Chapter 129: Composure and Showdown

"Reporting to the General," a scout ran into Wang Luo's tent. "The main force of the Yellow Turbans is attacking our camp!"

Ah, judging by the time, the message should have arrived by now. "Is the Han army making any movement?"

"No movement as of yet," the scout hesitated. "Captain Yang led most of the men to sweep through several surrounding Yellow Turban camps. There are some areas we haven't managed to scout."

Well, that meant some information might have been missed.

Facing the infighting among the rebel forces, the Han army had no reason not to come and reap the benefits. In any case, they would simply be defeated together.

Let the location be right here. He looked at a hillside on the map. They would form a formation there to withstand the Yellow Turban charge, then launch a pincer attack from both flanks to shatter their lines, before sending the entire army in a frontal charge to rout them completely.

To guard against the Han army, the scouts needed to thoroughly investigate the surrounding situation, and a sufficient reserve force had to be left behind. Well, having the reserves mounted on horses would be quite good. They could deter the potentially arriving Han army and also pursue the fleeing Yellow Turbans.

And with that, this scenario would come to an end. Much of the work had been left unfinished, and team-building was only in its infancy. Countless tasks awaited them afterward: the establishment and refinement of team regulations, the arrangement of various specialties and the crafting of eras-appropriate equipment, the selection of team skills, and the choice of the next scenario.

As for the revolutionary army, they had done everything they could. For the brief time remaining, letting them study hard and engrave the ideology into their minds as deeply as possible—what kind of shape they would eventually evolve into was no longer something he could control.

As for the team members, clearly, many of them had their own individual demands. Zhou Yingxiong handled logistics very well, but that didn't seem to be the work he enjoyed, and it felt somewhat like a waste of his talent. Yang Wentian seemed to have gotten into numerous mishaps; it would be unwise to assign him overly complex work in the next scenario.

Red Lightning should make a good partner. He had both ability and vision, and would fight tooth and nail for his share. This was fine; as long as he was given what he deserved, he would faithfully perform his duties. Compared to him, Charles was more selfish and craftier. Yet, as long as the overall situation remained stable, he was trustworthy.

Rank didn't make any requests until the very end, though by the look in his eyes, he had almost failed to hold back several times. That was good. As for Galiver and the others, they were all quite weak, but through setbacks, victories, and abundant resources, they would develop a strong sense of belonging to the new team.

They might each harbor their own motives, desires, ideas, and demands—but he didn't need to pay attention to any of that. Whatever they were thinking—colluding with other factions, planning to acquire sufficient resources or intelligence before betraying him, or plotting to usurp his position—it all didn't matter!

What he excelled at was grasping the macroscopic direction, so there was no need to get bogged down in trivial matters or waste energy on them. As long as those people, as a collective, were greedy for profit and acted in accordance with it, his position would remain solid and secure.

And those individuals with hidden agendas, driven by their ambition, or the desire to achieve a certain outcome, or to mask their malice, would disguise themselves as good people and instead work all the harder and more diligently.

At this thought, the corners of Wang Luo's mouth curled up into a confident smile.

Yet their diligence was precisely what was most valuable—far more important than the intelligence and resources they wished to steal.

While they fancied themselves clever, he would have already succeeded, triumphed, and expanded his ranks. He would dilute the influence of these people by introducing newly arrived contractors, making them unconsciously familiar with and adapted to the rules he had established. By deploying, inducing, and arranging them, he would make them believe they were acting according to their own goals and for their own interests. In reality, they would be acting according to his demands and for his benefit.

Thinking along these lines, he felt quite happy. When the guard at the entrance came in to report that Lin Feirui wished to see him, he didn't even hear it—not until the second time the guard spoke did it register.

"Let her in," Wang Luo ordered. What could the matter be? Lin Feirui... Yang Wentian's actions seemed to have been prompted by her; presumably, they had reached a cooperative agreement, or perhaps young Yang had fallen in love with her—she was indeed very gorgeous.

If she had been by his side on the day of the military parade, perhaps his vanity would have been even more fully satisfied... But that wasn't anything of true value.

---

When she walked into the tent, she was still wearing that suit of armor.

Unlike before when it was pristine and shining, it now bore several bloodstains (which she had deliberately smeared on), making her look all the more authoritative. She carried her winged helmet in her hand, a short blade strapped to her waist, and her cape dragging on the ground as she walked straight up to him and sat down.

Wang Luo first looked at her face, reminding her of the touch she had felt from him last time. Then he surveyed her entire body, though his gaze lacked the usual greed she was accustomed to seeing; instead, it was utterly bland, just as he would look at anyone else.

"Quite pretty," he finally evaluated.

I've put in enough effort. If he dares to say he doesn't like it, I won't let him off the hook. "Thank you," she relaxed slightly and smiled back.

"I've come for two things. First, let's settle the matter of the ransom." Only then could they converse on equal terms, she thought, sending a trade request to Wang Luo and transferring six hundred thousand universal points to him.

"Six hundred thousand, for twelve people?" Wang Luo didn't show any expression of surprise; perhaps he thought this was their reserve. After accepting the universal points, he asked her.

"Mmm," Lin Feirui nodded. "In the recent raid, we secured the head of a Yellow Turban general. It's a crucial item for acquiring a bloodline, and it can sell for three million in the spatial hub. I considered giving the head directly to you, but since your previous demand was for payment, forget it. I sold it to your quartermaster instead and got one million in return."

There was a hint of sarcasm in her tone. Yet judging by Wang Luo's attitude, it was as if he hadn't noticed—or perhaps he was purposely playing the fool. He remarked, "Very well, perhaps you still need to confirm the roster and specify who exactly is on it. After all..."

After all, Red Lightning had already reached an agreement with you, hasn't he? His issue would be dealt with sooner or later, but not right now.

She looked at Wang Luo. Right now, he didn't look as handsome as he had on the day of the parade. His short black hair was parted in the middle, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a high nose bridge, thin lips, a slender build, and clad in a white robe.

He was holding a pen, and even while speaking, he didn't put it down. The desk in front of him was strewn with numerous papers. Was he plotting some conspiracy yet again?

"We can talk about that later. I want to confirm: are we still your prisoners right now?"

"No. Now you are my guests. If you wish to fight, you may fight; if you wish to stand aside and watch, you may do that too. The supply camp is also open to you. Once you complete missions and earn contribution points, you can exchange them for the equipment or items you need."

It was the expected answer. "Then, for the second matter: what must I do if I want you, and how many contribution points and universal points will it cost?"