By Ye Chen's estimation, it was now the third month of the Dark Era, Year 1. In just one more month, the subordinates of that black-winged man would arrive on Earth. During this remaining time, he could not afford to investigate any more great ruins; if he got trapped inside, Earth would face imminent peril.

Therefore, Ye Chen also intended to use this period to reorganize his Guild.

First, he dispatched Xu Tianguo to acquire the technology for developing the virtual combat tower from the Atlantean civilization. Immediately afterward, they established branch servers in Brightness Base City and began constructing them on a massive scale, ensuring that even ordinary people would have the opportunity to enter the virtual combat towers!

The virtual combat tower was the designated place for honing combat techniques, specifically intended for training the younger generation. Furthermore, an official announcement was issued: the Base City would provide free sustenance for all children under the age of six, in exchange for twenty years of compulsory, unpaid service to the Base City once they turned sixteen!

Moreover, upon reaching the age of six, every child was mandated to enter the virtual combat tower to diligently train their combat skills, overseen by specialized executive departments. Upon reaching sixteen, they would graduate and join the Base City army without compensation, tasked with hunting monsters and expanding the territory for the Base City!

For many parents with young children, this regulation was undoubtedly a lifeline. Many could barely secure their own survival, let alone care for their offspring. Consequently, the majority entrusted their children to the Base City.

This new generation might currently be a burden on the Base City, but in ten years, they would become the city's soldiers—the sharpest of spears!

This regulation resonated with the populace. Spies from the Huaxia Base City received the news and immediately reported it. Subsequently, Murong Xue advocated for its adoption, and together they jointly formulated this clause, establishing the first formal regulation since the apocalypse!

The metals and materials required for manufacturing the virtual servers were entrusted to the Base City army. They were tasked with sweeping through major cities, collecting all the wires, batteries, scrap metal, and other debris, smelting them in vast quantities to forge brand-new equipment.

Since gaining the assistance of the Xuanyuan Clan, the power of Brightness Base City had surged exponentially, especially under the leadership of 1,500 Tier-1000 experts. Casualties in the wilderness were now rare. At this current stage, the might of the Xuanyuan Clan was undoubtedly the pinnacle on Earth!

With the strength of figures like Island Master Ziyun, traversing the ocean presented little issue!

However, Ye Chen was not yet planning to make a move in the maritime regions. That area was a colossal entity, especially the deep sea, where monstrous prehistoric creatures lay dormant. Mutated by the virus, they had become even more terrifying. Moreover, benefiting from the terrain, confronting them was extremely difficult!

Even in his previous life, the seas remained unconquered by humanity. They could only dispatch heavy garrisons to construct signal towers along the coastlines, guarding against powerful monsters that might trigger catastrophic floods to inundate the continent and seize territory.

A single step ahead means gaining momentum in every subsequent step!

Ye Chen's strength far surpassed this current stage. Due to the butterfly effect, human factions in the Asian region were significantly stronger than in his previous timeline. In the first year of the Dark Era in his past life, the Huaxia Base City only boasted a few dozen Tier-100 experts; now, there were hundreds!

As Brightness Base City constructed the virtual servers, Ye Chen instructed Xu Tianguo to dispatch trusted guards to deliver the core technological data to the Blue Mountain Guild in Russia. That location had since been renamed and now served as a branch of Brightness Base City!

In the future, communication would rely not only on communicators but also on virtual servers. In Ye Chen’s previous life, by the fifth year of the Dark Era, virtual servers were used globally, though the primary control rested with the Huaxia Base City.

Simultaneously, Ye Chen penned down information regarding the various minor ruins in the Russian sector, including coordinates and decryption methods, sending it all along.

With this documentation, the Blue Mountain Guild’s power was poised to increase several dozenfold. In a short time, they might even be capable of absorbing the other major base cities in Russia. Coupled with support from the Brightness Base City headquarters, any dissenting voice could be swiftly silenced!

Everything was developing precisely along the trajectory Ye Chen had envisioned. With no lingering concerns, he noted that only fifteen days remained until a full year had passed since his last visit to Atlantis, and he couldn't help but marvel at how time flew.

He summoned Xiao Hei. Before long, he heard heavy, low footsteps approaching outside the palace. Then, a massive dragon head peered down from the entrance. The skull was larger than the palace gate itself. Gazing at Ye Chen within, its cold eyes, gleaming with golden light, suddenly curved into a respectful smile. "Boss, long time no see! Xiao Hei has missed you terribly. There's an old saying: a day apart feels like three years. Heh heh, for us, it's been so many, many years... Boss, you haven't changed a bit, still so handsome, dashing, and globally adored. Every young lady who sees you breaks into tears and faints from enchantment. You are simply..."

Ye Chen waved a hand dismissively. "I have serious business with you."

Xiao Hei hastily bowed and scraped, respectfully saying, "Yes, yes, Boss! If you called Xiao Hei over, it must be for something of immense importance. Rest assured, Boss, with just a word from you, Xiao Hei would willingly walk through fire and water, accepting ten thousand deaths if necessary. My head can be severed, my blood can flow, but if it is within Xiao Hei's capabilities, I will exert full effort. Even if it's beyond my capability, I will try my absolute hardest to get it done for you..."

