I'm A Wasteland Giant Chapter 249 – Chapter 249: Chapter 248: Various Tricks! (Please Subscribe!)

Chapter 249: Chapter 248: Various Tricks! (Please Subscribe!)

Translator: 549690339

“So, we only ended up killing four in the end?!”

Du Gang's mouth twitched. He thought they had secured a victory this time. But they were still one short.

Long Aotian nodded and said, “That third demon clan member looked too familiar. We might have killed him before, so…”

Upon hearing this, the Little Hawk King stroked his chin thoughtfully, “Indeed, now that I think about it, he does look familiar, like I've seen him before…”

“Is that so?”

Du Gang sighed, “If that's the case, there's nothing we can do. We encountered a bad luck, bumped into one we've killed before, and he recognized us…”

But soon, he collected himself, grinned and said: “Fine, so what if we missed getting a pentkills. It doesn't matter. Let's just try again!”

“Let's go!”

Subsequently, Du Gang's team successfully got a pentkill.

They avoided the teams who looked strong, giving up the fight without a second thought. As for those weaker teams, they fought tactically.

Even after six months, even when Long Aotian and Little Hawk King had reached a divine power of 20 Naer, Du Gang still chose to use tactics for fighting the enemies.

“There's no need to force a kill. Not only is it time-consuming, but it also unnecessarily uses up divine power and divine crystals…”

This was indeed his thought. Forcing a kill on these weaker demon clans would not have much significance. It was more important to increase the divine power of Long Aotian and the Little Hawk King to 50 Naer first. Then they could plan to fight in the wilderness zone or continue staying where they were.

However, once Long Aotian and the Little Hawk King grew stronger, demons never attempted to escape again.

All those demon squads targeted by them were almost doomed.

Consequently, their efficiency in hunting demons increased significantly.

This time, in just five months, Long Aotian and the Little Hawk King both reached the divine power level of 50 Naer.

This meant that Du Gang's team now possessed five destroyers!

“Five destroyers, oh my God, Team Du Gang's power is unbelievable…”

“These guys, they've only been rising for less than two years…”

“Not only that, but Du Gang, Long Aotian, and Ying Ba all only advanced to the God Spirit Level two years ago…”

“What?”

At this moment, the communication zone in the first floor abyss camp was completely heated up.

A majority of people were astonished, busy verifying the authenticity of the news.

“Is it even possible for this to be false? I saw all five of them making the attack that only destroyers can make…”

“Five people… Wait, I heard they have a tank…”

“Yes, right, five of them. I remember the tank also made an attack that time…”

At this moment, Du Gang's team, passing by from the sidelines, burst into suppressed laughter.

That time, when they were just short of accumulating divine crystals, Du Gang wanted to test Big Strong's strength. He had him kill a demon clan member by himself. The result proved that Big Strong was really powerful. Not only could he pull the enemy but he also was able to kill demons of the same rank by himself.

“Here they come!”

With this shout, people's eyes were instantly on Du Gang and his team.

Seeing this, Long Aotian proudly raised his head like a victorious general.

The Little Hawk King was the same, acting arrogantly and prancing around like a phoenix that had just flown up to a branch.

Not only the two of them, right now, Big Strong was also showing off his pride by liftiing his chin and shouldering his giant shield.

Qiao Bing had an icy expression, acting aloof from the surrounding people. But in reality, she was so nervous inside. Her legs would have given away had Du Gang not been​​ leading them.

As for Du Gang, he showed no major changes. He waved to everyone and greeted them with a smile: “Hello!”

“Damn, the big shot just greeted me!”

“So friendly!”

“Indeed…”

Shortly, under everyone's watchful eyes, Du Gang and his team approached a soldier stationed here.

This was a place for registering the hunting of the bodies.

Team Du Gang had a fixed team for registration.

“Team Du Gang, have you returned from hunting?!”

The registration soldier greeted them with a smile.

This was not because of Du Gang's fame, but because Team Du Gang was one of the teams that frequently exchanged bodies. So they couldn't help but remember them.

Du Gang smiled and nodded, saying: “Yes, can you help us with the exchange please …”

The registration soldier nodded and said with a smile: “Sure, bring out all the bodies!”

Soon, Du Gang started to bring them out.

Seeing this, other people hurriedly surrounded them and started counting.

“One!”

“Two!”

“Three!”

“Fifty-five!”

“Fifty-six!”

“Fifty-seven!”

