Chapter 141 – Taking Root

Chapter 141 – Taking Root

The burly man led his group for some distance before one of them couldn’t help but speak up, “Boss, are you really planning to take all of us there?”

The burly man replied, “What else can we do? Staying here offers no future. Even if we could hide for a while, we can’t hide forever. Finding food in the city is getting harder every day. The supplies we’ve stored will only last our hundred or so people for a month at most. Have you thought about what we’ll do after that month?”

“Well…” The man was at a loss for words.

The burly man continued, “From what I observed earlier, that man was telling the truth. The strange sounds we heard confirm it, and the so-called spirit energy values we’ve been getting from killing those monsters prove that the world has fundamentally changed. Becoming a combat class is probably humanity’s only way forward.”

“But what if that man has ill intentions? Wouldn’t we be walking into a trap? He did have a tiger with him,” another person chimed in.

The burly man said, “Actually, the fact that he has that tiger makes me trust him more. With such a powerful beast, he has no need to deceive us.”

If Cheng Yang had heard this conversation, he might have been surprised. Or perhaps he already knew the burly man’s background – after all, in his previous life, they had already met.

Their hideout was less than two hundred meters from where they had encountered Cheng Yang. With no demonic beasts along the way, it didn’t take long for the burly man to lead his large group to meet Cheng Yang.

Cheng Yang smiled slightly – this guy hadn’t disappointed him.

“Since you’re here, let’s go now,” Cheng Yang said before the other party could speak.

The burly man had wanted to ask some questions first, but with Cheng Yang taking the lead, he had no choice but to remain silent.

Cheng Yang took the lead, with Liu Xiyue and Niu Bing following closely behind. The burly man looked at the group he had brought and sighed inwardly, hoping his judgment was correct.

After walking a few steps, the burly man quickened his pace to catch up with Cheng Yang and strike up a conversation.

Cheng Yang didn’t act coldly. He answered whatever questions he could, though he skillfully evaded some sensitive topics. For someone who didn’t understand much about the apocalypse, it was easy to mislead them.

Through their conversation, they learned each other’s names. The burly man’s name was Hu Zhuang, a former soldier who had started a security company with his fellow veterans. After the apocalypse, they had struggled to survive with their company’s members. Being stronger than ordinary people, they had managed to keep about a hundred of their original one hundred and seventy or so members alive through the initial difficult period.

The return journey was undoubtedly more challenging. Protecting over a hundred people wasn’t easy. Cheng Yang had them walk closely together in the middle, with himself and Liu Xiyue at the front and back respectively. As for Niu Bing, his summoned shadow wolf patrolled the surroundings – less for attacking monsters and more for drawing their attention.

Fortunately, the demonic beast groups along the way had been mostly cleared by Cheng Yang’s trio. Any stragglers that appeared were quickly dispatched by Cheng Yang.

At this point, Hu Zhuang and his group finally witnessed the power of combat classes. The demonic beasts that had seemed so formidable to them were like paper in Cheng Yang’s hands – a single ice ball was enough to take them down. And this was without Liu Xiyue even making a move; if they had seen monsters dying without any visible cause, they would have been even more shocked.

When they reached the altar in Heshang Village, Hu Zhuang and his group were deeply impressed by the four statues. The incredibly lifelike sculptures showed no signs of human craftsmanship, and the patterns on the territory altar exuded an ancient, desolate aura.

Cheng Yang explained, “This is the territory altar and the profession statues. In the future, we can build houses, walls, and many other structures here. These buildings are essential for survival. So, in the coming period, you’ll have a crucial task – collecting wood. There should be several wood processing factories in Yicheng’s suburbs with enough stock to build some initial structures.”

Hu Zhuang, excited, immediately nodded, “There are wood processing factories. I know the locations of several.”

“Then let’s start the class change,” Cheng Yang said, not wanting to waste more time.

These people already had over ten spirit energy points. After all, they had managed to kill some lone demonic beasts using traps and other methods. Over time, they had accumulated quite a bit.

Hu Zhuang was the first to change classes. Cheng Yang was particularly interested in his attributes.

Hu Zhuang was undoubtedly a tank-type character, gaining 5% defense per level, with his second talent benefiting all warriors under his command. This made him incredibly valuable.

In Cheng Yang’s previous life, Hu Zhuang had joined Yuan Jianze’s faction, becoming one of his top generals. Before Cheng Yang’s rebirth, Hu Zhuang had reached peak first-tier strength, with his natural defense plus equipment giving him 20 points of physical defense – enough to make most combat classes despair at the sight of him.

Currently, Falling Phoenix Village had another with a similar talent – Zhou Jie, who increased archers’ range. Though different, both talents were equally valuable.

Zhou Jie was currently serving in Yu Kai’s Fox Hunting Battalion, working hard to improve his personal strength and military rank. This was crucial because without sufficient rank, team bonus attributes couldn’t be activated. The system didn’t recognize random groups as teams – they needed to be formal military units or mercenary groups, with their size limited by military or mercenary rank.

Soon, Liu Xiyue and Niu Bing completed the class changes for everyone. To prevent the system from automatically assigning village leaders, Cheng Yang had previously set Liu Xiyue as village head and Niu Bing as deputy. But with new members joining, Cheng Yang removed Niu Bing’s position and appointed Hu Zhuang as deputy village head.

The moment Hu Zhuang was appointed, he learned of it and looked at Cheng Yang in shock, “Lord, how can I be deputy village head?…”

Cheng Yang cut him off, “You’re perfectly suited for this role. Niu Bing was only deputy because we had no choice. I have other plans for him. As for you, if you perform well, you could become a village head when we establish new territories. The three of us can’t stay here forever – you’ll be primarily responsible for Heshang Village’s affairs. If not you, then who?”

Hu Zhuang’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t argue further.

Cheng Yang checked the time – it was already past 3 PM. “I’ll take you to Yicheng now to get some wood for building two houses. Tomorrow, we’ll work on getting materials for the walls.”

No one objected.

As they set out for Yicheng again, the group’s morale was much higher. The despair they had felt about the apocalypse was fading, replaced by a sense of rebirth. They had found the key to controlling their own destiny.

This time, Hu Zhuang led the way to a nearby wood processing factory he remembered. Along the way, Hu Zhuang’s group fought and killed the demonic beasts themselves, thrilled at being able to do so without traps.

At the factory, they extracted large logs from the ruins, with the physical attack classes carrying them back while others provided cover.

The return trip wasn’t smooth. Midway, they encountered a large group of wandering demonic beasts, including a leader at late first-tier strength.

Fortunately, Cheng Yang’s sharp senses detected them early. He had the newly class-changed members retreat while he and Liu Xiyue charged into the beast group, unleashing a massacre.

When Hu Zhuang’s group returned to the scene and saw the carnage, they gained a new appreciation for Cheng Yang’s strength. The image of his invincibility began to take root in their hearts.

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