They had only been walking for half an hour when a torrential downpour suddenly poured from the sky.

Huh?

Jian Xingyi blinked. He had heard that the climate in Rainforest Mountain was unpredictable—one moment it rains, the next it’s sunny—with no warning at all. Was this really the case?

The rain was both heavy and sudden; in an instant, the two were soaked to the bone. They immediately pulled out the umbrellas they’d packed earlier, specifically for the “nectar of the gods.”

An umbrella that can withstand lava might even be able to block acid rain—this shouldn’t be a big deal… Holy crap.

It really can’t?!

Jian Xingyi stared blankly as raindrops pierced through the black umbrella, dripping onto his head.

Shanhai hadn’t expected this either; he even pinched the umbrella curiously.

It seemed this wasn’t an ordinary umbrella, but a special game-specific material designed to withstand lava—and therefore, only lava.

Shanhai thought for a moment, then chopped off a large leaf nearby with his axe and handed it to Jian Xingyi.

The two used the leaf to shield themselves from the rain, but the effect… was minimal. To be honest, even with the umbrella, given this downpour and the howling wind, the umbrella might not have held up anyway—it’s no wonder they were still getting soaked.

Never mind the poor results; since Shanhai needed to keep one hand free to scout ahead and clear obstacles from the ground, the leaf actually got in the way. So he simply tossed it aside.

Jian Xingyi felt an inexplicable sense of duty to share in the hardship. Since he was already soaked through anyway, he insisted on discarding the leaf as well.

All along the way, Jian Xingyi kept using his skills to collect essence points. Aside from plants and the occasional beast or zombie that flashed by—only to be intimidated, chased away, or killed by Shanhai—the area was completely deserted; there were practically no other players around.

They didn’t see a single soul.

Perhaps because the rain made the surroundings even more murky, Jian Xingyi felt that this place was also rather… eerie.

The two drenched figures arrived at the entrance of the 【Rain Never Stops】 guild base. They waited for quite a while, and only when the rain stopped did someone come out.

A man spotted the pair and exclaimed in surprise, “You’ve been standing out here in the rain the whole time?”

Jian Xingyi scratched his head. “Uh…”

What’s wrong?

The man’s expression immediately turned peculiar.

“You… got soaked, newbies? First time here?”

“It’s our first time…” Jian Xingyi replied, growing a bit puzzled.

The man: “Oh… Huh?!”

When the man saw Shanhai, his jaw nearly dropped in shock. “You… You’re Shanhai, the big shot?!”

“Yeah, I’m here to see the Guild President.”

“Oh, oh… I’ll go let him know. Please wait a moment!”

His attitude did a complete 180.

Jian Xingyi teased him on purpose, “You’re so impressive, Big Shot Shanhai.”

Shanhai raised an eyebrow.

Jian Xingyi could only tease him a little now; once he discovered Jian Xingyi’s true identity, who knows—maybe the guy’s attitude wouldn’t just do a 180, but a full 360.

After reporting it, the man came back out and granted the two of them access.

Sure enough, upon seeing the ID “Xinghe,” the man was even more stunned. He looked as if he wanted to chop off his own legs. “Oh my… we didn’t know Xinghe was here. Otherwise, how could we have made you wait outside for so long!”

Jian Xingyi was taken aback for a moment, then glanced at Shanhai, who was raising an eyebrow at him.

Jian Xingyi was at a loss for words, yet at the same time, he felt a bit… uneasy.

So does that mean ordinary people have to wait outside?

But Jian Xingyi decided he was overthinking it. He patted his own cheek, telling himself not to be so sensitive or petty, and then happily went inside with Shanhai.

Before Shanhai arrived, he had mentioned to Jian Xingyi that the guild 【Rain Never Stops】 was considered one of the strongest guilds in terms of overall strength, with most of its members being T1 players. The Guild President 【Wan Yu】 and the guild’s executive 【Canglang】 were the only two players in the region with maxed-out combat power.

There were only 11 players at full combat power across the entire server. The highest-ranked was Shanhai, followed in order by Bai Jie, Kele, Cangshui, Wu Yun, Mao Tuan, Wan Yu, Canglang, and Hai Lang Shan Player.

However, Wan Yu and Canglang are not members of the Human Liberation Project. This is because Yu Shen had previously tested their reactions, asking something along the lines of: “If there were an organization that could find a way for everyone to leave the game, would you be interested?”

