Thanks to GreenKiTea for the ko-fis. Enjoy the bonus chapters.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Jian Xingyi asked curiously, “So how long do you stand by?”

“No idea.”

“What’s your service area?”

“No idea.”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself: So NPCs don’t know anything? Just waiting for the system to assign them?

Just then, pig squeals echoed around them again. Jian Xingyi exclaimed excitedly, “Well, I won’t bother you while you’re on standby! I’m off hunting!”

Shuixi was a bit puzzled.

Jian Xingyi watched his eyes sparkle with delight and surprise, reminding him of the little puppy he’d kept before getting stuck in the game. Every time he came home, the puppy would dash to the entrance and look at him so obediently.

But Jian Xingyi, under that gaze, actually said goodbye to him the next moment?

Jian Xingyi turned and walked away.

Shuixi watched his retreating figure, paused for a moment, then finally asked, “Want to come along?”

Huh?

Jian Xingyi turned back to glance at Shuixi’s motorcycle, swallowing hard with a hint of envy.

Well… not exactly impossible!

If he went along, he wouldn’t have to walk!

Jian Xingyi’s face never hid his thoughts, leaving Shuixi both amused and exasperated. He swung his leg over the bike.

“Hop on.”

Jian Xingyi, nearly exhausted, was overjoyed and bounced right up.

He had to admit… Shuixi’s motorcycle looked incredibly cool. Not only was Shuixi himself sharp, but his bike seemed sleek and polished, too.

The biggest difference was this: while Lone Wolf and Haihai rode regular motorcycles, Shuixi’s was a heavy-duty bike. Its frame exuded raw power, with massive dual exhaust pipes and deep treads on oversized tires hinting at its brutal acceleration and grip—like a giant beast at rest.

Shuixi revved the engine, and the bike shot forward like an arrow.

They quickly caught up to the wild boar herd.

Jian Xingyi saw numerous infected boars scrambling and bellowing around them. Shuixi didn’t bother with the infected beasts, but Jian Xingyi had no issue handling them.

Shuixi slowed down, circling the boars on the bike. “You shoot.”

Shuixi skillfully controlled the bike’s speed and range, successfully herding all the boars together, trapping them.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath, quickly activated his skill, and fired.

He’d assumed aiming from the bike would be impossible—he couldn’t waste his Lychee here. But Shuixi’s precision was so flawless, Jian Xingyi basically just had to pull the trigger.

Every boar ended up in his backpack without him even needing to dismount.

The system’s notification sounds kept ringing out.

[Collection Successful, Obtained [Lamb] x2]

[Collection successful, obtained [Lamb] x3]

Jian Xingyi was overjoyed, and in the process, he realized that sheep were essentially the “rice” of this game—the basic starter items found in the newbie village.

That was so weird! Sheep were clearly pretty valuable! Why weren’t they the more common chickens instead…

It must be the system not letting him get eggs so easily!

Eggs were his biggest dream for the breeding area right now. He really wanted to eat eggs!

At that moment, Jian Xingyi finished off all the wild boars, his eyes crinkling with delight.

He had a backpack full of beast meat and nine little lambs!

“So many…!” Jian Xingyi laughed. “I’m so lucky today!”

Shuixi thought to himself: He couldn’t use this infected meat himself, but Jian Xingyi collecting it was essentially preparing for their Grapevine Peak orders.

He wasn’t slacking off—he was earnestly contributing to the guild.

Shuixi said, “Hold on tight. I’m taking you deeper. There’s more there.”

Shuixi twisted the throttle, accelerating the bike.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Even if forests existed in the lava volcano zone, they were sparse and sparse, mostly consisting of dead trees, making it easy for the bike to navigate through them.

Shuixi led Jian Xingyi deeper into the woods, up the mountainside, taking a remote path to a more desolate area.

Jian Xingyi noticed an increasing number of magma pits and lakes around them. Lava could suddenly appear anywhere, bubbling and steaming. The terrain grew increasingly rugged, the ground uneven, the path winding and strange. She could even hear the cries of wild beasts.

It felt as though countless beasts and dangers lurked in the shadows.

This place… must be the red-marked, even more perilous area within the lava volcano!

Jian Xingyi asked uneasily, “Where are we?”

“The Fire God’s Belly, halfway up the mountain.”

Jian Xingyi: “…?!”

The summit of the lava volcano was known as the Fire God’s Eye, where the Fire Spirit Flowers grew most abundantly. That’s why Heihei and Lone Wolf had gone climbing these past few days.

