5: Chapter 5 Human Wave Tactics

Inside the ancestral hall, the cheers were so loud they almost blew the roof off.

Two distinct yet strangely blended scents filled the air—one from the back mountain, a mix of soil and blood from the "Trap Research and Development Department's" fruitful victory;

The other, from the center of the hall, was the scent of "hope" emanating from the freshly made simple leather armor, which still carried a faint musk of wild boar.

Everyone's eyes were glued to that leather armor.

"Defense +5! Holy crap, a whole 5 points!"

Demolition Office Director was the first to snap out of his ecstasy. Clutching his chest, which had nearly been gored by Wild Boar Tusks, he was practically drooling.

He lunged in front of Skillful Hands Mending, his face plastered with a fawning smile: "Big boss Mending! Look at me, our clan's main tank. I almost died for our ancestor just now to protect everyone. Strategically, tactically, and emotionally, this armor should be prioritized for me, right?"

He spoke with such righteous conviction that he might as well have carved "Give it to me" on his forehead.

His words were immediately met with a chorus of boos.

"Get lost! If we hadn't been chipping away at its health and drawing aggro, you'd have gone to see War God Number One long ago!"

"Exactly! In terms of contribution—spotting the boar, taking the first hit, losing the most health—you're at most the 'Best Victim'! This armor should go to the one with the highest damage output!"

"By what right? Our logistics team worked hard to gather materials. Even if there's no glory, there's hard work!"

A single piece of equipment instantly tested the cohesion of this ragtag group of players.

Just as the argument was heating up and threatened to escalate from camaraderie to a real-life brawl, a discordant voice drifted over.

"I say... are you guys really going to fight over such an ugly, smelly thing?"

Everyone looked towards the source. Appearance is Justice was pinching her nose, looking at the leather armor with disgust, as if it weren't a divine artifact but a pile of dried prehistoric beast dung.

"It's even... shedding a bit! Isn't it low to wear that? The color is off, the style is tacky, and it doesn't even have a waistline! Is this defense added to your body, or to the enemy's eyes to blind them with ugliness?"

Her string of complaints silenced the noisy hall.

Demolition Office Director's mouth twitched. "Sister, this is the early game. This is survival! Having equipment is already good. Did you expect Versace haute couture?"

"I don't care, it's ugly anyway!" Appearance is Justice tilted her head up, sounding perfectly justified. "As Filial Sons and Virtuous Grandchildren of our ancestor, we represent his face when we go out! Even if we die, we must die beautifully!"

This divine logic left many speechless.

Skillful Hands Mending explained weakly, "With the current materials and tools, this is the best I can do... Maybe later, with dyes and better thread, we can... beautify it?"

Seeing the conversation drift further away, Gossip Reporter Little Trumpet rolled her eyes and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Stop! Stop arguing! There's already a mature set of rules for gear distribution from the forum era!" She cleared her throat, mimicking a guild leader's poise. "This leather armor, as the first player-made item on the server, is highly significant! I propose a contribution points bidding system! Highest bidder wins! That's the fairest way!"

"Bidding?"

The suggestion made everyone's eyes light up.

But soon, Demolition Office Director said with a long face, "I only have 15 contribution points total—10 for cleaning and 5 for hauling wood. I almost died fighting the boar just now and didn't even get an assist! How can I bid?"

His words made everyone realize that their contribution points were pitifully low. The highest was only twenty or thirty points, all earned from doing chores.

The scene fell into a stalemate again.

At that moment, the tablet belonging to the ancestor Lu Bei, which had been silent, suddenly emitted a warm glow without warning.

The light wasn't majestic like when he issued tasks before; instead, it carried a hint of warmth, enveloping the entire hall.

A peaceful, slightly weak, yet crystal-clear thought echoed in all the players' minds simultaneously.

[My filial grandchildren have performed well, which pleases me greatly.]