Wan Yu’s answer was that he didn’t trust such an organization, didn’t believe in helping others in the apocalypse, and certainly didn’t trust that Grapevine Peak could truly help people selflessly and without reservation—his views were too different from those of the Human Liberation Plan. As for Canglang, he simply found it too much trouble. Canglang had a straightforward, rough-and-tumble personality; he spent his days fighting and scavenging for resources, and couldn’t be bothered with anything else.

This is also the problem, which is why, even now that Yu Shen has gone missing, they haven’t been able to get the news right away.

Upon arriving at the office, Jian Xingyi saw Wan Yu.

He was a tall, refined man wearing glasses. Upon seeing the two of them, he stood up politely to greet them. “Welcome, welcome. I’ve heard a lot about you. Are you here to gather resources? Is there anything I can help you with?”

Just as Jian Xingyi was about to speak, his eyes met Shanhai’s.

He miraculously understood Shanhai’s silent signal to stay quiet, so he quickly shut up and stepped aside.

Shanhai said, “Yes, we’re here to gather resources, and we’d also like to explore the high-difficulty areas. Could you assign someone familiar with the local flora and fauna to accompany us? Or perhaps provide us with maps and guides? In return, we’d be happy to share the resources we gather.”

Shanhai didn’t mention Yu Shen’s disappearance.

Jian Xingyi didn’t understand why Shanhai was holding back, but he trusted Shanhai’s instincts. Since Shanhai felt something was amiss, he too carefully concealed his expression.

Wan Yu asked curiously, “But conditions on Rainforest Mountain aren’t good right now. Why did you still come?”

“Not good?” Shanhai frowned.

This wasn’t an act; they genuinely didn’t know the situation in Rainforest Mountain. All they knew was that it had been raining constantly, and the rain was getting heavier.

Wan Yu sighed. “Too many people have fallen ill because of the rain in Rainforest Mountain. It’s easy to catch a cold while gathering resources out there now, so nobody wants to go out.”

No wonder they hadn’t encountered any other players along the way, and the surroundings felt so lifeless.

So everyone was afraid of getting sick.

I suppose so…

Although it’s rare to get sick in the game, there aren’t many remedies if you do. If you’re in poor condition and encounter an emergency, it would be even worse.

Jian Xingyi scratched his head. “We thought it was just constant rain. We didn’t realize the situation was that serious?”

“Yes, it’s been raining constantly, but the rainfall lately has been excessive, and… it makes people more prone to getting sick?” Wan Yu paused before saying, “That’s why I suggested you shouldn’t stay too long.”

Shanhai said, “Then recommend someone to us. We’ll grab what we need quickly and leave.”

“Sure, sure.” Wan Yu raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t I go with you?”

“……”

“……”

After a brief, awkward silence, Jian Xingyi realized that Shanhai was indeed used to being expressionless. This place really wouldn’t function without him. So he took a deep breath and asked, “But that would be too much trouble for you… Aren’t you the Guild President? Don’t you have anyone under you? Like an executive or a vice president?”

Yu Shen is a T1-tier Vice President, and Canglang is a full-strength executive, after all.

“Actually, no…” Wan Yu sighed. “Didn’t you know? My Guild Vice President, Yu Shen, went missing during the last zombie surge.”

“Missing? How did he go missing?”

Wan Yu explained, “During the final battle of the zombie tide, he charged into the fray without regard for his own safety to protect everyone. He ended up losing an arm and limping on one leg. The chances of saving him were slim, and sure enough, after the zombie tide ended, he went missing…”

“As for Canglang… he’s always had feelings for Yu Shen. After learning of Yu Shen’s condition, he went out to find medicine. That’s when Yu Shen went missing. But when Canglang returned, he actually suspected that we hadn’t protected Yu Shen properly or administered the medicine to him—he even tried to frame Yu Shen. Anyway… in a fit of anger, Canglang took several members and left the guild. With them leaving at a time like this, I have no idea how they’ll survive out there. ”

Jian Xingyi and Shanhai exchanged glances.

So the 【Rain Never Stops】 guild has been falling apart like this lately?

And Yu Shen’s disappearance has caused so many consequences.

“If you happen to see Yu Shen or Canglang’s group out in the wild, be sure to let me know. After all, we used to be in the same guild. But…” Wan Yu shook his head. “I’m afraid the odds are against them. The rain in the jungle isn’t the ordinary rain you imagine—getting drenched too often could even lead to death from illness. So…”

“We understand. It’s not easy for you either; everyone’s short-handed right now,” Shanhai said, shaking his head. “We can gather supplies on our own and leave as soon as possible.”

