Chapter 149: New Black Black Tide Soldier Type: Players

The Primordial Altar.

Qi Sheng was examining the latest data from the Guide's feedback.

[Player Count: 108,592]

Online Players: 54,920.

Players in Death Cooldown: 48,949.

Number of Primordial Traits Contained: 33

Sacrificial Power Output per Hour (Real-time Update): 1,909,492

Average Level of Players' Highest Soul Souls: 29

Contained Resource Territories: Gloomy Cave (Spirit Ore), Demon Fall Pit (Spirit Ore), Cloud Fields (Spirit Plants), Tianlan Pool (Spirit Qi Breeding), Black Dragon Pass (Spirit Ore), Sky Spray Island (Spirit Qi Breeding), Coral Islet (Spirit Qi Breeding).

Contained Rule Territories: Emperor Tomb Village (Flesh Reshaping), Crystal Hall (Gathering Crowds).

……

What Qi Sheng focused on most was the data regarding Sacrificial Power output.

Recently, Super Dimension had been crafting the Pet System, consuming nearly 1.2 million points of Sacrificial Power daily.

Next, he also needed to prepare in advance for the Pet System's launch.

"Guide, let's go!"

[Got it!]

As his voice fell, the Guide pulled his consciousness away from Emperor Tomb Village, flying northward.

This mission's goal was to search for lifeforms possessing special abilities, conduct a detailed analysis of their biological structures, and then use Sacrificial Power to generate replicable pet templates.

The Guide indeed knew of many powerful lifeforms from the Monster World, but prior to this, it had never performed detailed biological structure analyses on these beings.

Secondly, the Monster World had changed too drastically during the years they were in seclusion; even the continental plates had shifted, making it impossible to quickly locate specific targets.

All they could do was search everywhere like looking for a needle in a haystack, going out for a couple of rounds each day and relying on fate to find something.

Theoretically, all powerful lifeforms could be replicated through analysis, including the biological structures of the Soul Return Clan and the Ascension Clan.

However, the foundation of these clans' strength was not their own biological structures; their core abilities came from rules bestowed upon them. Unless one could seize those rules, simply replicating the biological structure would be meaningless.

The search location for this outing remained the Pale Continent region.

His consciousness followed the Guide over mountains and across oceans...

He could observe that scenes shrouded by the Evil Moon were very common in the Pale Continent region, but he had not yet discovered any particularly powerful Evil Spirit Warriors.

This indicated that the Pale Continent region was not the core battlefield of the terrifying Black Black Tide.

From existing intelligence, the strongest force in the Pale Continent region should be the Counter-Black Tide Legion, followed by the Soul Return Clan, who were engaged in combat with them.

As for the terrifying Black Black Tide, their ranking in terms of strength within the Pale Continent was currently unclear.

After several hours of searching and continuously scanning various types of monsters, Qi Sheng's consciousness followed the Guide through an invisible spatial barrier, landing in a valley.

This was a world nearly isolated from the outside; inside, it simulated a sun and moon taking turns appearing, while the sky above was veiled by a layer of morning mist as thin as a cicada's wing. Looking down from high above, the earth was a boundless sea of flowers, and the air was filled with a mixed floral fragrance.

In the distance, rolling hills were covered with lush forests; the trees towered high, and mottled light and shadow filtered through the branches and leaves.

The chirping of insects and birds in the woods blended harmoniously with nature.

[This place should be a sanctuary built to escape the endless wars of the outside world. However, compared to the completely independent spaces created by the Lord of Welfare, this method of isolation is far inferior; it can easily be discovered by the outside world, especially by forces with powerful perception abilities, such as the Black Black Tide's Evil Eye. Under the Evil Eye's perceptual scan, the spatial barrier here is utterly meaningless.]

The Guide spoke up at this moment to introduce the situation.

Sweeping his consciousness over the scene, Qi Sheng followed the Guide to the heart of the valley, where there was a Firefly Lake. The water was so clear one could see the bottom, resembling a huge bright mirror reflecting the sky's scenery.

His consciousness halted by the lakeside, his gaze focusing on a creature with a cute appearance.

Its body resembled a fluffy ball of cotton candy; its round form was covered in snow-white fur that looked fluffy and soft.

In terms of appearance, it seemed like a combination of a rabbit and a fox, possessing a pair of long ears with a faint pink hue inside, looking like two tender flower petals attached. At this moment, it was lying on the ground fast asleep, its ears twitching occasionally to drive away approaching flying insects, appearing extremely adorable.

