The smell of blood in the hall had yet to dissipate.

Lin Feng's words, "Those who follow me shall live; those who oppose me shall die," were like a cold iron hammer striking the hearts of everyone who heard them.

The fates of Hei Zhua and Xi She were practically sealed the moment Baldy fell.

Under Zhao Hu's desperate onslaught, Hei Zhua was already struggling to hold his ground. Hearing the news of his boss's death threw him into a panic, allowing Zhao Hu to seize an opening. With one stroke, Zhao Hu severed Hei Zhua's right arm—the one holding his claw—and followed up with a second strike that ended his life.

Xi She fared even worse. He was pinned down by Tie Dun, Jian Yan, and Shadow Snake. His poison needles were exhausted, his soft sword was knocked away, and he had sustained a severe injury to his lower abdomen.

Shadow Snake's short blade gave him no chance to beg for mercy, slitting his throat in a single stroke.

The corpses of the two fell beside their boss, their pools of blood gradually merging into one.

Several lackeys who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion stared at the three familiar corpses in the hall.

Then they looked at Lin Feng, standing with his spear, covered in blood yet with a cold gaze, and his teammates behind him, who were equally murderous.

Someone dropped their blade with a "clang."

Immediately after, the sounds of weapons hitting the ground followed one after another.

"W-we surrender!"

"Don't kill us!"

"We'll listen to the new boss!"

Lin Feng's gaze swept over these sallow, emaciated bandits with panicked eyes.

Most were dressed in rags with battered equipment, a stark contrast to the core thugs who had been so arrogant earlier.

"Brother Zhao, take some men to confiscate the weapons and control the situation," Lin Feng's voice remained steady but carried an unquestionable authority. "Kill anyone who dares to make a move."

"Yes!" Zhao Hu replied, immediately setting off with Tie Dun and Jian Yan.

Shadow Snake silently stood guard by Lin Feng's side, vigilantly scanning those who had surrendered.

Uncle Wu hurried over then, his medicine chest already open. "Lin Feng, sit down quickly. Let me look at your wounds."

Only then did Lin Feng feel the burning pain from several places on his body.

Although the fierce battle with Baldy hadn't lasted long, it had been extremely perilous. Baldy's bone-crushing greatsword had grazed his leather armor several times, leaving deep wounds—especially the one on his left shoulder, which was deep enough to see the bone.

He sat down as told and removed his white hard leather armor, which was now damaged in several places.

Uncle Wu skillfully cleaned the wounds, applied medicine, and bandaged them, muttering with emotion as he worked, "These injuries... anyone else would have collapsed long ago. The constitution bonus of a General is truly extraordinary."

"It's thanks to Uncle Wu's medicine," Lin Feng thanked him.

"This Physician's skill of mine took nearly ten years to hone."

Uncle Wu shook his head, his tone somewhat complex. "In the Nightmare World, learning a Life Profession is much harder than leveling up by killing monsters.

You have to find the right master, complete a pile of trivial tasks, and have the talent and patience for it.

If I hadn't spent five years doing odd jobs at a medical clinic in Qingshi County and happened to save an injured traveling Physician, I never would have learned this."

Life Profession... Lin Feng's heart stirred.

By this time, Zhao Hu and the others had preliminary control over the situation.

The surrendered lackeys were gathered under guard, and their weapons were piled in a corner. Tie Dun and Jian Yan were counting the loot.

"Lin Feng, everything is here." Zhao Hu pointed to several pieces of equipment and a small cloth bag laid out on the ground.

The most eye-catching were the three pieces of green equipment stripped from the boss, Baldy:

A dark brown hard leather breastplate with natural patterns like beast claw marks, feeling heavy to the touch;

A pair of leather boots, finely crafted with dense reinforced stitching along the edges of the shafts;

And that heavy bone-crushing greatsword.

Hei Zhua's pair of eerie green claw blades, Xi She's soft sword, and some miscellaneous poison packets were also among them.

Zhao Hu opened the small cloth bag, revealing twelve pigeon-egg-sized crystals with a hazy gray luster—energy crystals.

