Chapter 35: Elite Group
Cute and Sparkling and Milk Tea Seven Parts Sugar clapped their hands together, hopping excitedly on their feet. “That’s wonderful, Boss! Can we check out a tavern? Neither of us has ever set foot in a place like that!”
Old Wang from Building Materials pulled a long, mournful face. “All I want is meat—a massive feast! I haven’t tasted a decent bite of food in a whole month. What about big plate chicken, braised fish, steaming hotpot, savory barbecue…?”
Dragon Emerging from the Sea offered a faint, calm smile. “Whatever everyone decides is fine with me. I’m not picky about food.”
Nearby, the Three Knight Brothers shuffled forward with uneasy, awkward looks, shifting from foot to foot as if unsure of how to speak.
Lin Huai studied the three young men. They looked around the same age as Old Wang from Building Materials, and she quietly matched each face to his name. The tall, lanky one was Fastest Hand at SF Express; the shortest was Flash Delivery Yellow Knight; and the roundest, chubbier one was Hungry Spirit Blue Knight.
Fastest Hand at SF Express had the highest combat rating among the three, giving him the most confidence. Speaking on behalf of the trio, he asked hesitantly, “Um… Boss, could I ask a small favor for our third brother, Yellow Knight?”
Lin Huai was slightly surprised. “What kind of favor? Did something happen?”
Fastest Hand scratched the back of his neck and explained, “Flash Delivery Yellow Knight is actually very capable. It’s just that he got ambushed and robbed by Fever’s gang earlier, which delayed his vehicle upgrade. So… is there any way he could join the Elite Group as well?”
Flash Delivery Yellow Knight was a boy with a youthful, round baby face. Standing there, his wide eyes watched Lin Huai with clear anxiety, his hands clenched into tight, nervous fists.
Regardless of the reason, Yellow Knight’s current vehicle and combat strength were undeniably at the bottom of the group. Making an exception to bring him into the elite squad right now would mean the rest of the team would have to pool their own supplies to carry him forward.
What concerned Lin Huai was not the cost of those supplies, but the issue of fairness. If she openly gave special favors to Yellow Knight, what would all the other hardworking Level 2 drivers think?
Because of that, she did not agree immediately. She simply gave a slow nod. “I know how close you three are. Let me think it over.”
Dragon Emerging from the Sea stepped in at just the right moment, offering a steady, reasonable voice. He looked down at Flash Delivery Yellow Knight. “To maintain the Elite Group’s overall strength and combat readiness, helping you push through an upgrade isn’t difficult. But doing that makes it very hard for the Boss to explain herself to the rest of our Level 2 players. We hope you can understand her position.”
Yellow Knight’s bright eyes dimmed. He lowered his head, feeling ashamed. “I understand. I put the Boss and everyone else in a difficult spot. I’m really sorry. Earlier, when the Boss asked me to take the wheel of Brother Jiao Long’s armored car, I thought…”
Lin Huai had only asked him to drive Dragon Emerging from the Sea’s Level 3 Sabertooth because, among the small circle of survivors she truly trusted, his own ride was too weak to join the vanguard. Meanwhile, Dragon Emerging from the Sea needed to move on foot to take up a sniper position, leaving his heavy vehicle parked and unused.
Seeing the boy look so utterly crushed and dejected, Lin Huai felt a twinge of sympathy.
As more zones merged down the road, many powerful experts would undoubtedly appear. Yet the later those strong players joined, the harder they would be to truly trust and manage. It was like people entering a marriage purely for convenience and profit—the moment the benefits dried up, they would walk away without looking back.
The people standing before her right now were different. They had struggled, fought, and grown alongside her from the very first days of the novice period. The bond forged through those early trials was naturally the strongest and most genuine.
Even though Lin Huai held little blind faith in teamwork after everything she had suffered in her past life, she had to admit that comrades who bled together from the start were always the most dependable.
Besides, Yellow Knight wasn’t entirely wrong. Entrusting a Level 3 vehicle to him had indeed come from her trust in him and the Three Knight Brothers. Dragon Emerging from the Sea had handed over the keys for the exact same reason.
In her eyes, he was already distinct from the ordinary Level 2 drivers.
After a moment of thought, Lin Huai shifted the subject. “What happened to the rest of If You Don’t Submit, Fight’s gang? Did they manage to run away?”
Her eyes sharpened slightly. “And what about those two traitors from our zone—Don’t Run a Fever Everywhere and Snowy Mochi? Are they still breathing?”
Dragon Emerging from the Sea pointed toward the far side of the Bell Tower. “They’re all being held over there. Even if a few slipped away during the chaos, it doesn’t matter. The zones have already merged. Once we get their usernames and faces from the prisoners, we’ll have all the time in the world to track them down.”
Jiangzhehu Inheritor opened her system screen, skimming through the merged zone’s active player list with a cold sneer. “Don’t Run a Fever Everywhere and Snowy Mochi… those two cowards are definitely still alive.”
Old Wang from Building Materials cracked his knuckles with a wide, wicked grin. He walked over and slung a heavy arm around Flash Delivery Yellow Knight’s shoulders. “Come on, kid! Let’s go settle some scores and squeeze your stolen supplies back out of their hides. Once you get your loot back, you can upgrade on your own and join the Elite Group fair and square, right?”
Yellow Knight’s eyes lit up like bright stars. “Really? Brother Wang, are you serious?”
Fastest Hand at SF Express and Hungry Spirit Blue Knight broke into broad smiles as well, though both instinctively glanced back at Lin Huai to check her reaction. After all, she was the undisputed leader.
Lin Huai gave them a quiet nod of approval, letting them go.
She had originally intended to deal with the captives herself, but thinking it through, she decided against it.
“I’ll leave those people in your hands,” she said calmly. “I won’t take part. I’ll be waiting for all of you at the Baiwei Restaurant behind the church.”
She glanced at Dragon Emerging from the Sea. “Brother Jiao Long, could you go with them and keep an eye on things?”
Dragon Emerging from the Sea gave a firm nod and led the group away.
The captives were men who had followed the tyrant of Sector 587 and committed horrific crimes. Putting every single one of them to death felt a bit too harsh, yet letting them go unpunished would leave dangerous threats lurking in the shadows.
Lin Huai’s original plan had been simple: strip them of all their gear and supplies, then execute the few ringleaders who were completely beyond saving.
Now, however, it was clearly not proper for her, as the supreme leader of the zone, to personally root through prisoners’ pockets for scraps. Her followers had just fought a brutal battle and were waiting to reap the spoils of war. As their boss, she needed to show generosity. At the very least, she had to let Flash Delivery Yellow Knight reclaim enough resources to push his vehicle to Level 3 so he could stand alongside the elite squad.
Beyond that, she wanted the rest of her core members to reach Level 3 as well.
While she still kept a layer of cautious guard around her heart, Lin Huai understood full well that many high-tier dungeons down the road required coordinated teams to enter. Before long, convoy merge cards would appear, making organized squads an absolute necessity.
More importantly, she had promised Old Hei that she would secure the next regional crystal. Taking on entire rival zones all by herself was simply impossible.
Thinking about this, Lin Huai suddenly realized that while everyone openly talked about an “Elite Group,” she hadn’t actually created a dedicated private channel for them yet.
Still, there was no need to rush. It would be better to set it up after they finished gathering their loot and upgrading their rides.
Everyone had their own tasks to finish and old scores to settle. Lin Huai didn’t need to micromanage; she trusted Dragon Emerging from the Sea to handle the situation cleanly.
After all, she had urgent business of her own to take care of.
