“Boss, I’m here! Su Rui said you were looking for me?”
When Xinxue arrived, Cheng Shuili was busy organizing the supplies harvested from the recent battle.
There wasn't much else, but the basic materials were countless. If it weren't for the automatic sorting function for supply crates, this would have taken a long time to deal with.
This matter didn't need further processing, but the mastermind behind it absolutely could not be let off.
Cheng Shuili looked at Xinxue, “Su Rui told you everything that happened, right?”
Mentioning the business at hand, Xinxue’s expression turned serious, “She did. I think you guessed correctly, Boss. I’ve traded with Ling Yun a few times before. If there wasn't some benefit or someone backing him, that guy would never have had the guts to initiate a joint declaration of war.”
Backing him from the shadows?
Cheng Shuili was lost in thought.
She suddenly realized that Ling Yun was likely promised that his life would be safe if he did this.
As for how exactly his life would be kept safe...
Cheng Shuili chuckled softly. Who could have guessed that Black Feather would counterattack directly with rocket launchers? Forget about people; not a single complete body could be found at the center of the explosions.
The rocket launcher really helped a lot this time. Now, all that’s left is to hook the fish.
Cheng Shuili lowered her gaze, “This person is hiding in the back, watching the tigers fight from the mountain, feeling quite comfortable. Since that’s the case, we’ll make sure he can’t sit still. Xinxue, are those water army members you hired reliable?”
Xinxue nodded, catching on immediately, “You mean… spread the word about the server merge?”
“No.” Cheng Shuili’s lips curved into a smile, “It’s to release news about recruiting. Black Feather… has suffered heavy losses this time, so we can only maintain our status by adding some fresh blood.”
Xinxue paused, feeling a bit confused, “Like this… but if we do this, won't those factions in the top five of the leaderboard take action?”
Cheng Shuili had certainly thought of this, but she was fearless, “They have to be brave enough to try.”
“We’ve both seen Qian Xun and that Slacking Headquarters guy in the dungeons. Although we aren't close with them, they seem to have connections with each other.”
When Cheng Shuili said this, Xinxue understood her meaning, “It’s because the impression you left on them during that last dungeon was too deep. Even if Black Feather shows weakness in the regional channel, those people don't have the guts to declare war on us.”
The logic held up, but why did it sound so strange coming from Xinxue?
Cheng Shuili shook the thought away and continued, “They don't have the guts, but that mastermind does. I suspect he has some uncommon items in his possession, and it’s because of those items that he felt confident enough to target us so early. If that’s the case, he won't easily let this opportunity slip by.”
Xinxue understood, and with a smile, she chimed in, “He went to such great lengths to plan this siege, only to end up in a crushing defeat. He must be harboring a lot of resentment. Now that he sees us suffering heavy losses and in desperate need of manpower, he’ll think this is his last chance! He’ll either take the opportunity to plant a spy or, seeing us weak, try to take us on personally!”
Exactly.
Cheng Shuili looked at Xinxue, “What we need to do is create that opportunity for him. The water army’s task is to play up the fact that Black Feather suffered huge losses in this battle and is in urgent need of recruiting reliable new members to fill the vacancies.”
“Got it!”
Xinxue nodded, “Then Boss, I’ll go do that now?”
Cheng Shuili waved her hand, then suddenly called her back.
She was still a bit uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Only we know about this. You must keep it secret until it’s done.”
Xinxue flashed a bright, white smile, “Don't worry, Boss! My lips are sealed! Is there anything else?”
Her lips being sealed wasn't enough; the members of Black Feather all had to keep their mouths shut.
And… if Cheng Shuili’s guess was correct, there was one more person whose mouth needed to be tight.
“Call Chen Qingshan over.”
Cheng Shuili’s gaze was firm; she couldn't let this guy ruin her plan.
Xinxue scratched her head, “Chen Qingshan? The middle-aged man who’s always repairing cars for everyone in the parking lot?”
He really was passionate about that line of work…
Cheng Shuili nodded, and Xinxue set off.
Before long, Chen Qingshan knocked on the door and entered, “Boss, Xinxue said you were looking for me?”
“Sit.” Cheng Shuili pointed to the chair opposite her and went straight to the point, “Have you been in contact with your uncles and peers recently?”
