—What would you want to do in your final hour before death?

It was still broad daylight, yet the sky grew increasingly crimson.

The person outside the door could no longer hold on. Their screams turned to wails—perhaps finally realizing no one could save them now. And so…

“Kill me, kill me…! Please!”

“For the sake of our former guild ties, kill me! The pain is unbearable… I refuse to mutate!”

Haihai sighed heavily, drawing his pistol.

Jian Xingyi paused.

Was this why Haihai had stayed here? Had he known all along?

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang out one after another, each shot landing precisely in the head.

Jian Xingyi stared blankly at Haihai, who acted decisively, his face expressionless.

“No… no…” Yiyi clutched Rongrong, who couldn’t stand due to earlier injuries, crying and glaring at the two. “I curse you…”

But before he could finish, Haihai blew his head off with a single shot. The two never heard his final words.

What you can’t hear doesn’t count.

Moments later, corpses littered the floor outside the door, blood staining the ground red. When players were killed, they dropped items and materials, and now many of these lay soaked in the blood.

Apart from Rongrong and Yiyi, the rest were members of Blue Sky and White Clouds whom Jian Xingyi didn’t recognize. He didn’t see Sisi either.

Jian Xingyi felt a mix of emotions.

But if he hadn’t won the match, hadn’t defeated Blue Sky and White Clouds, the situation would be reversed now. Standing outside the door would be him and the Long Live A Hundred Years team.

Haihai holstered his gun and slumped down in defeat, covering his face as he gasped for breath.

In that moment, Jian Xingyi suddenly understood a bit of Haihai’s feelings. He, too, had once been brought into a hobby by a friend, but in the end, that friend had also…

After a long while, Haihai finally composed himself. Glancing at the crimson clouds in the sky, he suddenly asked, “What would you want to do in your last hour before dying?”

Jian Xingyi thought for a moment and replied, “Eat.”

“Huh?”

Five minutes later, the two sat in Jian Xingyi’s courtyard eating. Each held a bowl of plain white rice, accompanied by simple dishes of chili-fried radish and bamboo shoots.

Jian Xingyi had even bought two apples from the VIP mall that looked delicious.

Jian Xingyi said, “If I were to die soon, I’d want to go out stuffed to the gills.”

But Jian Xingyi was far from as calm as he claimed. While that was his mindset, how could anyone face death without fear?

His hands trembled slightly.

Meanwhile, in the guild chat, members were bidding each other farewell.

Heiye: 【I’m sorry. I chose to stay with the guild, yet I couldn’t lead us through this crisis. Thank you all for standing by me until the end.】

Lone Wolf: 【No need to apologize. Grinding experience isn’t just one person’s responsibility—it’s also our own shortcomings.】

Chacha: 【Glad to have met you all! Thank you!!】

…

And so on.

Soon after, Heiye, Baizhou, and Lone Wolf knocked on Jian Xingyi’s door.

“Why are you here?” Jian Xingyi asked, still chewing rice.

Heiye glanced at the two eating and felt both amused and exasperated.

True to form, Jian Xingyi hadn’t forgotten to fill his belly even at a time like this.

Heiye: “Baizhou and I wanted to thank you in person. Thank you for doing so much for us. Over half the guild’s experience came from your efforts. We’re truly grateful.”

Jian Xingyi paused.

He hadn’t even reached the 200,000 goal, yet they were thanking him.

Jian Xingyi lowered his head, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

Because… he’d been so close.

Baizhou added, “We also want to apologize… Sorry, it’s our incompetence. You gave so much, yet we couldn’t keep up. In the end, this is the outcome we all face…”

Jian Xingyi stared blankly at the person approaching.

As the guild member he was currently closest to, Lone Wolf met his gaze before awkwardly looking away, saying nothing.

The four sat in silence.

Haihai waved his hand. “How about… we grab a meal together?”

For the last half hour, they sat around the table eating together.

Jian Xingyi redeemed everything available in the VIP store at once, filling the table with fresh fruits. Everyone ate happily.

Many areas and guilds were in chaos now, with the public chat filled with wild posts. This purge had claimed many lives. Jian Xingyi’s home was near the gate, and faint screams and sobs could be heard from outside.

