Chapter 37: You're Called Dashan, Too?

Following the intelligence provided by Dash, they soon arrived in the vicinity of the other tribe.

Throughout the journey, Zhou Xu had been observing the surrounding environment, and he felt the changes most profoundly. You see, back where they came from, all that met the eye were parched, barren lands. But now, as they walked, although the vast majority of the terrain remained bare, he could clearly sense that the soil was gradually shedding that state of extreme aridity. From time to time along the way, he could even spot patches of weeds growing stubbornly, signaling that the environment was undergoing a gradual transformation.

"Our camp is just up ahead."

Almost as Dash spoke these words, a figure flashed by in the distance, looking somewhat disheveled. At this moment, Dash clearly had not realized that after swearing allegiance to Zhou Xu, his own eyesight had been subtly enhanced by the influence of Zhou Xu's "Leader of Evolution" talent. Before, he would never have been able to make out such movement from this distance, but now, he saw it with perfect clarity.

"That is one of our tribe members. He must not have recognized me."

At this point, Dash paused, a flash of hesitation crossing his face. "Leader, would you allow me to go over and explain the situation to them? It might avoid some unnecessary trouble."

To this, Zhou Xu responded without a moment's hesitation, "Of course. Go."

At that moment, Dash felt more than ever that this "Chosen One" was truly different from their former leader. Simply put, had it been their old leader, he would never have let him return. It was inherently a dangerous move; if Dash were to run back to the camp and set up an ambush with the warriors left behind, they could easily be led into a trap. Could his new leader really not have foreseen this risk?

Harboring such doubts, Dash could not help but cast a glance at Zhou Xu again. "Leader, are you not afraid that once you let me go, I might immediately betray you?"

"If you intended to betray me, you wouldn't be asking me this question."

Zhou Xu found Dash to be quite an interesting character. At the same time, he could see from Dash's expression that the man was not satisfied with this answer. Seeing this, Zhou Xu’s intrigued expression slightly tightened.

"It's very simple. If you betray me, I will simply defeat you once more."

His simple words revealed a burgeoning strength. "But this time, you won't get another chance to swear your allegiance to me!"

The implication in Zhou Xu's words could not have been clearer: he would never show mercy to a traitor. Any traitor who fell into his hands would meet only one fate: death.

Faced with Zhou Xu, who made no effort to conceal his personality and displayed a raw, domineering arrogance that seeped from his very bones, Dash took a deep breath and turned without hesitation toward the tribal camp not far away. At this moment, his face wore an irrepressible excitement.

Unlike their former leader—who was deeply cunning and full of calculations, yet feigned generosity on the surface—he had just confirmed that he had chosen the right person this time.

Dash moved quickly. As the former leader of the tribe, his members could not fail to recognize him. Upon seeing that it was Dash, they visibly let out sighs of relief, yet as they looked at Zhou Xu and his group in the distance, confusion inevitably flickered in their eyes. They clearly could not understand why Dash, who had gone out to explore with the leader, would be returning with a group of strangers.

"Let’s get back to the camp first."

As he spoke, Dash took the lead toward the camp. The few warriors left to guard the tribe hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to follow.

"Everyone, come here! I have an announcement to make!"

The scale of their tribe was small, and with a single shout, Dash’s voice carried across the entire encampment. Once the members had gathered, Dash did not dawdle and went straight to the point.

"What I want to tell you is that the leader is dead, and we have now pledged our loyalty to a new leader!"

Dash’s simple and blunt words contained an amount of information that seemed overwhelming to the tribal members. It was a chain reaction of shocks that left them completely bewildered. For a moment, they did not know how to react. The disbelief regarding the death of their former leader and the confusion about the future threatened to drown them. In the end, they all turned their gazes toward Dash, as if he were a life-saving straw they could cling to.

Feeling their eyes upon him, Dash felt a complex mix of emotions. Before the arrival of the "Chosen One," he had been the leader of this tribe. He had actually had no objections to the Chosen One becoming their new leader. But afterward, Dash could clearly feel the new leader’s exclusion of him. The tribe members who once respected and trusted him had all turned toward the new leader as those "miracles" began to manifest time and again.

He was no fool; he roughly understood why the new leader did that, so he simply endured it in silence. As long as the tribe was doing better and everyone had something to eat every day, these minor grievances meant nothing to him. However, regarding these tribe members, after everything that had happened, the resentment in his heart could not be completely erased. Now, looking at these members who, having lost the reliance of the old leader, were once again pinning their hopes on him, Dash felt no ripples in his heart, and his voice remained perfectly calm.

"If you don't want to die, drop your weapons and come out with me to surrender."

Their limited experience made these tribe members ignorant and lacking in personal initiative, but in this situation, it made things easier for him. Obeying Dash’s orders, the dozen or so people remaining in the camp obediently followed him out.

Watching them emerge from a distance, Da Shan subconsciously tensed up, ready to strike at any moment. Zhou Xu, on the other hand, was much more relaxed. Through the power of the "Eye of Insight," while quickly checking their five-dimensional attributes, he had also observed their expressions and saw that they did not appear to be looking for trouble.

"Everyone, kneel."

True to his word, once Dash led them to where he stood, he immediately signaled them to kneel. They did not resist and knelt down in unison.

"Leader, I have confirmed it with them. They are all willing to surrender."

Having confirmed the situation, Zhou Xu gave Dash an approving look without hesitation. "Well done, Dash. Since these people are all your former tribe members, they shall be under your management for the time being. And Da Shan..."

As he spoke, Zhou Xu turned to call for Da Shan to bring the group into the camp. Unexpectedly, the moment he called out the name "Da Shan," one of the kneeling tribe members jumped in fright and hurriedly responded.

Faced with this situation, Zhou Xu couldn't help but chuckle. "Your name is also Da Shan?"

The tribe member kneeling on the ground nodded hurriedly in affirmation. This made Zhou Xu even more amused.

Da Shan, one of the parties involved, did not seem too surprised, as the name was quite common. But it piqued Zhou Xu's interest.

"Same name. Come to think of it, 'Da Shan' is indeed a common name, and it feels a bit troublesome to address people this way. How about I give you a new name?"

Zhou Xu pondered for a moment. "Hmm... Shan, Shan... Zhou Chongshan! How do you like the name Zhou Chongshan?"

"..."