“My God, how many have they hunted?”

Everyone was shocked, looking incredulously at Du Gang who was still nonstop taking out bodies.

Du Gang did this on purpose. He intentionally pulled out these things slowly, just to propagate their fame.

He had some knowledge about the wilderness zone. For example, in the area of the jungle near the second tower on the upper road of their home, there is a Wolf Forest. The number of jungle monsters here is limited and basically only the destroyers come to clean up.

This meant they needed to compete with the human clans' teams. So at this time, reputation is very important.

In addition to this wolf forest, there is another place, a Chicken Den, which is also a place where jungle monsters can drop essences when killed.

Both places are frequently guarded by destroyers.

The jungle monsters here respawn in an hourly frequency and randomly appear in the Wolf Forest and the Chicken Den.

He didn't expect their reputation to deter everyone, but if it could deter half of them, that would be enough!

“Two hundred and fifty!”

The registration soldier asked with a smile: “Is there any more?”

Du Gang shook his head, “No, just two hundred and fifty!”

The soldier chuckled, then started to weigh them in.

In a while, he had the weight for all the demon bodies.

“In total, it's 26349 pounds, which is 26350 divine crystals!”

Over twenty thousand divine crystals. It wasn't much, it could only buy two sources.

Du Gang nodded, the number was consistent with Big Strong's own measurements. There was nothing to dispute. He smilingly accepted the divine crystals.

The registration soldier said with a smile: “So, where are you planning to go next? The wilderness zone?”

Du Gang hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: “Yes, but not right now. We plan to buy some stuff and get equipped first…”

Just like that, in the envious eyes of the crowd, Du Gang's team left the camp and headed to the exchange center.

“This time, we are mainly getting equipment for the two of you!”

“Huh?”

Big Strong and Qiao Bing were stunned, each looking at the weapons in their hands.

Big Strong's giant shield was full of notches, all made by the enemy's weapons. If his shield hadn't been large enough, it would have broken long ago, and now it was nearly worn out.

As for Qiao Bing, her situation was almost the same. The dagger in her hand was no longer sharp enough, its surface corroded and disfigured.

“It won't happen, will it?!”

Qiao Bing was somewhat hesitant, “We should save this money for your advancement…”

Du Gang laughed, “All three of us have already reached 50 Naer divine power, a temporary advancement won't much of a difference, you guys should exchange your equipment instead. Let's move to the half of the wild area afterward!”

Hearing him say this, they didn't refuse. Their weapon gear was indeed providing insufficient power.

Soon, they arrived at the equipment exchange point.

“Du Gang, what would you like this time? Still sourcing?”

The worker at the exchange point was a young lady. She was sweet-looking but also had a strong essence of a God Spirit Level.

She was relatively familiar with Du Gang and the others. After all, they often exchanged and it was hard to not recognize them.

Du Gang laughed, “We are not sourcing this time, we want to exchange for two pieces of equipment, a shield, and a dagger!”

“Shield? Dagger?”

“What rank?”

Du Gang hurriedly answered, “We have a budget of over 20,000 divine crystals. What kind of gear can we get with that?”

He was not afraid of being duped here because these people were sent by Penglai Island and were responsible for the entire Penglai Island.

The lady behind the counter glanced at Niu Dazhuang's big shield and Qiao Bing's dagger, murmuring to herself, “Niu Family's shield, Qiao Family's dagger…”

After a moment, she laughed, “Yes, we do have two rank two true God artifacts, which happen to be left over by the Niu Family and Qiao Family…”

This was a resource exchange point. In addition to exchanging resources, they also handled resource recovery operations.

More than 20,000 divine crystals could almost buy two rank two true God artifacts.

“Follow me!”

The lady ushered them with a smile, leading the group to the storeroom in the back. After some rummaging, she brought out a piece of shield and a dagger.

“Wow!”

Niu Dazhuang could hardly take his eyes off the shield she brought out.

Before him, there stood a colossal shield that was four meters high. It bore various patterns on top.

“Oh, my goodness, this was left over by one of our Niu Family's powerful members…”

He recognized the patterns on top and the manufacturing method which was specific to his Niu Family. He was somewhat excited.

The clerk smiled, “That's right, this was left by the former genius from your Niu Family, it's just right for you…”

Qiao Bing, on the other hand, was clutching his new dagger, looking utterly delighted.

“The dagger once used by Qiao Ruoxue!”

