Chapter 362: The Crow Assembly

"Lao Da, I'm here! I heard Su Rui say you were looking for me?"

When Xinxue arrived, Cheng Shuili was sorting the supplies harvested this time.

There aren't many other items; the basic materials are countless. If it weren't for the automatic sorting function, we'd have to wrestle with these for a long time.

This matter doesn't need handling, but the mastermind behind it must absolutely not be let go.

Cheng Shuili looked at Xinxue, "Su Rui told you what happened, right?"

Getting to business, Xinxue's expression turned serious, "He told me, I think Lao Da, your guess is spot on. I've traded with Ling Yun a few times before; if there were no benefit and no one backing him up, this guy would never have the nerve to launch a joint declaration of war."

Backing him up behind the scenes?

Cheng Shuili seemed thoughtful.

She suddenly realized that Ling Yun's willingness likely came from someone promising him a life without worries.

As for how that "life without worries" works…

Cheng Shuili softly smiled, "Who could have thought Black Feather would counter directly with a rocket launcher? Not to mention the people—bodies at the blast center can't even be pieced together into a whole."

The rocket launcher really helped this time; now all we need to do is reel the fish out.

Cheng Shuili narrowed her eyes, "That person hides behind, watching the tigers fight from the mountain—quite comfortable. Since that's the case, we'll make him unable to sit still. Xinxue, are the water army you hired before reliable?"

Xinxue nodded, understanding, "Lao Da's meaning is… release rumors in the region?"

"No." Cheng Shuili's mouth curved into a smile, "We need to release a recruitment notice. Black Feather this time… suffered heavy losses, so we can only maintain our position by supplementing fresh blood."

Xinxue paused, a bit puzzled, "If so… then won't the top five forces on the leaderboard take any action?"

Cheng Shuili had thought of that, but she was confident, "They have to be daring too."

"We saw Qianxun and that Moyu Miji in the Instance; although we're not close to them, they seem to have connections among themselves."

Cheng Shuili said this, and Xinxue understood, "It's because Lao Da's last Instance left a strong impression on them, so even if Black Feather shows weakness on the regional channel, they still lack the nerve to declare war on us."

The logic is as such, but why does it sound so odd coming from Xinxue's mouth?

Cheng Shuili brushed the thought aside and continued, "They lack the nerve, but the mastermind does have it. He probably has some uncommon tool in his hand, and that tool gives him confidence, which is why he targeted us early. Thus, he won't let this opportunity slip easily."

Xinxue understood, smiling in agreement, "He put great effort into planning this siege, but it ended in a total defeat, so he's definitely seething inside. Now seeing our heavy losses and urgent need for manpower, he'll think this is the last chance! Either he inserts a mole now, or he exploits our weakness and goes in himself!"

Indeed.

Cheng Shuili looked at Xinxue, "What we need to do is create that opportunity for him. The water army's task is to portray Black Feather's battle as a huge loss, urgently needing to recruit reliable new members to fill the gaps."

"Alright!"

Xinxue nodded, "Then Lao Da, shall I go do it first?"

Cheng Shuili waved her hand away, then suddenly called her back.

She was still uneasy, and after a moment of hesitation said, "Only we know about this; it must stay secret until it's done."

Xinxue flashed a big white grin, "Don't worry, Lao Da! My mouth is tight! Anything else?"

Her tight‑lippedness isn't enough; Black Feather's members must keep their mouths sealed.

Moreover… if Cheng Shuili's speculation is correct, there's another crucial person whose mouth must be sealed.

"Bring Chen Qing Shan over."

Cheng Shuili's gaze was firm; she couldn't let this guy ruin her plan.

Xinxue scratched her head, "Chen Qing Shan? The uncle who always fixes cars in the parking lot?"

He really does love this line of work…

Cheng Shuili nodded, and Xinxue set off.

A short while later, Chen Qing Shan knocked and entered, "Lao Da, Xinxue said you were looking for me?"

"Sit." Cheng Shuili pointed to the chair opposite, getting straight to the point, "Have you been in contact with those uncles of yours lately?"

