A dark afterimage, wrapped in a gust of wind, rushed towards the boss, sword shadows flashing within the afterimage. After a round of skills, the boss's health was emptied, and he fell to the ground with a wail, then disappeared with a loud bang.
“…” The five archers were silent for a while: We agreed to cooperate, but it seems that this boss can be defeated without them.
Then, everyone will be prompted:
[A total of 55 items were dropped. Player Ye Miao caused 78% of the damage and can choose 43 items as rewards.]
[A total of 55 items were dropped. Player Chu Cheng caused 13% of the damage and can choose 7 rewards.]
[A total of 55 items were dropped. Player Yihang caused 8% damage and can choose 4 rewards.]
…
Of the six-man team, Ye Miao and Chu Cheng were max-level players, and the other four were above level 90, all possessing extensive combat experience. Although the system prompt only displayed their own share, everyone could guess the approximate output ratio.
The five archers exchanged glances. After a long period of tacit understanding, a glance was enough to understand each other's meaning, not to mention that everyone now had the same idea.
So Chu Cheng coughed lightly and said, "Don't give in. This time, we'll divide it according to the system's ratio."
"Hmm?" Ye Miao, who was about to change the distribution ratio, looked at them. "Didn't we discuss this before?"
Yi Hang laughed dryly: "We had discussed this before, but when we were discussing it, I didn't expect you to be so arrogant!"
Ye Miao: “…”
The five people looked sincere: We would be in a bad mood based on the previous ratio!
Ye Miao curled her lips and stopped insisting. Everyone walked towards the scattered debris on the ground, prioritizing what they needed.
[Item: Alloy Wristband]
【Quality: Purple】
[Description: Clothing. When worn, increases defense by 30%. Attacking triggers the skill "Wind Shock," knocking enemies within 3 meters away and dealing a small amount of damage.]
Durability: 300/300
Ye Miao's face was full of joy!
She had never seen purple-quality wristbands before, and now she only had a pair of ordinary white-quality wristbands with a miserable description of +50 defense.
This alloy bracer not only significantly boosts defense, but also grants a small bonus skill. Although Ye Miao possesses the passive skill "Nightmare Invasion," which continuously damages nearby enemies and makes them want to be closer, her agility is a weakness as a warrior. If she's surrounded by too many enemies, she'll be overwhelmed. In such situations, knocking them back can buy her a moment of respite.
Ye Miao happily put on the alloy wrist guards. Yi Hang looked at her from the side: "Purple heavy armor, purple wrist guards... Why do you always use blue armor for your dual swords?"
"..." Ye Miao was speechless, "Because I haven't dropped any purple double swords!"
Since the purple swords didn't drop, she could only use blue gear. Not only did blue gear have a lower upper limit of durability, it also dropped faster than purple gear, and she had worn out several sets.
Yi Hang's eyes showed pity: "You have such a dark face."
"I'm going to hit you!" Ye Miao gritted his teeth in anger.
Yi Hang added, "I think I have a purple heavy sword... Do you need it? If you do, I'll give it to you. If not, I'll sell it to you later."
Ye Miao's heart fluttered for a second, but he finally shook his head and sighed: "Forget it, I'm used to using dual swords, and the heavy sword is not suitable for me."
It was already 4:00 p.m. when I walked out of the office building, and it was almost time to go back.
18:00
As the sun sets, it is time for players to return to their territory for dinner, and most of the teams going out for business will also find an inn to stay at at this time.
The counter at the Get Rich Overnight Settlement Inn was crowded. Two merchant teams that had arrived one after the other saw the accommodation fee and started complaining in unison: "What the hell? 500 gold a night?! Per person?! What a scam!"
"The post station charges so much, there must be nothing in the territory, so this is the only way to make money!"
"That's right, you take people for fools?"
“Whoever lives here is being taken advantage of!”
Stupid humans...
Wang Yong's team looked meaningful, and then they each clicked on the panel to pay the fee.
At the same time, Wang Yong's team stood outside the settlement gate and directly submitted an application to join the settlement.
[System prompt] You have already joined a settlement. If you submit a new application, you will automatically exit the original settlement after approval. Are you sure you want to submit?
The six people pressed yes without hesitation.
[System prompt] The current settlement member limit has been reached and further submission is not possible.
Six people: !!!