[You have become self-reliant, crafting armor and gathering food, laying the foundation for the clan's revival. To honor your deeds, I shall use my remaining soul power to establish rules for the clan.]

As this thought spread, a brand-new system interface, a hundred times more refined than Grandpa Li's shop, popped up before all the players.

[Clan Treasury System Activated]

[Function 1: Contribution Exchange]

- Submit any resources (wood, stone, meat, hides, etc.) to exchange for contribution points based on their appraised value.

- contribution points can be used to exchange for all items in the treasury.

[Function 2: Recipe Collection]

- The simple leather armor recipe created by player "Skillful Hands Mending" has been added to the Clan Treasury.

- All clansmen can view the recipe and spend contribution points to commission Skillful Hands Mending for crafting.

(Crafting requires a labor fee.)

[Function 3: Bounty Tasks]

- Clansmen can spend contribution points to post private bounty tasks for other clansmen to accept.

...

The series of system updates left the players dumbfounded.

"Holy crap! The ancestor has manifested!"

"This... isn't this what we were just discussing? Did the ancestor hear us?"

"This isn't just an NPC; this is a portable GM (Game Master)! And one with intelligent learning capabilities!"

Lu Bei silently felt the players' shock, his heart unruffled.

Rather than letting them fumble through a crude set of rules, it was better for him, their "god," to step in and define the rules himself.

This would strengthen his control and their loyalty, while guiding the destructive power of these "locusts"... no, their creativity, in the right direction.

With a thought, the treasury interface updated.

[New Exchange Items]

- [Wild Boar Meat] x1 → 1 contribution point

- [High-Quality Wood] x1 → 1 contribution point

- [Inferior Alkali Stone] x1 → 2 contribution points

- [Green Vine Sinew] x1 → 2 contribution points

- [Wild Boar Tusks] x1 → 10 contribution points

- [Damaged Wild Boar Hide] x1 → 30 contribution points

simple leather armor (Commissioned Crafting)

- Required materials: [Damaged Wild Boar Hide] x1, [Green Vine Sinew] x10

- Required labor fee: 10 contribution points

- Crafter: Skillful Hands Mending

The new rules were clear and concise, instantly resolving all disputes.

Demolition Office Director immediately turned in all his loot from hunting and hauling wood, scraping together 45 contribution points, then looked eagerly at Skillful Hands Mending.

Skillful Hands Mending smiled and handed him the armor. "The first one is a prototype, so I'll waive the labor fee."

"Aww! Mending is so generous!"

Demolition Office Director cheered and couldn't wait to put on the simple leather armor.

Even though it was a bit big and the musk hit him right in the face, he didn't care.

He puffed out his chest and slapped it hard, producing a muffled "thump-thump" that gave him a huge sense of security.

The [Defense +5] stat made him feel like he could take on the Black Wind Stockade's chief, Wang Two Tiger, in a duel!

With the equipment problem solved, the other major issue—food—also saw a glimmer of hope.

"Report! The Trap Research and Development Department has returned in triumph!"

Infrastructure Maniac led his team back to the hall, carrying prey of all sizes with their heads held high.

Five plump rabbits, two flapping pheasants, and an unlucky Yellow Goat that looked like a hedgehog from the stakes in the pit trap.

The bountiful loot ignited the crowd once more!

"Holy shit! We're rich!"

"Infrastructure boss is awesome! (Voice cracks)"

"Now, forget just eating, we can even start a fur business!"

The players quickly turned in all the prey to the treasury, and instantly, everyone's contribution points became abundant.

Outside the hall, on a simple stove made of stones, large chunks of boar and goat meat were sizzling, golden fat dripping into the flames with an inviting sound.

The rich aroma of meat aggressively drove away the long-standing air of decay and despair in the Lu family estate.

Lacking utensils, they used sharpened sticks as chopsticks and broad leaves as plates.

Demolition Office Director, wearing his musky leather armor, acted like a king, distributing the first piece of perfectly roasted Wild Boar Meat to everyone.