The mid-slope area marked in red, known as the Fire God’s Belly, was the more hazardous zone.

It was a dense forest harboring countless beasts and plants—arguably the most resource-rich area of the entire lava volcano. Yet… the deeper one ventured, the fewer people were found.

After all, the Fire God’s Belly contained everything imaginable, its dangers immeasurable.

Jian Xingyi watched Shuixi’s back with some concern. “You can’t just end standby mode after bringing me in and get taken away by the system, leaving me all alone, okay?”

Jian Xingyi felt he could unlock a hundred ways to cling to him here.

“Mhm.”

Jian Xingyi noticed that the deeper they went, the more trees and lush vegetation surrounded them.

He could feel the light growing dimmer, the surroundings becoming increasingly quiet, punctuated only by the occasional distant howl of a legendary beast.

The only other sounds were the rustling of leaves and the rumbling of molten lava.

Jian Xingyi found himself bathed in a crimson glow, nervously yet excitedly activating skill after skill.

The plants here not only looked healthier and wilder, but they also contained… essence!

He’d been completely depleted before, but now, riding his motorcycle, he’d collected up to 11 points of essence.

This was already substantial, especially compared to the surface.

Could it be that deeper layers contained more magma? Given this realm’s premise that fire energy burns away evil, perhaps pollution levels were lower here?

“Eeek—”

The sudden, piercing shriek made Jian Xingyi, who had been intently observing his surroundings and activating skills, stiffen completely.

“Wh-what is that?!”

“Dodo beast, Class A.”

Class A!

Whoosh—

The next moment, a creature neither dragon nor bird flapped its wings and charged toward them.

Shuixi’s abrupt turn nearly sent Jian Xingyi tumbling off. He immediately reached out and clung tightly to Shuixi’s waist—there was no other option.

Jian Xingyi distinctly felt Shuixi’s entire body stiffen, an unnatural tension.

“Wh-what’s wrong! Is this monster hard to handle?”

“…Not difficult.”

Shuixi drove with one hand while drawing a rifle with the other, aiming at the Dodo beast.

Bang!

But maintaining the motorcycle’s balance while single-handedly aiming at the flying Dodo beast’s head proved challenging. Shuixi’s first shot missed, the bullet striking the creature’s wing.

The Dodo beast’s wings were hard, and the bullet couldn’t penetrate.

Enraged, the Dodo beast let out a terrifying howl and charged at them. The motorcycle raced around corners, weaving between trees. The Dodo beast became disoriented by the twists and turns, colliding with several trees along the way. Its attack grew weaker and weaker.

The motorcycle raced against the Dodo beast at such speed that Jian Xingyi couldn’t even draw his gun, let alone assist. He could only cling tightly to Shuixi to steady himself, eyes shut as the bitterly cold wind whipped past his cheeks and exposed skin, stinging painfully.

Jian Xingyi couldn’t fathom how Shuixi could still fire sideways in such a situation.

What was terrifying was that, seeing its attack fail, the Dodo beast let out a long howl to the sky… summoning three more of its kind!

Jian Xingyi had never faced four A-rank Dodo beasts simultaneously—half his soul had already fled. After all, the zombies scattered across the map he usually encountered were only D-rank… or not even worthy of that classification. An A-rank Dodo beast was practically a mini-boss on the map.

Truly, the Fire God’s Belly was a place of untold danger, rarely visited by humans!

Even with his soul nearly leaving his body, Jian Xingyi still remembered to unleash his skills upon them.

These were A-rank Dodo beasts!

Surely they’d drop some decent livestock gear?

Jian Xingyi, disoriented by the wind, frantically fired skills at them and the trees flashing by around him.

This trip can’t be for nothing…!

Just then, Shuixi said, “Hold on tight.”

“Hm…?”

Hm…

Hm?????!

Jian Xingyi saw a sheer cliff looming before them.

Ahhhhh, what the hell is Shuixi doing?!

Why isn’t he slowing down? He’s flooring it instead!

“What are you doing…!”

“Waaah—”

Shuixi… rode the motorcycle straight over the edge!!

The bike soared into the air.

Jian Xingyi felt the world fall silent, his heart skipping a beat.

Glancing down at the bottomless abyss, he buried his face into Shuixi’s back as they hung suspended.

“Thud!” The bike landed safely on the opposite bank. Shuixi used the momentum to swerve, drawing his gun to face the pursuing Dodo beasts head-on and shooting them all down.

By the time Jian Xingyi regained his senses, the three Dodo beasts were already tumbling down the cliff, wailing. He could still faintly hear the dull thuds of heavy objects hitting the ground.

