As Cen An had anticipated, mobilizing the villagers led to trouble.

“What? Go out and fight the beasts? Us?” The woman who had been pulled aside was small and frail, cowering in fear. Her hair looked like dry straw as she clutched the infant still nursing at her breast, her face filled with bewilderment. “But that’s a beast tide! How could we possibly defeat a beast tide?”

“Exactly. Dealing with Level 1 beasts is one thing, but a beast tide…”

“I heard there are Level 4 beasts in this year’s tide. Could even the Ability-Users Squad be unable to hold them back…”

Monstrous beasts feed on human flesh and blood. Almost every survivor from the other world has witnessed the sight of these beasts devouring humans; that overwhelming fear is deeply etched into their hearts.

Xiao Ji, who had volunteered to lead the charge, scratched his head. He hadn’t expected the villagers to all refuse—what was he supposed to do now?

“Xiao Ji, how many volunteers do you have over there?” Wang Jin waved at him. “I’ve got several people here who want to sign up. I’m taking them to fill out the forms.”

“Huh?” Xiao Ji looked puzzled. “You’ve got volunteers?” Then why weren’t the villagers here willing to help? It couldn’t be because Wang Jin was better-looking than him, could it?

Wang Jin, whose appearance could only be described as having all the right features, walked over with a cheerful grin. “What’s the matter? No one signed up over there? Did you not explain it clearly to everyone? All the villagers need to do is collect supplies. Boss Cen will lend everyone the equipment later—it won’t be dangerous…”

“Wait!” The woman who had been trying to avoid him moments ago suddenly stepped forward, a glimmer of hope lighting up her eyes. “Who are you talking about? Young Boss Cen? Did he say that?”

“Well…” Xiao Ji stammered, “Actually, this whole plan was Cen’s idea…”

“Why didn’t you say so sooner!” The woman abruptly pushed him aside, her expression instantly brightening. “Where do we sign up? Can we sign up now?”

Xiao Ji was taken aback. “But you said you were afraid…”

“It’s your fault for not explaining clearly,” the woman snapped at him. “If you’d told me earlier that it was Young Master Cen’s idea, I would’ve agreed right away.”

Xiao Ji felt helpless. He thought to himself, Who didn’t explain it clearly? You never even gave me a chance to say it, did you?

Their voices were a bit loud, and the nearby villagers heard them, so they all gathered around.

“What? Did Boss Cen tell you to do this? Then I’m in!”

“Is Boss Cen leading us? What are we supposed to do?”

“Young Master Cen? Did Young Master Cen say so?”

“I wouldn’t believe anyone else, but if Young Master Cen says it, I believe him!”

Xiao Ji hadn’t expected his older brother’s name to carry such weight. In an instant, the villagers went from trying to avoid him at all costs to scrambling for a chance to join in. They crowded around him so tightly that his shoe fell off, so he hurriedly led them back to sign up.

The registration site was at the small market—the only open, flat, and spacious area in the village.

By now, a crowd had already gathered there, and many others were rushing back to round up friends and family, afraid their loved ones would miss out on the opportunity.

Cen An, hoisted onto Su Rui’s shoulders, was shouting at the top of his lungs: “Anyone who wants to join, go sign up with Liao Wanwan! Go sign up with Liao Wanwan! That’s right, it’s the table at the entrance to the small market! Wait, old man, you can’t go—we’re looking for people between 18 and 40 years old…”

The old man who’d been stopped chuckled, revealing a toothless gap in his mouth. “Young Boss Cen, this old man just turned forty this year!”

Cen An was at a loss for words, but after much persuasion, he finally managed to send the old man—who’d lied about his age—back home.

The villagers’ enthusiasm took him by surprise; a long line had already formed at Liao Wanwan’s station, and she was writing so fast her pen seemed ready to fly out of her hand.

Seeing Xiao Ji return with another large group of people, Cen An felt both a headache coming on and a sense of relief. “Xiao Ji, stop going out to recruit people. Set up another table to help Wanwan! Wang Jin, you’re in charge of maintaining order. Make sure everyone lines up properly, and screen out anyone who doesn’t meet the age requirement first!”

“Got it!”

“Yes, Brother Cen.”

After those two quick replies, order at the scene improved significantly.

Cen An let out a long breath and patted his “mount” beneath him. “Alright, let’s head home now.”

Su Rui carried him without a peep, looking rather displeased.

Cen An tugged at his hair. “What’s wrong with you now? You’re acting like a three-and-a-half-year-old—staying silent out of a huff?”

