Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 368: Island Tower Defense, Different Mechanisms Formed by Different Environments_1
"Island survival combined with tower defense—this mode is quite interesting."
Wang Linchi surveyed his surroundings. Compared to the previous large-scale town-mode instance, this one had significantly fewer NPCs, and the gameplay had become more combat-focused.
However, the Erroneous Sin in this large-scale instance lacked self-awareness. It also seemed the suppression by the rules was greatly weakened, enough for players to repel them. Yet, in terms of raw power, these Erroneous Sin were much stronger. Players could repel them not through their own strength, but with the aid of certain devices on the island.
"The last instance restricted the Erroneous Sin; this one weakens them," he mused. "They’re really planning to control all Erroneous Sin for their own use, perhaps even directly eliminating dissenters."
Wang Linchi quickly grasped the implications. Simply farming them wouldn’t suffice. What if, one day, some Erroneous Sin evolved a rule-based ability to unite others and overthrow the Game System? Thus, the Game System wasn’t just exploring methods of domestication; it was actively suppressing the Erroneous Sin, taming the wild ones. Players, in this scenario, could act as sheepdogs. While herding these domesticated ’sheep,’ they would also provide value to the Game System—truly killing multiple birds with one stone.
"It seems each large-scale instance has a different survival mode," Wang Linchi continued to ponder. "But their fundamental nature is the same: a transformation of both players and Erroneous Sin."
This kind of modification also exists in modern society, primarily in agriculture and animal husbandry.
"But this means I’ll have to change my ’net’ strategy too." Wang Linchi felt a twinge of helplessness. He could sweep up the Erroneous Sin in the previous instance because they had no self-awareness; they couldn’t be lured, and thus couldn’t be pinpointed for his method. So, using a net to capture them now was likely unrealistic.
"I’ll have to find another solution..." Just as Wang Linchi was contemplating this, a piercing alarm sounded.
Looking up, he saw a large number of players on the street rushing towards the seaside.
"Quick, quick! The tide’s coming! We have to hold it back! If we don’t, we’ll all be swept out to sea!" a voice yelled.
Seeing Wang Linchi hesitating and noticing his level, the person grabbed him. "Hurry up! Go pick a good spot and prepare to fire!"
"Oh... okay," Wang Linchi replied, having just reached the entrance before being swept along with the crowd toward the sea.
The players were no strangers to this; they were thoroughly practiced. Each had their own designated artillery emplacement to fend off the Erroneous Sin emerging from the ocean.
"Why are you still standing here? Are there no spots left?" another player asked, looking at Wang Linchi.
"I just got here," Wang Linchi said with a shrug; he wasn’t deliberately dawdling.
"Find an empty spot then." The player’s expression softened, though a hint of confusion remained. They hadn’t heard of any players transferring servers.
On the forums, players referred to these large-scale instances not as dungeons, but as "servers." Gameplay varied between servers, and some unlucky players ended up on more difficult ones. Rumor had it that not long ago, a server had collapsed for unknown reasons, leading to an influx of new players into the remaining servers. NPCs, of course, couldn’t transfer servers; they were simply destroyed.
Wang Linchi soon found an unoccupied artillery emplacement. The cannon there could be directly controlled and seemed to have unlimited ammunition. All one had to do was aim at the enemy and fire. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The distant seabed began to churn, and Erroneous Sin resembling sea beasts started swimming towards the island. The faster ones had already made landfall on the beach.
BOOM!
The players didn’t hesitate, immediately controlling the cannons on their turrets to bombard the creatures. Besides cannons, there were catapults, giant Crossbow Arrows, and other similar siege weaponry.
There was no need to worry about players not knowing how to operate them; they still possessed game mechanics. They only needed to aim, leaving the rest to their game characters and the game’s rules.
Wang Linchi quickly got the hang of it, his cannon accurately striking each Erroneous Sin.
"Injured?" Wang Linchi observed. Many of the Erroneous Sin that were hit showed signs of injury, but not a single one died. The Game System had not yet fully developed a "kill" mechanic. After all, it too was an Erroneous Sin. Even with advantageous conditions, completely destroying another Erroneous Sin was no simple task.
