Thanks to GreenKiTea for the Kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!
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After dark, Wan Yu arrived as promised. 

He still harbored doubts; he didn’t truly believe that Jian Xingyi and Shanhai had actually killed Yu Shen. But he had to come no matter what—only by coming could he confirm the truth, negotiate a surprise deal, and… most importantly, retrieve that scroll with Jian Xingyi. 

After all, even if Jian Xingyi and Shanhai had obtained the scroll, wouldn’t they still need the locals’ knowledge to successfully gather the “keys”? When Wan Yu arrived at the agreed-upon location, he saw Jian Xingyi and Shanhai sitting under a large tree nearby, resting. 

The surroundings looked much the same, but he felt the monkeys’ cries were louder than usual. Were there usually this many monkeys? 

Jian Xingyi and Shanhai also spotted Wan Yu, but… 

Jian Xingyi glanced at the large box Wan Yu was dragging and frowned. 

“What’s that?” The box was covered in black cloth and fitted with wheels, which Wan Yu had used to haul it up the mountain. Wan Yu raised an eyebrow. “This, huh…” 

“Roar————” 

A deep, angry roar came from inside the crate. Jian Xingyi stared in disbelief. 

Was that…a tiger? 

The roar sounded even more ferocious than that of an ordinary tiger—perhaps it was some infected beast, or even a more terrifying creature from the rainforest. 

Shanhai frowned. “I thought the terms we agreed on were that both parties would come alone.” 

Wan Yu replied, “I did come alone. Is there anyone else here?” 

“……” 

Wan Yu chuckled. “Besides, negotiating with Shanhai out here in the middle of nowhere… don’t I need to plan for my own safety? I have to at least ensure I can get out of here unscathed if the talks fail. That’s only natural. After all, it’s just a wild beast—and wild beasts don’t understand our language.” 

Sure enough, Wan Yu had made preparations before daring to come. 

Wan Yu cut straight to the chase. “You say you killed Yu Shen, right? Where’s the proof? I’d like to see the scroll or the token.”

Jian Xingyi shook his head. “We have conditions too. Where’s Qingqing? Hand her over first, then we’ll talk.” 

Wan Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of wariness flitting across his face. “What does this have to do with Qingqing? Since you chose to ally with me, why do you still care about her?” 

Jian Xingyi replied calmly, “We killed Yu Shen. Before he died, he told us to treat Canglang, Qingqing, and the others well. If we can’t even do that, our consciences won’t let us rest. It’s a small favor—is that really so hard?” 

“…Reasonable, but ridiculous,” Wan Yu sneered. “What good is clinging to such things in the apocalypse? But I’ll be honest with you… As for Qingqing, I’ve already killed her. Oh… her ID is still online, so she’s not quite dead yet, but the bullet went through a vital organ. She can’t be far from death now.” 

Jian Xingyi paused. 

Wan Yu shrugged. “It’s not my fault. She insisted on running away and fighting back, so she was accidentally killed by the people watching her. All I can say is… she had it coming? Our negotiations have nothing to do with her. We’re discussing something big—it’s…” 

Whoosh—! 

A bullet flew toward Wan Yu. 

But a player at full strength wouldn’t be ambushed so easily. At the last possible moment, Wan Yu dodged the bullet with a deft maneuver and fell to the ground. 

Shanhai had originally intended for Canglang to hold his ground and not be lured out by Wan Yu’s probing words, whose sincerity was unclear, but upon reflection, he decided it didn’t really matter

…Although Canglang couldn’t keep his cool and struck while Wan Yu was completely off guard, they were going to strike anyway. Even if Wan Yu were completely defenseless, he couldn’t be killed with a single blow. 

Now that the attack had begun, the group lying in ambush all around immediately leapt out and charged toward Wan Yu. 

Wan Yu let out a cold laugh; thankfully, he had kept a trump card up his sleeve… 

He pulled back the black cloth, and sure enough, there was a cage beneath it. Inside the cage was a massive tiger, its body covered in barbs, its fur covered in strange blue markings and moss—it looked as though it had already been infected. 

A single bite from it would infect anyone, even if it didn’t kill them. 

Wan Yu pressed a button—Xingyi didn’t know which one—and the cage swung open. The tiger burst out. Shanhai patted Jian Xingyi on the shoulder, motioning for him to step aside and stay out of the line of fire, then charged toward the tiger to engage it. Jian Xingyi didn’t move. He couldn’t bring himself to leave, so he stood by Shanhai’s side, gun raised, ready to provide cover at a moment’s notice. 