Chen Qing Shan was a bit bewildered; since he joined Black Feather, Cheng Shuili had only assigned him tasks and received his submitted supplies, never saying an extra word to him. Why is she suddenly showing concern today?

"No contact, Lao Da. When I just left the organization, they occasionally asked after me, after all they were colleagues of my father. Now they're a mess themselves, so who has time to look after me?"

"That's good." Cheng Shuili's tone was steady, "Next, there's something that requires your cooperation, or rather… requires you to stay silent for a while."

Chen Qing Shan's expression hardened, sitting upright, "Lao Da, you speak."

"We plan to release a message outward, saying Black Feather suffered heavy losses in the previous battle and urgently needs to recruit newcomers." Cheng Shuili stared into his eyes, "But in reality, we have zero casualties. This is a bait, intended to draw out the mastermind behind that siege."

Chen Qing Shan was first stunned, then immediately replied, "Alright. Lao Da, rest assured, I am a member of Black Feather and will never leak any of Black Feather's information!"

After saying that, he couldn't help but furrow his brows and asked, "How does this relate to those uncles of mine…"

Halfway through his sentence, he finally understood Cheng Shuili's meaning.

"Lao Da, you suspect…" Chen Qing Shan's eyes widened, his lips whispering the rest, "…that it was the people from Long Hun who did it?"

Seeing his reaction, indeed he knew nothing.

Cheng Shuili nodded, watching Chen Qing Shan's reaction seriously.

The first emotion on his face was akin to feeling betrayed.

Very reasonable.

He mixes within Black Feather; these people acting against Black Feather is essentially a betrayal of him.

Next came anger; he tightened his brows, as if making a resolve, looking earnestly at Cheng Shuili, "Lao Da, rest assured, I won't say anything. If they come to ask me, I'll tell you immediately!"

"They've treated me like this, so of course I can't say any good words for them! Talking about uncles and elders! Nonsense uncles and elders! Before I left the organization, they kept pushing me to be the top guy, claiming it was all for my benefit, but everyone knows they just needed a talkative puppet!"

Chen Qing Shan's emotions were a bit heated, the veins on his forehead pulsing, his gaze tinged with sadness, "Lao Da, Guang Hui told me, you originally only wanted his; it was Zhu Xuan who gave you supplies that made you willing to bring me on."

"I only now realize, in that organization, the only person truly good to me was Zhu Xuan. Now Zhu Xuan is gone, the organization is no longer an organization, and it has nothing to do with me."

His eyes glimmered with tears, "Lao Da, however you handle these people is fine; I have no objections."

Cheng Shuili wouldn't take his opinion into account, that's all.

This guy's emotions are a bit heated, indeed.

How should we put it now, should we comfort him? With a scruffy beard making him look old, in front of a girl in her twenties, whether to cry or not—does this guy even mind embarrassment?

Cheng Shuili was speechless, but thinking that this guy is now a member of Black Feather, and even before arriving had been helping members maintain vehicles, she paused and said: "It concerns you."

Chen Qing Shan lifted his head, obvious confusion in his eyes.

Cheng Shuili had to explain: "You are now a member of Black Feather, they are now acting against us, so it is obviously related to you."

Chen Qing Shan was stunned, then calmed. He straightened his back, voice steady: "I understand, Lao Da. I will keep my mouth shut, and will closely monitor their movements. If there is any news, I will report to you at once."

"Fine," Cheng Shuili nodded, "Go back."

Chen Qing Shan solemnly nodded, turned and left the room.

Cheng Shuili's side was finished, but Xinxue's side was just beginning.

As the top trader in Zone 12, the water army obviously can't be missing!

Controlling public opinion on a product, unifying the narrative of an event, all rely on these water armies. Using them a lot, searching individually becomes too troublesome, so in spare time Xinxue personally assembled a "regular army".

A total of just over fifty people, all under long‑term contracts; the number looks small, but when they flood the regional channel with news, the effect is remarkable!

Xinxue's operational efficiency is extremely high.