Yet perhaps influenced by Jian Xingyi, no one broke down just yet.

With fifteen minutes left, Heiye raised his teacup. “Let… this hot water stand in for wine! Cheers, everyone!”

“Yay!”

Just as they clinked cups, Jian Xingyi suddenly received a system notification.

She opened it without much thought.

【Auction Complete! Player 【Xinghe】 successfully sold 【Pickled Radish】 in the marketplace for a bid of x6000 dawn coin! 【Click for Details】】

Huh?

BAM—!

Jian Xingyi shot to his feet, sending his chair flying.

Everyone startled, staring at him blankly.

Wh-what the hell…

Jian Xingyi was trembling all over.

Was it what he thought…?

Jian Xingyi shakily clicked on the details.

He discovered that before the mall closed, his last jar of pickled vegetables hadn’t failed to sell—multiple buyers had simultaneously clicked to purchase, triggering the mall’s auction mechanism.

Once the auction mechanism was activated, if bids exceeded 100,000, it would proceed to a public face-to-face bidding war. But for small items like this, players could directly submit offers to the system to determine the final owner.

That’s why the pickled vegetables had been stuck in the marketplace—Jian Xingyi thought they weren’t selling, but in reality, the auction was still running in the background, unaffected by the marketplace closing!

So, so if that’s the case…

Just as Jian Xingyi was about to share the good news, a message popped up in the guild channel.

【100850/100000 Congratulations to the Long Live A Hundred Years Guild for advancing from Level 19 to Level 20】

“?!?”

The purple-tinged aura around everyone’s hands began to slowly fade.

“Am I dreaming? How did this happen? Where did all this experience come from?!”

Jian Xingyi blankly showed everyone his mailbox.

“Holy shit…?!

After a minute of silence…

Boom!

Everyone’s chairs flew up!

“Aaaah!!! Honey, honey, we don’t have to die!” Heiye excitedly hugged Baizhou. “We hit the jackpot!”

“This… is this even possible?!” Lone Wolf slammed the table, his face filled with disbelief.

Before Jian Xingyi could react, an excited Heiye turned and hugged him.

“Waaah… Xinghe, you’re… you’re amazing!! Absolutely amazing!”

Jian Xingyi lifted his head, gasping, “I… I can’t breathe…”

Baizhou and Lone Wolf exchanged a knowing glance, chuckled, and didn’t help. Instead, they both stepped forward and wrapped their arms around the two, piling on the pressure as if trying to crush Jian Xingyi flat.

“Waaah…!”

“Xinghe, you’re a god! You’re my father from now on!!”

“Xinghe, you’re seriously incredible…! Holy crap… Who would’ve thought there’d be something like an auction!”

“Damn it! I thought I was done for today!”

“This is amazing…!”

Who would’ve guessed they’d survive in such a ridiculous way?

The guild channel was erupting in celebration.

【Xinghe is my father, no arguments!】

【+1 From now on, anyone who slanders my father’s combat power in public chat gets my fist in their face!】

【This family falls apart without Xinghe—literally】

Perhaps more dangers and tougher challenges lay ahead, but at least for now, everyone was alive. No mutations, no deaths…!

Survival is a human instinct. Right now, Jian Xingyi had bought everyone another two weeks of life.

Over the next three days, the system began purging guilds that failed to meet the required level and distributing rewards. Guild level-ups themselves came with substantial bonuses, such as dawn coins.

Originally, Jian Xingyi and Baizhou had agreed to take 50% of the earned dawn coin. But without Jian Xingyi, everyone would have been doomed this time. After the discussion, they decided to gift all the dawn coins to Jian Xingyi.

Jian Xingyi made a total profit of 140,000 from this transaction. After receiving the entire sum, Jian Xingyi felt… he had struck it rich overnight!

A full 140,000!

Beyond dawn coins, he also acquired numerous Business and Combat Exchange Vouchers.

Since Business Vouchers would be most valuable to Jian Xingyi as a business-focused player, Heiye and the others decided to give all five vouchers to him.

As for the combat exchange vouchers, Heiye and Baizhou each received one, along with one of the Guild Administrators. The remaining voucher was also given to Jian Xingyi.