"As agreed," Lin Feng spoke, his voice not loud but audible to everyone. "The bone-crushing greatsword goes to Brother Zhao."

A flash of excitement crossed Zhao Hu's eyes. He stepped forward and picked up the heavy greatsword. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, but the cool touch and the faint sense of power emanating from the blade lifted his spirits.

With this green-quality weapon, his combat strength would increase by at least thirty percent!

"Hei Zhua's claw blades are suitable for Shadow Snake." Lin Feng looked at Shadow Snake.

Shadow Snake silently stepped forward and picked up the pair of claw blades glowing with an eerie green light. They felt light in her hands, their edges were sharp, and there was a faint, sweet, metallic scent—clearly, they were coated in potent poison.

With a slight flick of her wrist, the claw blades left two silent afterimages.

"I'll keep the green leather armor and boots." Lin Feng brought the two pieces of equipment toward him.

The leather armor felt heavy; its defense was clearly far superior to what he was currently wearing.

The boots were light and well-fitting, making his steps feel a bit more agile once he put them on.

The green halos of the two pieces of equipment flowed slowly, manifesting their extraordinary nature.

"The remaining twelve energy crystals," Lin Feng looked at Tie Dun, Jian Yan, and Uncle Wu.

"The three of you will split them equally. Tie Dun's shield needs replacing, Jian Yan's bow is due for maintenance and an upgrade, and Uncle Wu's medicinal herbs need replenishing."

Tie Dun scratched his head sheepishly. "This... Brother Lin Feng, this is too valuable..."

"It's only right," Lin Feng interrupted him. "Without you all, we wouldn't have succeeded today. In the future, we'll need better equipment and better supplies; these investments are essential."

Jian Yan solemnly took the four crystals. "I'll find an opportunity to get a better bow."

Uncle Wu also tucked away the crystals and nodded. "The camp's medicinal herbs are indeed running low. Next time we go to the Trading Post, I'll buy more."

With the loot distributed, the atmosphere lightened considerably.

Lin Feng put on the new green leather armor and boots, then stretched his body. The leather armor provided 15 defense points, and the boots added 1 point of Agility. His overall strength had increased another notch.

"Now, tell me about the camp's situation." Lin Feng looked at Zhao Hu. "Aside from those just now, how many people are left in the camp? What are their backgrounds?"

Zhao Hu had already prepared his report. "There are forty-five people in the camp in total."

"Thirty of them are the lackeys who just surrendered. They're the lowest-level laborers and outer patrols with average combat strength, mostly level 2 to 4. They... aren't actually true 'Awakened'."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"They are 'Refugees'," Uncle Wu chimed in to explain. "The Nightmare World is very unique. Once an official village chief recognized by the National Fortune Cauldron establishes a territory, some 'Refugees' will randomly spawn around the territory every month."

"These Refugees look no different from ordinary people. They have intelligence, can communicate, and possess various basic professional talents—farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths, cooks, and so on."

"But they don't have a 'Blue Star body'; they are essentially native NPCs of the Nightmare World."

Lin Feng understood. No wonder those lackeys looked so weak. They weren't Awakened, but rather "population resources" generated by the Nightmare World.

"Besides the Refugees, how many Awakened are there?" Lin Feng asked.

"Including us, there are eighteen Awakened in total," Zhao Hu reported the number. "The three who just died—the boss, Hei Zhua, and Xi She—were the core."

"Four other level 7 thugs are out hunting today. The rest is A Wang's hunting squad."

He paused and lowered his voice. "A Wang's team of five is in a similar situation to us. They all escaped from destroyed territories and have been heavily exploited by Baldy. They've long harbored resentment. We can win them over."

Lin Feng noted the name.

"What about life professionals?" Lin Feng looked at Uncle Wu. "Is there anyone else besides you?"

"No more. Refugees with Life Professions are also important resources, but Black Wind Camp has none; they're all basic Refugees," Uncle Wu said.

