章 81: Chapter 80: Formations and Squads
Dark clouds loomed over the town, ready to descend at any moment.
The demons, transformed into the form of Eastern Yi bandits, assembled into formations, surrounding the small county town from several directions.
As the demon army drew closer, the players could see their composition more clearly.
There were Eastern Yi generals, ronin, shadow guards, elite bandits wielding Eastern-style swords, regular bandits with crude spears, and even Eastern Yi bandits disguised as commoners, holding pitchforks and firewood knives.
The players had encountered many of these enemies in the trial realms before, but there was something different about them this time.
All the bandits were shrouded in black mist, their eyes glowed with a dark light, signaling they were possessed by demons!
Although a single bandit's combat power couldn't compare to the demon-possessed Eastern Yi general from earlier, they were still a serious threat.
Possessed by demons, these bandits had increased strength and speed, an intense battle will, and felt no pain or fear.
Chu Ge frowned slightly, "This Restorers' Expedition gameplay is more difficult than I imagined!"
The official announcement had already hinted at the mechanics of the "Restorers' Expedition," and players knew it would be a large-scale raid, something akin to a national war in other games.
Most players had been more focused on the 100% pain ultimate trial, competing hard on the leaderboards, and few had paid much attention to the Expedition.
Most players assumed that large-scale raid mechanics would make the game easier. After all, regular trials were solo challenges with no room for error, while group events allowed players to rely on strength in numbers, making it possible to muddle through.
But seeing the scale of the demon army, players realized they'd underestimated the challenge.
What kind of game was this? From start to finish, every mode was high difficulty!
In *Dark Sands*, no game mode allowed you to skate by without full effort. And apparently, the large-scale raid mechanics of the Restorers' Expedition were no different!
Judging from the strength of the demons, if the players fought in disarray, there was no guarantee they could hold the town.
More players arrived in the county town, most still in the mode of curious onlookers.
Some climbed the city walls to watch the approaching demon army; others wandered through the town, trying to see what had changed in each area; some even wanted to see if they could PvP now that they could finally see other players in the game.
It looked like a bunch of monkeys encountering human society for the first time.
This was understandable. Only a small group of players had participated in the offline "Demon Invasion" MR event. For most, this was their first time seeing other players in the game, and everything seemed new and exciting.
But with the demon army advancing, they couldn't afford to be disorganized.
If the demons' strength exceeded players' expectations and the defense crumbled instantly, what then?
Realizing this, Chu Ge climbed to a high point and shouted in a powerful voice enhanced by *Righteous Spirit*, "All players, quiet down and listen to me!"
Other Scholar players helped maintain order, and soon, the players quieted down.
More players were still being summoned, but the player count was now mostly stabilized.
Chu Ge glanced around. The city walls, rooftops, and streets were packed with players, densely clustered. Roughly estimating, there seemed to be over ten thousand people here.
Currently, *Dark Sands* had about twenty thousand beta testers, but not everyone had cleared all four beginner trials or completed the foundational trial instances.
The ten thousand or so players here were likely the elite who had cleared the "Ultimate Trial: No Peace Until the Coffin Closes."
The demon army had about twenty thousand soldiers. Though many were weak bandits with crude spears or commoners wielding pitchforks, the sheer numbers meant the players were outnumbered.
If they didn't coordinate properly, they could still lose this Restorers' Expedition!
The players recognized Chu Ge, who had been exploring the game's mechanics and was one of the first to clear a challenging instance, so they were willing to listen to him.
After a brief moment of thought, Chu Ge began, "Time is tight, so I'll keep it short.
"According to the game lore, we successfully corrected this historical fragment and broke through the demons' barrier. But now, the demons are launching a massive attack to reclaim this fragment.
"Don't let your guard down. From what we've seen, the demons' forces are stronger than ours!
"*Dark Sands* is a tough game across every mode, and we can't get through it half-heartedly. If we let our guard down, we risk losing this defense event!
