But that didnât matter. All Wen Yu needed to do was present this option to them, planting the seed in their minds; that was enough.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you have nowhere to go, or no set direction, you can come to Las Vegas to find me. I welcome all of you with open arms!"
"So, the meeting concludes here. About a month after the demon plague, I will notify you all to initiate the first exchange of information and items for our Independents Mutual Aid Society!"
Amid a round of enthusiastic applause, the meeting came to an end.
When everyone else had left, there was another knock on Wen Yuâs door.
Carmille, Arthur, Wang Fucai, and Yang Hong returned to Wen Yuâs room. And there was an additional surpriseâSequence Number 4, Qin Tian.
It was still the same meeting room, but this time, most of the people present were those Wen Yu could trustâexcept for Qin Tian.
Wen Yu asked Qin Tian with a smile, "Well, do you have something to say?"
Qin Tian nodded. "I came for two things. First, I want to ask you, if I go to Las Vegas, will you command me around?"
Qin Tian had always lived in Singapore. He didnât belong to the Earth Community or the Singapore Government, and currently had no power base of his own; he was just a solitary independent hero.
No, thatâs not entirely accurate...
"I have a sister. Her strength is... quite weak, because she faints at the sight of blood. I cannot guarantee her safety during the demon plague, and thereâs also the Demon Hunting Group... I need help!"
Wen Yu stared intently at Qin Tian for a few moments before slowly nodding. "No problem. But I should make it clear that I certainly wonât order you around. However, you should understand that I will definitely establish a camp, at least a small outpost. Since you want to join us, the safety of this camp naturally becomes your responsibility too!"
"Iâm aware of that!"
"And there will definitely need to be some vetting."
"Thatâs also no problem."
"Good. Shall we start now?"
"Sure!"
The vetting was completed. It turned out Wen Yu had indeed been overly suspicious. In this world, there werenât that many spies or troublemakers. Qin Tianâs motives were quite pure; he simply wanted to live life on his own terms but couldnât leave his sister behind.
Given the militaryâs typical way of operating, Qin Tian worried they would use his sisterâs safety to threaten him; therefore, he chose Wen Yu.
This was good news for Wen YuâQin Tianâs combat power was on a completely different level from the others!
"No problem, welcome aboard," Wen Yu said with a smile.
Qin Tian nodded, then said with some hesitation, "Also, I need you to come and get me..."
"Is this the second thing?"
"No, itâs still the first thing."
"Simple. Iâll come find you in about three days!"
Three days was the time it would take Tang Haofei to fully control the Eternal Sky City. Once Tang Haofei controlled the Eternal Sky City, the teleportation array formation on it could seamlessly connect to every Exchange Stone Pillar on Earth! Going from Las Vegas to Singapore was just a matter of two teleports.
Of course, Qin Tian didnât know about the cooperation between Wen Yu and Tang Haofei, so what seemed like a simple matter to Wen Yu wasnât necessarily so simple for Qin Tianâafter all, Qin Tian wasnât part of the military, and the teleportation from the Eternal Sky City was definitely under tight military control.
But these were just minor matters.
"Then, whatâs the second thing?"
Hearing Wen Yuâs inquiry, Qin Tian directly took out a space ring from his pocket.
"This is the Flesh Incinerator, the reward for Sequence Number 4! I donât need this; I want to sell it."
Seeing the space ring in Qin Tianâs hand, Wen Yu fell silent.
After thinking for a while, Wen Yu spoke decisively.
"I donât really need this, but I can introduce you to someone who does. As for the price, you two can negotiate."
Wen Yu possessed the Almighty Demon Vine, the Book of Black Summoning Chapter, and access to the Netherworld! Cyclops, meanwhile, had the Great Feast!
These four items or skills, when combined, could completely extract all value from flesh and soulsâwhether they belonged to the Demon Tribe, the Human Race, or mutant beasts.
Therefore, the Flesh Incinerator was of little use to Wen Yu.
Qin Tian nodded reluctantly.
"Alright, but Iâm not very good at negotiating."
