The purple-backed tusked boar, weighing several hundred pounds, leaped out of the woods, causing the ground to tremble.

The fireball Wang Lie hurled at it didn’t even make a dent.

It charged headlong into the crowd, ramming into them with all its might! Weighing hundreds of pounds and propelled by momentum, it was practically a human cannonball!

“Ah! It’s coming—”

“Help!”

“Don’t eat me…”

The villagers instantly panicked! Normally, when they saw a Level 3 Anomalous Beast, their only option was to run, but now, they couldn’t even move!

Whether it was the black iron armor or the brass armor, both severely restricted their movements… In that moment, many closed their eyes in despair, preparing to face their impending death.

Sun Qiuhua remained the exception.

The giant pig, as massive as a small mountain, charged toward her; the wind it generated alone sent her hair flying. Yet her outstretched hand trembled only slightly, still reaching resolutely toward the Flame Grass she had long had her eye on.

Snap—

The sound of the flame grass snapping and the sound of the Purple-backed Tusked Boar crashing into her were almost simultaneous…

Boom!

A deafening crash!

Dust billowed up, obscuring their vision. The crowd stood dazed and silent… until the dust settled, and they saw what had happened: the massive purple-backed tusked boar had slammed into that frail body clad in black iron armor. To everyone’s surprise, the petite woman didn’t budge an inch, while the purple-backed tusked boar was sent flying!

And as for the black iron armor? Not a single scratch on it!

As for whether it hurt?

Didn’t you see that woman about to pick a Flame Grass? Whether she felt anything is another matter, but it certainly didn’t look like she was in pain.

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. After a long moment, someone said in a trembling voice, “Our gear… withstood an attack from a Level 3 beast?”

Someone added, “It was a full-force attack from a Level 3 beast—the purple-backed tusked boar.”

As everyone knows, due to its massive size, the purple-backed tusked boar’s full-force attack packs more power than most Level 3 beasts—and even some Level 4 beasts!

If they could withstand the purple-backed tusked Boar, that meant they could easily handle any Level 3 beast!

Realizing this, the group fell silent once more.

This time, several full minutes passed before someone spoke, their voice choked with tears: “He did it! He said he’d keep us safe, and he did! He protected us from a Level 3 Beast—I really… damn it!”

Everyone knew exactly who the “he” he was referring to was.

“Alright, hurry up and start gathering supplies.” Wang Lie, clad in thorn armor and wielding an obsidian sword, walked over. The purple-backed tusked boar, which had been struggling just moments ago, had already been killed with a single stroke of his blade, and he’d even dug out the crystal core. “Don’t forget the task Brother Cen gave you.”

The group immediately snapped to attention. Right—Boss Cen had told them: the more supplies they gathered, the better! The more they gathered, the greater their chances of surviving this wave of beasts!

“Ahhh, why was I spacing out just now? I could’ve gathered several more in that time!”

“Stop talking! Speed it up!”

“We need to move fast, but quality matters too…”

“Got it, got it!”

Sure enough, the group got to work with great enthusiasm. Their expressions ranged from excitement to calm, but the worry and fear from earlier were gone…

Wang Lie smiled, then his expression turned serious again as he carefully scanned his surroundings, on high alert for the next monster.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

“Lay the tarp here. That’s right, put it down.”

“A sun umbrella? Give that to Brother Cen… Hmm, he probably won’t want it. Just tell him others have one too. Huh? Who cares if it’s true—if you don’t say that, he definitely won’t take it!”

“A small clay stove? For Brother Cen? Are you crazy? Don’t let him see it. Just bring him water later. Oh, and he loves herbal tea. You… Ah, Brother Cen, you’re here!”

Xiao Ji jogged to the entrance of the small market, scratching his head. “We’re not ready yet. The supplies from the mountain haven’t been delivered either. Why don’t you go back and wait a bit?”

Cen An sat high on Su Rui’s shoulders, looking exasperated. “I’m in a hurry. Waiting here is just the same. ”

Xiao Ji led him to the center of the small market.

Cen An looked at the tall parasol, the comfortable seating area beneath it lined with animal hides, cotton cloth, and straw mats, and the small clay stove beside it boiling water with a hiss. The corner of his mouth twitched. “This…”

“Everyone has one of these!” Xiao Ji immediately stood at attention, stammering, “E-everyone has one—they just haven’t set them up yet!”

