“I…”

Jian Xingyi opened his mouth, feeling nervous and unsure how to explain.

Lone Wolf glanced at the food on the table and frowned. “Where’d you get this?”

He almost thought he might be a thief, but then realized their guild had been turned upside down and there was nothing worth stealing. The ingredients on Jian Xingyi’s table were all high-quality stuff—their guild couldn’t afford that.

Damn, the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.

Jian Xingyi pointed at the synthesis station. “I made it…”

Lone Wolf stared at her in disbelief. “How is that possible?!”

Jian Xingyi urgently insisted, “I really made it…! It’s super easy!”

Jian Xingyi was terrified, fumbling frantically to whip up two more dishes with a clatter.

“See!”

Lone Wolf and Feiyi were dumbfounded.

Was food this easy to come by…?

He was redefining “easy.”

“So who the hell are you?!” Lone Wolf snarled, his eyes blazing. “How did you infiltrate our guild and build a house here?!”

Jian Xingyi stared at the black muzzle of Lone Wolf’s gun, taking two frightened steps back. He hesitated, unsure if he should reveal the truth—worried it might endanger Heiye.

But while Lone Wolf and Jian Xingyi faced off, Feiyi had already relayed the situation to Heiye.

Now Heiye rushed over via teleportation, only to freeze in shock at the scene before him.

A huge house, tables laden with food, and several people locked in confrontation.

Setting aside the absurdly large house, Heiye stared at Jian Xingyi. “Where did you get all this food?”

Jian Xingyi: “I made it myself.”

Heiye was about to blurt out, Holy crap, why didn’t you say so sooner?! Are you some kind of secret millionaire?!

Then he thought, Wait, no! Jian Xingyi had been telling me all along. I was the one jumping to conclusions and refusing to believe him.

Oh man.

If someone asked him, then he’d say he regretted it so much he could cry, regretted it so much his guts hurt. If only he’d nodded firmly and said yes when Jian Xingyi asked him if he wanted to eat.

Heiye glanced at the feast on the table and felt even hungrier. Suppressing his cravings, he feigned composure and explained awkwardly to Lone Wolf and Feiyi, “Ah… well… you know how I mentioned wanting to recruit a new member a few days ago? But none of you agreed, so I had to resort to this delaying tactic… Otherwise, with his combat skills, he’d be doomed out there.”

Lone Wolf and Feiyi thought to themselves: Heiye couldn’t resist picking people up and meddling again. That’s hardly commendable behavior in the apocalypse.

Caught red-handed, Jian Xingyi gave a nervous chuckle.

But at this point, it wouldn’t be right to make things difficult for Heiye. Jian Xingyi was quite self-aware. “Well, I’ll leave now…”

At least today’s haul was bountiful—a backpack full of food would tide him over for a while.

“Hey, wait…”

The others instinctively stepped forward to block him.

Jian Xingyi blinked.

Huh…?

Weren’t they here to kick him out?

Lone Wolf scratched his head awkwardly. “Um…”

Gulp.

Just then, an untimely sound suddenly echoed.

“…”

Silence fell over the scene.

Lone Wolf’s face flushed instantly.

He couldn’t help it—the food on the table smelled too tempting. He’d just returned from hunting and was naturally… starving.

Heiye and Feiyi seemed to want to laugh but felt it was slightly inappropriate, so they held back. Jian Xingyi, however, stared blankly at the fierce-looking youth before him—one who was pointing a gun at him yet covered in wounds.

Upon closer inspection, both Heiye and Feiyi bore scrapes, bruises, and contusions—Feiyi’s hand was even wrapped in bandages.

It seemed these past two days, they’d ventured into higher-risk areas to forage for food. And because Heiye and Baizhou, being kind-hearted, had taken in many low-level fighters, the guild’s high-level members like them had to shoulder more responsibility to support everyone.

Jian Xingyi pointed to the table behind him. “How about… everyone stays for a meal? I just harvested some crops today.”

“…”

No one objected. In fact, sitting down, picking up bowls and chopsticks, and burying their heads in eating felt like an instinctive action.

Three grown men ate like newly reincarnated demons, practically burying their faces in their bowls.

Jian Xingyi couldn’t shake the feeling… it was like feeding stray dogs, and surprisingly, a sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.

Jian Xingyi prepared extra portions from the synthesis station for everyone.

Heiye stopped eating halfway through. “Can I take the leftovers home?”

He wanted to bring them to Baizhou.

Jian Xingyi said, “I can make an extra serving. No need to be frugal—eat until you’re full.”

Heiye froze. “But… will you have enough for yourself?”

“I have plenty!”

When Jian Xingyi said this, it didn’t sound forced.

Heiyei found it utterly baffling. “Who the hell are you? Did I just drag some big shot back here?”

“No, no…!” Jian Xingyi waved his hands hurriedly, briefly explaining his “Turn Stone into Gold” skill to the others.

“Holy crap… that makes you… incredible! You could have as many seeds as you want!! Damn, why didn’t I pick this skill before!”

