Chapter 88、If Fate Demands I Be This Hero!

Not just Yi Bai, but all the survivors in the city's chat channels had thoughts of their own.

"War Legacy? Huh, something tells me this could be pretty powerful!"

"If I'm understanding this correctly, does that mean creatures like the Mad Demon from the first round… can we get them too?"

"Doesn't that mean I'll be invincible from the start? No more worrying about shelter defenses!"

"Come on, dude. If you're treating a Mad Demon like a prize, it means you don't even have extra resources. How are you gonna make it into the top 10,000?"

"Six billion people fighting for ten thousand spots… it's not gonna be easy. This is basically a game for the top dogs in each region, the rest of us are just spectators."

"Well, I tried it, and it turns out not just system items count; a lot of non-system stuff works too, though not much."

"No way! It's real! I just donated a table and got 1 point!"

"I reluctantly donated my pet cat's corpse. Was planning to eat it, but it's gone rotten, so it gave me 0.1 points."

Yi Bai glanced at the chat channel discussions, surprised.

"How fast are these people? They're already making moves?"

He quickly opened the War Points leaderboard. It was updated almost every minute, with the number one spot constantly changing as players raced to donate and gain points.

The new War Points system had only been revealed for less than five minutes, yet the number one spot had already climbed to 12,000 points—and it was still rising.

"What the hell? These people are monsters!"

"Damn, China really has some hidden talents!"

Yi Bai couldn't help but marvel at the fierce competition. But from this leaderboard, he also gleaned some useful information: there were clearly many powerful survivors out there, probably those with advanced shelter talents.

If someone had access to a good talent and had spent a month developing it, it wasn't surprising they'd be able to pull off these kinds of contributions.

Looking at it objectively, Yi Bai himself had quite a few items that could be donated. He had collected some random stuff when Lin Yue had taken over the bandits' shelter. Most of it wasn't very useful, though, so he'd handed over some to Jiang Xiaoci to improve shelter quality and kept the rest in storage, gathering dust.

Yi Bai didn't consider himself one of the most extreme survivors. He was still more laid-back in his approach. But even with his relatively "mild" development, he had a lot of items that could be donated. The real geniuses and lucky survivors surely had even more to give.

"Maybe I'll wait before donating…"

Yi Bai thought to himself. "What if I don't make the top 10,000? Donating now would be pointless."

He wasn't in a rush. After all, the War Legacy would only be awarded after this round of the war ended. Even if the army annihilated the enemy quickly, it would still take a few hours, right? He could afford to watch a little longer.

With the way points were piling up, though, Yi Bai wasn't confident he'd make it into the top 10,000.

"Damn, these guys are still so patriotic even in the apocalypse! War donations are coming in fast!"

"Maybe I should ask Xiaoci for advice. She might have a better idea."

Yi Bai looked up, noticing that Jiang Xiaoci had already left the room. Only Wang Shi stood silently by his side, like a statue.

"Wang, where's Xiaoci?"

"Sir, she noticed you were deep in thought, so she left to take care of something."

Wang Shi spoke in his usual low, calm voice, with the same expressionless demeanor.

"Tell her to come here. I need to speak with her."

Yi Bai paused for a moment before asking, "By the way, didn't Xiaoci assign you any tasks? I thought I asked her to make sure you were taken care of?"

"Ms. Jiang said my main task right now is to protect you up close, as your bodyguard."

Wang Shi looked at Yi Bai and said flatly, "I believe she's correct. You are the core of the settlement, so ensuring your safety is the most important thing."

"Alright, that arrangement works for me."

Yi Bai nodded. The settlement's personnel assignments seemed reasonable for now. There was no urgent need for Wang Shi to step in.

After Wang Shi left to fetch Jiang Xiaoci, they both returned soon after.

"Sir, is there something you need?"

Jiang Xiaoci sat gently next to Yi Bai. He then shared the details of the second round of the End of Days war, including the new War Legacy mechanism and the War Points leaderboard.

"Xiaoci, what do you think I should do? Should I donate now, or wait a little longer?"