Hearing her say this, Du Gang queried, “Qiao Ruoxue is…?”

Qiao Bing replied, “The current family master of our Qiao Family. He had also undergone trials here…”

I see!

Du Gang asked with a grin, “How do you like your new gear? Is it satisfactory?!”

“Satisfactory!”

Both of them quickly nodded, being overwhelmingly content with the equipment.

Du Gang laughed, saying nothing while directly paying for them.

They both contributed a lot to the early development of Du Gang and the other two, so getting them new weapon gear was definitely justified.

After thanking the clerk at the exchange point, Du Gang led the group towards a restaurant near the abyss that was run by the ancient city.

This restaurant was run by the ancient city, and no one dared to pick a fight. After Du Gang and others went in, they ordered a private room and some tasty dishes, and started discussing.

“We've already reached the Destroyer level, it's time to head to the wild area…”

Du Gang spoke up, “According to the information we've got, new thicket monsters refresh every hour in the upper wild area, each beast drops five essences. These essences can increase one percent of divine power. This means that in a day, our divine power can increase by approximately one-fifth Naer, or in terms of five people, equivalent to one source. This implies that hunting the wild beasts here is more profitable than farming the Demon Clan in the lower wild area!”

The others were all excited beyond words, “What are we waiting for then? Let's head there right away!”

Long Aotian couldn't wait any longer, all he wanted was to increase his power.

Du Gang laughed, “Don't rush, let's work out a strategy first!”

“We've been fighting straight for two years. Let's eat and drink here, rest a little before moving!”

At this time, Qiao Bing seemed concerned and said, “However, I heard that the strong ones from the Demon Clan often wreak havoc in our Wild Zone and hunt down our talents…”

“Like the three of you, you're probably on their hitlist…”

Du Gang chuckled and replied, “That's not an issue. Our team's fame has only mildly spread within the human population. The Demon Clan definitely doesn't know about us…”

“So, being a bit cautious wouldn't hurt…”

“Besides, there are also powerhouses on our side. The Demon Clan won't dare to mess with us that easily!”

The upper Wild Zone is even more chaotic than the lower Wild Zone.

Both sides often invade each other's Wild Zone, eliminate each other's prodigies and snatch each other's resources.

Moreover, compared to the lower Wild Zone, more people gather in the upper Wild Zone.

After all, the transition from Rank One God Spirit to Second Rank God Spirit is a sizable bottleneck that most people still struggle to overcome.

Over the years, a lot of people have come and stayed.

However, those who have spent a long time in the upper Wild Zone find it easier to break through to the Second Rank God Spirit than those in the lower Wild Zone.

At the Rank One God Spirit stage, power doesn't grow with time. How much divine power one can exert depends on the level of the technique they have mastered.

The four levels – Heaven and Earth, Mystical and Yellow – allow for a maximum additional divine power per 1% progress: 100, 75, 50, 25, respectively. This creates a power disparity.

At this stage, divine power only measures quantity. It merely represents how many times one can use their strongest attack.

Take for example, Du Gang, Long Aotian, and Little Hawk King. They each have only 50 Naer of divine power and possess Supreme Techniques. This implies that they can each release a single attack with a maximum power of 50 Naer.

However, that's it. After one attack, their divine power would be exhausted.

After they had a good meal, the five of them rested a while before moving on towards the abyss.

“Long Aotian, Little Hawk King, this time, it's on you two…”

“Huh?”

The two looked at Du Gang curious about what he was implying.

Du Gang chuckled and explained, “In the upper Wild Zone, it appears that people often use their power to take over and hoard resources. Generally, if someone is famous, others will voluntarily give way…”

“So, when the time comes, you two should act superior, be aloof and cool. Regardless of your actual power, make sure to act like you're the best in the world!”

“What?”

The two stared at Du Gang dumbfounded. They didn't expect him to make such a request.

Du Gang grinned, “Don't be shocked. It is exactly as I said. Be as arrogant as you can when we go in. Of course, don't go overboard to the point where people get fed up and expose your act… ”

Long Aotian was surprised for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“It's my time to shine, isn't it?!”

“Haha, I've been waiting for this moment for a long time!”

Little Hawk King was a bit speechless and scornfully said, “No dignity at all. Just because you're told to act all high and mighty, you get all excited!”

Saying that, he put away his smile, gave Du Gang a sideways look, lifted his chin and sneered, “Hey, what do you think of my posture?”