Feiyi shook his head. “Maxing out the management level isn’t much easier than maxing combat power to 500. Both require massive resources, time, and effort.”

It was clear Jian Xingyi genuinely loved management gameplay—and only management could yield such results.

Jian Xingyi explained, “While I have as many seeds as I want, the number of fields is fixed. Their quality also needs upgrading; otherwise, the effect is minimal.”

Besides, he’d eventually max out all the living creatures around him.

Heiye commented, “Still pretty godlike.”

The other two: “Agreed.”

Jian Xingyi: “Well, it’s not that bad… Sure, you guys aren’t as one-sided as me, but you still have starting skills, right? Starting skills can turn trash into treasure—like using beast meat to make basic food. Beast meat isn’t affected by field quality, so it’s more convenient.”

The trio suddenly fell silent.

After a moment, they showed Jian Xingyi their skill panels.

Jian Xingyi: “…………”

Silence.

Silence and poverty.

Jian Xingyi thought, Holy crap, none of you picked any management skills?

After speaking, they resumed eating. Soon, the table echoed with the clatter of bowls and chopsticks. The large pot was quickly emptied, and everyone seemed eager to lick every last drop of sauce clean.

When hunger clouds your mind, any food—be it rock-hard rations or nearly rotten fruit—brings satisfaction. Let alone these cooked dishes.

In this moment, the trio felt genuine happiness.

Heiye expressed gratitude: “Thank you. Ah, after two days of hunger, we finally have something to eat!”

Jian Xingyi asked, “Has everyone else run out of food, too?”

From Heiye’s tone, it sounded like they had no idea when their next meal would come.

“Yeah… the wheat isn’t ripe yet. We’ll have to wait a bit longer.” Heiye scratched his head. It was partly their guild’s fault—they only had a handful of top-tier members, their overall combat strength wasn’t high, and their guild level wasn’t very advanced either.

Jian Xingyi pointed at the synthesis station. “Then… how about I make extra for everyone?”

“Huh…?”

The others stared wide-eyed.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

As night fell, Baizhou led everyone to the guild office as Heiye had instructed. The moment they stepped inside, they all froze.

Everyone stood rooted to the spot.

Two enormous pots sat on the long table.

One was filled with rice enough for fifty people. The other held stewed radish and pork—chunky white radish and marbled pork stir-fried until golden brown, steaming with the rich aroma of the pot. The broth glistened with tempting pork fat.

The meat in that pot alone was larger than all their faces combined. Standing just by the doorway, the aroma alone was enough to make one’s mouth water.

Not wheat, not rice—but… meat.

A dish perfect in color, aroma, and flavor, combining meat, vegetables, and white rice.

Someone shook their head, certain this wasn’t a dream, struggling to find their voice amidst the meat’s fragrance: “Baizhou… I’m not seeing things, am I?”

“No… I don’t think so.”

This was… meat!!

Had he… arrived in heaven?

Heiye smiled warmly as he patted Jian Xingyi’s shoulder. “Let me introduce you—this is our guild’s new recruit, Xinghe! He brought us some food.”

“…!”

It was edible!

Then, Jian Xingyi witnessed humanity reverting to primal instincts as one by one, they charged forward as if they hadn’t eaten in their entire lives.

Even though Jian Xingyi hadn’t prepared any gourmet delicacies—in fact, the quality and flavor were rather mediocre, like coarse rice and slightly bitter radishes—everyone… had been starving for far too long.

Some clutched their bowls, tears streaming down their faces as they ate. “I finally got to eat meat… I’ve been starving for two whole days! Waaah, I’m so happy!”

Others excitedly described to those beside them, “I thought with my combat strength, I’d never taste meat again before leaving this game. And who knows if I’d even get the chance to leave at all. Waaah, this is so good… so delicious!”

Some buried their heads in their bowls, practically shoving their faces into the food.

Another ate so voraciously, grease dripping from his lips, shoveling mouthfuls like a whirlwind sweeping leaves, making you worry if his digestive system could handle it.

Heiye, already stuffed to the gills, remained unsatisfied. He stuffed two pieces of meat in his mouth, patting his belly as he slumped in his chair, moved to declare: “I hereby proclaim! At this moment, Xinghe is more awesome than Shanhai!”

“Xinghe really is amazing.”

“Waaah, I totally agree! I thought I was gonna starve to death!”

“So delicious!”

“Xinghe is the best!”

“I need to cling to the boss’s leg…!”

Everyone was eating happily, while Jian Xingyi… was just a hair’s breadth away from death.

For the first time, this socially anxious guy found himself the focus of over fifty people, all gazing at him with admiration. The pressure made him eat much more slowly than usual.

“It’s fine, thanks…”

“So…”

Jian Xingyi cautiously looked at the others. “Can I join the guild now?”

Lone Wolf: “…”

Feiyi: “…”

Both nearly choked.