Just then, the calm Firefly Lake water splashed due to the movement of a creature beneath the surface. It suddenly opened its large eyes, which occupied nearly half its Iron Face; its clear, water-like pale blue eyes were bright and lucid. It then leaned toward the lakeside, sniffing the Firefly Lake water with its moist pink little nose, revealing a very human-like expression of disgust.

The Analysis Ability activated, and information regarding the cotton candy creature flooded into his mind.

[Fat Peach]:

Hunting Level: 75

Target Introduction: A resource-type monster raised by the Red Lotus Clan. It can produce a special spiritual material called Peach Stone by consuming nutrients.

……

What surprised Qi Sheng was that this was actually a resource-type monster.

"Guide, perform a detailed analysis."

[Received.]

As the Guide's ability activated, it consumed Sacrificial Power to detail the analysis information.

The biological structure of Fat Peach appeared in Qi Sheng's mind as a three-dimensional holographic projection, allowing him to intuitively see the paths and changes of energy circulating within Fat Peach's body.

"Guide, analyze the ratio between input resources and output resources."

Facing the inquiry, the Guide remained silent for a few seconds before nodding:

[If it is a Fat Peach of Hunting Level 1, it can digest approximately 3 points of Sacrificial Power resources daily. During this time, through life activities and absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth, the produced resources convert into 5 points of Sacrificial Power. As the level increases, the amount of consumed resources rises, and the produced resources also increase, but the ratio always remains around 1:1.66. Beyond Hunting Level 50, the output ratio approaches 1:2.]

Hearing the Guide's analysis, Qi Sheng immediately decided that the first pet template would be Fat Peach.

The core of resource-type pets lies not in combat power, but in their ability to bring extra Sacrificial Power income to players.

At the current stage, every day on the forum, one could see players complaining that the output of Sacrificial Power was too low.

This resource-type pet was exactly the type players needed.

As Sacrificial Power continued to be consumed, the life structure of Fat Peach became even more detailed.

The core of its physical structure was divided into three parts, the most important being the Spirit Origin Core, which resembled a heart within its body.

It was not only responsible for pumping blood but also served as the source of Fat Peach's life and the conversion center after absorbing energy.

The second part was the Spirit Meridian Network.

Starting from the Spirit Origin Core, threads of spirit meridians as fine as gossamer spread throughout Fat Peach's entire body, constituting a complex and highly efficient energy transmission system. Within the body, they functioned like rivers, transporting energy to every cell, every muscle, every bone, and even to the nerve endings.

In the analytical 3D visualization, the flow of energy through the Spirit Meridian Network was clearly visible; as it passed through each region, a portion would be absorbed and digested, forming a cycle of absorption and digestion within the body, with the endpoint being the third core component: the "Marrow Core."

In the analysis visualization, the Marrow Core inside Fat Peach was located at the end of its spine, echoing the Spirit Origin Heart from afar. It greatly resembled concepts often mentioned in novels from before his transmigration, such as Demon Cores, Demon Essences, and Internal Pills, which grow inside monsters like demonic beasts and demonic creatures.

This was the location where Fat Peach stored energy within its body.

All this information was recorded by the Guide in the Challenger System, crafted into a life template.

In the future, it could be generated quickly simply by consuming Sacrificial Power.

After spending several minutes to completely analyze and record Fat Peach's life structure, Qi Sheng's consciousness continued to wander around the isolated valley for another lap.

Apart from the Red Lotus Clan, the ruling force of the valley, having some unique characteristics, other lifeforms possessed no special abilities.

However, the Red Lotus Clan's abilities were related to enhancing combat power, which was not the type he wanted.

Confirming there were no other life types worthy of attention, his consciousness, along with the Guide's, flew out of the spatial barrier shrouding the valley and began the return journey.

Today's search ended here; Pet Template +1.

……

Colorful Mist Coast, Wan Sen Domain Node.

The consciousness projection of the Earth Chant Evil Spirit hovered above the Gao Ta platform, its back connected to illusory tentacles extending from the Evil Eye. At this moment, it was observing the members of the Player Clan in the scene.

Every time a player killed a Black Black Tide evil spirit, he would opportunistically steal a portion of the energy, so the troops generated within the Black Black Tide were all Disaster-Type and Rampage-Type soldiers that were easy to kill.

