Chapter 53:

—Mission Hall.

Yun Shan paused, gazing at the board with a pensive expression in her eyes.

At some point, there were several new job listings on the left side of the notice board.

For example—

【Technical Worker】

Location: Refinery.

Job Description: Ore smelting.

Salary: 50g of mixed grain bun/hour, daily payment, dormitory provided.

【Seamstress】

Location: Red Maple Tailor Shop.

Job Description: Crafting tents from animal hides.

Salary: 40g of mixed grain bun/hour, daily payment, dormitory provided.

【Carpenter】

Location: Farmland.

Job Description: Crafting wind carriages, hydraulic windmills.

Salary: 50g of mixed grain bun/hour, daily payment, dormitory provided.

…

As she looked at the listings, Yun Shan recalled a term— “subsistence labor.”

Official investment in building infrastructure, with the needy participating in the project, providing labor in exchange for material or cash compensation.

In times of peace, this was a form of poverty alleviation policy.

In times of turmoil, it was a relief method that could replace direct disaster relief.

She then turned her attention to the right side of the notice board.

【Land Acquisition】

Quantity: Unlimited

Location: Unlimited

Payment Method: Grain trade, points trade

【Herb Acquisition】

Quantity: Unlimited

Variety: Unlimited

Requirements: Good quality

Payment method: Grain trade, points trade

【Purchasing three-star and above Battle pet】

Quantity: Unlimited

Variety: Unlimited

Requirements: Regardless of life or death, the higher the quality, the higher the purchase price

Payment method: Grain trade, points trade

…

Upon finishing, Yun Shan fell into a perplexing silence.

As the crisis loomed, she had been contemplating how to stop it. However, Lu Ming was considering how to take advantage of this opportunity to empty the players’ pockets.

Combining what she had seen and heard over the past few days, along with the information revealed during the casual conversations among the Pay-to-Win game group members, Yun Shan could roughly guess what Lu Ming had been up to.

He wasn’t indifferent, doing nothing. Instead, he remained calm on the surface and quietly executed all the deployments, effectively seizing everyone’s lifeline.

First, he secretly found grain merchants and bought a large quantity of grain at an absolute premium price. The quantity was enough to sustain all camp residents and additional players until the harvest in March next year.

As soon as the alcohol sales picked up, he raised the threshold and strictly limited the amount of grain each person could buy per week. This way, the surplus grain was used for making alcohol. Even if people were enthusiastic, it wouldn’t create an irreparable situation, causing unrest.

When the grain shortage started to become apparent, he provided employment opportunities to ensure that no one would starve, while also obtaining a large amount of cheap labor. Simultaneously, he executed a reverse harvest of players, providing them with the opportunity to exchange land ownership, herbs, and Battle pet for grain, openly reclaiming resources.

Grain is a necessity for survival, and going without it could lead to starvation. Therefore, even if people knew the grain prices were high and unreasonable, they had to grit their teeth and buy it.

The more she thought about it, the more shocked Yun Shan became. “If he manages this well, players won’t just have to give back the money they earned from making alcohol, but they might also have to sell or transfer the assets they’ve painstakingly accumulated in the game so far.”

This man, Lu Ming, was truly dark.

At that moment, Yun Shan realized that Lu Ming had been overly friendly to her in this life. She had forgotten what kind of person he was in the last life.

He had faced hundreds of assassinations, over a dozen player riots, and yet, he had managed to live to this day unscathed. He was no saint.

Without going into much detail, in the eastern district, anyone could casually throw up a bamboo hut surrounded by a fence and sell it for money.

“After all, living in a peaceful society, I’m still too kind,” Yun Shan sighed, then proceeded to place an order to purchase land and herbs.

***

Out in the wilderness.

Bai Jingjiang crouched in the grass, his eyes fixed on a group of white duck by the river.

After a moment, he signaled, and immediately, someone from behind blocked the path of the white ducks.

Bai Jingjiang and his team closed in from the front and surrounded their prey.

“Attack!”

Bai Jingjiang gave the order, and the hunting team members unsheathed their blades and struck the creatures. They were adept at swift and fierce strikes, targeting the vital parts of the Battle pet. In the blink of an eye, one-star and two-star white ducks littered the ground.

Bai Jingjiang picked one up and weighed it, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. “These ducks are fat enough. Roasting them will make for a good meal, and I can even exchange them with NPCs for some grain.”

Due to the scarcity of feed, most of the breeding farms in the camp had closed their doors.

Now, meat was a rare commodity, only obtainable through hunting. If managed well, it could be exchanged for quite a few things.

Bai Jingjiang was considering how to maximize the value of the group of white duck when he heard a whistling sound in the air.

His expression changed, and he twisted his body to avoid the attack, simultaneously shouting, “Ambush—”

***

At the same time, Bai Shenghua was reassuring his partner, Hong Rui, “There’s no need to be overly anxious. The situation isn’t as dire as you think. If the crops aren’t enough, we can obtain food by hunting in the wilderness.”

“My younger brother, Bai Jingjiang, is quite skilled in this. When he leads the team out, they’re sure to return with something. You can have half of the catch, and it’s up to you whether you keep it for yourself or exchange it with others.”

“After some time, when the grains in the fields are harvested, I’ll make it up to you.”

Bai Shenghua’s clear thinking and reasonable words gradually calmed Hong Rui’s emotions.

Just then, his black wristwatch emitted a rapid “beep-beep-beep.”

“They must be returning from the hunt. Maybe they caught too much and couldn’t carry it all, so they’re notifying me to send someone to fetch it.” This had happened several times before, so Bai Shenghua was used to it and assumed it was the same this time.

