Everyone looked confused.
Gale, seeing this, remained completely calm.
In his opinion, even though Beiming was still a newcomer, he definitely had boundless prospects!
If they joined early now, they would be considered founding members.
In the future, when Beiming rises to prominence, they will definitely receive many benefits.
Along the way, he had witnessed all sorts of astonishing things about Beiming.
Since the other party had made the offer, he was naturally willing to join.
As for the other members of the squad, they didn't understand yet, but later... they would understand him.
Lin Bei smiled slightly, seeing the varied expressions on everyone's faces.
Since he had already made his decision, he didn't mind revealing a bit of his strength.
Thus, he activated the Mental Barrier to block the perception of others in the shop, and instead released a portion of his Qi and Blood Power specifically to envelop the surrounding members of the Wildwind Squad.
In just an instant, that oppressive feeling, as if facing a bottomless abyss, swept over everyone in the Wildwind Squad, causing their faces to turn pale and their bodies to feel completely drained of strength.
Fortunately, Lin Bei only released his aura for a moment before retracting it, otherwise... these people might have collapsed directly, foaming at the mouth and passing out.
"Th-th-this... this aura... isn't it way, way, way too strong?"
Battle Tyrannosaurus looked horrified, gazing at Lin Bei with fear in his eyes.
He clearly felt that the suffocating aura... emanated directly from the other party!
Although it was only for a short moment, they were very close to him, so it absolutely couldn't have been a hallucination!
Gale was also stunned at this moment, his mind a blank slate.
"He... wasn't he supposed to have great potential and limitless prospects? Why do I feel now... that his strength is already quite formidable?"
"That imposing aura... it feels comparable to the leaders of those Major Powers, right?"
"How is this a potential newcomer? This is clearly a hidden big shot!"
"Someone like this is actually willing to invite us to join the faction he's building? Is this... real or fake?"
Gale felt somewhat incredulous at this moment.
The other members of the Wildwind Squad also felt massive waves surging in their hearts, and their gazes toward Lin Bei were filled with awe.
A layer of distance seemed to have appeared between the two sides.
Lin Bei naturally noticed these changes.
He shook his head and gave a wry smile.
There was no helping it; the gap in strength between them was too vast. Even if he wanted them to interact with him as easily as before, it was impossible.
When facing a powerhouse, how many people could truly remain calm and composed?
Fear was the norm.
It was already quite good that these few people could maintain relatively composed expressions now.
"How about it? Are you willing to join now?"
Lin Bei asked again.
"I am willing!"
Hearing this, Battle Tyrannosaurus was the first to speak.
The others didn't hesitate much either, nodding in agreement one after another.
Lin Bei smiled and nodded, then directly used the special ability of the Lucky Ambassador to bestow the status of "Lucky Blessing" upon everyone.
A colorful light slowly descended, enveloping their bodies before merging with them and disappearing.
The next second, a notification sound of "Luck +10" rang in everyone's ears.
"Holy crap! Luck +10? Th-this... this blessed status is way too powerful!"
Battle Tyrannosaurus couldn't help but exclaim.
For ordinary Survivors, the initial hidden luck attribute is only 1 point. Now they suddenly had 10 extra points—this was simply a windfall!
If they went out exploring again in the future, the resources they obtained, both in quality and quantity, would definitely far exceed what they got before!
With this blessed status, the members of the Wildwind Squad had a bright future ahead!
The others were equally delighted, and their gazes toward Lin Bei held much gratitude.
"Alright, from now on, everyone is part of the same Faction."
"However, our Faction doesn't have many members yet, so everyone should keep a low profile in their daily actions. Your main task is to secretly accumulate power and improve your strength."
"As for other matters, you don't need to worry about them for now."
"Of course, the supply treasure chests you obtain in the future must be handed over to me, and I will uniformly allocate and manage them. Do you have any objections?"
"No objection!"
Everyone said in unison.
In the High-Level Survival World, it was an unwritten rule for the Major Powers to have their high-level management coordinate and manage the supplies of all organization members. Therefore, when Lin Bei spoke, they didn't feel anything was amiss.
What's more, might makes right.
This rule was an absolute, unshakable truth in the Survival World.
Beiming had displayed sufficient strength and had also bestowed upon them a powerful blessed status. As the leader, he centralized the deployment of all resources, and they naturally had no objections.
"By the way, Leader, do you... only want supply treasure chests? Do the other resources we obtain not require centralized management?"
Gale asked.
