Beside the campfire, only the crackling of firewood could be heard.

"Qingshi County has fallen," Uncle Wu continued. "The lord died in battle, and the militia scattered. Those black-armored soldiers cleared out every living thing in the city like they were harvesting wheat."

"People from the surrounding small territories had no choice but to abandon their villages and flee. The Nightmare Tide spreads; after Qingshi County was destroyed, the black mist began to creep in all directions."

"Our village was the closest," Jian Yan took over, his voice raspy. "The village chief ordered us to abandon the village and flee east."

"But the black mist spreads faster than a person can run. I led the Guard Team to cover the rear and let the villagers go first... In the end, less than thirty percent made it out." (PS: The level of the Nightmare Tide decreases after it spreads.)

The setting sun sank completely below the horizon, and the wilderness plunged into gloom.

"Where did that Great Qin Elite Soldier Regiment go afterward?" Lin Feng asked.

"I don't know," Uncle Wu shook his head. "After Qingshi County fell, we learned from other survivors that they stationed themselves in the ruins for three days before marching west and disappearing into the depths of the plains."

"So the Boss and the others don't dare go deep into the Stone Forest because they're afraid of running into that regiment?" Tie Dun realized.

"Half fear, half greed," Shadow Snake said coldly. "Deep in the Stone Forest, there are high-level monsters and resources left behind by Qingshi County. The Boss wants to monopolize them, but he doesn't have the guts to go deep, so he just blocks the position to keep anyone else from touching them."

Lin Feng fell into deep thought.

The Great Qin Elite Soldier Regiment... the truth behind the fall of the county-level territory... the secrets deep within the Stone Forest...

And most importantly, there were twenty-six days left until the next refresh of the Eye of Probability.

If he could find a trace of that regiment—even just a single straggler—and use the Eye of Probability, would he be guaranteed to obtain a Village Establishment Order?

The thought made his heart race, but he quickly calmed himself down.

With his current strength, facing even the lowest-level Great Qin Elite Soldiers would be a death sentence.

The weakest soldiers in that regiment were likely level 10 or higher, and they moved in disciplined groups.

"I need to level up first and get better equipment," Lin Feng silently planned.

"Let's head back," Zhao Hu stood up. "It's getting dark, and traveling at night isn't safe."

The team set off on their return journey in silence.

By the time they returned to the camp, it was completely dark. Beside the campfire in the center of the camp, the Boss's core members were drinking and eating meat, their rowdy noise carrying for a long distance.

"Look at them, so full of themselves," Tie Dun spat. "They must have made another fortune in the depths of the swamp today."

Lin Feng saw Hei Zhua, the level 8 thug, showing off a lizard tailbone with a metallic sheen while several subordinates flattered him incessantly.

"That's a Fire Lizard tailbone, a green-grade material," Jian Yan whispered. "It can be sold for a lot of money or used to commission a craftsman to make a whip-like weapon."

Zhao Hu was expressionless. "Put today's harvest into the warehouse and distribute it according to the rules."

As they walked toward the warehouse, they were blocked by a tall, thin man. He was another level 8 under the Boss, nicknamed "Xi She," who specialized in poisons.

"Yo, Scarface is back?" Xi She squinted, scanning the prey on the team's shoulders. "How was today's harvest? Still just low-level junk?"

"Move," Zhao Hu said coldly.

"What's the rush?" Instead of moving, Xi She took a step forward and lowered his voice.

"The Boss told me to pass on a message: Starting tomorrow, our team is taking the Otter Area in the eastern swamp. You guys find somewhere else."

"What?" Tie Dun glared. "The Otter Area has been our team's main hunting spot for the past two weeks! By what right!"

"By the Boss's order," Xi She interrupted him with a fake smile. "Got a problem? Go talk to the Boss."

Shadow Snake's hand went to her short blade.

Jian Yan's longbow was slightly raised.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Zhao Hu reached out to stop his teammates, stared at Xi She for a few seconds, and finally nodded. "Understood."

"Sensible," Xi She smiled smugly and stepped aside.

Once Xi She was far enough away, Tie Dun couldn't help but growl, "Scarface! The Otter Area provides a steady supply of otter pelts and oil. Without that area, our Contribution Points will drop by at least thirty percent!"

"I know," Zhao Hu's voice was calm. "But in a direct confrontation, we can't win."

"So we're just going to take it?"

"Endure for now." Zhao Hu looked toward the two-story building, his gaze deep.

Returning to the warehouse, after counting and distributing the loot, Lin Feng received one Thorn-Spine Pig skin, three Corrosive Poison Toad venom sacs, and 15 camp Contribution Points.

Contribution Points could be exchanged in the camp for items: food, medicine, basic equipment, or to commission a craftsman for custom weapons.

What Lin Feng needed most right now was a better blade.

The attack power of his gray-quality Rusted Greatsword was only 5, and its durability had dropped to 20/60, meaning it could break at any time.

But a white-quality Standard-issue Longsword required 50 Contribution Points and a wait on a waiting list.

"I need to speed things up," Lin Feng thought to himself.

Late at night, Lin Feng lay on a hide mat in the kitchen shed, reviewing his gains from the past three days.

His level had risen to 3, his agility had increased to 10.5, and he had accumulated a lot of combat experience, becoming more familiar with the swamp terrain and common monsters.

But the bottleneck was also apparent. The Boss's gang was becoming increasingly oppressive, and the living space for Zhao Hu's team was being constantly squeezed.

If things continued like this, they would eventually be pushed into a corner.

"I have to find a way to break this situation," Lin Feng closed his eyes. "Deep in the Stone Forest... maybe there's an opportunity."

He remembered what Uncle Wu said: the Great Qin Elite Soldier Regiment disappeared into the depths of the Stone Forest.

If there really was a base for the regiment there, or traces of periodic activity, then theoretically, there would be a chance to encounter a lone soldier.

Of course, the risk was enormous.

But the temptation of the Eye of Probability was even greater—a one hundred percent chance to obtain a Village Establishment Order!

"Reach level 5 first," Lin Feng set a short-term goal. "Then find a way to get a set of white equipment."

Outside the window, the campfire gradually died out.

The camp fell into silence, save for the occasional cough from a watchman.

Meanwhile, in the two-story building, the bald Boss was pondering over a crude map.

Lao Liu was dead.

That mole who had been lurking in Scarface's team for half a year without ever showing his hand was just dead like that.

He wasn't mourning Lao Liu. For that kind of trash, he could just plant another one once he died.

What he cared about was the intelligence; Lao Liu would report everything about Scarface's team's daily hunting routes, harvest, personnel status, and whether they were secretly leveling up.

With that information, he had felt safe letting Scarface's team hunt outside.

On the map, the Stone Forest area was circled in red, with a few words noted beside it:

"Qingshi County Ruins, investigation required."

Hei Zhua stood to the side and asked in a low voice, "Boss, are you really going to have Scarface and his crew investigate?"

"They're still somewhat useful." The Boss stared at the map with his one eye. "Once they've cleared the dangers on the perimeter, we'll go in and reap the rewards."

"Understood."

The night deepened.

In his sleep, Lin Feng vaguely heard the howling of wolves ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ in the distance.

That was the sound of the wilderness, and the eternal background noise of the Nightmare World.

In this cruel world, everyone was struggling, scheming, and waiting just to survive.