Rebirth of the thief who roamed around the world (BOOK 3)

Chapter 553 - Existential Threat

Aside from Bladelight, no one else had informed Nie Yan of anything. Who else in Asskickers United was approached by the Century Financial Group? How many accepted or were considering accepting their offer?

It didn't make sense for the Century Financial Group to have have only approached Bladelight and no one else.

The Century Financial Group had likely already bought off many members from Asskickers United.

Nie Yan had no idea how deep the Century Financial Group's influence had spread.

Something going wrong during a crucial moment in the war against Alliance of Mages would likely spell disaster for Asskickers United. All their previous hard work would go down the drain.

「Did anyone else contact you about the Century Financial Group approaching them?」Nie Yan asked.

「Smoke Stub did, Sun too. Besides them, no one else,」Guo Huai replied, sympathizing with what Nie Yan was feeling right now. Who wouldn't have doubts in this situation? Nie Yan worried there were others who had had made contact with the Century Financial Group but chose not to disclose it-either because they were weighing their options or already operating as moles.

Even Smoke Stub and Sun were approached. Just how many people did the Century Financial Group offer contracts to? Nie Yan felt a headache coming on.

Nie Yan couldn't prevent this matter from gnawing away at the back of his mind. Just how glorious was the War God Tribe of the previous timeline, having at one point even surpassed Victorious Return? Yet they were still entombed by the Century Financial Group's immeasurable wealth. He feared history would end up repeating itself.

Thinking to this point, Nie Yan grew restless and jittery. He couldn't stop himself from suspecting certain people. This was simply human nature. He was confident the names floating in his mind also received offers from the Century Financial Group.

「Nothing can be done about it. The Century Financial Group won't stop. The best we can do right now is place our unconditional faith in our fellow guildmates,」Guo Huai comforted. He knew getting paranoid would only drive more people away, including those who were initially on their side, and lead to further alienation.

Nie Yan pondered for a moment. Guo Huai was right. With the Century Financial Group offering such lucrative and attractive contracts, some players were bound to leave. This was unpreventable. So, what could he do? That was to make sure no one in the guild felt alienated or pushed aside, placing his utmost trust in them. Only then would they feel a sense of belonging.

In the previous timeline, the War God Tribe's self-governance was always an issue. As more and more people left, the amount of internal disputes only increased. With distrust ever present between members, this wedge only further sped up the collapse of the guild. Founded on a mishmash of different gaming organisations, the War God Tribe was never that united to start with, and certain factions frequently stirred up conflict. Not to mention all gaming organisations operated on the model of profit first. Defection was only to be expected. However, Asskickers United was far more united. Even if some people left, as long as Nie Yan didn't make any mistakes, it would be incredibly difficult for the Century Financial Group to destroy them from within.

Nie Yan came up with some countermeasures, such as raising the benefits of all the players in Asskickers United. This would secure the hearts of the players. At the same time, those who were thinking about defecting would have no choice but to reconsider, unless the Century Financial Group increased their offer by a corresponding amount. After looking over the guild's finances, Nie Yan raised everyone's benefits by 30%. Like this, the Century Financial Group would have to at least triple that amount. For some Asskickers United players to even consider transferring, the Century Financial Group would have to offer a lot more.