Shuixi explained, “Sorry for scaring you, but those three Dodo beasts are massive. If we’d let them land, they’d have crushed us.”

Jian Xingyi’s heart was still pounding wildly. He stared blankly, “Oh…!”

Don’t… don’t mention it. That was pretty thrilling!

Shuixi stepped closer to check on him. “You okay?”

Jian Xingyi nodded vigorously. “I’m fine! Don’t worry, big shot! I may be a noob, but I’ll follow orders and not cause trouble! Whatever you think is best!”

Shuixi was both amused and exasperated. He glanced down at the cliff’s base. “So, shall we continue down?”

Jian Xingyi: “Huh?”

Jian Xingyi stared at the pitch-black, bottomless abyss…

But… we can’t just do whatever we want!

Jian Xingyi was so startled he completely forgot to check what he’d obtained and how much essence value he’d gained from the A-rank Dodo beast. After all, he hadn’t just encountered Dodo beasts along the way—he’d also taken advantage of the chaos to tap trees.

Shuixi explained, “The meat from three Dodo beasts is massive. We need to go down to collect it, and there are more resources down there.”

Dodo beasts weren’t infected beasts but map bosses, so they could even split the meat evenly—and even split, it was still plenty.

As for map resources, the more dangerous and less frequented the place, the more abundant they tended to be.

Shuixi’s principle was simple: harvest where the bounty was richest.

Below… lay the true “belly of the fire god”—a realm near the Earth’s core, a paradise of magma.

Shuixi wasn’t entirely sure about Jian Xingyi’s abilities, but during previous dungeon runs, he’d always managed to spot and obsess over peculiar plants. Wouldn’t the underground be perfect for that?

Shuixi recalled the abundance of plants down there.

In fact, Jian Xingyi’s guess was probably spot-on. The reason plants are scarce around lava volcanoes is the high pollution levels. But the closer you get to the magma core—the heart of the earth—where magma is most concentrated, the lower the pollution levels become. Consequently, resources and plants are more abundant there.

Down there, there are also many fierce beasts nourished by the magma. A trip down would surely yield substantial rewards.

Jian Xingyi recoiled at the sight of the cliff, taking a few steps back. “How are we supposed to get down there?” he asked, on the verge of tears.

Shuixi: “Two options. One: find the cave passage at the summit and descend into the Earth’s core. Takes three days. Two: go straight down from here. Fifteen minutes. My bike’s been modified—it can handle the descent.”

Shuixi pointed at the sheer cliff.

Jian Xingyi: “?”

Jian Xingyi glanced at the steep rock face. If Shuixi intended to ride down, the motorcycle would have to stand at a 90-degree angle!!

Just dive straight down, right?!

Jian Xingyi gave a dry laugh, muttering under his breath, “Truly an NPC…”

That fearless spirit, that terrifying skill…

Is this something humans would dare to do, let alone actually accomplish?!

What kind of cheat code is this, Digital Life?!

Jian Xingyi thought to himself. Shuixi might not fear death, but he sure did. He wasn’t going down there.

Seeing Jian Xingyi’s reluctance, Shuixi finally realized.

He was used to going solo and acting like a dictator. Jian Xingyi had always been so obedient around him that he’d forgotten… How could someone with a combat rating of 6 possibly have the guts to go down with him?

Shuixi also recalled that when he occasionally brought other guild members along for gathering, even T1 players mostly refused to risk their lives.

Or rather, T1 players were often better at assessing situations, judging risks, and avoiding danger.

This was also why Shuixi preferred soloing—most couldn’t keep up with his pace, severely limiting his freedom during exploration.

Shuixi began, “Actually…”

Jian Xingyi cut him off. “Let’s go down!”

Shuixi paused.

Hm…?

Jian Xingyi affirmed firmly, “It’s worth a try!”

Jian Xingyi reconsidered. If it weren’t for Shuixi, if it were anyone else, he might never have done something like this in his life—venturing to such a place for gathering. This was a novel experience.

In three days, the zombie tide would arrive. As a combat power 6… now 56 player, he could easily die. But precisely because he was so weak, he might as well embrace it with a carefree attitude!

Shuixi reminded him, “It’s more dangerous down there than up here.”

Jian Xingyi blinked. “If it gets dangerous, I’ll be counting on you… Are you confident?”

Shuixi froze, vaguely recalling that no one had ever asked him that before. After all, everyone knew his capabilities—it felt like a rhetorical question.

“Mhm.”

“Heh, then let’s go.”

