Chapter 23: The Third Simulation

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【You have interfered with the predetermined fate of the Red Crow Squad. Due to their premature deaths, 258 professionals have survived, and 685 have been spared from injury, leading to much brighter futures.】
【Fate Points +35.】
【Fate Points: 222.16.】

Lin Xia glanced at his Fate Points, noting that he had finally saved enough for the next simulation. Last time, he had disrupted the Dragon Tooth Squad's operations, leading to their miserable future death, but the reward had been meager. He hadn't expected such a significant gain from cutting the Red Crow Squad's life short this time.

"Well, it makes sense," Lin Xia mused. "While the Dragon Tooth Squad was also an illicit group, they mostly just swindled people for blood or charged fake medical fees. They, at most, left low-level professionals in a state of anemia or afflicted with health-draining debuffs. The Red Crow Squad, however, hid in the Misty Wetlands and actually waylaid and murdered passing low-level professionals. With nearly a thousand professionals dead or injured because of them, they certainly didn't die unjustly!"

Though he thought this, it didn't stop him from scavenging the wealth from the Red Crow Squad. Even if they were a few years away from their peak, their current equipment and inscription systems were still quite valuable. He intended to form a combat corps—a military force of his own—and for that, money and resources were indispensable. Especially in the starting phase, capital was the greatest necessity.

Moments later, after processing their weapons and inscriptions, Lin Xia channeled his Bronze True Essence, plowing through the hundred-meter radius around the corpses several times. It wasn't that he was overly cautious, but in this supernatural world, necessary vigilance was only common sense. Careless professionals would inevitably fall into traps set by others sooner or later.

The Dragon Tooth Squad was superior to the Red Crow Squad in terms of overall strength, but such a gap meant nothing in the face of a First-Rank professional. Not long after entering the depths of the Misty Wetlands, Lin Xia spotted the Dragon Tooth Squad sneaking about. He hid behind them, waiting for the perfect moment to launch a surprise attack. In any theater of war, the effect of an ambush and backstabbing would always be superior to a head-on confrontation. Why appear openly? To stand on a moral high ground and trade insults before killing them? Only a fool would worry about whether the enemy was prepared, thereby increasing the risk of capsizing in the gutter.

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Unsurprisingly, nothing went wrong.
【You have interfered with the predetermined fate of the Dragon Tooth Squad, sparing them from their miserable end of being killed by a Lord-level boss a month from now.】
【Fate Points +7.54.】

Lin Xia looked at the prompt, his lips twitching slightly. Why did this fate prompt make it sound as if he had saved them? Well... if he killed them first, they couldn't possibly die a month later, could they? That logic seemed sound. After all, how could a dead man die again?

Following this was the familiar process of stripping equipment and inscriptions, followed by another round of bombardment and plowing the earth. He ensured that not even a scrap of their corpses remained. If they could still be resurrected after that, he would have to admit that this supernatural world was truly full of miracles.

"Time to go home." Lin Xia finished his task, his eyes flickering. "With both strength and startup capital, and the expected fluctuations in the future stock and futures markets... I have never had such a wonderful start!"

...

【Consuming 220 Fate Points. Simulator successfully unlocked.】
【Current Fate Points: 9.7.】
【Simulation begins.】

【Transcendence Calendar, March 21, Year 125. After Lin Xue and her three companions arrived at the Instance Hall, you happened to return from the black market.】
【The equipment and inscriptions from the Red Crow and Dragon Tooth squads provided you with a large amount of startup capital. However, you did not immediately use this money to help Lin Xue and the others level up. You understand the weaknesses of human nature, and you know it cannot withstand tests.】

【Since you intend to build a large-scale combat corps involving many people, you need to prepare a set of operating rules and regulations. Before these four former teammates offer you their loyalty, you need to employ some tactics.】

【With your experience from before, combined with your overwhelming strength and endless displays of concern, you have completely dazzled Lin Xue and the others. As newly awakened, green students, they stood no chance against a seasoned veteran like you.】

【Most importantly, you weren't just blowing smoke. You were genuinely taking them to hunt monsters, helping them absorb and refine primary God-given Crystals, and hand-picking equipment and skill cards for them.】

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【Even your reserved friendliness was more beautiful than any kindness they had experienced in their entire lives. To be blunt, even their own parents had not been half as good to them as you were.】

【Lin Xue and the others are not stupid. Under your subtle, persistent hints, they seemed to understand what you wanted. The next day, you rented a large house in Jiangcheng and began a unique interior renovation.】

【Although Lin Xue and the others did not understand your planning for the formal greeting rituals, nor the intention behind inscribing the Red Heart Squad's emblem on the flags and throughout the rooms, they looked at the red-and-black emblem runes and inexplicably felt the surroundings become solemn and dignified. From this moment on, this house became the gathering place of the Red Heart Squad. This would also be the starting point of the Red Heart Combat Corps!】

【March 25, 125, Transcendence Calendar: With your all-out support, Lin Xue and Wang Meng pledged their loyalty to you.】
【March 28, 125, Transcendence Calendar: Xiahou Chuan pledged his loyalty to you.】
【April 1, 125, Transcendence Calendar: Deng Qi pledged his loyalty to you.】
【With this, the Red Heart Squad was fully assembled.】

【April 10, 125, Transcendence Calendar: You began to dedicate yourself entirely to training Lin Xue and the others. Thanks to the abundant funds, the levels of the four of them increased at a visible rate. After they reached Level 5, you sent them to the Instance Hall to begin recruiting personnel according to the five basic standards you provided.】

【Taking advantage of the fact that new professionals are still being exploited and cheated, their dissatisfaction with society is brewing. In such a situation, when a ray of light shines in from the outside, they will naturally cling to it with all their might.】

【However, in the starting phase, you did not recruit too many people. The cost of training a single professional is astronomical. Therefore, you decided to use the Red Heart Squad as the core and develop four additional squads.】

【Lin Xue, Deng Qi, Wang Meng, and Xiahou Chuan would each lead one squad. Of course, as the absolute leader of the Red Heart Squad, the evening campfire banquets and your passionate speeches were the best opportunities to win their hearts.】

【April 25, 125, Transcendence Calendar: After layers of screening, the recruitment of 20 auxiliary members for the Red Heart Squad was completed. During the welcoming ceremony, you appeared gentle, raising your glass to drink with them. You had prepared your speech draft long ago, but you knew that these people had only just joined, and their hearts were not yet fully yours. The time... was not yet ripe.】