"No need. Our Faction is different from other powers. Apart from the supply treasure chests, all other resources do not need to be handed over to me."
"And don't worry, after the supply treasure chests are submitted, I will give you benefits based on the quantity and quality of the treasure chests. You definitely won't suffer a loss."
Lin Bei said directly.
He had actually been thinking about the supply treasure chests in the High-Level Survival World for a long time. Now that he had subordinates who were Survivors in the High-Level Survival World, he naturally had to obtain the supply treasure chests in their hands.
Of course, he wasn't hoarding everything for himself.
Since he had the Critical Hit System as a guarantee, opening supply treasure chests would yield him more rewards.
After all, he could guarantee the activation of the Hundredfold Critical Hit effect now. Therefore, every time he opened a treasure chest, his gains were at least a hundred times that of other Survivors!
If he casually gave Gale and the others some benefits then, they would not only have no complaints but would also be grateful to him.
Lin Bei was very confident about this.
"By the way, Leader, do we have any specific plans next?"
Battle Tyrannosaurus was eager to try, already impatient to show off his abilities.
"Oh... no specific plans for now. If I had to say something, it would be for you to improve your strength as quickly as possible. Even Gale, the strongest among you, only has five hundred thousand Combat Power. That's truly too weak."
Lin Bei waved his hand and said directly, "We are taking the elite path. We don't need too many members, but in terms of strength, you must be able to fight a hundred enemies alone. Right now... you are far too lacking."
Lin Bei's words were like merciless sharp swords, fiercely piercing the hearts of the Wildwind Squad members.
They wanted to refute him, but thinking of the strength Lin Bei had previously displayed and the elite path he mentioned, the words stuck in their throats, unable to utter a single sound for a long time.
"Don't worry, what I value more is the character of you guys."
"As for strength... you don't need to worry. I will provide you with some assistance."
Lin Bei pondered for a moment, then directly took out a Storage Item, which was filled with excellent quality food.
"Take these. With the nourishment from this food, your Combat Power should increase significantly in a short period."
"Additionally... I will teach you a Fitness Method, and give you a set of equipment. If you exercise daily in the future, it will also greatly help increase your Combat Power."
Soon after, Lin Bei imparted the training plan that Qingqing had specially tailored for him when he first stepped into the Transcendent realm, and gave them a set of Perfect Quality fitness equipment.
This way, they wouldn't have to worry about the growth of their strength in the short term.
As his only four subordinates currently in the High-Level Survival World, Lin Bei was quite attentive.
The stronger these people were, the more supply treasure chests they could bring back to him.
Therefore, investing more resources early on was very necessary.
Sure enough, upon seeing the resources Lin Bei gave them, the members of the Wildwind Squad were moved to tears, expressing their solemn vow to serve him until death.
Although the ingredients Lin Bei gave them were only of excellent quality, in the entire Interstellar Survival World, only the high-level executives of those Major Powers could eat food of this grade every day!
But the excellent quality ingredients they now possessed were enough for all of them combined to eat for at least a month!
This kind of treatment... could already be called top-tier treatment!
Moreover, the other party also gave them a complete training method and matching training equipment.
Anyone normal would be overwhelmed by such a degree of importance!
Lin Bei clearly captured the emotional fluctuations of the crowd. He curved his lips into a smile and said to everyone, "Alright, these are the arrangements for now. Focus on improving your strength during this period."
"If you truly want to thank me, then bring back as many supply treasure chests as possible."
"I won't say any unnecessary words. Let's exchange contact information, and if anything happens in the future, just tell me directly."
Afterward, Lin Bei exchanged contact information with everyone and left the shop.
Next, he planned to travel alone for a while and see the scenery of this world by himself.
The members of the Wildwind Squad watched Lin Bei's departing figure, their hearts filled with fighting spirit.
"Boss, what are our plans next?"
Yīlù Zhǒu Hǎo quickly asked, "Are we going to continue exploring the Dark Forest?"
"No, for the time being, we are going straight back to explore the Barren Planets in the universe and search for more supply treasure chests for the Leader."
Gale shook his head directly and said, "Now that we have enough high-quality food and a matching training plan, we no longer need to rely on killing monsters to exchange for resources to improve our strength."
"Everyone prepare. Use up the badgess and star stones you have on you to purchase some Combat items here. After we return, we will set off immediately to explore the stars."
Gale said in a deep voice, "Since the Leader has given us so many resources, we must achieve something! Otherwise... we will be worthless."