Lin Feng was thoughtful. It seemed that to truly build a sustainable territory, combatants alone weren't enough; they also needed the support of various life professionals.

"When will those four level 7 thugs be back?" Lin Feng asked the critical question.

Zhao Hu made an estimate. "Based on the usual pattern, they won't be back until tomorrow. Today they went to the outskirts of the Rift Valley to the north to hunt a type of Rock Sheep. It's quite a distance."

A cold light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. "Wait for them to return. Those willing to submit can stay. Those who aren't..."

He didn't finish, but his meaning was clear.

"Before that," Lin Feng stood up and looked out of the hall. "Let's reorganize the camp first."

"Brother Zhao, take Tie Dun and Jian Yan to regroup those who surrendered and announce the rules—from now on, the camp will distribute resources based on contribution. We won't support idlers, and infighting is strictly forbidden."

"Pick a few of the more honest ones to clean up the hall and the outside first."

"Yes!"

"Shadow Snake, keep an eye on things from the shadows. Deal with any suspicious movements directly."

Shadow Snake nodded, her figure silently vanishing into the shadows.

"Uncle Wu, please take stock of the camp's food, medicine, and material reserves and make a list."

Uncle Wu agreed.

After assigning the tasks, Lin Feng walked up the stairs of the two-story building alone to the room that once belonged to the boss, Baldy.

The room was very simple: a hardboard bed, a rough wooden table, and a chest. A crude hand-drawn map hung on the wall, showing the area surrounding Black Wind Camp.

Lin Feng sat at the table, took out the map Uncle Wu had drawn from his robes, and slowly spread it out.

The Stone Forest, plains, ruins, ancient tombs... each marked point was clearly visible.

His finger traced the location of the "Qingshi County Ruins" on the map, his gaze deep.

Taking Black Wind Camp was only the first step. Here, there were dozens of people already available, simple but usable facilities, a relatively safe water source, and surrounding hunting grounds.

This was a starting point.

But to truly gain a firm foothold... he still had a long way to go.

*Knock knock.*

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Zhao Hu pushed the door open and entered. He still carried a faint smell of blood, but his spirits were clearly much higher.

"Lin Feng, things downstairs are preliminarily organized. Those who surrendered are being quite honest; Tie Dun 'persuaded' a few troublemakers. Uncle Wu is taking inventory of the supplies. Also..."

He paused. "A Wang's team is back; they're outside. They heard about what happened today and have proactively expressed their willingness to submit."

Lin Feng stood up. "Let's go meet them."

In the open space at the center of the camp, the bonfire was lit once more.

Five travel-worn men stood there. Their leader was a simple-faced, dark-skinned middle-aged man—A Wang.

They were still carrying today's prey—several Swamp Crocodiles and some medicinal herbs.

Seeing Lin Feng and Zhao Hu come out, A # Nоvеlight # Wang stepped forward and cupped his fists. "Boss Lin, Brother Zhao."

"We just got back and heard everything. Baldy and his lot got what they deserved. We five brothers are willing to follow the new boss and act according to the rules, with no ulterior motives."

The four men behind him also voiced their agreement.

Lin Feng sized them up. Their gazes seemed upright, and while their equipment was average, it was well-maintained. They carried the capable aura of long-time hunters.

"Welcome," Lin Feng nodded. "We're all on the same side from now on. Brother Zhao will explain the camp's new rules to you in detail."

"As long as you follow the rules and pull your weight, you'll get every bit of the contribution and distribution you deserve."

A Wang breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. "Thank you, Boss!"

After handling A Wang's matter, Lin Feng told Zhao Hu to arrange the night watch and tomorrow's hunting plan. He then returned to his room and closed the door.

Outside the window, the sky was gradually darkening.

Another night in the Nightmare World was approaching.

Reorganizing the camp and stabilizing people's hearts were the top priorities.

And then there was the Blue Star side.

He hadn't been back in several days. His parents must be very worried.

"One step at a time," Lin Feng said to himself.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his body as he felt the power brought by the General class and the faint resonance of the Wildfire Spear.