Splash—

The scorching lava surged toward them with overwhelming force, leaving little time for either to react.

This was merely the first wave—a modest appetizer.

Shuixi no longer debated who should go first; he simply opened his umbrella outward. Jian Xingyi did the same.

Lava struck the umbrellas, splashing inward onto Jian Xingyi. Yet these drops were mere trifles to him, still within the scope of his skills that he could handle.

The umbrella held out for a few minutes before melting away. The next moment, both immediately produced new ones.

But more unbearable than the lava were the scorching heat and thick smoke.

Shuixi had prepared tools long ago. Now he pulled out an object resembling an ice cube. Jian Xingyi guessed it was a precious item obtained elsewhere, capable of cooling the surrounding air.

When the smoke rose to an unbearable level, Shuixi conjured yet another dispersal item as if by magic.

The umbrella melted again. Without a word, both repeated the same motion, replacing it with a fresh one.

The first wave of lava subsided.

But immediately, a louder roar echoed—the appetizer was over, and now came the real… eruption.

Boom—

Boom—

Facing outward, Shuixi clearly saw the lava filling the entire space nearby surging toward them.

He threw out temperature-control and black-smoke-dispelling items as if they were worthless.

But even if their umbrellas could block the next wave, they would be engulfed by the lava!

With only seconds left before being submerged, Shuixi thought: he still had one unused random anchor point. This anchor could transport them away immediately—his only one capable of changing location.

Using it here was a pity, but not a waste.

Yet he’d never activated this anchor point before—there was no guarantee where it would take them.

But surely better than staying here? Even the lair of a Dodo beast would be preferable.

Shuixi pulled Jian Xingyi into his arms, holding him tightly in case the anchor missed him. His other hand reached for an item, but in the next instant, a “boom” echoed as they were surrounded.

…?

Strange… hard shells appeared all around them.

Jian Xingyi, likely too tense to care about being held, muttered with lingering fear, “My Nut Wall finally comes in handy!! Praise the VIP Mall!”

This round goes to Plants vs. Zombies!

Shuixi: “…”

So this is… the solution Jian Xingyi mentioned?

Whatever else, it’s… surprisingly effective.

Crash———

Lava surged forward, and the two huddled inside the tiny shells felt the immense impact.

Shuixi examined the shells.

What kind of strange item was this? He’d never seen it before.

“Crack.”

The little shell seemed on the verge of shattering under wave after wave of impact.

Jian Xingyi: “I-I-I still have three more in my backpack! It should hold out, right?!”

Splash—

Another shockwave hit, nearly roasting them alive as scorching heat seeped through the cracks, clashing with Shuixi’s gadget.

With a “snap,” the nut wall finally shattered. Jian Xingyi quickly replaced it, but during the brief moment of switching tools, a significant amount of magma surged in, splashing onto Jian Xingyi’s back and Shuixi’s legs.

Shuixi’s brows furrowed slightly. Jian Xingyi hissed, “Ugh…” But it was still bearable!

Praise the Fire God and the Priest!

It’s… not a big deal. As long as you don’t get completely submerged or burned to ashes, you can usually be revived with medicine. Sisi got drenched by him before, but after taking medicine, she was back to her lively self, ready to cause trouble again!

Wave after wave came. Jian Xingyi used his last Nut Wall, silently urging himself to hold on!

This was his last one!

Finally held in Shuixi’s arms, Jian Xingyi buried her face against his chest, gripping his back nervously. “This… cough… is the very last one!”

He’d purchased every update from the VIP store, but quantities were limited.

Shuixi’s hand gently patted Jian Xingyi’s back. “Don’t be afraid.”

The world around them shattered as the outside became a living hell. Inside the tiny nutshell, the two were tossed about until they were dizzy and disoriented. The brown shell was scorched black, their lives hanging by a thread, protected only by the thin shell and the small tools within.

As the assault outside gradually weakened, Shuixi glimpsed through the cracks that the lava was slowly receding, the lake’s water level steadily falling.

It seemed the purge… was ending!

Yet at the very last moment, the nutshell began to buckle, on the verge of shattering.

“Crack.”