But Wan Yu had more tricks up his sleeve.

Next, the guild members following Wan Yu also charged forward, revealing themselves to provide support, and became embroiled in a melee with Canglang’s group. 

It seemed that even though this was supposed to be a negotiation, neither side was playing by the rules. 

Shanhai and Jian Xingyi fought the tiger, while Canglang and Wan Yu engaged in a one-on-one struggle; the rest of the members from both sides also began fighting. 

The hatred between Canglang and Wan Yu ran deep. Canglang glared at him with such intensity that he looked ready to devour him alive. The two, fighting at full strength as if their lives depended on it, forced everyone else to step back, leaving them a clear space to battle. 

Wherever they passed, trees toppled in their wake, and their bodies became increasingly covered in blood. Canglang, bleeding from head to toe and still clutching his blade, glared at Wan Yu with a terrifying intensity, determined to fight to the death. 

Wan Yu was gasping for breath. He looked at Canglang, who seemed like a madman—a wolf whose territory had been invaded, fighting him with reckless abandon. 

Wan Yu swallowed hard, thinking of retreating. 

How could an ordinary person possibly stand a chance against a madman who’d been bottling up his rage for so long?

On the other side, Wan Yu’s group vastly outnumbered Canglang’s, yet Canglang’s men held their own. They splashed an unknown liquid on the enemy. The liquid gave off a strange scent, like some kind of… bait. 

Soon, the sound of monkey screeches filled the air. In the next instant, a massive horde of monkeys burst from the forest, lunging toward Wan Yu and his men. They screamed as they tried to tear at the people covered in the liquid, even attempting to gnaw at their flesh. 

These rainforest monkeys were no ordinary monkeys; they bore sharp fangs and wore ferocious expressions. Once the monkeys appeared, the battle immediately descended into even greater chaos. 

Meanwhile, over on Shanhai and Jian Xingyi’s side… the battle was just as fierce. 

The tiger was clearly an S-class beast; it seemed Wan Yu had once again used the guild’s precious traps to capture it. Just like with the Wolf King before, Shanhai engaged the tiger in close combat with a dagger. 

This time, they weren’t at the tomb, nor did they need to earn the tiger’s approval, but the reason Shanhai still used a dagger was simply that… a gun wouldn’t work against it!

The tiger moved too fast; a gun simply couldn’t kill it. He had to rely on the dagger, driving it deep into the beast’s flesh in close combat. 

“Rip!” 

The tiger’s sharp claws slashed three bloody gashes across Shanhai’s arm. Jian Xingyi watched in horror, but afraid of getting in the way, he dared not approach. 

Then Jian Xingyi heard a “thud”—the tiger pinned Shanhai to the ground and opened its bloodthirsty maw. Shanhai blocked with his arm; the bulging veins were enough to give a glimpse of the tiger’s strength. 

Truly, this is the rainforest… 

They’re both S-rank, but this one looks much tougher to handle than the Wolf King. 

“Xinghe!” 

In that very instant, Shanhai unleashed a burst of strength, swapping positions with the tiger and pinning it to the ground, sending dust flying. 

At that very moment, Jian Xingyi had a sudden flash of insight. Realizing Shanhai’s intent, he drew his gun in perfect coordination and fired a shot at the tiger’s forehead, which was pinned to the ground and unable to move! 

It was actually a very risky move, because if Jian Xingyi missed, he would hit Shanhai. But Shanhai chose to trust Jian Xingyi, whose combat rating was only just over 100. 

It was as if, no matter what Jian Xingyi did, Shanhai would believe in him.

Whoosh—! 

The bullet cut through the air. 

Jian Xingyi was nervous too, but everything happened so suddenly. He knew that if he hesitated for even a second, he would miss his chance, so his hand acted faster than his brain. 

“Whoosh…!” 

It hit. 

The tiger’s head lolled to one side, and it was dead. 

Shanhai exhaled in relief and turned to see Jian Xingyi slumped, exhausted, on the ground. Only then did Jian Xingyi realize his hands were trembling.

Thank goodness… 

Thank goodness he didn’t hold them back! 

Only then did Jian Xingyi begin to feel a wave of fear wash over him. 

He had actually just fired the gun like that… 

Shanhai stepped forward and embraced Jian Xingyi, patting him gently on the back. “It’s over… Thank you. You did great.” 

Shanhai’s deep voice echoed in Jian Xingyi’s ear, effectively soothing his nerves. Jian Xingyi let out a full sigh of relief and finally had the energy to look around. 

