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After Blake meticulously described the background setting of Delta Force, Ivy was clearly still immersed in that near-future military world, her eyes sparkling with a lingering fascination.
"We've talked so much, it's almost dinner time," Ivy said, looking at the darkening sky outside the window. Then she naturally suggested, "Why don't you stay for dinner? I'll cook a few simple dishes."
Blake was slightly taken aback but didn't find it too abrupt.
He genuinely didn't have any urgent matters today, and chatting about games with this mysterious but sincere "boss" didn't feel bad at all.
He nodded. "Alright, then I'll impose."
Dinner wasn't overly lavish — more like a home-cooked meal.
The two continued to chat about game design, player feedback, and industry anecdotes while eating, and the previous sense of hierarchy between them faded considerably. They felt more like friends who connected over a shared hobby.
During the meal, Blake naturally extended an invitation:
"The second beta for Delta Force is opening in a few days. Want to team up?"
"I'll take you through Longbow Valley first."
Ivy hardly hesitated, immediately nodding. "Sure. The company doesn't have anything urgent lately anyway."
Her words weren't false. Crane Interactive's core business was almost entirely invested in Blake and his Horizon Interactive, so her role as chairman was indeed more leisurely than most bosses.
Although her money-losing system's mission seemed to be getting further and further away...
After dinner, Blake bid farewell and left.
Time flew by amidst the players' anxious waiting.
Six days later.
Horizon Interactive's official account, after nearly a week of silence, finally posted an update!
This was a publicly announced list of Delta Force's second technical test qualifiers, with privacy appropriately handled.
In the dense list, the last few digits of all IDs were replaced with asterisks, but it was enough for participating players to verify on their own.
"Please, all qualified Vanguards, check your direct messages in a timely manner."
"Game client download instructions and activation codes have been sent via DM."
"Server opening time: July 30, 2025 at 8:00 AM sharp."
Although the announcement said there was no need to rush the download, almost all the lucky recipients eagerly began downloading and installing as soon as they received the message.
Everyone wanted to be able to rush in and experience the unknown Longbow Valley the moment the server opened.
Most of the fifty thousand new players this time were ordinary players, with only one small content creator whose handle was "Ace."
He was known for researching game mechanics and intricate gameplay, and while his follower count wasn't top-tier, he was primarily renowned for his hardcore analysis.
Perhaps Delta Force could also be an opportunity for him?
The next day, 7:50 AM.
Countless players were already sitting in front of their computers, repeatedly checking their network and hard drives, fearing any unexpected issues that might prevent them from entering the game.
At 8:00 AM sharp, the servers officially opened!
Players flooded in like a tide.
System data showed that within just two minutes of the server opening, the online player count reached 47,563!
The remaining two thousand-plus players quickly logged in within the next few minutes, with only a very small number unable to enter immediately due to network or personal reasons.
As veteran players from the first test, Blake, Ivy, Vinny, BigFishGaming, JakeYardley, and others naturally didn't need to go through the new player tutorial like the second test players.
They clicked "Start Operation" almost the moment the server opened.
"Most of the people we're matching with now should be familiar faces from the first test," Blake said in the in-game voice chat while pulling Ivy into his team. "The new players from the second test are probably still in the tutorial getting familiar with the controls."
This test added an "insurance" feature, allowing players to store their most precious items in a safe, which would not be dropped even if they died.
The game would provide a free 1×2 small safe, and players could also spend HAF coins earned in-game to unlock a 2×2 safe.
As for the 2×3 safe unlocked by activating the battle pass and the 3×3 safe obtained through seasonal missions — where were they?
Due to it still being a closed beta, players could only see that these two tiers existed, but the acquisition methods weren't visible.
All veteran players from the first test unhesitatingly chose to spend HAF coins to unlock the 2×2 safe — most of them had experienced the painful taste of being killed by others after looting a red item.
Blake and Ivy formed a duo and immediately chose the newest map — Longbow Valley.
The map loaded, and they spawned on a desolate canyon highland.
"This map is much bigger than Zero Dam."
Ivy's voice, coming through her headphones, carried a hint of surprise as she controlled Vyron to look around.
"Longbow Valley is about twice the size of Zero Dam, and the total resource points are richer," Blake explained. "But a larger map also means the search pace will be slower, and you need to be more careful when relocating."
"However, if the spawn point is very close to the core resource area, then this isn't an issue."
"We usually call these advantageous spawn points 'Prime Spots.'"
"For example, Zero Dam has the East Building Prime Spot and West Building Prime Spot. Here we have the Radar Station Prime Spot and Hotel Prime Spot."
"Our luck is good this round — we're at the Radar Station Prime Spot."
"However, since everyone is still unfamiliar with the map, the advantage of a Prime Spot isn't yet obvious. Other teams might not dare to rush the Radar Station directly."
The two quickly approached the massive and complex building complex of Haavk Radar Station.
Although the map would be obscured once they entered the Radar Station, their teammates' position markers were still visible.
"The essential resources of the Radar Station are mainly concentrated in the main building."
"If you're not planning a 'scavenge-everything' type search, the outer areas and small buildings can be temporarily ignored."
"But the internal structure of the main building is very convoluted. Easy to get lost if you're not familiar with it — you might even get 3D motion sickness."
The main building had two main entrances: the central main entrance and a side entrance that required a specific keycard.
They could only enter through the main entrance at the moment, but fortunately, as the Prime Spot spawn, no one could be faster than them. They wouldn't be ambushed by other players.
As soon as they entered the brightly lit main building lobby, Ivy spotted the staircase directly ahead. "Should we go straight to the second floor?"
"Search the first floor first," Blake said with experienced wisdom. "The ground and rooms on the first floor will also spawn resources. Although the upper and lower limits vary greatly, there might be surprises."
Their luck this round was indeed good.
Although no shocking red items appeared, Ivy picked up a [DSLR Camera (Gold)] at a resource spawn point on the ground.
This item took up 4 slots, was worth about 130,000 HAF coins, and had a single-slot value of over 30,000 — making it a very practical golden loot item.
"Good luck," Blake said casually. "Most of the time, these ground resource spawn points are for white items like keyboards and mice. The probability of a DSLR appearing is very small."
The ground had been searched, so now it was time to enter the rooms.
The first room to the right from the central lobby was the Radar Station Conference Room.
However, this was a keycard room, requiring a keycard to open, so they skipped it directly.
The second room was the lounge. The lounge didn't require a keycard and always spawned a small weapon crate and a suitcase.
Unfortunately, their luck was average this time — only yielding some green attachments and two low-value small blue items.
"If you're not in the core area, you might pick up these two small blue items. But in the core area, there's no need," Blake said, closing the container and explaining. "For blue items, you can take military rations, energy drinks, calipers, and such."
"Their single-slot value is all ten thousand, which is more valuable than some two-slot purple items."
"But there's no need to take something like this storage card — its single-slot value is only 7,500."