80: Exploring the Sharpening Sword Valley and the "Monster Demolition Team"

The news that the Mutual Aid Society had obtained management rights over Lijian Valley spread through the Outer Sect as if it had grown wings.

Some were envious, some were jealous, but even more were waiting to see them become a laughingstock.

"Lijian Valley? That godforsaken place is nothing but rocks and Yao Beasts. What good could possibly come of it?"

"I heard there isn't even a decent road inside, and there's a swarm of Steel-toothed Rats digging holes everywhere. Last year, a deacon tried to clear it out and was nearly buried by a rat tide!"

"Wen Youyi is getting ahead of himself. Taking on such a mess... he's going to lose all his contribution points!"

The rumors from the outside didn't affect the bustling activity within Ding Zi Courtyard in the slightest.

"Brothers! We have a home!" Wen Youyi stood on the stone table in the courtyard, waving the bronze Formation plate he had just received, which represented the management rights of Lijian Valley. His voice was impassioned—at least, it seemed so to Zhao Iron Pillar and the others.

"Awoo!" Zhao Iron Pillar let out a wolf howl in coordination, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"Quiet, quiet!" Wen Youyi pressed his hands down, trying his best to look like a leader. "Next is the first large-scale infrastructure project of our Mutual Aid Society... no, our 'Wall-Breakers Cooperative'—the Lijian Valley Development Plan!"

He had somehow gotten a large white wooden board and began drawing a diagram on it with a charcoal pen.

"First, the safety issue!" He drew a large X at the valley entrance. "According to the map provided by the Sect—which is probably, maybe, perhaps ten years old—the main threat in the valley is a type of Tier 1 Yao Beast called 'Steel-toothed Rats.' They live in colonies, have strong teeth, short tempers, and love to dig holes and gnaw on anything they think they can chew, including low-level defensive Formations."

Senior Brother Zhang pushed up his non-existent glasses and added, "I've checked the records. Steel-toothed Rats have a keen sense of smell and are sensitive to spiritual power fluctuations. They especially hate a certain frequency of Earth-element spiritual power fluctuations. We can exploit this."

"Excellent!" Wen Youyi nodded approvingly. "So, we can't just use brute force; we must use our wits! Our strategy is: noise expulsion, gourmet temptation, and targeted elimination!"

He explained in detail, "Senior Brother Wang, Senior Brother Li, you from the Agricultural and Labor Hall are responsible for making a large number of special 'food pellets.' Mix in their favorite 'Oil Hemp Root' powder, but also include a trace amount of 'Croton Powder'—it's harmless but will give them slight diarrhea."

Wang Wu and Senior Brother Li took their orders, their expressions a bit subtle. Using Croton Powder to deal with Yao Beasts... this line of thinking was very Wen Youyi.

"Senior Brother Zhang, the Research Hall is responsible for manufacturing a batch of 'noise generators.' They don't need to be complex; they just need to continuously emit that specific Earth-element spiritual power fluctuation that Steel-toothed Rats hate, and they need to cover a wide area! Additionally, prepare some high-intensity light and explosion Talismans to clear out any stubborn holdouts."

"Iron Pillar, the War Hall is in charge of security and 'demolition'! Once the Steel-toothed Rats are frazzled by the noise and 'gourmet food' and start migrating en masse, you'll be responsible for clearing out the stragglers. While you're at it, deal with those old mine shafts and precarious rocks that have been hollowed out by the rats and pose safety hazards!"

Zhao Iron Pillar patted his chest. "Leave it to me! I'll make sure their nests are completely wiped out!"

"Remember our slogan!" Wen Youyi put down the charcoal pen and said solemnly, "Peaceful demolition, civilized expulsion, building a new valley of harmony between humans and rats!"

Everyone: "..." Boss, are you sure those Steel-toothed Rats can understand you?

With the plan set, the entire Mutual Aid Society immediately shifted into high gear.

Three days later, a "Development Team" consisting of over thirty core members of the Mutual Aid Society, led by Wen Youyi, set off for Lijian Valley in a grand procession.

The valley entrance was indeed as desolate as rumored, filled with jagged rocks and overgrown weeds, with only a faint trail that could barely be called a path winding its way inside.

Wen Youyi took out the bronze Formation plate and infused it with spiritual power. A faint light swept across, and the thin mist shrouding the valley dispersed, revealing the scene inside—it looked even more dilapidated than the outside.

"Let's get to work!"

With a wave of Wen Youyi's hand, Senior Brother Zhang led the Research Hall members to quickly bury over a dozen oddly shaped clay pots around the valley's perimeter—Earth-element spiritual power noise generators that continuously emitted a low "buzzing" sound.

Meanwhile, Wang Wu and Senior Brother Li led the Agricultural and Labor Hall members in precisely distributing the special "food pellets," which gave off the aroma of Oil Hemp Root, in several directions around the valley's perimeter.

At first, the valley was silent.

