“Have you ever thought about becoming the leader of the ability-users squad?”

Cen An looked bewildered, wondering if he’d misheard. “…But I’m just an ordinary person, aren’t I?” If I’m not mistaken, aren’t you guys a team of ability users?

Shi Long’s expression was gentle. “You’re quite right. But so what if you’re an ordinary person? During this beast tide, who could doubt the contributions of ordinary people?”

Cen An was puzzled. He remembered that the ability-users squad had a rule against getting too deeply involved with ordinary people—a rule that seemed to have been established jointly by Squad Leaders Liao and Shi?

Shi Long seemed to have read his mind and spoke candidly: “I was so blinded by a single leaf that I couldn’t see the mountain. I was arrogant and self-righteous. As an ability user, I thought I was a cut above ordinary people, so I arrogantly decreed that the ability-users squad must protect ordinary people. And for the sake of protecting them, I forbade the squad from having close contact with ordinary people.”

He berated himself, and Cen An felt a bit embarrassed. “I know you meant well…”

Shi Long shook his head. “Doesn’t good intention that leads to bad results still count as a bad thing?”

As he said, in a world rife with danger, establishing a rule that “ability users must protect ordinary people” was both arrogant and impractical.

You might be able to protect them for a moment, but can you protect them for a lifetime?

Without looking too far ahead, take this recent beast tide: if Cen An hadn’t intervened, Yongning Village would likely have vanished by now—just like the countless other villages swallowed up by the beast tide, leaving not a single trace behind.

And it was precisely because of this that Shi Long witnessed the power of ordinary people, learned what it means for the people to unite as one, and recognized his own narrow-mindedness… He was relieved that it was still early on and hadn’t yet led to serious consequences.

But that wasn’t the main reason he wanted Cen An to become the leader.

“If you were to become the leader, you’d probably be more suitable than Team Leader Liao or me,” Shi Long finally let a faint smile touch his face. “Team Leader Liao only knows how to fight, and I only know how to manage…”

Cen An interrupted him helplessly, “Sorry, but I can’t fight, and I don’t know how to manage.”

“Then you’re the perfect fit,” Shi Long said with a broader smile; it was clearly a joke.

Qu Yue and the others all laughed. Xiao Ji winked at Cen An while laughing, showing not a hint of resistance. Cen An gave him a strange look, thinking to himself, “You guys aren’t all in favor of this, are you? This is ridiculous!”

After the laughter died down, Shi Long spoke seriously: “Mr. Cen, I’ve already discussed the decision to make you the leader with Team Leader Liao. This is something we’ve both given a great deal of thought to.”

Cen An immediately recalled that day when they were collecting supplies: Team Leader Shi had arrived late, and his first words had been, “I went to check on Old Liao.” So the two of them had been discussing this together?

Team Leader Shi continued, “Your standing in the village is unmatched right now—that’s a basic requirement for a leader. And most importantly, your presence brings hope to the villagers.”

Cen An felt increasingly helpless. “Isn’t this a bit…”

Shi Long replied earnestly, “Mr. Cen, if both of us were to appear at the same time and tell the villagers that a beast horde is coming tonight, who do you think they would believe?”

Cen An fell silent. Deep down, he already had a vague inkling of the answer. He didn’t really feel he’d done anything, so he often felt undeserving of the villagers’ gratitude and trust.

Team Leader Shi continued, “You may not realize just how important your presence is. Hope—it sounds a bit sentimental, but it’s indispensable. This dark world is too hard to bear. Please forgive us for clinging to a single firefly, just as one would cling to a lifeline.”

He looked at Cen An. “You are that lifeline.”

Cen An fell silent. This was the second time he’d heard such words. Back when he saved Xiao Ji, the villagers had come to bring him gifts of their own accord for the first time. When he tried to send them back, Wang Jin had said the exact same thing.

Could he really bring hope…

Cen An looked up at the crowd. Qu Yue and Zhao Wu smiled reassuringly at him. Wang Lie, Xiao Ji, and Wang Jin were also smiling at him, and even Qi Yangze, who was sitting farthest away, had his gaze fixed on him.

The looks they gave him were calm and trusting, as if they would accept any decision he made. Cen An suddenly felt at ease. “All right,” he said.

Team Leader Shi: “I know you feel this is a heavy responsibility, but rest assured, we’ll all… What did you say?” 

Cen An gave a slightly mischievous smile. “Team Leader Shi, I said ‘yes.’”

