Lin Feng led Shadow Snake and Jian Yan straight toward the tallest building in the center of the camp.

It was the only two-story stone and wood structure—the former Council Hall of the Black Wolf Den, which had also served as the residence of the chieftain, One-Eyed Wolf.

The interior of the hall was just as chaotic, with tables and chairs overturned and documents scattered about, but the structure remained intact.

Upon reaching the second floor, the view opened up, offering an overlook of most of the camp.

Lin Feng stood by the window, watching the cleanup and repair work gradually unfolding below, a blueprint slowly forming in his mind.

By noon, a simple lunch was held in the newly cleared open space.

People gnawed on dry rations, drank boiled water, and discussed repair plans, their morale slowly recovering.

With clear goals and a relatively safe environment, despair was gradually being replaced by hope.

However, just as lunch was about to end, A Wang, who was on perimeter guard duty, came running over in a hurry, his expression grave:

"Leader! A few people have arrived from the south. The one leading them looks like 'Guo Shan Feng' from Xiaoyao Stronghold! There are only four or five of them. It looks like... like they are here to trade?"

"Xiaoyao Stronghold? Guo Shan Feng?" Lin Feng raised an eyebrow. Had the news of the Black Wolf Den's fall spread this quickly? Or were they just coming by out of habit?

"Let them in." Lin Feng thought for a moment and gave the order. At the same time, he signaled to Zhao Hu, Shadow Snake, and the others.

Everyone understood and quietly adjusted their positions, their hands surreptitiously resting on their weapons.

Soon, four figures were brought in. The leader was tall and thin with a narrow face and squinting eyes—it was indeed Guo Shan Feng from Xiaoyao Stronghold. Three lean and capable guards followed behind him.

As soon as Guo Shan Feng entered the camp, his squinting eyes quickly swept across the ruins still being cleared, the busy unfamiliar faces, and the clearly replaced flags.

A flash of astonishment crossed his face, quickly replaced by a complex expression mixed with greed, suspicion, and calculation.

When he saw Lin Feng standing in the center of the ruins, vaguely surrounded by Zhao Hu and the others, a glint flashed in his eyes.

Lin Feng was too young, and his temperament was completely different from that of One-Eyed Wolf's group.

"My friend, you look very unfamiliar." Guo Shan Feng stopped and cupped his hands in a greeting, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"I wonder where Chieftain One-Eyed Wolf is? I am Guo Shan Feng from Xiaoyao Stronghold. As per our past agreement, I have come to trade for some supplies."

Lin Feng looked at him calmly and said indifferently, "The Black Wolf Den no longer exists. One-Eyed Wolf and his cohorts died in the Nightmare Tide last night. This place is now under my, Lin Feng's, control."

"What?!" Although Guo Shan Feng had suspected something, hearing it with his own ears still shocked him deeply.

Especially after seeing the murderous look in the eyes of the people behind Lin Feng and their excellent equipment, a bold and greedy thought uncontrollably surged into his mind.

The Black Wolf Den had just fallen, the new master had just been established, and his foundation was not yet stable!

Seeing that there didn't seem to be many of these people... If he could take advantage of their instability to seize this fat piece of meat...

The surprised expression on his face quickly vanished, replaced by a tone of regret mixed with congratulations: "I see... Truly, the winds of fate are unpredictable. Leader Lin is a young hero; to be able to take over this place is truly admirable, admirable indeed!"

His smile became increasingly "sincere" as he walked to within five steps of Lin Feng: "Leader Lin, by wiping out that gang of villains from the Black Wolf Den who oppressed their neighbors in one fell swoop, you have truly removed a great scourge from the Riverbend Land! My entire Xiaoyao Stronghold will surely..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden change occurred!

The smile on Guo Shan Feng's face instantly transformed into extreme ferocity and ruthlessness as his right hand, which had been hidden in his sleeve, suddenly lashed out. Three pitch-black cold gleams shot straight toward Lin Feng's face and chest in a triangular formation! Poisoned sleeve arrows!

At the same [N O V E L I G H T] time, his left hand swept across his waist, and a soft sword, like a viper flicking its tongue, stabbed silently yet lightning-fast toward Lin Feng's lower abdomen!

The three guards behind him also sprang into action at the same moment; one lunged at Zhao Hu, who seemed "panicked" by the attack on his leader, while the other two ferociously attacked Shadow Snake and the other team members on the flank!

Guo Shan Feng's scheme was undeniably vicious. The sleeve arrows blocked the upper path, poisoned to kill upon drawing blood; the soft sword ambushed the lower path, insidious and tricky.

He was betting that Lin Feng was young and would be too slow to react; even if he could dodge the sleeve arrows, he would find it hard to defend against this near-point-blank soft sword thrust! As long as he could severely injure or control the leader, the rest would be nothing to fear!

However, he was facing Lin Feng, who possessed a terrifying 11.5 agility and the combat instincts of a martial general!

Facing the three incoming poisoned arrows, Lin Feng didn't even move much. He merely tilted his head and upper body slightly to the side and leaned back by a hair's breadth in the nick of time, letting the three poisoned arrows graze his hair and leather armor before embedding themselves into the earthen wall behind him with a dull "thud, thud, thud."

And almost at the same time he dodged the poisoned arrows, Lin Feng's right hand, which had seemed to be hanging casually at his side, moved! It was so fast that it left only a blurred dark red afterimage in the air!

The animal skin wrapping the spearhead shattered, and the Wildfire Spear suddenly awakened like a sleeping angry dragon. It arrived later but struck first, its tip precisely tapping onto the spine of the soft sword Guo Shan Feng had thrust.

