Establishing Authority and the Next Step

Ye Xiu's words undoubtedly caused an uproar.

From his earlier battle with Xie Lan, the Wildfire Gang had already acknowledged that his strength was indeed formidable.

Though many of them had not understood what they had seen, their eldest sister Xie Lan's surrender was undeniable.

Even if many still felt unconvinced, constrained by the rules that had always been upheld, they would at least not have voiced it openly.

But merely defeating Xie Lan, then brazenly claiming he would deal with everyone—wasn't that looking down on them a little too much?

The hall erupted in an instant. The impassioned Wildfire Gang members shouted slogans, each grabbing a weapon and preparing to charge inside.

Xie Lan's expression was equally grim.

"You're playing with fire!"

Having been the Wildfire Gang's boss for so many years, she naturally knew exactly what kind of tempers these people had.

Though she could firmly rank among the top three in terms of combat strength, that did not mean no one was comparable to her.

And Ye Xiu? As a newly appointed boss, his foundations were already unstable, yet now he had said something so outrageous. Wasn't he forcing those hot-tempered people, who had already been itching to act, into making a move?

"If you want to establish your authority, you can challenge the gang members one by one in the arena another day. Why take things this far?"

There was a trace of dissatisfaction in Xie Lan's words. Though she had said Ye Xiu was now the boss, the way he conducted himself was simply too reckless and arbitrary.

A gang naturally had its own set of rules for getting things done. If he rashly broke them, then no matter how skilled he was, once people's hearts scattered, could he fight one person and still fight everyone?

Ye Xiu, however, remained as calm as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze.

If he could have heard Xie Lan's thoughts, he probably would have nodded in agreement.

Heh, sorry, but as a cultivator, his endurance far exceeded these ability users' imagination.

His thinking was simple.

Indeed, if he followed Xie Lan's approach and slowly built relationships with everyone, his control over the Wildfire Gang would be much stronger afterward.

Unfortunately, he did not have that much time to waste on it.

Watching the first wave of people surge toward him, Ye Xiu sneered and used spiritual energy to activate the Soul-Extinguishing Dagger.

What he wanted was to seize this opportunity today and establish his authority in one stroke!

The Wildfire Gang now belonged to him!

Facing the overwhelming barrage of techniques, Ye Xiu's figure suddenly erupted with terrifying speed.

"Ah!"

His ability-enhanced body and the techniques he had acquired in the cultivation world complemented one another.

Having unleashed his strongest combat power in his normal state, Ye Xiu charged into the surging crowd as though entering an uninhabited realm.

No matter what abilities the Wildfire Gang members rushing forward used, nor how high or low their ranks were, before him, none could withstand even a single exchange.

The first batch of several dozen people was dealt with in less than half an incense stick's time, all of them sprawled on the ground and groaning.

"W-What kind of monster is that?"

Ye Xiu's performance had clearly stunned Xie Lan. Looking at the Wildfire Gang members strewn haphazardly across the ground, she suddenly felt an inexplicable measure of relief.

Earlier, Ye Xiu might not even have been serious. If he had truly gone all out, how many moves could she have blocked?

Xie Lan pondered this, yet could never find an answer.

But Ye Xiu had no interest in clearing up her doubts.

Because after dealing with the first wave, the second wave came charging in as well.

"Come on, you bunch of trash. What, haven't you eaten?"

He drove his body into motion once more, and his speed did not diminish in the slightest from before.

After another slaughter filled with wails and howls, the second group was thoroughly dealt with by Ye Xiu as well.

Within the crowd, the confidence of those directing them weakened more and more as Ye Xiu's performance grew ever more terrifying.

From, "Everyone, attack together! Teach this arrogant outsider a harsh lesson!"

To, "I refuse to believe it! He can fight one person, but can he fight a hundred?"

In the end, as more and more people fell to the ground, the shouting grew quieter and quieter instead.

Half a quarter-hour later.

Looking at the gang members lying scattered all over the ground, then at Ye Xiu, who showed no sign of fatigue whatsoever, everyone present finally lowered their heads and no longer dared to argue.

"Refreshing."

Ye Xiu casually sat down in a chair and stretched his body.

"Well? Does anyone else have any objections?"

He looked down at the crowd. Though he made no special move, everyone present could not help lowering their heads and responding.

"At Big Brother's command, none shall dare disobey."

If everyone had previously felt dissatisfied with Ye Xiu because of his disdainful attitude,

then after he displayed such terrifying strength, all that remained in their hearts toward him was respect.

Seeing everyone answer in unison, a hint of satisfaction appeared on Ye Xiu's face.

"Get up. Those who are injured, take these pills. Rest well, and you'll be fine."

"The rest of you, do what you should be doing."

He casually tossed out a pile of healing medicine and gave his orders.

Watching the gang members obediently collect the medicine, then seeing the surprise and gratitude on their faces because of its effects, Ye Xiu knew that the necessary stick and carrot for joining this new gang had both been properly delivered.

Xie Lan, standing to one side, wore a complicated expression.

The fact that everyone in the gang had surrendered so quickly left her with a jumble of emotions.

On one hand, it was naturally a good thing that everyone in the gang had made the right choice.

On the other hand, seeing these people admit defeat so quickly still made her feel somewhat uncomfortable, to be honest.

But Ye Xiu did not give her much time to brood.

He clapped his hands, signaling for the few people remaining in the laboratory to come over.

"Introduce yourselves. After all, I'll need to rely on you to get things done in the future. Only by knowing people can one use them well."

Looking at the people before him, Ye Xiu showed no unusual emotion. When he spoke, it all seemed perfectly natural, as though he had been born to be a leader.

Everyone exchanged glances, unsure how to face this young man who had suddenly become their leader and boss.

Seeing that the atmosphere had become somewhat awkward, Xie Lan finally stepped forward to break the deadlock.

"Let's talk about the gang first."

"Our Wildfire Gang currently has more than eight hundred people capable of fighting. More than seven hundred are second-rank ability users, over ten are third-rank ability users, and I'm the only fourth-rank ability user."

"There are around three thousand non-combat logistics personnel, including more than a thousand elderly people and children."

"The entire area of the lower district near the corporations is our territory. We also have an armory, a laboratory, three food factories, over four thousand firearms in reserve, and fifteen crystal core cannons."

"As for mutant beast materials and crystal cores, we keep a regular stockpile of roughly two thousand. Each specialized hunting team can produce around five hundred a month, and there are currently four hunting teams in operation."

Ye Xiu nodded in satisfaction.

To be honest, the Wildfire Gang having reached this scale had already exceeded his expectations. Xie Lan, as its boss, also had decent foresight. At the very least, there were no problems with the gang's internal development and operations.

Seeing that Ye Xiu seemed to be in a fairly good mood, Xie Lan introduced him to the dozen or so hall masters who each managed a branch. Then, as if hinting at something, she added, "Boss, you've only just taken the position. You can familiarize yourself with the situation first. If you have any ideas, we should still discuss them together."

"We can also use this time to notify the other gangs that we've changed bosses..."

The handover of such a large gang naturally required time. Xie Lan only hoped Ye Xiu could proceed more steadily.

Yet Ye Xiu refused without the slightest hesitation.

"No. That won't do."