Shi Long jumped to his feet. “You—you agreed!” He looked as if he wanted to spin around twice, but realizing that would seem unprofessional, he slowly sat back down and said solemnly, “I’ll announce this good news at this year’s Sun Festival. Thank you, Chief!”

The squad members exchanged glances, grinned, and shouted in unison, “Thank you, Chief!”

Now it was Cen An’s turn to feel awkward. He waved his hand. “Never mind, just call me Brother Cen. By the way, is the Sun Festival coming up soon?”

Wang Lie, who had been silent the whole time, finally found an opening and smiled. “That’s right. The Sun Festival is the day after tomorrow. We’ll have a gathering at the small market then. All the villagers will come back, and everyone will share their food. It’ll be a lively affair.”

“I see.” Cen An thought for a moment, then gave a mysterious smile. “At the Sun Festival, I’ll have a gift for everyone, too.”

Everyone was curious and asked what the gift was, but he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he turned to Shi Long: “What was the second thing you mentioned?”

“That, huh.” Shi Long smiled again. “That’s something best discussed after you’ve become the chief.”

He tapped the table, and a man limped in from outside. His distinctive gait made him easy to recognize—it was Xie Xiuping.

Xie Xiuping didn’t look too pleased. As soon as he walked in and looked up, he saw Cen An and froze on the spot, his expression even tinged with anger. “What on earth are you doing I already told you, this has nothing to do with Boss Cen! You guys from the ability-users squad are bullying Boss Cen—aren’t you afraid of stirring up public outrage?”

Cen An looked puzzled: “What’s going on?”

Shi Long, however, wasn’t angry; he simply explained, “Here’s the thing: Xie Xiuping injured his leg during a beast tide five years ago—everyone in the village knows that. But a few days ago, I noticed his injury had healed significantly, so I guessed the Chief might have helped him.”

Xie Xiuping snapped, “I’ve already said it has nothing to do with Boss Cen!”

Cen An finally understood the situation and found himself at a loss for words. “All right, Xiuping. Captain Shi means no harm. Have a seat first.”

Xie Xiuping looked at Shi Long with suspicion. He spent every day in the woods, was always busy, and didn’t care much for gossip. He’d only heard a few rumors about Captain Shi “putting on a show” and was still somewhat in the dark about the whole thing. Seeing Shi Long persistently questioning him about Cen An, he grew wary, which is why this whole mix-up happened.

Seeing that Cen An had invited him to sit, he took a seat, though he shifted slightly to shield Boss Cen with his body, keeping a wary eye on the members of the ability-users squad across from them.

The team members were both amused and exasperated. Shi Long added, “Don’t worry. Boss Cen is now the leader of the ability-users squad. We wouldn’t harm him—we wouldn’t harm anyone.”

Xie Xiuping froze, then turned back. “Is that true, Boss Cen?”

Seeing Cen An nod, Xie Xiuping let out a long sigh of relief. “That’s great. The villagers can rest easy now.” Cen An paused for a moment, his expression softening. “Sit down properly. Don’t try to be a hero when your legs aren’t up to it.”

“Yes!” Xie Xiuping sat down. He was usually level-headed, and now that his composure had returned, he had pieced together the whole story. He looked across at them. “If you have any questions, just ask.”

Shi Long shook his head helplessly. “We want to ask if your leg has recovered a bit recently, and how you managed to recover.”

Xie Xiuping glanced back at Cen An. Seeing him nod, he began to explain everything in detail: “These are the vegetables the Chief gave me earlier. He said they could improve one’s physical condition. After I ate them…”

He described in detail the effects he experienced after eating the vegetables, adding at the end, “My grandparents also had some—I didn’t dare let them eat too much—but it worked for them too. Their physical strength has improved significantly.”

Shi Long nodded and said to Cen An, “Chief, this is the second thing I wanted to discuss. Your vegetables are beneficial to ordinary people as well, so would you be willing to set some aside for the villagers? Of course, we won’t give them away for free. I plan to continue implementing the points system. Villagers can earn points by working for the village or contributing supplies, and those points can be exchanged for vegetables.”

Cen An thought it over carefully, then nodded. “That’s fine.”

This was actually a good thing for him as well. He now had plenty of crystal cores, so why not expand the farm? He’d been worried that if the farm grew too large and produced too much, they wouldn’t be able to consume it all. If the villagers needed vegetables too, he could plant more, and the farm would level up much faster.