“Exactly, exactly! We all have them, Xiao Cen Boss!” An old woman nearby quickly chimed in. “I—I’ve even got a bamboo mat here; it’s better than yours!”

“Exactly! I’ll go get a—a… uh, a clay pot in a minute. It can boil water and stew meat!”

“As for me…”

Listening to the chorus of voices chiming in from all sides, Cen An sighed helplessly. “Alright, alright. I didn’t say I didn’t want them. Everyone, get back to work. Don’t worry about me.”

Xiao Ji gave a silly chuckle and hurried off.

Cen An shook his head in silence as his “mount” carefully set him down.

The small market had now been completely requisitioned. Supplies gathered from the mountains were brought here, where villagers and Cen An turned them into various traps, weapons, and medicines before sending them to the front lines of the beast tide.

Almost all the villagers had been mobilized.

Those who hadn’t been selected for the gathering squad due to age or physical condition could also sign up to work here; they’d still earn points, though slightly fewer than those in the gathering squad.

Everyone’s enthusiasm was reignited, and children, the elderly, and frail adults hurried over cheerfully to sign up.

As for those still hesitating and dithering… well, they’re the kind of people who wouldn’t even take a bite of a cake handed right to them—they deserve to starve to death.

Leaning against Su Rui’s chest, Cen An looked up to see that the small market had already been divided into sections; some were laying down tarps, others were setting up scaffolding. Liao Wanwan was directing the operation, with Xiao Ji and Wang Jin assisting her; the scene was bustling yet orderly…

“Brother Cen, the first batch of supplies has arrived: fifty pounds each of Flame Grass, Absorbent Grass, and Dodder; common herbs include… they’re all here—please take inventory!”

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew up, and a familiar Wind-type ability user rode the wind over, panting heavily but smiling happily. “Brother Cen, Brother Cen! We even encountered several Level 2 beasts and four Level 3 beasts. No one was injured, and everyone asked me to pass on their thanks to you!”

Indeed, due to a lack of storage items, this wind-elemental’s job was to transport the collected supplies down in batches. By the end of the day, his legs must have felt like they were about to fall off.

He, however, was quite happy—this job allowed him to see Brother Cen often. He wondered how many people in the ability-users squad envied him!

Cen An smiled as well. “I’m the one who should thank them for their trust.”

He directed the wind-elementalist to sort and categorize the herbs, and the cheerful villagers nearby immediately swarmed over.

They had all been taught how to handle herbs and various supplies, so they got to work without delay.

Soon, Cen An’s team began delivering batches of processed raw materials.

He set a serious expression, opened the formula, and began crafting them one by one.

The small market, organized by the Ability-Users Squad, was piled high with supplies, and the villagers worked in an orderly fashion. Every now and then, they glanced toward the center, faint smiles playing on their faces.

There sat their pillar of strength, the hope of Yongning Village. A flash of white light would occasionally appear there; with each flash that faded, an item or a medicinal herb would drop to the ground.

No one found it strange, and no one asked questions. Even those who hadn’t signed up but wanted to sneak in to snoop were kicked out.

That’s their Brother Cen/Xiao Cen the Boss, after all—isn’t it only natural for him to be impressive?

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

At the front lines of the Beast Tide.

It had been several hours since the beast tide began, yet the special abilities squad hadn’t yet engaged in close combat with the monsters. The reason, well…

Tian Yuan landed alongside the wind-type ability user; the air currents beneath his feet slowly dissipated. He said, “The second wave of monsters has entered the trap zone and will soon step on the fire traps. After the previous wave of beasts depleted the traps, the current ones aren’t enough to wipe them all out. It’ll be our turn soon… What’s he doing here?”

Behind him, Yu Lin rolled his eyes. He casually gathered a clump of grass leaves, tucked a seed inside, infused it with a thread of wood-elemental ability, and tossed it onto the ground. A pile of such grass balls had already accumulated on the ground.

Compared to the grass rabbits he’d given to Cen An, these things probably didn’t even have one percent of the care put into them… Don’t even mention protecting their master; they couldn’t even tell friend from foe. Just toss them on the ground, and whoever steps on them is out of luck. Placed in the midst of a monster horde, they’re actually quite a useful trap.

