The Traffic Gained from Chasing Trends

As night fell, Dug announced the public trial was over.

Though the petitioners who hadn't received money were disappointed, they could only return to the city one after another. In this world, the concept of class was deeply ingrained, and even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare disturb the Heavenly Demon Lord's rest.

While the Heavenly Demon Lord was kind, he was also truly capable of killing.

The Peacekeeping Gang's reputation also spread rapidly throughout Luyang City as Dug scattered silver coins.

Heavenly Demon Feng Qi is a good person, he is an upright official, he is the guardian of the people…

In an instant, word-of-mouth spread, and his excellent reputation soared.

Dug's prestige in Luyang City reached its peak in just one day. His overall attributes nearly tripled. Now, his speed and agility in a frontal attack were almost on par with the speed of his Backstab when he ambushed Qiu Yuanlang.

As for a Backstab from behind, there was no need to even mention it. One could say that within ten meters, his Backstab could achieve a teleportation effect. In a low-martial arts world, no one could evade it…

As night deepened.

The Peacekeeping Gang was silent.

From last night until now, the former members of the Iron Palm Gang had been worn out by Dug and had barely slept. With the public trial over, the sudden relaxation caused them all to collapse from exhaustion.

Even someone as skilled in martial arts as Liu Cheng was yawning constantly.

Seeing this, Dug, knowing that even an emperor wouldn't mistreat his soldiers, simply let everyone rest.

Within the vast Iron Palm Gang headquarters, snores rose and fell, the only ones still active being a few servants and the three Heavenly Demons.

Dug: Overall Rank 1, Spirit 100, Total Simulation Arena Participants 576.

He clicked on his personal profile and saw that his Spirit had increased by another 20, and the total number of participants had decreased by several dozen. Dug sighed, looking at the empty Iron Palm Gang headquarters, and closed the profile panel: "There are too few people I can use!"

"Brother Qi, you can use me!" Feng Zhong said with a fawning smile. "My energy can still hold up. Just tell me what you need, and I'll do it. For Brother Qi's cause, I'll go through fire and water. I'm not fighting for rank, just to experience life in the Simulation Arena…"

Having accompanied Dug through a day of trials, Feng Zhong hadn't dared to run off. Only now did he get a chance to speak, terrified that Dug still planned to kill him, so his first words were a declaration of loyalty.

"Brother Qi, kill him! The more people on a team, the harder it is to control. My assistance is enough for you."

Wang San's disheveled hair covered his forehead, and his head was slightly bowed. His voice was sinister. He was still fiddling with a severed hand. Like Dug, his attributes had surged today, instantly placing him second on the leaderboard.

He knew perfectly well who was in first place.

Previously, he had revealed a Keyword to Dug, putting them both in the spotlight, and he had been quite displeased. But in a single day, his attributes had skyrocketed, making him the runner-up in the Simulation Arena. Having reaped such benefits, he naturally didn't want anyone to ruin his bright future.

"Didn't you hear Brother Qi say he doesn't have enough people? What can a Yandere like you do besides scare people?" Feng Zhong retorted indignantly. "Can you influence the overall situation of the world? If it weren't for the letter I sent to Qiu Yuanlang, sparking his interest in Heavenly Demons, you'd still be at Xingyu Tower looking for other Heavenly Demons! How could you have caused such a stir and improved so quickly?"

"Are you provoking me?" Wang San grinned, sharply turning to Feng Zhong, his gaze like daggers.

Whoosh!

Feng Zhong dodged behind Dug, warning, "I'm warning you, don't use your skills on me! Brother Qi didn't kill me, if you use a skill on me and ruin Brother Qi's plans, he won't let you off."

Midway through, Qiu Yuanlang and his son had been revived by a doctor. When they woke up, they saw Wang San like a mouse seeing a cat, their eyes flickering, trembling. Feng Zhong had seen their miserable state and naturally didn't want Wang San's skills to fall upon him, as that would truly incapacitate him.

"Useless." Wang San sneered, retracting his gaze. He accepted Dug's leadership and naturally didn't dare overstep. Though his attributes had soared, he felt he still couldn't escape Feng Qi's Backstab; his speed was simply too fast.

"Brother Qi, in just a few days, the Peacekeeping Gang's reputation will reach every examinee's ears," Feng Zhong said. "It's easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. No one knows what Keywords others carry. To maintain our current situation, the best way is to strike fast, not giving them time to react and grow before we eliminate them."

He paused, then asked, "Boss, your rank should be first, right?"

Dug glanced at him, but before he could speak, Wang San already said, "Is Brother Qi's rank something you can inquire about?"

