Watching Jia Liangcai’s retreating figure, Qin Ziwen shook his head slightly.

You had to use different methods for different people.

For people from ancient, feudal societies, Jia Liangcai’s approach would be understandable, as they were raised on a strict code of traditional ethics.

But that same approach just wouldn’t work on people from the modern era.

That was why the Qin Alliance could only be an alliance, not a nation.

Trying to restore the monarchy and become an Emperor would be incredibly difficult with modern people.

However, just because it wouldn’t work on modern people didn’t mean it wouldn’t work on those from the past.

But right now, there were too few members recruited from within the Home. The core reason was a lack of buildings capable of bringing in new recruits.

Residences.

The building came to Qin Ziwen’s mind.

He could either upgrade the buildings or construct more residences.

Previously, he had told Jia Liangcai to only recruit skilled artisans, but now, it seemed that able-bodied adults would be acceptable as well.

Qin Ziwen’s brow furrowed. As the Qin Alliance grew, he could feel the pressure mounting.

He could feel that while he was pushing the Qin Alliance to grow, the Alliance was, in turn, pushing him.

If the Gated Community was a mobile base, then every Lord of the Homeland was an independent ruler.

His position as the elected Alliance Leader made him look increasingly impressive, but in truth, the pressure was also growing.

He needed a truly elite force that would be unconditionally loyal to him.

And no one was more suitable for this role than members recruited from within the Home.

"Brother."

"Sir."

"Leader."

The members of the core Hunting Team gathered around.

Qin Ziwen said, "Right. The Qin Alliance’s internal Hunting Teams are expanding. In addition to the core Hunting Team, we’re establishing two main Hunting Teams of thirty members each. These two teams will require two instructors."

"Of course, we’ll only have two main Hunting Teams for now, but as more new members qualify, we’ll keep expanding. We could end up with around ten main teams."

Upon hearing this, the team members exchanged uncertain glances.

Deng Guang hesitated. "Leader, we... we don’t know how to do that."

Qin Ziwen replied, "You can learn. Besides, thirty people isn’t that many. For now, the instructor positions for the main Hunting Teams will only be filled by the official members of our group."

Seeing them all hesitate, Qin Ziwen smiled. "No volunteers?"

Yang Cunshen took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Leader, I’m willing to give it a shot."

"Good, that’s one. Anyone else?"

Qin Ziwu was silent for a moment, then a glint of determination appeared in his eyes. "I’ll give it a try, too."

"Alright, now that the candidates have been chosen, the rest of you don’t need to worry. There will be more opportunities when we expand the main Hunting Teams later. And just because you’re an instructor doesn’t mean the position is permanent. If you perform poorly, you’ll be replaced."

"Don’t worry, your spots in the core Hunting Team are reserved for you both. You’ll still be called up for missions, so don’t slack off on your daily training. Xiaowu, Cunshen, you two stay behind. The rest of you are dismissed."

After the others left, Qin Ziwen said to the two, "There are weapons and Armor at the Military Equipment Supervisor. Go and retrieve them. Keep them in the warehouse on normal days. When you go out hunting, you can issue them to the main team members. Collect the equipment again after the battle is over."

"Got it." Qin Ziwu understood what his older brother meant.

Yang Cunshen gave a steady nod. "Yes, sir."

...

As evening approached, the sky gradually grew dim.

Inside the Gated Community, a large number of residents waited outdoors.

Others had climbed to the rooftops.

Having gone through one transition already, some people had grown much bolder. They even dared to stand outside, preparing to watch the event up close.

The countdown finally reached zero.

Outside the Gated Community, the desolate Gobi Desert began to blur, like a watercolor painting washed away by rain.

The shimmering heat waves rising from the distant earth were silently smoothed away.

The oncoming wind carried the salty dampness of the ocean.

The endless sea of sand faded like an ebbing tide, replaced by the sound of crashing waves.

The sky, once dim, gradually brightened. As darkness gave way to light, time itself reversed.

Qin Ziwen took out his phone. The time on the screen was spinning backward.

18:07... 17:59... 16:32.

It finally settled at 4:30 in the afternoon.

The sky brightened. As far as the eye could see, the Gated Community was enveloped by a vast, boundless ocean, its waters a blue so deep it was nearly black.

The massive Gated Community was situated on an island reef.

On the surface of the surrounding sea, at least several dozen islands of various sizes were scattered about.

The small ones were similar to the one beneath their feet, just large enough to accommodate the Gated Community.

The larger ones were many times bigger, with some even boasting small mountains cloaked in dense vegetation.

[Home Settlement: Congratulations to the honored Level 3 Authority, Lord of the Homeland, on successfully clearing the second map.]

[Current Map Type: Competitive]

[Calculating performance from previous stage: Combat S, Development SSS+, Wealth SSS+++]

[Overall Rating: SSS+]

[Current Gated Community Ranking: 1]

[Rewards Acquired: Random Miracle Card x1, Random Level 2 Red Card x1]

Just as Qin Ziwen saw the rewards, waves of cheers erupted throughout the Gated Community.

Qin Ziwen took out the random Miracle Card.

[Miracle Card] Abyssal Ruins

[Construction Requirements] Deep Sea Core, Abandoned Underwater City, Aquatic Marvels x99

After reading the requirements, Qin Ziwen fell silent.

’I can understand the need for a Deep Sea Core and Aquatic Marvels,’ he thought. ’And while ninety-nine seems like a lot, it’s not that outrageous when I think about it. After all, we dug sixteen Marvels out of a single Giant Rock Dragon.’

’But what in the world is an Abandoned Underwater City? To build this miracle, I first have to find a whole city on the seabed? Besides, how big would my Home have to be to even fit a city?’

Just then, a warning suddenly sounded in his ears.

The Home’s small light sphere automatically materialized beside him. The milky-white orb’s surface was now covered in a layer of pale red.

The red light was gradually deepening. Opposite the sphere, a transparent, light-blue anchor floated in the air.

[Warning, an anchor point is attempting to lock onto the Home.]

[Warning, an anchor point is attempting to lock onto the Home. Expend points to negate the current lock?]

Qin Ziwen’s expression changed. He recognized the blue anchor at once—it was the same mark he’d seen in the Giant Rock Dragon’s lair.

’All I did was kill the Giant Rock Dragon and basically dig up its entire lair,’ he grumbled internally. ’Did it really have to follow me home?’

He hastily took out the Red Function Card.

Without even looking at the specific details, he immediately chose to use it.

[Function Activated: Level 2 Retrospect]

[Authority has been upgraded. Current Authority: Level 4 Authority (1/16)]

[Level 2 Retrospect: Opens a passage to any map the Gated Community has previously traversed. Duration: 6 hours. Cooldown: 7 days. The passage cannot be opened if other Gated Communities are present on the target map.]

[Your authority has increased. Your safe house function has been upgraded. Homes with Authority not higher than yours cannot initiate an anchor link with you.]

[Your authority has increased. Those with less than Level 4 Authority cannot use Insight on your possessions.]

[Your authority has increased. Those with less than Level 4 Authority cannot initiate a challenge against you.]

The next second, the blue anchor outside the Home’s light sphere began to fade. It twisted for a moment like an unwilling fish before blurring and being expelled completely.

...

...