Chapter 230 - 147: Benefits of Joining the Team! Healthy Competition! The Temptation of Becoming a Transcendent

Chapter 230: Chapter 147: Benefits of Joining the Team! Healthy Competition! The Temptation of Becoming a Transcendent

Under normal circumstances, they would have scoffed at such a recruitment offer.

After all, most of those who had survived this long had already formed their own small teams, each with its own philosophy of survival. They had no interest in depending on others.

Besides, with the cautionary tale of Sima and the Survival Association, everyone was well aware that a large team without a solid foundation of camaraderie was nothing more than a tool for the top to exploit the bottom.

It was far more practical to form a small, independent group than to work for someone else, gathering resources only to hand them over.

But now, after witnessing Chen Chong’s terrifying power with their own eyes, no one dared to underestimate him.

From the moment they were all transported here until now, the courage and power he had displayed had left everyone else far behind in the dust.

Perhaps following a man like him, they could truly carve out a different path to survival in this cruel world.

The three passages leading out of the area had long been open, yet not a single person moved.

Whether still dazed or having already regained their composure, everyone stood silently in place, their eyes fixed on the high platform, waiting for Chen Chong to speak again.

After a long moment, Chen Chong finally spoke.

"While many of you here might not know each other, at the end of the day, we are all fellow students. More than that, we’re the only people of our kind left in this Primitive Jungle."

"Whether it’s out of school spirit or our shared humanity, I want our school to remain safe, and I want all of you to survive."

"But it’s been half a month since we arrived, and too many people have already died from all sorts of incidents. The root cause, aside from the fact that most people find it hard to adapt to surviving in the wild, is partly due to human factors..."

The thousand or so people from our school have split into countless factions and teams of varying sizes.

In an environment like this, the darker aspects of human nature are magnified.

To survive, only a small minority have held onto their principles, relying on their own two hands to find what they need.

The majority, however, have become selfish to the extreme, resorting to any means necessary to live—including, but not limited to, exploitation and outright robbery.

This has led to frequent chaos, both within our main camp and without.

This posed a great threat to the order and safety of the entire community, which was one of the reasons Chen Chong intended to consolidate everyone.

It wasn’t just about strengthening his own team or ensuring a smooth circulation of resources. It was also about absorbing the students under a unified management system, using himself and his team as the new standard to restore order.

Sometimes, rules are a necessity.

Otherwise, chaos and disorder would lead to the complete erosion of what makes us human, and the death toll would skyrocket...

Chen Chong’s gaze swept across the crowd as he spoke again.

"To curb this chaos, I have decided to unite everyone from our school and create a large team. I am extending an invitation to all of you."

A tremor went through the crowd at his words.

Some people’s eyes burned with brilliant hope.

But many more looked worried, a sense of foreboding flickering in their eyes.

Sima’s expression, in particular, grew impossibly dark. He was standing with the gathered members of his Survival Association.

’Until now, my group has always been the largest in the school. That not only allowed me to control more resources, but it also greatly satisfied my vanity. I was living like an emperor.’

’But now, Chen Chong wants to form his own team...’

’I know damn well that with his abilities and the fighting power he just displayed, a terrifying number of people will join him.’

’My Survival Association’s status as the largest faction in the school is about to be history.’

But the most infuriating part was that, despite his resentment, he didn’t dare utter a single word of protest.

He was terrified that if Chen Chong was the least bit displeased, that knife of his would come flying his way.

Even now, he hadn’t fully recovered from the shock of Chen Chong’s monstrous fighting prowess...

"So how do you plan on uniting everyone? And does joining your team guarantee survival?"

A crisp voice rang out from the crowd.

Everyone turned toward the sound. The speaker was a fair-skinned girl with glasses and a ponytail.

Xu Jun, standing beside Chen Chong, recognized her.

’When I was fighting the Bloodthirsty Vine earlier, I think I saved quite a few people. She was probably one of them.’

’But I don’t remember anything else about her.’

After a single glance, he looked away, uninterested.

The girl’s gaze, however, remained fixed on Xu Jun, staring at him intently.

There was no provocation or hostility in her eyes.

Instead, they were filled with deep gratitude and admiration.

"Good question."

"As for how I’ll unite everyone, you don’t need to worry. I won’t use force to make everyone obey me or live by a set of rules I’ve created."

"We are all living, breathing people, after all. I respect everyone’s rights, and I respect your right to choose your own way to survive."

"The only people I can hold to my standards are the members of my own team..."

"Joining is completely voluntary!"

"If you want to join, you can sign up. If you don’t, I won’t force you."

Chen Chong knew he couldn’t guarantee that everyone from the school would follow the rules. It wasn’t a matter of ability, but of energy.

’My primary reason for building this team is to ensure resources are cultivated and circulated more effectively, and to lead as many people as possible to survival.’

’If I waste all my energy trying to police the entire community and neglect everything else, my own power won’t grow. I won’t be able to hunt Extraordinary Creatures, and I’ll be trapped in a vicious cycle.’

’Even if I don’t die in the Primitive Jungle, I’ll probably die in the next new environment we face.’

’I have to do everything I can to increase my strength so I have the power to face whatever unknown risks lie ahead. As for logistics and resources, I’ll leave that to the people under me.’