, with no warning whatsoever!'

'They were coming with the express purpose of destroying Candle Island!'

'Like a venomous serpent lying in wait, it had found the opportune moment and bared its fangs without a second thought!'

'The risks involved were easy to imagine!'

'However, even with preparations, the Firewood Thieves still wouldn't arrive at the time most players were hoping for.'

'As a result, even now, many players still hadn't logged on.'

'But things had come to this. The war had begun.'

'And there was no turning back!'