"If the demons recapture this fragment, all our efforts will be for nothing!
"The enemy is almost upon us, and time is running out. If you trust me, allow me to temporarily take command and organize the defense!"
The players quickly nodded, "Agreed! You be the commander!"
As experienced players, they understood the importance of having a good commander in group battles, and Chu Ge was the best candidate.
After a brief moment of thought, Chu Ge laid out his plan.
"First, please organize yourselves into squads: five people per squad, forty people per team, and twenty-five teams per thousand-man unit.
"We don't have time for detailed arrangements, so just group with those nearby. We should be able to form around ten thousand-man units.
"When forming squads, try to balance the classes, ensuring each squad has at least one Scholar and one Assassin.
"Also, I need one thousand-man unit of pure Rangers and another of pure Assassins.
"Four thousand-man units will defend the four walls of the town, two thousand-man units will stay inside as reserves to provide reinforcements, the Assassin unit will set up ambushes and assassinations within the town, and the Ranger unit can try to attack the enemy flanks and rear from outside. The remaining two thousand-man units will guard key areas, specifically the market near the theater and the county office.
"Once organized, please head to your designated areas. Those on the leaderboard who have confidence in their leadership skills can volunteer to be squad leaders or thousand-man commanders!
"Remember the map of the town's defenses. Don't leave any gaps in the line!
"It's too bad this game doesn't have a team UI or a mini-map…"
Standing next to Chu Ge, Meng Yuan quietly nodded, "Yes, that's logical…"
As soon as Chu Ge finished, a top-down map of the county town appeared in his view!
On the map, hundreds of dots, representing each player, were visible, color-coded by class.
Under Chu Ge's direction, players began gathering in different areas: the four city walls, the market, the theater, the county office—all forming their respective thousand-man units.
The Assassins and Rangers formed specialized units based on their roles, while others joined regular squads.
High-ranked players on the leaderboard were highlighted on the mini-map. There were fifty players on the board, enough to assign ten thousand-man commanders.
As for squad and team leaders, those were chosen based on initiative.
These were high-quality players, so they quickly organized under Chu Ge's command, optimizing their teams.
"We need more Scholars here! If there are any spare Scholars, we need about a dozen more!"
"The eastern wall is short on Warriors! We need at least thirty more!"
"Assassins for the thousand-man unit, follow me! We're scouting good ambush spots!"
"Any squads missing a Scholar?"
"Scholars, don't waste your *Righteous Spirit* yet. Wait until the battle starts for a full buff!"
It had been chaotic at first, but as each unit stabilized, order was restored.
Chu Ge was a bit surprised, "Is this game really activating hidden mechanics?
"Not only did we get a map showing player locations, but we now have automatic team, squad, and thousand-man unit chat channels?"
He found that his small squad, team, and thousand-man unit were all marked with special icons on the map.
Not only that, but he could freely switch between chat channels, letting his team hear him clearly without disturbing others. It was like having an in-game voice chat.
"This game's mechanics are well-designed!
"A purely realistic setup would be too player-unfriendly; organizing these groups alone would be overwhelming for most commanders. But with the game's built-in mechanics, players can quickly adapt.
"This game's design is excellent."
Standing beside him, Meng Yuan muttered quietly, "Yes, mechanics can be added anytime… No wonder it's so rich…"
With the barrier around the historical fragment broken, the Restorers' power could flow freely, enabling large-scale teleportation and empowering the players.
Thanks to this power, the pain sensitivity was reduced to 20% again.
Adding a map, group chat, and team channels was simple.
Meng Yuan knew he needed the players to fend off the demon assault, so he made sure they had everything they needed to fight in the way they were most comfortable with.
Under Chu Ge's guidance, the players moved to their assigned areas. What had been a chaotic town now resembled a well-organized fortress, armed to the teeth.
And finally, like dark clouds bearing down on the city, the demon army arrived at the gates.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット