After several dangerous situations were successfully resolved, the townsfolk began looking at the Wildfire members differently.
More and more people voluntarily joined Wildfire.
Wildfire's reputation steadily rose in Boulder Town.
Seele also grew rapidly during this time.
Within Wildfire's ranks, she learned combat techniques and teamwork.
Her nimble movements stood out especially when fighting monsters, and she quickly earned Oleg and the other members' recognition.
After every patrol, Seele felt immensely fulfilled.
That evening, Seele returned to the shelter, exhausted but excited.
"Jiang Mo! Let me tell you, we beat back another wave of monsters today!"
The moment she opened the door, she couldn't stop herself from shouting. Beneath her short blue-black hair, her eyes sparkled brightly.
"Uncle Oleg is amazing! The patrol method he came up with works so well! We spotted those monsters the moment they showed themselves!"
"Really? What exactly happened?"
Jiang Mo set aside what he was working on and casually asked.
Seele immediately became interested and excitedly described it. "Exactly! We aren't rigidly following those same old routes anymore. We split into several teams, sometimes going this way, sometimes circling around that way. We also pay special attention to the eastern mining area and the northern junkyard... Anyway, those monsters have no idea when we'll show up!"
She chattered away about what she had seen during the day, completely unaware of the prompting in Jiang Mo's words.
Jiang Mo listened quietly, occasionally interjecting with a sentence or two to guide Seele into revealing more details about Wildfire's internal operations, personnel arrangements, and supply reserves.
He needed to learn enough about the grassroots personnel to better carry out his next plan.
Seeing Seele's cheeks faintly flushed with excitement, Jiang Mo somehow found himself feeling happy as well.
A few months later.
Order gradually returned to Boulder Town, but new problems followed.
Resources were becoming increasingly scarce.
Food, daily necessities, medicine... every single thing was in short supply.
Although Wildfire had gained support from some residents, the supplies they collected were still limited.
And the resources they controlled soon attracted the covetous eyes of other factions.
The Underworld had never lacked desperados.
After the Silvermane Guards withdrew, Wildfire was far from the only gang that had emerged.
Describing them as springing up like mushrooms after rain would not have been an exaggeration.
Among them, the gang led by a former miner foreman called Iron Claw was the largest and the most ruthless.
They had set their sights on a batch of winter clothes Wildfire had stockpiled in its warehouse.
The provocation came quickly.
Several of Iron Claw's men deliberately picked fights with Wildfire patrol members in the streets and spread word.
They told Wildfire to know its place and hand over everything in the warehouse!
An argument immediately broke out within Wildfire.
Oleg's stance was clear. He slammed the table hard.
"We have to fight! We can't back down! If we give in this time, everyone will come stomp on us afterward! Wildfire's dignity has to be defended with our fists!"
However, Natasha offered a different view.
"Oleg, we'll suffer heavy losses if we clash head-on."
"Iron Claw has more people than we do, better weapons and equipment, and they're far more unscrupulous."
She paused, as though organizing her thoughts, though she was actually repeating Jiang Mo's instructions.
"Actually, if we're going to fight, we can use the terrain. The ruins behind the warehouse district are like a maze—a natural trap. We can lure them in..."
She said no more, merely pushing a sheet of paper with a rough map drawn on it toward Oleg.
It marked ambush points, retreat routes, and even the likely timing and approximate direction of a Riftworld Monster horde's appearance.
This plan... was too insidious, too cunning, too unlike the sort of plan Natasha would make.
It was full of calculations and risks. It even made use of Riftworld Monsters.
As Natasha relayed it, she was actually somewhat resistant inside.
But Jiang Mo's words were like a spell, leaving her unable to resist.
Oleg picked up the map and studied it carefully with a furrowed brow.
The plan was extremely risky, but if it succeeded, it truly could eliminate Iron Claw's threat at minimal cost.
He looked at Natasha, wanting to find a trace of hesitation in her eyes, but Natasha merely lowered her head and avoided his gaze.
In the end, Oleg took a deep breath and made his decision.
"Fine. We'll do it your way!"
The battle began on the night two days later.
Everything proceeded according to Jiang Mo's script.
Wildfire's members deliberately showed weakness and lured Iron Claw's men into the abandoned district.
The narrow, maze-like terrain prevented Iron Claw's advantage in numbers and weaponry from being properly used.
Using the terrain, Wildfire caught Iron Claw completely off guard!
Just as the two sides were fiercely fighting, a group of Riftworld Monsters, drawn by the commotion of battle just as planned, entered the battlefield!
