A Village Appeared on My Desktop

---

Chapter 229 – The Final (9)

“The biggest problem is that their base is deep underground. Our methods of attack are too limited.”

“Plus, they can leap across spaces and counterattack at will. Those disgusting creatures.”

What troubled the Allied Forces’ command the most was that the enemies had evolved their methods to counter them.

This was precisely why, despite forming an unprecedented coalition army in history, things were not resolving easily.

To fight against the bug invaders from another world, existing methods simply would not suffice. This was something the users realized as they helped the local residents in diverse ways.

From the residents’ perspective, the items and games provided by the users were miracles that exceeded common sense.

Thus, Earth needed such help too.

“Have the Guardians said anything? Have they found any new methods? After all, it was one of the users who discovered how to find and eliminate Parasite Bugs.”

One of the commanders of the Allied Forces asked his aide, who could only shake his head awkwardly.

The Guardians of Earth were certainly evolving quickly. The only issue was that the speed was not satisfactory to the people.

“Why is it so slow? I’ve heard that at the top tier, users are already driving the bugs out with their Guardians.”

“There’s a big difference, Commander. Countless people must have died and sacrificed themselves there. But they probably aren’t as tightly connected to society as we are.”

One of the officers, who had been reading the mood, finally spoke up.

The conclusion was that they were currently “very” hurried.

Modern Earth, with its intricate economic networks, was vulnerable to even minor threats.

What they desired was not just survival but to maintain their current level of civilization, which made them more sensitive and reactive.

In fact, it was already a crisis. The bugs had taken root in Africa, a region of relatively low influence, but that alone was shaking the entire world.

“Waiting patiently to build strength would mean getting beaten to death. Who’s going to pay for the losses and sacrifices that occur in the meantime?”

Frowning, he let out a small sigh. Despite being a high-ranking commander, he too was ultimately in a position where he had to follow orders.

“Prepare the operation. We’ll strike their nest.”

Thus, the Allied Forces began their first operation. The first operation was to directly deploy troops into the enemy’s nest and destroy it from within.

“No matter how they evolve, they can’t cover everything.”

Though they evolved to resist firearms powerfully, it wasn’t infinite. Pouring firepower beyond their limits and deploying troops, including Guardians, to clean up was the basic strategy established by this multinational Earth Alliance.

*

“Will we succeed?”

“The enemies don’t have infinite resources. It should have some effect.”

Turning into an ordinary person without the variable cloak, I met Lee So-Yeon. Since I was technically an employee here, it wasn’t strange to meet like this.

Our topic of conversation was naturally the ongoing operations of the Allied Forces. The war against the bugs, which I could only watch on screen, was happening right now in our world.

“But they won’t just sit still. I know because I’ve seen it plenty of times.”

I was confident that the bugs would retaliate using any means necessary. The firepower aimed at them by the military deployed from around the world would certainly be burdensome, but the bugs still had many cards to play.

“We might need to prepare for a long war. It’s different from our case.”

“That’s… a horrifying ending that everyone wishes to avoid. The longer this war drags on, the less likely we’ll ever return to the peaceful days of the past.”

“It’s the same even now. Things must change.”

When I expressed that the war might go on for a while longer, Lee So-Yeon looked genuinely surprised and shook her head. However, seeing her reaction made me smile wryly.

If a user like her could react this way, I could only imagine how complacent others must be.

Sadly, it was unlikely that the world would ever return to how it was before the bugs appeared, whether on screen or here.

“With the bugs, which are like cancer cells seeking to consume and envelop the world, we can never return to the past. We need to adapt to this changed world and make it as easy as possible to fight while stopping them.”

The residents on my desktop were tearing everything down and rebuilding after suffering significant sacrifices. The existing order couldn’t fend off the bugs and, instead, almost doomed the world, so they sought to establish an entirely new order.

We had to do the same. The legacies of the past could no longer protect us; change was necessary.

Many people were still denying this, but it was clear that things would change in the future.

“I didn’t realize it through the screen, but facing it directly is difficult.”

“The key is to see how this war turns out.”

It could be more serious, or it might be easier than expected. So, I observed the actions of the Allied Forces, which had properly organized their operations.

Depending on how the bugs resisted and what the outcomes were, our options would change.

“Gate! A gate has appeared!”

“A gate is also appearing in the southern region… Could it be those guys!?”

Then their scheme soon became clear.

