Chapter 227 - 202: The Speech
The members of the Hunting Team who had remained at the Oasis burst out laughing at their words and proceeded to tell them what had happened over the past few days.
As Jiang Shan listened, he felt as if he were hearing a myth.
A Beaked Eagle using a fire attack to lure and kill Duck-billed Dragons? A Divine Bird single-handedly hunting down an Armored Dragon? Everyone working together to dominate the Oasis as humanity reclaimed its place at the top of the food chain?
Just two days. It had only been two days! ’What on earth did I miss?!’
From the tones and expressions of everyone around him, the Beaked Eagle had practically become the Gated Community’s guardian Divine Bird.
Every day, people went to see it out of admiration, offering it food.
"Old Jiang, are you going to join the Qin Alliance?" his friend from the Alliance Association asked in a low voice.
"Huh?"
Jiang Shan was stunned. He had mentioned this to his friend before, but his friend had just laughed at him back then. ’It’s only been two days, and you’ve already defected?’
Sensing the surprise in Jiang Shan’s eyes, his friend, a man in his thirties, gave a wry smile and shook his head. "Let’s be honest, why did we join the Alliance Association? Wasn’t it just to fill our stomachs and feed our families? But since we transmigrated, this is the first time I’ve ever experienced what it feels like to eat meat until I’m stuffed!"
At this, the burly man’s nose tingled with emotion. He sighed and said, "Seriously, damn it... I never imagined that being able to eat meat until you’re full could be such a blissful thing."
"Following Chairman Qin, we’ve hunted so many beasts these past few days that we can’t even finish it all. I almost wish I had two stomachs. I’ll follow whoever can keep me fed!"
Jiang Shan fell silent. He wanted to say that wasn’t his reason. Ever since he had sparred with Cao Biansheng at Wei Zhaohua’s door, Jiang Shan had started to feel differently about the Alliance Association.
He felt that if someone as formidable as Cao Biansheng was willing to roll with the Qin Alliance, then there must be something to the Qin Alliance.
After all, powerful people aren’t fools.
"Hey, you two! What are you mumbling about over there? Come get some meat!" someone shouted to Jiang Shan from beside a bonfire not far away.
"Coming!" Jiang Shan’s friend shouted back, then clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, brother, let’s go eat."
Following his friend, Jiang Shan felt a bit dazed as he took in the sights and sounds along the way.
He suddenly recalled Zou Jianghe’s earlier attempt to sound him out. He wasn’t an idiot; how could he not have seen through Zou Jianghe’s petty scheming?
It was nothing more than a fear that Chairman Qin would buy the loyalty of people like them.
That was why he had deliberately mentioned the two Tyrannosaurs here, to dissuade Zou Jianghe.
Looking at it now, Chairman Zou’s worries were completely unnecessary.
Because their hearts had already been won.
Jiang Shan looked around. Everyone had a smile on their face.
They held skewers of roasted meat, their voices filled with joyous laughter. There was no Alliance Association, no Qin Alliance, and no Student Union.
Here, there were only three hundred people who had been terrified of starvation, and who now only wanted to follow the man who could keep them alive.
They would follow whoever could let them eat their fill!
A smile appeared on Jiang Shan’s face too. "Alright, let’s eat."
...
Qin Ziwen stood on a high platform, looking down at the three hundred pairs of eyes below. "Over the past few days, we have successfully completed the Level 1 hunting objective."
Cheers erupted from below the stone platform as people raised their arms.
"However, we still have one Level 2 Hunting Task left: to hunt the Tyrannosaurs."
"Some of you may not know, and some of you may have already heard, but I can tell you all now. After we complete our task, the next map we transmigrate to will be an Island!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd below broke into a flurry of discussion.
"Do you mean an island, like, in the sea?" someone shouted.
"Did you eat so much meat that it’s stuffing your brain? If an island isn’t in the sea, is it on land?!" someone next to him joked.
"HAHAHAHAHA."
A wave of laughter spread through the crowd.
Qin Ziwen raised a hand, and the voices below gradually quieted.
"I’m guessing the Island will be in the sea, but that’s not the main point. The point is, the next map will be a competition mode, just like the hunting mode on this map."
The crowd fell silent, all eyes turning to him on the platform.
Some people looked worried. ’Life has just started to get a little better, and now we have to compete with each other again?’
’If it comes to competition, who could possibly compete with the Qin Alliance?’
"As you all know, during the second transmigration, our Riverside Gated Community and the Jiang City Normal University merged into one, combining two ’Gated Communities’ into a single one."
"This proves one thing: we are not the only group of transmigrators. There are other groups besides us! The competition on the next map most likely won’t be among ourselves, but between us and others."
"Chairman Qin, we trust you! Just tell us what to do!"
Qin Ziwen looked around at the crowd and continued, "To put it plainly, within our own Gated Community, we are all on the same side. Because not just for the third transmigration, but for the fourth, the fifth, and even further beyond, we are a single collective. We will continue to transmigrate together. We are all natural comrades and partners."
"Chairman Qin is right! We’re all on the same side, people from other Gated Communities are outsiders!" someone in the crowd shouted.
Cao Biansheng felt the voice was very familiar. He stood on his tiptoes to look at the speaker, and his eyelid twitched. ’Damn it, isn’t that fucking Wang Sheng?!’
’That kid really switched sides fast.’
Qin Ziwen continued, "Because everyone’s friends and family are in our Gated Community, we have each other’s backs. No matter what happens, we all have to come back to the Gated Community in the end. But it might not be so easy to talk things out with other Gated Communities. The only chance we might ever have to interact with them in this lifetime could be on the next Island map."
"Besides, the specific rules for the competition haven’t been released yet. What if, between us and them, only one side can continue to transmigrate, while the losing side is forced to remain on the Island? Then there would be no room for compromise between us."
The crowd below took his words to heart. Some looked thoughtful, while others had a flicker in their eyes.
"I don’t mean anything else by this. I just hope that our Gated Community can be more united, clenched together like a fist, so we can direct our strength outward."
"Chairman Qin, I want to join your Qin Alliance! Are you still recruiting?" someone asked boldly.
"I want to join too."
In an instant, a chorus of voices rose from below.
Qin Ziwen said, "The Qin Alliance is still recruiting, but I hope everyone can think about it calmly and not make any decisions on impulse."
"Alright, now for our hunting target. Starting tomorrow, we will begin hunting the Tyrannosaurs! For this operation, I will select an additional ten elite members from within the Qin Alliance. They will join the Qin Alliance’s core Hunting Team to form a twenty-person squad. The selection will begin tonight after dinner."
After the crowd dispersed.
Jiang Shan’s friend said with regret, "It’s a shame. The Qin Alliance’s core Hunting Team can only be selected from within the Qin Alliance."
Suddenly, his friend noticed Jiang Shan walking off in another direction. "Where are you going?"
"To join the Qin Alliance. If I’m late, there won’t be any spots left."
"Wait for me."
...
...