"How can there be so many NPCs?"
Zi Qiong stared at the NPCs chatting and laughing on the main street, unable to believe her eyes.
The Western Continent where they currently were was an island nation, and its environment could only be described as harsh. Forget about NPCs — even the player population here was sparse.
If the two continents hadn't been growing increasingly connected over time, drawing various factions and merchant players over, the number of pedestrians on these streets wouldn't have even reached a hundred.
But what was this?
A casual sweep of her gaze revealed well over a thousand people, and the vast majority were adventurer NPCs. Players seemed like a tiny, insignificant minority among them.
"Have you investigated where these NPCs came from?" Yuan Tiexin pondered for a moment, then turned to ask the Tier 3 Ranger behind him.
"We've already investigated, but we have no idea where they came from. All we know is that these NPCs seem to have appeared directly inside the city." The Tier 3 Ranger shook his head, his tone tinged with anxiety. "Because of these NPCs' sudden appearance, the number of available tasks at the Adventurer's Associations across major cities has plummeted. Players are getting fewer and fewer tasks, and moreover…"
"What else?" Yuan Tiexin asked, frowning.
"According to our intel, many players who left the city have clashed with NPCs. Quite a few players were killed. But that's not even the most important part." The Ranger shifted uneasily. "Large numbers of NPCs have also started appearing in many guild towns. Some of them are causing quite a bit of trouble. And based on our observations, these NPC factions have actually begun covertly investigating us…"
"How is that even possible?" Zi Qiong's jaw nearly dropped.
The NPCs who were supposed to do nothing but hand out tasks were now secretly investigating them? No matter how she heard it, the notion sent chills down her spine — as if the dolls she'd been holding had suddenly come alive and were watching her every move from the shadows.
At that moment, it wasn't just the Heavenly Secret Pavilion that was stunned by this sudden NPC explosion. Every major faction and countless players across the Divine Realm were gripped by panic.
"What the hell is going on? How did so many NPCs suddenly appear and start snatching tasks?"
"Snatching tasks is the least of it! I swear those NPCs look at us players like we're some kind of aliens. Some bars have even flat-out refused to let players inside!"
"You guys have it easy — you haven't been to the open fields. There are more NPCs out there than players now! And they're even forming groups to raid Dungeons. Dungeons that we spent ages discovering, by the sudden NPC explosion, felt utterly stunned."
For a time, major factions and the masses of independent players flooded the forums, buzzing about this abrupt change.
It felt as though they had truly been transported to another world. What had once been conflicts fought solely between players now included a whole new front — players versus NPCs — and players were struggling to come out on top.
The NPCs were not only more powerful but also far more numerous. Players held no advantage in headcount. Their sole merit was that they didn't fear death, but dying too many times came with its own set of headaches.
The NPCs understood this as well, so none of them pursued lethal grudges against players. Most simply taught the players a lesson and sent them packing. Only the NPCs aligned with dark forces couldn't care less about making enemies.
Compared to independent players, the major factions were just as exasperated.
"Damn it! Where did all these NPCs come from?"
"They should've stayed in NPC cities, but instead they're causing trouble in our guild towns, ruining our business!"
"Trouble would be one thing — they're raiding our mining operations and pillaging our transport caravans! Unbelievable!"
For the first time, these factions felt how grueling it could be to defend a guild town and carry out major transport missions. Even the superpowers were tasting what it felt like to be bullied for the first time.
But with NPC power at its current peak, there was simply nothing the player factions could do to fight back. Even the great superpowers were forced to shelve numerous expansion plans and focus on defending what they already had. As for the second-tier factions, many began abandoning certain guild towns and territories altogether, consolidating their forces around key regions and critical guild towns.
In an instant, every player faction across the Divine Realm had been forced to shrink dramatically, while simultaneously scrambling to recruit en masse in order to repel the ever-growing tide of NPC incursions.
Silverwing City, Zero Wing's headquarters.
Thanks to the sudden surge in NPC numbers and the cascade of incidents that followed, Zero Wing's senior leadership had gathered in full to discuss how to deal with the NPC crisis.
"Guild Leader, right now every major faction is furiously recruiting to shore up their power. Some have even started spending huge sums to hire Tier 3 NPCs from the Adventurer's Association to guard their guild towns. If we don't act soon, all the strong Tier 3 NPCs will be snapped up by the other factions." Liang Jing looked up from the freshly compiled data, her gaze fixed anxiously on Shi Feng.
The NPC surge had caught every player off guard.
The changes in NPC behavior had already been a headache. Now that NPC numbers clearly exceeded those of the player population, this shift was no longer just a nuisance — it was a full-blown disaster.
All three of Zero Wing's guild towns sat along major transit routes and held enormous development potential. According to reports from the ground, multiple NPC factions had their eyes on Zero Wing's guild towns. The only reason they hadn't made a move yet was that they were still covertly assessing Zero Wing's true strength. Once that investigation was complete, the attacks would almost certainly begin.