The players sat on the ground, eating heartily and laughing loudly, celebrating their first feast since arriving in this world.

Although Appearance is Justice was still muttering about "barbaric eating habits," when a perfectly roasted goat leg was handed to her, she honestly swallowed her saliva and began to nibble on it.

I Love Exploiting Loopholes put his exploratory spirit to use. He sprinkled some alkali stone powder on the roasted meat and coated it with the juice of a certain wild grass. The result after eating it...

[You have consumed [Unknown Dark Cuisine] and are now in a [Mild Diarrhea] state, lasting 30 minutes.]

His face instantly turned greener than the vines on the back mountain, drawing a wave of merciless laughter.

In a corner of the hall, Grandpa Li leaned on his wooden stick, staring blankly at the lively scene.

Those young people were laughing and playing, and in just one day, they had revitalized this dead home in a way he had never seen before.

His eyes grew moist, and old tears slid silently down the furrows of his face.

Gossip Reporter Little Trumpet noticed the lonely old man and approached him with a piece of tender tenderloin wrapped in a leaf.

"Grandpa Li, why don't you have some? We caught this boar ourselves; it's delicious!"

Grandpa Li took the meat but didn't eat it. He just gently stroked the warm piece with his calloused hands, as if feeling a long-lost warmth.

"Good... good..." His voice was hoarse. "The Lu family... hasn't been this lively in many years. If the ancestor has a spirit in heaven and sees you... good children, he will surely be very happy."

"Of course! We are the ancestor's most filial and virtuous grandchildren!" Little Trumpet puffed out her chest proudly, then asked curiously, "Grandpa, you said those people from Black Wind Stockade are very powerful? How many of them are there?"

At the mention of Black Wind Stockade, the smile on Grandpa Li's face instantly vanished, replaced by deep worry and fear.

"Child, you don't understand." He sighed and lowered his voice. "Black Wind Stockade has occupied East Hill for over a decade. There are no fewer than a hundred bandits, all of them desperate criminals. Their chief, Wang Two Tiger, is even more skilled with his Black Wind Saber Technique. Three or five ordinary strong men can't even get close to him. He's a monster who can... tear tigers and leopards apart with his bare hands!"

"A few years ago, the neighboring Wang Family Village hired a martial arts master from the county to suppress the bandits. The result? The master's head was chopped off by Wang Two Tiger in three strikes, and the entire Wang Family Village was slaughtered, leaving not even a chicken or dog alive!"

Grandpa Li's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over the joyful hearts of the players.

The surrounding noise naturally died down.

"Tear tigers and leopards apart?"

"Chopping off a master's head in three strikes?"

"Slaughtering a village?"

These words made them realize clearly that this world wasn't just a starter village with wild boars and rabbits.

They were facing a real, cruel world where people actually died.

Demolition Office Director stood up, walked to Grandpa Li, and slapped his crude leather armor hard, making a "thump-thump" sound.

The playful grin was gone, replaced by a fighting spirit that was a mix of excitement and solemnity.

"Grandpa Li, don't you worry."

He grinned, revealing white teeth, but his eyes were like those of a lone wolf on the wasteland.

"We... aren't exactly good people either."

"If Wang Two Tiger can tear tigers apart, we have human wave tactics. If he has the Black Wind Saber Technique, we have trap tactics and all sorts of dishonorable fighting styles."

"If he dares to come, we'll show him what the... fourth calamity is all about!"

Above the tablet in the hall.

Lu Bei felt the incense-offering power rising from the players—once playful, now united against a common enemy, becoming even more pure and vast. His soul, which had been on the verge of dissipating, was repairing and solidifying at an unprecedented speed.

These Filial Sons and Virtuous Grandchildren finally had a clear, common enemy.

The shadow of war had already loomed.

But for the first time, Lu Bei was full of confidence in the future.

He slowly "opened" his eyes and looked toward East Hill, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Black Wind Stockade?"

"It's just the first... starter gift pack for my precious players."