The moon was bright and the stars were few.
Wang Yi sat by the bonfire, counting the stars in the sky. He was starting to think life was pretty interesting.
'My living conditions may be a bit poor right now, but this is the life. It's so relaxing. No social obligations, no drinking parties, no trying to guess what people are thinking, and no sucking up to anyone. I can just take things as they come, carefree and untroubled. This is the kind of life that is truly priceless!'
'But I can't slack off either. For an even better life, I have to work even harder. Only when the territory is strong will I not be bullied. Only then can I keep having fun like this!'
Wang Yi recalled his past, feeling a wave of emotion.
Just then, Pang Damao approached with a cheeky grin. "My Lord," he said, "can I get an official post under you too? I'm smarter than Zhang Dashan, and I even know how to read."
"You can read?"
Wang Yi looked at Pang Damao with great interest. He had heard things about this fellow from some of the villagers. The man had a bad reputation; you could call him Stone Village's most famous slacker!
"He can!"
Surprisingly, it was Yang Qingniu who answered. He said, "This guy isn't originally from our village. My dad rescued him ten years ago! My dad said his whole family was killed by Mountain Bandits. The kid was only about fourteen or fifteen at the time. He'd been slashed and was down to his last breath. He was lucky to be alive. My dad brought him back and nursed him for two months, and he somehow pulled through. After that, the scoundrel just stuck around our village, loafing about. But he really does know how to read."
"Hehe, hehe..."
Pang Damao just grinned without saying a word.
"But what's the use of being able to read? Can you eat it?"
Yang Qingniu shook his head disdainfully.
"Being literate is very useful!"
After a moment of thought, Wang Yi said, "Alright, Pang Damao, I'll give you a chance. I'll make you the head of Stone Village's Intelligence Department. From now on, you won't have to do manual labor. Your job will be to gather intelligence. Start by compiling information on the nearby villages and factions, and keep an eye on people like Ma Changgui. If you do a good job, there will be a reward!"
Pang Damao's eyes darted around, and he immediately kowtowed in thanks. "Thank you, Immortal Master! From now on, I am the head of the Intelligence Department!"
"Immortal Master? That sounds a bit awkward. From now on, you can all call me 'Boss'!"
Wang Yi let out a hearty laugh.
The night passed peacefully. Early the next morning, Wang Yi was once again woken up by the Chicken Squad.
Since the crack of dawn, the fifteen Combat Chickens had been surrounding the Beast Cage, letting out cries of "Gegeda, gegeda."
Wang Yi suspected they were waking him up on purpose.
Walking over to the Beast Cage, Wang Yi kicked one of the Combat Chickens away and yelled, "Go on, go patrol! Stop squawking here."
The flock of Combat Chickens was surprisingly obedient. They really did stop squawking, quickly fell into formation, and with a few parting "Gegeda, gegeda"s, wandered off elsewhere.
Wang Yi then peered inside the Beast Cage. There was a large boulder inside.
That boulder was, of course, the camouflaged Rock Giant Scorpion. The fact that it could camouflage itself proved its injuries had healed. And if its injuries had healed, that meant the taming process was a success.
Wang Yi immediately checked the taming log.
"...333 points of Chaos Energy consumed. Total time: seven hours and forty-five minutes. Rock Giant Scorpion tamed successfully. It has become a loyal Territory War Beast.
The Rock Giant Scorpion is an omnivorous creature. It feeds on rock, gravel, and soil, but can also consume flesh and blood. After absorbing a sufficient amount of lava, it has the potential to undergo a transformation.
Current tamed subject is an adult Rock Giant Scorpion, weight 2250 kg, possessing Solid Rock Armor. It is skilled in combat, excels at camouflage, and its tail stinger is coated with a potent paralyzing poison. Can serve as a mount...
15 points of Chaos Energy consumed to heal the Rock Giant Scorpion. The current target is now ready to leave the cage...
Note: The near-death state was the key to successfully taming this Rock Giant Scorpion. Taming a healthy, adult Rock Giant Scorpion would likely be impossible."
Wang Yi was overjoyed.
The Rock Giant Scorpion could actually be used as a mount!
