18: Chapter 18 Unlocking Rule Perception Authority

Outside the earthen slope at the village entrance, the sound of monsters being farmed never stopped for a moment.

As soon as a Wild Rabbit respawned, it would be surrounded by three or four players.

Wild Wolves growled and wandered near the edge of the forest. A team of solo players took turns pulling the monsters; they would retreat after finishing their kills, and the people behind them would immediately fill the gap.

"Hurry up! We have three days to rush to Level 7!"

"Don't snatch monsters! Follow the team order!"

"The Guardian buff only has three days left, don't waste it!"

The area was a scene of bustling activity.

Xing Jianwan stood by Lin Zhe's side, her cold light staff glowing with a faint blue light.

Elite players from Lingxiao Pavilion had already taken up positions on the perimeter.

Solo players arriving from Fengyu Village and Shiti Village also gradually joined the defensive ranks.

Everyone was preparing for the conflict that would take place in three days.

Lin Zhe, however, was not looking at them.

Before his eyes, a pale gold regional panel was slowly unfolding.

[Monster Respawn Fine-tuning]

[Current Permission Range: 1000 meters centered on the host]

[Adjustable: Monster respawn level, respawn speed, aggro range]

Lin Zhe's gaze fell on the area around the earthen slope.

The current monster farming area had stabilized.

The respawn speed of Wild Rabbits and Wild Wolves was fast enough.

Friendly players would not be actively targeted by monsters.

But this was not enough.

Since the Wild Wolf Gang was bringing a hundred-man group, it was impossible for them to just foolishly charge head-on.

Lin Zhe could not actively attack players.

Then he would let the rules act on his behalf.

With a thought, the pale gold map expanded.

Thirty meters outside the earthen slope, a faint terrain line lit up.

Lin Zhe tried to drag that line.

Buzz—

The ground did not vibrate violently.

Only the turf at the edge of the slope trembled slightly.

Outsiders could not see any change.

But in Lin Zhe's eyes, an invisible trench half a foot deep had appeared there.

Ordinary friendly players would be completely unaffected when stepping on it.

Hostile players, once they stepped in, would trigger a slow effect.

Lin Zhe continued to click on the second spot.

The third spot.

The fourth spot.

Small rule-based trenches silently took shape around the outer edge of the slope one after another.

They didn't hurt anyone.

They didn't count as attacks.

They were merely terrain fine-tuning.

But when the critical moment came, they would be enough to throw half of a charge formation into chaos.

A solo Warrior happened to run past, noticing nothing, his footsteps steady.

Lin Zhe looked in another direction.

Two strange players stood outside the crowd, their information floating above their heads.

[Player: Black Tooth]

[Affiliated Guild: Wild Wolf Gang]

[Level: 6]

[Status: Lurking, Spying]

[Malicious Intent: Medium]

Lin Zhe's eyes flickered slightly.

Before he could speak, the two of them secretly moved a step forward.

In the next second.

The turf beneath their feet sank slightly.

"Eh?"

Black Tooth's body suddenly jerked, his speed instantly slowing down.

The companion beside him also almost fell over.

"What's going on? Lag?"

"I lagged for a moment too."

Their expressions changed. Not daring to go any further, they turned around, blended into the crowd, and ran away.

The patrolling players on the perimeter immediately noticed something was wrong.

"Those two IDs look familiar!"

"They seem to be scouts from the Wild Wolf Gang!"

"Should we chase?"

Xing Jianwan looked at Lin Zhe.

Lin Zhe said indifferently, "No need."

Just a few scouts.

It was fine to let them go back and deliver a message.

The more afraid they were, the more chaotic they would be.

He continued to familiarize himself with his permissions.

Fine-tuning monster respawns.

Adjusting aggro ranges.

Stabilizing the coverage of the friendly player buff.

He also buried invisible slowing trenches in several positions that were easily breached by charges.

These movements were very subtle.

In the eyes of the players, they could only see faint golden light flashing around Lin Zhe.

Xing Jianwan saw it very clearly.

Lin Zhe didn't move.

But the entire monster farming area seemed to be slowly changing according to his will.

She couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Are you adjusting the rules here?"

Lin Zhe glanced at her.

"Yes."

Xing Jianwan's heart jolted.

Rules.

He said it so naturally.

Just like an ordinary player saying they had changed a weapon.

But this was "miracle".

What players could do was kill monsters, level up, and farm equipment.

What NPCs could do was issue quests, sell items, and act according to their programming.

But Lin Zhe was actually adjusting regional rules.

The curiosity in Xing Jianwan's eyes deepened.

She really wanted to ask what his identity actually was.

