After careful consideration, Wei Zhaohua asked, "Chairman, may I take one of the fruits to experiment on?"

Qin Ziwen said, "How could one be enough? I’ll authorize you to use three. Don’t feel pressured. It’d be great if you discover something, but it’s no big deal if you don’t."

Wei Zhaohua nodded.

After Qin Ziwen left, Wei Zhaohua sat before the tree. He poked the trunk. "Hey, can you understand us? So, what exactly is your ability?"

’Whatever. I’ll start with the most basic experiments.’

...

After leaving, Qin Ziwen first went to the coal mine. He merged two Level 1 Coal Mine Cards, then upgraded the Level 2 Coal Mine to a Level 3 Coal Mine.

After the upgrade, the area of the mine remained the same, but the quality of the coal within had drastically improved.

The ground everywhere was exposed coal. The entire hundred-meter-radius area had transformed into a pure, open-pit mine. The jet-black coal was dense and compact, its texture fine, with a faint, oily luster.

He picked up a lump of coal and squeezed it. It felt solid and clean, crumbling very little.

The quality of the coal was a clear step up.

Although the area was unchanged, the quality of the coal had been upgraded, and its total reserves had also grown.

"My Lord." Jia Liangcai hurried over from behind and whispered in his ear.

A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Ziwen’s eyes. He turned his head and mused for a moment. "It’s nothing major. You can handle it. I need to head back now. Oh, right, bring me some chili peppers."

"Yes."

In Apartment 401, Zhang Bo was sitting in the living room. Hearing footsteps outside, he quickly stood up. A look of delight spread across his face when he recognized Jia Liangcai.

"Lord Jia."

Jia Liangcai remained straight-faced and sat down opposite Zhang Bo. "I heard from Master Zhao that you wished to see me about an urgent matter. What is it?"

Zhang Bo stated without hesitation, "I wish to trade the pricing and transaction rights for my Salt Well in exchange for the status of a core member, or a captain’s position. Is that possible?"

Jia Liangcai shook his head. "I do not have such authority."

Zhang Bo grew anxious. "Please, reconsider," he said urgently. "Right now, in the entire Gated Community, only our two groups have Salt Wells. Once I join you, we can set a single price for salt. This would benefit us both."

Jia Liangcai showed no surprise, merely nodding. "I can take note of your request, Mr. Zhang, and I will report it to our lord when he returns."

Zhang Bo couldn’t tell if the man was being deliberately obtuse, but he couldn’t afford to wait for Qin Ziwen to return. The main convoy was already on its second trip back. He said urgently, "Once I join the Qin Alliance, I’ll give you complete control over salt pricing. That includes deciding who to sell to and who to refuse. It’ll all be up to you. Mr. Jia, you must know the importance of salt and iron. Gaining total control over the price of salt is a huge advantage. When Chairman Qin gets back, he’ll do nothing but praise you."

Jia Liangcai looked as if he’d just had an epiphany, yet he still shook his head. "While that is indeed a fine opportunity, the positions of core member and captain are not mine to grant. If you are willing to join our Alliance as an ordinary member, sir, you are most welcome."

Zhang Bo was dumbfounded. ’If I’m just going to be an ordinary member, what was the point of going through all this trouble to come here ahead of time?’

’A high-ranking member of the Alliance Association, defecting with a Salt Well in tow... it’s a huge propaganda victory! How can they not see the value in that?’

Jia Liangcai observed Zhang Bo’s expression, stroking his beard with a soft chuckle. "In truth, the price of salt isn’t all that important. Salt is something you just need enough of to eat. The population of the Gated Community is limited; those who needed to buy salt have already bought it. What use is the rest, even if you hold onto it?"

Hearing this, Zhang Bo’s expression turned grim. His voice carried a note of bitterness. "Is there really no room for flexibility?"

According to information he’d obtained through special channels, a large number of people over at the Oasis had already joined the Qin Alliance. Once they returned and the news got out, the Qin Alliance would be in even higher demand.

Jia Liangcai’s tone grew gentler. "I understand your thoughts, Mr. Zhang. But for someone of your status to join us so plainly... wouldn’t that be a waste?"

Zhang Bo was confused at first, then thoughtful. Finally, realization dawned. "You want me to stay in the Alliance Association as a spy?"

Jia Liangcai smiled but said nothing.

Zhang Bo’s eyes glinted. "Alright."

’Sorry, Chairman Zou,’ he thought to himself. ’If you won’t yield, how are the rest of us supposed to get ahead?’

At dawn the next day, the transport convoy completed its second return trip from the Oasis to the Gated Community.

This return convoy was even larger, and it brought with it several explosive pieces of news.

The Beaked Eagle single-handedly hunting Duck-billed Dragons and Armored Dragons; the Qin Alliance’s elite squad successfully taking down a Tyrannosaurus; large groups of people defecting to the Qin Alliance—any one of these announcements was enough to send shockwaves through the Gated Community.

But all three revelations hitting at once triggered a massive earthquake throughout the Gated Community.

Rumor had it that the sound of things being smashed could be heard coming from Zou Jianghe’s home.

Others saw high-ranking members of the Alliance Association scurrying about anxiously.

Even the Student Union was in turmoil. Many couldn’t understand why their classmates had joined the Qin Alliance.

"Traitors! This is an act of betrayal!" Zhou Xiaqing angrily accused Wang Sheng. "Teacher Luo sent you over with our classmates, and this is how you repay him?"

Wang Sheng gave a wry smile, pressing his palms together in a placating gesture. "Sister Zhou, at this point, do you really think this was my decision?"

"Wh-what are you trying to say? If it wasn’t your decision, don’t tell me it was Teacher Luo’s."

Wang Sheng shook his head. "I never said that. But has Old Luo publicly opposed it? You know that Old Luo doesn’t have a strong desire for power. His only goal has ever been to ensure we can all survive."

Wang Sheng stared at Zhou Xiaqing. "Sister Qing, joining the Qin Alliance wasn’t just my decision; it was what everyone wanted. You haven’t seen Chairman Qin’s bird in action for yourself, so it’s natural you don’t understand. But if you had, you might change your mind. Chairman Qin is the future of this Gated Community. I hope you can try to persuade the others. We’re all classmates, after all. There’s no need to make things so ugly."

Zhou Xiaqing clenched her fists. Finally, she said, "I’ll try to talk to them, but I’m also going to ask Teacher Luo about this."

...

Qin Ziwen returned to the Oasis via the Node.

The Beaked Eagle squeezed out from behind him. Upon returning to the sweltering Oasis, it seemed disoriented, shaking its head before trotting under a nearby tree for shade.

Du Yu rushed over upon hearing the news. "Chairman, you’re back."

Qin Ziwen noticed the grim look on Du Yu’s face. "What happened while I was gone?"

Du Yu said, "A short while ago, one of the students was returning from fetching water and claimed he saw a Tyrannosaurus watching us from behind a sand dune."

"We sent people to investigate. They didn’t find any sign of the Tyrannosaurus, but they did find two deep footprints behind the dune, which means it was lying in wait there for some time."

"That’s trouble. I’ll have the Beaked Eagle keep a closer watch." Qin Ziwen recognized the gravity of the situation.

’The only reason we killed the last one was that we had the element of surprise and the advantage of distance.’

’If a Tyrannosaurus launched a surprise attack, setting aside whether the Crossbow Wagons could even be aimed in time, we couldn’t just fire bolts into a dense crowd of our own people.’

...

...