After the two left, more and more people in the conference room gradually stood up.
Whether Drumph and the UN’s plan would succeed, they didn’t know, but they were very clear that it would bring no benefit to them; in fact, It could cost them their lives.
Not everyone was willing to serve their country, and not everyone had the resolve to sacrifice their life for humanity’s survival. Even if the matter involved their own lives as well, they were unwilling to be the first to die.
Drumph sat at the highest seat in the conference room, quietly watching as each member of the Morning Star faction removed their medals and left the room. Throughout the entire time, he did not speak, make any pleas, or issue any threats, because from the moment he decided to convene the meeting, he had already anticipated this kind of situation.
Before long, the conference room, which had originally held several hundred people, was left with fewer than a hundred, most of whom were military players, with only a handful of individual players staying behind.
No one knew what they were thinking, but by staying, they had already made their stance clear.
Luca, Quagmire, and Melania were among those who didn’t leave. Donlow, needless to say, stayed as well. Coarmy and Quagmire were both police officers, and Melania had once belonged to a special department.
As for Fuzzsir, with the way his mind worked, it wouldn’t be surprising no matter what he did. The one thing that surprised everyone, though, was that Luca, who was clearly just an ordinary high school student, actually stayed behind as well.
Coarmy had been prepared to say something to persuade him, but never in his wildest dreams did he expect that this seemingly disorganized kid would have such high resolve.
“I knew I didn’t judge you wrong,” Drumph said, his face full of satisfaction.
“I didn’t expect you to be this bold,” Zousong also gave a thumbs-up.
“You guys are overthinking it,” Luca said with a wry smile.
He wasn’t as noble as others might have thought. It was just that ten years of life-or-death experiences in the apocalypse had taught him one thing: it was better to fight desperately than to wait for death.
At least, if he died, he wouldn’t regret it.
Once it was certain that no one else was leaving, Drumph smiled and said, “Next, I will explain how we’ll organize the cleanup.”
Due to the absence of certain team members, they couldn’t assign tasks based on teams, so this operation would mainly be organized by city.
Each city would have 20 players assigned to gradually clean up the Transcendent incidents within it, which, besides monsters, also included those who were using Transcendent abilities for malicious purposes.
During the execution of the mission, danger was inevitable, and to maximize efficiency, the military and police would work together with the players.
“Besides that, the Research Department has recently developed some new equipment and potions. I believe you will all find them quite useful.” As Drumph spoke, he waved his hand.
His assistant immediately stepped forward, placing a black briefcase on the conference table.
Then, the assistant slowly opened it.
Inside, two items were revealed to the group. The briefcase contained a black handgun, adorned with red patterns, and a long, gleaming sword with a slender blade.
If one looked closely, they would notice that the red patterns on the handgun seemed to flow like blood, and the sword appeared to shimmer with a cold, sharp light.
Furthermore, both the hilt of the sword and the body of the gun were engraved with a star pattern, identical to the emblem on the Morning Star badge.
At the sight of these two weapons, everyone, including Luca, was instantly captivated.
Quagmire exclaimed in surprise, “Magical-tech gear? How did you manage to bring this out of the game?”
Luca was equally taken aback. The equipment had only appeared in the real world after the game’s descent, so it was surprising to see that Morning Star had already acquired some of it.
Drumph shook his head. “These aren’t items taken directly from Eternal Game. They were made by the military’s civilian occupation specialists using materials dropped by monsters.”
“However, these pieces of gear also have special enhancement effects for players. Feel free to give them a try.”
Quagmire, whose weapon was the long sword, couldn’t resist. He took a few steps forward, grabbed the sword from the briefcase, and carefully examined it. The longer he looked, the brighter his eyes became. Finally, with a flick of his wrist, a flash of silver erupted, and a nearby chair was instantly sliced in half. The cut was smooth and clean, revealing just how sharp the blade was.
The security personnel nearby jumped in surprise, quickly reaching for their waistbands and eyeing Quagmire warily, unsure of his intentions.
Drumph didn’t seem bothered and asked, “How does it feel?”
“Good sword!” Quagmire said, reluctantly sheathing it. He couldn’t stop admiring it. Luca, meanwhile, picked up the handgun and examined it. The moment he gripped it, he felt a faint surge of energy flowing into his body, enhancing his mental strength.
After a moment of observation, Luca noticed the patterns on the gun seemed familiar. As he thought harder, he realized.
This must be an enchantment called “Mental Amplification,” a low-tier skill used by enchanters.
“It’s definitely impressive,” Luca nodded slightly. These two pieces of equipment were roughly equivalent to Bronze Grade items in the game. In the game world, that wouldn’t be much of a big deal.
But this was the real world, or rather, the pre-game world, before the game had fully descended. In this context, Bronze Grade gear was as valuable as a legendary artifact.