The group Wan Yu had brought had already been driven off by the monkeys and Canglang’s men. They’d fled in disarray, their clothes torn to shreds and their bodies covered in wounds—a clear sign of just how ferocious these monkeys were. 

Even more absurdly, there wasn’t a single monkey carcass to be found anywhere. 

This meant that no matter how enraged they were, they were unable to kill these monkeys. 

What Jian Xingyi didn’t know, however, was that the reason Canglang’s group had chosen to lure the monkeys over was because of an unwritten rule in the rainforest—monkeys must not be hunted. 

The reason was simple: if you killed a single monkey—just one—you and your companions would be hounded by monkeys for the rest of your lives while foraging in the rainforest, never finding peace. 

This was far more terrifying than a python, after all—a python wouldn’t hound you like a bounty hunter, but monkeys would. So… they all ran. 

All that remained were Wan Yu and Canglang, locked in a fierce struggle. 

Jian Xingyi looked at the two, covered head to toe in blood, and asked with concern, “Should we help?” Shanhai shook his head. “Let Canglang handle it himself.” 

“Thud!” 

Canglang roared as he plunged the dagger into Wan Yu’s chest. Wan Yu’s eyes bulged in fury as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. 

“You… you…” Wan Yu trembled all over, his voice a whisper. “If you kill me… what will happen to the guild…” 

Canglang pulled the dagger out and plunged it viciously back into the same spot, causing blood to gush forth. “That’s not your concern.”

“Ahh…!” Wan Yu’s eyes were bloodshot; blood was gushing from his seven orifices, but Canglang still wouldn’t stop, driving the blade viciously into another spot! 

Thud! Thud! Thud! 

Canglang was practically turning Wan Yu into a bloody mess. Wan Yu began begging for mercy, “Please… please…don’t let me die… let me go…!” Thud! Thud! 

After a few more stabs. 

Canglang sneered coldly, “Think about what you did to Yu Shen, and what you did to Qingqing and us. I’m telling you, it’s too late!” And just like that, Canglang brutally stabbed Wan Yu to death. 

Wan Yu’s blood soaked the ground around him, and his body… was left in tatters, his eyes wide open in death. Jian Xingyi swallowed hard, and amidst the nauseating stench of blood… he activated her skill on Wan Yu. 

Although… although it was a bit gross, and the sight was quite shocking, Jian Xingyi didn’t forget to collect… the essence points. Why pass it up? 

It’s rare to see someone right after they’ve died… 

If I’d been a few seconds later, he wouldn’t have been able to harvest the essence once they’d mutated. 

【Harvest Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 

x300】 

There really are a lot of dead bodies here! 

Wan Yu’s death is no great loss, but it allowed Jian Xingyi to happily harvest a massive amount of essence points. Now his essence points stand at… 2301/7500 

Good! 

Wan Yu is dead, the tiger is dead, and the guild members have fled. Now, silence has returned to the surroundings. 

Canglang seemed to be just coming to his senses after the excitement and fierce battle. He stared blankly at Wan Yu, who had been killed by him after mutating. 

“Brother Canglang… are… are you okay?” 

Canglang paused, then snapped back to reality. His face stern, he said, “I’m fine. How could I not be? Wan Yu is dead. I’m next in line for combat power. From now on, I’m the Guild President of 【Rain Never Stops】. Announce it that way when we get back. If anyone objects, tell them to come find me.”

Canglang was very confident in his own combat prowess. 

Everyone else, however, was utterly stunned. 

In the past, Canglang had hated these kinds of troubles the most. Never mind the invitation to join the Human Liberation Plan—he didn’t even want the positions of Guild President or executive. He simply loved fighting in the wild. 

But after this incident, he had changed his mind. At the same time, Yu Shen sent a message to everyone. 【I rescued Qingqing. Don’t worry, she’s fine.】 

As expected, Wan Yu had used reverse psychology; in the end, he didn’t dare to harm her under the pressure of being condemned by the entire server. 

That’s right. That afternoon, they and Yu Shen found Canglang and his group. After discussing it, they decided to leave Canglang and the others here to deal with Wan Yu, while Yu Shen would sneak back to the guild to rescue Qingqing. 

Canglang had initially objected—how could they let Yu Shen risk his life alone again? 

But Yu Shen was resolute, and besides… right now, he was the only one who could do it. 

Canglang, Yu Shen, and the others had merely left the guild, not officially quit. Wan Yu likely wanted to monitor their status, so he hadn’t kicked them out. 

If Canglang and the others returned, their active IDs would display the 【Returned】 status in the guild member list. But Yu Shen’s ID was already grayed out, so his whereabouts wouldn’t be exposed. 

