Chapter 397: Verdict of the Silver Eagle

Or perhaps it's because of the race.

Although Shou Ren Xiao Zhen doesn't have humans from the various regions, it does have beastmen of many races.

If the beastmen's races correspond to the human zones in a similar way, then this situation can be explained.

But that's not a big deal.

Cheng Shuili's issue fell upon everyone's ears, and the dining table fell silent for a moment, with a few people showing thoughtful expressions.

This matter is indeed puzzling.

There is no communication channel between the zones; it's already hard for them to learn about players in other zones, so how can the other side not only pinpoint Lao Da's zone but also find someone to act as a vanguard to scout?

"Could that white-headed eagle have some item we've never seen?"

Jiang Tang raised a hand and asked softly.

Cheng Shuili thought the same, but if that's true, they'd be too passive.

Even though there's now a safe zone, people come and go, and unless a player says which region or zone they're from, who can know?

Cheng Shuili couldn't put in the territory announcement, "Players of White Eagle Federation Zone 1, please go to the main building to find leader Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji," could she?

That would be too obvious.

The dashing white-headed eagle snagging Number One shows he's not only not stupid, but very clever.

Moreover, he's Number One of an entire region, unlike the types Cheng Shuili has faced before; his tools and tactics are endless.

If she set up a guard, even if Cheng Shuili spent resources and hired someone to trouble him, at most she'd just add some chaos for him.

That would waste resources and time, hurt others without benefiting herself, so Cheng Shuili naturally doesn't want to do it.

For her, there are only two options.

Either strike and kill the opponent, or simply not act.

Now it's clearly the latter.

Cheng Shuili sighed, picked up the chopsticks placed before her, tapped the table edge, and when everyone's eyes turned to her, she spoke, "No need to worry. Establishing a safe zone is a good thing overall; as long as I'm within the safe zone, I have absolute advantage. And before the zones merge, he can't come to our zone to find me."

"Ah," Wan Yi also let out a long sigh, "If we could find him, then Lao Da dealing with him would be simple, right?"

Those words received unanimous agreement from several people at the table.

Cheng Shuili also curved her lips, then suddenly stiffened, pressing them into a straight line.

The others, seeing her expression, realized she was about to say something unpleasant; their faces became restrained, and their posture straightened considerably.

Cheng Shuili didn't hold back: "Next week's disaster is a plague."

"Plague?" Wan Yi inhaled a cold breath, his face turning pale instantly: "How... how do we defend against it?"

Jiang Tang also furrowed his brows, and his words were unusually sensible: "If it's a virus or bacterial plague, with such foot traffic in the safe zone, an outbreak would have unimaginable consequences."

Xinxue was concerned about the safe zone's business: "Dense crowds inevitably lead to infection. The key is whether these people will attribute their disease‑related dissatisfaction to Black Feather or to the safe zone itself. The safe zone hasn't developed yet; if its reputation sours first..."

She didn't continue, but Ailin thought she was being overly paranoid: "Even if the reputation is terrible, we are the only human safe zone right now, the only one they can go to at any time; when the need arises, they'll have to come regardless."

Both had valid points, but regardless, Cheng Shuili was clearer: development is the hard truth.

She gave a brief briefing and then called for the gathering to end.

Night had long fallen, and those still staying in the safe zone were all members of Black Feather.

The planning was ultimately handed over to Guanghui.

After Dragon Soul disbanded, a group of technically skilled people were recruited into Black Feather. Some followed Guanghui to handle internal affairs, while others teamed up with Xinxue as shady merchants.

As for city planning, Guanghui actually had a few people whose specialties matched perfectly.

Upon learning this, Cheng Shuili immediately delegated the safe zone's planning, demanding they submit a proposal by Monday.

Those people, back during Dragon Soul, were no different from ordinary players, grinding monsters, driving, opening treasure chests daily.

After joining Black Feather, they suddenly resumed their old trades!

What they studied in university, what they did in previous jobs, they now do exactly that.

If it weren't for the lack of computers now, they'd have to pull out PPTs, PDFs, even official red‑head documents.

But jokes aside, who can say this life isn't happy?

Night deepened, the campfire embers remained warm, and Black Feather's territory temporarily regained tranquility under the star‑filled sky.

