This thought caused his heart to race slightly, but it was immediately suppressed by an even stronger sense of calm.

Risks and opportunities coexist. As a county-level territory destroyed by a level four Nightmare Tide, the danger level of Qingshi County was by no means comparable to that of Black Wind Camp or Black Wolf Den.

Residual undead, mutated creatures, and perhaps even stragglers from that year's legion still wandering about... any of these could be fatal.

He had chosen Shadow Snake to accompany him precisely because of her high agility and exquisite stealth and assassination skills.

Her [N O V E L I G H T] speed was sufficient to handle most sudden dangers, her scouting abilities were top-tier, and she could cover a retreat at critical moments.

As for Lin Feng himself, at Level 9 with 16.5 Strength and 11.5 Agility, combined with his martial general's combat instincts and the edge of the Wildfire Spear, his frontal combat power was enough to face Lv11-Lv12 elites, with the confidence to hold his own or even secure a kill.

The two moved one after the other, maintaining an interval of about ten meters; this allowed them to support each other without being too conspicuous.

Shadow Snake was like a true shadow, always moving through the shadows on the flanks or along the undulations of the terrain, her footsteps as light as a cat's.

Her gaze constantly scanned the front and both sides, her ears twitching slightly to catch any unusual sounds in the wind.

Lin Feng walked on the relatively open main road, appearing relaxed, but in reality, his muscles were finely tuned, ready to explode with maximum power at any moment.

The two did not head straight for Qingshi County town. Instead, they chose to systematically scout from near to far along the belt of satellite ruins that had once been within the county's sphere of influence.

Qingmu Town, Liangtun Town... ruins of towns that were once prosperous but now deathly silent were either cautiously bypassed or quickly traversed.

The monsters wandering these outer ruins were mostly between Lv3 and Lv6, primarily consisting of Skeleton Soldiers and Corrupted Beasts; they found no traces related to "Great Qin."

By evening, they arrived at the third satellite ruin—Heitie Town.

As the name suggested, this had been the smelting and forging center of Qingshi County in the past.

Before they even drew close, they could see several tall but leaning remains of smelting furnaces built from dark brown giant stones, standing in the distance like the skeletons of dead behemoths.

The air was thick with a mixture of metal corrosion and coal dust, heavier than elsewhere, and the ground was littered with large amounts of slag and discarded metal blanks.

Compared to the previous two towns, the ruins of Heitie Town were preserved relatively "completely"—the shells of many stone buildings remained, though their interiors were empty, covered in cobwebs and dust.

The outlines of the streets were still faintly discernible, though partially blocked by collapsed beams and debris.

“Be careful, the aura here... is a bit different.”

Shadow Snake stopped by the wall of a half-collapsed workshop, her voice kept extremely low.

Her sharp gaze swept across a relatively wide street ahead, which seemed to have been the main thoroughfare.

Lin Feng felt it too. In addition to the inherent decay in the air, there was a trace of an extremely faint yet exceptionally concentrated... aura of war.

It wasn't the bloodthirst of a living creature, but a cold sense of order belonging to a military formation, even though most of it had dissipated over the years.

The two exchanged a look and tacitly raised their alert level.

Like a true shadow, Shadow Snake noiselessly climbed a high broken wall and peered ahead, using the cover of a dilapidated eave.

A moment later, she slid down, a rare flicker of emotion passing through her eyes.

“I found something,” she said, her speech slightly faster. “At the street corner ahead, in front of a deserted blacksmith shop, there is a... 'person' wearing tattered black leather armor and holding a Long Halberd, walking back and forth. The movements are very stiff, not like a living person. There are no others of its kind around.”

Lin Feng felt a chill in his heart and quickly moved behind a gap to look.

Sure enough, about a hundred meters away, in front of a stone-built blacksmith shop with a missing signboard and a wide-open doorway, a figure was slowly and rigidly patrolling back and forth along a fixed route.

The figure was tall and burly; even from a distance, one could see the uniform design of the tattered black leather armor it wore.

It wore a face-covering leather helmet and held a bronze halberd nearly three meters long, the tip of the weapon swaying slightly with every step.

Its skin was a deathly blue-gray, and the muscles on its exposed hands and neck were shriveled, clinging tightly to the bone.

In the position of the eye sockets, a faint dark red light flickered under the shadow of the leather helmet.

Eye of Probability, scan! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

【Great Qin Garrison Soldiers】

【Level: Lv13】

【Traits: Undead creature, no sense of pain, powerful strength, residual discipline, skilled in formation combat】

【Possible Drops: Qin Army Leather Armor (50%), bronze halberd (80%), Basic Battle Array Insights (5%), Village Establishment Order (0.0001%), Special Village Establishment Order (0.00001%)】

【Experience Points for Kill: 350】

In that instant, Lin Feng's heart almost stopped beating.

On the data panel floating before him, the words "Great Qin Garrison Soldiers" were like a red-hot iron, seared deep into his pupils.

Level 13 was far beyond his estimated strength, but that wasn't important.

What mattered were those last two lines:

【Possible Drops:...Village Establishment Order (0.0001%), Special Village Establishment Order (0.00001%)】

A Village Establishment Order! And... a Special Village Establishment Order?!

A one-in-ten-million probability?!