Su Rui glanced down at his feet, his expression growing even more serious. “You need to rest.”

“I’m resting right now!” Cen An wiggled his ankle and, whether by accident or on purpose, kicked Su Rui a few times, laughing. “You’re carrying me, so I don’t have to walk.”

Su Rui gently grabbed his mischievous ankle and said matter-of-factly, “No one in our family carries people for free. You’ll have to repay me later.”

Cen An went, “How do you want me to repay you? Braised pork? Hot pot? Barbecue? Dessert?”

A trace of conflict flashed across the Great White Wolf’s face. Those were certainly all good options, but deep down, he felt there was more he wanted… What else could it be? To bring the human back to the den to live together? He’d definitely refuse that…

Cen An’s lips curled slightly as he shook his head; he didn’t really want to know what was bothering him.

A small, dilapidated hut came into view. Before Cen An could speak, the door swung open, and a tiny figure darted out: “Big Brother!”

“Xiao Yi!” Although Qu Yue had already mentioned bringing Xiao Yi back, Cen An didn’t feel at ease until he actually saw the child. He frowned again. “What happened to your hand?”

Only then did Xiao Yi realize the wound on her hand hadn’t been bandaged yet. She instinctively pulled her hand back. “Nothing…”

Cen An motioned for Su Rui to go inside, then took Xiao Yi’s hand to examine it closely, exclaiming in exasperation, “How did you get hurt like this! I’ll tell Sister Qu right away and have her arrest Sun Yuanhao and punish him severely!”

Xiao Yi thought about Sun Yuanhao’s gruesome death and hesitated over whether to hide the truth from her brother, but then heard Su Rui say casually, “No need. I’ve already blown him up.”

“Blown him up?” Cen An froze for a moment, then decided not to dwell on it. “So he’s already dead? Well, never mind. He wasn’t a good person anyway.”

He brought out some medicine and bandages and carefully dressed Xiao Yi’s wound.

Xiao Yi looked at Cen An, whose expression was gentle, then at Su Rui, who looked smug.

It seemed like he’d messed up again…

Xiao Yi lowered his head.

His brother was gentle yet strong, with a clear sense of right and wrong. He would never, as Xiao Yi had feared, come to dislike him on a whim… His brother was a far, far better person than a little monster like him, hiding in the shadows.

This Su Rui didn’t seem so bad after all…

Su Rui grew impatient after waiting a moment. He picked up Cen An and gently set him on the bed: “It’s not like little brats get hurt all the time. Just slapping on some mud would do; there’s no need to bandage it so carefully!”

Cen An gasped softly: “Wait, I’m not done yet…”

Xiao Yi looked at the half-bandaged wound on his hand, his face expressionless. He really was still quite annoying.

Cen An had, of course, come home for a specific reason.

After sitting on the bed and treating Xiao Yi’s wound, he turned and opened his spatial storage box.

Inside the box were several hundred pounds of ore, most of which were iron and copper.

Iron ore and copper ore can also be used to craft equipment. Iron ore can be used to make black iron armor, which boasts an astonishing 60% defense rating. Copper ore can be used to make brass armor, which also has a defense rating of 60%.

So why didn’t Cen An consider these two types of armor?

Because the flaws of both are equally fatal: equipping black iron armor reduces speed by 90%. Once worn, you’re as slow as a turtle—enemies can’t hit you, and you can’t run away.

As for the brass armor, equipping it adds 200 kilograms of weight. This time, it doesn’t slow you down—if you have the strength to run, go ahead, but you’ll be silenced the moment you start.

With so many good pieces of equipment at his disposal, Cen An naturally didn’t need to limit himself to just these two options.

But now it’s different. Since the villagers have accepted his arrangement to go up the mountain to gather resources, he naturally has to ensure their safety.

With ample iron and copper ore, he could easily craft a full set of armor.

Moreover, he’d recently mapped out the surrounding area, so he knew exactly where every resource was located.

All he had to do was lead the villagers to the resource spots, equip them with armor, and have them gather resources right where they stood—even a Level 4 monster wouldn’t stand a chance!

Cen An didn’t believe for a second that those clawed hands could tear open these iron cans!

Mr. Cen pulled out a heap of iron ore with a clatter. As he activated the recipe, white light flashed repeatedly.

【You have obtained Black Iron Armor x1】

【You have obtained Brass Armor x2】

【You have obtained……】

Never mind that the Beast Tide is about to hit—even on an ordinary day, Yongning Village rarely feels this lively.

