Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 128

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Chapter 128 The Hustle Crew

Riley understood immediately. As the beast egg grew warmer, the straw she’d laid down earlier was already starting to look dry.

“Got it. I’ll add more.”

She opened her inventory, pulled out a bundle of Premium Straw she’d gathered previously mixed in some cotton, and packed it all thickly around the egg, forming a soft, snug nest..

Once that was done, she looked at the egg, its pulses growing stronger and more frequent, and felt a surge of anticipation.

“Hurry up and hatch, little one,” Riley murmured, giving the shell a gentle tap. “Fly, run–do whatever you’re meant to do. Just don’t turn out to be a bottomless pit that only knows how to eat.”

“I’m not like that,” Neeko piped up, thinking she was talking about her. She planted her hands on her hips! cheeks puffed out in protest.

“Of course I didn’t mean you,” Riley chuckled. “Neeko’s the best.”

After the server merge, things didn’t calm down on Region 66 just because the blizzard had let up for a while.

If anything, as the merge protection timer ticked away, the tension in the air kept thickening.

“Rogue: That ‘PeakFox‘ better watch her back. Stealing kills from WarWolf? You’ve got some nerve. Coordinates (882, 441). Stick around if you’re not scared.”

“PeakFox: Give me a break. Was the monster wearing your tag? It was an open loot crate–first come, first served. What, does WarWolf own the place now? Just ‘cause you’ve got numbers?”

“Wolf Vice: Fine. Some nobody from the old Region 33, huh? Guild–wide bounty is up. Anyone who gives us a solid lead on PeakFox gets five Refined Iron bars.”

“A bounty already? Who even is WarWolf?”

“WiseSage: For those out of the loop, WarWolf was the top guild back in the old Region 6. Word is the guild leader used to be private military. They’ve got thirty–plus hardcases running almost like a militia since day one. Solo players? My advice: steer clear.”

In just half a day, this so–called “WarWolf” had already made waves in the regional channel.

And it wasn’t just them–groups like “BlazeForce“, “BlackPalm“, and a handful of others with equally try- hard names were popping up all over, sprouting like weeds after rain.

They weren’t launching all–out wars yet, but they were going hard on “claiming turf“.

This woods belongs to Blaze Force. Keep out unless you’re looking for trouble.”

This frozen lake is under Black Palm’s contract. You want to fish? Pay the fee.”

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Hustle Crew

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This kind of aggressive land–grabbing made the whole server feel suffocating.

Riley scrolled through the messages, fingers tapping lightly on the desk.

“Claiming turf, huh…”

Her thoughts drifted to her open–pit coal mine.

No one had stumbled onto it yet, but with this kind of thorough combing of the area, it was only a matter of time before it got exposed.

Just then, a system alert chimed.

“Ding!”

“Friend Pineapple Beer has invited you to join a private group chat.

“Item consumed: Basic Group Chat Card x1”

Riley’s brow lifted slightly, and she accepted.

The screen shifted to a brand–new chat window.

Besides herself, there was Pineapple Beer and TartKing.

“TartKing: Whoa! What’s this? A new feature? Why just the three of us?

“TartKing: The group name… ‘The Hustle Crew? Hah! Cheesy, but I’m into it.”

“PineappleBeer: It’s a Basic Encrypted Chat Card I just pulled from a silver crate. Lets us set up a small

group chat.” private channel. Lasts 30 days. Saves us from having to watch our words in that

“SpicyBurger: Nice. That card’s gotta be a rare drop, right?”

“PineappleBeer: Actually, not as bad now. After a server merge, drop rates for a lot of utility items get tweaked for balance. Anyway, down to business. You both been watching the world chat?”

“TartKing: Yeah, I saw! WarWolf’s already throwing bounties around like they own the place.”

“PineappleBeer: Those guys are all talk–trying to flex. Actually chasing someone down over a public loot crate would cost ‘em more than it’s worth.”

Pineapple Beer’s tone shifted, turning serious.

“Pineapple Beer: Honestly, watching all these so–called ‘crews‘ pop up just makes me think what a waste Nightfall was.”

“SpicyBurger: A waste? Nightshade got what was coming to him.”

PineappleBeer: Not his personally–the opportunity. Nightshade had some shady methods.. probably made a part with something twisted. If he’d actually gotten his hands on a proper Guild Charter, taking

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Chapter 128 The Hustle Crew

him down wouldn’t have been so straightforward.”

Reading that, Riley felt a stir of curiosity.

“SpicyBurger: It’s just one charter. Could it really make that much difference?”

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On the other side of the screen, Pineapple Beer seemed to be weighing her words. After a moment, a long message came through.

“PineappleBeer: Night and day. Without an official guild charter, you’re just a glorified chat group or a crew of thugs at best.

“Pineapple Beer: A real system–recognized guild comes with Territorial Rights.”

33

She pulled the mirror from her inventory.

The frame was still carved with those twisted, grotesque black tentacles. The surface remained a deep. light–swallowing black.

No matter how Riley angled it, even holding it up to direct sunlight, the mirror refused to show a reflection.

“Nothing. No reaction at all.”

She tapped the surface with her finger. It gave off a dull, solid sound, like stone meeting metal.

“SpicyBurger: I just took mine out and checked again. Same as before. Pitch black, no response. And no ‘whispers‘ like Nightshade mentioned.”

“Pineapple Beer: Maybe we haven’t met the trigger conditions. Didn’t Nightshade say something about a blood sacrifice? Or a specific time… like the coldest, darkest hour of the night?”

“TartKing: No way! Don’t even try the blood sacrifice thing! That sounds like a horror show waiting to happen! What if it summons some monster that tears Riley’s whole base apart?”

“Pineapple Beer: Fair point. Better to keep that creepy thing locked away for now.”

Riley turned the mirror over a few times, found nothing new, and stored it back in her inventory.

Her gut told her the mirror would have its use someday–but today wasn’t that day.

“Pineapple Beer: Anyway, let’s set the guild talk aside for now, and don’t obsess over the mirror either. The real reason I started this group was to remind you all about something else.

“PineappleBeer: The server merge is already underway. That means the system is ramping things up.

“Pineapple Beer: From what I’ve seen in the dreams… the first server–wide event, ‘The Blizzard‘, is behind us. What’s coming next is the second major dungeon. It’ll be opening soon.”

Riley’s attention sharpened immediately.

The last dungeon had been risky, but the rewards were substantial.

“PineappleBeer: The big deal is that your performance in this dungeon will heavily influence your starting rank on the upcoming server–wide Leaderboards–both the Combat Power ranking and the Wealth ranking.”

“PineappleBeer: And the ranking rewards are supposed to be pretty generous.”

“Tart King: I’m climbing those ranks! I want everyone on the server to know my name! I’m TartKing–Ill dominate the marketplace!”

“Pineapple Beer: Listen up, don’t hold back on supplies over the next few days. Upgrade your gear. Push your levels.”

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“SpicyBurger: Got it.”

“Pineapple Beer: Where is everyone at with levels right now?”

“TartKing: Just hit level ten. Need a little over 400 more XP for the next one. It’s 500 per level now.”

“SpicyBurger: I’m already capped at ten. Can’t jump straight to eleven, right?”