156: Chapter 156 Unfettered or Qin Strategy

When Qin Ce withdrew his gaze from the stage and looked at the newly recruited members behind him...

Only then did he realize that the twenty-three people standing behind him were like a row of trees bent by the wind.

Some were leaning on crutches, some were clutching their chests, some were pale, and some were still coughing low.

Not a single one of them was whole.

Not a single one had any combat capability.

Qin Ce heard an extremely low voice from behind him, almost scattered by the wind: "This mission... how are we supposed to complete it?"

No one answered.

But Qin Ce felt that it wasn't just those team members watching.

The captains of other squads were also looking this way.

Someone sneered, someone shook their head, and someone exchanged a look with the person next to them; the meaning in that look was very clear.

This squad is finished.

Twenty-three old, weak, sick, and disabled people, without even a single proper Beast Tamer, and they're going on a mission?

And handing over five thousand military merits?

Total annihilation would be the best-case scenario; it would be a miracle if even a few came back alive.

No one had any faith in them.

A group of old, weak, sick, and disabled people wasn't worth having faith in anyway.

However.

Even as morale grew increasingly unstable.

Qin Ce didn't make a single move.

He didn't turn around to comfort them, he didn't beat his chest to guarantee anything, and he didn't paint any grand visions.

He just stood there, standing quietly, like a stone.

Ever since he changed his mindset, proactively using his ability to invite people and discovering so many talents among the refugees, his mentality had already shifted.

Relationships are a two-way street.

He had shown the refugees his ability and provided help, so the refugees should also give him the most basic level of trust.

Trust isn't begged for, nor is it given as charity; it is earned.

He had earned it; if they didn't give it, that was their business.

So, this was also a test.

A test to see if these people he had personally picked were truly worth his continued investment.

What he needed were people who could stand firm at a critical moment, not fence-sitters who would shrink back at the slightest sign of trouble.

When the squad was dismissed, Qin Ce didn't say much.

He simply said one thing: "Tomorrow morning, everyone gather at the camp entrance."

Just a single, simplest command.

The next morning, when Qin Ce came out of the barracks.

An extremely surprising scene appeared.

Twenty-four people, all present.

No one had run away, no one had disappeared, and no one had used the excuse of "going home to settle things" to never return.

They stood on the ground in front of the barracks; some were dazed, some were talking in low voices, and some were secretly checking Qin Ce's expression. But not a single one was missing.

It seemed that the people picked using yesterday's method still had some merit.

Qin Ce still didn't give them any words of reassurance.

He spoke directly.

"The thirteen who haven't unlocked their Beast Tamer aptitude, follow me. We're going to the military headquarters to activate your Soul Talismans."

Thirteen people stood up and followed behind him, walking out of the barracks.

On the way, Qin Ce didn't walk fast.

The footsteps of those thirteen were a bit messy; some were looking around, and some were whispering to the person next to them, asking "Will it hurt?" or "Is there anything to watch out for?"

Some were taking deep breaths, as if cheering themselves up.

Qin Ce didn't look back or explain. He just walked, and they followed.

He let their anxiety continue to deepen.

The military headquarters' efficiency was faster than Qin Ce had expected.

The process of activating a Soul Talisman wasn't complicated either; it took place in a large auditorium.

An elder stimulated the power of a mental-type Pet Beast and performed a synchronized release according to the specific energy path of the runes.

Everyone's spiritual power was activated in a simple and crude manner.

For thirteen people, it was all finished in less than an hour.

After the activation, some people's faces were pale, some were dizzy and couldn't stand steadily, and some were so excited their hands were shaking.

Qin Ce stood by and watched without saying a word.

By the time they returned to the barracks, it was already noon.

Qin Ce had the cafeteria send over some food.

The food was cold and the rice was hard, but no one complained.

The twenty-three people squatted in the barracks, eating in the north wind, eating very quietly.

In the afternoon, Qin Ce went to the military headquarters again.

He pulled up the contribution points that the Seventh Squad had accumulated previously.

It wasn't much, but it wasn't too little either.

Although the previous squad captain was "gone," the squad's contribution points were still there.

He used up all these contribution points and added another three thousand military merit points to exchange for the five highest-quality fierce beast eggs from the military headquarters.

The officer in charge of distributing the beast eggs glanced at him, then at the list in his hand, looking as if he wanted to say something but stopped.

Three thousand military merit points was not a small amount for a newly appointed squad captain. This young man spent them without even blinking.

Qin Ce put the five fierce beast eggs into a coarse cloth bag, slung it over his shoulder, and returned to the barracks.

In the barracks, all twenty-three people were waiting for him.

Their gazes fell on that coarse cloth bag; someone swallowed hard, someone clenched their fists, and someone held their breath.

They knew what that was.

Those were fierce beast eggs.

Those were the keys for them to become Beast Tamers.

That was their only chance to change from "refugees" to "superiors."

Qin Ce placed the cloth bag on the ground and opened it.

Five fierce beast eggs lay quietly inside, varying in size and color, emitting faint fluctuations of life.

"These are the five best eggs the military headquarters could provide," Qin Ce said, his voice not loud but very clear. "According to the standards of the Wuji Army, they are at least Upper Bronze Rank. Some might even reach Silver Rank."

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Upper Bronze Rank!

Silver Rank!

Those were things they wouldn't even dare to dream of.

In the refugee camps, even a single black iron rank fierce beast egg would cause people to fight to the death.

Upper Bronze Rank?

That was the stuff of legends.

Qin Ce said no more.

He turned around and pulled out another eight fierce beast eggs from his own marching bag.

He lined them up neatly on the other side of the floor.

Five eggs on the left.

Eight eggs on the right.

The two groups were clearly separated.

At this moment.

The barracks fell silent.

A deathly silence.

Qin Ce stood up, brushed the dust off his hands, and looked at the twenty-three people in front of him.

His voice was still not loud, but every word was crystal clear.

"These five are provided by the military. High-grade eggs from the Wuji Army, minimum Bronze, maximum Silver."

He pointed to the other eight: "These eight are ones I refined myself when I was at the Bronze Rank."

"Those five high-grade eggs are already the best by Wuji Army standards. But these eight of mine—" Qin Ce paused, "—are at least high-tier Silver. Some have the potential to break through to the peak of Gold."

No one spoke.

But everyone's breathing hitched for a moment.

"I suggest you prioritize choosing these eight of mine." Qin Ce's tone was flat, without any condescending command or earnest persuasion, just stating a fact. "Of course, how you choose is entirely up to you. I'm only giving a suggestion."

After saying this, he took a step back, giving them space.

The twenty-three people looked at the thirteen beast eggs on the ground like thirteen stone statues, motionless.

...