He added, “It doesn’t have to be just vegetables—other items, medicines, and weapons can be exchanged as well.” Thinking of the supplies piled around the courtyard, he was eager to give back to the villagers.

The squad members exchanged glances; they weren’t surprised to hear him say this.

Xie Xiuping, however, took a deep breath; the usually composed man nearly had tears in his eyes. “Thank you!”

Cen An startled him. “Sit down first…”

Shi Long looked at the two of them and added, “Since you provided the vegetables and supplies, the villagers’ contributions should be handled by you as well.”

Those words struck a chord with Xie Xiuping. He immediately replied, “That makes perfect sense. We certainly can’t let the Chief come out on the short end.” 

Cen An:?

Shi Long suppressed a smile. “You see, if we don’t agree to this, the villagers will have a bone to pick with our ability-users squad.”

Cen An looked at him, then at Wang Lie and the others who were smirking, and said calmly, “Alright, I agree.” Before they could celebrate, he added, “I have an idea of my own. Since we’re all leaders of ability-user squads now, we’re all family. From now on, I’ll cover the squad’s vegetables—no need to spend money on them.”

Now it was Shi Long’s turn to look puzzled: ?

After half a day of “haggling,” both sides finally agreed on several policies: First, the points system will continue. The ability-users squad will post requests for supplies or tasks, and villagers who submit supplies or complete tasks will earn points, which can be exchanged for various items, including vegetables.

All submitted supplies would belong entirely to Cen An. As for the tasks issued, they would primarily serve the village’s needs; even members of the ability-users squad were forbidden from abusing their authority for personal gain. (God only knows how much effort it took Cen An to get that last clause approved—he even had to change “the Leader” to “the leader of the ability-users squad” to make it pass.)

Second, since Boss Cen has become the Leader, the ability-users squad no longer needs to buy vegetables; instead, the Leader will provide them free of charge. At the same time, a portion of the crystal cores harvested by the ability-users squad must be shared with the Leader. The specific distribution is as follows: 30% remains with the ability-users squad, 30% goes to the Leader, and the remaining 40% is distributed among the squad members at their discretion.

Third, the Leader is responsible for providing the team with the necessary equipment, weapons, and medical supplies, and no one may refuse them. (This clause was decided by the Leader alone; if it had not been approved or if there had been a risk of losing the Leader, it would have been reluctantly accepted.)

Once these three policies were finally agreed upon, Xie Xiuping, who had been observing, was particularly dissatisfied. “I think buying groceries still costs money, right? Just because he’s the leader doesn’t mean Mr. Cen’s vegetable farming will suddenly become a breeze. And as for providing equipment and weapons—why not have the squad members trade their own supplies in exchange?”

Qu Yue and the others were about to agree when Cen An shot him a glare. “Shut up!”

If it weren’t for this guy stirring up trouble, constantly insisting, “The villagers will definitely be angry when they find out!” Cen An wouldn’t have had to resort to such stubbornness, threatening, “If you don’t agree, I’m out!”

Thinking about it now, it was a bit embarrassing…

He cleared his throat and brought up the original purpose of their visit.

Compared to what they’d discussed earlier, getting a plot of land was a minor matter. Not just Cen An—the ability-users squad wouldn’t turn down any villager who asked.

So, once they stepped outside, Cen An had gained the title of leader of the ability-users squad, and the plot of land stretching from the north side of the little cabin all the way to the foot of the mountain became his.

Cen An couldn’t be bothered with the whole “leader” thing anymore. After all, Shi Long had said he’d handle the day-to-day operations; Cen An just needed to make decisions on major matters and collect supplies from time to time.

Mr. Cen went out to inspect the plot of land. There was no need for the livestock shed to be too far from home.

In the end, he built a small livestock pen about fifty meters north of the cabin. The pen wasn’t large, but since it was created by the system, the conditions were quite good.

Polished wooden railings enclosed an area of about fifty square meters. At the far end stood a wooden shed with a small window, housing a clean feeding trough and a water dispenser.

The feed trough was filled with feed, and the waterer held clean water; both would need to be replenished once emptied. The floor of the pen was covered with hay to provide a warm place for the animals to sleep.

Cen An took a look around and was very satisfied. These conditions were even better than where he’d lived when he first arrived! He was sure he could raise the animals to be plump and healthy—gaining weight where they should and laying eggs as they should!

Next, he could head up the mountain to catch some animals.