Amid the chaos, Iron Claw's men completely collapsed!
They had to face Wildfire's ambush while also dealing with the suddenly appearing monsters.
In the end, Iron Claw's leader was personally brought down by Oleg. His men either died or fled.
Wildfire won this crucial victory at an extremely small cost and seized the supplies Iron Claw's gang had accumulated.
More importantly, they thoroughly intimidated the other factions in Boulder Town.
After this battle, Wildfire's prestige was at its peak.
Seele performed brilliantly in the battle, taking down several enemies much larger than herself.
Jiang Mo soon learned of Wildfire's great victory.
A look of everything-going-according-to-plan appeared on his face.
Information asymmetry and precise exploitation of human nature were his greatest weapons in the Underworld.
He did not need to act personally to stir up tremendous turmoil.
At the other end of Boulder Town.
The lights in Natasha's clinic remained on late into the night.
Natasha looked at her pale, haggard face in the mirror and felt increasingly unfamiliar with herself.
She was like a puppet controlled by strings, carrying out every order given by that child.
Every success came with deeper self-doubt.
She rubbed her temples, and the vague image of her brother Vahk surfaced in her mind once more.
That was the only motivation supporting her as she continued onward.
She tried using her old connections to inquire about her brother, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea—there was no news at all.
That left her with no choice but to rely even more on Jiang Mo's promise.
Soon, a year passed.
Wildfire's strength and influence continued to grow. Boulder Town became one of the rare safe zones in the Underworld, drawing more and more residents fleeing from Rivet Town and other places.
Jiang Mo turned ten.
On his birthday, the Underworld was as gloomy as ever.
But the shelter was unusually lively.
Blushing, Seele stuffed a crooked little cloth doll sewn from scraps of fabric into his hands. The rough stitching showed the maker's care.
"Jiang Mo, this is for you... Happy birthday."
After saying that, she turned her head away, not daring to look at Jiang Mo.
Jiang Mo accepted the gift with a smile on his face.
"Thank you, Seele."
Though he was very happy.
There was something else he cared about today.
Late at night, with all was quiet and the cold wind howling outside the shelter.
Jiang Mo sat alone in the darkness, reviewing the past year.
Wildfire had become a force in Boulder Town that could not be ignored. Natasha was firmly under his control, and Seele was becoming increasingly dependent on and trusting of him...
Everything was on track.
At that moment, a long-unheard mechanical voice sounded.
Detected that the host has reached the age of ten and meets the conditions to begin the second simulation. Begin Villain Simulation?
Second Villain Simulation
Detected that the host has reached the age of ten and meets the conditions to begin the second simulation. Begin Villain Simulation?
It's here!
Jiang Mo's spirits lifted. After waiting so long, the second simulation had finally arrived!
The first simulation had already brought enormous gains. Obtaining the permanent traits Trait Devour and Silver Tongue had completely transformed his life in the Underworld.
What traits could he obtain this time?
"Begin the simulation!"
Jiang Mo answered without hesitation.
Confirmed. The second simulation is about to begin... Drawing talent traits... Please select three of the following five random talent traits as the starting talents for this simulation. Zen State (Blue): Your mental core is relatively stable. Increases your resistance to mental interference such as fear, charm, and confusion, making you less susceptible to being swayed by external wills. Environmental Adaptation Max (Blue): You display somewhat improved adaptability to common non-extreme environments. When active in such environments, the buildup rate of physical discomfort or negative conditions slows. Dragon Lord's Smirk (White): When you confidently disdain an opponent, your facial muscles may twitch uncontrollably, forming a mocking expression. This may make you seem more charming and more like a villain. Foresight (Purple): Your senses become extraordinarily sharp, producing strong intuitive warnings of incoming direct attacks and greatly increasing the likelihood of evasion or blocking. (Passive) Growth Potential: If Villain Points are spent to upgrade this trait to Gold or above, its effect undergoes a qualitative transformation: You will not only sense attacks before they occur, but may even briefly foresee your opponent's moves over the next 1–5 seconds. Golden Threads of Fate (Gold): You can expend a portion of your mental energy to release "golden threads" into the surrounding environment, which are difficult for ordinary senses to detect. These threads can silently attach themselves to every corner of the environment, weaving a vast surveillance network. Within areas effectively covered by your "Golden Threads" (the coverage range can expand with greater investment of effort and deeper mastery of the ability), you can selectively perceive everything happening within the area.
Jiang Mo's gaze swiftly swept across the five traits as he pondered.
Before you continue