Jian Xingyi exchanged all his business vouchers for farmland.

Combined, he now owned six C-grade and six D-grade plots of land.

Jian Xingyi paced back and forth in the courtyard, surveying his fully cultivated fields. He felt overjoyed and deeply secure.

As for the combat vouchers…

The pistol he’d stolen from robbers in Dawn Town was nearing its expiration date. Now that Jian Xingyi had combat vouchers, he could finally discard them and forge his own permanent handgun!

Five components were needed to synthesize the firearm. He already possessed the magazine and grip given by Lone Wolf, and had obtained the trigger and barrel through the Peace Mountain side quest voucher. Now, only the muzzle remained!

Jian Xingyi used the voucher to exchange for the final component… Synthesis!

【Congratulations, Player 【Xinghe】】 on synthesizing a B-grade pistol! Please name your closest combat companion!】

Jian Xingyi fondly stroked his new gun—black as coal, gleaming like polished steel.

Though merely a pistol, and only B-grade, it was his first truly personal firearm in this world.

So… what should he name it?

Jian Xingyi pondered for a moment, recalling the tired “Plants vs. Zombies” meme from the VIP Mall of the Great Merchant.

But it actually fit quite well.

A farming player struggling to survive in the apocalypse—isn’t that exactly Plants vs. Zombies…?

Jian Xingyi typed in the name.

【Player 【Xinghe】 has named their B-grade pistol 【Peashooter】. Wishing 【Xinghe】 and 【Peashooter】 future victories across the battlefield!】

Yay!

Slay all comers!

After deducting these major rewards, the remainder consisted of upgrade materials randomly distributed by the system to the entire guild.

Each firearm and armor piece with different attributes required distinct upgrade materials. Obtaining compatible materials was no easy feat—purely a matter of luck. Consequently, most players preferred purchasing materials from the mall and listing unused ones for sale.

Jian Xingyi currently has no upgrade needs, so he listed everything in the store.

By now, Jian Xingyi had gained some recognition in the regional marketplace. When players saw his ID, they’d choose to buy from him even if the materials were identical.

After sorting through the rewards, Jian Xingyi was contemplating what to plant on these new plots when he received a text from Heiye, instructing him to head to the back door.

Huh?

Had something happened?

When Jian Xingyi arrived at the back gate, he paused in surprise.

Four massive wooden barriers had materialized out of nowhere, completely blocking the entrance. Simultaneously, a small, lockable gate had reappeared in the surrounding wall for everyone’s use.

However, the wooden barriers looked dilapidated and clearly unusable.

Jian Xingyi asked curiously, “What is this…?”

Heiye explained, “This is something the system gave each guild before the zombie tide. There are four gates in each direction of the guild, with four barriers for each gate. But they need repairs—they can’t be used without fixing them.”

Jian Xingyi stepped closer and spotted a “Repair” button—but the cost? 100,000?

Holy crap.

That’s god-tier gold!

100.000 per barrier? To fix all four gates would cost… 1.6 million?

That dwarfed the 200,000 they’d painstakingly saved earlier! Seven times more!

What’s the difference between this and robbery?

Jian Xingyi froze. “With only two weeks left before the zombie tide hits, do we absolutely have to complete all repairs within that time? Or else we’ll die again?”

“It’s not quite that dire,” Heiye countered. “Truthfully, we could skip all repairs. But the cost would be… when the zombie surge hits, imagine…”

Heiye gestured toward the main gate.

“With the gates wide open, the undead would pour in like a flood. Nothing to stop them. Do you think we’d stand a chance?”

Honestly, even Grapevine Peak couldn’t guarantee victory.

The difficulty of the zombie tide is determined by the guild level, but the system’s difficulty assessment assumes all four fences are fully intact. In other words, if the fences aren’t repaired, the zombies will pour in unimpeded. With the undead relentlessly charging forward and four gates requiring defense, manpower will be spread too thin. Everyone would surely… be overwhelmed.

But with the barriers in place, we could pick off the zombies like targets at a shooting range.

That’s why the barriers are as crucial as city walls. Though not mandatory, they determine victory or defeat against the zombie tide.

