The other items were hardly worth mentioning.
Cheng Shuili walked out of the training ground and was immediately met with the parking lot.
Several vehicles were already parked here; although it was still early, everyone who needed to be awake was already up.
Some of these people had moved sofas out of their vehicles, while others, finding it too much trouble, simply sat on the ground. They shared breakfast with one another, looking as relaxed as if they were camping.
The function of this area was also quite clear: it was for parking vehicles and providing a safe place for faction members to spend the night.
Furthermore, with the full set of vehicle repair tools available here, there was no need to use cards for washing or fixing vehicles. One could consider it a disguised maintenance station, right?
Since they were eating breakfast, Cheng Shuili did not head over there.
Next came the medical station and the communal canteen.
These two facilities could be considered absolutely vital!
Cheng Shuili was most looking forward to the communal canteen. She pushed open the slightly heavy solid wood door and entered the somewhat spacious dining area.
Neat tables and chairs were arranged here, looking no different from a school cafeteria. Of course, this was not what Cheng Shuili was looking forward to.
She lifted her feet and headed straight for the back kitchen.
The description stated that after connecting a water source and adding food, one could set a menu. Players only needed to cook one portion, and the rest of the kitchen would help prepare the rest.
Cheng Shuili studied it for a while, and once she confirmed there were no discrepancies with the description, she handed the matter over to Qi Wanyi and Xinxue.
Qi Wanyi was the one doing the cooking and did not understand the pricing side of things.
Since it was still the early stage, the canteen would naturally still need to charge fees.
As for the medical station...
Cheng Shuili frowned slightly, staring at the empty storage warehouse in silence for a long time.
This building was much more realistic than she had imagined. Without medical supplies, it was just an empty shell. She could only have those few doctors she had specifically recruited take turns being on duty, while the rest would have to wait until after they visited the beastman town to become formalized.
Cheng Shuili lowered her head and sighed helplessly.
But regardless, everything was moving in a positive direction, and that was enough.
Once all the faction buildings were successfully constructed, Black Feather became a Tier 2 faction.
Counting the title 《Crown of the Cutting Edge》, faction members could now gain 3% cohesion when teaming up!
This bonus was already three-fifths of the Dragon Country Leader.
Cheng Shuili did not mention how strong this effect was; she was purely mocking the unique title of "Dragon Country Leader."
It was supposed to be a unique title, yet compared to the others, it was truly trash.
Other than that, there was a newly unlocked function.
The system had said at the time that the faction leader could call faction members to "protect the sovereign."
Its official name was "Cloud-Piercing Arrow."
【Cloud-Piercing Arrow】
【Description: One Cloud-Piercing Arrow, and ten thousand soldiers and horses arrive to meet you! A tool exclusive to the faction leader. After use, it sends a highway merge invitation to all faction members. If the members agree, a highway merge is performed! Note: Can only be used once per week.】
There was even a usage limit, and the members had to agree.
There were quite a few requirements.
Cheng Shuili only glanced at it twice before putting the item away.
If only there were a tool for faction members to directly call for help from their leader; she had no use for this thing.
Cheng Shuili turned her head, her gaze landing on a low wall that had newly appeared on the territory boundary.
That was the defensive facility, which had also just been completed.
Perhaps because the level was too low, this thing was just a low stone wall with a few scattered watchtowers behind it, standing on the edge of the territory. In peaceful times, it could completely be seen as mere decoration.
Besides... no faction dared to challenge Black Feather one-on-one right now anyway.
Once it was upgraded in the future, there would be no need to worry.
As Cheng Shuili was thinking this, a blood-red panel suddenly popped up before her eyes.
She frowned, and after reading the text clearly, her expression instantly turned cold.
【The faction "Chi Bao He Bao Shui Jue Jue" has declared war on the faction "Black Feather"!】
Cheng Shuili stared at it for a while, finally letting out a disdainful cold laugh. She remembered this name—a small faction led by someone in the top dozen of the leaderboard.
As for what this leader was called, Cheng Shuili really did not remember.
She had just finished remarking that the defensive facilities wouldn't be used for a while, and already some clowns who didn't know their own strength were popping up?
It seemed... something wasn't quite right, was it?
The Black Feather group chat had already exploded.
"??? Did my eyes deceive me? Did a line of red text just drift by?"
"Chi Bao He Bao Shui Jue Jue? What kind of funny name is that? Is their leader here to perform performance art?"
"Hahahaha, where did this clown come from? A top dozen player dares to come and pick a fight with our Boss Crow? Tired of living?"
"Laughing to death. We just reached level two, the defensive wall is built but hasn't been tested yet, and here comes someone delivering themselves to be a tester?"
