Inside the cave, Riku returned to the human stronghold with Schwi. This should have been a routine return, but this time, Riku felt a nervous tension.
As soon as he opened the door, Couron Dola hugged him. "You're finally back."
"Get everyone together. It's important," Riku said seriously. "I found a way to change our destiny."
"What?" Couron, putting aside her usual playfulness, called everyone Riku had mentioned. These were brave and resourceful individuals, committed to the survival of humanity as a race.
Riku had decided to pick a select group and pull them into the cyber cafe to learn online.
Through Schwi, Riku learned the truth about the Great War. The gods had started this war to compete for the ultimate divine position, the Throne of One True God.
In the Red Alert plot mode, time moved differently than in the outside world. While pushing through the plot, Riku spent a lot of time thinking about how to end the war and ensure future generations could live without fear.
An Allied intelligence officer introduced him to the 'Art of War,' encompassing global military strategies. The intelligence officer, concerned for Riku's safety, also summarized and released a lot of political content.
During this learning period, Riku realized that there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.
Humans weren't taken seriously because they couldn't even defeat the orcs. To change this, humans needed to launch a counterattack against the gods and claim the Suniaster.
Riku conveyed this revelation to the 179 people present, who had absolute conviction and strong execution. They chose to disappear from human society like ghosts, focusing on their studies. They planned to guide the major races' movement, and ultimately, snatch the Suniaster.
During this time, more and more people joined the cyber cafe. Liu Yuan's smile grew wider as Riku brought more people in daily. Health problems weren't a concern; anyone entering the internet cafe was automatically cleaned.
Despite the automatic cleaning, Liu Yuan still showered daily out of habit. "So refreshing!"
With Riku's group constantly consuming resources, Liu Yuan expanded by adding ten more machines. Riku's side had limited resources but made up for it with numbers and teamwork, scavenging the world together. With Schwi's help, they dismantled and sold airship parts found in a dwarf ruins, enough to support twenty people online simultaneously.
At this stage, Riku and Schwi were responsible for scavenging, while the rest focused on studying and teaching what they learned in the game to others. Red Alert's realism mode offered command abilities, technological, cultural, and agricultural knowledge.
However, choosing the right plot to learn from was crucial. Bad command decisions meant repeating levels, but the knowledge gained was invaluable.
One day, Riku and Schwi encountered a special information about a forbidden magic in the Elven ruins, with the power to blow up the planet.
"Damn! Are they trying to destroy this planet?" Riku's anger flared.
These races, created by the gods, treated native life like playthings.
"Riku..." Schwi began.
"It's okay, I'm just a bit pissed off," he replied.
"Good, don't be angry. Schwi kiss~" Schwi offered a comforting kiss, but Riku prioritized work over affection for now.
"Let's tear down these ruins," he said.
"Leave it to Schwi!"
The two worked for ten hours. Even with the internet cafe's system enhancements, Riku, as a human, was tired after ten hours of high-intensity labor.
They had gathered a large amount of resources, and Riku couldn't help but smile. "The future will get better and better."
Riku stretched, and Schwi approached with a pillow. "Rest for a while. Leave the rest to Schwi."
Riku nodded. "Then I'll rest for a while. Wake me if there's danger."
"I... will." Schwi hesitated for the first time, despite being a machine capable of solving complex problems instantly.
She continued working, scavenging valuable knowledge and debris. Though a few dozen kilometers away, she could return to Riku within seconds if needed.
This Eleven Ruin capital site was vast, and it was unknown why they had left. The system estimated the site was worth about 100,000, enough to keep everyone online for a while.
"To... Riku..."
Using some Spirits to speed up, Schwi attracted some special attention.
"Originally, I was just wandering around and sensed Spirit fluctuations. I didn't expect to find something interesting here. Hello, Scrap."
Above Schwi, a girl with long, flowing hair like a rainbow and a geometrically patterned wheel of light spinning on her head appeared. Her amber eyes were filled with a tangible killing intent.
Flugel!
Schwi hadn't expected to encounter a Flugel here!