After leaving Home, Qin Ziwen gathered a team. He kept the numbers small, given the unique properties of the Soul-Sucking Fungus.

He only brought the Recruiters from Home.

He came to the cave fully equipped, taking out shovels, iron buckets, spades, and other tools.

After a flurry of activity, they shoveled away all the Soul-Sucking Fungus growing in the area.

They didn’t just take the Soul-Sucking Fungus; they also shoveled several large crates full of the mineral mud it grew on.

Because he didn’t know if the Soul-Sucking Fungus could only grow and reproduce on this specific type of mineral mud, he had them take several cartloads of it.

The process was too slow, so Qin Ziwen decided to set up a Node on the spot to transport the mineral mud directly.

This mineral mud could feed the Giant Rock Dragons. Plus, being an edible type of earth, he had a gut feeling it might be valuable in other ways.

To that end, he specifically built a new structure within Home: a warehouse.

It came from an Ordinary Building Card he’d recently acquired from the altar.

Ever since the Great Sandstorm, Qin Ziwen’s focus had been on the Oasis.

However, the altar he had first discovered south of the Great Rift Valley hadn’t been abandoned. He had people assigned to go there daily to retrieve Cards.

Some of the Cards were then distributed as rewards, following the Qin Alliance’s internal system of rules and regulations.

Soon, the warehouse was filled with piles of mineral mud. The clean mud and the mud covered with Soul-Sucking Fungus were placed in opposite corners.

This was to test whether the Soul-Sucking Fungus could be transmitted through the air.

Until its safety could be confirmed, the Soul-Sucking Fungus was kept under strict guard, while Qian Muzhen took samples to test its medicinal properties and effects.

「Another day passed quickly.」

There was only one day left on the countdown to the third crossing.

The atmosphere in the Gated Community grew anxious and tense.

Even though they had experienced one conscious crossing, facing it again still made many people uneasy.

Qian Muzhen had a large pot of mint water brewed and distributed to everyone.

Qin Ziwu carried a large bowl of the mint water to the Giant Beast Breeding Center.

His older brother had spent nearly all his time here since returning yesterday.

He pushed open the door to the first floor of the Giant Beast Breeding Center.

It was filled with various miniature terrains. He continued to the second floor.

Light streamed through holes in the skylight above, focusing on the incubation "beds" below.

His older brother was lying on one of the incubation platforms, cradling the newly hatched Tyrannosaurus cub.

The Tyrannosaurus cub sensed him, opened its eyes to glance at him, then closed its large eyes again.

He hadn’t seen it in two days, and the cub looked like it had gotten a whole size fatter.

Qin Ziwu walked over. "Bro, have some mint water. Dr. Qian said it’s refreshing, helps with stomach discomfort, and reduces anxiety."

"What makes you think I’m anxious?" Qin Ziwen closed his eyes. Sunlight bathed the square patch he was lying on, feeling as warm and pleasant as an afternoon nap.

Curious, Qin Ziwu freed a hand and held it in the light. A pleasant warmth spread from the back of his hand.

He finally understood why his older brother was lying here.

’This feels amazing. I feel like I’m being incubated myself.’

"Bro, if you’re tired, just lie here a while longer. Remember to come down for lunch later, we’re having barbecue," Qin Ziwu called out.

"Got it." Qin Ziwen waved his hand.

Black, nestled in his arms, stirred and shifted into a more comfortable position.

Cradling Black, Qin Ziwen felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, the creature had been his partner in breaking through to Tier Three Extraordinary. Once it was fully grown, it would undoubtedly become a crucial part of Home’s fighting strength.

On the other hand, as it grew, the problem of how to feed such a Giant Beast became a major concern.

When it was fully grown, its daily food intake would probably be measured in tons.

If there was abundant food nearby, it could hunt for itself and be self-sufficient.

But if food was scarce, Home would have to provide for it.

That afternoon, after lunch, Qin Ziwen received a report from Jia Liangcai.

As of now, the Qin Alliance numbered 704 people. This figure excluded Recruiters and members recruited from within Home, only counting the residents of the Gated Community.