Throughout this process, the Blue-Skinned Evil Eye hovered nearby observing, but it did not discover any issues.

The success of the psychological interference tactic made the Earth Chant Evil Spirit feel joyful.

It also gave him the idea to test other tactics.

Here, he did not need to worry about issues of resource consumption; after all, he was using someone else's provisions, making this simply a perfect testing scenario.

While controlling evil spirits to fight against players, the Earth Chant Evil Spirit thought of a new tactic.

This was a tactic he had wanted to try for a long time, but pressure from resource consumption had always prevented him from implementing it.

The original intention behind the idea was to investigate the background of the Player Clan.

Prior to this, he had attempted methods of coercion and interrogation to extract intelligence from the Player Clan.

However, the communication process was not smooth; attempts to read the players' memories failed, and subsequent torture and interrogation yielded no useful intelligence.

He had also considered going to the Player Clan's territory to conduct an investigation.

But the Player Clan came from beyond the World Barrier; discussing an investigation was easier said than done.

Thus, he conceived the idea of creating a player to infiltrate and understand the inner workings of the Player Clan.

However, implementing this plan also presented difficulties.

It required consuming vast amounts of Black Black Tide energy resources to simulate a player, and then using this created player to contact other players.

He named this plan: Infiltration Tactic.

But the current situation was different.

Under the Proxy Battle Cultivation Mode, he did not need to worry about resource consumption issues, so he could test whether the plan was feasible right here.

"Evil Eye, assist me in generating a player template."

Hearing these words, the Evil Eye hovering behind him blinked involuntarily:

"The collected data is not very complete; are you sure you want to attempt this here?"

"Let's try first; if there are problems, we can improve them step by step."

"Understood."

As his voice fell, countless swaying illusory tentacles extended from behind the Evil Eye, dragging the Earth Chant Evil Spirit's consciousness into the Temple of Destruction.

This was the selection ground for Black Black Tide soldiers; within the 28 halls were stored templates for all evil spirit soldiers.

Dragged by the Evil Eye's consciousness, they arrived at the first underground layer.

This was the troop creation ground, where one could attempt to create entirely new troop types.

However, the first underground layer was not open to ordinary Evil Eyes, as the research and development of the troop system was handled by a specialized Black Black Tide team, rendering it unnecessary for ordinary Evil Eyes to attempt creating new troops.

Dense black energy converged under the Evil Eye's control.

It continuously input records regarding the Player Clan collected from the information database.

The first step was body shaping.

Presented before the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit were four selectable templates.

They were respectively the appearance of Human Players, the appearance of Gill-Fish Clan Players, the appearance of Abyss-Fish Clan Players, and the appearance of Sky-Feather Clan Players.

As for how to decide, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit decisively chose the Human Player.

This was also the largest main body within the Player Clan, and the Player Clan type he had contacted most frequently and understood best.

Upon completing the selection, Black Black Tide energy rapidly gathered.

Height, weight, facial features, eyebrows... a Player template integrating the details of 500 players was generated.

The first step was the simplest; the second step, the generation of life structure, made the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit feel an instant headache.

Despite contacting them for so long, he had never understood the detailed physical construction of the Player Clan.

The Player Clan was very similar to the Black Black Tide evil spirits he controlled; after death, both would dissipate into black mist, making it impossible to obtain the internal life characteristics of the Player Clan.

All he could do was simulate based on the collected data.

Taking the physical structures universally existing in intelligent lifeforms as a reference, he generated cells as the basic units of human structure and began weaving the player's internal construction.

Since this was an infiltration tactic, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit had only one thought.

Strive for perfection and let no detail slip by.

Digestive system, respiratory system, circulatory system, nervous system... various organs were generated within the player template's body, though their arrangement was completely haphazard.

After completing the life shaping, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit attempted activation, only to discover the template player could not be activated at all.

Realizing there was an uncirculatable problem in the life structure, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit decisively returned authority to the Evil Eye, which then began repeated testing on life activation.

Continuously modifying the combination methods of bodily organs and life tissue structures within the template body, after 73 tests, the life circulatory system entered a normal operating state.

Next was the third step, also the step the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit considered the most difficult.

The generation of racial talents.

Although the Player Clan had four troop systems, their innate abilities were unrelated to the troop types.

His feeling was that the Player Clan's troop system was chaotic and disorganized, offering nothing whatsoever that could serve as a reference.

