Bai Ye said, "No need for experts. Just call anyone over. We'll fill the spot and get the reward. We don't need to wait for him; he can enter the virtual game by himself when he arrives."
Gao Ming asked, "Is that appropriate?"
Bai Ye replied, "What's inappropriate about it? I'm not expecting you guys to do much anyway. Sorry, I accidentally spoke my mind."
Gao Ming: "..."
Why hadn't he realized Bai Ye was so annoying before?
Bai Ye continued, "Anyway, I don't care. It's up to you whether you call someone or not. It's your Evil Spirit team who will suffer the losses, not me!"
As Bai Ye spoke, he put on his helmet and went ahead.
The moment he put on the helmet, Bai Ye's consciousness blurred. His body went limp and he slumped onto the bed.
The surrounding space turned pitch black. Soon, colorful stripes appeared in the darkness, constantly flashing past Bai Ye.
Upon closer inspection, these colorful stripes resembled puzzle pieces. Within the light were various scenes, and as the stripes multiplied, the surrounding scenery began to piece together.
The space around him took shape at this moment.
A vast town, in a medieval European style, stood behind Bai Ye, with a large fountain. Pedestrians walked around.
Bai Ye glanced around, a smile on his lips, exactly as he remembered. It brought back a sense of nostalgia.
The reason Bai Ye could sell this place to the Evil Spirit team and knew everything about it was because he had been here in his previous life.
This virtual game restricted zone adopted a dungeon mode, with seven layers. Bai Ye had already explained the general rules to Gao Ming.
Items produced from the third layer onwards were red. The fourth layer was still predominantly red, but there was a small chance of golden items appearing, though this was limited to golden props.
The fifth and sixth layers would yield genuine golden-quality items, and after defeating the boss, three items could be taken out. The seventh layer, being the highest, offered super-quality items.
Of course, the rewards were incredibly enticing, and the difficulty was equally high.
Bai Ye himself admitted that he could only roam between the third and fourth layers at present, with the fifth layer being an absolute no-go.
The boss of the fifth layer could be directly compared to the dragon-form Kaneki Ken in the Ghoul region. It was not something ordinary people could defeat; it belonged to the high-level areas of the world battlefield in its mid-to-late stages.
Speaking of which, the Ghoul region opening a large restricted zone and producing a large number of golden-quality items was itself an accident.
Furthermore, each background had its unique characteristics.
The first layer was a fantasy world, which could also be understood as a magical setting. The items obtainable here were basically related to this theme.
The second layer was steampunk-themed, a retro mechanical era. Though the items appeared ancient, they could be compared to actual technological products.
For instance, Bai Ye had once obtained an airship there, made of wood, but it was in no way inferior to the flying machines in the technological zone.
The third layer had a Japanese-style background, reminiscent of the style of the land of the rising sun, but more accurately, it was the yokai culture of that land – the Hundred Demons.
The fourth layer was a supernatural region, incorporating both Eastern and Western elements: zombies, ghosts, vampires, Frankenstein's monster, and so on.
The fifth layer was an Eastern Xianxia background, with the entire layer suspended in the air, composed of countless floating mountains.
The sixth layer was an electronic background, constructed as a modern world, but the entire world was rendered in a pixelated electronic style, making it highly distinctive.
The seventh layer...
Bai Ye had never been to the seventh layer.
In his previous life, this place was completely occupied by three major powers.
After all, the boss raids in the virtual game restricted zones were team-based for each layer. Essentially, the virtual game restricted zone was a dungeon designed for multiple players.
The bosses that needed to be conquered on each layer were not meant for a single person. Instead, different teams were required, with a minimum of six people for the second layer and a maximum of twenty for the fifth layer.
This indicated that, under normal circumstances, a single person could not defeat those bosses.
Of course, as long as one was strong enough, there were no problems.
At this point, the others also began to enter, appearing near the fountain in the plaza.
Bai Ye looked at Gao Ming and asked, "The first and second layers don't involve me, right?"
Gao Ming nodded, "We've already cleared the first and second layers. Currently, we're mainly collecting red-quality items on the third layer. The Hidden Dragon Association is also here, and we've had several conflicts. We're also deliberately eliminating their people."
Bai Ye inquired, "How many people have they brought in?"
Gao Ming replied, "More than twelve, but probably not more than twenty. They likely don't have much intelligence and don't know the team limit for each boss raid. During the first and second layers, they were in an exploratory phase, and we gained some advantage."
Bai Ye retorted, "And then they figured things out, and you guys got beaten?"
Gao Ming: "..."
Indeed, this guy's mouth was very annoying.
Bai Ye asked, "So, how many from the Hidden Dragon Association have died?"
Gao Ming looked up at the sky and gave a vague answer.
Bai Ye was speechless. He understood; it was a one-sided beating, and they hadn't managed to take down a single one.
Bai Ye then asked, "Have you built your stronghold then?"
"Yes, we have," Gao Ming replied. "It's on the first layer."
Bai Ye questioned, "Why not on the second or third layer? Wouldn't it be more convenient for collecting items?"
Gao Ming pondered for a moment and said, "The Hidden Dragon Association has built strongholds on both the second and third layers."
Bai Ye was speechless. Although he had expected the Evil Spirit team to be no match for the Hidden Dragon Association and to suffer greatly, he truly hadn't anticipated they would be this pathetic.
Not only were they being beaten unilaterally, but they even dared not freely enter and exit the upper layers. This was an utterly embarrassing situation.
"Alright, alright," Bai Ye said resignedly. "Let's go see the items first, and then head to the third layer."
Gao Ming nodded, "Okay, let's go."
Gao Ming led the way.
He had actually entered this place before, but Gao Ming's primary role then was to scout the situation and assign tasks and deploy troops.
Therefore, Gao Ming had only cleared the first layer, established a stronghold, given his instructions, and then left. This time, it was a re-entry, but the boss of the first layer had already been cleared, so he could move freely on the first layer and also go to the second.
As they walked, Gao Ming explained, "But the four of you need to clear the boss of the first layer. To go to the third layer, you'll need to clear the second layer's boss as well. Others who have completed the clears cannot help."
"I know the rules," Bai Ye said with a smile. "Are you still worried I can't defeat the boss?"
Gao Ming nodded, he indeed wasn't too worried about that.
The first layer produced blue-quality items, and the boss wasn't very strong. Bai Ye could handle it with ease.
The second layer started producing black-quality items, which Gao Ming felt would be somewhat difficult.
But for Bai Ye...
Gao Ming felt it was best not to measure things by his own standards.