Truth be told, as far as Yu Lin was concerned, even if he were given three more lifetimes, he wouldn’t help Yongning Village fend off the monster horde. If Yongning Village were to disappear, it wouldn’t be his problem; neither he nor his brother would die from it, and at worst, they’d just find another place to settle.

But Cen An was in Yongning Village.

Seeing how Cen An had sacrificed all his gear for the sake of the entire village and had even started worrying about the villagers… Yu Lin seethed inwardly for a while, but in the end, he reluctantly followed Qu Yue to the front lines.

Thanks to the recovery potions and Hundred Flowers Elixir Cen An had given him, plus the vegetables he’d been eating every day, he wasn’t fully healed yet, but his abilities had recovered significantly. Most of his earlier weakness had been an act in front of Cen An. He wasn’t ready to join the fight, but making a few grass dumplings was no problem.

He was already seething when he saw Tian Yuan pointing at him. “None of your damn business,” he snapped.

Tian Yuan shrugged, not taking it to heart. This guy’s true nature was far from as docile as he appeared in front of Cen An.

A raging fire had already erupted up ahead, billowing thick smoke and the howls of beasts.

Zhao Wu chuckled, “This trap works like a charm. Once the fire dies down, we’ll just go pick up the crystal cores.”

He made it sound easy, but everyone present knew this was no walk in the park.

Wave after wave of beasts surged forward endlessly, with no end in sight, yet their traps and weapons were limited.

Once the traps had all been triggered, they would have to join the fray and fight the beasts themselves. By then, casualties were inevitable.

“Sister Qu, the traps on the east side have been exhausted; the monster horde will be here in ten minutes!”

“The traps on the west side have also been exhausted; the monster horde will arrive in about eight minutes!”

“The traps on the north side were exhausted three minutes ago; the monster horde will arrive in five minutes!”

Wind-elementalists were rushing in from all directions; amidst the howling gales, the atmosphere felt like a storm was about to break.

Qiu Yue’s expression remained composed. “Everyone, put on your gear and grab your weapons. Divide into four squads—head to the east, west, and north, while the remaining group stays here on standby, ready to rotate in!”

“Yes, sir!”

Tian Yuan smiled. “I’ll come help too.”

Yu Fei also stood up. His black robe was as heavy as a dark cloud, yet his presence was strangely reassuring.

“That’s great.” Qu Yue nodded decisively. Knowing these men had stepped forward for Cen An’s sake, she didn’t beat around the bush. “Tian Yuan, come with me to the north. Yu Fei, head to the west. Let’s aim to wipe out this entire wave of the beast tide!”

Wave after wave of beasts surged forward; if they failed to clear one wave, it would merge with the next, and the pressure would only grow.

“Wait! Don’t go yet!” A wind-elemental mage suddenly plummeted from the sky. “Hold on—Cen An sent me to bring you supplies!”

The wind-elemental was panting from exhaustion, a small tube of white grass soup—given to him by Cen An—still clenched between his teeth. With a swish, he turned the animal-skin pouch on his back inside out. “Forty fire traps, forty spike traps, twenty stone traps… “Oh, these stone traps are new. Brother Cen said you might not know how to use them, so he asked me to teach you.”

He took a sip of the white grass soup, then pulled a smaller pouch from his chest and emptied it out with a clatter, “Thirty packets of Rejuvenation Ointment, thirty packets of Blood-Restoring Powder, twenty Swiftness Pills…”

After counting all the pills, he took the last sip of white grass soup, cleared his throat, and declared loudly, “Brother Cen said for you to focus on fighting up front—leave the logistics to him. During this wave of beasts, not a single one of us can be lost!”

All traps, equipment, and medical supplies were distributed to the squad members.

As a member of the rear guard, Qi Yangze received 3 fire traps, 2 spike traps, 2 packets of Rejuvenation Ointment, and 1 Swiftness Pill.

These supplies weren’t abundant, simply because he was staying behind during this offensive. When the next shipment arrived, or if he needed to go to the front lines, he would be issued more supplies.

Qi Yangze examined the unactivated fire traps, his gaze dropping. He’d heard that he had made all these traps himself… If he knew these traps were being used by him, would he be upset?

No, probably not. That person would surely act as if he didn’t care…

Qi Yangze felt deflated again. He ran his hand over his silver-glinting armor. That man had said it long ago: business is business.

