Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 1859: Expanding and familiar people
Previously on Apocalypse Gachapon...
As the group settled into their downtime, a wave of relaxation washed over them, though joy remained absent from their expressions.
The danger posed by Aimusi formed one key concern; it was straightforward to picture this fierce woman doggedly shadowing Ye Zhongming, grabbing at every chance to settle the score for her lost son and spouse.
Fear didn't grip them, yet the sensation of constant surveillance proved far from comfortable.
A further cause for their subdued mood stemmed from the sharp rise in fatalities over the second round. Beyond the final thousand ousted outright, thousands of additional rookies had met their end forever on this world.
Ye Zhongming struggled to grasp how such a vast number could perish in merely three brief days, especially since the prior round hadn't claimed nearly as many lives.
Now, the overall count had plummeted to barely more than twenty-five thousand.
The squad scoured the recording devices for hints but came up empty-handed.
Something significant had surely occurred, they sensed, yet pinpointing it eluded their grasp.
"The captain sits at rank twenty-one..." Helsky shot Ye Zhongming a look of awe, genuinely struck by this position.
Although his own spot hovered above a thousand, he'd delved into the leaders on the leaderboard to some degree. He realized that plenty of them came from elite training by powerful organizations, backed by squads of varying sizes. Even in the top ten, a compact unit boasted synergistic strengths that exploited the system's mechanics to surge ahead—a feat no one else could rival at present.Even so, amid chasers on their trail, Ye Zhongming had almost cracked the top twenty following just two minor rounds. Such a feat stood out as remarkable.
This success arose from both his slaying of numerous formidable beasts and the elimination of countless fresh arrivals.
Within the crimson-name leaderboard for peer slayings, Ye Zhongming had climbed into the top fifteen.
Yet another envy for Helsky involved Jie Kui. From the outset, this fellow had stuck with Ye Zhongming and now ranked in the top five hundred. Had Aimusi's chase not wasted most of a day without him taking down any novices, his position might have soared further. Even Shi Kangbu, who joined Ye Zhongming only as the second round kicked off, had broken into the top thousand, outpacing Helsky by almost two hundred spots.
Naturally, He's placement shone too, lingering near three hundred seventy or eighty, thanks to her earlier gains. Plus, once this round wrapped, her pill-making tier would lock in, boosting her score anew and probably thrusting her close to two hundred.
"I'll stick with He to brew up some potions. You all can roam as you like, but make sure to snag three or four hours of real downtime."
Ye Zhongming issued his orders, intending to guard He's side so she could forge elixirs without disruption. Though the rookie base shielded against assaults, the events from the first round's break had drawn eyes to He. Schemers lurked in abundance, and plenty would deliberately disrupt her forging, particularly rivals hovering near her rank.
Simultaneously, Ye Zhongming aimed to escort He to the open bazaar ahead of time, stocking up on as many supplies as feasible to let her produce superior and greater quantities of remedies.
"Captain, there's a matter I'd like to bring up with you."
Helsky drew Ye Zhongming away briefly but kept the rest of the crew in earshot. In hushed tones, he added, "Captain, while our position looks solid right now, plenty of underlying risks linger. Beyond Aimusi, there's the peak-tier rivalry and... folks harboring ulterior motives."
Helsky's words rang clear to all. The "ulterior motives" crowd included the 'stalkers' hunting red-named targets and opportunists eyeing Ye Zhongming’s squad's fat scores for a quick snatch.
Regarding peak-tier rivalry, Ye Zhongming’s lofty rank guaranteed he'd draw notice from elite novices, viewing the Cloud Peak ruler and his allies as direct threats. Rivalry could manifest in endless ways, leaving their encounters unpredictable.
"Go on," Ye Zhongming prompted Helsky to elaborate.
"What I propose is growing our roster, bolstering our power, and tapping the mechanics to pump up our totals."
The mechanics in question covered the score perks for broadening species mix and expanding group numbers.
Ye Zhongming's brow creased a bit. He'd mulled this over, but swelling the ranks brought heaps of headaches: syncing in fights, streamlining travel, sharing rewards, ensuring faithfulness, and beyond.
Mishandled, it wouldn't yield gains but drag them down or spark disasters.
"I get your concerns, Captain. I'm not pushing for blind additions. I'd pick just a handful of trustworthy sorts to integrate, all kept firmly in our grip. The initial one or two rounds serve as tests. Assign them the gritty, grueling tasks and judge by their results. Pass, and they're in for good; fail, and out they go. Spot any treachery, and we end them on the spot—boosting your tally too."
"Got candidates lined up?"
Ye Zhongming eyed Helsky, suspecting the man had specifics brewing.
Helsky dipped his head. "Several, yeah. I'll need to connect and chat them up. If it pans out, shall I fetch them for your review?"
Ye Zhongming pondered briefly before agreeing with a nod. Helsky departed alongside Yang Tuo. This fellow truly served as an able right hand.
Jie Kui and Shi Kangbu took their leave from Ye Zhongming to check the authorized shop and bazaar. Wounds plagued them, yet they aimed to mend just prior to the third stage. These hours would go toward organic healing, trimming their ultimate deduction.
Such wisdom had emerged from the duo of rounds for the whole crew.
Be it Helsky, Yang Tuo, Jie Kui, or Shi Kangbu, Ye Zhongming directed each to reserve a hundred points. The reason escaped the others, but Jie Kui grasped it tied to Ye Zhongming gearing up for more gear fabrication to vend, his face lighting up with glee.
They hit the bazaar initially for vital supplies, then made for the Changxu Water Race enclosure. It edged out the Star-Eye Clan's slightly, though not impressively. At minimum, foul smells stayed away. He dove inside to fabricate while Ye Zhongming posted up out front.
Onlookers kept stealing glances nearby, but interference held off for now, granting Ye Zhongming a slice of calm.
Still, as He approached wrapping her work, a visitor arrived. This was anticipated, though the caller's background caught Ye Zhongming off guard.
A familiar face, a Terran—Ji Ruiguang.
From the rookie arena's launch, Ye Zhongming hadn't crossed paths with any from distant lands, despite the thirty-plus thousand starters.
“Lord Ye, it's been ages." Ji Ruiguang's cheerful tones, brimming with mirth, drifted over well before he drew near.