"Captain, these are the 'Yefang Flower' petals and roots you requested. They've been processed, along with their seeds, though I'm not sure if the seeds are mature."

A warrior took out a box from his backpack and opened it, revealing the materials he had mentioned.

Ye Zhongming examined them and nodded, expressing satisfaction.

"Crushing the stems of this flower for medicinal use can help expel certain toxins from the body. It's a useful thing—don't waste it."

He added a remark from the side.

Upon hearing this, the warrior immediately nodded and respectfully made a mental note.

During this day's operations, he had witnessed just how exceptional this squad was.

They started by targeting weaker lifeforms and less dangerous areas, simultaneously hunting prey, training as a unit, and gathering resources.

Throughout this process, they began to truly understand one another—their combat styles, their habits—and grew accustomed to following Ye Zhongming's commands.

At first, everyone had found it difficult to adjust. But before each engagement, the Star-Eye Clan's Bronze Order Leader would have them first assess the expected difficulty level of the upcoming battle. He had established ten criteria, corresponding to ten difficulty levels, and had them each determine their own assessment before discussing together to finalize the difficulty rating.

During this process, Ye Zhongming did not participate.

Then, under his command, the battles began—and in every case, the fights turned out to be remarkably easy!

These warriors were the backbone of their respective clans; none were unfamiliar with combat, and most were highly experienced. Even if their assessments were not entirely accurate, they were close.

But reality repeatedly dealt blows to their confidence. They could not understand why battles they had expected to be grueling became effortless, while those they thought would be easy turned into mere child's play.

Nothing had changed—their equipment was the same, their individual strength was the same. The only differences were their current method of fighting and the commander.

By now, even a fool could understand why.

They had never realized that fighting with mutual trust among different races could make combat so easy, and that having a capable commander could multiply their combat effectiveness many times over.

Another crucial point was that, after all this fighting, not a single person had died, and injuries were extremely rare.

Part of that was certainly due to the intervention of the Changxu Water Race member among them. But everyone understood that fighting in the territory of mutated lifeforms inevitably came with all sorts of unexpected dangers. To make injury a rarity over an entire day of combat was something beyond the capability of just one Changxu Water Race warrior.

After seeing one person hand over materials, the others were quick to follow. Before long, they had presented Ye Zhongming with nearly ten different items he had specifically requested.

"By the way, I also need demon crystals."

At Ye Zhongming's words, they promptly handed over the magic crystals they had gathered, all at least Level Eight.

On Earth, such things were precious. Here, anything below Level Seven was not even worth picking up, because evolution potions were not a necessity for them—they could reach Level Nine through their own cultivation.

Moreover, every race, even the smallest, had the capacity to raise mutated lifeforms of various levels to supply most of the demon crystals they needed.

"Not bad. All good." Ye Zhongming was pleased. These people were now meeting his initial requirements. This thirty-person squad could serve as his starting point.

"One piece each. They're tailored. Pick yours out."

Ye Zhongming produced twenty-eight pieces of Ke Steel-grade equipment. Apart from He and Shi Yong, everyone else received one.

Each chose their piece, and their faces beamed with joy after putting it on.

The way they now looked at Ye Zhongming mirrored how many in the Star-Eye Clan had looked at him when they first came to know him.

Being able to produce Ke Steel-grade equipment suited to each individual's style in less than a day was nothing short of astonishing.

What they did not know was that Ye Zhongming had merely made slight modifications to existing equipment.

Receiving a piece of Ke Steel-grade gear already made the squad members overjoyed. As for Red Condensation-grade, they never even considered it—they knew what level of equipment that was and did not dare to hope.

Although Ye Zhongming had given away nearly thirty pieces of Ke Steel-grade gear, he was far from at a loss. His gains were substantial.

The materials he received included items he personally needed, those the Changxu Water Race needed, and those the Library Palace needed.

While none were exceptionally rare, they were still quite valuable.

"By now, everyone should be familiar with our combat methods, right?"

Everyone nodded in unison. After nearly a full day, they had indeed come to understand one another, established a basic level of trust, and gradually adapted to this style of fighting.

"Good. Back at camp, they're starting to think we're not pulling our weight. So we need to step it up."

Hearing this, everyone chuckled softly.

"This time, our target is here." Ye Zhongming pointed to a spot on the map.

Everyone looked. Oliga said, "The Hive Nest?"

"Correct."

The Hive Nest was a location named by the myriad races' data compilers. It was marked as a nest of mutated plants, occupying a large, low-lying area. Because they were mutated plants—specifically, low-lying shrub-like mutated plants—their numbers were impossible to count.

These mutated plants were called "Huo Grass." They appeared soft and delicate, but their root systems were terrifyingly formidable. When enraged, countless roots, hard as iron and up to five meters long, would erupt from underground, stabbing upward incessantly for hours on end.

Moreover, killing a single Huo Grass was extremely difficult, as it was hard to locate the main root containing the magic crystal precisely.

The squad members were baffled as to why Ye Zhongming had chosen this as their target.

Mutated plants were indeed the most numerous lifeforms in the Long River Alluvial Plain. But they rarely moved over large distances and posed little threat to the camp. Targeting them seemed purposeless.

Besides, they did not believe thirty-one people could wipe out the Hive Nest—it felt like throwing eggs against a stone.

Seeing their confusion, Ye Zhongming did not explain immediately. Instead, he said, "I know you think this place isn't suitable. But before I explain, let's talk about what we stand to gain if we manage to clear it out."

They were not entirely accustomed to this approach, thinking about the rewards before even assessing feasibility. That was something you did when you were confident. Right now, it seemed obvious they could not handle so many high-level mutated lifeforms.

"First, we will obtain Huo Grass Leaves." Ye Zhongming began slowly.