Du Gang suppressed his urge to punch him. However, he complimented him, “Not bad. With that attitude, no one would dare mess with you once we go in!”

Long Aotian scorned, “Still talking about me, aren't you doing the same? No dignity!”

“Hmph!”

Finishing his remark, he quickly took out an eyebrow pencil and started drawing on his eyebrows urgently.

Du Gang was flabbergasted, “My God, Long Aotian, you even know how to make up?”

Long Aotian chuckled, “I don't really know how to do makeup, but my look used to be like this. My family thought that my eyebrows were too aggressive and could easily get me into trouble, so they shaved them off…”

Soon, Long Aotian's depiction revealed an image of wild extravagance and rebellious coolness unlike Little Hawk King's nose-flaring, side-glancing and condescendingly looked down posture.

The moment Long Aotian drew his eyebrows, his originally vulgar eyes disappeared instantly, replaced by eyes filled with authority that could freeze the world and solidify the air.

“Damn!”

Forget about Du Gang, even Little Hawk King was astonished.

This guy…

He doesn't even need an exciting posture, to give off such an overwhelming presence.

The corners of Long Aotian's mouth rise slightly, revealing a wicked smile, just like a domineering CEO, with a voice full of magnetism but also full of authority, he questioned, “Who are you, why don't you kneel when you see me?!”

“Boom!”

A wave of dominance spreads out.

Holy crap!

This time, forget about Du Gang and Little Hawk King, even a quiet beast like Niu Dazhuang, cursed out loud in astonishment, eyes fixed on Long Aotian.

“If we hadn't been together for these two years, I wouldn't have recognized you…”

“This guy, he's too much!”

The group was astounded at Long Aotian, who at the moment, resembled the Dragon King of the South Sea, exuding an aura of majesty and power.

“Amazing!”

Du Gang was overjoyed and kept clapping.

“Well done, buddy, with your presence, who would dare to compete with us?”

“Alright, enough of watching the chicken pen for fun, let's just go straight to the Wolf Forest!”

Little Hawk King paused, counter-questioned, “What's the difference between Wolf Forest and chicken pen?”

Du Gang laughed, “The chicken pen is a big place, with many chickens and monsters. The numbers are large. Wolf Forest, however, has fewer monsters. Those who stay here are usually the cream of the crop among the Destroyers and it's rare for anyone to snatch the monsters in Wolf Forest!”

“So, that's it!”

Everyone was suddenly delighted, eating Essence safely, that's too cool!

“However…”

After thinking about it, Du Gang decided to remind, “Long Aotian, we should mainly focus on driving people away, don't be too overbearing, and definitely do not start fighting. If we do, we'll be exposed…”

Long Aotian sneered, “Do you think I'd be afraid of them?”

Du Gang coughed slightly, said, “These guys in the Wolf Forest, I heard that many of them have stayed in the Wolf Forest for thousands of months and years…”

“Thousands of months and years?”

Little Hawk King was stunned, “How much Divine Power could they have accumulated?”

Du Gang laughed, “According to every five days equivalent to one Nael Divine Power, these guys with thousands of months and years must have collected around two thousand Divine Powers…”

“Holy crap, what if someone has spent a billion days there? Wouldn't that be twenty million Divine Powers?”

Little Hawk King marvelled, a billion days only add up to just over three million years, there are countless people older than this.

Du Gang shook his head while laughing, “There is no such good thing!”

“The wild creatures here are divided into three types, one type is wild creatures in Wolf Forest and chicken pen… Ahem, and also stone monsters and pudding monsters in the Demon Clan wilderness zone. This grade of monsters can accumulate a maximum of two thousand Divine Powers, after that, absorption will have no effect!”

“So, that's why, I was wondering why they weren't more powerful…”

Du Gang laughed, “These four types of low-level creatures are all considered one rank, the first rank, and the second rank consists of fish demons in the river. These fish are not simple, with power comparable to a Controller, it isn't a place where just anyone could go…”

“These second rank creatures also drop five Essences each, a single Essence can increase your Divine Power by 10%, which can accumulate nearly two Niels of Divine Power per day…”

“That much?!”

The group was horrified, “Dang, how much Divine Power did we accumulate in one or two years, and they…”

“That's not all, I heard other people take hundreds or even tens of thousands of years to reach the level of Destroyers, and we only took two years…”

Du Gang laughed, “That's what I always say, the stronger you are, the faster you can increase your power and earn money!”

