Chapter Fifty: Chariots and the Loyal Double Agent

Previously, Colin had never found a good way to deal with these two-faced rats who were always plotting betrayal. Now, with this shield in hand, all problems were solved.

Li Hang, feeling frustrated, picked up the shield and "declared war" on Colin.

"In the presence of the Shield of the Just Knight, I formally request a duel with this man..."

Three minutes later, the duel was over.

With a face full of misery, Li Hang returned the shield to Colin, shot a resentful glance at Li Chou, and then followed Number Two out to "hunt."

And then...

The fighting began again!

And ended again.

The fighting started again!

And ended again.

The fighting resumed once more!

And ended once more.

...

Within a short time, Colin had brought all the survivors under control.

They all wore the same look of frustration, as if they had come across half a dung beetle in their bread, and whenever their eyes fell on Li Chou, they brimmed over with resentment.

Third place? This is it?

By now, they all knew this was one of the top three on the resource leaderboard... a complete waste!

His single defeat had practically doomed everyone behind him!

"Relax. As long as you don't get in my way, I promise I won't touch any of you."

Seeing the misery on their faces, Colin offered a kindly smile, knowing he had achieved his goal of sowing discord and splitting their hatred.

He could have used harsher means to keep these people in line rather than relying on the Shield of the Just Knight, but to prevent any unexpected trouble, he felt it was best to establish absolute authority.

On that foundation, Colin would not be stingy with his tolerance and trust.

The next phase of his plan was about to begin, and he didn't want his backyard catching fire while he was out front taking care of business.

From then on, the subsequent "hunting" operations went off without a hitch.

Counting the previous rounds, this time Colin amassed a total of twenty-seven lanterns, along with a corresponding number of synthesis stations and sheepskin scrolls.

As for ordinary supplies, the word "vast" barely even covered it.

Even Colin himself could hardly believe it—this was only the second day...

By now, nearly half of the second day had passed, and his team had swelled to four hundred strong.

The campaign originally slated for the third day, or even later, could now be brought forward!

Target: The lord-level aberration at the foot of Crow Mountain!

Next objective: Open up the underground area beneath the Pioneer Church!

[Armored Vehicle: Steel Plates*500, Glass*50, Rubber*200, Thorns of Suffering*100, Mist Points*100.]

[Note: The armored vehicle requires fuel to operate.]

[Hint: It can burn most materials, but the optimal fuel is: Coal + Dim Blood of Filth = Lowest-grade Crimson Fuel (each unit allows three kilometers of travel).]

"Let's build the armored vehicle first!"

Yesterday, the armored vehicle seemed unattainable for Colin, but now, it was finally within reach.

"Steel plates are synthesized from two portions of refined steel each, refined steel from two portions of pig iron, and pig iron from two portions of iron ore... Four thousand iron ores!"

"Glass synthesis requires quartz sand, which I haven't seen, but I remember there was some in the trading market..."

"I've seen rubber too, though I have no idea where these people found it..."

"The last two, I already have plenty myself..."

Colin calculated the required materials. Though he already knew what he needed, reviewing it again still made his heart ache.

"With my current manpower, the ideal would be ten armored vehicles..."

Decision made, Colin made a bold move, using mist points, food, and other resources to buy up all the mineral materials with 'iron' in their name from the trading market.

There wasn't much demand for iron ore on the trading market just yet, so prices were low.

[Iron Ore]

[Item Description: Ore that has been preliminarily processed.]

[Type: Mineral Material.]

[Quantity: 76 units (See Note 1.)]

[Price: One loaf of bread, 100ml of grade-three water.]

[Vendor's Note: Please, mighty one, have mercy and spare me some food—your little cutie can barely dig anymore!]

Colin glanced at the listing and bought it all without hesitation, eager to give back to his suffering compatriots.

Just because he was soaring ahead, he couldn't forget those still struggling at the bottom.

Colin scooped up huge quantities of iron ore at extremely low prices.

This change caught the survivors' attention, and quickly became a hot topic in the world channel.

"Who is it, buying up all the iron ore? I can't even get any for a shovel!"

"I have a feeling... Master Colin is at it again, secretly making moves. I'm done for!"

"Let's do it now then!"

...

Only a few people in the chat channel caught on and quietly started stockpiling iron ore.

This move sent iron ore prices skyrocketing, and the purses of those lords (miners) who dug for the community visibly swelled; they now dug with even more enthusiasm.

Now, thirty units of iron could fetch a loaf of bread, double the previous price!

The rich were now helping the poor grow rich!

Amidst these surging undercurrents, Colin had already completed his shopping list.

A total of forty thousand units of iron ore, along with ten portions worth of the other armored vehicle materials.

No question, this was an enormous outlay!

Even with low prices, it cost Colin a great deal in resources!

Now, Colin stood in front of a lord's wooden cabin, transferring this level-one territory under his own name.

He then took out the synthesis station and began step by step converting massive amounts of iron ore into steel plates!

"Would you like to upgrade to [Level One Armored Vehicle]?"

"Yes."

At that thought, the materials in his backpack vanished rapidly, and the construct—like a product of some advanced civilization—materialized swiftly before him.

At that moment, a system notification rang out in the minds of all lords, Colin included.

[System Notification: Congratulations to Lord Colin for constructing a Level One Armored Vehicle!]

[Reward: 999 Stale Black Bread loaves will be distributed shortly!]

[Reward has been distributed!]

[May all lords strive together!]

The next second, the chat channel exploded once more.

"Holy crap, I knew it—Master Colin again! Last time it was the same! No one but him could pull off something this big!"

"Where's the prophet? Come out and take your beating!"

"Does anyone remember the synthesis recipe for the armored vehicle?"

"No clue, just know someone just bought up a ton of iron ore—nothing else is clear."

"We'll have to brute-force it. My guess is iron ore is for making steel plates, which is the highest grade we can synthesize right now!"

"Brothers, hurry and snatch the iron ore! If you don't, there'll be none left!"

"(ノ=Д=)ノ┻━┻ Taking advantage of a crisis, huh? Fifteen iron ores for a single mist point!"

"Wuwuwu, thanks to Master Colin, I'm getting rich mining—ten iron ores for a loaf of bread, take it or leave it!"

"Hahahaha, brothers, I did it! I figured out the recipe—selling for one hundred mist points each!"

"One hundred per recipe? Why not just rob us?"

....

Colin was oblivious to the chat channel chaos; at this moment, he was examining his new armored vehicle.

It sprawled across the ground like some colossal beast.

It looked like an oversized jeep, or perhaps a mobile fortress, black thorns wrapped around the entire body.

Steel spikes, exhaust pipes, fuel furnace, headlights, and other equipment lay bare to the elements, all in a rugged style, the front of the vehicle forming a pointed cone bristling with spikes.

At the rear, a metal turret was mounted, pointing forward.

If he added a few skulls or similar embellishments, it would exude a true death-metal, wasteland-punk vibe.