“Alright.”

After leaving the 【Rain Never Stops】 guild base, Jian Xingyi asked, “What’s wrong? Do you feel something’s off? I think Wan Yu’s explanation made sense—there weren’t any obvious flaws.”

“Hmm.” Shanhai frowned. Wan Yu did seem fine on the surface, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

Since neither of them could figure it out right away, Jian Xingyi suggested, “If we can’t find Yu Shen, finding Canglang might lead to a breakthrough. Didn’t you say Canglang likes Yu Shen? He even left the guild for him.”

“Yes.”

Jian Xingyi: “They’re both at full strength. Have you looked into Wan Yu and Canglang before?”

Shanhai shook his head. “Just a rough idea.”

Shanhai briefly recounted his previous encounters with these players in the arena.

In his memory, Canglang was a tall, burly man with eight-pack abs, much like Mao Tuan. Not only did they share a similar physique—both were hapless gay men pining for unrequited love—but their personalities were also strikingly similar, both being single-minded.

As for Wan Yu, his impression was that he was a very shrewd individual. Although he didn’t approve of the Human Liberation Plan, he managed his guild exceptionally well. His charisma attracted many high-level players, and step by step, he built 【Rain Never Stops】 into one of the top three guilds in the entire server.

So it was quite surprising that something like this had happened to 【Rain Never Stops】. Wan Yu must be in a real bind right now.

“Oh…”

Jian Xingyi stroked his chin. “Then let’s imagine this: if I were lame in one leg, and my hand…”

Shanhai frowned. “Don’t make such assumptions.”

“……”

“Alright, then. If you were lame in one leg, had one arm severed, and were critically injured, under what circumstances would you suddenly leave the guild and vanish without a trace?”

Shanhai lowered his head in thought.

“Either I’d be kidnapped or tricked away by outsiders, or someone from the guild would stab me in the back and kick me out.”

“Hmm, so… Achoo!” Jian Xingyi suddenly shivered.

Shanhai paused.

Jian Xingyi shook his head and said, “I’m fine, let’s continue. So, based on those two possibilities, where do you think Yu Shen would go?”

“First, Yu Shen’s only use would be to force him into high-risk areas to help guide the way and avoid dangerous plants and animals; second, if Yu Shen feels the guild can’t be trusted, to evade enemies, he’d likely head to the most dangerous areas, since that’s where his strengths lie.”

“That makes sense. So…” Jian Xingyi said, “What’s the most dangerous area here?”

“The Python Zone.”

“……”

Alright!

Let’s head to the Python Zone!

Pythons tend to stay in higher elevations, so the two quickened their pace to climb up.

The downside of the rainforest is that in many places, you can’t use motorcycles or scooters—you have to go on foot.

To make matters worse, Jian Xingyi suddenly started sneezing frequently.

Shanhai’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sick?”

“Achoo…! I don’t think so…?”

Jian Xingyi was puzzled. He’d only gotten caught in the rain once, hadn’t he? In the real world, he’d been drenched several times without any issues—how could he possibly get sick from being in the rain for less than ten minutes?

Shanhai furrowed his brow slightly.

He also thought it seemed unlikely to get sick from just one bout of rain, but Wan Yu had said the current situation was unusual…?

“I just feel a little chilly. Maybe I haven’t adjusted to the… Achoo! climate here yet? It’s fine, let’s keep… Achoo!”

“……”

Shanhai said, “Don’t go. Rest first.”

“No, no, no, I don’t need…”

The next moment, Jian Xingyi was forced to crouch down due to dizziness.

Splash—

Just then, it started raining again.

It wasn’t as heavy as before, but…

Shanhai immediately scooped Jian Xingyi up in his arms, shielding him as best he could to keep him from getting too wet. “Let’s find a place to take shelter first.”

Shanhai strode briskly for a while before finding a fallen tree.

The thick trunk formed a natural canopy, creating a makeshift shelter. Shanhai quickly placed Jian Xingyi inside, then took an animal hide from his backpack to cover him, keeping him warm and drying him off.

It had only been a short while, but Jian Xingyi, who had been full of energy just moments ago, suddenly grew drowsy. He leaned against Shanhai, his eyes closed, his breathing growing increasingly labored.

Shanhai placed his hand on Jian Xingyi’s forehead and froze.

It’s so hot…

Jian Xingyi had a fever.

