I'm building the perfect territory in the mist.

Chapter 33: Players' Association, 3V3 Battle!

The lobby on the first floor was bustling with people, and there were many sofas and coffee tables around it, making it look more like a leisure club than some mysterious organization.

There were several service windows nearby, with several queues forming.

Shen Xing and the others walked through the crowd, and various conversations could be heard from time to time.

"Your Bureau of Abnormal Affairs is so slow! I accepted the bounty last night, then rushed to the riverbank overnight to kill that extraordinary monster. I've already uploaded the photos, when are you going to deposit the 200,000 yuan reward into my account?"

"Hello sir, we have confirmed that you have indeed completed the bounty mission. However, during the battle, you damaged a yacht. The estimated repair cost is 270,000, so you will need to pay an additional 70,000."

"Huh? I actually have to pay out of my own pocket?"

On the other side, several men were gathered around a table, talking animatedly.

"Let me tell you, once you reach the mid-game, you should build a Zerg hive and start mass-producing units. The Zerg have very low recruitment requirements and high reproduction rates; they're practically the perfect unit!"

"You're talking nonsense! What's the use of high reproductive capacity? They're just a bunch of cannon fodder. Why not cultivate the Necromancer race and recruit units directly from corpses? The stronger the corpse, the more powerful the recruited Necromancers will be—completely crushing that trash Zerg!"

"You dare to show off such trashy units as the Necromancers? You'll be blown up if you run into my Priest of Light!"

"Stop arguing, the Sand Clan is the best in the world! Physical immunity? Are you scared yet?"

"What kind of trash are the Sand Clan? I could wipe them all out with one piss. The Vampire Clan is the strongest. Anyone disagree? Come to the fifth-floor battle zone and have a go!"

"Fine, I'll go! Who's afraid of who?"

As the debate intensified, more and more people joined the discussion.

Everyone thinks their main force is the strongest, and many have already made plans to go upstairs and fight.

The three people watching from the sidelines marveled at the sight and couldn't help but chime in with their own words.

"I didn't expect there to be so many players in Jiangcheng," Shen Xing exclaimed.

"Yes, I was also shocked when I first came here to buy unit nests."

Qin Lang nodded, then added, "But this number is also quite normal."

"Zhou Zheng once said that the game 'Mist Reincarnation' has been around for countless years, and by now, it must have accumulated a considerable number of players."

"There are even some veteran lords whose sons have already entered this game; they are truly second-generation lords."

"Because they have someone protecting them, they started from a higher point than other players, and their development speed is like a rocket."

Shen Xing nodded slightly: "So, how do we find Zhou Zheng?"

Qin Lang was also somewhat bewildered. Zhou Zheng had only told them to come to the Times Building, without specifying where to find him.

Just as everyone looked around, about to ask someone, a text message came through on their phones.

"Huh? It's from Zhou Zheng." Qin Lang said in surprise, "He said he saw us enter the building and told us to just go to the fourth-floor office area."

Shen Xing nodded and saw the message: "Then let's take the elevator up."

Qin Lang pushed the wheelchair toward the elevator, followed by Xu Jiayi, who was wearing pink bunny ear pajamas and bunny ear slippers.

Their combination didn't seem particularly unusual here; in fact, it was rather conservative.

There were many people in the hall who were even stranger than them.

Some were dressed in wizard robes and hats, cosplaying Gandalf. Others were wearing black hoodies and masks, cosplaying Jiahao… no, this was probably just them being themselves.

There was also someone wearing a thong and cat ears, cosplaying as a kemonomimi (animal-eared girl), and this person was actually a guy.

If a passerby were to wander in, they might think it was some kind of massive, brutal scene of someone being slammed to death by Prey.

Once inside the elevator, you can see that the floor buttons on the side are labeled with information about each floor.

The first floor is a combined office area and a leisure area.

The second floor is the trading area where players can trade freely, but a certain transaction fee is required.

The third floor is the battle zone, which is basically a PK arena where players can solo.

"Beep!"

The elevator quickly reached the fourth floor, and the elevator doors opened, revealing a wide corridor.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the first floor, this place is much quieter, with offices lining both sides of the corridor.

Shen Xing and the others walked along the corridor and soon found the office with the sign "Zhou Zheng".

The door was wide open, and the three of them stood at the entrance, looking inside.

A middle-aged man wearing a gray trench coat and sunglasses was lying on the sofa, resting with his eyes closed.

On the desk next to her, a young woman in a black suit with a neat ponytail was typing away on the keyboard.

She bit her lip lightly, her oval face gloomy, the resentment of a working person almost overflowing.

"Brother Zhou Zheng." Qin Lang knocked on the door.

The middle-aged man lying on the sofa heard the call, took off his glasses, and looked at the figure standing in the doorway.

"You're here! You three are here pretty early."