“Second-rank creatures, again, can also increase the Divine Power limit by two thousand…”

“Then comes the third-rank creatures, these are Big Dragons, the wild creatures our most powerful human team and the strongest team of Demon Clan are always fighting over…”

“These Big Dragons, drop even more potent Essences, One Essence is equal to one Nael Divine Power, a single Big Dragon can drop a lot of Divine Power…”

Seeing the envious expressions of the four, Du Gang laughed, “Don't overthink it. The area near the Big Dragon is controlled by controllers. Without a team possessing a Divine Power that's at the 100 Naer Level, there's no qualification to get there!”

The Little Hawk King suddenly understood, “I see, it makes sense now. My Uncle Qing must have suppressed his strength and passed himself off as a Destroyer, wandering around the lower wild area. They must have hunted enough of their second-rank wild beasts?!”

“They don't have the strength to go to the Big Dragon area where the third-rank beasts are, so they're wandering around these parts of the lower wild area…”

Because for them, the only valuable things were likely the essence dropped from the third-rank Big Dragon and the bodies of the Demon Clan.

Unable to plot against the third-rank Big Dragon, their only option was to hunt the Demon Clan. Rather than face powerful enemies in the upper wild area, it was easier for them to hunt in the lower wild area.

“Aren't we leaving yet?”

After a good rest, Long Aotian asked.

I've been holding this pose for so long, waiting to show off in front of people.

Du Gang laughed, “Don't rush, let's let the public opinion ferment a bit…”

“Public opinion?”

Four faces looked at Du Gang in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

Du Gang chuckled, “Exactly. I started preparing a year ago when I learned about the situation in the upper wild area…”

“What?”

The five had always been together and rarely separate. The others were somewhat confused when they heard this.

“When did you plan this? What did you plan?”

The Little Hawk King was puzzled.

Du Gang laughed, “Starting from a year ago, I started showing off the strength of our team…”

“Normally, teams finish very quickly when they go to the registration center to settle transactions, but not me. I hunted Demon Clan one by one, which couldn't help but attract onlookers who were curious about how many Demon Clan I could hunt…”

“In addition, every time we returned to register after that day, we had more than the last time, which I deliberately showed to tell others that our strength was growing rapidly…”

“And indeed, it was the case!”

Du Gang laughed, “Other people hunt the Demon Clan about once every one to two weeks and even the fastest takes two to three days. However, we do it three or four times a day…”

“A large accumulation of the Demon Clan bodies in a short period naturally draws attention. After a year's operation, everyone knows that there's a very strong team in the lower wild…”

“And this team includes the direct lines of the prestigious Dragon and Ying families…”

Long Aotian pondered, “You mean, let those people spread the news that we're going to the upper wild area?”

Du Gang nodded, “Exactly, people are known by reputation, and ours has grown quite a lot. There will be a celebrity effect where people who have heard rumors about us will think we are even more powerful…”

“By then, when we enter the upper wild area plus some acting by you two, we should have a high chance of securing a wild beast without any combat.”

All they recently achieved was Destroyer status with 50 Naer-Divine Power. From what he learned, most destroyers' chances of getting creatures after entering the upper wild area are basically none.

Because those who occupy the first-rank wild beasts usually possess a maximum Divine Power Level of 74 Naer – people who are a step away from becoming Controllers.

The common destroyers can only pick up left-overs, either get those wild beasts that these potential Controllers loosen up or hide in the bushes stalking the Demon Clan.

But stalking the Demon Clan isn't that easy. The Demon Clan squads that dare to cross the border generally have decent strength. Most of the time, they're not strong enough to beat them.

So it's tough for teams that newly became Destroyers in the upper wild area. Many return to the lower wild area after some setbacks, pretending not to have reached 50 Naer-Divine Power, and continued hunting.

Only when their Divine Power Technique has slowly increased, they would go to the upper wild area and repeat the same actions of the previous batch of potential controllers dominating the wild beasts.

This behaviour has essentially become a silent rule in the upper wild area, with ninety-nine percent of people taking this path.

“Do you want to waste time waiting until you're potential controllers before going to the upper wild area?”

Du Gang shook his head, “I don't want that. So we must act and posture as if we're strong so others won't dare to provoke us…”

Qiao Bing was somewhat hesitant, asking, “Should we go to the Chicken Pen then?”

She was worried. The potential controllers occupying Wolf Forest were clearly stronger. Could they manage without getting bullied if they go directly to there?

