Chapter 148: Such an Ally

As soon as he arrived at the North City, Wei Cheng heard many testers discussing matters animatedly.

They were saying that the bounties on the reward stele had been suddenly canceled, yet no one had completed them. They guessed that Li Ying, the disciple of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect, must have given up waiting for rescue and died.

A group of people were even expressing regret, feeling that they should have set off earlier, but now it was too late for anything.

"Hey, aren't you that guy, Big Fool Wei? Uh, haha, Senior, nice to meet you. My name is Xu Xiaoguang, currently a Mountain Shifter at the Seventh Cycle. I’ve long admired your great name, like thunder piercing the ear from that battle not long ago..."

A tall, rash-looking man of about twenty suddenly blocked Wei Cheng's path, speaking in a jumbled manner, much like a street ruffian.

"I'm looking for Qin Douzi. Where is he?"

"Boss Douzi? Oh, Boss Douzi is currently in seclusion. He gave orders that he is not to be disturbed for trivial matters. Oh, right! Boss Douzi told us that if we ran into you, we should ask you and your team to rescue that Li Ying. It's a bounty—five taels of gold per person, a top-grade magical artifact, and merit points. You know how it is. He said that throughout Cangwu City, your team might be the only ones with any interest in this."

Xu Xiaoguang chattered on incessantly.

"But wasn't that bounty just canceled?"

"It doesn't matter. Since it's Boss Douzi's instruction, I still have to pass it along. Whether you go or can go has nothing to do with me. Well, Senior Wei, how about we plant a banner right here at the city gate and spar? What do you all say? Sounds good, right!"

Xu Xiaoguang wore a courageous expression.

"Good!"

A crowd of surrounding testers shouted, lacking any fear of making a scene, brimming with high energy.

This generation of newcomers, hehe.

"Qin Douzi, come out!"

With no other choice, Wei Cheng let out a roar. He circulated his Mountain Shifter internal energy slightly and manifested a sliver of his visualization diagram. In an instant, within a radius of a hundred meters, no one dared to make a sound.

Their legs had gone weak.

Even the strongest Seventh Cycle practitioner among them could not withstand even a tiny fraction of the pressure from the Ninth Group of Mountains. To put it bluntly, if Wei Cheng exerted just a little bit of force, they would explode right on the spot.

"Wei Cheng!"

Qin Douzi hurried out, accompanied by seven or eight veteran testers. Further away, a large group of testers was rushing over with a menacing momentum—quite united indeed.

However, Wei Cheng had no time to explain. He raised a hand to signal Qin Douzi to remain calm and said directly, "I have just obtained twenty days of access rights to a teleportation array, which leads to the underground demon cave beneath Floating Cloud City. We can fight large-scale demon legions there. I believe this is an excellent opportunity to weaken the demons and reduce the difficulty of the Cangwu City defense battle. I want you to assemble your men immediately and set off at once."

Just these words left Qin Douzi and the others completely dumbfounded. A teleportation array? An underground demon cave? Damn, are we even testers from the same district?

"Just us?"

Qin Douzi reacted the fastest. Instead of agreeing or refusing, he asked about the other three factions.

"I came to you first because I believe this matter can not only be used to train troops and develop strength, but also to weaken the enemy's attack intensity during the Cangwu City defense battle two months from now. It's a very worthwhile trade."

"What is the current scale of the demon legion?"

"Ten thousand antlered demons, plus over four hundred blazing giant birds, though I cannot guarantee subsequent numbers."

Upon hearing this, Qin Douzi turned to look at the veteran testers beside him. "I think it's feasible. We can send an elite squad."

"But Old Qin, have you considered the risks? The North City has the highest concentration of novice testers. After the last battle, we barely managed to cultivate over a thousand elites. If we throw all of them in and they get wiped out, everything is finished."

A veteran tester said solemnly, then looked at Wei Cheng.

"Boss Wei, we’ve long admired your name. We aren't doubting your strength or your character, but the risk of this operation is simply too high. Currently, the North City is only suited for farming minor monsters in the maps of the Fire Demons and Fog Demons to gradually accumulate strength. That way, by next month, before the sixth wave of demon shadow curses erupts, the North City will meet the comprehensive strength standard of an average Seventh Cycle per person."

"Why must we insist on pulling chestnuts from the fire? Cangwu City is bound to fall—that is our collective consensus. We only strive for a high-level clearance, preserving our useful lives to face even tougher challenges in the future. Isn't that better?"

These words left Wei Cheng speechless. He had no desire to argue with this person over useless rhetoric and stated bluntly:

"Qin Douzi, what about you? I came here for you. Can't you call the shots in the North City?"

"What era is this, and you still want to play dictatorial games? Doing this will only satisfy your momentary impulse and won't solve the broader crisis. Boss Wei, I advise you to seek unity."

That fellow was still nagging, but Wei Cheng only looked at Qin Douzi.

"Sorry, the North City can only dispatch an elite squad of fifty. Wei Cheng, don't try to use reverse psychology on me; I have to consider the big picture. Right now, the Fire Demon and Fog Demon maps really are the most suitable places for novice testers to farm. There's truly no need for us to take such a risk. In short, there's plenty of time; we mustn't rush."

Qin Douzi finally offered a compromise solution. He turned around and called out to a rather roguish middle-aged man not far away:

"Duan Jianghai, your squad will follow Boss Wei from now on."