Yi Bai paused, frowning. "I'm leaning toward waiting, but I'm worried that if the army speeds through the war again, I might miss the War Legacy rewards if I hesitate."

"Sir, this time it won't be a speed run," Jiang Xiaoci said softly, trying to reassure him. "You can safely observe the leaderboard to make sure you get into the top 10,000 and claim your reward."

Yi Bai raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think so? Do you have an analysis?"

"Sir, do you remember the rules of the War Legacy mechanism?"

"I remember it well."

"According to the rules, the army will have the chance to communicate with the top 10,000 survivors, correct?"

"Yes," Yi Bai confirmed, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "You mean the army will deliberately take the time to stabilize the rankings before reaching out to those in the top 10,000?"

"That's exactly it."

Jiang Xiaoci nodded with a smile. "Given the army's style, even if they're in another world, they'll still want to protect their fellow citizens. They are, without a doubt, noble."

"But at the same time, we can't deny that in this apocalyptic age, without proper management or national institutions, the majority of survivors are struggling to survive."

"Actually, in the end, what we need most is not more talents or skills. What we need is a national framework to bring people together and restore the country's ability to function."

"Only by uniting everyone, forming a collective will, can we minimize the threat of the apocalypse and the death toll."

"That's the best way to protect everyone, and it perfectly aligns with the army's main goal."

At this point, Jiang Xiaoci fell silent.

She saw Yi Bai's eyes begin to gleam with understanding.

War, after all, needs a military goal!

Wars that serve no purpose are a waste. No one wants to die for nothing.

And in the current apocalyptic war, what is the army's military objective?

It's clear!

To protect as many survivors as possible!

Before, the army couldn't communicate with survivors—they could only win battles and provide indirect help. But now, they had the means to communicate. They would definitely make use of it.

What Jiang Xiaoci had suggested was almost certainly what the army would do: they would focus on contacting the top survivors, the ones who could help ensure the survival of others.

However, with limited spots available, they couldn't just rush into the process.

Yi Bai understood the deeper layers of this strategy now.

The army wanted to ensure that they contacted survivors who were strong and principled—not just anyone, and certainly not troublemakers or weaklings. Only those who would contribute to their goal of survivor protection were worth reaching out to.

By carefully selecting from the top survivors, they could improve survival rates in specific areas. With enough regions covered, they could create a nationwide impact.

"I get it now," Yi Bai said, taking a deep breath. "The army won't rush through this war. They'll take their time to ensure that the War Legacies go to the right people—not to the wrongdoers who might bring chaos."

"This means they'll need plenty of time to establish contact, assess who's truly worth it, and even influence events behind the scenes... maybe even use others to achieve their goals."

Yi Bai squinted, his mind racing with possibilities. Communication could lead to deception, to manipulation. But the opportunity was too valuable to pass up.

"Sir, you are indeed brilliant."

Jiang Xiaoci smiled with satisfaction. With just a little guidance, Yi Bai had connected all the dots.

This man wasn't stupid. Every day, he was growing, evolving into an excellent leader in this new world.

"Well then, Xiaoci."

Yi Bai took a deep breath, his voice turning serious. "What do you think I should do next?"

The same question, but this time, Yi Bai was thinking about different things.

Should he try for the top 10,000? Or push for an even higher rank?

"Make a new plan. Gather more resources. Donate as much as possible."

Jiang Xiaoci didn't hesitate. "In my view, you're more than qualified to gain their recognition—whether it's through profit, virtue, belief, or status. You deserve it more than anyone."

"This is your chance, sir, to earn official recognition!"

"This is real righteousness, not some false pretence."

Jiang Xiaoci had long noticed Yi Bai's discomfort with the earlier strategy of manipulating the survivors' perceptions by using Lin Yue and others' military identities. But now, if Yi Bai played this right, there would be no more misunderstandings.

It was time for Yi Bai to officially step into his role as the true leader.

Yi Bai felt a fire ignite inside him. He was silent for a moment.

Jiang Xiaoci watched him, knowing he had been swayed.

"Well then, let's do this."

Yi Bai took a deep breath, muttering to himself, "If fate has decided that I must be this hero, I don't mind."