Upon entering the meeting room, Li Zhongjun dismissed everyone—including Li Qingshan—leaving only himself and Bai Qiu inside.
However, there was still one person hidden within the room, using an invisibility skill—likely of the Assassin class.
Of course, Bai Qiu didn’t see the person directly.
Instead, he sensed the fluctuations of magical elements and the subtle disturbances in the surroundings caused by breathing.
So even though the hidden individual remained completely still, Bai Qiu could still pinpoint their presence.
To be honest, he couldn’t quite understand what Li Zhongjun was trying to do, but he didn’t ask—he simply waited for the other party to speak first.
After a moment of silence, Li Zhongjun said, “Bai Qiu, do you know why I asked you to come here?”
Bai Qiu paused briefly, then shook his head without speaking.
The atmosphere fell silent again.
Finally, Li Zhongjun couldn’t hold it in anymore and said, “At least make a guess, kid—otherwise how am I supposed to continue?”
Bai Qiu: …
“Then… is it because I killed people? Are you here to hold me accountable?”
“Both right… and wrong!” After hearing Bai Qiu’s answer, Li Zhongjun nodded, then shook his head, leaving Bai Qiu speechless.
Why not just say it directly? Why speak in riddles?
Of course, Bai Qiu didn’t voice that thought.
He remained silent, waiting for what came next.
“Ahem, I do intend to hold you accountable—but not because you killed people,” Li Zhongjun said.
This old guy… talking in half-sentences again!
Bai Qiu sighed inwardly and had no choice but to cooperate. “Then what is it for?”
“Because you didn’t come to us sooner! If you had told me everything the moment you woke up, there’d have been no need to drag this out—I would’ve already had Qingshan lead a team to lure those bastards out and kill them!”
Bai Qiu was both confused and shocked.
After he woke up, both Li Qingshan and Li Zhongjun had indeed sent him messages of concern—but he had only replied briefly and didn’t continue the conversation.
After all, he considered it his own matter.
That was how he saw it—but Li Zhongjun clearly didn’t think the same way…
Li Zhongjun laughed and patted Bai Qiu on the shoulder. “That aside, do you think what you did—killing them—was right or wrong?”
Bai Qiu shook his head. “I don’t know, but I…”
“You couldn’t swallow that anger, right?” Li Zhongjun cut him off, finishing his sentence for him, leaving Bai Qiu momentarily speechless.
Sitting across from him, Li Zhongjun looked at Bai Qiu with approval in his eyes. “I’m very pleased, Bai Qiu—you’ve finally grown.”
“I’ve been observing you all this time. You’re powerful, and your will is strong. But when it comes to the scheming and conflicts of human nature, you’ve always been somewhat resistant to it. Not because you don’t understand—but because you never took it seriously.
I didn’t call you here to hold you accountable, nor to deny you or coerce you in any way.
I called you here to affirm and encourage you. First of all, you absolutely have the ability to do as you said—stir up wars between regions, or leave the safe zone and take advantage of the monster waves to finish off your enemies.
You understand everything, yet you still chose the most direct and righteous way to take revenge… That makes me once again affirm your character.”
Li Zhongjun looked at the silent Bai Qiu and continued, “Do you feel that—even though you killed all your enemies and, in theory, didn’t harm a single innocent person—
in reality, your actions would leave Zone 2203 too weak to resist future monster waves? Do you think that your actions might indirectly harm innocent people, and that’s why you feel a sense of guilt?”
Bai Qiu nodded slightly.
All of his thoughts had been seen through by Li Zhongjun.
It was true—he was determined to take revenge, but he also understood that killing so many people would leave Zone 2203 lacking in high-level combat strength…
Li Zhongjun shook his head and said, “This is your weakness—hesitation. In truth, you don’t need to worry about these things at all. Those scum deserved to be killed, so killing them is no issue! As for what comes after—if it feels troublesome, you can always seek help from others.”
He took out a report and a small box from the drawer, handing the report to Bai Qiu. “Now that we’ve talked about your shortcomings, let’s discuss your strengths—your contributions. Take a look.”
Bai Qiu picked up the paper report and skimmed through it.
It detailed the casualties across all 51 zones, from 2200 to 2250, during the entire duration of the wave.
The zone with the lowest losses was 2233—only a few deaths, making it the least fatality-stricken area, though there were quite a number of injuries.
Next was 2201, with 26 deaths…
Bai Qiu quickly finished reading the casualty report, but still couldn’t quite grasp what Li Zhongjun was getting at.
“Still don’t get it?” Li Zhongjun looked at the contemplative Bai Qiu, both helpless and amused.
“What I’m trying to say is—every zone you supported not only survived the wave, but also minimized casualties.
You might not have noticed it yourself, but in the zones you helped, the number of deaths was generally under a hundred. Meanwhile, the eleven zones that didn’t receive support and had to defend on their own each suffered over 300 deaths, with injuries beyond count.