Ye Chen glanced at it. "The matter is simple. You will lead the Black Snail Worm Legion and incorporate all the monsters occupying the major cities under your command, forming a Monster Legion. Your mission is to rule over every monster on the continent!"

Xiao Hei stared blankly. "B-B-Boss! Are you... are you kidding me?"

If Yue Heng were here, he would undoubtedly have retorted, "Kidding your sister!" Ye Chen merely stated calmly, "Is it funny?"

Xiao Hei shivered, shaking its head like a rattle drum. "Not funny at all, not even a little! When the Boss is serious, how dare Xiao Hei laugh? Unless I've eaten a leopard's guts..."

Ye Chen gave it a look. "This task is yours. You are to bring all the monsters in the China region under your command within one month."

Xiao Hei put on a pained expression. "Boss, you... you think too highly of me. How could I possess such ability..."

Ye Chen flexed his fingers casually. "You can't do it?"

Xiao Hei instantly snapped to attention, straightening up with righteous indignation. "Then... how is that possible! Don't worry, Boss, Xiao Hei will certainly complete it for you! Conquering the monsters in the China region? Hmph hmph, I could take over the entire world for you, piece of cake!"

Ye Chen nodded. "Very well. Then, absorb all the world's monsters within two months."

Xiao Hei was stunned speechless, then burst into tears, sobbing bitterly. "Boss, I... I was just speaking casually! Please don't take it seriously..."

Entrusting the monster assimilation to Xiao Hei was the most fitting choice. The task sounded daunting, but for Xiao Hei, it was incredibly easy. Thanks to the parasitic function of the Black Snail Worms, all it needed to do was defeat the leaders of the monsters occupying the major cities, invade their brains, and then it could "rightfully" assume their position, commanding all the lesser monsters wherever it pleased...

Ye Chen decided to overturn the past pattern. In the later stages of the apocalypse, he would only retain two major factions: humanity and the zombie biological entities. As for the monster faction, they could be integrated to become vassals of humanity!

This way, it would be a confrontation between two major factions against the zombie entities!

If not for the fact that Black Snail Worms could only parasitize flesh-and-blood monster bodies and could not infiltrate zombie entities, Ye Chen would have dominated the zombies as well. In that scenario, the entire Earth would enter a state of peace, allowing them to focus all energy on rapid development, preparing for the invasion from the Dark Realm ten years later.

After Xiao Hei departed, Ye Chen checked the system. Through the virtual server, he could view the Base City warehouse specially developed by the Commerce Department. Instantly, he saw dazzling arrays of weapons and medicinal herbs. Every item had a price tag and a functional description, categorized into different sectors. To browse some precious materials, one needed to complete procedures and obtain membership status at the Base City's Commerce Department.

Ye Chen's own account, however, was instantly categorized as the highest-level user, granting him access to everything.

"Not bad. I didn't expect Xu Tianguo to have such business acumen. The virtual chain stores in the Base City offer equipment of all grades. The previous siege battle yielded Brightness Base City an immense amount of materials, enough to forge leather armor and weapons. Otherwise, using ordinary gold equipment, we could at most slay Tier-100 monsters; facing those Tier-400 or Tier-500 monsters, it would lose its potency."

"And the elixirs. Under the virus, many medicinal herbs have mutated, acquiring unique effects, which I’ve already noted down and given to Xu Tianguo for procurement. I didn't realize he had done so well, refining so many medicinal ingredients with various functions. This way, even minor ailments like colds or superficial wounds can be treated promptly, significantly increasing the survival rate of hunters in the wild and boosting their hunting speed. Even gaining an extra hour a day multiplies to several days over a month, let alone the fact that a real injury takes more than a day or two to heal."

Ye Chen was extremely satisfied with Xu Tianguo’s efficiency. Seeing those elixirs, he suddenly remembered that the treasury and the elixir repository from the Fire Civilization had not yet been deposited.

"In the treasury, there are countless weapons used by Tier-1000 experts, and a huge pile of high-grade medicinal herbs..." Ye Chen’s lips curved into a slight smile, and he immediately summoned Xu Tianguo.

"Do you need me, Boss?" Xu Tianguo walked into the palace looking perplexed, only to see Ye Chen wave his hand. Instantly, a black hole materialized out of thin air. As Ye Chen gestured with his finger, pieces of armor, all emitting a faint, soft glow like night-luminescent pearls, floated out.

Swish! Swish! Swish!...

Beams of treasure light radiated from the armor as they circled the entire hall, settling onto tables and chairs, piling up layer upon layer, leaving Xu Tianguo utterly dumbfounded.

"This... this..." Xu Tianguo’s mouth went dry. Judging by the colors of the armor, they were all top-grade, far surpassing the weapons forged from the bones and scales of Tier-hundred monsters. In terms of craftsmanship and materials, they were vastly superior to anything produced by the Atlantean civilization's foundries.

Ye Chen said calmly, "Put all of these into the Commerce Department warehouse. They will be exchanged using member points."

Xu Tianguo's heart skipped a beat. "This much equipment—did you get all of this?"

Ye Chen nodded.

Xu Tianguo’s heart hammered against his ribs. Staring at the hall full of equipment, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he exclaimed, "I just thought of a method!"