If a fight starts, they're doomed!

Niu Dazhuang also held the same opinion, saying, “Yeah, in case the people in the Wolf Forest start a fight…”

Du Gang smiled and said, “We can't go to the Chicken Pen!”

“Just like I said, we have to pretend, behave like we're strong and powerful. So we must go to Wolf Forest. This way, we'll look strong and confident…”

“In the case that we don't reveal our charade, no one would want to test us. Why? Because Long Aotian, Little Hawk King and their backgrounds discourage most people from daring to casually test us…”

He laughed, “Both of them have put on such a vengeful and defiant appearance. So what if your regular team is made up of nearly Controllers? Even if our team is weak now, won't we retaliate when we get stronger in the future?”

“Besides, do you really think these people don't know our true strength?”

“Actually, there should be some smart ones who can guess our strength range. But no one would be foolish enough to burst this bubble…”

“Just as I've said before, these matters are all unspoken rules. Our background and reputation can now be translated into strength!”

“Our background is the internal reason they dare not make a move, and our reputation gives them a way out…”

“It gives them an excuse to mistakenly think we're incredibly powerful. That way, even if something goes wrong in the future, it won't affect their reputation!”

Dazhuang is taken aback, “Is it really that complicated?”

He thought that Du Gang just wanted to seize the wild monsters. However, Du Gang had even considered the others' mentality.

Du Gang laughed, “You want to seize someone's spot, and they're hesitant because of your background; yet, your power is weak now, and they naturally feel some dissatisfaction. At this moment, imposing pressure can backfire and provoke some to attack. But if you give them a way out, there won't be a problem.”

Seeing that a few people still didn't understand, Du Gang laughed again, “Let me give you another example. Imagine you're a manager at a big company. There are a hundred managers in your department, and the boss now has a relative appointed as a manager. You're all uncomfortable with this, because you earned your positions based on ability, but he took the shortcut…”

“But you are powerless. Even though you're unhappy, you have to accept it because there's only one boss position to fill, not a hundred. So, you're all thinking 'thank God that unlucky one isn't me…'”

“To sum it up, these one hundred managers can't unite against him. Then someone starts a rumor suggesting this chick who parachuted in is quite successful…”

“Upon hearing these rumors, some clever managers, regardless of the truth, will pretend to understand and praise something like 'it's an honor to work with someone like him…'”

“Even if some naive managers still resist in private, their hostility may fade away when they see the imposing aura that the parachuted manager brings…”

“At this point, as long as this shortcut-taking manager isn't foolish, whether he continues to act aloof or decides to get along well with everyone, he will get these hundred managers to let go of their biases and eventually accept him…”

Du Gang laughed, “We're just like that person with a powerful background who took a shortcut. We're parachuting past the path that ordinary people have to take!”

Upon hearing this explanation, the group finally understood.

“Got it, we need to put on a guise and head straight to Wolf Forest, so that it won't seem like we're insecure.”

Although Long Aotian and Little Hawk King both knew they were from big influential families, they didn't have much self-awareness and couldn't utilize this.

Du Gang wouldn't act like that; being from Earth, he is very sensitive to the impact of family background. He understands how ordinary people react when they encounter and interact with these privileged second-generation kids.”

“Exactly!”

Du Gang laughed, “We just need to wait a little longer. Once the news spreads to the upper wild zone, we can set off.”

“Will there be people spreading the news?”

“Definitely, there will always be people volunteering to report the news!”

Long Aotian laughed heartily, excited about the upcoming act.

However, he soon became serious and said cautiously, “Du Gang, what if these guys don't play fair and attack me… ambush me?”

At first, he didn't care, but upon hearing about everyone's near-Controller strength, he chickened out…

If they really beat him up, it would be game over. It wouldn't be a secret beating…He's a celebrity now. If he loses face, he won't be able to hold his head up high.

Du Gang laughed, “Don't worry, I've prepared everything in advance. Did you think I was just enjoying the show when I got close to others earlier?”

“No, I've already selected the candidates based on the information that people spread, and some clues about their mindset from their actions.”

Upon hearing this, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

“As long as you're confident, we're at ease!”

They trusted Du Gang. In the past two years, although he had done many strange things, the results had always been satisfactory.

Du Gang just smiled and didn't specify who he had chosen.

Checking the time, he said, “It's almost time. We can go now. Long Aotian, Ying Ba, you two can start the performance!”

