Wasteland: My items are infinitely upgraded.

Chapter 343 Striving for Excellence, Pleasant Cooperation

With the full cooperation of Xu Wanfeng, the president of the Hunting Wilderness Guild, who personally took the stage, the news quickly spread throughout the Fifth Village. Many permanent residents were already excited and stood up, heading towards the Hunting Wilderness Guild.

The nearby hunters were even more excited.

Previously, they lacked the resources and capabilities, but now the Hunter's Guild has taken the lead and promised to help them escape Oasis Town, this remote and harsh place, to avoid the possibility of further wolf attacks...

This is an opportunity that everyone has been dreaming of.

After all, the only way to escape Oasis Town and reach the Holy City was through the pilgrimage caravan.

Alternatively, they could join a pilgrimage caravan as escorts.

Either pay a hefty price to buy a ticket to accompany them...

The former requires at least the strength of an evolved being, while the latter is not something that ordinary residents or hunters can afford.

So now that such an opportunity is presented to them, anyone with a little knowledge of the industry knows that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for them.

Apart from the permanent residents and hunters, most of the people from the lowest rungs of the oasis did not actually understand the significance of this matter.

Fortunately, they are currently living under the same roof as the local residents and hunters, and they have learned about the general situation by asking each other questions.

But what touched the villagers the most was Xu Wanfeng's next sentence on the radio:

"To ensure everyone's basic needs are met, all members who pass the screening and are transferred with us to the front will have their water and food needs met along the way."

"We will provide each person with a supply of no less than five liters of water per week, as well as jerky made from Steppenwolves."

The former's guarantee of water supply ignited hope in the eyes of the wilderness dwellers, while the latter's evolved wolf jerky made the permanent residents and hunters swallow hard.

That's right. This time, the town-level beast calamity killed so many of our companions, but Oasis Town also killed quite a few evolved wild wolves.

The enhanced meat, evolved meat, and most precious life essence contained in these wasteland wolf corpses will all be resources for everyone's further evolution.

Unfortunately, these resources are basically monopolized by the second-tier evolutionary powerhouses at the top, and there is no share for them, the lower-level enhancement people.

Now that such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has been presented to them, coupled with the urgency to escape Oasis Town and seek safety, everyone's enthusiasm has been instantly ignited.

At this moment, in the guild leader's office on the second floor of the Hunter's Guild, Lin Feng looked at Xu Wanfeng's actions and nodded with great satisfaction.

After all, if he were to come forward, it would be difficult to gain the trust of tens of thousands of permanent residents and deserters.

Lin Feng didn't have much of a foundation in the Fifth Village, but his advancement was as fast as a rocket. In less than half a month, he became an Evolver, shedding his status as a lowly wasteland dweller and permanent resident, and becoming a superior person in the oasis.

Therefore, if you want to gain people's trust, even if you directly offer piles of dried meat and tanks full of fresh water, you may not be able to win people's hearts with just a few words like Xu Wanfeng.

This is the reputation and credibility accumulated by the Hunter's Guild over a hundred years of operation and passed down from generation to generation at the bottom of the oasis.

The quickest way for Lin Feng to achieve the same effect is to threaten everyone while making grand promises.

The Holy City Bishopric was about to take over Oasis Town and planned to treat all permanent residents and wastelanders as slaves.

This has caused panic and a sense of crisis among the lower classes, especially among permanent residents and hunters who have a certain degree of freedom.

However, doing so could easily spread panic, eventually leading to a turbulent situation, or even worse, causing the entire camp to collapse and disintegrate.

In particular, the unsuccessful permanent residents would use their vehicles to disperse in groups of three or five.

After all, becoming a slave at the bottom of society is a dead end.

Why not take a chance now and see if we can find another way out?

Lin Feng, who caused all of this, will naturally be held accountable by the church and bear the consequences.

With Xu Wanfeng's cooperation, there's no need to worry about that now, and the selection and organization of the people to be taken away can be completed as quickly as possible.

After all, there are 11,500 people. Even if Lin Feng were to catch 10,000 pigs, it would still take him a day or two.

With the intervention of members of the Hunter's Guild, the commotion in the Fifth Village quickly subsided.

Some were willing to follow the Wilderness Hunter Guild, leave Oasis Town, and venture into the wasteland to try their luck, while others naturally wanted to stay and continue their routine lives.

With over 10,000 people leaving, it's as if Oasis Town suddenly lost a third of its lower class, while the total amount of resources remained unchanged...

Those who remain will receive at least a 50% improvement in their compensation, by nearly half.

Even if most of it is left to the other four villages, and only a little is given to the fifth village and the wasteland people, everyone can still live a good life.