Why is it full!!! How sad!!!
Zheng Sisi shed a bitter tear: "We clearly saw this post appear on the map that day. It was the settlement that had just been upgraded that day, and yet it's already full... We must have been too slow to react!"
She couldn't help but think that if they had applied to join directly that day, they might have been living a well-fed and well-clothed life there now.
Li Han asked: "What should we do then?"
Wang Yong was also a little disappointed, but he quickly adjusted his mood and said with a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, we didn't just withdraw from the previous settlement. It's okay, just stay at the post station for another night and find another opportunity to apply later."
With that, the six of them walked into the inn together. The other two teams inside were about to leave, complaining, but the six ignored them and unthinkingly opened the panel to pay.
According to the system settings, merchants could enter the room and choose their beds after paying. Seeing how efficient and effective they were, the two teams couldn't help but look at each other with mixed emotions. After a brief moment of surprise, a girl standing in the back row called out, "...Zheng Sisi?"
Zheng Sisi turned around and found someone she knew. She paused and walked over to him with a smile, "Wenjuan."
The two of them were middle school classmates and had lived together for a few days at the beginning of the apocalypse. Now, out of affection, Zheng Sisi wanted to tell her about this territory. But looking at the number of people in front of her, Zheng Sisi gritted her teeth - these were all competitors!
After quick thinking, Zheng Sisi decided to compromise. She slowly pulled Xu Wenjuan to a quiet spot near the entrance and whispered to her, "This settlement is incredibly affordable. Even if the accommodation is expensive, it's a sure win... If your word is heard within the team, let everyone stay here."
Xu Wenjuan was stunned: "Really?"
Zheng Sisi raised her eyes, gave her a determined look, and said, "I have something to do over there. I'll treat you to dinner another day!" Then she left.
Xu Wenjuan was speechless for a moment, then realized why Zheng Sisi had been so cautious. She looked between her own team and another group they'd encountered, silently waiting for the other group to leave before approaching her leader and explaining everything. "That's an old classmate of mine. She told me that this settlement is incredibly affordable, and even though the accommodation is expensive, there's still some money to be made."
"Really?" the captain was surprised. "Accommodation here is several times more expensive than in most settlements, and dozens of times more expensive than those specifically designed to attract traveling merchants. How low can prices be?"
After a pause, he continued, "Isn't she a shill?"
"No." Xu Wenjuan shook her head. "We're not particularly close, but we've kept in touch. She's not a member of this settlement, so it's unlikely she's acting as a shill for them."
"Is that so..." The captain nodded thoughtfully, his heart clearly stirring. After a brief hesitation, he made up his mind, "You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. Let's stay here for a night and see how it goes!"
On the other side, Wang Yong's team had already entered the settlement. Without any discussion, they went straight to Zhang Xu's house.
It turns out that Zhang Xu has moved. When he last came, he was still living in a wooden house and was planning to buy a stone house. But this morning, when Zhang Xu was planning to buy a house, he unexpectedly found a brick house. Although the price was several times higher than the stone house, it looked obviously of better quality.
Zhang Xu wasn't short of money; he hadn't bought the stone house because he was lazy. He lived a lazy life and found moving annoying. He always thought the less he had to move, the better.
So when he saw the brick house appear, Zhang Xu hesitated for only three seconds before deciding to "do it in one go" and buy the brick house directly to avoid moving frequently.
As for the cabin, he sold it for 270 gold, a 10% discount on the original purchase price. With so many new arrivals in the territory these days, the cabin was easily sold, and it was sold in less than 10 minutes.
So when the group of merchants excitedly arrived at the door of the original wooden house, they found that it had changed owners. The six people were speechless and asked Zhang Xu where he had moved to. The new owner pointed to the back and said, "The newly built red brick house in the back."
Red brick house...
The red brick house has an area of 80 square meters and comes with a 10 square meter yard. The business team has seen it in their own settlement, but only top bosses can afford to live in it.
Zhang Xu was such a lazy guy, they were worried he wouldn't even be able to deliver the supplies the settlement required, but now he's actually been able to move into a brick house?!
How did you save money?!
The six of them dazedly headed towards the brick house. The gate was unlocked, so Wang Yong, who was walking in front, knocked twice symbolically. When he saw Zhang Xuying coming out, he walked right in. "Hello, nice to see you again!"