More importantly, he could affirm with certainty that players possessed Rule-type abilities.

To generate a perfect member of the Player Clan, one would have to implant Rule power, something he simply could not do.

Therefore, this step could only be replicated through imitation, creating an ability similar to the original, then overlaying this ability with a layer of special effect rendering to achieve a realistic effect.

The Earth-Nian Evil Spirit selected four abilities commonly used by members of the Player Clan.

First was Ink Flame, a pitch-black fireball simulated with Black Black Tide energy, generated after being plated with a layer of dark green flame special effects.

Initial testing showed that while the effect did not meet standards, the visual performance was extremely realistic.

After multiple detailed modifications, the Ink Flame ability template was generated and imprinted onto the player template in the form of spiritual vein pathways.

The second ability was Qi Eating.

This ability was arguably the one used most frequently by Player Clan members; its manifested effect was a white current of air surging into the mouth during breathing. Based on the Evil Eye's perception detection, it could basically be determined that this was a method of gathering spirit.

It involved absorbing external energy through breathing to integrate it into the body, additionally carrying energy conversion and adaptation.

There were two choices for crafting this ability.

One was to generate spiritual veins within the player to construct a Spirit-Gathering Array, then simulate a white mist special effect; this would achieve the performance of absorbing energy while simultaneously generating the gathering of white mist.

However, it could not achieve the Player Clan's capability of instantly converting absorbed energy into usable energy, unless an energy conversion program was set up inside the body as well. The steps were too cumbersome, and implanting too much content might also cause operational errors in the template life.

Therefore, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit chose to directly use special effects to show the white mist gathering into the mouth, stripping away the specific ability effects.

The third ability was Light Shield.

Just as the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit prepared to craft the fourth ability, "Petrification," the Evil Eye spoke:

"Earth-Nian, the fourth ability is wrong."

"Where is it wrong? Isn't this a commonly used ability of the Player Clan?" the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit asked in confusion.

"This ability does not match the previous three. According to combat record information, Player Clan members who possess the green fireball ability generally do not use the black-plating ability that increases defense."

Realizing a mistake in the details, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit decisively followed the Evil Eye's suggestion and replaced the fourth ability with Flowing Shadow Clone.

After testing the ability release and visual performance effects, and confirming there were no issues with the template abilities, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit returned authority to the Evil Eye and began more refined behavioral performance testing.

This test was equally complex.

Unlike Black Black Tide evil spirit troops, the Player Clan were intelligent lifeforms possessing emotions.

Therefore, every action required corresponding facial expression performance.

Based on information in the database, the Evil Eye began implanting relevant detailed performance content.

First were basic expressions.

For smiling, by adjusting the degree of upturn at the corners of the player template's mouth and the curvature of the eyes, various expressions ranging from a reserved smile to hearty laughter were generated.

Next was the frowning state under displeasure; by adjusting the shape and height of the eyebrows and the angle of the eyes, expressions of confusion and worry were generated.

Then came surprise, curiosity, and other expressions.

After completing the production of expression details, next came eye details.

On the framework of basic expressions, implanting the shape of the eyes and the dilation of pupils generated gazes that were sharp, gentle, bewildered, or firm.

Finally came facial muscles and textures.

Wrinkles, dimples, skin texture, and the tilt and rotation angles of the head.

Regarding attachable features, the Evil Eye generated scars and tattoos but did not utilize them on the player template, instead storing them in the player template library for subsequent use.

Lastly was the selection of hairstyle and hair color.

The Player Clan members initially contacted all had black hair, but later the hair color suddenly became multicolored, along with various peculiar hairstyles.

However, filtering through big data, the Evil Eye still chose black hair color, which was the most common among players.

Through constant attempts, the player template's expressions became increasingly vivid.

Happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, and other emotions were no different from normal players.

"Earth-Nian, do you think there is anything else that needs improvement?"

"No problems; I cannot see any flaws." Having spoken, the Evil Eye asked:

"Earth-Nian, are you certain about generating it?"

"Generate."

Hearing the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit's affirmative answer, the player template rapidly condensed within the creation space of the negative first layer.

Seeing this scene, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit opened his eyes.

Before him, the Black Black Tide converged, continuously injecting energy and constructing details.

During this process, the consumption of Black Black Tide energy was terrifying.