“So I’d like to propose a deal…” Heiye said. “You fund the fence repairs, and once the zombie tide ends, I’ll repay you double the investment. How does that sound?”

Jian Xingyi froze.

Heiye lowered his gaze. “Our guild isn’t top-tier, but we’re solid. I promise we’ll never betray you and will prioritize your resources. We just want to keep you here.”

Jian Xingyi was dumbfounded. He never dreamed a Guild President would offer terms just to retain him.

Before this, he’d been nothing but a despised noob with a combat rating of 6, on the verge of being kicked out of the guild!

Seeing Jian Xingyi’s stunned expression, Heiye chuckled helplessly and patted his shoulder. “Silly kid, if you opened your private messages, you’d find plenty of guilds trying to recruit you—some might even offer you terms.”

Heiyei spoke frankly, “Honestly, people naturally seek better opportunities. If you insist on leaving, I won’t stop you. Everyone has their own way of making a living. But I will definitely try my best to keep you. As I said, whatever you want, we’ll try our best to give it to you!”

Jian Xingyi stared blankly. “I… I don’t really have any plans right now… I’ll figure out the fence issue, but I can only do my best…”

The zombie tide rewards… should be pretty sweet, right?

Heiye nodded. “Alright! We’ll do our part too! Tomorrow, Feiyi, Baizhou, and I will head out to gather materials for forging guns to sell. Lone Wolf will come too, though he probably won’t go far—if he doesn’t venture far, the materials might still be lacking… But someone needs to stay behind at the guild. So if you run into anyone with bad intentions, remember to ask Lone Wolf for help. Oh, and that new guy, Haihai, will be with Lone Wolf, too. “

”Alright.“

”Oh, and we won’t just talk—we want to help you practically. Our guild has twelve shared plots of land. How about six for you? We don’t need that many anyway.” Jian Xingyi froze. 

Honestly, the guild’s shared land system held less-than-pleasant memories for him. He’d once planted mango trees on Blue Sky and White Clouds’ shared plot, which led to a whole series of troubles later. 

But was Heiye suggesting they’d simply cede the land to him? Did the guild even have that capability? 

Heiye chuckled. “Absolutely. We have the authority to gift plots to members—up to half of them. And it’s not just shared land. Would you like to move into the Golden Circle?” 

The Golden Circle, as the guild’s five prime plots, offered twice the farmland space compared to regular houses. Jian Xingyi paused. Heiye had suggested this twice before, but he declined again this time. 

He still preferred his secluded little corner. The Golden Circle sat at the guild’s center, surrounded by everyone, immersed in the bustling crowd—it made him uneasy. Heiye didn’t press the matter. After he left, Jian Xingyi stared at the fences with a troubled look. 

The zombie tide was imminent. Not only had the guild erected fences, but the sky had turned a dark crimson. Some even said wild trees had withered significantly. Jian Xingyi, possessing the Essence Collection System, interpreted this as the land’s pollution levels rising. 

The environment grew bleaker and more desolate. More “freshly baked” zombies and corpses appeared in the wilderness, and the occasional caw of a crow could be heard. A storm was brewing. The calm before the outbreak always felt unsettling. 

No one dared neglect repairing the fences. After all, no one knew how terrifying the zombie tide would be. This time was different from before—they’d have to rely on their own bodies to withstand it.1.6 million…Jian Xingyi sighed.

Even if Lone Wolf and Haitian sold their asses, they couldn’t scrape together a fraction of that. Just then, the terminal beeped. Jian Xingyi was now hypersensitive to the thing, instantly perking up.【Congratulations! Player 【Xinghe】 has earned over 150,000 in the Marketplace. Merchant Level upgraded to 1. Open the Grand Merchant interface to claim your rewards!】Jian Xingyi: “!”His food sales over the past two weeks had reached 140,000. The upgrade materials must have sold out completely, netting him over 10,000 extra. Combined, the 150,000 had successfully unlocked the upgrade. After returning home, Jian Xingyi happily opened the Grand Merchant interface.