As it shattered, Shuixi’s eyes sharpened. He swiftly scooped Jian Xingyi into a horizontal embrace and leapt onto the cliff face.

Spotting a protruding rock, Shuixi wedged Jian Xingyi securely between himself and the cliff.

Jian Xingyi looked down to see a surging river of magma below. The Nut Shell, having endured so much, had heroically sacrificed itself, shattering and melting away in the molten sea.

Jian Xingyi instinctively clutched Shuixi’s collar, still somewhat dazed.

The two watched the shifting world in silence.

The entire cavern was now a fiery inferno, and here they stood… utterly insignificant.

The lava engulfed everything, then gradually receded.

Yet as the lava vanished, as if by magic, the scorched ground began sprouting fresh, tender grass, flowers of every hue, and trees growing ever taller.

In an instant, the barren land was densely covered in verdant growth—all rare and exotic plants Jian Xingyi had never seen on the volcanic terrain.

They witnessed the destruction and rebirth of an entire ecosystem.

All things revived, lush and green.

“Wow…”

Jian Xingyi wrapped her arms around Shuixi’s neck and laughed, “We survived!!”

Shuixi paused.

He was too close.

So close he could feel the warmth of his breath on his neck.

This felt extremely unfamiliar—not the distance he maintained with others.

But Jian Xingyi, still basking in the joy of their narrow escape, was oblivious to the suggestive nature of their posture.

Shuixi leapt down, landing steadily on the ground and setting Jian Xingyi down.

Jian Xingyi, like a monkey returning to the mountains, dashed off, running freely through the oasis… gathering essence!

Ahhhhh!

Praise the Fire God!!!

Right now, he single-handedly forgave the volcanic eruption!

Wait, no—not forgiven. He condemned it fiercely, but the resources were undeniably sweet!

[Collection successful, absorbed [Essence] x27]

[Collection successful, absorbed [Essence] x19]

[Collection successful, absorbed [Essence] x21]

Newly spawned plants are the best—pure, natural, and unpolluted!

But despite the abundance of essence, Jian Xingyi kept tapping and only found the rice-radish-wheat trio.

Seriously? Even in such a rare spot, it’s still the same trio?

Shuixi let Jian Xingyi run wild collecting while he went to the mall to buy medicine for both himself and Jian Xingyi.

Both of them were covered in wounds, big and small. Jian Xingyi, however, had just endured extreme tension and anxiety. Now, overcome with excitement, he hadn’t fully processed what had happened.

Every last bat in the cave had been incinerated, yet Jian Xingyi’s essence value had already skyrocketed to 1552 points.

As he gathered nearby, some plants inexplicably yielded no essence, but those that did provided massive amounts. After circling the area, he managed to push his essence value up to 2566!

Holy crap…

Since he started playing this game, no single map or region had ever granted him such a massive amount of essence in one go.

This was the weight of a map surpassing an A-grade!

This was what he and Shuixi deserved after facing life-and-death trials together!

This journey yielded a terrifying quantity of beast meat: 9 lambs, 30 cattle, and dairy cows.

Most crucially… it was enough essence to upgrade five plots of land to A-rank, or to upgrade the breeding area!

The next moment, the system alert sounded.

[Collection successful. Congratulations, player, you have obtained a Purple-A-rank seed!]

[Collection successful…

[Collection successful…

Jian Xingyi’s eyes lit up.

He knew it! In such a vast new area, after gathering essence from so many rare plants and herbs, there had to be at least one rare seed!

Three flashes of purple light blinded Jian Xingyi, who happily clicked to open the notification.

[Collection Successful, Obtained [Un-Nirvanated] Seeds x40]…?

Huh? What does this mean?

All three purple entries read [Un-Nirvanated]. Jian Xingyi tapped the details in confusion.

[Seeds born from the Fire God’s belly, revived from extreme heat. Perhaps it requires another absolute to complete its Nirvana.]

Jian Xingyi was utterly baffled.

“Apply the ointment.”

Shuixi’s voice cut through the silence abruptly. Still processing the meaning, Jian Xingyi unconsciously extended his injured leg.

Shuixi: “…”

You really are a natural chatterbox.

