Chapter 169: The Reward—A Barbershop

Lai San looked at Xiao Liuzi with approval. This kid was pretty smart and knew how to read the room—he had a bit of the style Lai San himself had in his youth. No wonder Wang Da had taken a liking to him back then.

After thinking for a moment, Lai San told Xiao Liuzi, “Here in Earth Village, we’ve always despised those who commit crimes, and we love villagers who contribute to building a beautiful, harmonious home. Now that you’ve attacked Earth Village, you’ve broken a taboo. It’ll be hard for you to become official residents here—unless…”

“Unless what?” Xiao Liuzi couldn’t wait to ask. Beside him, the scruffy-bearded Wang Da and the timid Da Xiong stared at Lai San eagerly.

Lai San’s eyes darted around as he recalled what he’d learned these past few days about how Chief Yun punished slaves, and how some slaves had been given a probationary period as official residents. He shared his guess with them, hinting at what they should do.

“Unless you can make up for your mistakes by contributing to Earth Village.”

“So how do we do that?” Da Xiong, fierce-faced but clueless, looked utterly lost.

But Xiao Liuzi’s eyes lit up with cleverness. “I know!”

He glanced around, then asked Wang Da, Da Xiong, and a few other like-minded tribesmen who usually hung out with them, “Do you all want to join Earth Village too?”

“Yes!” they all replied in unison.

Xiao Liuzi beckoned them over. After a few whispered words, they straightened up, faces flushed with excitement, as if about to embark on some grand mission.

“Alright, let’s do it! Break it up, everyone!”

Wang Da waved them off, and the group immediately dispersed, blending into the crowds of the Eight Tribes Alliance to launch their sneak attacks.

Lai San was left standing there, grinning foolishly.

Masa walked over with a stern face, slapped Lai San on the shoulder, and demanded angrily, “Lai San, what’s going on with you? Don’t tell me you let them go just because they’re your old tribesmen?”

Lai San quickly turned around and forced a smile. “Of course not! They want to join Earth Village like I did, so now they’re working for us.”

Masa was a shrewd chief—he understood instantly.

Good kid, this is a defection!

His stern face broke into a grin, and he winked at Lai San, clapping him heartily. “Good, good, well done! But don’t kill them all—we’re short on labor in Earth Village. There are mines to dig in the snowy mountains, and fields Chief Yun wants planted. We need workers.”

“Don’t worry, Chief Masa, I get it.”

As a member of Earth Village, how could Lai San not know that Chief Yun was “eager for talent”? You could never have too many free laborers.

So, after the Eight Tribes Alliance army was scared witless by Yun Qimu and Wu Xingyu, they suffered another wave of shameless backstabbing. The alliance soldiers fell one after another, while the villagers of Earth Village fought harder and harder. With the balance shifting, the alliance’s defeat was inevitable.

Finally, when Blackbeard was knocked out cold by Mo Xie, it became the last straw for the alliance—the Eight Tribes collapsed instantly, scattering like sand.

Some of the more timid ones even dropped their weapons and begged for mercy.

Seeing this, Yun Qimu called out, “Drop your weapons! Surrender and you will not be killed!”

Clatter—countless weapons were thrown down, and a huge crowd squatted down in surrender.

Those still standing stuck out like sore thumbs—Xiao Liuzi, Wang Da, and the other self-proclaimed heroes stood tall and proud.

They were on the same side as Earth Village now, and the enemy’s surrender was partly thanks to them.

But Mukong, who was looking for a chance to escape, didn’t look so good. His eyes were cold and sinister, his expression ugly as he cursed Blackbeard for being so useless—he couldn’t even last ten minutes.

His face went pale, then flushed, then pale again. Finally, gritting his teeth, he signaled Jason and made a desperate decision—to run.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned a hovercar. As the second-in-command of the Black Skull Space Pirate Gang, with only a not-so-bright boss above him, Mukong had the most hidden treasures on him.

Just like the spatial ring he’d given Jason—even the boss only had one.

So, faced with a choice between being stripped of all his possessions and enslaved, or escaping, he chose to run.

Yun Qimu’s eyes flickered sharply, and a wave of overwhelming psychic power surged at him.

“Ah—!” Mukong, who had been running swiftly, suddenly howled, clutching his head and stumbling.

The veins on his forehead bulged, his face twisted and pale, as if he’d suffered a violent attack.

But he gritted his teeth, face contorted with pain, and forced himself step by step toward the hovercar.

“Huh—” Yun Qimu raised her eyebrows, then glanced at Jason, who was standing stiff and motionless, his neural control severed. Clearly, she hadn’t targeted the wrong person with her psychic command.

So this space pirate second-in-command had some skills.

“Go, catch him.”

She didn’t specify who, but Pei Yu, the villagers, and even Xiao Liuzi and the other defectors all leapt into action, charging forward excitedly.

Outnumbered and wracked with splitting pain, Mukong didn’t last long before he collapsed, face dark with unwillingness.

Of course, he wasn’t dead—Yinghua had just knocked him out with a hammer.

There were no visible wounds on his head, but he was at risk of a concussion.

The villagers crowded around, ignoring the people lying on the ground, their eyes sparkling as they stared at the hovercar still floating in midair, hearts pounding with excitement. “Is this a hovercar? It’s so cool! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Pei Yu slapped the nearest villager on the shoulder and corrected him, “What do you mean his hovercar? It’s Earth Village’s hovercar now!”

That immediately set off a wave of excitement. “Yeah, yeah, it’s ours now!”

“This is our loot!”

“Hahaha, search him! Search him good—looks like this guy’s got a lot of good stuff hidden on him.”

“And that Blackbeard from the Black Tiger Tribe—I remember they had a lot of nutrient solution.”

“Ew, now that we have Danmu fruit, I don’t even want nutrient solution anymore.”

While the villagers were celebrating, the remaining conscious members of the Eight Tribes were utterly dejected, heads drooping in despair.

All they could think was, It’s over. What will happen to the women and children left in the tribe?

[Ding-dong—Congratulations to the warriors of Earth Village for completing the Earth Village Defense Battle and protecting your beautiful home. Reward: one barbershop building.]

Yun Qimu raised an eyebrow. The main system was finally showing some initiative—it didn’t even wait for her to ask before handing out the reward.

She stroked her chin. There’s a catch!

Sure enough, a system prompt sounded in her mind alone: [Ding-dong—Congratulations, Chief Yun! Earth Village has gained a new building: one barbershop.]"