"The Leader thinks highly of our Wildwind Squad, so we cannot disappoint him! Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Hearing this, everyone nodded emphatically.
"Alright, we will gather in the square in half an hour and prepare to head back."
Following Gale's command, everyone dispersed...
At the same time, inside a massive residence in Tianjian City, a rugged-faced middle-aged man's brows were furrowed tightly.
He looked at the intelligence report handed to him by his subordinate, then looked perplexedly at the person reporting, and asked, "Regarding this matter... what is your opinion?"
"Reporting to the Leader, your subordinate feels... this matter is quite strange!"
Below, a stern-faced young man spoke.
"Oh? Then tell me, what exactly is strange about it?"
The rugged man raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.
"The Kuang Long Squad and several other squads lost contact almost simultaneously, so I speculate... those squads must have encountered each other in the Dark Forest region and temporarily formed a joint squad."
"However, given the strength of the Kuang Long Squad, combined with the strength of the other squad members, they would face absolutely no danger, even if they were attacked head-on by the Shadow Cat Demon King."
"Unless... they encountered a Beast Tide!"
The stern man said in a deep voice, "But judging from all the messages returned by our scouting squads, there is no sign of a Beast Tide in the Dark Forest. Therefore... there must be another reason why Kuang Long and the others lost contact."
"Continue."
The rugged man frowned deeply.
"I wonder if you noticed something, Leader. Today, a mysterious squad that concealed all its members' information simultaneously achieved a top three ranking on the Dual Leaderboards."
"Moreover, on the speed leaderboard, their clearance time broke the record, and they led Tianlong and the second-place team by nearly three hours!"
"Furthermore, your subordinate has now confirmed one thing: the time Kuang Long and the others lost contact was less than half an hour away from the time that mysterious squad cleared the Dark Forest."
"Therefore, I speculate that the disappearance of Kuang Long and the others is related to that mysterious squad."
"Firstly, they achieved first place on the speed leaderboard, far surpassing the Tianlong Squad, which indicates their strength must be considerable."
"However... they only achieved third place on the honor ranking, which suggests they did not experience excessive Combat throughout their clearance process."
"The only way I can think of for them to avoid unnecessary Combat in the fog is... that the opponent used a Purification-Type Special Item."
"And... the quality should be very high."
"Kuang Long and the others must have encountered members of that squad in the Dark Forest and coveted the Purification-Type Special Item in their possession, thus directly making a move to try and seize it."
"But in the end... they clearly failed and all perished there."
"There is just one point I don't quite understand."
The stern man frowned as he analyzed, saying, "Judging by the result, that mysterious squad was able to completely wipe out Kuang Long and the others, so their strength must be very high!"
"But the problem is... they don't seem to have fought the Shadow Cat Demons they encountered along the way. Otherwise, their final ranking on the honor ranking would definitely have surpassed the Tianlong Squad, securing them first place on the Dual Leaderboards!"
"If they were simply aiming for speed, I still find it unreasonable, because the leaderboards have been open for several days now, and the Tianlong Squad's score has been displayed on the speed leaderboard for a long time."
"Logically speaking, that mysterious squad should have tried their best to improve their squad's overall score while ensuring they secured first place on the speed leaderboard."
"But they didn't do that. It's as if they were completely unaware of the scores of the other squads on the speed leaderboard at the time. This feeling is like..."
"It's like this mysterious squad is just a Rookie Squad, completely ignorant of the leaderboard situation."
"But that doesn't quite make sense. After all, how could a squad composed of rookies... be strong enough to wipe out Kuang Long and all his men?"
As the stern man finished speaking, his eyes were filled with confusion.
Clearly, he couldn't figure out the mysterious squad's baffling actions.
"Heh heh, your analysis is excellent."
On the high seat, the rugged man grinned, looking at the stern man with a face full of admiration, "How about it? Interested in becoming my son?"
Below, the stern man's eye twitched slightly upon hearing this.
His own Leader was good in every respect, except for one thing... he liked adopting sons too much.
"Heh heh, don't worry. If you acknowledge me as your foster father, I can arrange a position as one of the Eight War Generals for you."
The rugged man said with a smile, "Kuang Long is dead, and now there is exactly one person missing. If you agree, I will bestow upon you the name 'You Long' and appoint you to the position of Eight War General. How does that sound?"
The stern man was stunned upon hearing this, then immediately revealed a look of ecstasy.
Eight War Generals!
These were the eight most powerful individuals in the Order Dynasty, besides the Leader and the Three War Kings!