"Boss, give the order! I request to go first!"
The war declaration information was a partition-wide announcement, and the regional channel was also incredibly lively.
But public opinion was almost completely one-sided.
Just as Cheng Shuili was planning to search for who this overconfident leader was, seven or eight more blood-stained declarations of war suddenly popped up in front of her.
【The faction "Chu Tiankuo" has declared war on the faction "Black Feather"!】
【The faction "Yunye" has declared war on the faction "Black Feather"!】
【The faction "Mao Zhua Rui Li" has declared war on the faction "Black Feather"!】
【The faction "Chentian" has declared war on the faction "Black Feather"!】
......
Cheng Shuili: "......"
She was right, as expected.
What faction would dare to challenge Black Feather one-on-one?
This was a group beating.
The public opinion on the regional channel, which had been one-sided just moments ago, suffered a brief stagnation under the successive war declarations, followed by even more frantic spamming and speculation.
"Holy crap, did Boss Crow offend someone? This clearly looks like it was planned!"
"Yunye and Chentian are also factions created by top-ten players!"
"They must have teamed up! Black Feather has really angered the masses this time!"
"A tall tree catches the wind... It's over. No matter how strong Black Feather is, they can't hold up against so many houses attacking at once, right?"
"The sky is changing. Our Partition 12, or even the entire Dragon Country grand region, is going to change!"
"A bit funny, actually. What are you guys talking about? Does anyone really think that a few factions who can't beat Black Feather on their own can defeat Black Feather by joining forces?"
"Haven't you guys studied history? This happened back in the Qin Shi Huang era, didn't it? The Six States united to resist Qin, but what was the result?"
"The person above has a good analogy, but it's not entirely accurate. Back then, it was all man-to-man combat with only cold weapons, but now there are firearms, attribute points, and special equipment bonuses... You guys are just suicidal wanting to challenge Crow."
"Don't blow it out of proportion. Isn't she still alive only because the designated player duel card can only be 1v1? If they could all attack at once, she'd be dead long ago!"
"Who said it can only be 1v1? The person above doesn't even understand how the cards are used. Better not come out and talk; you're going to make me laugh my teeth out."
"Anyway, it's none of my business. I'll just wait and watch the show. No matter who wins or loses, at least Partition 12 is lively now!"
It was indeed lively.
The atmosphere in the Black Feather group chat also became heavy.
"...... Another one?"
"Chu Tiankuo? This name sounds a bit familiar......"
"Wait...... Yunye? The one ranked eighth on the leaderboard?"
"Chentian is also in the top ten! Holy crap!"
"No...... this, how many is this now? Is it this exciting? Is the first war declaration like this?"
"They planned it! They joined forces to get us! If we don't finish them off, Black Feather might as well disband!"
"The regional channel has exploded! Lots of people are saying we're finished!"
"Are there too many of them? Our wall...... is only level one."
"The medical station is still empty...... If a fight breaks out......"
This sentence was followed by a worried emoji.
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: Let me say a few words.
The clamorous group chat instantly fell silent.
Cheng Shuili calmly typed out the text.
"What are you panicking about?"
The three short words appeared in the group chat, carrying a strange power of composure.
"A level-one wall is still a wall, and an empty medical station is still better than having none at all."
"They teamed up, isn't that just perfect?"
"It's time for us, Black Feather, to let these people see what real strength is. So that in the future, any stray dog or cat won't dare to come and deliver a letter of war."
Her words were like a needle in the sea, causing the restless group chat to calm down a little, but the hidden anxiety did not completely dissipate.
Soon, a message filled with hesitation and cowardice cautiously emerged, from a member named "Miaomiao."
【Miaomiao】: Boss...... it's not that we are inflating others' morale and extinguishing our own prestige. There are too many of them, and several are factions created by well-known players on the leaderboard...... We, we are after all only just upgraded to level two, and the defensive facilities aren't perfect...... With so many factions, can we really fight? Will it...... be too big a loss?
This message was like opening a floodgate, and immediately a few members who were usually not very active echoed it.
【Make a Wish】: Yeah Boss, a wise man knows when to retreat. How about we temporarily avoid the sharp edge? Let's give them some stuff to survive and develop first, and then take our revenge later?
【Little Chicken Little Chicken】: I was recruited because I can fix cars, Boss. I really don't know how to fight, and I'm afraid to fight. Can we just not fight?
Although there were not many retreating remarks, they appeared particularly glaring at such a critical moment.
The group chat was immediately divided into two camps. Some members immediately refuted, while others remained silent, seemingly waiting to see Cheng Shuili's attitude.
As for Cheng Shuili herself, she looked at these messages without any expression of surprise.
It was perfectly normal.