The first barn was a small one, so he planned to start by raising small animals like chickens, ducks, and rabbits. He could catch these animals himself by setting traps, so he’d head up the mountain tomorrow to give it a try.

With that taken care of, Cen An turned his attention to the next task.

The Day of the Sun festival is the day after tomorrow. He plans to give his friends a surprise at the festival… though “surprise” isn’t quite the right word—perhaps “scare” would be more appropriate.

Cen An smiled; this decision wasn’t a difficult one for him to make, and he hoped his friends wouldn’t be too shocked. Then, he thought of something else.

Su Rui hadn’t been around in a long time.

When he had nothing to do, the guy would hang around him every day, but when something was up, he’d vanish without a trace.

Cen An had originally thought that since the beast tide had just passed and there weren’t many dangers in the mountains, nothing serious could have happened. But it had been several days since Su Rui left, and even Yin Xiang had gone. He still felt a little worried. Could something have happened to him?

Maybe he should go check on him tomorrow?

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

In the morning, Cen An got up, ate breakfast, and told Xiao Yi he was leaving. Just as he was about to head out, he ran right into Yu Fei.

Yu Fei was his usual self, not even bothering to meet his gaze. “Let’s head up the mountain.”

Cen An paused for a moment before remembering that they’d actually set up a rotation schedule earlier… Since his friends’ kindness was well-intentioned, there was no need to refuse, so he simply turned around and wrapped up a few wild vegetable dumplings.

The wild vegetable dumplings were today’s breakfast. They were packed with lard; with one bite, the fresh, tender juices of the wild greens mixed with the fat, creating an aroma so intense it was almost overwhelming.

He handed the dumplings to Yu Fei. “Let’s go.”

Yu Fei followed behind him, not even needing to look where he was going. He ate as he walked, and before they’d even left the village, he’d polished off all four wild vegetable dumplings. His face was as pale as a coffin, with a shiny ring of grease around his mouth…

Cen An set a few traps in familiar spots, then went to cut a batch of bamboo.

Since that plot of land had been assigned to him, he planned to cut a bamboo pipe to channel water from the mountain into the courtyard, so he wouldn’t have to fetch water every day. After cutting the bamboo, there was still no sign of movement at the traps, so the two of them sat on a rock and waited.

Cen An began to worry about Su Rui again. The guy was incredibly arrogant, convinced his supernatural abilities were invincible; he’d never ask anyone for help, no matter what. Cen An was genuinely afraid he’d take a tumble in the gutter.

After agonizing over it for a long time, he finally asked, “Brother Fei, is it dangerous in the mountains right now?”

Yu Fei opened his eyes and said hoarsely, “Where do you want to go?”

“Deep in the mountains,” Cen An gestured. “The cave where Su Rui lives.”

Yu Fei nodded, stood up, and started walking forward. Cen An hurried to keep up.

Although the mountains were much quieter after the beast tide had passed, there were still some mutant beasts around.

Many of these mutant beasts were slow to react; they hadn’t managed to join the beast tide and get their share of the spoils, so they’d survived by the skin of their teeth and now had to scavenge for scraps to get by.

But today, these mutant beasts were in for a treat!

Deep within the ancient forest, a hoarse voice rang out, “Are they all dead?” 

“…Kill.”

A moment later, “All gone?” 

“Mm…”

A little while later, “All gone?”

“……”

Cen An said helplessly, “Bro Fei, is it possible that we really do have to kill all the mutant beasts?”

Yu Fei remained impassive. “You said we shouldn’t act recklessly.” Cen An pressed his hand to his forehead. “I was talking about people—mutant beasts don’t count.” Yu Fei nodded.

A strange ripple suddenly emanated from his body. His pitch-black eyes instantly turned purple. The pack of Bloodfang Wolves across from him suddenly tucked their tails between their legs and trembled in fear, while the mutant beasts hiding in the surrounding area let out waves of mournful cries.

Cen An guessed this must be an unpleasant sensation, but he didn’t feel it himself—for when the ripples brushed past him, they were gentler than a spring breeze; he only felt a faint tickling sensation.

Then, he watched as the pack of Bloodfang Wolves threw themselves against the wall one by one until they died, and the other mutant beasts around them also crumbled to dust. Cen An fell silent for a moment. No wonder he’d asked about it earlier—so he’d been holding back all along…

He looked at Yu Fei, his gaze steadying, and suddenly asked, “Brother Fei, is there something wrong with your ability? Are you sick, or what’s going on?”

