[The Beggar Gang has suffered heavy losses. Rescue your big brother's enterprise. Reward: 100 Qi Yun.]

[Your situation has reached an extremely dangerous brink. Fight for a path to survival. Reward: Flash (short-distance displacement).]

The Extreme Kill-Back System issued a new mission, directly pointing out his perilous circumstances—extreme danger. Of course, the rewards were also tempting, upgrading directly from Agility to Flash.

Another life-saving skill!

However, the moment Lin Bai saw Flash, he thought of his cooking skills. He wanted to turn enemies into dishes on the battlefield; what he lacked was a way to get close to them. Now, it seemed he had found one.

Systems working together can indeed compensate for all shortcomings...

The industries in the three nascent cities were shut down. Chef's Divine Food Stall was sealed by Xu Longyun. High-ranking members of the Beggar Gang remaining in Qian City, such as Lonely Old Man, were captured by Guo Yuan. Members left behind from Medicine King Valley, Spirit Artifact Pavilion, Blood Shadow Sect, and other Sects unilaterally declared they were severing ties with the Sect Leaders who had joined the Justice League.

One piece of bad news arrived after another.

The Cooking God System, Peerless Divine Doctor System, God of Craftsmen System, and almost all other previously planned tasks were interrupted.

Is this the consequence of confronting the entire world?

It's a complete siege from all directions.

The seven righteous sects and five demonic sects really think too highly of me!

Alone in the council hall, Lin Bai quietly pondered a way out of the predicament.

I still have four red threads left; this is my greatest trump card.

Four Gold cards, but three of them need to be used for missions. If I'm lucky and the sealing succeeds on the first try, I'll not only have two cards left but also be rewarded with five more by the System.

By then, I'll have seven Gold cards.

The function of Gold cards is to seal opponents of a higher level than me. However, the System's judgment is quite vague; it also counts the strength shared by the card's character as part of my personal strength.

If Daoist Master Li is at Divinity Transformation, then I am also at the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Theoretically, by using Gold cards well and ensuring I can seal higher-level opponents in every battle, my personal strength could leapfrog, quickly reaching the pinnacle of cultivation in this world—the Realm of a Tribulation expert.

This is the most ideal scenario.

But in actual combat, unexpected things always happen. Especially now, the Beggar Gang's enterprises are stagnant, Qi Yun has stopped increasing, and who knows what might occur!

Moreover, the Super Sect Leader missions haven't been rewarding Merit Points lately...

Now, it seems the only tasks left are from the Matchmaker System, War God System, and Great Language System.

Of course, there's also the Super Villain System, which I don't particularly like...

Regardless, evasion won't solve the problem. Only by facing difficulties head-on can I carve out a path in this complex situation.

Unlike Lin Bai, who was somewhat anxious, the appearance of the Spirit Condensing Fruit gave all members of the Justice League immense confidence.

Xin Shang and the others put aside their past grievances, gathered together, and enthusiastically engaged in Alchemy and Artifact Refining, making the most thorough preparations for the upcoming great battle. They didn't even care about the betrayal from their own Sects.

"Alliance Hierarch, Crispy Rice is rebelling!" Silver and the others, having received a distress message from Lonely Old Man, immediately came to find Lin Bai.

"Hmm?" Lin Bai frowned.

"..." Silver recounted the power seizure incident in Qian City to Lin Bai in detail. "Lonely Old Man, Crazy Man, and other high-ranking members of the Beggar Gang who remained in Qian City were all captured by Crispy Rice in league with the City Lord. Crispy Rice now holds absolute power in Qian City. Alliance Hierarch, you have to save Old Lonely and the others! They've been the ones supporting and running all of the Beggar Gang's affairs. You know how capable Crispy Rice is; if the Beggar Gang falls into his hands, it'll most likely be ruined."

"He has also sided with the City Lord," I'm Not an Alt Account added. "This time, his strategy seems to be betting on both sides, giving him options to advance or retreat. But he can't outsmart Guo Yuan. If he can backstab Old Lonely and the others this time, he could backstab you next!"

Lonely Old Man was able to hold onto power in the Beggar Gang for so long because he naturally had his ways of managing people; at least several high-ranking members were loyal to him.

Not everyone is swayed by money. Besides, these individuals knew Crispy Rice's capabilities and understood that the Beggar Gang wouldn't last long under his leadership.

The most crucial point was that Crispy Rice's actions were too disheartening; no one likes a teammate like that.

While the Players reported the situation to Lin Bai, they were also chatting privately.

Lin Bai easily pieced together the entire truth from their conversation.

And then, he came to a conclusion: it was a dog-eat-dog situation, a messy affair.

Lonely Old Man wanted to scheme against me, but Crispy Rice turned the tables on him. The two of them put on a vivid show of internal power struggle.

Neither of them is a good person.

And now they're asking me to uphold justice? What are they thinking?!