The first player template required generating content that had not been recorded, needing Black Black Tide energy to constantly polish the details, but once the framework of the first template was fully generated, subsequent creations would not be so troublesome.

As time passed, the appearance of the template player gradually perfected, finally taking shape before the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit.

The template player stood 1.76 meters tall, approximately 20 years old, with a delicate Iron Face and distinct facial features.

"Evil Eye, assist me in injecting consciousness."

Accompanying the activation of the Evil Eye's power, the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit's consciousness was transmitted into the template player's body, completing a mental-level docking with it.

When the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit opened his eyes, his perspective switched to that of the template player.

Looking up, he could see his own tall and burly projection standing suspended in mid-air.

"Begin control testing. Smile." The Evil Eye's voice rang out in the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit's mind.

The Earth-Nian Evil Spirit immediately bared his teeth in a simple, foolish smile.

"Wrong. The smile cannot be lifeless; coordinate the eyes with the smile..."

Under the Evil Eye's constant correction, the template player's expression changes improved at a divine speed.

This was precisely the most terrifying aspect of intelligent evil spirits.

Although they did not possess the Evil Eye's powerful data processing capabilities, every evil spirit warrior was a super genius in learning.

Several hours later, the test succeeded.

This also gave the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit the idea of putting the template player into practical use.

Colorful Mist Coast, three kilometers north of the Evil Moon Domain.

A large number of players had gathered here.

Recently, the Evil Moon Domain deep within the dense forest had become the players' primary hunting ground, and this open space outside the domain had become a location for players to gather spontaneously.

Newly arrived players sought to form teams here, while player teams exiting the Evil Moon scenario recovered their status here.

Multiple bonfires rose within the camp, and players of the Spirit Chef faction were selling freshly made spiritual food here, creating quite a lively scene.

In a corner unnoticed by anyone, a figure walked into the player camp.

Observing the surroundings, he discovered that no players had noticed his difference, and a standard smile instantly floated onto his Iron Face.

Walking around to observe, the template player under the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit's control recorded everything he saw.

Especially the content of nearby players' conversations, which would help him gather relevant intelligence on the Player Clan.

Pricking up his ears to listen, the content of nearby players' conversations made him feel extremely puzzled.

"Hunting yields have increased significantly recently, but the output intensity of the evil influences has also risen markedly; one careless move and you get locked in the little black room. The team must urgently equip a tank."

"Indeed, Stone Statue builds are still too rare; after all, standing at the front truly hurts."

"Yesterday I shouted on the forum for ages, saying I'd cover all potion consumption costs for daily hunting, yet I couldn't pull in a single Stone Statue player. Instead, some idiot contacted me demanding an extra 10% of the team's earnings as subsidy. I flatly refused. Damn shameless scoundrel! If I weren't afraid of pain, I would have switched to a Stone Statue build myself."

"Wait until the Summoning build rises; we'll learn from Di Nian the Bully to summon troops for battle while I cast buff skills. I believe this is the future mainstream."

Hearing his own name, Di Nian was momentarily stunned.

He was surprised to discover that the players actually knew his name, proving that those active in the Emperor Tomb Mountain Range region had long since relayed his information back to the rear of the Player Clan.

But what he could not comprehend was how the players managed to learn his name.

Although he had made contact with the Player Clan multiple times, even engaging in Iron Face-to-Iron Face exchanges with them,

he had never disclosed his name to the Player Clan.

Thinking of this, the Di Nian Evil Spirit furrowed his brow, realizing the Player Clan was far more complex than he had imagined.

Just then, shouts came from the distance.

Di Nian the Evil Spirit looked up to see a man clad in heavy armor shouting to the crowd:

"Team needs three physical DPS. Requirements: high shooting accuracy or embedded with a Marking Soul; single Soul rank must be 35 or above."

This was yet another jargon he completely failed to understand; he could only roughly discern that the other party seemed to be recruiting warriors.

At this moment, another large batch of players returned from the Evil Moon Domain to the camp, sat down on the spot, and began gulping potions produced from who-knows-where.

The man leading the team said nothing. Suddenly, a group of players by the bonfire ahead stood up, approached the newly arrived team, stopped, nodded at each other as if communicating with their eyes, and then merged into that team.

Di Nian: ???

Initially, he thought this was some form of consciousness-level communication, but upon careful perception, he detected no mental fluctuations whatsoever.

This made him feel even more puzzled about the Player Clan.