Chen Qingshan was a bit baffled. Since joining Black Feather, other than assigning him tasks and receiving the supplies he handed over, Cheng Shuili had never said an extra word to him. Why was she concerned about this today?
Although confused, he answered honestly, “No contact, Boss. When I first left the organization, they would occasionally ask about me, since they were my father’s colleagues. But now that their own side is in complete chaos, they have no time to worry about me.”
“That’s good.” Cheng Shuili’s tone was calm, “There is something coming up that requires your cooperation, or rather… requires you to remain silent for the time being.”
Chen Qingshan’s expression sharpened as he sat up straight, “Go ahead, Boss.”
“We are preparing to release news to the public that Black Feather suffered heavy losses in the previous battle and is in urgent need of recruiting new people.” Cheng Shuili stared into his eyes, “But in reality, we have zero casualties. This is a lure, intended to draw out the person who masterminded the siege.”
Chen Qingshan was stunned at first, then immediately stated his position, “Understood. Boss, don't worry. I am a member of Black Feather, and I will absolutely not leak any news about Black Feather!”
After saying this, he couldn't help but frown, asking with some confusion, “Does this have anything to do with my uncles and peers…”
Halfway through his sentence, he finally understood Cheng Shuili’s meaning.
“Boss, you suspect…” Chen Qingshan was filled with shock, his lips trembling as he whispered the rest of the sentence: “That it was done by people from Dragon Soul?”
Seeing his reaction, it was clear he truly knew nothing.
Cheng Shuili nodded, watching Chen Qingshan’s reaction carefully.
The first emotion to appear on his face was one of betrayal.
It made perfect sense.
He was working with Black Feather, and if those people were taking action against Black Feather, it was effectively a “betrayal” of him.
This was followed by anger. He tightened his brows, as if he had made a decision, and looked at Cheng Shuili seriously, “Boss! Don't worry, I won't say a word. If they come to ask me, I’ll tell you immediately!”
“They’ve treated me like this, so of course I won't say anything good about them anymore! What uncles and peers! To hell with uncles and peers! Before I left the organization, they were always pushing me to be the top leader, saying it was all for my own good, but everyone knew they just needed a puppet who was easy to talk to!”
Chen Qingshan’s emotions were somewhat agitated, the veins on his forehead throbbing, but his eyes carried a hint of sadness, “Boss, Guanghui told me that you originally only wanted him. It was because Zhu Xuan gave you supplies that you were willing to take me on.”
“I only understand now that in that organization, the only person who truly treated me well was Zhu Xuan. Now that Zhu Xuan is gone, and the organization isn't really an organization anymore, it has nothing to do with me.”
His eyes were glistening with tears, “Boss, you can do whatever you want with those people. I have no objections.”
Cheng Shuili wasn't going to consult him anyway.
This guy was a bit too emotional, honestly.
What should she say now? Should she comfort him? He looked old with his scruffy beard, and here he was, on the verge of tears in front of a young woman in her twenties. Didn't he feel embarrassed?
Cheng Shuili was speechless, but thinking that this guy was now a member of Black Feather, and had even been helping members with vehicle maintenance before coming here, she paused and said, “It does have something to do with you.”
Chen Qingshan looked up, his confusion evident.
Cheng Shuili had to explain, “You are a member of Black Feather now. They are taking action against us, so of course it has something to do with you.”
Chen Qingshan froze, his emotions calming down. He straightened his spine, his voice steady, “I understand, Boss. I will keep my mouth shut and closely monitor their movements. If there is any news, I will report it to you immediately.”
“Fine,” Cheng Shuili nodded, “Go back.”
Chen Qingshan nodded solemnly and turned to leave the room.
Cheng Shuili’s side was finished, but Xinxue’s had just begun.
As the number one unscrupulous merchant of Partition 12, she couldn't do without a water army!
Controlling the public opinion of a certain commodity and unifying the narrative of an event were inseparable from these water army members. Using them often made finding them individually a hassle, so in her spare time, Xinxue had personally assembled a “regular army.”
More than fifty people, all of whom had signed long-term contracts. This number didn't seem large, but when they started flooding the regional channel with messages, the effect was extraordinary!
Xinxue’s efficiency was extremely high.
After notifying Chen Qingshan, she immediately sent out the mission in the group chat: focus on exaggerating the heavy losses Black Feather suffered in this siege, emphasize that Black Feather was now weak despite its strong appearance and was in desperate need of fresh blood to fill the gaps, and make sure to create this atmosphere in the regional channel!