Despite having pushed the Allied Forces to their doorstep, the bugs opened the gates and launched a large-scale assault on specific countries.

I was well aware that this was a tactic typical of their attrition warfare.

“There’s a commonality among the countries attacked as the gates opened simultaneously.”

“They are nations participating in the Allied Forces with some influence toward the world.”

Flustered, Lee So-Yeon received messages coming from all directions and showed me the internet in a panicked expression.

It wasn’t just our country that had an incident. The bugs had, while everyone’s focus was on their main base, used the gates to infiltrate the rear.

This was also one of the tricky tactics the bugs had employed before sealing the gates.

‘Have the users of Earth still not figured out how to defend against the gates? Well, considering how vast this land is, it’s no wonder they can’t entirely block it.’

This had once been a tough problem for me as well. On Earth, where the population density is higher and there are more developed areas than on the desktop, it would be tough even to block important locations.

“If we fall for this disruptor tactic, we’ll be caught in a catastrophe. The main force should push forward and eliminate their nest steadfastly.”

“Are we going?”

“The main force needs to fight without worries, so we have to hold our ground. You know? I think it’s best to lend our strength.”

I stood up and gathered my equipment. Here, as an individual, unlike on the screen, I couldn’t significantly influence the war’s outcome.

But I could do what I could. I had already seen how such efforts could accumulate into victory.

“Then I’ll go too. Delaying will only lead to more people dying or getting hurt.”

“Is that okay? I might have wrapped things up, but there’s still work left.”

“We can’t favor one side over another. We’re essentially one body. I must protect the world I live in to protect the one I see.”

Lee So-Yeon also gathered her staff, her weapon.

She was thinking the same way as I was. Just as she said, this was not just about us. It was for everyone.

“I’ll open a portal for you. If we go to the same place, we’ll be suspicious, so let’s go to a different region.”

Smirking, I opened a portal for her, having not yet acquired the portal function on her phone.

After she went through, I immediately moved to the area where the gates had opened and chaos ensued based on the news.

‘This will continue indefinitely.’

After moving through space, I charged at the rampaging enemies and swiftly cut down one threatening the people, hardening my expression.

Even if we were victorious in this war, we couldn’t relax knowing when and where the bugs might reappear.

Still, I was resolved to fight each time. I had changed as well.

I had begun watching over those who’d migrated to my desktop and started achieving various matters with them.

Knowing what I learned, I couldn’t remain a mere ordinary citizen hiding behind the excuse of having no abilities like before.

‘Will this be enough to qualify?’

So, with that thought, I swiftly dispatched several bugs emerging from the gate and smiled weakly.

When I fought alongside Riena while controlling a game character, I helped her in my own way. Thanks to Riena, I had grown stronger, but could I truly fight alongside her now?

It was always the case, but even more so now. My desire to communicate directly with Riena and the residents on screen had grown stronger and stronger.

[Recommended VR Chat Program]

“…?”

As usual, when it seemed like the Master Program had sensed my wish, it recommended a game when I returned home and powered on my monitor.

“A game that allows you to wear an avatar and meet others in a virtual space.”

[VR Chat Program: 100,000P]

A game more expensive than the firewall that prevents the bugs’ incursion into reality. I couldn’t help but smirk at that.

The price was outrageous, but I felt confident in its performance.

At this moment, I had no reason to decline this opportunity.

‘The points I currently possess are exactly half, 50,000… It seems there’s only one place left to acquire the remaining points.’

With the recent victories, I had unlocked countless achievements, bringing my point total to 50,000. The problem was that with the enemy leader captured and the war wrapping up, I had run out of significant opportunities for achievement.

But there was still something left.

[Achievement Unlocked: The Hero of Reality (3)]

It was indeed an achievement I had accomplished in reality. The Master Program recognized my fight against the enemies in reality as an achievement.

Since everything was interconnected under the system, this was only logical.

I was already determined to fight hard, but this was even stronger motivation.

“That’s the biggest reward.”

The fact that I could meet them directly was incredibly significant.

It felt like it could be considered the ‘end’ of all the various rewards I had received and the countless results we had produced together.

If I could meet them, if I could see them and have conversations… honestly, it wasn’t easy to imagine.

‘There’s no time for rest.’

Confirming that nothing significant was happening on the screen, I checked the internet again and opened the portal. This truly was worth the investment of time, no matter how long it took.

A village appeared on my desktop. 230th Chapter.