Zhou Zheng smiled, then said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I went on a mission last night and didn't get enough rest, so I forgot to send someone to pick you up."

"Heh... you mean going on a mission like this, spending the night at a married woman's house?"

The woman with the single ponytail coldly swept her gaze over Zhou Zheng, then looked at the three people at the door. When her gaze landed on Shen Xing, she was slightly taken aback.

Zhou Zheng's face stiffened, and he laughed awkwardly, "Haha, none of that matters, please come and sit down."

Qin Lang and his two companions didn't stand on ceremony and went into the office, sitting down on the sofa.

Zhou Zheng poured each of them a cup of hot water, then sat down opposite them and got straight to the point:

"The reason I called you here today is about the 'Misty Sky Realm' spots that we discussed last time."

"What's wrong, Brother Zhou Zheng? Are our spots gone?" Qin Lang asked directly.

"No, that's not it."

Zhou Zheng shook his head: "It's just that Jiangcheng hasn't had a 'Void Realm' for two years, and there are quite a few players stuck at Tier 1 without the materials to break through to the Transcendent level."

"Currently, there are over two hundred players qualified to enter the secret realm, but there are only one hundred slots available."

"Moreover, due to some special reasons, some of the spots have already been reserved internally."

"So the higher-ups decided to select the best of the best, choosing the most capable group to go in."

Shen Xing asked, "Does that mean we're not strong enough?"

"No, you guys are quite strong, at least for newcomers, you're already very good."

Zhou Zheng explained, "But because the number of players has surged in the past two years, many new players have developed elite one-star and two-star units."

"Especially those players who have been in Tier 1 for a long time, now they all have elite three-star units."

"After all, you haven't been in the game long enough, and you haven't had enough time to develop. The higher-ups originally said they would let you settle down a bit more."

"But after I argued my case and pulled strings, I finally managed to get an opportunity."

Shen Xing looked at him thoughtfully: "It's just an opportunity, which means it's not certain?"

"That's right."

Zhou Zheng nodded frankly: "I believe in your abilities, but those people at the top don't."

"So next, I will arrange a match for you to play against other players and prove your strength."

"If you win, the spots are yours."

The three stared at each other blankly, finally understanding why Zhou Zheng had called them over.

"So you called us over here to fight with other players?" Shen Xing asked instinctively, somewhat taken aback.

"I'm not asking you to fight, I'm asking you to summon troops to fight."

Zhou Zheng corrected, "At the same time, during the sparring, there will be extraordinary experts protecting you throughout to ensure that there are no serious casualties."

After a pause, he suddenly said meaningfully, "Moreover, sparring with players in real life is also a kind of experience for you."

"The global situation is quite unstable right now, with frequent unusual events in various countries. You should adapt as soon as possible."

Hearing these pointed words, the three remained silent for a moment.

"Are you sure one match is enough?" Shen Xing asked again.

They had never experienced summoning units to fight against other players before, so they were a little unsure of themselves.

Although they often fight in the game and are ruthless when it comes to slaying monsters, this is ultimately reality.

"Of course, that's on the premise that you can win. If you lose, there's nothing we can do," Zhou Zheng replied, leaning back on the sofa.

Shen Xing pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, "Alright, let's participate."

"very good."

Zhou Zheng smiled with satisfaction, then asked, "Would you prefer 1v1 or 3v3?"

"Huh? There's a game mode option?"

The three of them looked completely bewildered.

"Of course," Zhou Zheng said matter-of-factly. "In the early stages, novice lords are not strong enough and can only manifest a limited number of troop types, resulting in a monotonous combat style."

「但如果和其他玩家的兵种配合，发挥出的效果就不是1+1大于2，而是1的2次方！」

Everyone: "..."

A brief silence fell over the entire office.

"Team Leader Zhou loves telling these lame jokes, don't mind him." The black-haired woman in front of the desk spoke calmly, seemingly used to it.

"Ahem..." Zhou Zheng coughed lightly and said seriously, "In short, our country highly encourages players to team up and fight in real life."

"It can not only reduce the casualty rate, but also deepen the cooperation between us."

"You can also explore in teams, including within the Misty Sky Realm."

"So...which mode did you choose?"

Qin Lang and Xu Jiayi didn't speak, but instead looked at Shen Xing in the middle.

Shen Xing hesitated for a moment, then replied, "We choose 3V3."

"Okay." Zhou Zheng smiled, as if he had already guessed that they would make this choice.

"Let's go to the third floor, I'll arrange today's matches for you."

After saying that, he stood up and left the office first.

A few minutes later.

Led by Zhou Zheng, the group arrived at the battle area on the third floor.

"Beep!"

As the elevator doors opened, a spacious lobby appeared before us.

The entire building was divided into four sections, with pillars dividing it into sixteen areas, and each area was surrounded by a large number of people.

In the middle of these areas, there is a specially designed arena where several players are controlling different units in battle.