Chapter 2026: Winning Hearts is the Supreme Strategy

Damn it, run!

Feeling countless locks targeting his spiritual power, Qing Kai could no longer remain calm, and instinctively wanted to flee with his clansmen.

However, there was nowhere to escape, and it was utterly meaningless.

The exchange space is only this big; not to mention where he could flee, even if he ran a hundred kilometers, to a Star Destroyer it would be right at his fingertips.

Seeing Star Destroyers from all directions surrounding him, Qing Kai's heart filled with shock and anger, finally realizing how grave a mistake he had made!

He had vastly underestimated Lin An!

The gap between the Fourth Stage and a Star Destroyer is like that between a god and an ant.

He never imagined, down to his bones, that Lin An would resist him, let alone scheme against him! In his envisioned scene, Lin An should be bitterly begging, trembling on his knees, merely seeking to offer the reward in exchange for sparing his life!

And he, Qing Kai, needed only a single thought to grasp Lin An and pocket the reward! In his eyes, he only needed to consider fellow Star Destroyers of the same rank!

"Lord Qing Kai!?"

"Qing Kai, it seems we can only see you off. 700 points—tsk tsk, you're really worth a lot..."

"Lin An! Don't push people too far! If I die, the Alliance won't let you off!"

The situation suddenly descended into chaos; amid the unabashed threats, mixed with the frightened shriek of the Divine Archer.

Even preserving himself was difficult; at this moment Qing Kai didn't even want to bother with the Divine Archer, watching the hundred Fifth Stage cultivators encircling him, he could only roar angrily at Lin An, trying to use Earth as a bargaining chip to spare himself!

Noticing Qing Kai beginning to panic, Lin An coldly snorted in his heart, intending only to add fuel to the fire.

"The Alliance won't let me off?"

"Yes, you're right—once that news gets out, I will indeed face considerable trouble."

"But what if no one knows you died?"

"A special mission—dying a Star Destroyer is quite normal, right? I believe everyone here would not spread word of this."

"What do you say? Divine Archer?"

As he spoke, Lin An gave a half-smile, looking at the Divine Archer hiding behind Qing Kai; the threat in his eyes was unmistakable.

In his hand, a white light flashed, and a mechanical compass–shaped Props appeared before him.

"Communications jamming—it won't hold for long, but it should be enough to kill someone."

The Props is fake, but it's enough to scare people.

As expected, almost the instant Lin An finished speaking, the Divine Archer widened his eyes, his face turning deathly pale!

He understood Lin An's implied meaning!

"We won't speak! We absolutely won't speak! Lord Lin An, rest assured—I, the Divine Archer, will tell the Creator Alliance that Qing Kai and his ilk died on a mission!"

"I also believe that after you all kill this ungrateful wretch Qing Kai, you will surely sign an agreement that nobody will speak!"

Their stance shifted extremely quickly.

For some reason, although he was clearly cornered by Lin An with no way out, seeing Lin An give him a chance to betray Qing Kai, the Divine Archer finished speaking and, ignoring Qing Kai's angry glare, flew straight toward Lin An without looking back!

Struggling to force a fawning smile, at this moment he actually felt a bit grateful toward Lin An!

Seeing even the Divine Archer choose to betray him, Qing Kai's body trembled as a sudden surge of despair rose in his heart.

What to do!? How else could he possibly act!?

He never imagined that one day he would die at the hands of a Fourth Stage cultivator—let alone be killed by money!

"Lin An...!"

"What exactly do you want?! I don't want the reward...! We have no grudge; what good would my death do you?! I swear, if you just let me go...!"

"Let you go?"

Before Qing Kai could look at himself with near‑humiliation, he reluctantly surrendered.

Lin An shook his head and simply dealt Qing Kai a fatal blow. Having wasted so many words and paid such a price, he would not relent until Qing Kai was driven to collapse.

"Qing Kai."

"You aren't jealous that I took all the rewards, are you? No, I didn't! Resurrection is actually the system's reward to you!"

"It's just because I survived to the end that the system converted the resurrection reward into points for me."

"The fewer the corpses, the greater the cost of resurrection!"

"You should remember how you died, right? I can't be bothered to quibble over whether I kindly rescued you and brought your corpse out."

"I only want to tell you that your resurrection cost is the highest! When I found you, you were just a lump of flesh!"

After a slight pause, Lin An feigned pity as he looked toward Qing Kai:

"As a Star Destroyer, you should know how twisted the system is, right? Um, how many points does resurrecting a Star Destroyer require? And what has your rating risen to?"

"Oh, you seem to have been stuck as a Star Destroyer for a long time? Your Alliance seems to have some trouble as well."

Having said that, Lin An patiently waited.

At the moment he announced this news, everyone present of the Fifth Stage, and even Gu Siman and the others, were all stunned, then their faces drastically changed!

"So we have rewards!? No wonder... no wonder I've never seen the system give rewards to a single person!"

"Damn it! If that's the case, aren't we left with nothing, and the difficulty only increased!?"

"Fifth to Seventh Stage missions... damn! I don't even know what this mission is about now! Whether completed or not, what difficulty will our next mission be!?"

The entire venue erupted; everyone was filled with shock and anger, instantly thinking of their own future.

As Fifth Stage cultivators, their reactions came one after another, each quicker than the last.

They understood Lin An's meaning; these resurrected ones had essentially already taken the system's reward, and the stronger they were, the more they had likely taken—perhaps even owing the system!

Thus, in subsequent missions they would effectively be missing a large chunk of strength for free, while the difficulty had risen!

Everyone felt heavy-hearted, and many even began to think they should thank Lin An!

"Lin An.. thank you!"

"Little Brother Lin An, I think I understand your meaning! Although the points aren't many, I will remember this kindness of yours! I, on behalf of the Firmstar Alliance, will keep you in mind!"

"Lin An (Lin Dui)!? Then what about yourself?"

Some people angrily complained about the system's perversion, some thanked Lin An, and others worried about him.

He turned his head; Lin An gazed at Gao Tian and the others, their faces full of worry, and at Gu Siman, whose expression was complex, then he shook his head to indicate that he was fine.

He knew what Gu Siman wanted to say.

Lin An had taken so many rewards, then handed them out; in essence, he was reducing his own future chances of survival.

If he kept this reward for himself, he wouldn't worry even if his rating rose; but since he gave it all to them, perhaps next mission they could still see Lin An entering high‑difficulty scenes as a Fourth Rank or as a War Star!

"So..."

"You mean to say, even if you don't kill me, I'll hardly survive the next mission?"

Amidst the clamor, Qing Kai stayed silent; only after a long while did he raise his head, his voice hoarse as he looked at Lin An.

He couldn't fully believe it, but what Lin An said was very likely true.

He knew he had indeed died miserably, and he had indeed never seen a group mission's reward snatched by a Fourth Rank.

Then, following normal logic, Qing Kai could retrieve a life, and the price would naturally be unimaginably high.