They deserve this!

Moreover, from the perspective of my own interests, Crispy Rice ascending to power is more advantageous.

This is because the Chief supporting role system targets my 'big brother'.

If I were to save Lonely Old Man, and these people then turned around and eliminated Crispy Rice, I'd be sabotaging myself.

Unless I wanted to find a new 'big brother'.

But changing 'big brothers' at this juncture and re-establishing his enterprise from scratch—what about my Qi Yun then?

It has to be said, the move Crispy Rice made was truly brilliant.

I'm not sure if this can be considered a twisted fate brought about by the Staff of Love. After all, the couples bound by the Matchmaker System's red threads have loving relationships without any drama. In contrast, the relationship between Crispy Rice and Guo Yuan is filled with exploitation, being exploited, power-for-favors transactions, and so on.

Crispy Rice is using the City Lord, but isn't Guo Yuan also using Crispy Rice? If Guo Yuan were merely captivated by his looks, it wouldn't be classified as a twisted fate.

I must be vigilant.

"Alliance Hierarch, you have to save Old Lonely! Crispy Rice will destroy the Beggar Gang," Bitter Melon Vine said.

"Can Justice Weekly still operate?" Lin Bai asked.

The few Players were stunned.

Silver hesitated and said, "Yes, it should."

"That's sufficient," Lin Bai told them. "Send a message to Lonely Old Man: 'When Heaven is about to confer a great office on any man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil. It exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to penury. It confounds his undertakings. By all these methods it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies.' Let him stay in prison for a while. If he endures this period, I will make new arrangements for him."

Was that all?

[Resentment from Silver, Bitter Melon Vine, I'm Not an Alt Account... +1+1+1]

"What about Crispy Rice?" Silver asked.

"As you all know, the current situation is dire. Justice Weekly is our mouthpiece; ensuring its operation is sufficient. As for the rest, let them be for now," Lin Bai said. "Crispy Rice has a good relationship with the City Lord. With him in charge of the Beggar Gang, at least within Qian City, the City Lord can protect its basic operations. We must consider the practical realities..."

Damn it!

The hearts of the few Players turned cold. None of them had expected Lin Bai to arrive at such a decision.

"Alliance Hierarch, Lonely Old Man practically built the Beggar Gang with his own hands! If word of this gets out, it will deeply dishearten the Beggar Gang Disciples!" Silver persisted.

Dishearten my ass!

They're all Players from different places.

Who really cares about whom?

Is there such a profound bond?

Lin Bai glanced at him. "Crispy Rice is the Gang Leader I appointed. From the very beginning, I said you could do anything except touch the Gang Leader. You sidelined him, so today's calamity is of your own making. What goes around, comes around. Now that Crispy Rice has reclaimed his authority, you should properly assist him."

"But..." Silver started to say.

"If you were in Lonely Old Man's position, could you do a good job?" Lin Bai looked at Silver and asked.

"..." Silver was stunned.

"Actually, you're just like him—it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. No one is inherently better than anyone else," Lin Bai said. "Compared to those full of schemes, I prefer people who are obedient and honest. At least they won't backstab me during a battle for some trivial benefit."

The truth often stings the most.

All the Players fell silent simultaneously.

Bitter Melon Vine sent a private message: "The last incident hasn't blown over yet, and Lin, the Storekeeper, already distrusts us."

"Back when you had us duel to decide who would stay, you said you only wanted strong and useful people," Mountain Tiger retorted, unconvinced.

Although he often opposed Lin Bai, he had survived the duels. After all, he still yearned for his beast-eared lady and was unwilling to start over from scratch.

"Is there an issue with being both strong and honest?" Lin Bai chuckled.

Forcing smiles, the Players silently harbored resentment towards Lin Bai.

"Crispy Rice isn't honest either. Aren't you afraid he'll backstab you someday?" I'm Not an Alt Account asked with a smile.

"As long as I am powerful enough, he won't get the chance," Lin Bai replied. "Besides, why do you think I established the Justice League Army?"

"..." I'm Not an Alt Account was speechless.

"I know you look down on Crispy Rice, just as you look down on Deng Li Buduo," Lin Bai said, surveying the group. "But they were all my choices. Remember the rules of the Righteous Door? The people I choose, no matter how bad or foolish, you must acknowledge them. If they can be nurtured, they become talents. If not, they serve as a cautionary example. Frankly, Crispy Rice's counter-maneuver this time has made me see him in a new light."

The Players exchanged glances.

Silver said, "Damn, I almost forgot the rules of the Righteous Door."

Bitter Melon Vine said, "We forgot that Shopkeeper Lin himself isn't exactly a saint. It was foolish of us to seek his arbitration."

I'm Not an Alt Account said, "He's probably hoping we'll have internal strife!"

Mountain Tiger said, "But this isn't the time for internal conflict. He's already a target for everyone."