Sure enough, those who survive great calamities are blessed with good fortune. Having overcome the earlier hurdles, he now reaped multiple rewards at once. Upon entering the Grand Merchant page, Jian Xingyi first received a pop-up notification for his Level 1 upgrade reward.【Congratulations! Player 【Xinghe】 has reached Merchant Level 1. Reward: 【Grade D Farmland】 x2!】Jian Xingyi skipped excitedly to the backyard. He now owns a total of 6 Grade C and 8 Grade D farmlands! Wait—no, after Heiye Guild gifted him their 6 Grade D plots, he actually had 14 Grade D farmlands! 

Excitedly, Jian Xingyi opened the VIP Store. After repaying his previous loan, he carefully examined the newly unlocked Level 1 items.【Magic Synthesis Liquid: Combines two D-grade fields into one C-grade field】【Stock: +99】【3000 Dawn Coins】Jian Xingyi’s eyes lit up.What a fantastic item! The price was fair, and it would save him a lot of trouble! 

He’d been worried about how he’d gather essence from so many D-grade fields, but now this would skip an entire level of effort! Though merging two fields into one wasn’t exactly cost-effective, the essence was hard to collect. Plus, no matter how many D-grade fields he had, the food produced couldn’t be listed for sale. Low yield meant little value. Jian Xingyi bought enough synthesis fluid and began casting spells on the fields with a rush. 

In an instant, fourteen D-grade fields transformed into seven C-grade ones. He now possessed… thirteen C-grade fields! Awesome! Jian Xingyi felt utterly satisfied. But this was far from enough. To survive this apocalypse and avoid ending up like Blue Sky and White Clouds, he needed a solid foundation. Others had combat power; he had only management skills. 

Then he had to make those management skills exceptionally strong. For instance, if he aimed to reach 1.6 million in trade volume to achieve compound interest, he’d need more fields and essence points.

Currently, his 13 plots were all C-grade—barely passable. But upgrading them to B-grade would double crop yields. For instance, two plots producing 30 jars of mixed radish pickles would yield 60 jars after upgrading. More crucially…

Food produced by B-grade fields instantly becomes saleable goods on the synthesis table. He’d no longer need to wait for synthesis time.

Crops naturally take two days to mature. Shaving off the day-and-a-half synthesis time meant he could sell more food. He’d nearly been ruined by synthesis time before!

Had luck not been on his side, and the goods failed to enter the auction… they’d be lost!

This time, Jian Xingyi wasn’t about to repeat that mistake.

Jian Xingyi checked the requirements. Upgrading from D to C used to cost only 50 Essence Points, but now C to B requires 100. So in total, he’d need… 1300 points.

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Jian Xingyi slowly collapsed onto the sofa.

He had more fields now, but 1.6 million credits versus 1300 essence points…

“Just kill me already—”

Better to be devoured by zombies! Waaah!

Jian Xingyi curled up and hid for five minutes.

Five minutes later, he crawled out to strategize.

Life’s circumstances, that’s all.

Besides figuring out how to acquire that much essence, Jian Xingyi pulled out a notebook to calculate: assuming he had 13 C-grade plots, how much profit could a single harvest yield?

His merchant level only allowed him to sell goods within this region. With Blue Sky and White Clouds and several small guilds already purged from the area, he also had to consider whether he had enough customers.

But rather than fretting over customer base, he’d focus on his own supplies first.

Jian Xingyi rose to tend his fields. His backpack now held only leftover rice and radishes from his previous D-grade plots—no surplus game meat remained. Still, it sufficed for now. Thus, he resolved to plant all his fields with marketable crops.

Jian Xingyi calculated: over 30,000 to repay loans, over 20,000 for synthesis potions, plus miscellaneous Plants vs. Zombies props, fruits, fertilizers… Even basic synthesis required funds. His original 140,000 had instantly dwindled to just over 80,000.

Money is hard to earn!

After handling everything, he messaged Haihai.

Xinghe: 【Did you often explore Peace Mountain alone before? Did you discover any special plants? Give me some tips.】

Haihai: 【Wait, I’ll come find you.】

Xinghe: 【Oh.】

Jian Xingyi sighed. Why did everyone insist on meeting him face-to-face for things that could easily be handled by text?