Of these, 584 were able-bodied adults between the ages of 18 and 40.

This included 364 men and 220 women.

The large proportion of students was a major reason for this high ratio.

"Most of these adults have some hunting experience. After a rigorous selection process, we’ve identified 83 individuals with particularly robust physiques. There are five who are exceptionally gifted, with strength far beyond the average person. Finally, there are two with innate Divine Power and immense strength."

As Qin Ziwen listened to Jia Liangcai’s report, he silently made his own assessment.

’The ones with robust physiques probably correspond to humans with a Three Stars designation.’

’The exceptionally gifted ones must be those with a Four Stars constitution.’

’And the last two must be Qin Ziwu and Cao Biansheng.’

’He and Du Yu weren’t included in this assessment.’

Coming from the modern world, everyone was already well-nourished and had a good physical foundation.

After two months of being honed by the wilderness, and with the training boost from the Martial Arts Arena, it wasn’t difficult for those who already maintained a basic level of fitness to break through the Three Stars standard, as long as they had enough nutrition from meat.

On the other hand, for those who usually lacked exercise and had a poorer physical foundation, it might take some more time to break through to Three Stars.

’A mature, healthy Alliance shouldn’t rely solely on its core Hunting Team to take down large prey,’ he thought. ’The other teams should also be capable of it.’

Here, "large prey" meant Giant Beasts comparable to an adult woolly mammoth—weighing over five tons.

"The core Hunting Team will remain as it is for now. Divide the other members into new hunting teams and start by getting them proficient at hunting."

"Yes, Chief."

Jia Liangcai acknowledged the order but didn’t leave right away. He glanced up, trying to read Qin Ziwen’s expression, before asking cautiously, "It’s just... regarding the leaders for these new teams... does the Chief have anyone in mind?"

Qin Ziwen’s gaze sharpened, landing on Jia Liangcai. "What? Did someone come to you to pull some strings?"

Jia Liangcai quickly bowed. "I wouldn’t dare! Absolutely no one has approached me. I simply wish to ease the Chief’s worries."

Qin Ziwen’s expression softened slightly. "Go on."

Jia Liangcai said, "In the last years of the former dynasty, the land was overrun with warlords. To ensure their armies’ loyalty, the regional commanders would stop at nothing. They heavily favored their own clansmen, recruited men from their home regions, adopted sworn sons, and promoted their trusted cronies. At the same time, a commander would build his reputation by treating worthy subordinates with great respect and sharing in their hardships.

"They would also bestow lavish rewards, tying the soldiers’ prospects of wealth and glory to the commander alone. This led to a situation where the armies ’knew only their commander, and not the Court’."

"So, you’re saying I should reward them generously?"

Jia Liangcai replied, "Not at all. The promise of reward is a lure, not something to be freely given!"

Qin Ziwen stared at him for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "It’s a good thing you don’t live in the modern era, or you’d be a ruthless capitalist. We have a special term for that technique these days. It’s called ’dangling a carrot’."

Jia Liangcai frowned, confused.

’But this is a political truth I painstakingly gleaned from countless classic texts.’

’Since ancient times, nearly all the powerful officials, ambitious warlords, and great emperors have used this tactic.’

’Use the promise of gain to motivate people and bend them to your will.’

’But human desire is a bottomless pit. You must never satisfy people too easily. Once you do, they only develop even greater ambitions.’

’You have to grant rewards bit by bit, making them understand just who is the source of all their boons.’

’How can that be wrong?’

Qin Ziwen said, "Any method must be tailored to the situation. Your approach would work flawlessly on ancients like yourself because they were raised to believe in the absolute authority of the sovereign. But it’s not suitable for the people from our Gated Community. There’s an old saying, ’adapt measures to local conditions.’ You have to use different methods for different people."

Jia Liangcai fell silent, then slowly nodded. "I see. I have learned my lesson."

"But there’s some truth to what you said. Authority must be flexible. Go and call the other members of the core Hunting Team here."

...

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