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath. “I’ll try my best… I won’t fly off!”

Shuixi was also pondering. Riding a motorcycle on the cliffside desert was bound to be unpredictable. If a rock suddenly appeared, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t fling Jian Xingyi off. After all, this was the first time someone unafraid of him dared to sit on the back of his bike. He had no similar experience to draw upon.

Shuixi: “There’s one way to absolutely guarantee you won’t fly off.”

“Huh?”

It’s just… a bit…

Two minutes later.

“I-is this the method you mentioned?” Jian Xingyi’s cheeks burned, his ears red enough to drip blood.

The so-called “absolutely won’t fly off” position was this: Jian Xingyi sat in front of Shuixi, facing him.

To maintain this position, Jian Xingyi had to straddle Shuixi’s waist with his legs spread apart. Shuixi’s arms, needing to grip the handlebars, would thread through Jian Xingyi’s armpits and wrap around his waist.

This was no different from being held by Shuixi… no difference at all!

Even an NPC would find this weird, right?!

Jian Xingyi was intensely grateful that he was a full head shorter than Shuixi, preventing them from being truly “face-to-face” right now. He stared at Shuixi’s broad chest rising and falling slightly, desperately trying to distract himself by thinking about other things.

Like… Shuixi’s rock-hard abs and arm muscles, and how his Adam’s apple bobbed in a rather…

Ugh!

Not that kind of thing, Jian Xingyi!

Like… like how detailed the NPC models are in this game! And the breathing and heartbeat!

But why does Shuixi’s breathing feel so heavy? Is he nervous about the cliff dive coming up, too?

Wait, NPCs aren’t supposed to have emotions, right? How could he be nervous?

Jian Xingyi felt a twinge of unease. He looked up and saw Shuixi’s ears and neck… flushed bright red.

Jian Xingyi blinked, completely unaware that his own face was even redder.

Shuixi took a deep breath, composed himself, and pretended to be crouched against his chest—as if he were merely holding a little meatball.

He twisted the throttle. The motorcycle growled with a deep, muffled roar, like a beast coiled and ready to strike.

This beast had massive tires and a sturdy chassis, capable of executing extreme maneuvers.

“Roar…”

Jian Xingyi closed his eyes.

Whoosh—

The bike plunged toward the abyss!!

“Wah—!!”

After the bike started descending, Jian Xingyi felt nothing but sheer tension.

This sensation was just like a drop tower ride—sudden weightlessness as it hurtled downward!

He clung tightly to Shuixi, practically wedging himself against him, feeling blood rush to his brain and his entire body slammed by the force of the impact.

“Clang!! Rumble!!”

Jian Xingyi was jolted dizzy, grateful he’d held this position—otherwise he’d be a free-flying Jian Xingyi right now.

He simply didn’t have the strength to brace himself!! Frankly, he was only held in place by the angle of his body wedged between the bike and Shuixi.

Shuixi was no slouch either. He’d taken the official route down, spending three days collecting resources along the way.

He’d pulled stunts like this on other maps before, but the distance here was longer, and the cliffs were steeper.

To dodge sudden boulders, Shuixi often took sharp turns, the bike nearly scraping the ground.

But the bike’s descent was rapid. His reactions had to be lightning-fast, cutting corners ahead of the extreme speed.

It was exhilarating.

Holding Jian Xingyi close, Shuixi narrowed his eyes, utterly focused. He relished this thrill, this dance on the edge of death.

As for Jian Xingyi…

Jian Xingyi was speechless.

Holy crap————

He… he was just a farming player————

Waaah————

Jian Xingyi screamed silently—after all, a socially anxious person’s habit was to remain quiet even when the sky fell.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Fifteen minutes later.

The two landed safely… or rather, not very safely.

Jian Xingyi pressed his hand hard against his chest, trying to steady his nerves.

Shuixi crouched down to inspect his beloved bike.

The bike wasn’t wrecked—it was Jian Xingyi who’d suffered non-physical disintegration.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath and surveyed the surroundings.

…??

“Whoa…!!!”

Jian Xingyi’s eyes lit up. The lingering fear vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming excitement.

Before his eyes stretched a sea of fiery-red trees. Their leaves were… burning?! Though the leaves danced with fire, the trees themselves stood lush and thriving, not scorched in the slightest. The ground was densely covered with Fire Spirit Flowers devoid of crystals, while a river of molten lava flowed nearby.

But none of that was the point. The point was…

Spots!

Clickable spots everywhere!

Shuixi stowed the motorcycle, raising an eyebrow. “More up ahead. Let’s go.”