Shi Long continued, “Besides the livestock team, we need another team.”

When Cen An looked over, he said, “If I’m not mistaken, the Chief must need a lot of crystal cores?” 

This was something he couldn’t hide, so Cen An nodded readily, “That’s right. We need a lot of both silver and white crystal cores.” Shi Long nodded, “So, we also need a hunting team.”

He pulled a map of the surrounding area from under the table and drew a circle around Yongning Village. “Before, we were short-handed, and the resource zone was only this big—the resources inside have almost been depleted. Now that our number of ability users has nearly doubled, it’s time to expand the resource zone.”

Seeing that no one objected, Team Leader Shi continued, “The wheat and rice seeds from the Chief arrived just in time. With ample food supplies, we can support more people, which will benefit our goals.”

Cen An looked at the map thoughtfully. “In that case, we can use the nearby mountains for planting trees… In a little while, I’ll be able to grow cotton and fruit trees.”

Reaching Farm Level 5 unlocks the tree purchase page, offering a wide variety of tree types, including fruit trees and cotton. With cotton, the village will never run short of cloth!

Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation are basic human needs; Yongning Village must achieve self-sufficiency.

Everyone grew excited. Tian Yuan smiled and tapped the table. “We really should see Brother Cen more often—he always brings good news.” Amid a burst of laughter, the group began discussing the details.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Yongning Village has been undergoing frequent changes lately, and the villagers have long since grown accustomed to them.

Since several more children had awakened to special abilities, Cen An thought for a moment and asked Sun Xiaoshu to organize these little ones into a dedicated publicity team. They ran all over the village, helping to spread the word about new policies and updates.

That morning, as soon as the villagers woke up, they heard the loud, boisterous laughter of children coming from outside.

An elderly couple whose children had all passed away. The old man smiled at his wife and said, “Those little rascals are here again. I’ll go see who it is.” He opened the door, and sure enough, a crowd of children poured in. “Grandpa!”

“Good morning, Grandpa and Grandma!”

“Grandpa and Grandma, we’re here to promote the new policy!”

The two elderly people laughed so hard their wrinkles deepened, and they replied in unison, “Oh, that’s wonderful, that’s wonderful~” The once-quiet little cottage seemed to suddenly come alive.

Sun Xiaoshu stood up front like a little adult and announced proudly, “First, some good news: from now on, our village will be able to grow wheat and rice! Brother Cen got the seeds, and the growing period is just one month.”

The elderly couple thought they must have heard wrong. After a moment’s pause, the old man slapped his thigh. “Is… is that really true?”

Sun Xiaoshu’s chest swelled with pride. “The propaganda team never spreads false news!”

The elderly couple exchanged glances, and tears welled up in the old woman’s eyes. “Wonderful, wonderful… From now on, these children won’t have to go hungry…” 

As she began to cry, the children grew anxious. “Grandma, don’t cry! We’ll—we’ll be good!”

“Isn’t there another piece of good news? Brother Xiaoshu, hurry up and tell us!”

Sun Xiaoshu was at a loss for words. “Um, there’s one more piece of news—our Ability Squad has changed again…” The matter was a bit complicated. He explained it carefully, and the elderly couple listened intently, actually forgetting all about their tears. In short, the Ability Squad was now divided into two parts: the Combat Squad and the Administrative Department.

The Combat Squad is led by Captain Liao, who handles all combat-related matters: patrols, protection, hunting expeditions, escorting the gathering squad, and so on.

The Administrative Division is led by Captain Shi, whose responsibilities are much broader: the farming team, the miscellaneous tasks team, the livestock team… Anything not under the Combat Squad’s purview falls to him, including the former mediation affairs group and the Points Exchange Office, which have now been merged into his division.

A village of only five hundred people has established so many departments—is it merely to absorb the surplus manpower?

Of course not… Whether they were ability users or simply observant villagers, everyone could see the ambition of Yongning Village’s Ability Squad. Although their territory hadn’t expanded yet, the necessary framework was already in place; all that remained was to fill it with people.

No one could be certain what this remote, little-regarded mountain village would grow into in the future. Sun Xiaoshu explained the current policies to the elderly couple, then headed to the next household.

Soon, everyone in the village heard about these two pieces of good news.

The first was obviously good news, but why was the second piece of news good as well? Because the farming and livestock teams had started recruiting!