And Wan Yu probably wouldn’t expect Yu Shen to recover and return so quickly. 

“Don’t worry. If Wan Yu brings his followers out to face you, the number of enemies left in the guild will decrease. Most will be neutral, and I doubt many would even want to be my enemy. It’ll be fine.” 

And so, Yu Shen insisted on returning. Fortunately, everything went smoothly. 

Whoosh— 

The rainforest rain came on suddenly; it was as if someone were holding a basin and pouring it out from the sky, and a torrential downpour began.

Everything… has finally settled.

This rain lasted for two days. 

Jian Xingyi and Shanhai stayed at the 【Rain Never Stops】 guild to rest and wait for the rain to stop. Although they had milk and ginseng, Jian Xingyi had been running around nonstop in search of Yu Shen, and Shanhai needed time to figure out the dungeon strategy, so they decided to just take a break. 

The Rainforest dungeon has three routes. Shanhai had previously taken the easiest one, Route A—the rewards were roughly the same anyway—but this time, to collect specific plant species, he and Jian Xingyi needed to tackle Route C. 

That is, the hardest one. 

Although the basics are similar, they still need to take a good look. 

Over the past couple of days, it was actually Qingqing who had been taking the two of them around the guild, letting Jian Xingyi gather essence points and greeting everyone to get a feel for the Rainforest’s layout—after all, Yu Shen and Canglang were busy handling the aftermath. 

Now that Canglang had become Guild President, he’d have to take over Wan Yu’s affairs—fortunately, Yu Shen was already the vice-guild master and could lend a hand. 

【Rain Never Stops】 is a massive guild, similar to 【I Can’t Hear You】, with a huge membership. 

During this upheaval, aside from the dozen or so members who joined Canglang in opposing Wan Yu and left the guild, most members either remained neutral, sided with Yu Shen but didn’t want to get involved in the conflict, or were simply afraid of getting themselves into trouble. 

Therefore, it didn’t matter to these members who became the Guild President. In fact, now that Canglang and Yu Shen were in charge, everyone knew their character—one kind and helpful, the other straightforward—and they were actually happier about it. 

As for the remaining followers of Wan Yu, if they were swayed by self-interest—essentially fence-sitters—they all came to Canglang to beg for mercy and submit. Canglang paid them no mind. 

As for those who genuinely helped Wan Yu, Canglang expelled them all. 

Jian Xingyi was no longer the naive newbie he was when he first entered the game. Having experienced the guild infighting of 【I Can’t Hear You】, he knows full well that while those expelled from the guild appear to have been merely expelled, in reality… they likely won’t survive much longer. 

No one would leave a potential threat unchecked, planting a time bomb for themselves and their loved ones. Not only that, but Canglang also applied to join the Human Liberation Project.

Jian Xingyi was a bit surprised. “Weren’t you uninterested in that?” 

“I am now,” Canglang smiled. “I want to join alongside Yu Shen and carry out missions together.” 

Later, Shanhai said to Jian Xingyi, “Do you know why Canglang wants to be Guild President and do things he doesn’t even like? It’s because he has someone he wants to protect—that’s why he craves power and strength.” 

Jian Xingyi pondered this silently. 

He looked at Shanhai, paused for a moment, then said, “It’s true… having the confidence to back you up is the best.” 

Over the past couple of days, Jian Xingyi had also restocked the food supplies. 

Unfortunately, the little snakes in the livestock area couldn’t be harvested yet, and the rice wasn’t ready for harvest either. 

Jian Xingyi tapped to check. The little snakes simply required a relatively long time for their first growth phase, but when he tapped on the rice, a line of text appeared. 

【Rice cultivation is no easy task. The rice is currently merging with the soil… Progress 50/100%】

Alright then. 

After all, it was an SS-grade seed—it was only natural for it to take some time. Jian Xingyi didn’t pay it any mind and instead turned to harvesting other crops that were already ripe and tending to the animals on the farm. 

In addition to the usual goods, Jian Xingyi listed large quantities of ginseng and milk in the Rainforest District. He had purchased more land in the Snake Nest, allowing him to grow even more ginseng. 

Not only that, but he’s been using all the essence points he’s earned so far to expand the dairy farming area, allowing him to produce even more milk for everyone in the Rainforest District. 

【I feel like Big Shot Xinghe has changed the ecology of our rainforest and the habits of the players—no exaggeration! From now on, we finally don’t have to go out of our way to avoid the rain when gathering, and we don’t have to worry about getting sick and losing our lives!】 

【This is a total lifesaver…】 

【I’m stocking up!!】 

—Ginger milk for 6,000 dawn coins: boosts immunity and reduces the likelihood of getting sick. 