As socially anxious as Jian Xingyi was, he likely never imagined he’d be labeled a “natural chatterbox” by someone else.

Shuixi helplessly propped Jian Xingyi’s leg onto her knee to apply the ointment.

Jian Xingyi handed Shuixi the system’s explanation to read.

“Omniscient Shuixi-sama, what do you think this means… Ouch! Ouch!”

Jian Xingyi instinctively tried to pull his leg back in pain.

Shuixi grabbed Jian Xingyi’s ankle firmly. “Bear with it.”

After applying the ointment, Shuixi took the terminal to examine it. After a moment’s thought, he said, “This seed can’t be planted or used yet?”

“Mm-hmm!”

Shuixi explained, “Maybe the system means this seed was soaked in super-hot magma, so you might need to take it to soak in an ice-cold spring before it can be used.”

Jian Xingyi: “?”

Jian Xingyi stared blankly at Shuixi’s serious expression, momentarily unsure whether he was joking or offering genuine advice.

But upon reflection… it actually made perfect sense.

Jian Xingyi muttered blankly, “Where on earth am I supposed to find an ice-cold spring…”

Shuixi replied, “The cooling item I just used was obtained from the Qianzong Snow Mountain instance.”

“Huh?” Jian Xingyi was confused. What did that mean?

Shuixi: “…”

He forgot he was an NPC.

Shuixi: “I meant, the cooling item I just used is something regular players can get in Qianzong Snow Mountain. That map is full of ice springs.”

The black smoke dispersal and cooling items Shuixi used were both S-tier dungeon ultra-rare items. Most people couldn’t possibly obtain that many at once. If you tried to pull that line on players who’d never seen the true face of Shanhai… well, it might just work.

Jian Xingyi gasped, “Wow! Your service area covers that far?”

In terms of distance, the closest area to Peace Mountain was the Lava Volcano. Beyond that lay the popular resource gathering spot—Flag-Raising Mountain. This was the most heavily built-up area on the map outside Dawn Town, featuring an arena, a hospital, and abandoned military facilities, rich in resources. Unlike Dawn Town, however, none of these structures had NPCs operating within them.

Further down lay the sparsely populated Thousand Bells Snow Mountain.

It’s not due to scarce resources; the reason Qianzong Snow Mountain remains uninhabited mirrors that of Fire God’s Belly—extreme difficulty and harsh temperatures.

Jian Xingyi scratched his head. “Well, I can’t exactly take them to Qianzong Snow Mountain for a bath either…”

Even Lava Volcano was considered dangerous territory for him; Qianzong Snow Mountain was pure fantasy.

Shuixi: “Next time… if there’s a chance, I’ll take you.”

“Next time” and “if there’s a chance” were empty promises—phrases built on too many uncertainties. Yet Shuixi spoke earnestly, and Jian Xingyi listened intently.

Now, only one day remained before the zombie tide was teleported back home.

The system’s scheduled purge seemed to have cleared the area. The two continued forward, preparing to stay until the system sent them back.

Jian Xingyi explored the surroundings with delight.

Whoosh—!

A bizarre-looking Dodo beast suddenly lunged out of the grass, breathing fire at them.

“…!”

Shuixi yanked Jian Xingyi aside and swiftly dispatched the creature with a gun.

Raising an eyebrow at the still-dazed Jian Xingyi, Shuixi remarked, “Don’t be fooled by the illusions around us. This is the heart of the earth, deep within the Fire God’s belly.”

The surroundings resembled paradise, and resources seemed abundant to Jian Xingyi. For instance, his essence value had surged from 2566 to 2712 since arriving.

But this was ultimately a map surpassing Class A difficulty.

“Oh, oh…”

Jian Xingyi scratched his head, deciding to clarify, “I’m usually not this clueless.”

“?”

Jian Xingyi explained earnestly and honestly, “It’s because I feel less guarded with you here.”

If he were alone out there, even in Peace Mountain or in his current state, he might have been able to handle it!

Earlier, when he went to the Lava Volcano with Haihai and Lone Wolf, he had relaxed just a tiny bit.

But Shuixi was different from them.

How were they different…

Jian Xingyi fell into thought again.

Shuixi averted his gaze.

