As Chen Tian's divine gaze fell, he instantly moved away from the young man's side. As time passed, his Ring of Hope turned white once more. Chen Tian opened his palm again, and the terrifying cells were absorbed into it. This time, all the cracks on everyone's bodies disappeared. When the air entered their skin again, it was actually blocked, as if resisting.
Then Chen Tian let out a sigh and said, "Just call me when they want to wake up!"
Afterward, Chen Tian sat down on the side and opened his interface backpack. He looked at the rewards he had received these past few days. There were still many rewards that hadn't been used, and Chen Tian needed to improve his strength. He had already completed the breakthrough mission, and there were no obstacles before level forty-five. After level forty-five, he would need to complete missions to obtain the authority for breakthrough missions before he could undertake them.
Level forty-five was also the peak of the second tier. Chen Tian looked at his level; he was only 3% away from leveling up to thirty-three. He still needed to work hard!
Raising one level now required too much experience. However, this was how games were. The further you progressed, the harder it was to level up. This was the essence of the game.
Games were created for players to play. If a game had no players, what was the point of its creation? Chen Tian might not care about other goals, but playing the game itself was a pleasure. What else was there to care about?
Then Chen Tian tidied up his backpack and quickly looked at other areas. He nodded with satisfaction. He couldn't use the remaining rewards, so he decided to give them to Wu Que Nan and Shu Zi Ge Zi. As for Teacher San, he hadn't seen him since he came out of the void and didn't know where he had gone. Anyway, the game status showed he was online, so there should be no problem.
Chen Tian then began to wait. One by one, figures woke up. Everyone was shocked as they looked at each other and then said in unison, "I didn't turn into a Devourer, and neither did you. Did none of us?"
Lox also came before them. Everyone looked at Lox in shock and then became wary. Lox said calmly, "It's alright. I'm like you. I won't be devoured."
"Lox, what's going on?"
"The Ring of Hope and the Lord of Hope saved you!"
Then Lox pointed his finger towards Chen Tian. Everyone started discussing, and Chen Tian, seeing this, calmly walked to the front of the crowd and said confidently, "I know you don't believe me because I am an outsider, but I did save you and brought hope to you."
"Kid, why should we believe you? Just because of the Ring of Hope? The Ring of Hope has always been in the Sacred Light Zone. How did you get it? I don't believe you. You're definitely a thief."
With a youth's exclamation, the entire crowd echoed in unison. Yes! The Ring of Hope was in the Sacred Light Zone, and no one could get close to it. Even an outsider who wanted to take the Ring of Hope had to be recognized!
And they hadn't seen any sign of recognition. If there had been recognition, the Ring of Hope wouldn't look like this. Legend had it that humans who gained the recognition of the Ring of Hope would possess the Light of Hope.
Chen Tian was bewildered by Lox's explanation. What? This ring needed recognition before it could be used? What was his situation then?
Then Chen Tian stabilized his expression and said, "You don't have to trust me, but what about him? You've known each other here for thousands of years. Don't you know his character and style?"
"If Lox can trust me, why can't you trust Lox!"
"Trust is based on recognition and understanding. You have recognized Lox's style, thoughts, and character for thousands of years. Do you think Lox would lie to you?"
As Chen Tian's words fell, everyone looked at Chen Tian and Lox with doubt. Yes! They knew Lox's character very well, and they understood his personality. They then nodded and said, "We can choose to believe Lox, but not you!"
Lox smiled. Seeing everyone's renewed spirit, he became excited and said, "Brothers, it's time for us to fight back. Let's restore the city to its original state under the leadership of the Lord of Hope!"
"Alright!"
The crowd erupted with terrifying auras. They were not ordinary people; they had combat capabilities. If it weren't for the Devourers, they wouldn't have been living here so timidly.
Chen Tian looked at everyone and said, "I need seven people to team up with me. Does anyone have any ideas to wipe out those Devourers?"
"But we have nothing. How can we be their match!"
"Besides, Devourers are divided into levels. We need to make a reasonable plan."
Chen Tian listened to the youth's words from the crowd and said, "I have weapons and armor. I can selflessly give them to you. I believe you will work hard for the team!"
Then, with a wave of his hand, a small mountain of weapons appeared on the ground, as did armor. These were all rewards Chen Tian had obtained before, of roughly purple quality. However, Chen Tian could use golden-quality weapons, so these equipment had been stored in his backpack and not sold. Chen Tian only realized today that these equipment could arm these people and serve a great purpose.
"Are you really going to give us these weapons and armor?"
An old man slowly walked up to Chen Tian, tears streaming down his face, looking very grateful.
Chen Tian said calmly, "I trust Lox, and through him, I trust you. Take these weapons and armor. Otherwise, how can you fight with empty hands? I believe you will work hard for the city."
"Thank you, thank you very much. We are sincerely grateful. From now on, we will also fully trust you!"
Trust is built on mutual understanding and agreement. Only by understanding each other can you know what the other person wants to do, even without speaking. Because I understand your thoughts and style so well.
This is the highest point of trust, where you don't even need to communicate. A step, a movement, a glance, can let you know what I will do next.
Then, everyone was fully armed. Chen Tian spoke again, "Lox, find six other people to team up with me. I have a plan that needs help. You will be the captain of this team. You need to do your best to find teammates who can cooperate tacitly."
"Okay!"
Chen Tian then became a hands-off manager and left. As for why he didn't become the captain, well, he was very powerful and had gained recognition, but a team needs mutual understanding to be a team. If the teammates in a team don't understand each other, it will only lead to conflict in the end. As an outsider, Chen Tian didn't want to get involved. Moreover, Lox, as a local, understood everyone's personality, style, and thoughts best, so it was most appropriate for Lox to arrange and plan.
Someone once asked Chen Tian, "Why don't you be the captain? You're so strong!"
Chen Tian's answer was simple: "Trust, recognition, and belief in teammates. These three points are enough for him not to be the captain. It doesn't matter who is the captain."
The events of four years ago flashed through Chen Tian's mind. He had been a teammate before, appearing on the competition field with his teammates. No one had ever spoken, and there had been no communication, yet they knew how to cooperate just by looking at each other's eyes and movements. Their team could be said to have reached the peak of tacit understanding.
On the competition field, voice communication is not always necessary. Eye contact, understanding movements, and understanding thoughts are the most powerful.
This was also why Chen Tian didn't take the captain's role. Because he believed it didn't matter who was the captain. It wasn't necessarily the person with great strength or profound game understanding who should be the captain.