The job requirements were clearly stated: in addition to points, they would also be distributing grain! For now, they were distributing regular grain, but once the Star Diamond Wheat and Star Diamond Rice were harvested, they would distribute Star Diamond-grade grain! Rumor had it that the seeds came from Boss Xiao Cen himself!

There’s no need to explain just how amazing Boss Xiao Cen’s vegetables and fruits are, right? Villagers are flocking to the Administrative Department, afraid they’ll miss out if they’re too late.

What? You’re asking what about the frail villagers? Isn’t there a Miscellaneous Tasks Group? This group was clearly the leader’s brainchild—the perks are practically free…

To be fair, Yongning Village’s efficiency flows from the top down. The Ability Squad works quickly, and the villagers below them move even faster. In less than three days, several teams had already filled their ranks and were running smoothly.

There hadn’t been a single dissenter in the village for centuries. Today, every villager was fully committed to their leader, hoping for the village’s continued prosperity.

Consequently, nearly every villager signed up, and Yongning Village began to function like a massive machine.

In less than three days, the open spaces throughout the village had been covered with gleaming 【Crystal Nucleus Powder Land】, and the seeds had been securely planted.

Every villager passing by these strange plots of land wore a satisfied smile.

Farming, bountiful harvests… these words, once so distant from their lives, had reappeared before them. Their leader had reconnected them to the land, and from now on, they might finally be able to feed themselves with their own hands.

And so, that very night, the sound of clinking and clanging rang out once more in Cen An’s courtyard…

Xiao Cen opened his eyes slowly, paused for a moment, then rolled over and fell back asleep. Never mind, let them do as they please…

Mao Zhengwang pushed open the door and asked, “May I ask if I can’t go out today either?”

Wu Lihui, being young, replied somewhat awkwardly, “Well, the village is repairing the road lately, and there’s a lot of dust. I’m afraid it might get your clothes dirty…”

Mao Zhengwang nodded. “I understand. I was hoping you could ask when I’ll be able to go out. My injury has healed, and I’m ready to go up the mountain to gather resources.” He gave an embarrassed smile. “Eating free meals every day makes me feel guilty.”

Wu Lihui scratched his head. “I’ll go ask.”

A few minutes later, he ran back. “Team Leader Shi says you can head out now, but I still have to go with you. Are you going up the mountain to collect samples right away?”

Mao Zhengwang breathed a huge sigh of relief, nodded immediately, and pushed open the door to step outside.

He was indeed going to gather resources… He knew that the fact that he hadn’t been allowed to leave for the past few days meant something must have changed in Yongning Village. He was still a little torn—if he saw any subtle changes or places that hadn’t been hidden properly, should he point them out, or pretend not to notice?

But the moment he stepped outside… the changes were just too obvious! I’m not saying this to be rude, but did the people of Yongning Village even try to hide anything at all? You’d have to be blind as a bat to pretend not to see this!

What on earth is that stuff on the ground? And why is it reflecting light? The glare is actually kind of blinding… Are they afraid I won’t notice it?

As he got closer, he noticed that among the reflective patches of soil, there were actually palm-sized seedlings growing… He was certainly surprised, but his eyes were practically going blind…

Mao Zhengwang, tears streaming down his face in the wind, said, “Um, is it a bad idea that I saw this…?”

Wu Lihui looked puzzled. “Huh? Why?”

Mao Zhengwang paused for a moment. The people of Yongning Village really have some nerve…

Little did he know—not to mention that he was just an ordinary person—that there were currently nearly seventy ability users in Yongning Village alone. What kind of trouble could he possibly stir up on his own?

For everyone in Yongning Village, the only treasure they needed to hide was their leader. As long as no one tried to harm their leader, that was enough.

Besides, farming is something that has to be done in broad daylight—crops won’t grow in your bed!

As for the system’s built-in reality protection feature… the villagers didn’t even know it existed! And even if they did, well, that was something their leader could turn on or off at his own discretion!

Mao Zhengwang didn’t say anything either. He obediently went up the mountain to gather supplies. He returned a portion of what he collected as payment for the meals he’d had over the past few days and kept the rest for himself. Although he didn’t know what the future held, he figured he’d just take things one day at a time.

No wonder he survived the village massacre—his adaptability was actually pretty good. Or perhaps it was just that people from other worlds were all highly adaptable; those who couldn’t adapt to their environment had long since been weeded out…

After realizing the people of Yongning Village weren’t as wary of him as he’d thought, on the third day, Mao Zhengwang asked if he could join the foraging group. He didn’t need the benefits; he just wanted some security.

