Chapter 132: Everyone Comes to Share the Meat

Registration for the hunting squads went very smoothly today.

With a total village population of just under a thousand people across 237 households, almost every family had someone sign up. Some households sent three or four people, others one or two, and by the time registration closed, a total of 376 people had enrolled.

The meticulous Yu Wenmin took the extra step of keeping a separate count of those over fifty and those under eighteen. This group was small, totaling only eighteen people—seven seniors over fifty and eleven children under eighteen. This suggested that most villagers still possessed a strong sense of responsibility; they were unwilling to let their elderly or young relatives risk their lives unless absolutely necessary.

Among the under-eighteens, seven-year-old Yu Bin was the only one his age. The next youngest was a thirteen-year-old girl named Yu Mian. The rest were older children of fifteen or sixteen, who were already considered half-laborers at home. Most of them had not come on their own; they were either following their fathers and grandfathers or joining alongside their mothers, likely thinking that having family together would provide some mutual support.

Yu Yan, however, did not intend to indulge this desire. While it was true that family could look out for one another, such emotional ties could easily hinder teamwork and lead to the formation of cliquish factions. In the end, all children under eighteen were placed under the charge of Yun Duo’er.

Yu Yan had already discussed the youth hunting squad with her daughter while eating wheat cakes. Yun Duo’er had been very enthusiastic, even declaring that her squad would achieve results far more significant than any other squad led by anyone else. She was determined to build the most formidable hunting squad in all of Fenghe Village!

As for her daughter planting such a flag, Yu Yan maintained an attitude of encouragement and support. Having ambition was a good thing, and Yu Yan noticed that since being assigned the task of leading the youth squad, the slightly gloomy mood that had clouded Yun Duo’er for the past month had improved significantly—a pleasant, unexpected surprise.

With the eleven minors settled, Yu Yan did not intend to grant the seven elderly volunteers any special treatment. Since they had decided to step forward to secure a spot for their families, they would naturally have to compete alongside everyone else.

The 365 participants were organized into thirty-six small hunting squads of ten people each. Every six squads formed a mid-sized hunting squadron, led respectively by Yu Wei, Yu Rui, the siblings Yu Wenjing, and the twins. The remaining five people were handed over to Lou Yuhui to form the Fenghe Village Special Operations Team.

The so-called "Special Ops" were tasked with tackling the most difficult challenges and filling gaps wherever they appeared. In times of peace, they would maintain order in the village, and if any small squad or squadron needed reinforcements, they would serve as substitutes. Although they were technically substitutes, they were, in reality, the concentration of the highest combat power in all of Fenghe Village! For now, the roster was limited to those five individuals who had not been assigned to the six major squadrons.

Yu Yan planned to organize a tournament at the Fenghe Village basketball court every seven days. Anyone who wished to join the Special Ops could challenge an existing member; if they defeated the incumbent, they would take their place. In short: the Special Ops positions would go to those most capable of holding them.

Once the logistics were cleared and everyone had been grouped, they each collected their share of fist-sized Grade 5 spirit beast meat and headed home in high spirits. The bustling basketball court returned to silence.

Yu Wei leaned in with a cheeky grin. "Um, Sister Yan, could I... not be a squadron leader?"

"And what would you want to be instead?" Yu Yan asked, puzzled. Why would anyone turn down a perfectly good leadership position?

"I want to be a member of the Special Ops," Yu Wei replied, blushing slightly. The title of squadron leader sounded impressive, and managing sixty people gave one a sense of authority, but he preferred to stick close to Sister Yan. Among the seven of them who had emerged from the "Firefly Soul-Eater Sea" with her, who didn't know that staying near Yu Yan was the smartest move?

Now that the operation had expanded to six squadrons and thirty-six small squads, even if Yu Yan were split into a dozen pieces, she couldn't possibly accompany every single squad into the dungeons. Yu Wei estimated that it was highly likely only the Special Ops led by Lou Yuhui would receive Yu Yan's direct supervision. If that were the case, he would rather be a regular member of the Special Ops than hold the title of this so-called squadron leader.

"...Stay in your lane and be a good squadron leader." Upon hearing this and seeing Yu Wei's pitiful expression, how could Yu Yan not know what he was thinking? It had to be said, although Yu Wei looked rugged and rough, he was surprisingly sharp. He had figured out a problem that even Yu Wenmin hadn't anticipated.

Yu Yan shot him a stern look. "Do you think I'd leave you out when it comes to benefits? Every seven days, I'll take the Special Ops into a dungeon. Just have Yu Rui and the others arrange the schedules for their sixty people in advance, and they can come along with us."

"You got it!" Yu Wei, who had been looking disappointed, immediately turned his worry into joy upon hearing that there was more to her plan.

"Everyone, come over. You've worked hard all day, and you haven't split your own shares of spirit beast meat yet," Yu Yan said, her thoughts shifting as several hundred pounds of Grade 5 spirit beast meat appeared on the ground.

The fresh meat was rich with spiritual energy, causing Yu Wei and the others to catch their breath. Yu Yan had mentioned many times that the carcasses of these eight spirit beasts belonged to them, but until the meat was actually in their hands, it didn't feel real. Before entering the Firefly Soul-Eater Sea, let alone Grade 5 meat, they hadn't even tasted Grade 1. After entering the sea, they had been brutally thrashed by dungeon monsters; it was a miracle they hadn't died in there. Who could have imagined that in just a few days, their fortunes would change so drastically? Not only were they alive, but they were now living a life where they could feast on Grade 5 spirit beast meat at will.

"What are you standing there for?" Yu Yan pretended not to notice their excitement. "Do you want me to divide the meat for you? Sort it out by attribute yourselves and divide what you need equally. For the leftover meat that doesn't match your attributes, you have two choices."

"One: you can trade it with me for meat of the same weight and grade that matches your attribute. The second choice is to take it home to help your friends and family improve their abilities."

"Of course, I’ll say this upfront: the trading is limited to today. I’m not an automatic spirit beast meat dispenser. Even if I have a large inventory, you’ll drain it dry if you come to me every single day, won't you?"

The group chuckled. Aside from the twins and Lou Yuhui, Yu Wei, Yu Rui, and the siblings Yu Wenjing were all Earth-type. Therefore, the Earth-type meat was the first to be distributed. Next was the Wind-type for Lou Yuhui, while the twins, as bloodline enhancers, were happy to take whatever was available. After the distribution, it was clear there wasn't enough Earth-type meat to go around, so Yu Yan made a note of the shares they needed to trade for. She then gathered the remaining Wind-type and other attribute meats into her Illusion Lotus space.

She had plenty of Earth-type meat in her space—the meat of the Mysterious Turtle, the bus-sized Sand Worms... but they were all unprocessed carcasses, and it wouldn't be appropriate to hand them over like that. She would have to find time to process them once she was alone and give them out tomorrow. Fortunately, everyone trusted her implicitly and had no objections.