Zhang Xu: “…”
He was deeply impressed by these six people who wanted him to work overtime. Seeing them coming again, his eyes were glazed over: "You haven't left yet..."
"Ah?" Wang Yong quickly explained, "No, we came back today."
"Oh." Zhang Xu said expressionlessly, "We don't accept big orders."
"I know, I know!" Wang Yong smiled apologetically, rubbing his hands together with envy. "Why don't we take a look at the available stock? We'll take whatever we can get."
Zhang Xu: "Not really."
Wang Yong frowned this time and looked at Zhang Xu with dissatisfaction: "Brother, this is inappropriate. How can a business owner..."
"I'm not trying to provoke you, I really don't have any." Zhang Xu sighed and pointed outside. "We only upgraded the settlement the day you arrived. The next day, as soon as you left, a large number of new members arrived, and everyone wanted to stock up on equipment. So, I can't keep the finished products I made these days. They're basically sold as soon as they're put on display. If there's any left, I'd definitely sell it to you. You can't eat this stuff if you keep it."
Wang Yong: “…”
Zhang Xu thought for a moment and said, "So if you really want to buy it, you can go find an NPC in our settlement. There's a guy named Da Zhuang who can make weapons. But you might have to talk to our boss directly about the price. I'll call you when he comes back."
"Okay, thank you..." Wang Yong nodded in agreement while hesitantly looking at Zhang Xu. "So... you'd rather give this business to someone else than drink a stamina potion and work overtime to make the money yourself..."
"Hey." Zhang Xu leaned against the door frame with his arms folded. "It's the end of the world. What are you going to do with all that money? Is it to buy a house in the school district for the kids, or to get a T City hukou?"
The business team fell silent, and it took them at least half a minute to confirm that Zhang Xu was not in Versailles.
In Zhang Xu's eyes, it seemed that there was really nothing that required him to work so hard, as if exploitation and oppression no longer existed in this world. He only needed to work for a few hours every day to have enough food and clothing.
Wang Yong pondered for a moment before asking one last question: "Brother, could you please tell me about this settlement's system for handing over supplies?"
"Oh." Zhang Xu nodded and said concisely, "Pay once every thirty days, 2% of your total income for the past thirty days. If your income is less than 1,000 gold coins, it's tax-free. If it's over 10,000 gold coins, the rate increases to 5%."
This tax is so low!
Wang Yong was filled with longing and asked again, "What about the normal supplies that need to be handed in?"
"?" Zhang Xu was stunned. "What supplies are being handed over?"
Unlike Wang Yong, who was shocked by the low prices when he first arrived at the "Get Rich Overnight" settlement but still purchased goods step by step, Xu Wenjuan's team was dazzled by the prices and delicious food as soon as they stepped into the market, and started eating happily with their mouths watered.
"Marshmallows are only 5 gold!"
"Come on, try this little wonton. It's only 20 gold a bowl. It's made with fresh meat and is super delicious!"
"Purple quality Kung Pao Chicken! Damn! I packed a few portions for us to eat on the road tomorrow!"
The team members lost their minds one by one, as if the place they were in was not a settlement, but an ocean, filled with the singing of sirens, bewitching their hearts.
Not far away, by the bonfire, several veteran members rested and watched the fun. Sun Chen, eating a baked pumpkin with cheese made from the pumpkins he had grown himself, sighed, "You can tell he's from outside and hasn't seen the world."
Su Xinran sat beside him, holding her chin and laughing: "Is it possible that we haven't seen the world yet?"
"Hahaha, I think you're right!" Lu Weiwei leaned over and took a bite of Su Xinran's roasted sweet potato. "I've heard all about the last-place elimination system and handing in supplies from the new members these past couple of days. I feel like I'm living in isolation. And for some reason, other territories seem to be short on supplies, but we have everything here. While the food isn't particularly varied, it's enough to eat for many days without repeating itself."
"That's easy. Our boss has a different approach to development than them." Sun Chen recalled the time just after the apocalypse and said slowly, "In the first few days, I tried to join many shelters, but none of them wanted me. Simply put, they only recruit members who can fight, so there will inevitably be a shortage of supplies. Here, although the boss also recruits combat-oriented members, he doesn't just focus on combat power. He wants all kinds of talents, so we have a full range of supplies."