Yu Fei withdrew his hand. “It’s just being restricted.”

Cen An nodded. On Yu Fei’s status bar, five small characters were slowly fading away: 【Ability Restricted】. It was another debuff that only appeared when abilities were used—not just on Yu Fei, but on Tian Yuan as well.

With his status fully active, Yu Fei’s pace immediately quickened, and the two soon reached the vicinity of Su Rui’s cave. Just as Cen An was about to step forward, Yu Fei reached out and pulled him back behind him. “Danger.”

Cen An froze. “Is Su Rui in danger? Or is there danger ahead?”

Yu Fei: “Spatial distortion.”

Cen An was taken aback again and again; that certainly sounded dangerous!

He felt a bit anxious. He wanted to help but didn’t know where to start. Besides, with the spatial distortion, had Su Rui already been teleported away? Suddenly, Yu Fei snapped his head up, and a surge of spiritual energy erupted from his body.

Almost simultaneously, a wind blade slammed down, a gale swept past, and a figure approached. “Is that you?” Su Rui appeared, his oppressive gaze sweeping over Yu Fei before turning to Cen An.

Cen An felt a blur before his eyes, and Su Rui was already by his side, his head nuzzling against Cen An’s neck. “Tasty?” Cen An pushed him away with both hands, feeling as if he’d been swarmed by a big dog. “Get away from me, it’s sweltering!”

Su Rui moved to the other side and continued sniffing. “Did you bring these for me?”

Cen An pushed him twice but couldn’t budge him, so he pulled out the wrapped wild vegetable dumplings and flung them into Su Rui’s arms. “Here, here, here!” What a waste of his trip all this way.

Su Rui raised an eyebrow, his expression instantly brightening. He unwrapped the leaf bundle with a flourish and began devouring it bite by bite. Cen An felt a twinge of pity; judging by the way he was eating, he probably hadn’t had a proper meal in days.

Just then, a tiny figure dropped from the sky. “Brother Cen!”

It was, of course, Yin Xiang. He ran over cheerfully, “Brother Cen, something yummy!” Cen An thought to himself, True to form for a blood brother. 

He pointed at Su Rui, “It’s with your brother.” Yin Xiang wouldn’t dare compete with his brother. He glanced back, then looked at Cen An with a pitiful expression. Cen An had no choice but to take out his own lunch and share a few pieces with him.

Fearing they might choke, he fetched a bamboo cup and poured water for them.

Yin Xiang’s eyes welled up with tears. “Brother Cen, do you need another little brother? I can be the third one.”

Cen An pressed his hand to his forehead. “Behave yourself. Your brother’s going to beat you up again in a minute.” After the two had finished eating, Cen An asked them in detail what had happened.

It turned out it was all that old jerk Lin Dao’s fault again.

That sneaky bastard didn’t even know anything about magical arrays himself. His teleportation array and life-draining array were both stolen from who knows where—and he’d stolen them from more than just one person.

He didn’t really understand it to begin with, and when he used it, he ended up overlapping the two magical arrays. As a result, the arrays malfunctioned and disrupted the surrounding space.

Upon discovering this, Su Rui concentrated the chaotic energy near his home and fought it single-handedly to prevent it from affecting the surrounding mountains and forests.

Wolves are very protective of their territory; as the king of this land, he naturally had to safeguard its peace.

More importantly, the spatial instability would gradually expand the area of collapse, and sooner or later, it would affect Yongning Village, where his human kin still lived.

Unfortunately, the area of spatial disruption was too vast, and the chaotic spatial energy was too powerful. Yin Xiang hadn’t yet mastered spatial abilities, so he could only help out with menial tasks on the sidelines… Thus, the entire spatial anomaly could only be stabilized by Su Rui alone. He was stretched too thin and had yet to resolve the issue.

“What should we do then?” Cen An asked with a hint of worry. “If you can’t stabilize it, won’t you be stuck here forever?”

“I’ve already figured it out.” Su Rui finished the last wild vegetable dumpling. His greasy hands tried to sneakily rub against Cen An, but after being caught, he took three quick punches before finally admitting, “We can fight fire with fire. By using spatial abilities to attack this area and release all the chaotic spatial energy, we can stabilize it.”

Cen An rubbed his sore hand and nodded. As long as there was a solution, that was all that mattered.

Yin Xiang looked over enviously. His brother’s head must feel amazing to touch—when would he get a chance to punch it too? It was his lifelong dream!