Among them, Zone 2249 suffered the heaviest losses—967 deaths and nearly 2,000 injured. More than half of their active fighting force was affected to varying degrees.
In fact, their second-in-command succumbed to severe injuries and passed away this morning.”
He explained that those eleven zones which hadn’t used cooperative support invitations were, in fact, among the stronger regions overall—yet they still suffered heavy losses under the assault of the wave.
“All of this is your achievement. Not only did you help everyone gain five attribute points, but across 28 zones, the number of people you saved amounts to hundreds of thousands…”
He told Bai Qiu not to underestimate his own contributions.
To accomplish such an act of great righteousness—just in terms of winning people’s hearts—was already something no one else could match.
Li Zhongjun opened the metal box.
Inside were stacks of storage cards and a number of… military insignias.
“These 26 cards and 26 insignias belong to the 26 brave soldiers from Zone 2201 who gave their lives. They feared nothing, filled with courage and passion…
But they were also ordinary people. They could bleed, be injured, and die. Even in Zone 2201, casualties are unavoidable.”
Li Zhongjun looked at Bai Qiu and said, “This is the difference between those ordinary people and you. For them, simply surviving already takes everything they have.
So here, I ask you—Bai Qiu—don’t let this setback make you give up on saving others, don’t turn your back on the people.
Your reputation is far greater than you think. In some zones, survivors are already telling stories of your deeds to lull children to sleep…”
“I promise you this—I won’t interfere with any of your actions. I’ll grant you full authority over the lives and deaths of those villains, and I’ll do everything in my power to help you resolve any problems…” As he spoke, Li Zhongjun took out four storage cards and tossed them to Bai Qiu.
“These belong to the one from Zone 2203 who tried to escape. After the investigation, I ordered his execution. Now everything he had is yours.
As for the remaining two hundred-plus people still alive—once I organize my forces and fully take over Zone 2203, every single one of those scum will be dealt with.”
Bai Qiu felt somewhat moved.
The items inside the four storage cards hadn’t been touched at all, and he could clearly sense the familiar aura—they were indeed the belongings left behind by those who had ambushed him.
“So, are you willing to trust us?” Li Zhongjun looked at Bai Qiu and asked.
Bai Qiu nodded firmly. “Then… I’ll leave Zone 2203 to you.”
On his way here, he had thought about many possibilities—he expected to be reprimanded or even threatened.
But the reality was the complete opposite.
Not only did Li Zhongjun not blame him for killing in revenge, he even affirmed and encouraged him.
It rekindled a bit of fighting spirit in Bai Qiu’s once-cooled heart.
But just then, Li Zhongjun suddenly asked him another question.
“What do you plan to do with those people’s belongings?”
Bai Qiu was a bit puzzled, but still answered honestly, “Keep what’s useful, and sell everything else on the exchange for ten Sanctum Coins…”
“Then why not sell them to me instead? That way there’s no middleman taking a cut—you earn more Sanctum Coins, and I get more basic equipment!”
This sudden shift in tone left Bai Qiu speechless, though he could understand it.
The military required unified distribution—and when Bai Qiu arrived, he had already noticed…
All soldiers were equipped with standardized D-grade gear according to their respective classes.
Tens of thousands of people were outfitted this way—such consumption was undoubtedly astronomical.
The military’s configuration and operational strategy differed from that of individual players.
Based on the seven existing classes, each was assigned a distinct role along with the most suitable equipment.
For example, the Saber class had the most expensive loadout—a standard sword-and-shield combination along with a full set of armor.
This turned them into true frontline tanks, capable of both offense and defense.
Meanwhile, the Lancer and Archer classes prioritized mobility, with everything geared toward maximizing damage output.
Then came the Caster, Assassin, Berserker, and others…
Each class had its own customized set, allowing the entire team to clearly divide roles while maintaining uniformity.
Moreover, the average level in Zone 2201 was the highest—almost everyone had reached at least level 17.
In theory, even if the [Blacksmith] worked nonstop, it would be impossible to supply so many standardized pieces of equipment—nor could the [Tailor] manage it alone.
They likely had their own production departments…
When Bai Qiu arrived, he had also noticed that there were very few monsters around Zone 2201.
Not to mention lord-level creatures—even elite ones were rarely seen.
There was a reason for their high average level.
By dividing people into groups and regularly clearing monsters in the area, the overall level naturally increased.
At present, Zone 2201 would likely begin expanding its influence into other regions—clearing monsters, gathering materials, forging equipment, and upgrading the Sanctuary…
Bai Qiu sold all the items from the four storage cards that he didn’t want to Li Zhongjun at the price of 10 Sanctum Coins each.
Just as he was about to leave, he was called back once again.
— The end of the Chapter–
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