The moon hung high, its silver light bathing the entire territory.

No one noticed a wolf‑tribe beastman, leaning on a cane, strolling slowly across the barren northlands.

He seemed puzzled about his whereabouts, looked up at the moon, then turned his head left and right.

The surrounding scenery was truly unfamiliar, and the wolf‑tribe beastman grew even more confused.

He stood still for a while; after his gaze met a huge black shadow in the distance, his heart couldn't stop trembling, and he took a step back, leaning on his cane, and retraced his steps.

Meanwhile, though night was deep, Cheng Shuili, back in her vehicle, didn't rest immediately.

The reward for the server-wide Instance's top rank was handled, but she hadn't even glanced at the other rewards.

5,000 Game Coin is peanuts for Cheng Shuili now; as a reward it's not worth much, so she just started with the rare material box.

It was her first time seeing this item, and since it was a box, the reward was probably random.

Cheng Shuili, as usual, prayed devoutly for a moment before raising her hand to open the box.

【Obtained: Advanced Energy Stone x1!】

Huh?

Cheng Shuili was genuinely puzzled.

First it was an Energy Stone, now an Advanced Energy Stone; will there be a Super Energy Stone later?

The system shouldn't be that unreliable, right?

Cheng Shuili thought, picking up the gleaming stone to check its description.

【Advanced Energy Stone】

A dazzling stone, brimming with immense energy, but to say what it's useful for… uh, it's pretty, isn't it?

What does this description even say? Doesn't it just mean this thing is useless?!

Cheng Shuili fell somewhat silent.

Staring at that stone that could be called brilliant for a while, she clenched her teeth and slipped it into the Abyssal Ring.

Inside her ring, there are plenty of such ambiguously useful items, so its presence isn't that jarring.

Cheng Shuili took out another reward; the special equipment box is an old reward, the items laid out before her, and she wasn't in a hurry to open it.

The Taotie Furnace just dropped last week; the chance of getting something good from it is low, so she couldn't harbor too much hope.

Even so, Cheng Shuili couldn't help but feel hopeful.

She took a deep breath and opened the box.

A blinding white light burst out again; Cheng Shuili instinctively covered her eyes, but her pupils dilated slightly. She thought something good might have emerged, but instead saw a handgun lying flat at the bottom of the box.

It was bright silver, looking no different from those sold by the Rat King.

A wave of disappointment rose from her heart; Cheng Shuili quickly realized this was just ordinary ordnance, the lowest grade.

But in appearance, this handgun was definitely top‑grade.

But what's the use of looking good in this situation?

Cheng Shuili stared at it for a moment, then lifted her hand to pick it up.

As soon as her fingers touched the barrel, a cold sensation spread from her fingertips.

It wasn't the usual chill of ordinary metal, but…

Cheng Shuili's pupils contracted; she immediately realized this was also a special artifact!

【Judgment Silver Eagle】

【Description: A seemingly ordinary handgun that can deceive many inexperienced people.】

Cheng Shuili: "…"

Stop scolding, really.

Even though her eyes were dull, it's still a good thing.

Cheng Shuili continued to read on.

【... It cannot cause direct harm to any creature, but the "Judgment Bullet" it fires forces the target to be honest for a short period—unable to utter any lies, only objective facts! One Judgment Bullet can be generated every 24 hours, up to three stored.】

Cheng Shuili's breath caught slightly.

Cannot cause direct damage, yet can enforce honesty?

This effect is truly unheard of!

She immediately realized that the value of this special equipment far exceeds that of ordinary special gear.

In negotiations, interrogations, or even everyday communication, being able to force someone to speak only truth for a short time offers an indisputably huge advantage.

Cheng Shuili's heartbeat couldn't help but quicken a few beats.

She gingerly held the bright silver handgun, its cold metallic feel oddly reassuring her.

The barrel's lines were sleek, the grip etched with fine patterns, both anti‑slip and quite beautiful.

A faint glimmer flowed over the metal, highlighting its extraordinary nature.

The loot from this Instance was already huge for Cheng Shuili, and besides that, there were five free attribute points.

Cheng Shuili's weakest attribute was agility, so the five points naturally went into agility.