“Both Lone Wolf and I often go out exploring alone.” Haihai handed Jian Xingyi a map. “They asked me to help Lone Wolf handle guild defenses. I was with him before coming here. We mapped out the fastest and safest route to the summit for you. I remember our encounter by the river—clearly, the summit is the only place left for you to explore.”

That was true.

Jian Xingyi accepted it gratefully.

“But seriously, searching for the 01 and 02 tombstones isn’t realistic. It’s too difficult, and there’s no clear starting point. The mountain peak doesn’t hold many of the unique plants you’re looking for, either. I’d suggest checking out the new map if your goal is rare flora.” Haihai didn’t understand how Jian Xingyi’s skill operated, but he guessed plants were what Jian Xingyi needed.

Jian Xingyi scratched his head. “But the new map… that’s another region, right? I’m not sure if my abilities can take me there.”

The game Dawnbreaker centered around Dawn Town, with eight regions in total. Jian Xingyi recalled that Peace Mountain was a relatively mild map, so the materials weren’t particularly high-grade. Then there was the Back Garden on Grapevine Peak, where the zombies had been mostly cleared out by them whenever they had time.

“Not necessarily,” Haihai said. “You could try Lava Volcano. While the materials there might be too scarce for us to share, it could be a good spot for you. First, it’s closest to us. After Grapevine Peak clears Peace Mountain’s zombies daily, this is their next target. And it’s not just Grapevine Peak—the Wildfire Guild is stationed here. They’re not as strong as Grapevine Peak, but they’re still among the top ten guilds server-wide. I recall they barely made the top ten. With these two powerhouses around, zombie swarms won’t happen here. “

”So…“ Jian Xingyi scratched his head. ”I’ll give it a shot.“

”Don’t worry. I’m no match for Shanhai. Yet I’ve survived doing what Shanhai usually does. That proves I’m useless at everything except staying alive! I’ll map out a safe route through the Lava Volcano for you.”

Jian Xingyi couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.

That was true—Haihai excelled at survival, and luck was on his side.

“Alright. Like Peace Mountain, the Lava Volcano has a map side quest: collect five Fire Spirit Divine Flowers. I’ve already marked the gathering route for you—an exclusive server-wide route, absolutely safe!”

Jian Xingyi’s eyes lit up.

This quest sounded packed with essence.

“Also, unlike Peace Mountain, Lava Volcano has a high-difficulty A-rank dungeon besides the side quests. The rewards are generous, but I’d advise against trying it.”

Jian Xingyi nodded vigorously.

“That’s about it… Oh, right.” Haihai pulled a pile of items from his backpack and handed them to Jian Xingyi. “Remember how I killed a bunch of Blue Sky and White Clouds players back at the back gate earlier?”

“Hmm…?”

Haihai: “When players die, they drop items. After confirming it was safe, I went back to pick up what they dropped… What’s that look for? Xinghe, this is the End Times.”

Jian Xingyi’s mouth twitched. “I know…”

It was just astonishing how quickly Haihai could switch gears and detach emotionally!

Haihai said, “You’ll thank me later. I’ll share some of those items with you.”

Jian Xingyi was startled. Was Haihai being this nice to him? Drawing maps and giving him items?

Haihai laughed helplessly, “Isn’t this repaying you for saving my life?”

“Oh, oh…”

Soon, Jian Xingyi’s backpack was filled with free everyday gear and consumables—gunpowder, detectors, ropes, bullets…

Of course, the most precious thing was…

This saved so much money! Jian Xingyi’s eyes lit up. “Wow… thank you!!”

Yay!!

Haihai chuckled awkwardly. “Mind if I ask you a question?”

“Hm?”

“Do you like men or women?”

“…???”

Huh??

Jian Xingyi froze in place.

This was the first time anyone had asked him that since entering the game. After all, he barely had any friends.

Could it be that Haihai…

Jian Xingyi felt doomed. There was a reason he was a lifelong virgin—his first thought was… If he’d known Haihai had designs on him now, he would’ve waited until this moment to absorb Haihai’s essence value!

It must be sky-high, right?!

Damn it.

“No, don’t look at me like that! You’ve got the wrong idea—I don’t have any ulterior motives, I’m just curious!” Haihai hastily raised his hands.