With so many people gone at once, plus the casualties and losses from the beast plague, the population of Oasis Town has been reduced by more than half.

They will inevitably need to reproduce and regenerate to return to their original state.

Therefore, most of those who were willing to leave the oasis with the Hunter Guild were individuals who were all alone, while the older generation, who had families with them, mostly chose to stay.

The comparison between the two is roughly 50/50.

Originally, there weren't that many single people, but with the attacks by the Wasteland Wolf Clan, many survivors who had lost their loved ones had nothing left to hold them back, so they were naturally willing to take a gamble.

In an instant, a large number of permanent residents and wilderness dwellers slowly gathered at the entrance of the Wilderness Hunter Guild, and the surrounding area was completely blocked, comparable to the scene of the distribution of holy water on Holy Spring Day.

Lin Feng and Xu Wanfeng stayed behind the scenes, standing in front of the glass window on the second floor, looking down at the lively scene below.

Xu Wanshuang, leading the remaining members of the Wilderness Hunting Guild, is registering the identities of the resident residents, hunters, and other wilderness dwellers who have come to sign up, and issuing them identification number tags.

In such situations, symbols that prove one's belonging become the best means of dividing the group.

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes, looking at the scene before him, and couldn't help but open the door and sigh:

"It has to be the Guild Master. With just a few words, he was able to persuade more than 20,000 people to leave Oasis Town and follow you to the new settlement to develop..."

Xu Wanfeng smiled. Although nominally, as the president of the Hunting Wilderness Guild and at the mid-stage of the second-tier evolution level, he was of higher status and power than the man in front of him...

However, Lin Feng made great contributions in this town-level beast calamity, second only to the bishop and Bai Ye of the Salvation Army. As a gun-wielding ability user, his actual combat strength was far superior to Xu Wanfeng.

In addition to his friendship with Father Su An, Xu Wanfeng knew very well that he was far inferior to him.

So he didn't presume and began to explain:

"I also rely on the Hunter's Guild, a major power with a prestigious reputation, and the credibility I've built up over the years in Oasis Town."

"But even these are still far from the Holy Spring Cult's standing in the hearts of the common people at the bottom of society."

"When it comes to winning people's hearts, no one can compare to our bishop."

As she spoke, Xu Wanfeng lowered her voice:

"If it weren't for the promise of benefits from the church in Chief Lin's hands, even if we, the Wilderness Hunting Guild, had a thousand or ten thousand times the courage, we wouldn't dare to so blatantly snatch food from the church right under its nose."

"Even if the Oasis Church doesn't directly intervene, its ability to persuade the vast majority of the lower-class permanent residents and wasteland dwellers to stay away with just a few words."

Lin Feng hummed in agreement, without refuting, because Xu Wanfeng was absolutely right. Xu Wanfeng was very clear about this operation.

The man before her took the biggest advantage, exchanging promises he didn't need for the Salvation Army's demands, with the Wilderness Hunter Guild acting as the link in the transaction.

While helping Lin Feng complete the personnel exchange, he could also conveniently resolve his own value issue.

After all, as the Salvation Army of the Wanderers, they couldn't gain the trust of so many wastelands and couldn't win the hearts of the people in a short time.

We need the help of the Wilderness Hunter Guild to calm people down.

During this period, the Hunter's Guild was also able to absorb core members from the evacuees and strengthen itself.

It can be described as a win-win-win situation.

Lin Feng monetized the useless lower class, and the Wilderness Hunter Guild completed a deep binding with the Salvation Army. The latter also gained a large number of lower-class people, laying a solid foundation for building the royal city's power in the future.

After completing this task, Lin Feng immediately spoke:

"How much longer until we can set off?"

"We plan to go straight ahead at the fork in the road, crossing the wasteland in the middle. This way, we can save 150 kilometers compared to taking the detour through the oasis town, which would take about seven days to a week."

Even if the wilderness is difficult to traverse, it will still take more than four days to gradually distance us from Oasis Town.

"After the handover is completed, my convoy will continue along Oasis Avenue, while you will follow the Salvation Army to the northern region, quietly developing yourselves between the areas jointly ruled by the Holy Spring Church and the Giant Enterprise."

Xu Wanfeng nodded, looking at the long queue in front of him. Even though it was divided into ten lines, it still stretched from the front of the fifth village to the back, and there were even many people on both sides trying to cut in line.

Even if it takes 30 seconds to process one, it would still take more than ten hours...

Meanwhile, the five villages that had fallen behind were almost catching up with the oasis warship ahead, and were less than seven or eight kilometers away from the original location of the Holy Spring Day, the ancient Zhoukou City, located at the intersection of Oasis Avenue.