After notifying Chen Qing Shan, she immediately posted the mission in the group chat: emphasize the heavy losses Black Feather suffered in this siege, stress that Black Feather is outwardly strong but internally weak, urgently needing fresh blood, and must create this atmosphere in the regional channel!

The regular army quickly got moving! Discussion about Black Feather began to shift quietly.

"Did you hear? Black Feather won this time, but it was a pyrrhic victory! I heard many died, and those leaders are discussing how to recruit people!"

"Is it real? They fought so fast, Black Feather suffered huge losses? What a lie!"

"Ah, can it be the same? Wu Ya is formidable, can take other leaders' lives among so many in the territory, but that doesn't mean all Black Feather members have that skill! Casualties are inevitable."

"If you ask me, death is the better outcome—just no longer there. Injuries are the real pain; to heal you need medical supplies, which are so precious! And they're all gunshot wounds, healing takes a long time. If you don't treat them… *tsk tsk*, everyone gets it."

"Anyway, declaring war harms both sides, only by taking down a force like Black Feather can you profit, right? No one has ever declared war on Black Feather to speak up. What exactly is Black Feather's territory? How big is it?"

"I suddenly believe Black Feather has many wounded. Those factions have no spokesperson, for only two reasons: either they're all dead, or Black Feather's people are so terrifying that they're afraid of being targeted and won't speak. Either way, it's a result of the battlefield!"

"*tsk tsk*, a big tree attracts wind; being besieged by so many, surviving is good, they'll probably lie low for a while to recover."

"I told you, it's a firefight, casualties are inevitable. Even Wu Ya, no matter how much she cares about her subordinates' lives, can't avoid this."

"When will they post recruitment info? I actually want to join Black Feather; though a big tree draws wind, Black Feather's benefits are indeed good. The atmosphere is great, feels like everyone's family. In this cursed place, warm homes are rare."

The water armies exchanged words, mixing truth and falsehood, successfully planting the impression of "Black Feather suffered heavy losses" into some players' minds.

Of course, some clear‑sighted people were skeptical, but under the deliberately guided wave of public opinion, those voices didn't cause much stir.

Qianxun looked at the regional channel messages, brow slightly furrowed.

He turned to his deputy: "What do you think, did Black Feather really suffer great losses?"

The deputy pondered briefly, shook his head: "Hard to say. Wu Ya that person… unfathomable. After the Instance ended, I even asked Moyu Miji why he was with Wu Ya and her group. Lao Da, guess what he said?"

"What did he say?"

"He ran into Wu Ya, and in the blink of an eye was seized, not even getting a chance to act. He's at least sixth on the leaderboard; though he seems timid, maintaining that rank shows his strength. Someone like that can't even dodge a single move from Wu Ya, whose power is truly unpredictable. Moreover, this person is vengeful, so we'd better not make enemies with her."

Qianxun nodded: "I think the same."

After saying that, he suddenly lowered his head, sighed, furrowed his brows, still feeling a bit of a headache, and said helplessly: "The last few disobedient ones, after the Instance, anonymously exposed Wu Ya's gender on the regional channel. Wu Ya hasn't taken it up with us yet, but if another trouble arises now, I guess I'll end up on Wu Ya's kill list."

He instructed: "Then, notify everyone, tell our people not to get involved. Whoever does anything again, deal with them and kick them out of our faction!"

Moyu Miji watched the regional channel's trend, curled up on a soft sofa, hugging a pillow, muttering softly:

"Faction recruiting? If they recruit, let them recruit. Wu Ya that guy can single‑handedly take on an entire faction; there shouldn't be anyone still crazy enough to declare war on Black Feather, right?"

Realizing this, he quickly posted an announcement in his own faction channel: "All Moyu members, take note: we don't cause trouble, don't start trouble, and we fear trouble, so stay away from Black Feather's members; violators will be kicked out of the faction!"

"Got it, Moyu boss!"

The other top‑ranked factions reacted similarly; they're all in the same region, usually chat together. Though they don't chat with Wu Ya, people in the circle have an innate respect for Wu Ya.

For them, declaring war on Black Feather is like telling the system: "I don't want to live, erase me quickly."

The system may not grant their wish, but Wu Ya will.