The small market had drawn nearly the entire village; everyone jostled their way in cheerfully, then jostled their way out just as cheerfully.

Anyone unaware might think they were picking up supplies, but who knew they were just signing up to participate in the beast tide?

“Er Ya, did you sign up? Which group did you get assigned to?”

“I signed up. I’m going to gather Jiqu Grass. I heard we also have to go to Boss Cen’s place for training. Our group is all young people!”

“That’s great. I’m going to gather dodder—I have no idea what it’s for…”

“Whatever it’s for, it’s what Young Master Cen told us to gather. We’ll be able to fight the beasts!”

“Yeah…”

Neighbors who knew each other exchanged greetings, while some cowards and self-serving folks shut their doors even tighter.

“What a bunch of fools. Just because someone tells you to go up the mountain, do you go? This is during the monster surge—aren’t you afraid of getting eaten by them?”

The man with the sharp nose and monkey-like cheeks rolled his eyes, thinking himself quite clever. But with all the commotion outside today, he couldn’t resist stepping out to take a peek. “Auntie Wang, what are you all going out to do?”

Aunt Wang smiled and said, “Your brother and I went to sign up. They’re asking us to go up the mountain to gather supplies, aren’t they? We’ve both been assigned to the common herbs group. Did you sign up?”

The man scoffed. “I wouldn’t dare go. Isn’t the Beast Tide supposed to be handled by the Ability-Users Squad? Why do we have to go? We’re all just ordinary people—what if we get eaten by a monster?”

“That won’t happen,” Aunt Wang said awkwardly, waving her hand. “Mr. Cen said they’ll issue us gear; safety is guaranteed…”

The man grew even more dismissive: “I think that Boss Cen is a fraud. We wouldn’t need to go up the mountain and risk our lives without him. Don’t let him fool you!”

Aunt Wang looked even more awkward. Since they weren’t on the same page, she quickly turned and went back to her own home.

Her husband, who usually struggled with words and rarely spoke, couldn’t hold back this time. He muttered gloomily, “It’s true that ordinary people like us can’t defeat those beasts, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything else. You’ve taken Boss Cen’s potions, and his gear is already being worn by the Special Abilities Squad—they’re protecting us right now. You’ve benefited from his kindness, yet you speak ill of him behind his back. I look down on you.”

Brother Wang finished speaking and left, leaving the man behind, his face ashen with rage. When he came to his senses, he wanted to shout a few curses, but he saw that Brother Wang’s words had drawn the attention of the villagers all around.

Many were pointing and whispering at him, their faces filled with contempt. In the end, the man dared not say a word; he just slunk away and shut the door, thinking to himself: “Bunch of idiots! You’ve all been brainwashed by that Cen An! Pfft, let’s see if you can still talk tough when you’re mauled to death by beasts up the mountain…”

He suddenly felt smug again. Besides, even if Cen An was telling the truth, so what? He wouldn’t have to do a thing and could safely ride out the beast tide—wasn’t that better than these people risking their lives to go up the mountain?

“We can’t let the villagers’ labor go to waste,” Cen An declared decisively. Standing before him were Wang Lie, Xiao Ji, and Liao Wanwan. “The villagers who go up the mountain are putting in the work and taking risks, while those who stay home can ride out the monster surge without lifting a finger. That’s just not fair.”

Liao Wanwan frowned, thought for a moment, then nodded. “Brother Cen, you’re right. My father used to say the same thing. So what do you suggest we do?”

Cen An pondered carefully for a moment before saying, “A points system. Villagers can hand in supplies after gathering them to earn points. The points they accumulate can be used to exchange for food, tools, or equipment.”

Liao Wanwan nodded at the first few suggestions, but her hair nearly stood on end when she heard the last part. “E-equipment?”

Wang Lie was also shocked. “Equipment? Brother Cen, are you saying the equipment you lend to the villagers can be exchanged using points?”

Cen An nodded firmly. “The black iron and brass armor aren’t suitable for the Ability-Users Squad, and I don’t need them either. Might as well give them to the villagers.”

He said it matter-of-factly, yet everyone present felt inexplicably shaken…

After a moment, Xiao Ji said, “Brother Cen, if you told me you were a Bodhisattva who’d descended to earth, I’d believe you. ”

Cen An sighed helplessly, “Can we get down to business first? The gear can be exchanged, but the points required will be higher. A grain of rice creates gratitude, a bushel creates resentment—you know how it goes.”