"Alright! Old Duan loves a good expedition into uncharted territory. Brothers, those willing to take risks, follow me; those who want comfort can stay behind. I, Old Duan, won't force anyone."

The man turned around and shouted. Dozens of testers behind him laughed and said their goodbyes—those who wanted to leave followed, and those who wanted to stay remained.

Some onlookers among the testers also wanted to join. After some coming and going, a total of seventy-five people ended up gathering, and even that Xu Xiaoguang tagged along.

Throughout the entire process, Qin Douzi and the preaching veteran tester remained entirely indifferent. That fellow even looked somewhat relieved, as if he had finally gotten rid of a group of troublemakers.

That's right, troublemakers. Not long ago, this Duan Jianghai had incited hundreds of people, cursing and blocking their way, insisting on rescuing that Heavenly Mechanism Sect disciple Li Ying. They were all unruly elements.

Good riddance! Without the troublemakers, the world was at peace. Following the established routine—how wonderful!

"Old Wei! Please guide us!"

Duan Jianghai walked up to Wei Cheng and familiarly threw an arm around his shoulder, truly acting like a troublemaker.

Wei Cheng nodded, unconcerned.

Only when the great currents of the sea crash do true heroes stand out. Whether one is a hero depends on whether one can hold their ground.

"Old Duan, I'll give you five minutes to have the brothers immediately purchase supply resources, and then gather at the East City. We won't wait for stragglers."

Before his voice faded, Wei Cheng was already a hundred meters away. He needed to hurry and find Zhou Wu.

However, a sudden lack of confidence welled up in his heart.

Just like here, he had fully expected Qin Douzi to give his full support, yet who would have thought Qin Douzi would have so many misgivings?

He had simplified the matter.

Regardless, he had to seize this opportunity. As long as he could change things even slightly, the outcome of the Cangwu City defense battle would be somewhat better, and when the next stage began, the advantage they had accumulated would be greater.

---

Soon, the East City came into view.

Yet, it was unusually quiet here. Not a single idle tester could be seen; everyone was busy.

No one was making a fuss about taking on bounty missions either—practically ruthless in their pragmatism.

"Boss Wei? Is there something I can help with?"

A tester working as a waiter in a teahouse ran up and asked respectfully.

He was a novice tester under Zhou Wu. Currently, Zhou Wu's faction had suffered heavy casualties, and coupled with some who had defected to other factions, their total numbers probably didn't even reach a thousand. Those who could still stay behind were either tightly reined in by Zhou Wu or drawn by Wei Cheng's reputation.

"Hello, where is Zhou Wu?"

"Oh, Boss Zhou is currently in seclusion to heal his injuries. Didn't they just clear the Fog Demon map early this morning? Therefore, the core mainstays of the team are all in seclusion, while the others take turns farming the map, handling lifestyle professions, gathering information, and managing resources."

"I see. Then how many testers can be quickly mobilized here?" Wei Cheng was somewhat surprised.

"Not many, because everyone has tasks—either cultivating, wild-hunting, or making money. There are no idle hands."

"Alright, thank you."

Wei Cheng thought for a moment and ultimately decided not to disturb Zhou Wu and the others. They had just finished fighting the Fog Demons. Injuries and the like might be excuses, but their gains must have been immense, which was why they had immediately returned to seclusion. Under such circumstances, persuading them to come out would be inconsiderate.

By extension, the forces under Liu Wenli in the South City and Zhao Xiong in the West City probably had similarly slim prospects.

Doing a good thing truly was difficult.

"Wei Cheng?"

At that moment, Tang Xiaojun walked out from the back kitchen of a street-side restaurant. He had actually come here to work as a head chef?

Seeming to sense Wei Cheng's confusion, Tang Xiaojun chuckled.

"I was a cook back on Earth. Coming here, I started as a waiter, then became a camp cook, and now I've been promoted to head chef—a triple jump in status, and my wages have risen to fifty copper coins per day. Counting the stipend from my squad leader, my income is quite decent. So, I didn't go participate in charting the Fog Demon map this time."

Tang Xiaojun spoke candidly, but Wei Cheng could roughly understand.

Zhou Wu wasn't a particularly bad person, but his team was very exclusive. Even though Tang Xiaojun was willing to lower his status and act humbly, everyone understood how things worked. Otherwise, with the seventh stage having started less than a month ago, this guy couldn't possibly have made a triple jump to become a camp cook.

"Come with me. I have an expedition mission."

"Alright!"

Tang Xiaojun didn't hesitate at all. Nonsense, this was Wei Cheng!

Not the Wei Cheng who was obscure in the fifth and sixth stages or mocked as Big Fool Wei, but the Wei Cheng who burst onto the scene in the seventh stage, turned the tide, and became the strongest Mountain Shifter in their district.

As someone who had come all the way from District C-13, who wouldn't envy the choices Liu Suixuan and Xu Shan had made back then?

"Boss Wei! My name is Lü Dongxin, a minor Mountain Shifter of the Fifth Cycle, just a little salted fish hoping Boss Wei will take me in. Give me a chance, and I'll follow Boss Wei for the rest of my life, going through fire and water!"

The teahouse waiter from earlier rushed forward, pleading.

"No need to go through fire and water! If you're not afraid of death, then follow along."

(End of this chapter)