Chapter 7: You're Too Naive to Last Long

“Then we’ll just have to use some measures...” Ma Han said slowly, his palms surging with heat as he immediately drew a fiery longbow.

The atmosphere tensed once again, like swords drawn and arrows ready to fly!

But this time, no fight broke out.

After a brief standoff, Ying Zi’an snorted coldly and threw a Yuan Crystal onto the ground.

“Here, take it. Don’t block me again!”

Without looking back, he left the classroom.

Xu Xiao bent down to pick up the Yuan Crystal, her expression complex as she glanced at Lu Li, who had retreated far away.

“Did this guy plan everything from the start...?”

Taking the Yuan Crystal handed over by Wang Chao, Xu Xiao approached Lu Li, extending an invitation:

“Lu Li, do you want to join us?”

Lu Li, who was browsing through the ability descriptions, was momentarily stunned, then shook his head decisively:

“No. I said you’re too soft-hearted. If I were your teammate, I probably wouldn’t last long.”

Xu Xiao’s face flushed red, struggling to suppress the anger rising within as she retorted:

“We’re classmates; we should help each other!”

“Besides, do you really think you’d survive longer by fighting alone?”

Lu Li nodded without denial.

“Unreasonable!”

Xu Xiao shoved a second-tier Yuan Crystal into Lu Li’s hand and turned back towards the crowd.

On her way back, she noticed Wang Xuyan crouching beside a corpse, struggling to pry open Zhao Hui’s clenched fist.

“What are you doing?”

Her tone was somewhat harsh, likely due to her bad mood.

“Uh, I, I... Sister Xiao, Zhao Hui also had a second-tier Yuan Crystal. Since he’s dead and can’t use it, I thought it’d be better to make good use of it...”

“So you’re looting spoils?” Xu Xiao narrowed her eyes, arms crossed.

Wang Xuyan panicked and quickly added:

“Sister Xiao, don’t misunderstand. These Yuan Crystals belong to everyone. I wouldn’t dare take them all for myself.”

With that, Wang Xuyan timidly held the Yuan Crystal out to Xu Xiao.

Yet Xu Xiao didn’t reach out to take it; instead, she turned to face the others in the classroom.

“If everyone’s willing to trust me, please join my team. I promise not to abandon any teammate and to distribute all resources equally!”

“W-what do we need to do?” Tian Yuhao raised his hand tentatively.

“Participate in decisions and obey orders.”

Xu Xiao answered calmly, “I said I’m not a dictator, but the team needs a leader for its development.”

“Until a better candidate appears, I will temporarily serve as captain.”

“What about the Yuan Crystals earned from killing monsters?” Cheng Duoduo asked timidly.

“I will also manage the distribution. But each time, I will explain my decisions to everyone. If anyone objects, we can vote to change them.”

As a former class monitor, Xu Xiao spoke flawlessly, inspiring trust.

“I’m in!” Tian Yuhao was the first to speak.

“Me too!” Cheng Duoduo immediately followed.

“Count me in...”

“Join, join!”

Voices rose one after another in the classroom; the vast majority chose to join.

A few who hesitated changed their minds after talking with Xu Xiao and became part of the team.

Watching all this unfold, Lu Li shook his head helplessly and prepared to leave the classroom.

He hadn’t allied with Xu Xiao in his previous life; naturally, he wouldn’t this time either.

Just then, Wang Chao suddenly blocked his way.

“Lu Li, wait a moment.”

Lu Li frowned, thinking he had nothing more to do here and wondered why he was being stopped.

Wang Chao smiled awkwardly:

“The captain still has a third-tier Yuan Crystal. You don’t have to join us if you don’t want to, but aren’t you going to stick around to discuss how to divide that thing?”

Lu Li was a bit surprised.

In his past life, he had struggled through the apocalypse, constantly scheming and plotting against others.

The base deceit and intrigue had almost made him forget that honesty and trust still existed in humanity.

“Phew...”

He exhaled softly and replied:

“I didn’t contribute in the fight, so you can keep the Yuan Crystals.”

Hearing this, Wang Chao grew anxious:

“No, without the weakness you revealed, how could we have defeated that mother mantis in one go?”

“Even brothers have to settle accounts fairly, right?”

Lu Li couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

“Alright then, have Xu Xiao give me that second-tier Yuan Crystal, and we’ll call it even.”

Wang Chao nodded and immediately ran toward Xu Xiao.

A third-tier Yuan Crystal contains 100 experience points, while a second-tier one contains 20.

Dividing rewards based on contribution, Lu Li was actually at a slight disadvantage—but then again, if Wang Chao hadn’t voluntarily suggested sharing, he might not have gotten that second-tier Yuan Crystal at all.

Xu Xiao quickly agreed to the distribution proposal and tossed the second-tier Yuan Crystal Wang Xuyan held to Lu Li.

This scene stunned everyone present once again.

Watching Lu Li’s departing figure, Tian Yuhao spoke up, confused:

“Sister Xiao, why did you give that second-tier Yuan Crystal to Lu Li, that useless guy? He’s not even one of us...”

Tian Yuhao thought Xu Xiao was being hypocritical.

She had said before she wouldn’t be a dictator and would distribute everything equally, but then turned around and gave a valuable second-tier Yuan Crystal to a complete outsider?

Facing the doubt, Xu Xiao remained calm:

“This is because, without Lu Li’s help earlier, we wouldn’t have been able to kill that level 6 mantis mother. So the spoils should include his share; this is fair.”

However, Tian Yuhao wasn’t satisfied with her explanation.

“Lu Li helped? He’s just a black-iron rank loser. What help could he possibly give you?”

“Captain, didn’t you say earlier that when you found Lu Li, he was being chased by that mother mantis?”

“You’re not trying to cozy up to that pretty boy by using the team’s resources, are you?” Tian Yuhao’s words dripped with jealousy.

Xu Xiao frowned slightly, scrutinizing her classmate seriously, then spoke with some impatience:

“Black-iron rank ‘Reconnaissance’ isn’t useless. Lu Li knew the mantis mother’s weakness, which allowed us to kill it successfully.”

“Tian Yuhao, your awakened ability is also ‘Reconnaissance.’ You don’t actually not know this, do you?”

“What?”

Tian Yuhao momentarily doubted his ears.

His own ‘Reconnaissance’ could locate Yuan Crystals inside corpses and, more importantly, raise his own alertness.

Checking item info was an extended function exclusive to his bronze-rank ‘Reconnaissance.’

But Lu Li, a useless black-iron rank, could somehow discern a monster’s weakness through ‘Reconnaissance’?!

How was that possible?!

Seeing Tian Yuhao’s shocked expression, Xu Xiao asked curiously:

“What’s with that face? You look surprised.”

“Of course...” Tian Yuhao muttered, still struggling to process it.

“‘Reconnaissance’ can’t possibly reveal a monster’s weakness. Lu Li must be lying!”