“Hmm… hmm.”

How come this guy was so familiar?

The two continued walking forward. This place had no sky; layer upon layer of mountain walls stretched out, signaling they were going deeper and deeper.

Oases grew increasingly scarce amidst the lava, an unimaginable fusion of molten rock and lush green forests.

Even these vibrant trees were literally burning in a physical sense.

Then Jian Xingyi acquired yet another A-grade seed requiring rebirth.

…Help me out here. He now had four unusable A-grade seeds. They were clearly in his backpack, yet he couldn’t use them. He still didn’t know what they were. This was pure torture!

It was like pulling a golden card in a gacha, only for the system to say it disappeared due to lag.

Hmm.

Jian Xingyi stuffed the seeds into the farthest corner of his backpack, filled with resentment.

Jian Xingyi felt they’d gathered most of the surrounding resources. After deciding to sit and rest while waiting for time to pass, he took a deep breath, suddenly pulled out his axe, and declared, “Time to chop down a tree!”

Shuixi: “……?”

Jian Xingyi actually started hacking away with a satisfying thud-thud.

One hour later.

Shuixi: “…Need help?”

Jian Xingyi wiped his sweat. “No need. Even if someone else did it, it wouldn’t count. The wood doesn’t go into my backpack.”

Another hour later.

Shuixi sat nearby, watching somewhat bored as Jian Xingyi chopped from left to right, then right to left.

Is this what a management player looks like?

How fascinating.

Who would actually chop trees in this place?

Though exhausted, Jian Xingyi felt quite pleased.

The trees here might be higher level or have lower pollution, making them much easier to chop than those on the surface. Plus, they dropped twice as much wood!

He’d spent over three hours intermittently chopping on the ground for 817 pieces of wood. Now, after two hours of full-throttle effort, he had 2000 pieces—far more efficient than before!

So the total combined…

2817/6000!

Still a long way to go…

Damn lychees! Damn greenhouses!

Jian Xingyi leaned against a tree, panting heavily with his tongue hanging out. He needed a slice of watermelon and a break!

Shuixi approached. “Aren’t you tired of chopping like that?”

Jian Xingyi: “A bit.”

His back was soaked through with sweat.

Shuixi: “I think I have an idea.”

Shuixi pulled a chain tool from his backpack and wrapped it around the axe.

Jian Xingyi watched his movements with curiosity.

Then Shuixi swung the chain, flinging the axe-and-chain combo forward with a powerful flick. It swept horizontally through the surrounding area with a heavy thud.

Crack—crack—crack-crack—

The axe swept cleanly through every tree in the vicinity, its force so immense it made the trunks tremble.

Jian Xingyi: “…”

What kind of black tech is this…

Only in a virtual world could you pull something like this off…

Jian Xingyi watched the bulging veins and muscles on Shuixi’s arm, swallowing hard. “The idea is good, but I can’t use it?”

The usually taciturn, coldly restrained Shuixi… suddenly felt playful and uttered words that could make Grapevine Peak suspect he’d been possessed.

“Call me ‘Brother,’ and I’ll help you.”

Jian Xingyi was puzzled.

What kind of condition was this? He’d thought it would involve money or food? Be realistic!

Jian Xingyi blinked earnestly. “Brother Shuixi, I need you to chop down a tree for me.”

Shuixi paused.

He looked away.

Half a minute later.

The motorcycle reappeared. Shuixi drove with one hand while gripping Jian Xingyi’s hand with the other, both clutching the chains together.

Jian Xingyi now sat in front of Shuixi.

…Honestly, after facing each other like that, this was nothing to either of them now.

Vroom—

As the motorcycle revved up, Shuixi swung hard, flinging Jian Xingyi and the axe forward.

Leveraging Shuixi’s grip and the bike’s turn, Jian Xingyi managed to swing the axe in a full circle around them.

3001/6000

“Whoa…!” Jian Xingyi stared wide-eyed at the rapidly swelling pile of wood in his backpack. “This actually works!”

Way too high-tech!!

Shuixi steered the motorcycle in spirals forward, swiftly clearing all the surrounding wood with Jian Xingyi in tow.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself: Shuixi brand tree-chopping machine—reliable, durable, and anyone who uses it knows!

