Chapter 75: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity
Chapter 75: Chapter 75: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity
’So this is the deep-pocketed academy they talk about,’ Xisuo thought, stunned. ’The reward for a single mission is an exoskeleton?!’
’And this Li Wei is no simple character, either.’
’First, he made a clean and decisive example of that guy, and now he’s just tossing out an exoskeleton as a reward.’
’Not everyone is so skilled with the carrot-and-stick approach.’
"So, I hope you all perform well."
Li Wei’s words re-energized the once-suppressed atmosphere.
"Sir Li Wei, I will absolutely support your command, unconditionally!"
"Sir Li Wei, Sir Hawkins, I, Qiaodun, would go through hell and high water for you!"
"Never mind a shelter, I wouldn’t back down even if it were a mutant beast nest!"
.....
Everyone present was a mercenary or a lone wolf who lived on the edge; they weren’t afraid of danger.
The life they led was one of constant risk, of living for the moment.
What they truly feared was putting in the effort and not getting their due reward.
As long as the benefits were great enough, even if you told this crowd the mission had only a one-in-ten chance of survival, every last one of them would believe they’d be the one to make it out alive.
That single portable exoskeleton was more than enough to make these people risk their lives.
Seeing the atmosphere was now completely different from before, Li Wei and Hawkins exchanged a look, then nodded in satisfaction.
Li Wei cleared his throat, and the crowd immediately fell silent.
With just a simple combo, he had tamed the arrogant and unruly bunch.
’Looks like those psychology courses I took in my spare time are pretty useful after all,’ Li Wei thought, feeling a surge of pride.
"Alright, I’ve said what needs to be said."
"If you want to leave, leave now. Anyone who stays, I’ll assume you agree to accept my command."
As his voice fell, four or five people quietly left the crowd.
The guards from October Town also stepped aside.
Only then did Xisuo realize.
’These guards aren’t here for the expedition. They were just here to maintain order.’
’But before they even had a chance to do anything, Li Wei took matters into his own hands.’
With the previous incident as a cautionary tale, those who left did so very discreetly, afraid of making too much noise and attracting the attention of a killer like Li Wei.
After waiting a minute and confirming no one else was leaving, Li Wei continued,
"Very good. More people than I expected. Forty-one in total."
"To make management easier, I’ll divide you into groups of ten. The remainder will be assigned to the first group."
"Each group will have one of our own people as its leader. You must follow your group leader’s orders."
"Everyone, line up. Report your name and your specialty. And while you’re at it, collect your payment of 10 Silver Coins for this job."
The crowd immediately began to form a line.
Since everyone was very cooperative, the task was completed quickly.
Li Wei also knew that the information these people provided wouldn’t necessarily be completely true.
After all, in his view, a place like the wasteland was inherently full of deception and cunning.
Of course, he didn’t need them to reveal all their secrets; he just needed a general idea.
In just a few moments, he had divided the 41 people into four different teams.
Li Wei began to read the names from the list in his hand, and one by one, the Mercenaries and freelancers moved to stand behind their respective group leaders.
The two brothers, Xisuo and Simon, were also assigned to one of the groups.
Once the groups were formed, Li Wei looked up at the crowd.
"I don’t care what you did before, and I don’t care what past conflicts you may have had."
"During this operation, you are part of the team, and you must follow your group leader’s orders."
"If anyone tries to pull any funny business, don’t blame me for being merciless."
Li Wei’s gaze swept over each person, his voice filled with warning.
"Of course, as long as you follow the rules, we won’t treat you unfairly."
"Now, you have 30 minutes. Restock on food and water—no need to get too much, a five-day supply is enough—and go get your gear."
.....
Watching the crowd disperse, Simon asked, confused,
"Bro, isn’t he afraid they’ll just take the money and run?"
Xisuo shook his head.
"Probably not. Li Wei is a shrewd man. If he’s daring enough to do this, he must be confident it’ll work."
"He might even be deliberately creating an opportunity for some people to desert."
"Anyone who would run for just 10 Silver Coins is the worst of the worst."
"Even if they don’t run now, they’d likely desert for one reason or another once the mission starts."
"It’s better to let those people scram now than to have deserters undermining morale later on."
"For big shots from the academy like them, spending 10 Silver Coins to find out if someone is reliable is probably a bargain."
"Besides, do you think anyone here is willing to give up the chance to get an exoskeleton?"
Xisuo glanced around. Many people, after getting their money, went to the general store to buy food and water, but no one left.
These were all Mercenaries who lived by the sword; they understood the importance of an opportunity better than anyone.
As long as the profit was high enough, they didn’t mind taking a few risks.
Besides, although the risks of this operation were unknown, the reward was very real.
A single exoskeleton was enough to let them climb up from the very bottom. A chance like this might only come once in their lifetime.
A suit of exoskeletal armor was enough to make everyone here willing to die for it.
Xisuo and his brother already had enough food and water in their vehicle, so they had no intention of restocking. They simply drove their motorcycle over and waited quietly.
The 30 minutes passed quickly, and the scattered crowd reassembled.
Li Wei glanced at the reassembled crowd and nodded with satisfaction.
’Good. All 41 are here. No one left. This proves my earlier judgment was correct.’
"Excellent. Since everyone is ready, let’s move out."
At Li Wei’s command, the 41-person expedition team slowly departed from October Town.
The four teams formed a simple diamond formation and set off toward their destination.
The expedition team’s objective was crystal clear, and they took no detours along the way.
However, because many in the group had no vehicles, their pace wasn’t particularly fast.
Furthermore, to keep the entire team in optimal condition, they had to stop every few hours to let those without vehicles rest briefly.
But thanks to the team’s high morale, they traveled with considerable effort outside of the scheduled rest periods.
After leaving October Town, the team traveled for a day and a half straight before arriving at their destination.
[PS: My editor just informed me that there won’t be another round of recommendations. The novel will most likely go on sale this weekend.]