"Anyone with half a brain could guess, okay? Causing such a huge stir in two days, if he's not first, then there's no justice!" Feng Zhong impatiently glared at Wang San. "Can't you, you perverted freak, say less? Go kiss your smelly hand. Do you understand strategy?"

"Let him speak," Dug said. Liu Cheng and the others were exhausted, and Qiu Muqian and Han Zuo hadn't returned since entering the city; who knew what they were up to behind the scenes!

Currently, the Iron Palm Gang had a mere four hundred-plus members at most. The only one who could be called a master was Liu Cheng, but his martial arts were only on par with Feng Shiyi's.

Previously, Dug's plan to establish the Peacekeeping Vanguard was gradual, accumulating like-minded individuals little by little. But Feng Zhong's interference had suddenly expanded their operations so much that there were too few usable people. No matter how energetic Dug was, he couldn't handle everything himself or be everywhere at once.

Feng Zhong's suggestion of striking fast was an idea, but implementing it would be extremely difficult, as this world was simply too vast.

"Brother Qi, the names of the top ten in the Simulation Arena will only be revealed in a month. You're enjoying yourself now, but you've also prematurely exposed your rank," Feng Zhong said. "Moreover, you've disrupted everyone's hidden growth. You've become a target of public criticism. No one will watch you grow too powerful, because eliminating you directly replaces your rank. And your Keyword is 'Maintenance'..."

He chuckled, "Of course, I know this is a disguise, but someone will always be able to deduce your true Keyword from your actions. You'll definitely be deliberately targeted then. Even if they can't figure it out, they can try repeatedly. Especially since you exposed the Heavenly Demons, there will always be smart people who, like you, will leverage the power of the natives."

The names of the top ten in the Simulation Arena will be revealed in a month?

Shrinking circle?

From Feng Zhong's words, Dug gleaned an even more important piece of information.

No wonder. He had previously thought that in such a vast world, with tens of millions of people, it would be too easy to hide a few hundred. How could relying solely on one's own growth demonstrate combativeness? So, there was such a mechanism after all.

After a month of growth, the top ten ranks would become obvious living targets, targeted by everyone. For anyone keen on competing for rank, killing and replacing a top ten member was a shortcut to growth.

And in the later stages, when fewer people remained, the fighting would become even more intense…

Damn it! Not understanding the rules can kill you!

Thankfully, he still had his Backstab as a cover, and these people were influenced by their habitual thinking, not considering "Maintenance" his true Keyword. Otherwise, he would truly be in deep trouble…

Dug's head ached slightly.

But then he thought, Even if I know the rules, so what? Am I not going to compete for the top ten? After all, he had one more Keyword than others, giving him a natural advantage, making it too easy to reach the top ten.

For him, there was almost no difference between being exposed now and being exposed a month later.

Developing early would also allow his stats to skyrocket quickly. Facing a bunch of weaklings who hadn't grown yet was much better than facing a group of seasoned veterans who had grown for a month.

Thinking this, Dug felt relieved again.

Feng Zhong's voice continued, "...At this time, my Tongue of Right and Wrong comes in handy. We can make all the sects busy and active, even lure their experts here and recruit them one by one, or eliminate them. This way, our influence will grow bigger and bigger, making it impossible for others to exploit the natives."

Tongue of Right and Wrong?

What a Tongue of Right and Wrong! This guy's glibness is indeed convincing!

Dug glanced at Feng Zhong. "What's your rank?"

Feng Zhong chuckled, a hint of smugness in his voice. "Thanks to Brother Qi, I stirred up trouble between you and the Iron Palm Gang. It also caused quite a stir in the world. Now I'm ranked ninth in the Simulation Arena, barely making it into the top ten."

"Damn it!" Dug cursed. He had worked so hard to become first in the Simulation Arena, yet this guy just wrote a letter from start to finish, riding the hype all the way into the top ten. It was so unfair!

"Lucky dog," Wang San muttered, clearly also dissatisfied with Feng Zhong latching onto the top ten.

"What's your rank?" Dug asked Wang San.

"Thanks to Brother Qi, I'm second in the Simulation Arena, barely breaking into the top three," Wang San said, glancing at Feng Zhong, deliberately stating his rank to annoy him.

"Damn it!" Feng Zhong's eyes widened. "You pervert are the lucky dog! Without Brother Qi, with your disgusting Keyword, you would've been burned to death as soon as you appeared. How could you have grown so fast?"

One second, one ninth! Dug suddenly smiled. "Alright, stop arguing. We're all in the top ten now, like ants on a rope. None of us can escape a month from now. Let's work together and figure out how to protect our rankings."