As Wang Linchi was getting into the swing of things, he spotted a familiar entity among the horde of Erroneous Sin: the Shadow of Gluttony he had released. While it couldn’t deceive ’friends’ in this instance, it could snatch some wild ’game’ from the sea. However, its timing for returning to shore was terrible; it immediately faced a barrage of attacks.
"It can also damage the native Erroneous Sin, but its attacks are less potent than those of the Erroneous Sin created through the Game System’s later interference."
Although the Shadow of Gluttony was injured, its wounds weren’t severe, and it continued to frantically scuttle towards the shore.
Seeing this, Wang Linchi swiveled his cannon and held down the fire button. A torrent of shells, as if free, erupted, each one striking the Shadow of Gluttony, relentlessly blasting the foremost creature back into the sea.
The other players witnessed this and couldn’t help but stare at Wang Linchi, their gazes drawn to him. After all, his handling of the cannon was exceptionally skillful.
"What are you looking at? Keep firing! Why did you stop?" Wang Linchi turned and snapped.
The players quickly snapped back to attention, hastily resuming their attacks with their respective siege engines.
Wang Linchi was thoroughly enjoying himself and reaping significant benefits. For him, every battle was an opportunity to gather data, which would help him ’net’ all the Erroneous Sin as ’fodder’ for his future plans. Otherwise, why would he linger here? Purely for fun and relaxation? Unlikely.
The battle raged until dusk, lasting nearly eight hours before all the attacking Erroneous Sin were finally repelled. The players looked utterly exhausted. After all, eight hours of high-intensity combat had kept their nerves perpetually frayed.
Once the threat was neutralized, the players dispersed. No one bothered Wang Linchi with questions. Firstly, they were exhausted. Secondly, they understood that such skill wasn’t something one could acquire merely by picking up a few tips; it boiled down to Talent and arduous practice. "Practice makes perfect" was the undeniable truth, not relying on tricks for shortcuts. Just like with a Gunner, Talent was crucial, but the amount of practice was equally vital.
Wang Linchi, however, wasn’t tired in the slightest. Given his power, this was merely a warm-up.
After returning, he found an NPC-run tavern, went inside, ordered a drink, and began to inquire with the bartender about the situation.
"Boss, how often do these sieges occur?" Wang Linchi asked.
The bartender, wiping a glass, glanced up at Wang Linchi and replied directly, "There’s no set schedule. Are you new here?"
"Yes, I am. Besides this island, how many others are there?" Wang Linchi inquired further.
"You can check the forums for that yourself. I’m just a bartender; how would I know such things?" The bartender sounded a bit exasperated. He was confined to the tavern and wouldn’t possess such intelligence. If anyone had the most information, it would be the players, not NPCs like him, who were primarily support staff.
Wang Linchi felt a bit awkward. He didn’t have access to *their* forum. Even if he had one, it would be his own, not the Game System’s.
"Not many people come here for drinks?" Wang Linchi asked, puzzled. How could there be no players on this island who enjoyed a drink?
"Not many players come for a drink. The main problem is the ’drunk’ debuff; it’s just not worth it," the bartender explained. "Being drunk reduces accuracy, and players in this large-scale instance rely almost entirely on ranged attacks. So, accuracy is paramount. If they drank and their hit rate dropped by, say, fifty percent, they’d be in serious trouble if the Erroneous Sin besieged the island again."
"I see. So, you don’t have *any* information at all?" Wang Linchi pressed, unwilling to give up.
The bartender pondered for a moment, then said, "Well, there is one thing, actually."
He leaned in slightly. "I heard the Erroneous Sin aren’t trying to kill us. Apparently, there’s something at the island’s center that attracts them. Consuming it supposedly allows an Erroneous Sin to develop self-awareness."
Wang Linchi was taken aback. Another experiment?
"Sounds like a baseless rumor," Wang Linchi thought, outwardly appearing skeptical.
"It *is* just a rumor," the bartender chuckled. "I have no proof; it’s just hearsay. Definitely not something to be taken as gospel."
