Chapter 155: Front Page of the Huaxia Daily

After asking about the development situation in the Northeast, Chen Hao logged out of the game. Once the funding issue was resolved, the primary challenge facing players like Bai Huhu Yaonie and others would be their official status. Although they had gradually gathered a considerable number of mounted bandits through financial means, their unofficial status meant that without the strong recommendation of influential officials, any major achievements would not earn them rewards from the imperial court.

Chen Hao had expressed to Nie Shicheng his ambition to carve out a great career in the Northeast precisely to secure an official position there. When the Russian forces launched a massive invasion, if a junior military officer rallied righteous volunteers to bravely resist the enemy, the Empress Dowager would surely bestow some form of reward, wouldn't she?

Chen Hao cared deeply about the rewards for participating in the Battle of Langfang. After finishing the meeting with Bai Huhu Yaonie and the others in the reception room, he logged off, had a meal with Ban Qianqian, and prepared to return to the nutrient capsule to resume gaming. As she tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, Ban Qianqian pouted and said, "Brother, you spend way too much time in the game. I never get to play with you."

Chen Hao smiled awkwardly and said, "I've just been really busy in the game lately, which is why I rarely log out. Why don't you leave Shanghai and come to Zhili to find me so we can play together?"

Ban Qianqian hesitated for a moment, then finally shook her head and said, "No, my mom told me that a woman shouldn't always rely on a man. Since you'll be focusing mainly on the game in the future, I shouldn't go in and cause trouble for you. I believe I can make something of myself here in Shanghai."

Chen Hao was left speechless, his forehead covered in metaphorical black lines. He gently pulled Ban Qianqian into his arms and smiled. "Don't always let your imagination run wild; you're still young. Overthinking will make you age quickly. What are you mainly doing in Shanghai anyway?"

Ban Qianqian blinked craftily and said, "It's a secret. In any case, I refuse to be just a pretty vase. I'm going to work hard in Shanghai, and hopefully, I'll be able to help you out in the future."

Chen Hao chuckled dryly. "Even a pretty vase is a piece of art when placed properly! There are plenty of beauties out there who would love to be pretty vases. Why are you working yourself so hard, little one? Just be a good girl and come join me in Zhili!"

Ban Qianqian puckered her lips. "I won't be a pretty vase! If you want to play your game, hurry up and go. I'm going to play games too, and I certainly won't lose to you."

Since Ban Qianqian insisted, Chen Hao did not press her further. He opened the nutrient capsule and re-entered the game, where he received a system notification: *"Player Chen Baxian, due to your outstanding performance in the Battle of Langfang, you have made it to the front-page headline of the Huaxia Daily. Your prestige has increased by 3 points."*

Seeing this system notification brought a smile to Chen Hao's face. This was an unexpected pleasant surprise! The course of the Battle of Langfang was bound to be reported by many newspapers, but the angle of the reports rested entirely in the hands of the editorial offices. Given his prominent role in the battle, reports might highlight Nie Shicheng and the Righteous Harmony Society, yet omit his name entirely.

Most newspaper reports would likely phrase it this way: *"On such and such a date, under the command of Zhili Governor Nie Shicheng, the Righteous Harmony Society cooperated with the Qing imperial army to completely annihilate 4,066 troops of the Eight-Nation Alliance, killing 26 officers including British Naval Vice Admiral Seymour, achieving a glorious victory."* As for his humble self, he would surely be sidelined and left unmentioned.

Farming prestige and maintaining good relations with the media in the game was crucial. Therefore, once players established their strongholds, they would typically appoint an NPC or player with high propaganda attributes as the Director of Propaganda to establish their own voice. The best-case scenario was having acquaintances at major newspapers who could help exaggerate a modest achievement into a monumental success once some results were shown, thereby boosting one's prestige.

The *Huaxia Daily* was a highly influential major newspaper. Deputy Editor-in-Chief Wang Ying possessed exceptional professional integrity. She reported on the news of the Battle of Langfang truthfully, only with much greater detail. After interviewing several players and NPCs who had personally participated in the battle, she provided a thorough account of how the alien player Chen Baxian led over 900 alien warriors to cut off the alliance's retreat, kill alliance commander Seymour, and eliminate the alien reserve captain Zorro.

In Wang Ying's report, the alien player Chen Baxian shone brilliantly. His heroism and fearlessness were portrayed vividly, leaving a deep impression on the readers. Because of this report in the *Huaxia Daily*, countless NPCs learned of the alien Chen Baxian. Even the Empress Dowager, upon hearing Little Li read the newspaper aloud, sighed with emotion: *"If all under heaven were as loyal to the country as Chen Baxian, what is there to fear from the foreign powers?"*

Chen Hao was overjoyed to have gained three precious prestige points from the *Huaxia Daily* report, but someone else was currently cursing the publication. In addition to featuring the achievements of Chen Baxian prominently on the front-page headline regarding the Battle of Langfang, the *Huaxia Daily* had also detailed amusing anecdotes about the auxiliary battalion of the Front Guard of the Martial Guards on its other pages.

While this report was primarily intended to highlight Chen Baxian's capabilities, it inevitably dragged in three supporting characters. According to Wang Ying's account, players who joined the Front Guard of the Martial Guards for the mission refused to submit to one another, each striving to become the chiliarch of the auxiliary battalion. After Nie Shicheng appointed Chen Baxian as the chiliarch, troublemakers led by Xuanyuan Jian, Sanshengshi, and Guanning refused to obey and stirred up trouble. Chen Baxian used thunderous methods to make an example of a few to warn the rest, thereby uniting the auxiliary battalion into a cohesive force and ultimately achieving a glorious victory.