A GM?

A hidden main storyline NPC?

Or something even more ridiculous?

But with the words at the tip of her tongue, she still didn't ask.

If Lin Zhe didn't want to say,

she wouldn't ask.

She just stood quietly by his side, sorting the potions and materials handed over by several players who were giving gifts.

"Potions go on the left."

"Register the Green equipment."

"If you want to join the guard squad, go to Old Li's side to register your level first."

"Don't crowd."

Her voice was cool and her efficiency was high.

The players were also obedient.

"Goddess Xing, give these three health potions to Big Shot Lin."

"I just came from Fengyu Village, can I receive the Guardian buff?"

"I'm a Level 7 Archer, I can guard the perimeter."

Xing Jianwan handled them one by one.

Lin Zhe continued to look at the rule network beneath his feet.

Suddenly.

A system notification sounded.

[Ding! Host has continuously used regional fine-tuning permissions]

[Ding! Rule proficiency has reached the standard]

[New permission unlocked: Rule Perception]

Buzz—

The world before Lin Zhe's eyes changed instantly.

The originally ordinary earthen slope, grass, players, and wild monsters were all covered with a layer of pale golden lines.

Those lines crisscrossed each other.

Like a spider web.

Also like blood vessels.

Every respawn point, every aggro boundary, and every player's movement trajectory clearly fell into his eyes.

[Rule Perception]

[Current Range: Five hundred meters]

[Effect 1: Perceive the status of all players within the range]

[Effect 2: Perceive changes in players' malice values]

[Effect 3: Read the underlying rule network of the area]

[Effect 4: Can briefly block a single player's skill release; duration is extremely short, cooldown is long]

Lin Zhe's eyes brightened slightly.

This permission came just at the right time.

He swept his gaze around.

Within five hundred meters, the status of all players was instantly revealed.

[Old Li Chopping Wood: Level 5, Status: Excited, Malice Value 0]

[Little Mage Qingqing: Level 4, Status: Fatigued, Malice Value 0]

[Lingxiao Pavilion Iron Shield: Level 8, Status: Alert, Malice Value 0]

[Strange Player Gray Hand: Level 6, Status: Disguised, Malice Value 62]

Lin Zhe's gaze stopped on "Gray Hand."

That person was standing behind a tree, pretending to watch the commotion, but his hand was constantly pressed on the skill shortcut bar.

Lin Zhe had a thought.

A pale golden rule line fell.

Just as Gray Hand wanted to release an investigation skill, his movement suddenly stalled.

"Eh?"

The skill icon went gray for half a second.

His expression changed drastically, and he immediately lowered his head and retreated.

Xing Jianwan noticed Lin Zhe's gaze and asked, "Is there a problem?"

Lin Zhe said indifferently, "The one behind the tree is a scout from the Wild Wolf Gang."

Xing Jianwan's eyes turned cold, and she raised her staff.

Gray Hand was so scared he turned and ran.

Several solo players on the perimeter immediately chased for a few steps.

"Another scout!"

"The Wild Wolf Gang really won't give up!"

"Scram back and tell Wild Wolf that Luofeng Village is waiting for him!"

Lin Zhe did not stop them.

He was more concerned with Rule Perception now.

With this permission, he could detect in advance anyone approaching with malice or anyone trying to secretly use a skill.

He could even briefly interrupt a single player's skill release.

Although the time was short,

at a critical moment, it was enough.

Right then, the Offspring Panel automatically popped up.

[First pregnancy in progress]

[Current Offspring Grade: Peak Rare Grade]

[Epic Grade Barrier: Loosening]

[Estimated breakthrough time: Within two days]

[Prompt: Regional Awe Value and Guardian Support Value continue to rise, breakthrough speed increased]

Lin Zhe looked at the words "Epic Grade Barrier Loosening," and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Almost there.

Just a little bit more.

Once his eldest son broke through, his permissions would increase again.

By then, the Wild Wolf Gang's hundred-man group would only become an even bigger joke.

Xing Jianwan noticed that the faint golden light around Lin Zhe was thicker than before, and she whispered, "You seem to have become stronger again."

Lin Zhe put away the panel, his tone flat.

"I suppose so."

Xing Jianwan looked at him and finally just nodded.

"Then I'll continue handling the registrations."

Lin Zhe gave an "en" in response.

She turned and walked toward the line of people giving gifts.

Outside the slope, players were still farming monsters to level up.

In the distance, several more white lights from teleportation lit up.

Lin Zhe stood where he was, Rule Perception spreading out five hundred meters.

All goodwill, malice, panic, and excitement were clearly visible in his eyes.