But soon, the ground began to vibrate slightly.

"Squeak! Squeak squeak!"

Noisy, shrill cries erupted from the depths of the valley, approaching like a tide! A grayish-brown "wave" surged out of the valley—thousands of palm-sized Steel-toothed Rats with incisors gleaming with a metallic chill! They appeared restless and anxious, clearly tormented by the omnipresent "buzzing" sound.

When they caught the scent of the enticing Oil Hemp Root aroma from the perimeter, they were instantly caught in a dilemma. The noise made them want to flee, but the temptation of the food was hard to resist.

A commotion broke out within the rat swarm. Some, unable to bear the noise, began to flee toward the perimeter, while others couldn't help but rush toward the food pellets, gnawing on them frantically.

The members of the Development Team, hiding behind a temporarily set up simple defensive Formation, watched in stunned silence.

"Hey, it actually works!" Zhao Iron Pillar grinned.

However, the good times didn't last long. Perhaps because they had eaten the food pellets mixed with Croton Powder, some of the Steel-toothed Rats began to have adverse reactions, their movements becoming sluggish or even rolling around on the spot. This seemed to enrage some particularly strong individuals within the swarm.

A few Steel-toothed Rat leaders, noticeably larger with shiny fur, locked their tiny crimson eyes onto the noise sources and the humans who had distributed the food pellets. They let out a shrill "Squeak—!" and, with a fearless Aura, charged toward the defensive Formation like cannonballs!

"Bang! Bang!"

Their steel teeth, capable of gnawing through rock, slammed hard against the light shield, making dull thuds and causing the shield to tremble.

"As expected, there are some tough customers!" Wen Youyi wasn't surprised. "Iron Pillar, it's up to you! Execute Plan B!"

"I've been waiting for this!" Zhao Iron Pillar roared, leading several experts from the War Hall out of the defensive Formation. He didn't attack the rat kings directly; instead, following Wen Youyi's instructions, he threw several of Senior Brother Zhang's special "High-Intensity Light Burst Pellets" into the area behind the rat kings.

"Boom! Sizzle—!"

Intense flashes and a not-too-strong shockwave exploded within the rat swarm, accompanied by blinding white light. Steel-toothed Rats have keen vision, and the sudden intense light instantly blinded them, throwing them into even greater chaos.

Taking advantage of this, Zhao Iron Pillar and the others charged like tigers into a flock of sheep, specifically targeting the blinded and disoriented rat kings. With heavy sword strikes and a flurry of punches and kicks, they didn't kill them, but it was enough to incapacitate the leaders.

With their leaders defeated, combined with the continuous noise harassment and the aftereffects of the "problematic food pellets," the Steel-toothed Rats' will to resist finally collapsed. They stopped trying to attack and instead retreated like a receding tide, fleeing through other crevices in the valley toward the deeper forests.

In less than half a day, the Steel-toothed Rat swarm that had originally occupied the outer regions of Lijian Valley was actually successfully driven away by their "underhanded" yet extremely effective methods!

Looking at the now much emptier and quieter valley, all the members of the Development Team let out a cheer!

"We did it! We succeeded!"

"Boss is mighty! Long live the Cooperative!"

Wen Youyi also breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. This first step had finally been taken.

He walked to a relatively level high ground, overlooking this newly seized territory that was waiting to be rebuilt. In the distance, the entrances to abandoned mines were faintly visible; nearby, a small stream wound its way through. Although the water was somewhat murky, it should be usable with a little treatment.

"Here," he said, pointing to the ground beneath his feet as his companions gathered around, "will be our headquarters building in the future! Next to it, we'll build the Research Hall's laboratory; over there will be the War Hall's Martial Arts Arena; and near the water source will be the Agricultural and Labor Hall's spirit fields and workshops..."

He described the blueprint, his eyes sparkling with the light of dreams.

"We will build a local area network here that doesn't belong to the 'spirit net'!"

"We will create Talismans here that can shield against 'Destiny Scans'!"

"We will grow spirit grain here that is free of 'spiritual power toxins'!"

"This will be our first base of resistance against the 'Harvest,' a breeding ground where 'BUGs' begin to multiply!"

His words carried a strange infectiousness, making everyone's hearts surge with excitement as if they saw a completely different future.

Zhao Iron Pillar scratched his head and asked naively, "Youyi, so what do we do now? Build houses first?"

Wen Youyi snapped back from his daydream, looked at the surrounding ruins and weeds, and the shadows in the distance where stray Yao Beasts might still be hiding. He cleared his throat.

"Well... the first step, of course, is to clean up, clear out the trash, and see if those rat holes left behind any 'souvenirs.' What if they dropped some scraps while gnawing on the Spirit Stone veins?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Exactly; this was their leader—always able to return to reality in an incredibly down-to-earth way after solemnly planning the future.

The first step in developing Lijian Valley was taken firmly amidst sweat and laughter.

(End of Chapter)