Clang! A crisp yet teeth-aching sound of metal clashing rang out!

Guo Shan Feng felt an irresistible force surge from the sword, splitting the web between his thumb and forefinger; the soft sword swung upward uncontrollably, leaving his center wide open!

"What?!" Guo Shan Feng screamed in horror inwardly; this reaction speed, this strength, far exceeded his estimates!

He wanted to pull back and retreat, but Lin Feng's attack was already following him like a shadow! The Wildfire Spear did not hesitate in the slightest after knocking aside the soft sword; using that momentum, the spear shaft whipped around like a viper's tail.

It followed through with an incredibly swift, sweeping rotation, the spear shaft whistling through the air with a dull sound as it slammed heavily into Guo Shan Feng's left ribs, which he hadn't had time to pull back in his shock!

Crack! A clear sound of bone breaking! -102!

Guo Shan Feng let out a miserable howl, his body flying sideways as if struck by a stampeding wild bull, blood spraying from his mouth as his left ribs were visibly caved in.

Lin Feng's eyes were cold, and he stepped forward, following him like a shadow.

Just as Guo Shan Feng was struggling to push himself up from the ground, a dark red lightning bolt of death had already descended!

The Wildfire Spear turned into a cold star, ignoring Guo Shan Feng's futilely waving left hand as it pierced precisely into his wide-open mouth, which was twisted in pain and fear, and exited through the back of his neck! -110!

The spear tip twisted and then pulled out. Guo Shan Feng's movements froze, and the shock, unwillingness, and disbelief in his eyes quickly solidified and dimmed.

The chieftain of Xiaoyao Stronghold, Guo Shan Feng, known for his sneak attacks and ruthlessness, hadn't lasted three rounds under Lin Feng before being cleanly and decisively finished off by the Wildfire Spear.

Everything happened too fast; from Guo Shan Feng's sudden attack to his death under the spear, only two or three breaths of time had passed!

It wasn't until Guo Shan Feng's corpse hit the ground with a thud that his three guards, who had just lunged forward, finally engaged in battle with Zhao Hu and the others.

"Seeking death!" Zhao Hu roared, his guardian round shield precisely parrying the incoming blade. The bone-crushing greatsword, carrying the brutal strength of a Heavy Shield Guard, slashed backhand, directly hacking the guard and his blade back several steps, his chest armor cracking and blood streaming out. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Shadow Snake was like a true ghost, flashing between the two guards who lunged at her. Her eerie green claw blades left two trails of blood, and both guards clutched their throats and collapsed to the ground with gurgling sounds, almost simultaneously.

The remaining guard who had been repelled by Zhao Hu, seeing that Guo Shan Feng was dead and his companions had been killed instantly, was terrified out of his wits and turned to flee.

The sound of Jian Yan's bowstring rang out at the perfect moment, and an arrow pierced the guard's calf, pinning him to the ground, where he was immediately finished off by the other team members who swarmed him with their blades.

The battle began quickly and ended even faster. The four members of Xiaoyao Stronghold were wiped out.

Lin Feng slowly pulled back the Wildfire Spear, shook off the blood droplets from the tip, and looked calm, as if he had just casually swatted a few flies.

"Clean this up. See what they have on them," Lin Feng ordered.

Soon, the spoils of war were collected. The people from Xiaoyao Stronghold were clearly prepared; besides their standard weapons, they had indeed brought some valuable items and a few pieces of decent equipment, obviously intended for trade.

There were several green-quality swords and blades in good condition, which Lin Feng directly distributed to the teams of Scarface Liu and A Wang, letting them decide for themselves which team members who had performed bravely yesterday or were in urgent need of a weapon upgrade should receive them.

The most valuable items were two pairs of lightweight leather boots and two pieces of exquisitely crafted leather armor, all of green quality.

【Boots of Swiftness (Green)】 【Agility +1】 【Movement speed slightly increased】 【Equipment requirement: Agility > 6】

【Shadow Strike Leather Armor (Green)】 【Defense +12】 【Special Effect: Stealth — Harder to be detected in shadows or complex environments】 【Equipment requirement: Agility > 7】

Lin Feng picked up a pair of Boots of Swiftness and the piece of Shadow Strike Leather Armor and handed them to Zhao Hu: "Big Brother Zhao, although you focus on defense after your class change, your mobility cannot be too poor. These boots will allow you to provide support or adjust your position faster. This leather armor is lightweight, won't affect your movement, and adds a bit of stealth effect, which can sometimes be useful for surprise attacks."

Zhao Hu took them and laughed: "Hehe, the leader is still the most thoughtful! Old Zhao here will be able to play a bit more flexibly in the future!"

Lin Feng gave the other set of Boots of Swiftness and Shadow Strike Leather Armor to Shadow Snake: "Shadow Snake, this set of equipment perfectly fits your style. Try it on."

Shadow Snake silently accepted them, her cold face seeming to soften for a moment, and she said in a low voice: "Thank you, Leader."

This set of equipment was undoubtedly a huge boost for her.

The interlude ended, and the busyness in the ruins of the Black Wolf Den continued. But in the air, there was now an extra layer of murderous intent and vigilance.

In this Nightmare World, wanting to truly occupy a good place, dealing with monsters alone was not enough; the covetousness and struggles from one's own kind had perhaps only just begun.

However, with sharp blades in hand and craftsmen at his side, Lin Feng and his team were no longer the band of wandering marauders who could only hide and run.

They had a fortress, they had capital, and they also had... the ambition to protect and expand.