'This Beast Cage is really useful! It only cost me a little over three hundred Chaos Energy to get such a powerful War Beast, and it even displayed all the Rock Giant Scorpion's information... This thing eats rocks, gravel, and soil, so it's easy to raise. And it can achieve Evolution by drinking lava?'
An idea flashed in Wang Yi's mind, and he muttered to himself, 'Haha, in the future, I can keep farming Rock Giant Scorpions from the Chaotic Stone Slope. If I capture and tame them all, couldn't I build a cavalry unit... A heavy cavalry of Rock Giant Scorpions! Just thinking about it is exciting!'
Excitedly, Wang Yi opened the gate of the Beast Cage and called out. The Rock Giant Scorpion immediately dropped its camouflage and obediently crawled out.
Its proud tail stinger rose high again, and it even affectionately rubbed against Wang Yi with its giant pincers.
However, faced with a scorpion larger than a water buffalo, even knowing it had become a loyal Territory Pet Beast, Wang Yi couldn't help but feel his skin crawl when it got too close.
"You are the first Rock Giant Scorpion under my command, but you definitely won't be the last. You'll have many companions in the future!"
Wang Yi turned and called Man Datou over. "Big Head, this giant scorpion is yours to ride for now. You two get acquainted and build a rapport."
"Oh," Man Datou grunted. Even he was dumbstruck as he stared at the docile Rock Giant Scorpion.
As for Yang Qingniu and the others, they were completely stunned, unsure whether to be afraid or amazed!
A moment later, Man Datou mounted the giant scorpion. He laughed heartily, making the Rock Giant Scorpion run laps around the territory like a Divine Demon.
The sight nearly shattered the worldview of Yang Qingniu and the others, making them want to prostrate themselves in worship.
A short while later, Zhang Dashan, Boss Li, and others rushed over. Seeing Man Datou riding the Rock Giant Scorpion caused another sensation.
But amidst this commotion, Wang Yi's prestige and authority rose even higher.
At noon, Wang Yi drove out to inspect the area. The Production Team was running smoothly, the sand factory workers were putting in their all, Han Qinghe and his group continued their physical training, Yang Qingxiu went up the mountain again to gather herbs, and Pang Damao was out collecting intelligence...
Everything was looking up!
The only thing was, Wang Yi himself had been diligently exploring the map, busy for the entire day, but ultimately came up with nothing.
In the evening, after returning to his territory, Wang Yi felt exhausted for the first time.
Even driving the Crossbow Machine Carriage and running around all day was tiring.
After night fell, Yang Qingniu lit a bonfire and went with Zhang Lengzi and the others to build thatched shelters.
The few of them, being militiamen, planned to live here from now on.
At that moment, Wang Yi was sitting by the bonfire eating roast chicken. Man Datou, after settling his precious mount, came over and said, "Master, the Giant Scorpion Mount is incredible! You can even climb mountains on it. But these militiamen... they're not cut out for it. They've missed the best time to practice martial arts, so their bodies can't be properly conditioned. I can only train them to build up their strength."
"Training their strength is good enough. They're just militiamen, after all."
Wang Yi replied, and just then, a system notification suddenly rang in his mind: "Ding! Alert! The second wave of the void invasion will begin in six hours. At that time, a Void Rift will appear, and 3,000 Pig Beasts will launch a merciless assault on your territory. If the territory is occupied for more than 30 minutes, your Lord Talent will be erased, and you will become a Wandering Player. Please prepare your defenses in advance."
Wang Yi's body jolted.
The second wave of the void invasion was finally coming.
'Pig Beasts, huh? Sounds like they should be tougher than those crispy chickens. I can't be careless here! Six hours from now will be the middle of the night. Looks like it's going to be a night battle!'
Wang Yi stood up, called everyone over, and announced, "In six hours, we're going to have a tough fight on our hands. Captain Yang, stop what you're doing for now. I need you to speed up making torches and prepare more bonfires. In six hours, I want this entire area lit up brightly!"
He paused, then looked at Man Datou. "Big Head, you get some rest. You'll be our main combat force when the time comes!"
Man Datou was a little surprised. "Master, who is the enemy?"
Wang Yi's face was grim as he said, word by word, "Three thousand Pig Beasts!"