Wu Lihui went to speak with Team Leader Shi again. This time, after consulting with Cen An, Team Leader Shi decided to let him join. Since he was joining, there was no need to skimp on benefits—he would receive whatever treatment was standard. Like everyone else, he would hand over a portion of the supplies he gathered and keep the rest for himself, with bonuses for outstanding performance.

And so Mao Zhengwang joined the gathering team and worked tirelessly for three or five days. During that time, he got to know the villagers in the gathering team well and heard about their benefits—things like the activity center and point redemption… He stared in envy, his eyes wide with admiration.

For now, he only had the benefits of the gathering team; he didn’t enjoy the privileges granted to actual villagers.

If only he were a native of Yongning Village, Mao Zhengwang found himself thinking involuntarily. As long as he worked hard and the villagers saw his determination, there should be a chance… he thought, though he didn’t hold out much hope.

The harvesting team selected a “Labor Star” every five days, and on his tenth day with the team, Mao Zhengwang was chosen. He was naturally a hardworking person. In a place like Stone Spring Village, you couldn’t survive without being hardworking.

That day, he received a cold jade melon as a personal reward from Cen An. Seeing the envious glances from his teammates, Mao Zhengwang chuckled.

From a distance, the smile on his face now looked no different from that of a native of Yongning Village—a bright smile, a world apart from the darkness of the past.

So much so that when someone came to tell him the scout sent to Stone Spring Village had returned, he didn’t even realize it at first.

“Stone Spring Village? Ah…” Mao Zhengwang handed the cold jade melon to a colleague standing nearby, asking him to take it back for him. “I’ll be right there!”

This was his first time at the Yongning Village Ability Squad base; to him, it looked no different from any other house. In Stone Spring Village, however, ability users had built a small two-story stone building.

Upon entering, he found Cen An, Team Leader Shi, and the others already there.

Mao Zhengwang knew his place. Glancing around, he immediately bowed to Cen An—he now knew that Cen An was the leader of Yongning Village.

“Thank you for your generous hospitality and for saving my life.”

Cen An quickly helped him up. “Please, have a seat.”

Mao Zhengwang sat down at the lower end of the table, while two wind-elemental ability users, looking thoroughly worn out from their journey, stood in the middle—they were the ones who had gone to investigate Stone Spring Village. One of them said, “Stone Spring Village is completely deserted, and all the bodies have been disposed of. We also discovered a large number of fresh graves outside the village.”

“Could there still be survivors? They couldn’t have gone far—otherwise, they wouldn’t have had the strength to bury the dead villagers,” Tian Yuan said.

Cen An nodded in agreement; that was exactly what he had suspected.

The ability user replied, “That’s exactly what we thought. So we searched the surrounding area and found signs of human activity.” Mao Zhengwang jumped to his feet in anxiety. “How many people? What are their names?”

Everyone could understand how he felt. Wang Jin, standing beside him, patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, just let him explain.” Mao Zhengwang slowly sat down, though his expression remained anxious.

The ability user didn’t beat around the bush and blurted out, “We were afraid the village raiders hadn’t left yet, so we didn’t get too close. We just observed from a distance for two days. The place where that group is currently staying is about a day and a half’s journey from Stone Spring Village, in a small valley to the east. Judging by the food they’ve gathered, there are probably fifty or sixty of them. There shouldn’t be any ability users among them, because the ones who came out were all young, able-bodied ordinary people.”

Mao Zhengwang’s face lit up. “Fifty or sixty people! That many… The valley east of the village… That must be Spring Eye Valley. There’s a spring there. Hiding there, they won’t have to worry about running out of water. We once encountered a severe beast tide, and the village elders took us there to hide for over ten days!”

“Then that must be it,” the ability user said. “Afterward, we didn’t want to scare them, so we just took a few glances from a distance and left. Also, there’s no sign that the village raiders have returned. They burned the village to the ground and left; they probably won’t be coming back.”

Cen An frowned. “How casual… It feels less like they slaughtered a village and more like they squashed a nest of ants.” He despised that attitude; people who showed no respect for life didn’t deserve respect from others.