He really wasn’t straight, so he found… Jian Xingyi’s sometimes unintentional actions are quite endearing and protective. But he genuinely had no ulterior motives toward Jian Xingyi.

…At least for now.

“So… do you like guys or girls?” Haihai didn’t give Jian Xingyi a chance to dodge.

“I… I…” Jian Xingyi’s ears flushed slightly, unable to answer for a long while.

Haihai raised his hand. “Alright, I know the answer.”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

What else do you know?!

“Alright.” After handing everything to Jian Xingyi, Haihai said, “Wish you luck on the new map. If you run into trouble, contact me or Lone Wolf.”

He and Lone Wolf were tied up elsewhere. Haihai knew Jian Xingyi was like them—someone who disliked traveling in groups and was a bit solitary.

“Thanks!”

That night, Jian Xingyi slept soundly. After replenishing his energy, he set out the next day.

Crossing into a new zone, Jian Xingyi was prepared to camp outdoors. After all, Haihai had marked the safe zones for him.

The area around Peace Mountain was mostly wasteland and plains. Venturing into a new region for the first time, Jian Xingyi felt a surge of nervousness and instantly sensed the stark difference. He had visited other zones before, but they had all been too far away.

Stepping into the lava volcano zone, Jian Xingyi felt waves of heat wash over him.

So hot…

He took a deep breath, regulating his breathing.

The sky here was a deep, intense red, even more oppressive than the outside. Jian Xingyi glanced up at the distant volcanic peak still billowing smoke, undoubtedly harboring scalding magma within. The surrounding trees stood tall and spindly, their leaves sparse and scattered. The ground was mostly covered in volcanic ash, barren and devoid of any vegetation.

Jian Xingyi tapped around the nearby plants. Not a single drop of essence could be found, and all the seeds were rice.

Seems I’ll have to find that flower thing.

Jian Xingyi began exploring.

One major difference here, compared to Peace Mountain, struck Jian Xingyi as novel: the map actually had quite a few NPCs!

NPCs were instantly recognizable, most dressed in garish, anachronistic attire.

For instance, not far away, a group of men and women wore heavy animal-skin cloaks in this scorching region, adorned with various beads and feathers pinned to their heads as decoration.

Dressed in traditional attire, they continuously performed rituals facing the crater, murmuring to themselves.

“May the Fire God protect us, may the Fire God protect us…”

“Fire shall consume all dreadful undead demons…”

Jian Xingyi froze momentarily.

Regaining his composure, he pressed onward.

“Xinghe…?”

Jian Xingyi startled.

That voice…

He turned to find a “familiar face”—Sisi.

Sisi stood beside a group of men, six or seven of them.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, Sisi actually didn’t die…

Did she really succeed in finding a new patron?

“Xinghe?” The leader, the tallest man among them, his muscles straining against his clothes as if they might burst, frowned at Sisi. “Is this the one who harmed you before?”

Sisi pressed her lips together slightly, head bowed, silent—a pitiable sight.

Jian Xingyi: “…”

This girl had arrived in the new territory, yet it was the same formula, the same flavor.

The muscle-bound man turned to glare fiercely at Jian Xingyi. “Know who we are?”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Muscle Man: “I’m Qingtian, Guild Administrator of Wildfire Sweeping the Plains. What did Sisi have to do with the sins of Blue Sky and White Clouds? And you still pursue her relentlessly, a helpless woman? If not for us, Sisi would be dead already!”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Qingtian gritted his teeth. “Are you mute?! Can’t admit to your own guilt?”

Several men closed in around Jian Xingyi.

Jian Xingyi glanced around. “What are you doing…”

Qingtian shot a cold look at Sisi. “Avenge her, of course! Brothers, beat him up!”

He was desperate to prove himself before Sisi.

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Before they could completely block the path, Jian Xingyi spun and took off running.

“Chase him!!”

Bang—!

Jian Xingyi froze in shock. They actually… used guns?!

Jian Xingyi sprinted forward frantically, running blindly. The sparse trees and open wasteland offered little cover. He could only head toward the nearby woods.

Bang!

Bang bang!