Liao Wanwan nodded, “Don’t worry, Brother Cen. I’ll look into it. I certainly won’t let your gear go to waste; I guarantee it’ll end up in the right hands.”

Cen An was confident about that.

Bringing Liao Wanwan in to help was Qu Yue’s idea. Liao Wanwan was an earth-type ability-user, though her rank wasn’t high—she hadn’t reached Level 1 either, so she hadn’t joined an ability-user squad.

However, having previously worked under Captain Liao, she had absorbed a great deal of management experience from the Ability Squad and possessed a natural aptitude for it. Earlier, Shi Long had even tried to recruit her, intending to groom her as his second-in-command for administrative duties.

But later, Captain Liao lost control of her abilities, and Captain Shi ended up in his current state. Liao Wanwan stopped participating in Ability Squad affairs and returned home to devote herself entirely to caring for her father.

Still, thanks to her prior experience and familiarity with the village, she drafted a points system in less than half an hour.

Cen An glanced at it. Though it was a bit rough around the edges, the overall framework was sound, so he nodded. “Let’s proceed with this for now. Just present it as a temporary measure during the beast tide. We can make adjustments later if any issues arise.”

Liao Wanwan breathed a huge sigh of relief, a genuine smile spreading across her face.

Without waiting for Wang Lie to speak, he immediately turned and walked out. Before long, word had spread throughout the village: The Ability-Users Squad had introduced a points system! If you followed Boss Cen and collected points diligently, you could exchange them for gear!

Although most people hadn’t used gear before, living in this world of massive upheaval, who hadn’t heard of the benefits of gear?!

They had originally just wanted to help out, trusting Young Boss Cen, and had even prepared themselves to work for nothing…

Unexpectedly, Young Boss Cen didn’t let them down once again!

Submitting collected items earns points, and those points can be exchanged for supplies—or even gear!

The news spread like wildfire throughout the village. The villagers who had signed up immediately broke into smiles—it was gear, after all! In their entire lives—no, even counting their parents’ generation—they’d never seen actual gear!

Now they could earn it just by working hard!

Rumor has it that the points required to exchange for gear are quite high? That’s no problem—you can still exchange for food and tools! Saving up some points to get some meat and fresh vegetables to treat the family to a special meal is just as good.

They were overjoyed, but those who hadn’t signed up—or hadn’t even thought to sign up—were in a fix. These people were running around asking if it was still possible to sign up. “We want to earn points too! We want gear too!”

But sorry, the deadline has passed.

Wang Dasao’s neighbor—that man who’d been so stubborn earlier—heard the news and regretted it so much he could have kicked himself. If only he’d signed up earlier! It’s just going up the mountain to gather plants, isn’t it? It’s not like he’s never done it before… But in the end, it was too late. There’s no such thing as “if only” in this world.

Harvesting special herbs like Jiju Grass and Flame Grass requires specific techniques. Cen An carefully trained the villagers in these groups to ensure no one got injured over such a minor matter.

Soon, it was time for the harvesting team to set off.

This time, the team was protected by Wang Lie, Xiao Ji, Wang Jin, and Tian Yuan, along with a wind-elemental ability user whom Cen An didn’t know very well.

The ability users lined up, holding the supply map Cen An had drawn, and escorted the villagers up the mountain.

At the village entrance, some villagers who hadn’t signed up had also gathered and were watching with envy.

Someone remarked, “Is that thing they’re holding equipment?”

“Oh, it really is! It looks just like clothes!”

“What clothes? That’s armor.”

“So there really is equipment… If I’d known, I would’ve gone too…”

“Hey! Did you guys see that? That’s my daughter! Hahaha, someone from the Liu family is wearing equipment now, too!”

That’s the magic of gear: as long as you don’t put it on, holding it in your hands won’t subject you to its attributes, so even ordinary people can move as fast as the wind. But once you put it on, it becomes heavy and slows you down.

So, Cen An handed the gear out to them well in advance.

The villagers didn’t have any fancy storage items, so they simply cradled it in their hands as they headed up the mountain.

Most of them wore expressions of excitement mixed with a touch of fear, but one person’s expression was different.

It was a petite woman. Her face was calm, yet her gaze upon the black iron armor in her hands was deeply reverent.

If Cen An had been there, he would have realized he had met this woman once before.

Cen An had once traded a small head of Chinese cabbage for a sewing kit from her.