“That’s how it is out there,” said Wang Lie, who had been traveling with merchant caravans for several years. “Here in Yongning Village, we have few people and few problems, but in many places outside, they don’t treat people like human beings. Take the Tianhu Base, for instance—decades ago, they had a deranged leader who wanted to lock up all the women in the base, locked up, and award one to any subordinate who earned merit. It caused such outrage that families with daughters weren’t even afraid of the mutant beasts—they just had to get out of there.”

“I’ve heard that story too,” Xiao Ji added. “Later, that lunatic was taken out by a Level 6 female ability user.”

“That female ability user was named Leng Tingran,” Qu Yue said. “After she took out that lunatic, she helped Tianhu Base select a decent, by-the-book leader and then left. Tianhu Base has been on its best behavior ever since. Rumor has it that if their leader ever steps out of line, someone impersonating Leng Tingran will send them a letter, scaring them so much they can’t even sleep.”

Cen An listened, wide-eyed. After a long moment, he said quietly, “From now on, everyone should just call me ‘Little Boss Cen,’ or ‘Brother Cen’ is fine too…” He just felt that the title “leader” had become tainted.

Everyone laughed. The two Wind-type ability users went off to rest, and Team Leader Shi turned to Mao Zhengwang. “Mr. Mao, do you need us to escort you to meet up with the people from Stone Spring Village?”

“I…” Mao Zhengwang was about to say, “Of course I do!” but froze at the last moment. He thought back on his life over the past few days.

This was probably—no, this was definitely the best stretch of time he’d ever had in his life. No need to worry about going hungry, no need to worry about mutant beasts, and not even a worry that ability users would barge into his home to collect taxes…

Every day he ate his fill and slept soundly, worked hard, and saw his household’s supplies grow. Even the shadow of the village massacre was slowly fading. Was he really going to return to Stone Spring Village like this?

Stone Spring Village was, of course, his home, but it lacked both the tranquility and the prosperity of Yongning Village…

As he thought about it, Mao Zhengwang’s spirits sank once more. Even if he wanted to stay, the people of Yongning Village wouldn’t be happy about it. What kind of relationship is that—having to support a stranger?

Shi Long watched his shifting expressions, exchanged a glance with Cen An, and said, “Mr. Mao, if you don’t want to go back, I have another solution.”

Mao Zhengwang immediately looked up, asking anxiously, “What solution?”

Shi Long replied calmly, “Have you ever considered bringing the people of Stone Spring Village to join Yongning Village?” Mao Zhengwang was taken aback.

Shi Long: “As you can see, Yongning Village has everything it needs right now—except people. Of course, once the people from Stone Spring Village arrive, their benefits and working conditions won’t be the same as those of the local villagers. But their lives will definitely be better than before…”

Mao Zhengwang nodded vigorously. Never mind the current benefits—even if they were cut in half, life would still be far better than it used to be in Stone Spring Village!

Shi Long nodded at him and turned to Cen An. “What do you think, Chief?”

Cen An found it somewhat amusing that Shi Team was dragging him into this charade. He nodded. “I think it’s acceptable. There’s strength in numbers. If the villagers of Stone Spring Village are willing, Yongning Village is willing to accept them. There’s just one thing I’d like Mr. Mao to keep in mind: we won’t accept those of poor character, those who are lazy and good-for-nothing, or those with ulterior motives. Once they arrive, all rules must align with those of Yongning Village.”

The Chief was indeed a soft-hearted man, but he also knew that establishing clear rules from the start would benefit everyone. Shi Long agreed wholeheartedly and turned to Mao Zhengwang: “As for this matter, we’ll leave the vetting to you, Mr. Mao.”

Mao Zhengwang felt a bit nervous, but he didn’t rush to refuse. Instead, he paused to think for a moment before saying earnestly, “I will do my best, but as the saying goes, ‘You can judge a person by their appearance, but not by their heart, ’ so it’s hard to guarantee everyone’s character. I think it might be better if the people and I from Stone Spring Village stay outside for now.”

Cen An was slightly surprised; he hadn’t expected him to say that… In fact, he and Shi Long had already decided the same thing.

However, there was no need to discuss this with Mao Zhengwang in advance. He merely smiled and said, “Very well. Then, Mr. Mao, why don’t you make the necessary preparations? Shall we depart tomorrow?” Mao Zhengwang took a deep breath and suddenly bowed again. “Regardless of what others may do, I am still willing to join Yongning Village. Thank you once again, Chief.”

Cen An was taken aback. Before he could help him up, Mao Zhengwang had already stood and walked out on his own.