"Is that so..." Lu Weiwei nodded thoughtfully. Suddenly, a figure appeared at the gate of the territory. Several people subconsciously looked over and said with a smile, "Boss!"
"Good evening." Ye Miao greeted them casually and prepared to go back to rest.
The private residences were all on the north side of the territory. The archer team continued walking with her for a while before Yi Hang remembered, "Oh, right, I think I saw some brick houses this morning? Could you sell us a few?"
"...sold out." Ye Miao said with an embarrassed look, "Please wait a moment. I'll build a new one tonight and call you when it's ready. Does everyone want one?"
The five wealthy men said without hesitation: "Everyone wants one."
Ye Miao: "Okay."
She planned to build ten more brick houses, and if they bought five, there would be five left. She could also build a few more thatched houses, wooden houses, and stone houses. As long as the total number did not exceed the current number of members, they would definitely be sold out sooner or later.
But before building the house, she planned to take a rest and have a good meal.
Arriving in front of her brick house, Ye Miao saw two groups of people waiting for her. One was Wang Yong's business trip team, whom Ye Miao had seen before; the other was a couple, whom Ye Miao didn't recognize.
But even though they were strangers, the couple appeared like members of the settlement, while the merchant group was outsiders. So Ye Miao chose to ask his own people first: "What's going on?"
"Well, that... I heard that you are the leader of the settlement." Wu Zhen was trembling with nervousness.
In the previous territory, the territory owner was out of reach, and "marginal players" like them could not even see the boss's face, let alone come to discuss things.
But Ye Miao had no idea what kind of exploitation and oppression they had suffered before. Seeing how nervous he was, he hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you... want to borrow money?"
"Ah? No, no..." Wu Zhen was almost scared to death and quickly denied it. Fearing to cause more misunderstandings, he quickly explained his purpose, "It's just that... We, we heard that the thatched huts in the settlement only cost 50 gold coins? We want to buy one..."
They originally thought they definitely couldn't afford to buy a house and planned to live in a tent. However, they accidentally heard the price and thought it would be better to buy one first so that their children could live more comfortably.
"That's it?" Ye Miao laughed. "Just go to the reception hall and buy it. It's in the big house in front."
Wu Zhen said in embarrassment: "I went there, but the reception hall showed it was sold out..."
"Oh, I'll build a new one tonight." Ye Miao said as he opened the panel, "Add me as a friend, I'll call you when I'm done."
"Thank you, Boss!" Wu Zhen thanked him quickly, then swallowed and said, "One more thing..."
Ye Miao frowned helplessly: "If you have something to say, just tell me. I will tell you whether I agree or not. Don't be nervous."
Wu Zhen made up his mind: "We heard that you can survive here without fighting monsters? And we saw there are fields, so we wanted to ask, can we farm?"
His heartbeat quickened as he spoke. He could see there were very few farmlands here, likely reserved for the core members. This had been the situation in the previous camp, with the ordinary members struggling to survive. Only the core members didn't have to kill monsters day and night, and since they didn't have to hand in supplies, they could just farm to pass the time.
The reason he still had the guts to ask was because he had to take a chance even if there was only a sliver of hope. Going out to fight monsters was too risky, and he was afraid that one day both he and his wife would die unexpectedly, and Xixi would become an orphan.
Ye Miao was amused by what she heard. To her, this was like having someone give you a pillow when you're sleepy.
Having bought so many farmlands today, she was worried that Sun Chen wouldn't be able to manage them all and wanted to find some help. But for the sake of a pleasant collaboration, she decided to leave the decision to Sun Chen and told Wu Zhen, "We have a member named Sun Chen who's over at the bonfire right now. You can go find him and tell him I bought another 50 pieces of primary farmland and 10 pieces of intermediate farmland. Ask him if he needs help. He's also been picking with two girls. If the farmland doesn't need anyone, you can ask him if you can pick with him. If neither of those options works out, come back to me."
After she finished speaking seriously, Wu Zhen was surprised and delighted: Why is this boss so nice? Aren't high-level players supposed to be arrogant?
"Thank you...thank you." Wu Zhen said. Ye Miao nodded and finally looked at the merchant team: "What's going on?"
Finally, it was his turn to speak. Wang Yong looked at the girl in front of him with a complicated expression. His first words were: "So you are the boss of this settlement."