Lone Wolf stared at the ground; Feiyi stared at the sky.

“Of course.”

Good grief, they’d been so caught up they’d forgotten Jian Xingyi hadn’t joined the guild yet.

The two Guild Administrators and Baizhou silently pulled out their terminals and clicked “Agree,” afraid that if they delayed even a second, Jian Xingyi might change his mind and leave.

【Congratulations! Player 【Xinghe】 has successfully joined the 【Long Live For A Hundred Years】 Guild!】

【From this day forward, we stand together through thick and thin, sharing both glory and hardship!】

Reading these two lines, Jian Xingyi felt a flood of emotions.

Finally…!

Wonderful!

Heiye exhaled in relief. “Xinghe can finally move downtown.”

“No need! No need!” ” Jian Xingyi shook his head frantically. He actually quite liked his current residence.

Living in a crowded place, surrounded by neighbors on all sides, made him feel anxious and on edge.

As someone with social anxiety, he had once been a corporate drone. He could manage social interactions when stepping outside his door, but once back home, he just wanted to shut the door and completely disconnect from society.

Baizhou asked Heiye where Jian Xingyi lived. Upon hearing the answer, he frowned immediately. “That place is indeed dangerous. And since Xinghe needs land for farming, we can give him the plot with the largest field. We hardly use it anyway.”

Heiye nodded. “Absolutely.”

Then they both began to think.

Hmm…

Um…

It seemed like there weren’t any good plots left for the guild to use.

This was awkward.

Personal plots needed to be gradually upgraded and expanded with the home base level, and the guild’s communal fields were the same—they increased with the guild level, but no one had bothered to develop them.

Not only had they not been developed, but due to the initialization, the fields were even more barren than Jian Xingyi’s. At least Jian Xingyi had maxed out his management level, giving him some planting bonuses.

Heiye sighed in frustration, “The Golden Circle’s initial plots are slightly larger. We only have two guild administrators, and there’s still one unused plot. Why not let Xinghe farm there? That’s not a bad idea.”

The guild had five plots of land surrounding an artificial lake, known for its beautiful scenery. These were called the Golden Circle, typically reserved for guild administrators and the guild president. Located centrally, they were also more spacious.

The remaining members built their houses around the Golden Circle.

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened.

Although the planting and breeding areas were larger, moving to the Golden Circle’s initial plots would increase Jian Xingyi’s land from five to ten parcels. But… imagine living at the guild’s center, with people passing by his door daily—to the left, the big shots Lone Wolf and Akita; to the right, the big shot Feiyi; in front, the Guild President and Vice President…

Jian Xingyi felt like his heart would shatter.

“No, I don’t think I need that…”

Besides…

Jian Xingyi glanced around at everyone. Truthfully… he wasn’t sure how long he’d stay here.

Having just experienced the Blue Sky and White Clouds, joining this new guild hadn’t gone smoothly either. After many twists and turns, he’d finally found a place to temporarily call home, and Jian Xingyi was already grateful for that.

Before playing the game, Jian Xingyi had always been a loner. He didn’t believe anyone would genuinely like or accept him, and now he was quietly prepared to be asked to leave again at any moment.

That’s why he didn’t want to live in the Golden Circle. All he desired was a peaceful corner to survive—a place where he could farm and cook.

Jian Xingyi smiled brightly. “I really like my current home. It’s secluded, but surrounded by lush greenery—it feels incredibly peaceful. Plus, the guild walls keep the zombies out. As long as you’re within the guild territory, you’re safe.”

Heiye: “But…”

Baizhou gently pressed Heiye’s hand, gesturing for him to look at the others.

Heiye glanced around at the group.

The members of the Long Live A Hundred Years were deeply curious about this newcomer, wondering how he could possibly possess such abundant food supplies.

Some gazed at him with admiration, grateful for the provisions he provided.

Others scrutinized him with probing eyes, perhaps pondering his origins.

Still others eyed him suspiciously. After all, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. This man was so unusual—would his presence bring good or bad to the guild?

Heiye paused, then smiled. “Alright, since Xinghe likes it there, we won’t force the issue.”

Everyone gradually left, and Heiye escorted Jian Xingyi to the door.

“Regardless, thank you so much today,” Heiye patted Jian Xingyi’s shoulder. “You solved our most pressing problem.”

Jian Xingyi replied softly, “You’re welcome. It’s also my way of repaying the Guild President for taking me in.”

“It’s just… I’m sorry, our guild doesn’t have much land or good resources. Just keeping everyone alive is tough enough.” Heiye scratched his head.

But honestly, aside from elite guilds like Grapevine Peak that only accept high-powered players, few guilds don’t struggle to survive.

The reason Blue Sky and White Clouds were so extreme in kicking people was also that they didn’t have enough resources to distribute.

Jian Xingyi shook his head. “It’s fine!”

“Right.” Heiye frowned. “That skill of yours… Have you told anyone else about it? Before joining our guild, did you meet anyone and mention it?”

Hm…?