Behind him, Shi Long remarked with a hint of approval, “If he can seize this opportunity, his life might change significantly in the future.”

Cen An thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. He sensed that Mao Zhengwang wasn’t the type to settle for mediocrity; his willingness to volunteer for the Yongning Village foraging squad was proof of that. The man possessed the alertness of a herbivore and knew exactly what was best for himself.

That night, Mao Zhengwang ate a crisp, sweet cold jade melon and spent the entire evening deep in thought.

The next day, accompanied by two wind-elemental ability users, he set off for Stone Spring Village.

In addition to the three of them, the group included two large crates of supplies prepared by Yongning Village, ostensibly for him to oversee their distribution. Mao Zhengwang understood, however, that the two wind-elemental ability users were the “fist,” while the supplies were the “carrot.”

Yongning Village genuinely wanted to take in—or rather, absorb—the remaining people from Stone Spring Village, so they had not only demonstrated their strength but also their wealth. He intended to do a thorough job with this assignment.

What would normally be a two-day journey for wind-ability users took five days with Mao Zhengwang in tow. By the time they reached the so-called Spring Eye Valley, it was already afternoon.

“It’s just up ahead.” Mao Zhengwang clutched his luggage, gazing at the hidden entrance with a flicker of excitement. Of the sixty or seventy survivors, would there be anyone he knew? His parents and relatives had already passed away, but seeing other familiar faces would still be a great comfort.

Mao Zhengwang walked excitedly toward the entrance. Just as he was about to step inside, an ability user behind him yanked him back. A gust of wind swept overhead, and a sharpened bamboo spear flew past, grazing the top of his head by a hair’s breadth.

The valley was completely silent, yet several bamboo arrows whizzed through the air. Two ability users summoned gusts of wind to blow the arrows off course.

Mao Zhengwang gasped. “This is a trap commonly used in Stone Spring Village. Once set, you can’t get in or out. Could something dangerous have happened?”

Speaking, he didn’t even bother to consider the danger and ran deeper into the valley. “Is anyone there? It’s Mao Zhengwang. I’m back!”

The valley was silent for a moment, then a voice suddenly called out, “A-Wang?”

“It’s me!” he shouted immediately. “I’m back! Are you all okay?”

A clamor of voices filled the valley. It was rare to have so many people gathered together; just moments ago, not even a cough could be heard.

“A-Wang, is that you? Have you seen our A-Zheng?”

“A-Wang’s alive too? That’s great—we’ve got one more person…”

“Ah, too bad there isn’t enough food…”

Mao Zhengwang hurriedly said, “I brought food! I also brought two people with me—they’re ability users!” The moment the words “ability users” were uttered, the valley fell silent for a moment.

Mao Zhengwang understood the residents’ reservations. He gave the two wind-elemental ability users a nod and led them inside. After passing through the rugged mountain path, the scene suddenly opened up before them.

Spring Eye Valley wasn’t very large, and sure enough, there was a small spring in the center. The temperature and humidity were just right, and the vegetation was lush.

On the flat ground ahead, sixty or seventy people sat cross-legged on the ground. A few meager supplies were haphazardly piled around them, and there were only about ten portions of food. Several young children huddled in their parents’ arms, crying weakly, but their voices were as soft as a kitten’s.

Moreover, almost all of these people were young; there were very few elderly or children left.

Mao Zhengwang’s eyes stung with emotion. “Is everyone all right? Is this all that’s left of us…?”

Five hundred people—the entire population of Stone Spring Village—and in the end, only these few survived…

“Cough, cough…” A frail cough echoed through the air. Mao Zhengwang looked up to see the village’s oldest elder. He hurried forward to offer a hand, “Grandfather.”

The old patriarch’s pale hair was disheveled, and the wrinkles on his face resembled the skin of a dried tangerine. Compared to the smiling elders of Yongning Village, he seemed to belong to a completely different world.

Though old in years, the old patriarch’s spirit remained sharp. His piercing gaze fixed on Mao Zhengwang. “Now that you’re back, A-Wang, is there something you wish to say?” Mao Zhengwang nodded.

On the way here, he’d been torn—did his desire to join Yongning Village betray Stone Spring Village that had raised him? But now, witnessing the plight of the remaining villagers, Mao Zhengwang was resolved: he would lead them all to Yongning Village.

He understood all too well that only Yongning Village—and only its leader—could save them.