A chill ran down Shanhai’s spine.

There was definitely something strange about the rain on Rainforest Mountain. This wasn’t ordinary rain—getting drenched in ordinary rain wouldn’t cause such a reaction immediately! Even a fever wouldn’t normally lead to Jian Xingyi losing consciousness like this, nor would it cause his entire body to flush red and tremble uncontrollably without any warning.

This didn’t feel like an illness; it felt more like… an outbreak!

“Water… the stream.”

Feeling cold, Jian Xingyi instinctively pressed herself into Shanhai’s embrace, curling up and trembling slightly, like a pitiful little puppy.

“I’m here.” Shanhai held his tightly while searching the terminal for guides on the rain at Rainforest Mountain.

But to no avail.

It seemed the rain earlier hadn’t been so strange; as Wan Yu had said, this was a recent occurrence.

And since most of the medicine in everyone’s backpacks was for treating wounds—there were no remedies for illness—they had no choice but to stay indoors.

Holding Jian Xingyi close, Shanhai said impatiently, “Xingxing.”

After calling out a few times, Jian Xingyi managed to open his eyes.

“Xingxing, don’t sleep. Tell me how you feel.”

“Mm…” Jian Xingyi’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. “I feel terrible.”

“Where does it hurt?”

“My whole body aches. I’m cold, and I feel dizzy…” After speaking, Jian Xingyi had no strength left. He lay there dazed, and the redness all over his body suddenly turned into… a rash.

Watching the red spots multiply across Jian Xingyi’s body, Shanhai felt like he was going mad.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then looked down and saw that red spots had appeared on his own body as well.

It seemed the rainforest’s rain was indeed off—specifically, it was more aggressive, perhaps even carrying a virus.

And why wasn’t his condition as bad as Jian Xingyi’s? Maybe because… his physical fitness and combat prowess were better than Jian Xingyi’s? Or was his resistance stronger?

No, no… none of that mattered now. Neither did he.

Jian Xingyi was still suffering!

Jian Xingyi could no longer speak. Overcome by pain and the cold, he clung tightly to Shanhai, trembling and moaning unconsciously.

Shanhai opened his backpack. He had a teleportation anchor that could take Jian Xingyi away from here, but would his illness really go away just by leaving?

He had…

Shanhai remembered—he had obtained a precious pouch in a dungeon earlier.

Now was the perfect time to use it!

No matter how precious an item was, it paled in comparison to their current situation. Shanhai could carry Jian Xingyi back to the 【Rain Never Stops】 base to ask for help, but that would take far too long!

Without hesitation, Shanhai opened the pouch.

【Player 【Shanhai】, do you confirm use of 【Pouch of Ingenuity】 x1?】

Confirm!

After opening the pouch, Shanhai received a note with two lines of text.

—The Savior is a being protected by the system and the world; they will not die easily, nor will they be defeated by illness.

This meant a guarantee that Jian Xingyi wouldn’t kick the bucket just because he was sick.

But Shanhai didn’t just want him to be immortal—he needed to cure him, right?

Fortunately, there was another line.

【The life-saving medicine is right before your eyes—in the fields and in the food in your backpack.】

Shanhai gently shook Jian Xingyi, rubbing his cheeks with his hands. “Xingxing, wake up. Give me access to your terminal.”

“Mmm…”

“Xingxing, listen to me.”

“……”

Shanhai picked him up and gently kissed Jian Xingyi’s lips and cheeks, his hands constantly stroking his back in a soothing motion. “Good boy, Xingxing. Terminal access.”

Jian Xingyi struggled to activate his terminal. Seeing this, Shanhai opened his own and sent a request. The next moment, Jian Xingyi felt Shanhai’s fingers gently grasp his and slide across the screen, finally completing the handover.

Shanhai took a quick look inside Jian Xingyi’s backpack. The backpack of a farming expert glowed with gold, but he couldn’t be bothered to examine it closely.

His focus was on food. Setting aside the items he already knew about, he finally found something Jian Xingyi rarely stocked—something he’d once thought useless, but which now seemed like a lifesaver.

—Milk.

【Milk: Increases immunity by 50% upon consumption】

Shanhai took it out and fed it to Jian Xingyi.

But… Jian Xingyi was barely conscious at the moment. The milk simply trickled down the corner of his mouth, unable to enter his mouth.

Shanhai took a sip himself, then gently pried Jian Xingyi’s lips apart with his fingers, feeding him mouth-to-mouth.