The Player Clan seemed to possess two modes of communication.

One was a special connection resembling consciousness exchange, and the other was verbal communication; players switched between these two methods.

However, he had no way of knowing how the consciousness exchange method was performed.

To clarify this point, he decided to attempt acquiring data on the frequency, range, and limitations of the Player Clan's consciousness communication. Only then could he better infiltrate the player masses, or even follow the players to their clan lands.

After hesitating repeatedly, he turned his head to look at a player beside him who was eating grilled fish.

But opening and closing his mouth, he still did not dare to ask directly.

Doing so seemed far too risky in his view. Although the template had already been crafted and generating more player templates was not difficult,

being exposed without obtaining any crucial intelligence would be irrational and would only make the Player Clan more vigilant.

Just as he hesitated over how to speak,

a player passed before him. Their eyes met; Di Nian the Evil Spirit nodded casually, and the passing player nodded in return before walking past him.

But having walked only a few steps, the passing player seemed to sense something amiss and turned his head to look at Di Nian the Evil Spirit.

His gaze focused on Di Nian the Evil Spirit's Iron Face, then slowly drifted upward to the top of his head.

Hmm?

Observing carefully, the passing player detected the irregularity.

Every player had a name suspended above their heads; although names could be hidden, the Di Zhao Flame Mark in front of the name could not be shielded.

In the players' understanding, this setting existed to better distinguish friend from foe.

After all, the game lacked a teammate damage exemption mechanism; if players blocked all display information, it would be very easy to accidentally injure teammates.

Filled with doubt, the passing player activated his Analysis ability.

[Black Black Tide·Player]:

Hunting Rank: 29

Target Introduction: A player template generated and created by the Di Nian Evil Spirit, a key link in the infiltration plan.

Seeing the analysis information, the passing player was instantly dumbfounded.

He immediately took a screenshot of the analysis info and posted it in the regional voice channel:

"Oh my god, Di Nian the Bully is launching a new tactic again! Brothers, hurry and check out this screenshot (Analysis_Screenshot.jpg)."

Hearing the call in the voice channel, players checked the analysis screenshot, scanned their surroundings with their gazes, and finally focused on Di Nian the Evil Spirit sitting in the corner.

This startled Di Nian the Evil Spirit; he immediately turned his gaze behind him.

He found nothing behind him.

Di Nian: ???

He had done nothing, hadn't even spoken a word.

Logically, exposure should have been impossible, so how had he suddenly become the focal point?

Sensing imminent danger, Di Nian the Evil Spirit bared his teeth in a standard smile:

"Brothers, why are you all looking at me?"

The players said nothing.

Some players raised their hands to condense Ink Flame Fireballs, others condensed weapons, and still others drew bows to aim... The actions of the nearby players made Di Nian the Evil Spirit's scalp tingle.

The problem was, he had no idea where he had been exposed.

To prove himself, he also raised his hand to condense an Ink Flame Fireball, attempting to verify his identity through the replicated special effects.

This scene stunned the nearby players as well.

"Holy crap, an Ink Flame Fireball! Is Di Nian the Bully testing us? How did he manage that?"

"I'm dumbfounded. Di Nian the Bully is truly awesome; he's even evolved an infiltration tactic. If he keeps evolving like this, he might turn the world upside down."

"Luckily we have the Analysis ability; without it, he really would have slipped in. Di Nian the Bully means no good; he's gathering our player information again to stir up trouble. Let's wipe him out quickly."

At this moment, Di Nian the Evil Spirit clearly had not realized the issue.

The analysis information explained everything; it was not something that could be justified merely by condensing an Ink Flame Fireball.

"Wait."

Sensing something wrong, Di Nian the Evil Spirit wanted to try arguing, but his vision was already surrounded by dense arrays of various skills.

Boom!

The consciousness connection severed.

Soon, Di Nian the Evil Spirit's infiltration plan was exposed on the player forum.

[Brothers, take note: Di Nian the Evil Spirit is up to new tricks again; everyone be vigilant in distinguishing them.]

Poster: Hong Shu Chao Fan Qie

Content: Di Nian the Bully's tactics have upgraded again; this time he's launched an infiltration tactic. Video evidence attached (Video_Attachment).

Here is a method for identification: we players have name information displayed floating above our heads; even if the name display is blocked, the scarlet flame mark remains visible. However, the template players created by Di Nian the Evil Spirit lack this display feature.