The woman’s name was Sun Qiuhua, and she had a ten-year-old son. After the rainy season, her son suddenly fell ill with a strange ailment; beads of sweat poured from his body, and he fell into a deep coma. Since their family had run out of food during the rainy season, she assumed her son was simply starving. To save him, she had taken out the sewing kit from her dowry and traded it with Cen An for a few heads of baby bok choy.

Back home, she chopped up the tender, early-harvested baby bok choy and boiled it into soup, finally allowing her son to eat a hot meal.

Two days later, when her son woke up, she realized it wasn’t starvation or illness—her son’s abilities had gone into overdrive!

This boy was a low-tier water-type ability user who, by nature, couldn’t absorb crystal core energy.

But one day, as he passed by the river, he spotted a plump fish in the water. Thinking of how long it had been since his mother had eaten any meat, the boy acted on impulse: he took a crystal core from home, forcibly absorbed its energy, and caught the fish.

But his feeble abilities were no match for the crystal core’s violent energy. Just that one time was enough to trigger a power surge.

Only then did Sun Qiuhua realize what Cen An had actually given her… That day, no matter what she’d traded for—even if it had been bird eggs or meat—she’d likely have been burying her own child by now.

These vegetables, which other ability users would fight tooth and nail to obtain, Cen An had simply traded for an old sewing kit from her—one that contained nothing more than two spools of thread.

It was only then that Sun Qiuhua understood why the young members of the Ability-Users Squad were always saying, “Our Brother Cen is awesome,” and “Our Brother Cen has such a kind heart.”

And wasn’t he just awesome? And wasn’t his heart just kind?

From that day on, Sun Qiuhua regarded Cen An as her savior. She had no special skills and couldn’t do much for him, so she kept this debt of gratitude firmly locked in her heart.

When the villagers were mobilized to go up the mountain to gather supplies this time, Sun Qiuhua was the first to sign up.

While others were still hesitating and asking around for more information, she had already filled out her registration form.

Now, holding the glossy black iron armor in her hands, Sun Qiuhua felt both joy and gratitude. Boss Cen had said the more supplies, the better—she had to work hard to gather as much as possible today!

The villagers were used to the mountain trails and moved quickly, soon reaching the first supply point.

A group of villagers stayed behind under Xiao Ji’s protection, while the rest continued onward. They had all agreed on their roles before setting out, and everyone knew exactly what they were supposed to do.

Sun Qiuhua soon arrived at her gathering spot, where she found patches of red grass, each blade ablaze with a fiery, crimson flame.

Flame Grass, like volcanic rock, could be used to create fire traps.

“Put on your gear before you start gathering,” said Wang Lie, who had stayed behind to protect them. “It’ll feel heavy once you’re geared up—you won’t be able to move easily—but that’s normal. Don’t be afraid.”

“Who’s going to be afraid of that!” someone in the crowd shouted. “Boss Xiao Cen already told us all about it!”

Everyone burst out laughing. “Exactly!”

Wang Lie laughed and teased, “Think I’m being too chatty, huh?”

After all, they were out in the wild, so the group relaxed for just a moment before quickly finding their spots, putting on their gear, and starting to gather.

It was indeed heavy.

Sun Qiuhua felt the armor pressing down on her, as if she’d been stuffed into an iron can. It was inconvenient, but it gave her a sense of security.

She reached out and began harvesting the flame grass.

She had seen this grass before when she went up the mountain; the flames on it were scorching hot and could burn a person, so she always avoided it.

But Boss Cen had told them that as long as you used the right technique, flame grass was easy to harvest… Others might have hesitated, but Sun Qiuhua believed him.

Recalling what Cen An had told her, she deftly dodged the flames, slipped her hand beneath the stem, and snapped it off—and sure enough, she had picked it.

There were murmurs of surprise all around, and she even heard a boy say, “Just like Boss Cen said, the flames aren’t hot anymore once you pick them!”

Of course, Sun Qiuhua thought, even feeling a touch of pride. When had Boss Cen ever told a lie?

The group fell silent and began harvesting quickly, soon gathering more than half of the entire patch of flame grass.

Suddenly, flames erupted from Wang Lie’s hands. “A monster is attacking! Alert!” He narrowed his eyes and identified it: “A Level 3 monster—the Purple-backed Fanged Boar!”

The group immediately fell into panic. A Level 3 Beast!

They believed their armor was thick and sturdy enough to withstand a Level 1 Beast! But a Level 3 Beast? Level 3 Beasts often possessed special abilities!

Would their armor be able to withstand it?