"You can count on me," Wen Yu affirmed.
He looked at the five people before him:
Sequence Number 4âQin Tian.
Sequence Number 8âCarmille.
Sequence Number 13âWang Fucai.
Sequence Number 15âArthur.
Sequence Number 82âYang Hong.
Wen Yu was silent for a quite a while, then decided to tell the truth.
"Iâve already mentioned the purpose of establishing the Independents Mutual Aid Federation, but beyond that, thereâs another purpose!"
"It involves all of you!"
Upon hearing Wen Yuâs words, the others nodded.
"Iâm collaborating with Tang Haofei, Sequence Number 1, on resisting the Demon Tribe invasion. Concerning matters related to the Demon Tribe, Iâve reached a consensus with Tang Haofeiâor rather, with the military. I trust none of you harbor any good feelings towards these invaders! Battle is inevitable, and the fighting may be far more brutal than we expect. So, my goal is actually to rally Sequence-class Independents together to form an indestructible organization, separate from the military. This goal, and its specific implementation, differs somewhat from that of the Independents Mutual Aid Federation."
"To be specific, there might be times when we need to act in unison. This means that, on occasion, you will need to follow my commands. This small group, although still part of the Independents Mutual Aid Federation, will have different internal rules. Weâll need to discuss these rules together. Do any of you have an issue with this?"
The five people presentâQin Tian and Arthur in particularâcontemplated for a moment, then nodded.
"In that case, weâll discuss the specifics when we meet in Las Vegas. For now, let me address Qin Tianâs matter first."
Wen Yu led Qin Tian out the door and knocked directly on the door to Sequence Number 1âs room.
After a moment, Tang Haofei, looking exhausted, opened the door.
"Quick, come in... Help me figure this out! Iâm about to lose my mind; this Eternal Sky City is simply too complex!"
Without any ceremony, Wen Yu pulled Qin Tian into the room.
"Whatâs the matter?"
"Iâm completely overwhelmed by the various functions of the Eternal Sky City! My head feels like itâs going to explode just from reading the manual!"
Wen Yu sat down on the sofa, picked up the Eternal Sky City manual from the table, and glanced through it.
The long list of instructions and specific parameters immediately gave Wen Yu a throbbing headache.
After a moment, Wen Yu put down the manual and asked directly, "So, can the teleportation system be operational within three days?"
"That wonât be a problem," Tang Haofei mumbled, sipping watermelon juice.
Satisfied with this answer, Wen Yu didnât pick up the manual from the coffee table again and got straight to the point.
"The Independents Mutual Aid Federation has been established. Iâve come now because I want to sell something to the military."
Tang Haofei looked at Wen Yu, then at Qin Tian, instantly understanding what Wen Yu was referring to. He immediately took out a communication device and made a call.
"Old Lin, Qin Tian wants to sell the Flesh Incinerator to us. Come over yourself."
After receiving the message, Lin Haifeng arrived at Tang Haofeiâs room in less than three minutes.
What followed was a series of negotiations.
As an Esoteric Level item, the effects of the Flesh Incinerator were self-evident, and the military certainly wouldnât mind having an army completely under their control.
So, neither Wen Yu nor Qin Tian held back in their demands. In the end, Lin Haifeng paid the price of two SSS-Class skill scrolls and one hidden profession-change scroll to acquire the Flesh Incinerator.
Wen Yu didnât ask about the specific Skill Effects or the nature of the hidden profession, but according to Qin Tian, these were intended for his sister.
Afterward, Wen Yu had a lengthy private discussion with Lin Haifeng in the small conference room. The content primarily involved the establishment of the Independents Mutual Aid Federation, serving as a reminderâor perhaps more accurately, a warningâto Lin Haifeng. Furthermore, they reached a consensus on matters such as the demon plague.
Lin Haifeng left Tang Haofeiâs room looking satisfied, and Wen Yu, naturally, also looked relaxed.
Undeniably, communication is often the prerequisite for a win-win situation, and discussion is certainly much easier than resorting to fistsâprovided there wasnât a significant power disparity between the parties involved.