3167/6000

3441/6000

The wood count surged at an astonishing rate.

The pair rode their motorcycle around the entire underground realm, dispatching numerous beasts along the way.

Before they knew it, they were just half an hour away from the zombie tide’s commencement.

“Half an hour left before I get sent home. The zombie tide is about to start,” Jian Xingyi glanced at Shuixi.

Three hours after teleporting home, the system’s Zombie Tide Feast commenced.

During this period, Jian Xingyi had time to slowly upgrade the barriers, prepare for battle alongside his guildmates, and complete the food trade with Grapevine Peak.

Next, all server players and guilds would face a life-or-death battle over the next five days.

Currently, most players are gathering resources in remote areas, building up their strength.

Jian Xingyi glanced at his inventory—his wood count was nearing 5000!

It still wouldn’t be enough before the zombie tide, but… the war lasted five days. If there were gaps, he could chop wood inside the guild!

It was just a bit odd—others were slashing monsters while he chopped trees.

Shuixi nodded.

This meant they would part ways.

Jian Xingyi looked at Shuixi and said, “These past three days… thank you.”

They stood very, very close. Jian Xingyi was held close by Shuixi, so when he turned to speak, Shuixi’s nose nearly touched his forehead.

“You’re welcome,” Shuixi replied. “We’ll meet again.”

“…Mhm.” Jian Xingyi lowered his gaze.

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent for three seconds.

Jian Xingyi withdrew his axe.

The next moment…

BOOM—

After the axe swept through one of the trees, it knocked down a… hornet’s nest.

Jian Xingyi: “?”

Shuixi: “?”

Wait, how come this hornet’s nest feels way bigger than normal?

It was enormous—larger than the tree itself after falling out. How it fit inside was beyond comprehension. Could it be mutated?

And when half-human-head-sized hornets swarmed out, both of them knew for sure… this was definitely mutated!

Shuixi reacted instantly, spinning the motorcycle around and speeding away.

“Woo-hoo—”

Jian Xingyi’s face twisted in horror. “That was terrifying!!”

This was scarier than an A-class Dodo beast!

True to their names, Fire God Belly and Earth Core!

Shuixi thought Jian Xingyi was equally absurd—the guy was firing skills at the hornet while looking utterly terrified.

What on earth could he possibly gain from that thing?

A swarm of hornets hot on their heels, the pair revved the motorcycle to top speed.

Just then, the system voice echoed across the entire server—identical to the female voice they’d heard when they first arrived.

[System Notice: The Zombie Tide will commence in 3.05 system hours!]

[In five minutes, the system will teleport all players home.]

Shuixi hesitated, then abruptly steered the motorcycle toward the cliff edge of the cave.

Jian Xingyi caught his intent and chuckled.

They had intended to bid each other farewell calmly and await the teleportation, but never imagined it would end this way…

But it wasn’t so bad!

“Buzz… buzz…”

The swarm of hornets still pursued them. Shuixi’s calculation was correct—these mutated hornets were too large, so they would catch up quickly.

The wasps… or whatever monstrosities they’d become, their bodies pulsing red and blue, looked infected. Getting stung by one would surely send you straight to meet the Fire God.

But as the wasps closed in, and Jian Xingyi could feel the monsters’ presence, the motorcycle reached the cliff’s edge. Below lay searing lava.

30…

In the final half-minute, the hornet flapped upward, while the motorcycle soared into the air, launching over the cliff’s edge.

“Waaah—”

20…

The two entered free fall, forcing the hornet to turn back.

10…

Just before they plunged into the lava, their figures began to fade from each other’s sight.

The teleportation began.

Shuixi gave Jian Xingyi an almost imperceptible curl of the lip.

We’ll meet again.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Opening his eyes once more, Jian Xingyi found himself back in his own home.

He looked up to see the clouds in the sky… had grown even redder.

【Attention players of Dawnbreaker V2.0: The Ark has activated! Survive the Corpse Tide Assessment to earn your right to board the new paradise!】

【Dawn will not come. Only by relying on yourselves can you carve a path through the blood. The zombie tide carnival officially begins!!】