Hearing this, the two immediately resumed their hidden pretentiousness; one behaving arrogantly as if he were the Supreme's son, and the other full of majestic domineering spirit, as if the Heavenly Emperor had descended to earth in disguise.

Du Gang nodded, very satisfied with their performance, and laughed, “Maintain this pose along the way, don't flag, and don't speak. If there are any issues, secretly message me. Don't open your mouths!”

They both nodded, “Got it!”

Du Gang frowned, “Don't open your mouths, do you understand what 'opened mouth and you have to kneel' means?!”

Both of them promptly shut their mouths and messaged back, “Understood!”

Du Gang finally nodded in satisfaction, saying, “Let's go, let's get going. Control your pace, don't move too quickly…”

“Just like before, Dazhuang will lead the way, followed by Ying Ba, Long Aotian, me, and then Qiao Bing.”

After arranging the formation, Du Gang said, “Be careful not to be too stiff, try to act naturally. Additionally, nobody is allowed to speak. If you need to communicate, send me a voice message, and only repeat what I told you, understood?”

At this point, Dazhuang appeared somewhat bewildered and turned to ask, “Captain, what if someone speaks to me?”

Knowing him to be an honest person, Du Gang didn't reprimand him for his question but instead responded, “Dazhuang, from now on, you are mute. Pretend you can't hear anyone who tries to speak to you, understood? If I think it necessary, I will let you know when and what to say…”

“I understand!”

Upon hearing these words, Dazhuang felt a sense of relief.

Truthfully, this was his first time experiencing this sensation of needing to fool the entire world, which was both thrilling and terrifying. He worried that he might not act convincingly.

After all, this could determine whether they were able to take down the wild monster, an essential part of quickly improving themselves.

Seeing this, Qiao Bing quickly asked, “Captain, what about me? What do I do?”

Du Gang smiled and replied, “Just like Dazhuang, you don't need to speak. However, you should try to act more aloof…”

While saying this, he narrowed his eyes as if pondering something. After a while, he continued, “Lower your gaze slightly… Yes, that's right, just slightly. Then, look to the left at about 15°…”

“Huh?”

Qiao Bing was a little confused about what Du Gang meant.

Seeing her reaction, Du Gang added, “Look at me…”

Then, he put on an icy demeanor and tilted his head…

“What do you think about me now?”

Hearing his question, the others also ran over and were stunned at what they saw.

“You look very intimidating now!”

“Exactly, how did you do that?”

Du Gang laughed, “Lowering your head while adjusting your gaze upwards will give the impression of having a downward sloping inner corner of the eye. This makes one appear incredibly assertive and intimidating, not someone easily messed with…”

At this point, Little Hawk King eagerly added, “Du Gang, help me pose as well…”

Du Gang shot a glance at him and grinned, “You don't need to. Your hawk-shaped nose is naturally intimidating enough. As the saying goes, 'a nose like a hawk pecks at one's heart', your nose is more than sufficient!”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Bing began to lower her gaze slightly, looking to the left as Du Gang had indicated.

“No, that's not quite right…”

Du Gang pondered for a moment before adding, “You should look as if you're gazing into the distance, alluding to an ability to see through the universe, through the river of time…”

“What?”

Qiao Bing was puzzled; she didn't understand all this.

Du Gang thought for a moment before proposing, “Try not to focus on any specific object. Don't use your pupils to see, just use your peripheral vision to look ahead…”

Following this, he made several adjustments, finally resolving Qiao Bing's issue.

“My god, Qiao Bing feels like a whole new person now!”

Dazhuang was shocked, “Now she… she looks like the goddess of our village…”

“Shut up!”

Qiao Bing immediately dropped the act, her icy cold demeanor gone, as she retorted indignantly.

Du Gang laughed heartily, saying, “Well done, your stance just now was perfect, Qiao Bing. Just maintain it like that, understood?”

Upon hearing this, Dazhuang also asked, “Captain, what about me? Do I need to make a face?”

Du Gang waved his hand and replied with a smile, “No need, you look just fine being natural…”

After all, if you're carrying a four-meter tall shield that's nearly as wide as a door, why would you need to make a face?

“Everyone, get in position, let me take a look!”

Du Gang quickly arranged for the four of them to stand in a line, examined them from front to back, and praised, “Well done, perfect. This formation, this posture is absolutely flawless!”

“Hold your positions, we're moving out now!”

Chapter end