Chapter 473: Having a Spar?

"Why are there so many insects?!"

Beholding his base already submerged in a sea of swarming beasts, Gu Tingyun wore an expression upon his face that was... truly beyond description.

Most mortifying of all was the great throng of onlookers gathered close behind him: to think that less than twenty minutes after assuming the mantle of commander, the mighty Protoss had been utterly annihilated by their foe?!

Without even setting foot beyond his own gates, he had been buried alive by an ocean of insects that surged like mountains and seas?!

How was it that his own forces had only just produced a few Zealots and Dragoons, while the opposite side had already reached such a terrifying pass?!

The image of his base exploding at that final moment still lingered vividly before his eyes.

"..." His weathered face darkened to an asymmetric gloom.

"This Zerg faction appears rather formidable as well..." several stalwart men of the Demon Clan murmured behind him, scratching their furry heads in contemplation.

"Hmph, this Zerg race is both hideous and loathsome!" Mu Qing let out a cold snort. "Who would ever choose them."

...

"Junior Sister Mu speaks the truth," Xun Yuan chimed in. "Just now, Senior Gu was merely careless. How can these mere insects ever hope to compare to the Protoss?"

Taking a brief assessment, Gu Tingyun reduced the number of opponents this time, selecting three Zerg enemies, and once more set to work, huffing and puffing as he constructed his barracks.

A dozen or so minutes later.

There appeared naught but a host of the Zerg swarm, blanketing the mountains and wild fields.

"...How have so many come again?!"

Everyone’s face turned nearly green with dismay.

Gu Tingyun began to lower the number of enemies to a solitary one!

"This time, this old man refuses to believe..."

Three minutes later...

Wave after wave of Zerglings rushed into the Protoss base.

At this moment, several bald Zealots within Gu Tingyun's stronghold stared blankly at the relentless hordes of Zerglings before them: "..."

Everyone: "..."

How the devil was one supposed to fight this?!

"Is this Zerg faction truly so powerful?!"

In a scramble, they quickly switched to the Zerg and initiated another round.

Many among the crowd also returned to their own seats, changing their race to the Zerg.

And then...

Six Zerglings were stabbed to death by three Zealots, a whole squad of Zerglings was slaughtered by six Zealots...

No matter how many they sent, it was but a delivery of souls.

After perishing countless times, a sudden realization dawned upon them: perhaps it was not that a certain race was inherently strong.

It was entirely possible that they could not defeat even a single computer opponent...

After being ruthlessly tormented by the machine for a spell, someone finally raised a protest to the shop owner; Xun Yuan pointed at his monitor and cried out, "Boss! How can this computer-controlled player be so fiercely capable?!"

"...Is it really that formidable?" Owner Fang was utterly mystified. Though this computer lacked difficulty settings, at most it was merely a touch more intelligent than the machines of his past life, possessing a bit more sense in certain situations.

For instance, in the original version, if one simply dispatched two workers to lure the computer's workers, the latter would foolishly pursue them in their entirety; under such conditions, winning a one-against-seven match was a trifling matter.

Yet the system’s version of the computer was not only more intelligent, rendering these near-cheating exploits unusable, but it could also employ the newly added operational methods; in terms of actual strategic difficulty, it had not been enhanced by much at all.

"To call it easy when it is so difficult!" Mu Qing echoed from the side, munching on a stick of spicy gluten.

She then cast a glance at Owner Fang’s screen, which still displayed the single-player campaign: "Why don't you try it yourself?"

Owner Fang cast her a look of utter disdain: "What is there to try in this?"

He continued with his campaign.

"Oh? Could it be that the Boss does not know how to play this?" Jiang Xiaoyue leaned in with curiosity; one had to remember that in the past, he would have shown them what was what right from the start.

Now, it did not resemble the Boss's usual style in the slightest.

"How could that be? This Boss merely wishes to avoid associating with a crowd that cannot even defeat these computers." Owner Fang gazed intently at his screen. He discovered that if one chose a single character to participate in the campaign, the game mode felt somewhat like playing Resident Evil; however, it would occasionally permit players to drive Vultures or utilize other combat vehicles. Even the emergency maneuvers of the commander mode allowed a first-person perspective to temporarily replace the pilot in controlling Wraiths or Battlecruisers. On the whole, it was far more engaging than the original campaign mode.