“Everyone, pull yourselves together!” the temporary squad leader said in a deep voice. “Even though we’re holding our ground here, the paths through the mountains and forests crisscross in every direction. There’s still a risk of a beast tide sweeping in—don’t let your guard down!”

Qi Yangze immediately responded and stood up straight.

That person had worked so hard for Yongning Village; he couldn’t be the one to hold them back.

The entire village of Yongning was like a brand-new, fledgling machine, running at full steam.

Up ahead, the ability-user squad and Cen An’s fellow ability-users fought valiantly, holding the surging tide of beasts at bay outside the village;

On the mountain, members of the Gathering Squad, clad in clunky armor, raced against the clock to gather the supplies needed by their young boss, Cen An.

At the small market, villagers carefully sorted and processed raw materials; once they passed through Cen An’s hands, they transformed into all manner of wondrous items…

And the wind-elementalists served as the messengers linking these various sites. Their feet never stopped moving; each carried three or five Swiftness Pills in their bosoms, and their wooden flasks at their waists held warm White Grass Soup…

Occasionally, when they ran into other colleagues from the ability-users squad, they’d be met with slightly jealous remarks: “It’s only you Wind-type ability users who get all the special treatment, huh? Hmph!”

They didn’t get upset; instead, they’d take a small wooden cup right in front of them, tilt their heads back to take a sip, and deliberately make a slurping sound… “Haha, Brother Cen specially brewed this soup for us—it’s absolutely delicious, haha!”

The other party: Totally annoyed!

But soon enough, the wind-elementalists wouldn’t be able to “boast” for much longer.

As time went on, Cen An’s logistics became increasingly well-organized.

Barrel after barrel of white grass soup was delivered to the front lines—warm, steaming hot, and though the smell wasn’t exactly pleasant, it represented Brother Cen’s care for them.

There wasn’t time to make wooden bowls, so a string of freshly cut bamboo tubes hung from the side of the barrel.

The one delivering the soup was Old Geng. “Ladies and lads, come over and have some soup! Young Master Cen said there’s no limit on how much or how often you can have it. There’s a charcoal fire going underneath, so you can come back for more anytime!”

“Give me a bowl first!” Yu Lin tossed aside the grass dumpling he was holding, and a smile finally spread across his sullen face. Though no one could prove it, there was definitely a portion of Brother Cen’s soup meant just for him!

Old Geng happily ladled out a bowl for him.

Yu Lin wrinkled his nose as he drank it down. Compared to the meals Cen An used to cook, this soup was nothing more than pot-scraping water. But he didn’t waste a single drop, drinking it all down to the last drop.

Tian Yuan rushed over from a distance, wiped the sweat from his forehead, tossed a trap to Yu Fei, and said, “It’s your turn next.” Then he came over to ask for some soup.

Yu Fei said nothing, took the trap, and after drinking two bowls of soup, his figure had already vanished.

A squad member standing nearby blinked, rubbed his eyes, and finally shrank his neck, not daring to speak.

Brother Cen’s friends are truly hidden gems… We knew they were capable, but we had no idea they were this capable.

These guys—Yu Fei, Yu Lin, and Tian Yuan—have been in Yongning Village for years, haven’t they? With the annual beast tides, when have we ever seen them step up to help?

Brother Cen really is the best…

The squad members each downed a bowl of soup, and their fatigue vanished instantly. Their limp limbs regained strength, and even the minor scrapes on their bodies began to show signs of healing.

Their backs straightened immediately, and they looked as energetic as if they’d just rolled out of bed.

Old Geng looked at the group of energetic young people with a kind smile in his eyes. He’d been through hundreds, if not thousands, of beast tides—when had he ever seen a scene like this?

Those beast tides were always littered with blood, severed limbs, despair, and screams… In short, they were never this vibrant and thriving.

“Alright, those who’ve finished their soup, start rotating!” Qiu Yue downed a cup of hot soup, wiped her mouth, and said, “Old Zhao and Tian Yuan stay behind; the rest of you…”

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone stood up in silence and went their separate ways.

It was finally Qi Yangze’s turn to head to the front lines.

He’d heard Qi Yangze liked crystal cores, so this time he planned to hunt down a few more beasts, save up the cores, and—uh—go buy groceries…

A foul, burning smell drifted from nearby, along with a heavy stench of blood and the distinctive, putrid odor of the beasts.