I'm Not an Alt Account said, "It's precisely because he's a target for everyone that he won't get involved in Lonely Old Man's affairs. Just like they're saying on the forums, he's in a tight spot himself right now, and the Beggar Gang has become a liability. What Lin Bai wants now is stability; he doesn't care who manages the Beggar Gang. You have to admit, Crispy Rice chose an excellent time to make his move!"

Silver asked, "What about Lonely Old Man then? We can't just wait for Lin Bai to sort everything out, can we? How long would that take?"

Bitter Melon Vine said, "Either we find a way to rescue him, or he deletes his account and starts over. There's no other path."

A hush fell over the group.

Without Lin Bai's help, rescuing Lonely Old Man is easier said than done.

They can't even fly back to Qian City!

Even if they could, they don't have the ability to stage a jailbreak...

But delete their accounts?

Lonely Old Man and Crazy Man built the Beggar Gang to its current scale. If they were to start over, all their previous efforts would be for naught!

At this critical juncture, the Beggar Gang is in turmoil, its future uncertain. Who would have the energy to nurture a new account...

Hearing the private chats of the Players, Lin Bai chuckled. "Don't overthink such miscellaneous things. Setting Crispy Rice aside, are you content to be perpetually ordered around by Lonely Old Man, without any ambition to become number one yourselves?"

The Players were once again forced to offer sheepish grins.

Lin Bai's smile faded. "Although the Justice League is currently facing difficulties, it is destined to rival, and even supersede, the seven orthodox sects in the future. With only the Beggar Gang and the Justice League Army, it's impossible to manage every aspect of affairs. The Alchemy industry is one facet, the Way of Cooking industry is another, and the Artifact Refining industry is yet another..."

He looked at Mountain Tiger. "You're fond of beast-eared ladies, aren't you? When the Monster Race rises in the future, wouldn't you want to be in charge of distributing Transformation Pills, creating wave after wave of beast-eared ladies?"

Mountain Tiger's breathing instantly grew heavier.

Lin Bai chuckled and continued, "The mission of the Justice League is to completely disrupt and reorganize the current Cultivation World, establishing a vast Cultivation Empire that encompasses all trades and professions. In the future, if any of you can take charge of an entire industry, you'll be a titan in your own right. During this process, some will be eliminated, and new talents will constantly rise to take their place.

"Take a long-term perspective. You are among the first to follow me; each of you has an opportunity. What sense of accomplishment would there be if I helped you deal with Crispy Rice? Wouldn't it be far more satisfying to suppress him yourselves once you've grown stronger?"

His words stirred everyone.

Silver couldn't help but gulp, messaging privately, "Lin, the Storekeeper is just painting a pie in the sky, isn't he?"

Mountain Tiger said, "But it sounds very tempting."

I'm Not an Alt Account said, "It feels like we're founding generals in a rebellion to establish a new dynasty. Suddenly, life seems full of hope."

Silver asked, "What if we fail?"

I'm Not an Alt Account replied, "Does it matter? We're just playing a game. As long as the journey is exciting, that's enough. Most importantly, Lin, the Storekeeper, has never been defeated since he entered this world!"

Bitter Melon Vine asked, "What about Lonely Old Man?"

Silver hesitated for a moment before replying, "Let's relay Lin, the Storekeeper's decision to Lonely Old Man and let him choose for himself. We can't be of much help anymore."

Mountain Tiger said, "He's already earned quite a bit. Even if he deletes his account and starts over, it's worth it. With his abilities, making a comeback might not necessarily be a bad thing."

I'm Not an Alt Account added, "Worst case scenario, if we become successful and he still hasn't recovered, we can lend him a hand then."

COUGH!

Offline, Lonely Old Man, who was watching the live stream, turned ashen. He clutched his chest, overcome by a violent fit of coughing. "A bunch of fools, so easily divided by Lin Bai! You're all shortsighted. One day, every single one of you will pay the price for today's stupidity."

However, he also understood. I've been abandoned by everyone.

What a complete failure!

This gaming life has been so brief. This goddamn game is such a scam.

But I'm not willing to accept this!

Filled with indignation, Lonely Old Man exited the live stream, opened the forum, and typed out a title: "The game is a conspiracy against Players! Lin Bai's skills can affect the real world."

He penned a lengthy article analyzing the changes in the City Lord before and after Crispy Rice used the Staff of Love on him, as well as the potential real-world harm this could cause to Players. Finally, he maliciously tagged Sticky Rice: "Are you certain Crispy Rice still holds a place for you in his heart?"

Everything was complete.

CLICK. Send.

Lonely Old Man had assumed this article, which denigrated the game, wouldn't be published. However, it was posted smoothly, without being deleted or having its traffic restricted.

What infuriated him, though, was that the replies beneath his article all refuted his claims. They mocked him for being dramatic, and no one took his assertions seriously—except for Sticky Rice.