Kill them on sight. Di Nian the Bully employing infiltration tactics definitely means he wants to understand us players in greater detail, then devise even more disgusting strategies.

Comment Section:

New Era Stone Ape: Where are the officials! Where are the officials? The AI of Di Nian the Bully must be nerfed! I just want to ask what exactly it intends to do; it's even using infiltration tactics now. If it keeps evolving like this, I dare not imagine what else it might pull off. I strongly demand a nerf. Monsters strengthening alongside the version updates is simply excessive; I do not agree with this setting.

ex Death God: Now it's confirmed: Di Nian the Bully is indeed power-leveling inside the Evil Moon Domain. But what puzzles me is that the Black Black Tide's combat style differs vastly from Di Nian the Bully's. Why not generate Catastrophe-type troops to employ the Half-Damage Backlash tactic? Why resort to a bulldozing tactic? What is Di Nian the Bully trying to do? Research new tactics?

No Honor, Sneak Attack: Although we can spot them at a glance, I have a bold idea: could we take Di Nian the Evil Spirit into the domain fields for hunting, pretend not to know, and let him work and contribute? What does everyone think of this proposal? Getting a free DPS teammate would be so satisfying, hahaha.

Are You Splitting My Melon?: What the floor above said makes sense. I'm also curious about one thing: can we take Di Nian the Bully to fight evil influences? I want to see how he performs against them. Then we'd share one less portion of Evolution Points and Sacrificial Power. Wouldn't that be great?

In response to Di Nian the Evil Spirit's infiltration plan, the forum players launched heated discussions.

Meanwhile, on the platform of the Evil Eye Tower, Di Nian the Evil Spirit wore a puzzled expression.

"Evil Eye, where exactly did I go wrong?"

"Unable to determine. You may continue attempting to locate the point of exposure."

"Fine." Unwilling to accept defeat, Di Nian the Evil Spirit nodded immediately. In the turn of a thought, a new player troop materialized before him.

However, he had modified the player's appearance.

Height adjusted, eye spacing adjusted, eyebrow style adjusted... Once adjustments were complete, the player's appearance was entirely different from the original.

Seeing this scene, the blue-skinned Evil Eye hovering nearby appeared quite curious, yet also believed that Di Nian the Evil Spirit's infiltration tactic was indeed a good method for deeply understanding the Player Clan.

Although it consumed massive resources, all these sacrifices were made to defeat the Player Clan.

After the new player troop was crafted, Di Nian the Evil Spirit, with the Evil Eye's assistance, connected his consciousness with it.

A new round of the infiltration plan commenced.

But this time, he was identified the moment he entered the camp and killed by focused fire.

Unable to comprehend, Di Nian the Evil Spirit initiated a third attempt, then a fourth... Until after the tenth death, Di Nian the Evil Spirit was completely bewildered.

The player templates he crafted showed no flaws to the naked eye, so where exactly lay the problem?

Just as Di Nian the Evil Spirit felt puzzled about this, the Evil Eye connected behind him spoke:

"Di Nian, I know where the problem lies."

"What problem?"

The Evil Eye did not answer directly but transmitted a spliced video record into Di Nian the Evil Spirit's mind.

The footage showed the changes in the Player Clan members' expressions each time before being discovered.

"Di Nian, have you noticed? Each time they see you, the players show no abnormal expression, but when their gaze drifts to your upper right corner, there is a pause, followed by a change in expression."

As he spoke, the image within the projection was captured; it was visible that before each discovery, the players' gazes would flick toward the upper right above his head.

"Why is this?"

The Earth Chant Evil Spirit felt utterly baffled by this.

"There must be something at that location visible only to players."

Speaking thus, the Earth Chant Evil Spirit magnified the area where the players' gazes had swept, outlining the specific position with a black frame.

Hearing the Evil Eye's analysis, the Earth Chant Evil Spirit instantly felt a headache coming on.

If the marker was visible only to players, he fundamentally had no way to create it.

Just as the Earth Chant Evil Spirit prepared to give up, the Evil Eye spoke:

"Earth Chant, perhaps I can attempt to craft this mark visible only to players."

"How can you make something you can't see?" Upon hearing this, the Earth Chant Evil Spirit was instantly stunned.

"We can filter through the patterns used by players; these are the thirty most frequently appearing marks on player equipment."