When things are going well, everyone is a good person. Only when encountering problems, or when one has to risk their life, can one see clearly whether a person is human or a ghost.
Problems appearing now is definitely much better than being stabbed in the back when the fighting starts.
What Cheng Shuili had to do was use this opportunity to weed out these unstable grains of sand and truly ignite the team spirit belonging to Black Feather.
She did not immediately scold those who wanted to quit, but instead tagged a few members who said they definitely wanted to fight.
Praise these people first, then deal with the trash.
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: @......, and all members who are willing to advance and retreat with Black Feather at this moment. I am very happy to see that you are still here.
This sentence instantly gave those in the pro-war faction a sense of blood and honor of being recognized.
After sending this message, she did not individually tag those who were cowering.
She just said:
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: If you are afraid and want to leave, you can. Black Feather will not forcibly keep anyone whose heart is not here. Now, open the faction panel and submit your withdrawal application yourself. I will give you one minute; within that minute, I will approve as many applications as there are.
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: Those who remain here after one minute, I will assume you have chosen to fight side-by-side with Black Feather. By then, if anyone else shakes the morale or deserts on the eve of battle...... don't blame me for treating you as a traitor. My methods, you probably don't want to try.
Even though it was just text, these words carried a cold murderous intent, making everyone who saw the message feel a chill in their hearts.
Those few members who wanted to quit were instantly struck dumb.
Miaomiao and the others almost scrambled to open the faction panel, searching for how to submit a withdrawal application.
The group chat was extremely quiet for a moment. Everyone was counting silently, waiting for this long minute to pass, waiting to see who the comrades left by their side were.
Amidst the silence, the group chat suddenly popped up a new message.
【Little Chicken Little Chicken】: @Angry Crow Takes Flight, what about the withdrawal fee? I didn't use anything of yours when I entered Black Feather; I just looked at some data, bought a gas mask, and I even submitted 500 units of materials when I joined. I'm not asking you to return those to me, but can you waive these 250 units of materials for me?
Cheng Shuili looked at this message and was directly laughed to anger.
Before she could even reply, the group chat had already exploded.
【Xinxue Chu Ji】: Little Chicken Little Chicken, do you have no shame?! You're still thinking about bargaining at a time like this? Those 500 units of materials were the threshold for entering the faction! The gas mask was at an internal benefit price! You're a deserter if you quit now! And you still want your materials back? In your dreams!
【Wanyi】: It's really an eye-opener. Boss, this kind of person isn't worth us wasting our breath on.
【Qingshan Trek】: @Little Chicken Little Chicken, have some shame, get out quickly, you're disgusting to look at.
......
Cheng Shuili's fingertips quickly swept across the panel.
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: @Little Chicken Little Chicken, sure.
This concise reply made the group chat instantly quiet, and even those who were cursing in anger were stunned.
Little Chicken Little Chicken didn't seem to expect it to go so smoothly and immediately sent a flattering emoji.
【Little Chicken Little Chicken】: Thank you, Boss! Thank you for understanding, Boss! I'm quitting right now!
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: Don't be in such a hurry. I haven't finished speaking yet.
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: The 250 units of materials are to buy your life as a "250." Whether you pay or not, you can leave, but if you don't pay, whether you can survive after you leave depends on your own ability.
That undisguised threat was more powerful than any impassioned pre-battle mobilization.
The group chat was full of cheers!
【Little Chicken Little Chicken】 fell silent and didn't dare to send another word.
On the faction panel, the notification for withdrawal applications began to flicker—one, two, three......
One after another, not many and not few, only the three of them.
Cheng Shuili's expression didn't move in the slightest, her fingertips tapping [Approve] continuously on the virtual panel.
The three system notifications for exiting the group chat hung coldly at the top of the chat, like three pillars of shame.
One minute was up.
In the silent group chat, the five words "Angry Crow Takes Flight" lit up again.
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: Time's up. The sand has been sifted out, and what remains is true gold. From this moment on, you are the backbone of Black Feather, comrades who can entrust their lives to one another.
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: Don't they think that having more people means they can trample us to death?
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: Then let them remember it well with their wounds and their lives. Black Feather's standing does not rely on having many people, but on fists that can smash all their teeth out!
【Angry Crow Takes Flight】: Everyone, gather at the territory immediately. We are not only going to welcome their generous gifts, but also give them a return gift they will never forget for the rest of their lives!
Cheng Shuili did not look at the replies but instead opened the regional channel again.
These people hadn't set foot in Black Feather's territory yet, so they must be......
Sure enough, several surrender-persuasion messages with similar wording from different war-declaring faction leaders were being copied and sent by countless people, spamming the regional channel.
Rate on N.U.