And most importantly, he would soon be meeting Sister Kerrigan—the Queen of Blades herself!

Although the Queen of Blades was still a mere human at this juncture, Owner Fang remained exceedingly pleased.

"What do you mean by avoiding association?!" The crowd who had just complained to Owner Fang about the game's difficulty grew quite displeased.

"Indeed, watch your tongue!"

"He surely cannot defeat it himself! He dares not play!"

Owner Fang: "..."

At that very moment, a burst of aged laughter erupted from beside them: "This old man has finally triumphed!"

"Ah?!"

"Look quickly, Senior Gu has actually defeated the computer!"

"To win so quickly?!" Wang Xie looked over in astonishment, and indeed, a symbol of victory had manifested upon the monitor.

"Naturally!" Gu Tingyun spoke with absolute certainty. "This game is quite excellent; every single unit of resource must be managed with meticulous precision, and one must possess a flawless understanding of their own wealth and military strength. Most vital of all, one must be capable of multitasking."

Gu Tingyun shared his hard-earned insights: "Just now, on one hand, this old man commanded the ground forces to defend the canyon entrance by utilizing those defensive restrictions; on the other hand, I dispatched a small contingent of troops using a transport vessel to harass the enemy. Under my personal direction, they penetrated the blind spot where the enemy lacked anti-air capabilities, constantly wheeling about, while I rapidly developed my own domain. A three-pronged assault! And thus, with minimal effort, a base was secured!"

"Splendid!" Zong Wu praised highly. "To think that Senior could devise such a brilliant strategy!"

"Senior Gu used to teach the arrangement of formations at the Haotian Academy after all! He is remarkably adept at this path!"

"It is said that Senior Gu's mastery of chess is among the highest in this generation; a matter of strategy and calculation such as this is simply child's play to him!"

"Though that Boss is powerful, when it comes to this field, the older ginger is indeed more pungent!"

"Otherwise, why would there be a saying regarding old and deep calculations?"

Several individuals nodded in succession as they conversed.

At this time, the players in the other shops were still mostly engaged in the single-player campaign.

In the Yuanwang City shop, although many could not defeat the computer at this moment, they could still watch others play!

Meanwhile, Owner Fang calmly remained within his single-player campaign.

"This rubbish Boss certainly does not know how!" Having mingled in the Penguin chat groups for a long time, they too had adopted the moniker of "rubbish Boss."

"Otherwise, how could he constantly play the single-player campaign?" After all, the campaign allowed individual prowess to compensate for strategic shortcomings.

"Look at Senior Gu; he has just annihilated the Protoss using the Zerg once again."

"Truly seasoned and sharp!"

"Boss!" In truth, Mu Qing was deeply unsatisfied with Owner Fang’s position as the leader of the Heaven-Defying Online Game Guild. Even the young princess of the Jiang family, Xiaoyue, had to call him chief; one must realize that she and her sisters were dear friends with Xiaoyue, so did this not mean everyone had been made a generation lower for no good reason?

At this moment, she spoke with a triumphant air: "Did you not say you merely wished to avoid those who cannot defeat the computer? Now that Senior Gu has defeated several machines, shouldn't the Boss show us a trick or two?"

"Xiao Qing!" Yue Bai tugged at the corner of her sleeve, a headache mounting; this girl was stirring up trouble once more.

"Now, surely the boss can come and try a hand at it?" The others chimed in from the sidelines, their skepticism palpable; it was clear none of them believed a youth like Boss Fang could ever outmatch these old monsters when it came to command and strategic maneuvering.

After all, this was no ordinary game where a bit of petty cleverness could secure victory; what mattered most was the profound chess match of tactics and psychology.

"..." At a loss, Boss Fang could only turn his gaze toward Gu Tingyun.

By now, battling against the computer could no longer satisfy Gu Tingyun, who merely stroked his beard and murmured, "How about... we try a match against one another?"