The distance was too great, and both sides were fleeing, so their shots weren’t aimed. Still, they managed to scare the living daylights out of Jian Xingyi several times.

Hunting down a player? These people… they’re truly insane!

Jian Xingyi didn’t hold back either. While running, he frantically searched through the items he’d bought earlier.

Cherry Bomb!

“Stop if you don’t want to die!”

“Get beaten or die—your choice!”

Bang—!

Jian Xingyi hurled the cherry bomb from his bag and kept running without looking back.

He could hear explosions and screams behind him, successfully taking out several of Qingtian’s minions.

Qingtian grew even more furious.

“Damn that bastard!”

The pursuers closed in relentlessly. Jian Xingyi felt the biting wind sting his cheeks. Running away didn’t guarantee survival, but stopping meant a life-or-death struggle. Jian Xingyi had no desire to get hurt for nothing.

Jian Xingyi plunged into the woods, using tree trunks for cover. The chase dragged on for a while. Just as Jian Xingyi’s stamina was nearly depleted and he hesitated over whether to fight to the death, he spotted a cave not far ahead.

Perfect…!

Jian Xingyi leaped straight inside.

Qingtian’s men halted outside the cave, exchanging bewildered glances before turning to their leader. “That idiot jumped into the instance. Should we go in?”

That’s an A-rank dungeon…

“You’re the idiots!” Qingtian snapped, eyes blazing. “We don’t have to go in. The first chamber has no barrier. We can just throw explosives inside from outside and blow him up!”

“Hmph. This could’ve been settled with a beating, but he chose to run. If he dies, it won’t be our fault…”

As they pulled out gunpowder and headed toward the cave entrance, a sound came from behind.

They spun around on guard, finding a man standing not far off, watching them expressionlessly. Dressed in a black jacket, his features were sharp and cold, radiating an aura that screamed “Keep Out.”

Their faces drained instantly, and they froze, daring not to move.

“Um… um…”

That man… how was he here?

Qingtian forced a laugh. “Hello… um, we were… hunting…”

The man: “I saw.”

“…”

Qingtian and his companions felt their knees go weak.

As a Guild Administrator of Wildfire Sweeping the Plains, Qingtian was already a T1-tier combatant. His companions were no slouches either, and together they numbered nearly seven or eight. Yet, not a single one dared to act out in front of this man.

Grapevine Peak never showed mercy to players who bullied others in the wild. They feared the man might casually kill them.

But…

Qingtian stammered, “Th-that… we haven’t done anything yet! You can’t attack us!”

The man took two steps toward them.

Qingtian knelt with a gasp, “Shanhai… Brother Hai, Brother Hai, I was wrong! I really didn’t do anything! Please spare us!”

The others, terrified, knelt in a heap.

“Brother Hai, we really didn’t do anything!!”

“Snap.”

Coming to his senses, Qingtian found both his hands already broken.

“Aaaahhhhh—!”

Outside the cave, chaos erupted. Inside… silence reigned.

After tumbling down, Jian Xingyi scrambled to his feet, then anxiously scanned the entrance, bracing to deploy his Nut Wall shield against potential ambushes or bombs.

But after a moment with no response, it seemed they had given up…?

Only then did Jian Xingyi survey his surroundings.

What was going on…?

He couldn’t see the exit since entering. The surrounding cave walls glowed with an eerie red light, and lava dripped down the rock surfaces, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

【Ding!】

【Welcome to the Lava Volcano Instance Quest—【Nectar of the Gods】!】

Jian Xingyi: “…”

He was screwed.

Had he accidentally stumbled into that high-difficulty instance everyone kept warning him to avoid…?

Was it even possible to get out now?

Jian Xingyi felt panic rising, but he couldn’t find the exit anywhere.

【A-Rank Instance Reward will be customized based on player wishes! System listening to player’s desires…】

【Ding! Listening complete. Detected player 【Xinghe】’s top three desired items. Please select one as your mission reward!】

Jian Xingyi froze. So he could choose his own reward for this mission?

【Option 1: 500,000 Dawn Coins; Option 2: 50 Combat Power Points; Option 3: 500 Essence Points.】

【Please make your selection.】

Jian Xingyi: “……?”

Wait, wait a minute…

How much?!