After allocating the points, she opened her panel to glance at the latest attributes:

【Player: Cheng Shuili

ID: AAAJCCJ8888

Username: Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji

Vehicle: Shopping Cart (off‑road appearance) (Current charge 999%) (Solar panel active)

Health: 83 (Good condition, full of vigor)

Strength: 74 (Fist wind fierce enough to shatter stone)

Physique: 78 (Remarkable stamina, outstanding endurance)

Agility: 75 (Light as a swallow, swift as a leaping rabbit)

Overall Combat Power: 86 (Strong might, reputation far‑reaching)

…】

Yo, is this a style change?

Cheng Shuili made a snarky comment, watching her three attributes and growing more satisfied.

Lately strength and agility hadn't gotten any boost, but Physique gained 3 points from the Golden Rice Bowl, achieving a comeback.

After a quick wash and changing clothes, she lay on the bed to rest, but then remembered the Taotie Furnace's uses for today were wasted, so she hurried up, yawned, and teleported to her domain.

The material to convert had already been decided, but as Cheng Shuili took out the Taotie Furnace, she found it unusually strange tonight.

The domain's lights were dim, which made the faint glow on the Taotie Furnace's surface stand out.

Cheng Shuili studied it carefully for a moment but found nothing, and since it was getting late, she simply converted the wood, yawned again, and went back to sleep.

That night, humans were calm, while the wolf‑tribe orcs truly went into a frenzy.

"Lang San! Say it again! You saw a new land?!"

"Is it really wasteland? Land without an owner?!"

"It's newly emerged land, right? If it's new and Grandfather Lang San saw it first, then it's a land bestowed upon us, right?! Thanks to the King! Thanks to the Wolf King!"

Many wolf‑tribe orcs chattered, some amazed by the new land, others doubting Lang San's aging eyes.

And Lang San, standing before the crowd of wolf‑tribe orcs, tapped his staff and said, "Alright, alright, what's the fuss? Whether true or false, just follow me and see, okay?"

The wolf tribe beastmen exchanged glances, realized this was the best solution, and all nodded in agreement.

All right! Grandfather Lang San, you lead the way.

Lang San, if it's fake, you'll have to compensate me with a bottle of good wine!

Grandfather Lang San, I'll support you.

The last speaker was Lang San's granddaughter; he affectionately glanced at his own granddaughter, then swiftly changed his clothes and expression, glaring at the old friend who had just asked for wine.

Really, the older he gets, the more shameless he is—he even dares to ask for wine, such a luxury.

Lang San, however, felt relieved; at first he doubted whether it was an illusion, and after seeing a huge shadow, he instinctively fled.

But after realizing how significant this new land was for the wolf tribe, he mustered his courage again and turned back.

After slapping himself several times while standing on that land, Old Master Lang San finally confirmed he wasn't dreaming—he had truly discovered a brand‑new piece of land!

Since it's true, this matter must be reported immediately to the other wolf tribe members.

We must seize this place as soon as possible, lest other races take advantage of it.

Lang San, while walking back to the tribe, carefully noted the route, and couldn't help feeling proud: accomplishing such a great feat, the royal capital would surely praise him a few times.

That's how the present situation came about.

Lang San walked ahead with a cane, surrounded by a group of young wolf tribesmen; his granddaughter, Lang Ying, carefully supported him.

In the night, torches linked into a winding band of light, moving toward the direction of the Black Feather territory.

"It's just ahead; turn this bend and you'll see it." Lang San's voice was filled with uncontainable excitement.

The wolf tribe beastmen behind him, seeing his expression, were already eighty to ninety percent convinced; all that remained was to see it with their own eyes.

After rounding the bend Lang San mentioned, the view before them suddenly opened up.

As Lang San had said, a flat and expansive stretch of land unfolded before the wolf tribe, forming a stark contrast with their familiar barren homeland in the distance.

Lang San was extremely pleased, shaking his head and asking: "How is it? I wasn't wrong at all, was I?"

The wolf tribe beastmen behind him were also extremely excited: "This… this is too big?!"

"This place is far better than our home! If only we could live here in the future."

The wolf tribe beastmen's joy was obvious, but this excitement couldn't last long.

The moon, hidden behind clouds, peeked out, and moonlight sprinkled onto the land.

The beastmen's eyesight was already good; with light, they could see everything clearly.