With those words, thirty mark patterns from armed vehicles floated into the Earth Chant Evil Spirit's mind.

Among them was the Imperial Omen Fire Mark, representing the player faction.

"How do we resolve the issue of the mark's size?" the Earth Chant Evil Spirit asked the crucial question.

"We can distinguish it from changes in the players' pupils; the player information recorded in the database includes data on their pupil variations."

"Taking the last discovery as an example, the player was 13.62 meters from you. Members of the Player Clan adjust their pupils based on the distance and size of the object being viewed; for distant, larger objects, the pupils remain relatively relaxed, but when the target is far away, the pupils constrict."

"Secondly, we must also consider that under strong light conditions, the players' pupils will also undergo a certain degree of change; our simulation uses normal environmental conditions as a reference."

Accompanying the Evil Eye's explanation, images of players' pupils dilating and constricting, along with their surrounding scenes, continuously surfaced in the Earth Chant Evil Spirit's mind.

"Based on information gathered from our numerous encounters with the Player Clan, we can observe that if a player's pupils are relatively dilated, they may be looking at a relatively large object or one close to their eyes, occupying a larger area of reflection on the retina; if their gaze is more focused, they are examining the details of a target. Combining pupil changes with recorded database content can provide a relatively clear analysis."

"To make the analysis more accurate, we can also utilize changes in the eye movement vision of the Player Clan members to distinguish."

"Taking the distance of 13.62 meters as an example, I extracted all captured images from player combat information records where they viewed targets at approximately 13.62 meters. For instance, when the evil influences we control approach a player, we freeze the frame at 13.62 meters, then capture all changes as the player's pupils follow the moving evil influence; these changes can all serve as reference data..."

Through the Evil Eye's detailed analysis, the Earth Chant Evil Spirit understood its train of thought.

It wanted to use all recorded player information to simulate how a player's pupils observe a gaze, varying according to the target's size and distance.

Then, using this as a reference, it would analyze the pupil changes of Player Clan members when viewing the icon in the upper right corner of other players.

As the data provided by the Evil Eye grew increasingly abundant, the Earth Chant Evil Spirit became completely bewildered.

The blue-skinned Evil Eye hovering nearby listened with extreme attentiveness; clearly, the Evil Eye's powerful data processing capabilities made it envious.

This scene was also monitored by Qi Sheng.

After hearing the Evil Eye's idea, Qi Sheng applauded silently in his heart.

The Evil Eye's abilities truly exceeded his expectations; he had originally thought that after ten consecutive failures, the Earth Chant Evil Spirit's plan would definitely be abandoned.

He never expected the Evil Eye to stubbornly find a path forward.

But Qi Sheng still thought of one problem:

"Guide, players' visual capabilities improve with their level; using all players as a reference might not work, right?"

Facing the inquiry, the Guide hovering beside him shook its head:

[Boss, this method is indeed feasible. The player templates we create are all initialized; aside from slight differences between clans, all settings for players of the same race are identical, including visual capabilities. Even a blind person in reality has the same initial vision as other players in the game. Although leveling up can enhance visual ability, within the range of 13.62 meters, all players can see the target clearly, so there are no issues with pupil variation.]

[The visual enhancement brought by leveling up only manifests when viewing distant targets due to differences in clarity.]

[In summary, at the distance of 13.62 meters, all players' pupils are the same; obvious differences only appear when switching into a monster form.]

After hearing the Guide's explanation, Qi Sheng nodded.

He was very curious about the modifications the Evil Eye would make next.

During this period, the Earth Chant Evil Spirit changed troop types to test new tactics, causing the players to make a fortune alongside him.

His sacrificial power earnings also skyrocketed accordingly.

Subsequently, to accelerate the speed of stealing resources, the Earth Chant Evil Spirit replaced all troop types with output-oriented units that were easily killed, causing his earnings to skyrocket once again.

He was very curious what other tricks the Earth Chant Evil Spirit could conjure up.

Pulling tricks was fine; as long as there were profits, he welcomed it wholeheartedly.

After a day of testing.

The Earth Chant Evil Spirit replaced the mark for the twenty-third time, placing it in the upper right position.

This time, the mark's shape was a cluster of burning scarlet flames.

Upon arriving at the player camp again, nearby players merely glanced at him before losing interest.

This made the Earth Chant Evil Spirit realize that his infiltration tactic had initially succeeded.

(End of Chapter)