—Ginseng soup for 8,000 dawn coins—the perfect remedy if you do happen to get sick. 

Jian Xingyi gave everyone a safety net.

After Canglang became Guild President, he discussed it with Yu Shen and set up a regular supply contract with Jian Xingyi. 

From then on, Jian Xingyi was required to regularly supply them with 600 potato and pork stir-fry boxed meals, 300 cups of milk, and 200 ginseng roots. The 【Rain Never Stops】 guild alone contributed over 5 million. 

That’s right—while the Rainforest Zone had few players, the 【Rain Never Stops】 guild was massive. It encompassed nearly every player in the zone, with a membership six times larger than the average guild. Naturally, their order volume was enormous. 

Jian Xingyi also noticed that while the Rainforest Zone has few players, each one is well-off and powerful. They prefer to splurge on food to maintain peak condition before heading out on adventures to earn their keep. 

Perhaps due to the unique geographical environment of the Rainforest Zone, most players here possess an adventurous spirit and a combative nature. 

Driven by the combined efforts of the guild and the Rainforest Zone players, Jian Xingyi’s total revenue from a single listing reached… 70 million! Jian Xingyi happily recorded and updated her goal notebook. 

【Xingxing’s Goals: Reach Peaceful Mountain 

to Open the Letter】 

Collect B-rank or higher fields: 30/70 

Collect Essence Points: 2,455/7,500 

Fundraising: 465 million / 500 million 

Guild Bond Points: 13,882/14,000 

Heroic Spirit Battle Talisman Level 3/5 

Rifles: 9,500/10,000 

There has been a significant increase in farmland, essence points, and dawn coins, and the Guild Bond Points are steadily rising. Just one more trade, and he’ll have enough dawn coins. 

He still needs essence and Farmland to reach the Guild’s requirements… Go, Jian Xingyi! 

Jian Xingyi also noticed that after he and Shanhai killed the tiger that day, the system sent them rewards. It wasn’t until they returned that Jian Xingyi and Shanhai discovered a new message in their inbox.

【Player 【Shanhai】 and Player 【Xinghe】 worked together to defeat 【Northern Rainforest Zone Boss – S-Rank Mountain Tiger】, earning a reward of 66,666 dawn coins, 5 Battle Exchange Vouchers, and the item 【Tiger Claw】.】 

Jian Xingyi guessed that this Tiger Claw was similar to the Wolf Fang he’d encountered before. He opened the Synthesis Table to check, and sure enough… just like the Wolf Fang, this Tiger Claw could be combined with the Eye of the Otherworld to create an Otherworld Container. 

However, since Jian Xingyi didn’t need that many containers yet, he decided to store them for now.

Just as the items sold out, Jian Xingyi heard a “Ding!” 

Jian Xingyi was overjoyed. He opened the backend, expecting the Grand Merchant system to have been upgraded, but it turned out not to be the case. 

【Congratulations to player 【Xinghe】 on upgrading the Savior System from Level 1 to Level 2!】

Wait… the Savior System? 

Huh? 

Jian Xingyi opened the notification and saw that his reputation points had gone from 220 to 250. He immediately checked the details. 

【Player 【Xinghe】 has gained the recognition and following of players with high combat power and significant influence. Reputation +10】

Hmm… I guess that must mean Yu Shen and Canglang? 

【Player 【Xinghe】 has gained recognition and followers from players across the entire server. Reputation +20】 

It seems to be because of the milk and ginseng. 

Previously, his reputation had also increased due to players’ gratitude—specifically from those who bought his ginseng and milk—but back then it was just “gratitude.” Now it’s “recognition and following,” which is a higher level, so he received another boost? 

It seems that simple “gratitude” is different from “following.” 

Jian Xingyi pondered, Does ‘following’ mean they’re willing to listen to what I say? Though it’s not very useful… but it’s still a good thing! 

Not only that, but by selling milk and ginseng, he also unlocked an achievement. 

【Helped 788 players fight off illness. Reward: 666 dawn coins, 6,666 Savior Experience Points, 【Wish Bottle】 x1】

Yay! 

Now his reputation points can be exchanged for experience, and achievements also grant experience, which is why his level has risen to 2.

He’d thought that leveling up to 2 would be just like level 1—no real rewards—but this time… there actually are some? 

【Savior Level 2: The Savior possesses greater abilities and prestige. Would you like to attempt training 【Heroes】?】

Huh?