Truly beings who stood above ten thousand people, second only to one!
Crucially, once he became one of the Eight War Generals, he would enjoy a continuous stream of resources to rapidly enhance his strength!
This was simply the lifelong dream of all members of the Order Dynasty!
"Foster Father above! Please accept You Long's bow!"
The stern man immediately dropped to his knees with a swish and kowtowed to the rugged man on the high seat.
"Hahaha, excellent, excellent! My son You Long, you are gifted and unparalleled in wisdom! With you in the Order Dynasty, we are certain to advance further in the future!"
The rugged man immediately burst into loud laughter after seeing the stern man's reaction.
"Your analysis was excellent. Remember to work hard in the future."
"Yes, Foster Father!"
"Mm... you may withdraw. Oh, right, remember to call your older brother Tianlong here. I have something to instruct him to do."
"Yes!"
The stern man accepted the order and left.
After a while, a blond man dressed entirely in luxurious silk robes walked leisurely into the hall, glanced at the rugged man on the high seat, and bowed to him.
"Foster Father, did you need me for something?"
"Mm, I suspect there is a hidden force in Tianjian City secretly accumulating power and preparing to cause trouble. I need you to handle it."
The rugged man glanced at Tianlong, who looked indifferent, frowned, and said straightforwardly, "Furthermore, I suspect that mysterious squad that stole your first place on the speed leaderboard came from that Hidden Force."
"What? Foster Father, is that true?!"
Upon hearing this, Tianlong's eyes flashed with excitement, and he looked at the rugged man with anticipation.
"Hmph, look at your disposition!"
"Although there is no concrete evidence, my intuition tells me... they should be related."
"Alright, leave this matter to me!"
Hearing this, Tianlong curled his lips into a cruel arc: "Don't worry, I will absolutely... cut the grass and eliminate the roots!"
After speaking, he turned around and left without looking back.
"You... you damn well stop right there!"
On the high seat, the rugged man's face was livid, and he cursed aloud: "I have a complete plan here! You damn well just follow my arrangements! Don't you dare create extra complications for me!"
Originally, he had also planned to cut the grass and eliminate the roots directly.
But after hearing You Long's analysis, he now had a new idea.
A rookie with such immense potential would definitely become a great asset if they could join his command!
It would be even better if they could become his son.
As for how he determined the opponent was a rookie?
It was simple. You Long's previous analysis was flawless, and he greatly appreciated it.
But the last point that confused You Long, he understood clearly.
That mysterious squad actually didn't possess the strength to crush Kuang Long and the others; the reason they were killed was that the mysterious squad held a very powerful trump card!
Facing the Kuang Long Squad, they used their trump card.
But since it was a trump card, it was naturally very precious and couldn't be wasted on fighting the Shadow Cat Demons in the Dark Forest.
Therefore, they chose not to get entangled with the Shadow Cat Demons but opted to pass through the Dark Forest as quickly as possible, seeking a higher evaluation and a better ranking.
As for why the opponent was able to proceed unimpeded?
The first was luck, the second was the Rookie Protection Mechanism, and the third point was the powerful Purification-Type Special Item they possessed!
As the Leader of the Order Dynasty, he had considered all these matters!
"How many years has it been since such a talent appeared again? If we can bring them into the Order Faction, the people above will certainly be very happy!"
"At that time... I might be able to advance further and won't have to remain in this godforsaken place as this useless Leader anymore!"
"If this matter is successful, I might just... have hope for the Epic Level."
"Just the title of having discovered a hack-like rookie genius for the organization... is enough to ensure I live very comfortably within the Order Faction from now on!"
"These days... are sweet indeed!"
The rugged man sank into a wonderful fantasy, a smile spreading across his lips, like a blooming giant flower. Coupled with his thick beard, he looked... well, there was a jarring sense of contrast... In the Island Survival World, Rockets were flying rapidly, already approaching the airspace where the Order Beacon Headquarters was located.
Inside the live stream room, Bohaus looked smugly at the mountains of primal stone piled up before him, a sneer playing on his lips.
"These fence-sitters, seeing my methods now, knelt down so quickly! Sure enough... this is human nature!"
"However... don't think I'll let you off just because you handed over primal stone! I've screenshotted and saved all your names! After I deal with that kid Beiming, I'll come back and settle accounts with you!"
"When that time comes... I want those who mocked me before to suffer a fate worse than death, living forever in despair!"
"Hahahaha—"