The regular army soon began to take action! Discussions about Black Feather began to quietly shift.
“Did you hear? Although Black Feather won this time, it was a pyrrhic victory! I heard a lot of people died, and those leaders are all discussing how to recruit people!”
“Is that true? They fought so fast, and Black Feather suffered heavy losses? Don't lie to me.”
“Oh, can those things be compared? Crow is powerful, able to take the lives of other leaders while inside their territory, but that doesn't mean Black Feather’s members all have that ability! Casualties are definitely unavoidable.”
“If you ask me, dying is better; at least that person is gone. Being injured is the real pain; you have to save them, which means taking out medical supplies—and those things are so precious! Besides, they’re all gunshot wounds; just healing takes a long time. But if you don't save them… tsk tsk, everyone should understand.”
“Anyway, declaring war is hurting others and oneself, right? Only by taking down a faction like Black Feather is there profit to be made, right? Hasn't anyone who declared war on Black Feather come out to say anything? What exactly is Black Feather’s territory? How big is it?”
“I’m starting to believe that Black Feather has a lot of wounded. Those factions don't have a single person speaking up, which boils down to two reasons. Either they’re all dead, or those people in Black Feather are too terrifying, and they’re afraid of being targeted, so they don't dare to speak up. Either way, it was fought on the battlefield!”
“Tsk tsk, a tall tree attracts the wind. Being besieged by so many people, it’s already good they survived; I guess they’ll have to stay low for a while to recover their strength.”
“I told you, it was a fight to the death; there must have been casualties. Even if Crow cares about her subordinates’ lives, she couldn't avoid this.”
“When will they post recruitment information? I’d quite like to join Black Feather. Although a tall tree attracts the wind, Black Feather’s benefits are indeed good. And the atmosphere is also good; it feels like everyone is one family. In this hellhole, there aren't many places with the warmth of a home.”
The water army members exchanged messages, mixing true and false information, successfully implanting the impression that “Black Feather suffered heavy losses” into the minds of some players.
Of course, there were sharp-eyed people who remained skeptical, but under the wave of deliberately guided public opinion, these voices didn't stir up much of a ripple.
Qian Xun looked at the information in the regional channel, his brows furrowed.
He turned to his deputy, “Do you think Black Feather really suffered heavy losses?”
The deputy pondered for a moment and shook his head, “Hard to say. That person, Crow… she is unfathomable. After the dungeon ended, I went to ask Slacking Headquarters why he was with Crow and the others. Boss, guess what he said?”
“What did he say?”
“He bumped into Crow and, in the blink of an eye, was held hostage without even being able to trade a single blow. He’s the sixth on the leaderboard; although he looks cowardly, being able to maintain this ranking proves his strength. For such a person to not even be able to take one move from Crow, her strength is truly impossible to estimate. And this person is also vengeful; we’d best not be her enemy.”
Qian Xun nodded, “I think so too.”
After saying this, he suddenly lowered his head and sighed, frowning as he still felt a headache coming on. Helplessly, he said, “Those disobedient ones from last time went anonymous in the regional channel after leaving the dungeon to expose Crow’s gender. Crow hasn't settled that score with us yet. If any more trouble breaks out now, I guess I’ll be on Crow’s kill list.”
He ordered, “Notify everyone: tell our people not to get involved. Whoever does something else, just pack up and get out of our faction!”
Slacking Headquarters looked at the trend in the regional channel, curled up in a soft sofa, hugging a pillow and whispering:
“Faction recruiting? Recruiting is fine. That guy Crow can take on an entire faction by herself; there shouldn't be anyone left who’s still crazy enough to declare war on Black Feather, right?”
Thinking of this, he immediately posted an announcement in his faction channel: “Attention, Slacking family members, we don't look for trouble, we don't start trouble, but we are afraid of trouble. Stay far away from Black Feather members. Violators will be kicked out of the faction!”
“We understand, Boss Slacking!”
The reactions of the other top-ranked factions were much the same. They were all in the same partition and chatted together often. Although they didn't chat with Crow, everyone in the circle had an instinctive sense of awe for her.
To them, declaring war on Black Feather was the same as telling the system: “I don't want to live anymore; hurry up and wipe me out.”
The system might not fulfill their wish, but Crow would.
Rate on N.U.