Wild joy erupted from the depths of his heart like lava, instantly rushing to his head, making his breathing ragged and his fingers almost dig into the stone wall beside him.

He forcibly suppressed the trembling of his body and stared intently at the tall figure mechanically patrolling in front of the blacksmith shop.

That's it! A Great Qin soldier! Even if it's just the lowest-level garrison soldier, even if it's just a solitary one—there is a probability it will drop a Village Establishment Order!

And that "Special Village Establishment Order" with an even lower probability—what did it mean? A stronger effect? Hidden attributes? Special recognition from the National Fortune Cauldron?

Countless thoughts exploded in his mind, but Lin Feng's remaining logic acted like a cold chain, instantly tightening around these boiling thoughts.

He abruptly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, only a frozen calm remained.

No, it's not time yet.

He quickly called up the interface only he could see, his gaze locking onto a line of faint golden text:

【Eye of Probability Remaining Refresh Time: 1 hour 2 minutes 17 seconds】

One hour. He only needed to wait one more hour.

“Is that humanoid monster very strong?”

Shadow Snake pressed into the shadows behind him like a ghost, her voice kept extremely low.

She had keenly sensed the unusual fluctuation in Lin Feng's aura just a moment ago.

Lin Feng forced himself to shift his gaze away from the garrison soldier and turned to look at Shadow Snake.

Her face was still its usual cold mask, but deep within those sharp eyes, there was also a hint of solemnity—an instinctive wariness when facing a powerful enemy far beyond one's own level.

“A big guy,” Lin Feng's voice was unexpectedly steady, even carrying a hint of deliberate relaxation.

“A Great Qin Garrison Soldier, Lv13. Tough as nails, and its attack power is likely not low.”

Shadow Snake's pupils contracted slightly, her fingers instinctively reaching for the claw blades at her waist. “Should we retreat?”

“No.” Lin Feng shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding environment. “Do you see its patrol route? It's fixed, rigid, and doesn't exceed ten meters in front of the blacksmith shop. This is an opportunity.”

He paused, seemingly weighing his words. “We've been traveling continuously and have scouted several ruins; our stamina consumption isn't small.

Facing a Lv13 undead directly carries too high a risk.”

Shadow Snake didn't speak; she just watched him quietly, waiting for him to continue. She knew Lin Feng had more to say.

“Rest first, recover our stamina, and build up our strength.”

Lin Feng pointed to the depths of the half-collapsed stone house they were hiding in; it was relatively concealed, and the line of sight could still cover the garrison soldier's direction.

“Observe its patrol patterns and look for weaknesses. In an hour, once our condition has returned to its peak, we'll make our move.”

The reasoning was sound, fitting the cautious yet decisive style Shadow Snake knew Lin Feng for.

The last trace of doubt in Shadow Snake's eyes vanished, and she nodded slightly. “Alright.”

The two silently retreated deeper into the stone house, finding a corner backed by a load-bearing stone pillar with some overhead cover.

Lin Feng set down his pack and sat against the stone pillar, appearing to rest with his eyes closed, but in reality, his entire mind was immersed in the constantly ticking countdown.

Shadow Snake, like a true guardian, curled up in the shadows further out, her gaze fixed through a gap on the slowly moving black figure in the distance without blinking.

Her breathing was light and long, but her body was like a taut bowstring, ready to explode at any moment.

Time passed minute by minute.

The deserted Heitie Town was deathly silent, save for the heavy, rhythmic footsteps of the garrison soldier in the distance and the wailing of the night wind through the broken walls.

The dark red sky was gradually replaced by a deeper twilight, and a pale moon climbed over the horizon of the ruins, casting a cold and eerie glow.

Lin Feng's heartbeat gradually accelerated as the countdown reached zero.

【Eye of Probability has been refreshed】

【Remaining Uses: 1/1】

Now!

Lin Feng abruptly opened his eyes, a golden stream of data flashing deep within them.

He didn't act immediately, but continued to maintain his resting posture, chanting in his mind:

“Use Eye of Probability, designate drop for Great Qin Garrison Soldier—Special Village Establishment Order!”

The silent command was issued.

Before his eyes, that familiar golden galaxy that only he could see began to flow again. Countless numbers and symbols converged, finally coalescing into a line of burning large characters:

【Eye of Probability Activated】

【Designated Drop: Special Village Establishment Order (Original Probability: 0.00001%)】

【Current Drop Probability adjusted to 100%】

【Remaining Uses: 0/1】

【Next Refresh: 30 days later】

It worked!

Lin Feng grabbed the Wildfire Spear and unwrapped its beast-hide covering. The dark red shaft of the spear seemed to flow with faint firelight under the moon.

“Shadow Snake, provide support.”

His voice carried an unquestionable certainty. “I will deal with it head-on.”

A flash of surprise crossed Shadow Snake's eyes, but she didn't object, merely retreating silently into the shadows on one side, her claw blades unsheathed.

He no longer hid himself, stepping out from his hiding place with large strides.

The heavy footsteps immediately caught the garrison soldier's attention.

The tall figure stopped its patrol, the dark red soul fire beneath its helmet suddenly locking onto Lin Feng as it slowly raised the bronze halberd in its hand.

No testing, no flanking.

Lin Feng moved!