Qi Yangze snapped his head up instantly, a water arrow already materializing in his hand.

The temporary squad leader shouted, “Use the traps in your hands when you need to, and the medkits too—don’t hold back. And don’t forget who’s backing us up! I can’t speak for anything else, but if any of you get hurt, Brother Cen will definitely be furious!”

The squad members, who had been a bit tense, immediately burst into laughter. “Got it!”

The squad leader smiled as well, waving his hand. “Charge! Wipe them out, and let’s go back and report our victory to Brother Cen!”

Boom—

It was as if two distinct rivers had collided with tremendous force.

The number of beasts far outnumbered the members of the Ability-Users Squad.

In the past, when they encountered a pack of mutated beasts this large, even if they didn’t suffer a total wipeout, they’d still lose a few members.

Now…

A blue-haired dog suddenly appeared and bit viciously at Qi Yangze’s side—his silver armor flashed, and the strength of a Level 2 mutated beast wasn’t enough to breach its defenses.

Before it could react, Qi Yangze immediately drew his rock crystal dagger and thrust downward… It sank in as if cutting through tofu, meeting almost no resistance; the dagger had already pierced the blue-haired dog’s skull, and the beast was dead.

After all, Qi Yangze had been an Awakened for several years now and had gained some experience. He calmly dodged backward, swept his arm to knock over a red-tailed fox, and then faced a snow-antlered deer.

He gutted the snow-antlered deer, but before he could catch his breath, a dark shadow suddenly loomed overhead. A massive wolf’s paw came crashing down from above; he instinctively raised his sword to block… The immense force sent him flying violently backward.

His silver armor absorbed some of the impact, and Qi Yangze rose unscathed. But when he looked down, his back was drenched in cold sweat. A Bloodfang Wolf? A Level 4 Mutant Beast!

The squad members nearby naturally saw it too and cried out in shock, “A Level 4 Mutant Beast! There’s a Level 4 Mutant Beast here?”

“Level 4 beasts have been appearing in this wave for a while now! Didn’t Xiao Ji get…”

“Crap! Qi Yangze, get out of the way!”

Ignoring the humans’ shock, the Bloodfang Wolf seemed to have zeroed in on Qi Yangze. It leaped toward him, its icy fangs snapping at his throat…

Qi Yangze had no time to think; he instinctively threw the trap he was holding!

Looking back, he realized that in that split second, he still believed that only Cen An could save him.

The trap hit the ground and snapped open, landing right under the Bloodtooth Wolf’s feet. Six thick, sharp spikes shot out, instantly piercing the wolf’s legs and claws!

The Bloodfang Wolf let out a wail. It tried to flee, but a ring of barbs suddenly sprang open on the spikes; pulling them out would tear away a large chunk of flesh.

The Bloodfang Wolf, though bloodthirsty, was no fool; it froze in its tracks… but it was too late. As the spikes were drenched in blood, they began to grow taller and faster, eventually piercing the Bloodfang Wolf’s abdomen with brutal force. The massive wolf-like beast collapsed, its death both ferocious and tragic.

The ground spike trap, however, remained standing. Though the grown spikes had lost their stealth, they were still razor-sharp; if used properly, they could kill monsters one after another.

The special abilities squad that had been rushing over to rescue him stood there dumbfounded. “Holy crap…”

“Holy crap, the trap Brother Cen gave me took down a Level 4 monster?”

“Is it really that powerful? Should I take these traps back and treat them like sacred relics…”

Qi Yangze shook his head. “That’s not all.” He looked down at his armor and short sword. After going head-to-head with a Level 4 monster, he was unscathed, and his gear and weapons didn’t even have a single scratch.

Everyone instantly understood what he meant. Their expressions changed, and they sucked in a sharp breath. It wasn’t just the traps—even the gear they were wearing could withstand a Level 4 beast!

Their Brother Cen was too…

Wait a minute, something doesn’t seem right…

A trap capable of taking down a Level 4 beast single-handedly, gear that can withstand a Level 4 beast… plus a group of weak, helpless ability users?

Had they become mere vessels for the gear? Tools for setting traps?

The squad members immediately grimaced. They were definitely holding him back, weren’t they?