At that moment, other team members gathered around.
Gasps of awe and amazement filled the room, and the excitement was palpable.
Drumph smiled. “These custom-made pieces of equipment were prepared specifically for you. Each of you will receive one, and in addition, there are some special recovery potions that I’ve had prepared for you as well.”
The members all expressed their gratitude, and even Luca couldn’t help but be impressed by Drumph’s generosity.
Such valuable items were being given away just like that. It seemed that Coarmy’s words were true—Drumph could be quite stingy at times, but when it came to certain matters, he was willing to spend big.
Afterward, Drumph had the staff bring in the equipment. Everyone in the room received a set of custom-made combat gear, including not only the two weapons but also recovery potions crafted by the pharmacists.
At the same time, they were informed of the names of the two weapons. The handgun was called “Obsidian,” and the long sword was named “Starseeker.” It was likely that these would become symbols of their affiliation with Morning Star.
Once the excitement had settled down a bit, Drumph began assigning tasks. Due to a lack of personnel, they could only start by clearing five cities, then gradually work their way through the entire northern district.
Quagmire’s squad was assigned to Celephais, as Luca’s home was there, and he knew the area well.
Additionally, in Celephais, there was also the team led by someone named Yelling, as well as two other temporary teams formed for the mission.
The staff then distributed the most recent information on the Transcendent incidents in each city.
Luca briefly glanced through the materials and found that Celephais had indeed experienced a large number of anomalies—over a hundred in total, the highest number among all the cities.
It wasn’t surprising that Celephais, one of the first cities destroyed after the game’s arrival, had so many Transcendent events. However, what caught his eye was something familiar.
Celephais High School—his alma mater.
What had happened there? Luca racked his brain but couldn’t recall anything specific. The city had been in complete chaos during that time, and he hadn’t paid attention to such details.
Just as Luca was about to dive deeper into the details of the incident.
A group of people suddenly walked into the conference room.
“Hahaha, Drumph, long time no see. I hope you won’t mind my sudden visit.” A slightly hoarse and aged voice echoed through the room.
Everyone turned to look, and soon they saw the group of people who had left the meeting room earlier, each wearing a mocking smile.
At the head of the group was an elderly man with silver hair, leaning on a cane. The voice that had spoken earlier had come from him. Beside him stood a young man who appeared relaxed and nonchalant.
The moment Drumph saw these two, the smile on his face instantly vanished.
“Zahilter, what are you doing here? Did you come just to show off?” Drumph’s expression shifted as he glanced at the players who had exited Morning Star behind the elderly man. His previously friendly demeanor instantly hardened, his eyes narrowing as a sudden, powerful aura of a leader surged from him—like a lion awakening from slumber, his presence commanding and overwhelming. Find exclusive stories on empire
Luca’s eyes narrowed as well. He hadn’t expected to see them here.
Zahilter—the former head of the Willow Family, one of the most powerful and influential figures in the world. Under his leadership, the Willow Family’s business had spread across the globe, and their wealth was rivaled only by nations.
Years ago, Zahilter had a major conflict with Drumph, one that caused Zahilter significant losses. This confrontation had effectively slowed the once-thriving momentum of the Willow Family, and as a result, Willow Family members and Drumph had always been at odds.
Now, Zahilter’s sudden appearance in the northern district, along with his efforts to recruit those who had withdrawn from Morning Star, clearly signaled that he had no good intentions.
However, what caught Luca’s attention the most wasn’t Zahilter, but the young man standing beside him.
Zadownlow—a peak-level powerhouse from the past, one of the most notorious figures of the previous era. He was the founder of the top-tier organization “The Bewitching Club” and the only known human to have had direct contact with the high-level executives of Zenith Technology Company. In the previous world, Zadownlow and the Willow Family had always maintained a detached, almost indifferent stance, refusing to share any information about Zenith Technology with others.
No one knew what Zadownlow had learned from his interactions with Zenith Technology. In Luca’s memory, this family was notorious for their ruthless tactics, particularly their habit of striking down anyone who had previously offended them—be it rival forces or talented individuals.
Luca hadn’t expected to encounter them here.
Seemingly aware of Luca’s gaze, the young man beside Zahilter suddenly turned his head to look at him. However, Luca had already averted his eyes by then.
“Hm?” Zadownlow studied Luca for a moment, a hint of confusion flickering in his eyes. Had that boy just looked at him differently? But he didn’t dwell on it, quickly resuming his lazy, carefree posture.
Facing the hostility from Drumph and the others, Zahilter remained unfazed. With a smile, he said, “Old man, don’t get so worked up. I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m here to offer you help.”
“Help?” Drumph sneered. “You probably wish for nothing more than for us to all die.”