*"Player Xuanyuan Jian, because the Huaxia Daily reported that you disrupted unity in the Battle of Langfang, your prestige has been affected, and your prestige attribute has decreased by 1 point."*

Upon receiving the system notification, Xuanyuan Jian's expression turned gloomy. His goal in the game was to become a dominant regional warlord and even unify China within the virtual world, which made him value his prestige attribute immensely. He had already been boiling with anger at being toyed with by Chen Baxian during the Battle of Langfang, and the *Huaxia Daily* report costing him a point of prestige made his fury reach a boiling point.

Xuanyuan Jian picked up his phone, dialed Zhuge Kuntian's number, and said in a deep voice, "Not long ago, a player named Wang Ying took over as the deputy editor-in-chief of the *Huaxia Daily*. I told you to find a way to contact her and see if she could be won over. How is that progressing?"

With a bitter expression, Zhuge Kuntian replied, "Dragon, almost every major faction has tried to contact Wang Ying, but she consistently refuses to accept messages. I even arranged for people to find her at the Huaxia headquarters and offered her an annual salary of ten million, but she still turned it down."

"Oh? She's willing to turn down an annual salary of ten million? She probably isn't short of money in real life either! Have you looked into her background?"

"I have, but she is extremely cautious. She hasn't revealed her phone number or QQ to anyone in the game. Just like Chen Baxian, there are no clues to be found."

Xuanyuan Jian mused for a moment and said, "Neither Chen Baxian nor Wang Ying can be bought with money, and there's a connection between them. Could they be hiding their identities? Zhuge, do you think they could be people from the old Zhang family?"

Zhuge Kuntian shook his head. "If Chen Baxian had a certain background in real life, he probably wouldn't have chosen to sell off the headquarters construction blueprints. Judging by his performance in the game, he doesn't seem like someone from elite circles."

Xuanyuan Jian pondered briefly. "Interesting! The struggle of an ordinary person? I'd like to see how Chen Baxian manages to carve out a world for himself without relying on any external force. While I'd love to see how far he can ultimately go, since he provoked me, he must be prepared for retaliation. Zhuge, have people keep a close eye on him. Whatever quest he takes on, find a way to disrupt it."

Zhuge Kuntian agreed, "Understood. Next, the main forces of the Eight-Nation Alliance are going to invade. Given Chen Baxian's penchant for fishing in troubled waters, he should be looking for quest opportunities. Disrupting his plans shouldn't be too difficult..."

*"Player Sanshengshi, due to your abysmal performance in the 'Battle of Langfang' mission, you were beaten with military staves and became a laughingstock. Your prestige attribute has decreased by 2 points."*

Sanshengshi suffered a harsher punishment than Xuanyuan Jian because he and Guanning had actually been beaten with military staves, and the picture accompanying the *Huaxia Daily* report was precisely an image of him receiving the beating. Losing two points of prestige had a certain impact on him, but he cared far more about Chen Baxian himself. Having suffered losses repeatedly, he was beginning to regret provoking the man.

Although Sanshengshi had some funds at his disposal, compared to Xuanyuan Jian and Guanning, he was practically penniless and could not afford many setbacks. The more difficulties Sanshengshi encountered, the calmer he became. Recalling his previous encounters with Chen Baxian, he realized that no matter what, Chen Baxian always seemed capable of knowing things before they happened, and his understanding of the game was far deeper than that of ordinary people.

If the game *War* weren't entirely controlled by an intelligent computer, Sanshengshi would have suspected that Chen Baxian was intimately acquainted with the game administrators. This time, he had expended tremendous effort along with his subordinates just to secure the mission opportunity, only to walk away empty-handed, become a laughingstock on the forums, and lose prestige points. This forced him to alter his development plans.

Sanshengshi even considered proactively making peace with Chen Baxian to prevent the latter from targeting him again, as suffering a few more losses would cause financial issues for him in real life. Since he had brought a group of people into the game, many people knew about the funds he continuously poured into it. If too much money was invested in the game, someone in the real world might report it to higher authorities, which could potentially affect his father.

At his core, Sanshengshi was quite proud. Even though he understood there was no need to make an enemy of Chen Baxian, he could not bring himself to make the first move in showing goodwill. Instead, he instructed Wang Yu to keep his subordinates in line and avoid further conflict with Chen Baxian's people. He figured that if he no longer held hostility toward Chen Baxian, the other party wouldn't target him anymore, right?

Little could Sanshengshi have known that his feud with Chen Baxian originated in the real world and had very little to do with the game itself. Let alone merely exercising restraint, even if he actively extended an olive branch in the game, he would still remain Chen Baxian's primary target—a destiny that had been sealed long ago.

Guanning also received the system notification regarding his decreased prestige attribute. It filled him with an itching rage, and he immediately raised the bounty for killing Chen Baxian to 2 million RMB. Furthermore, Guanning added a clause: any player who killed *Huaxia Daily* Deputy Editor-in-Chief Wang Ying could claim a reward of one million from him.

Chen Hao was still unaware that Guanning had issued a bounty on Wang Ying's life on the forums. Upon returning to the game, he was momentarily unsure of what to do next. Nie Shicheng had already submitted a recommendation for his merits, but the imperial court's official decree had not yet arrived; he would have to wait until he officially obtained his official post before heading to the Northeast.

Following the total annihilation of the allied forces led by Seymour, the main forces of the Eight-Nation Alliance would soon capture the Dagu Forts and occupy Tianjin. However, Chen Hao had no intention of continuing to fight the alliance forces in Zhili. After the invasion by the main forces of the Eight-Nation Alliance, the only NPC force near Tianjin resisting the enemy would be Nie Shicheng's Front Guard of the Martial Guards. Moreover, the number of participating players was restricted, meaning what lay ahead was a continuous string of defeats.