"Yes." Ye Miao set the few people to "private residence visitor" mode, then made a "please" gesture and asked as he entered the courtyard, "Do you want to buy anything else?"
Wang Yong nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, yes, the equipment from last time, as well as food and potions..."
"Anything is fine. The prices remain the same as last time." Ye Miao finished speaking and recalled the cooking cards he had given Sister Jin in the past two days. He continued, "There are new dishes these two days: white-quality fruit jelly, blue-quality roast duck rolls and noodles with soybean paste, and purple-quality spicy crayfish."
Wang Yong, who had come to discuss business, felt hungry after hearing this. He swallowed his saliva and said, "I want both! I want both! How much is the spicy crayfish?"
Ye Miao: "100 gold per copy, no bargaining."
"As many as you can get!" Wang Yong paused and said spinelessly, "Let's take two each of the spicy crayfish, roast duck rolls, and noodles with soybean paste. We'll have them tonight, okay?"
Ye Miao laughed and finally took out the attitude of the host: "Okay, it's my treat tonight, you guys take a seat, I'll go order the food."
After saying that, she asked everyone to sit down in the living room and then strode out.
The furniture in the living room was simple. Several people sat on wooden chairs, looking around, filled with regret.
After a brief silence, Wang Yong finally sighed and said, "I admit that not joining this settlement directly that day was my biggest mistake!"
"Brother Yong, don't blame yourself!" Li Han sighed, "We were all just stupid that day."
Other team members: Can’t refute.
In the NPC hut, Ye Miao first gave Xiao Shuai a stamina potion and told him about getting equipment, and then he found Sister Jin to order food.
While Sister Jin was cooking, she sat idly on a chair by the dining table, waiting. Chu Cheng came in at this moment, holding two Mexican chicken burritos, one for himself and one for Ye Miao.
"Huh?!" Ye Miao was speechless, "Where did you buy this?"
"New member, new stall." Chu Cheng handed it over again. Ye Miao didn't say anything polite. He thanked Yihua and reached out to take it and eat.
Chu Cheng sat down opposite him and said, "Regarding the issue of the Fearless Settlement, I have an immature idea."
Ye Miao was startled: "You say."
Chu Cheng concentrated: "I know why you don't want to attack directly. They have far more high-level players than us. Even though the six of us are higher level, it's still difficult to defeat so many people. And if one of them slips through the net, there will be trouble later."
"Indeed." Ye Miao nodded in acknowledgment.
Chu Cheng nodded. "But in reality, with the territory growing to this size, it's impossible for everyone to be on the same page with the core members. In my opinion, most people are just looking to make a living, and they might not be willing to fight tooth and nail with them."
Ye Miao pondered: "I understand this..."
"No, you don't understand." Chu Cheng looked at her expression and smiled.
Ye Miao raised an eyebrow. He said slowly, "Our country is very strong in many sports. Table tennis, synchronized diving, gymnastics, swimming... Do you know what other countries will do to improve their strength in these sports?"
"..." Ye Miao, who was illiterate about sports, was stunned by the question. He stared at him for a long time and uttered four words, "Increase training?"
"We have indeed intensified our training." Chu Cheng admitted with a smile, then changed the subject, "But there is another simple and crude way, which is to find a way to invite our members to join their national teams. Although it will be difficult to shake the top athletes, the addition of a few second-tier or provincial-level players will be enough to improve their strength."
Ye Miao gasped in shock: "You want me to dig into the corners of the Fearless Settlement?!"
Chu Cheng spread his hands. "It's the same principle. The core members can't be poached, but others are easily swayed. And unlike in sports, poaching provincial players in sports will strengthen the team, but it won't weaken the national team. But if you poach a player from the Fearless Settlement, you lose one. Now that the high-level players are almost all found, it won't be that easy for them to fill the vacancies."
"That's true..." Ye Miao was a little confused by his idea, "But the question is how do we dig it?"
If they go to pull people away directly, they might be beaten to death.
"Tsk." Chu Cheng took another leisurely bite of the Mexican chicken burrito and asked, "Do you usually go to the market in the settlement?"
"Let's go shopping." Ye Miao said.
The author has something to say:
I'll give out red envelopes to 50 random comments on this chapter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