However, upon checking the message on his wristwatch, he was shocked to read, “Brother, we’ve been ambushed! Nineteen members of the accompanying guild have died, twenty-six are seriously injured, and all the prey has been taken. Notify the camp patrol team immediately! We are being chased, and will soon arrive at the camp.”

Bai Shenghua’s expression turned serious as he summoned his subordinates, instructing them to go and meet the returning party and call the patrol team.

Hong Rui, who had been eagerly awaiting his share of the hunt, listened to Bai Shenghua’s conversation and gradually became increasingly unsettled.

***

Near the camp, the pursuing enemies ceased their chase and receded like a tide.

Bai Jingjiang was covered in bruises, with injuries on his arms, thighs, and torso. Enduring the pain, he gritted his teeth and made his way back.

“Jingjiang!” Bai Shenghua led the response team. Seeing his younger brother and the survivors, he felt a pang of anxiety.

Of the fifty three-star experts who had ventured out together, less than twenty had returned.

“Who did this?” Bai Shenghua seethed.

He vowed to exact brutal revenge, no matter who was responsible.

Unexpectedly—

“It was the NPCs,” Bai Jingjiang said.

Bai Shenghua furrowed his brow. “Which ones?”

“The NPCs. There were quite a few of them, at least a hundred. They ranged from one to three stars, and they looked somewhat familiar, possibly former residents of the Red Maple camp.”

Bai Shenghua: “…Are you saying that resident NPCs have turned to banditry in the wilderness?”

“Yes,” Bai Jingjiang nodded.

Bai Shenghua suddenly realized the severity of the problem.

Even Hong Rui had a realization, “Could this be related to the recent alcohol sales? NPCs depleted their grain reserves to make alcohol, and now they can’t survive, so they’ve resorted to banditry, turning into outlaws and robbing others?”

Bai Jingjiang gasped for breath, “If that’s the case, why hasn’t the game company notified us?”

“Maybe the event just started, and they haven’t had a chance to?” Hong Rui speculated.

Bai Shenghua looked at the elite hunting team lying in disarray and felt his temples pulsing. It was just his luck… Everything seemed to have gone wrong for him…

***

Understanding Lu Ming’s plan, Yun Shan returned to the estate, occasionally making medicine and spending time with the Battle pet.

To train the Battle pet’s adaptability, Yun Shan made a frisbee and selected ten of the best three-star wolfhounds. Then, she called Dahei and Xiao Bai and had them stand at the starting line.

When she threw the frisbee, all twelve creatures raced to catch it.

Whoever caught it first would receive a snack reward.

The more they caught, the more they would be fed with Nourishing Essence Pill to help them level up quickly.

“Ready, here it goes,” Yun Shan sat on a small stool, giving a heads-up in advance.

Upon hearing this, the twelve Battle pet stood ready, their expressions extremely serious.

In the blink of an eye, Yun Shan threw the frisbee.

Dahei darted out first.

But the frisbee landed closer to Xiao Bai.

It swiftly ran, turned, and caught the frisbee. With a skilled set of movements, beneath the appearance of a four-star white tiger, it seemed to harbor the soul of a dog.

Yun Shan: “…”

Raising it among the wolfhound pack seemed to have influenced it a bit.

Just then, Xiao Bai came over with quick, small steps, dropped the frisbee, and requested the reward.

“I’ve made some egg yolk meat dumplings, want to try?” Yun Shan said as she tore open the aloe leaves covering the dumplings, offering one to the creature.

The fresh scent of the dumpling leaves combined with the aroma of the meat was enticing. Inside, there was a salty egg yolk, adding a unique flavor.

Dahei took a bite, found it delicious, and then promptly devoured the rest.

“Be careful not to choke,” Yun Shan wiped the creature’s mouth.

Dahei: I can eat two in one go! Watch me perform!

It looked confident and full of determination.

Just as they were about to embark on a serious experimental demonstration, Qin Wan suddenly appeared.

“We’ve got too many chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep brought back by the wolfhounds… The daily feed alone is a huge expense. The NPCs in charge of them are getting overwhelmed. Can we reduce the hunting?” she inquired.

“No need,” Yun Shan casually replied, “The recent unrest has prompted me to order the wolf and falcon packs not to go out.”

“After a few meals, there won’t be as many livestock to care for.”

“Got it,” satisfied with the clear response, Qin Wan left.

Yun Shan threw the frisbee again.

This time, Dahei snatched it, happily returning for the reward.

Yun Shan also fed it an egg yolk meat dumpling.

As she played, she suddenly received a system message, “Congratulations, you’ve been promoted.”

Opening the attribute panel, the data displayed:

Name: Yun Shan

Stamina: 88/100%

Satiety: 91/100%

Overall Strength Rating: Three stars.

Her in-game ID changed from white to blue.

Seeing the system prompt, Yun Shan remembered that she could gain experience from cooking, healing battle pets, nurturing Battle pet, making medicine, consuming high-star Battle pet meat, and having her Battle pet defeat enemies.

With the recent wolf pack hunting expeditions, it was about time for her to advance to the next level.

“It’s almost time to log off,” Yun Shan muttered, releasing the Battle pet to play. She then tidied up the snacks and the stool.

As soon as she finished the cleanup, the system kicked her offline.

【Today’s cumulative online time: 480 minutes (8 hours), has reached the limit.】

【Your physical condition is detected to be good.】

【Starting from tomorrow, the daily online time will be increased by 1 hour (total 9 hours).】

【Please remember to balance work and rest, and enjoy the game in moderation.】