Time is running out for everyone.

Right now, Xu Wanfeng can only speed up in order to keep up with Lin Feng's pace.

After thinking for a moment, the latter replied:
"With over ten thousand people, even at a faster pace, it would probably take six or seven hours..."

"But rest assured, we will definitely organize our troops and keep up with you and the Salvation Army before the main force arrives."

Lin Feng hummed in agreement, then turned and left.

We'll leave everything here to the Hunting Wilderness Guild.

Both sides got what they wanted, and Xu Wanfeng dared not be negligent.

Lin Feng left through the back door of the Hunting Wilderness Guild and arrived at the front of the Fifth Village.

Just then, Chen Shanshan, who had gone to look for Lao Huang, and Su Yueyue, who was riding on the divine dog, turned back.

Behind him followed a dilapidated minibus, which was Old Huang's symbol as a permanent resident of the Fifth Village—an ordinary tram that served as his mode of transportation.

This represents the entire estate of most permanent residents.

If nothing unexpected happens, all of life's needs—eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping—will be taken care of on it.

Some even have been passed down through three generations, with the car still existing even after the person leaves.

But now the minibus looked even more dilapidated than when Lin Feng and the others had checked in. The iron cover that was used to block the wind and protect the engine was broken and patched up with a few pieces of wood.

The side windows and pleated blinds were also violently damaged, leaving only rags as curtains for sun protection.

However, the absence of large lacerations on the vehicle's surface indicates that it was not directly attacked by the Wasteland Wolves.

Given Lao Huang's experience and cautious nature, he certainly wouldn't run away on his own. Instead, he would hide in the middle of the group and rely on the guards of the Hunting Wilderness Guild to escape.

Since the minor damage to the vehicles didn't come from the Wasteland Wolves, it must be another unstable factor in the Fifth Village...

Tens of thousands of refugees rushed to the scene from the rear.

When Chen Shanshan and her group approached, the information she provided confirmed Lin Feng's speculation.

Old Huang's minibus was attacked by the villagers, many of whom threw stones at it, and some even tried to block it from the road.

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, everyone is like a drowning person, resorting to any means to grasp the only hope of survival.

In this situation, the barbarians have essentially transformed into a mob. Without effective means of military deterrence, they could easily be divided up and become prey in the eyes of the mob.

Many of the permanent residents of V Village, who rely on the Fifth Village's order for survival, and their descendants, despite possessing strength that has been enhanced to the late stages or even to the ninth level, are no match for the overwhelming tide of the Wasteland People...

Even with later enhancements, human strength is completely insufficient.

Without the strength and identity of an evolved being, it's impossible to deter this group of thugs who are on the verge of losing their minds and have been pushed to their limits.

What's worse, however, is that most permanent residents live alone and own their own vehicles.

They cannot unite.

So soon, some of the vehicles at the back and edges were attacked by the arriving deserters, who climbed onto the vehicles in droves like zombies, seeking a place to rest and catch their breath.

At first, the permanent residents could use their status as vehicle owners to reprimand and intimidate them, but as more and more migrants squeezed onto the vehicle, even filling the carriages and climbing onto the roof to rest...

The residents also felt a sense of powerlessness and fear, and could only watch as the vehicle, unable to bear the weight, slowed down and gradually fell behind, eventually being swallowed up by the wolves attacking from behind.

However, Lao Huang is quite clever.

Even before the danger arrived, after hearing the rumors and gossip spread by Lin Feng and others, this guy immediately recruited two powerful teams of deserters for free and set off together.

Among them are five level-nine enhanced hunters, enough to deter other wilderness dwellers.

However, in the later stages, these deserters, like zombies unleashed, driven by their survival instincts, desperately tried to intercept nearby vehicles, attempting to steal one or hitch a ride...

Then Lao Huang, who was in charge of driving, was unfortunately hit by stones one after another.

The mid-stage enhanced Wilderness Clan possesses strength approaching half a ton. The rocks they forcefully throw can easily shatter windshields, delivering a heavy blow to Old Huang.

The latter's face was covered in wounds and bleeding profusely. Although he eventually escaped, he also lost consciousness.

When Chen Shanshan and the others found him, he was still unconscious. Fortunately, his son Huang Xinming was quick-witted and used the few pieces of level-nine dried meat that Lin Feng had left him to grind into minced meat and feed it to him with water.

He barely clung to his last breath.

Looking at his dying friend, Lin Feng took a deep breath:

"Let's go back and see if Ding Yi has any ideas."

"If all else fails, go to Holy Spring Village and ask the assistant priests; they should have medicine on hand."

(End of this chapter)