The rainforest was cold and eerie. Aside from the sound of the rain, the surroundings were completely silent, like a desolate map.

Amid the raging storm, the two of them, huddled beneath a tree trunk to shelter from the rain, were kissing.

Shanhai fed Jian Xingyi the entire cup of milk, spoonful by spoonful.

Fearing he might suddenly collapse and be unable to properly care for Jian Xingyi—thereby putting him in danger—Shanhai quickly drank a cup himself.

After drinking the milk, Jian Xingyi seemed to feel better; he could tell that at least that strange “virus” had stopped tormenting him. He appeared more relaxed and stopped clutching Shanhai so tightly.

Shanhai breathed a sigh of relief and went to Jian Xingyi’s fields to see what could be harvested.

But he wasn’t quite sure how to go about it, so it was a good thing Jian Xingyi slowly came to.

Jian Xingyi looked at Shanhai with a dazed expression.

Shanhai: “Are you okay?”

“Mm…” Jian Xingyi said hoarsely. “It still hurts, I’m still cold, and I feel a little dizzy. People look a bit blurry, but…”

But at least his consciousness had mostly returned.

Shanhai immediately told Jian Xingyi about the pouch, “You’d better go check your fields right away.”

Jian Xingyi stared blankly at Shanhai; his mind was a bit slow to process information right now.

After a moment, “Oh—”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself: the crops in his fields now—besides the SS-rank rice and… and what else was there?

Ah…

And the S-rank ginseng, whose use hadn’t been determined yet and hadn’t been harvested.

Jian Xingyi took a closer look. The ginseng still needed a little more time before it was ready to harvest, but he didn’t have much strength left. “Shuixi… help me buy some pesticides and harvest that… ginseng.”

“Okay.”

After the harvest, the ginseng’s properties were finally revealed.

【Ginseng: A blessing from the Tree God to its followers, capable of warding off a hundred illnesses and strengthening the body.】

Ah…!

No wonder!!

So that’s it!

Just munching on ginseng raw like this… it tastes pretty awful.

Although Jian Xingyi wasn’t in the best condition right now—strictly speaking, he was gravely ill—he stubbornly wanted to eat something good, so he half-heartedly opened the Synthesis Table to see what recipes were available.

Ginseng Milk.

This was for convenience, killing two birds with one stone, but it didn’t look very appetizing.

Ginseng Pork Rib Soup

This one looks good.

Jian Xingyi clicked “Synthesize,” made a large portion, and shared it with Shanhai.

Shanhai blew on it to cool it down, spoonful by spoonful, before feeding it to Jian Xingyi. After finishing, he held the bowl himself and slurped it down.

After the ginseng soup went down, they both felt a warm glow spread throughout their bodies—it was almost too hot.

Then, they watched in amazement as the red rashes on their bodies slowly faded away until there was nothing left.

Jian Xingyi also felt his condition slowly returning to normal.

How amazing…!

What a life-saving elixir this is!! It’s practically a miracle!

My goodness… I used to think milk was useless, at best just “apocalyptic milk tea,” but I never imagined… it was actually this!

And this ginseng—I have to say, it truly lives up to the blessings of a thousand-year-old tree and the Tree God. It’s incredibly powerful!

Jian Xingyi declared that he was now a faithful devotee of all these mountain deities!

Next time he went to Wave Mountain, he would definitely kowtow three times to the Sea God first!

Jian Xingyi was still recovering, lazily leaning against the Shanhai God with his eyes closed, resting.

Only after Shanhai had regained his composure did he sense something was amiss.

He furrowed his brow, scanning the surroundings.

Earlier, he hadn’t paid much attention to his surroundings because he was so worried about Jian Xingyi’s condition. Now that he’d come to his senses, although the torrential rain outside was masking all scents and sounds, still…

His intuition told him there seemed to be someone out there.

Shanhai rose to his feet with a cold gaze and stepped outside.

Whoosh—

As he hurled a small knife at a tree, a figure leaped out from behind it, no longer able to conceal their presence.

The intruder glanced at Shanhai and murmured, “As expected of Shanhai…”

Shanhai looked back at the intruder. “Canglang?”

Then, the others hiding nearby emerged as well. Besides Canglang, there were about six or seven others, but they all shared one common trait—pale faces and bodies covered in red pockmarks.

Canglang gasped for breath, his eyes bulging with fury. “You… we’ve all seen it. You have a cure.”

They looked…utterly bedraggled.