The first thing to do upon returning home was naturally to handle the goods.

This batch would be everyone’s final resupply before the zombie tide.

First came the harvest. The fields in the Lava Volcano Zone were only C-grade and could not be immediately synthesized into food. Thus, Jian Xingyi had already harvested and synthesized them via his terminal while out. Now, he directly listed 72 cans of pickled bamboo shoots priced at 1000 dawn coins each and 16 cans priced at 2500 dawn coins each.

His home had 13 B-grade fields. After setting aside 3 for feed, he harvested 80 watermelons worth 3000 dawn coins each, which were also listed immediately. The remaining fields yielded potatoes.

Perhaps because the zombie tide was imminent, and everyone had been traveling far or gathering resources intensely these past days, people were relatively flush with cash.

Besides… who knew if they’d even survive?

Unlike last time, these goods didn’t sell slowly. 350,000 Dawn Coins were in hand in an instant.

Jian Xingyi was somewhat surprised by the purchasing power in the Peace Mountain Region.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Jian Xingyi, the Lava Volcano Zone was engulfed in chaos.

With the zombie tide approaching, the Wildfire Guild had completely lost the trust of local players.

[So disappointing… We planned to stockpile supplies for the zombie tide, but because of the Wildfire Guild’s selfishness, we couldn’t even buy a single jar of Xinghe goods.]

[Wildfire hoarded tons of Xinghe goods for themselves, yet treated us like this!]

In short, the argument was raging.

But the protagonist of this dispute remained oblivious. He simply reasoned that since Liehuo refused to pay the transaction fees, he might as well skip the hassle of cross-region transfers altogether.

After all, the fees only needed to be paid three times, and the multiplier was based on the goods themselves.

Therefore, Jian Xingyi decided: either don’t sell at all, or make one big sale.

Right now, he was busy fulfilling a big-spender’s order—160 boxes of Potato Stir-fry with Meat from Grapevine Peak!

Jian Xingyi had harvested more potatoes this time, so he was completely stress-free. As for the meat… Jian Xingyi glanced at his flock of sheep. It wasn’t harvest time yet, so he’d have to use game meat instead.

He pulled out a generous amount of game meat from his backpack.

Jian Xingyi’s retail price was 2500, but Grapevine Peak was willing to pay 5000 dawn coins. So he doubled the meat portion in each potato box.

It wasn’t just about the price. First, he’d harvested a lot of game meat this time. Second, this was his first deal with the big-shot Grapevine Peak Guild. Might as well make a good impression—there’d be plenty more collaborations ahead!

Jian Xingyi prepared the meal boxes, tagged them for purchase exclusively by Grapevine Peak’s Firelight via the marketplace, and sent Firelight a private message.

Firelight: [Thanks!]

Immediately, 800,000 coins appeared in Jian Xingyi’s account!

After handling all this, Jian Xingyi glanced at his remaining inventory.

Potatoes… there were truly a lot of them.

Especially since most of his Grade B fields were planted with potatoes this time.

He prepared 80 extra boxes of stir-fried potatoes with meat, storing them away for use in the upcoming guild war.

After handling the ingredients, Jian Xingyi turned to repairing the fences.

Repairing all the fences required 1.6 million. He had already earned 1.28 million earlier, so this batch of transactions netted him a total of… 1.15 million!

Holy cow!

With the Grapevine Peak order, the profits were truly impressive!

That meant after repairing the fences, he’d still have 830,000 left!

After completing all fence repairs, Jian Xingyi stashed the remaining 830,000 away for emergencies. After all, no one knew what might happen during the next zombie tide.

The guild channel buzzed with activity.

[Hold up, after teleporting back, I noticed something… All four guild gates’ fences are fixed?! I thought it was hopeless!]

Heiye: [Here’s the deal, @Xinghe said he’d handle all the fences, so the rest of us Guild Administrators focused on upgrading weapons—gave us tons of breathing room!]

[Holy crap… That’s what you call a boss move, handling all the fences single-handedly… That must’ve cost a fortune!!! Even though Xinghe’s combat power is only 6, being in the same guild as him gives me such a huge sense of security!]

[Waaah, I feel so protected!]

[During the zombie tide, we’ll protect Xinghe!! @BigShotXinghe, just leave the fighting to us during the zombie tide!]

[+1]

[+1111]

Lone Wolf, Haihai, Heiye, Baizhou, and others silently added their +1s.

Jian Xingyi couldn’t stop smiling. Though he’d repair the fence regardless of everyone’s reactions and claim his reward from Heiye afterward, it still felt incredibly satisfying to have his efforts acknowledged and appreciated.

Heiye: [You’re all right. With proper manpower allocation, Xinghe will be our guild’s logistics backbone during this zombie tide—our most crucial support and rear guard! So logistics is crucial—it could even decide our victory or defeat, life or death!]

Heiye had already discussed this with Jian Xingyi beforehand.

Jian Xingyi would cover nearly all the guild’s expenses for this zombie tide, as long as they reimbursed him with the corresponding rewards afterward.

Thus, for this zombie tide, Jian Xingyi took on the logistics responsibilities.

Logistics isn’t just about food. During the horde, fences wear down and need repair funds. Items, weapons, and other purchasable goods also drop along the way.

Jian Xingyi must keep a constant eye on all this. It’s safe to say that besides Heiye and the captains guarding each gate, Jian Xingyi is one of the most crucial figures in this horde.

Perhaps Jian Xingyi never imagined that he, a farmer with barely any combat skills, would ever reach this day…

Feels like the entire guild has placed a huge responsibility on me!

Heiye: [When the zombie tide arrives, all four gates will be under attack. That’s why we’ve appointed four captains, each responsible for the safety of one gate. The main gate will be the most challenging to defend. @Akita will handle the main gate, with @Haihai assisting due to the difficulty. @Baizhou will take the rear gate, @Feiyi the west gate, and @Lone Wolf the east gate. I’ve also assigned the remaining members—remember to register with your respective captains.]

Heiye: [I’ll monitor the situation from the lookout tower. All four captains and @Xinghe, stay tuned to my updates in the channel. Captains needing supplies should tag Xinghe in the channel.]

Jian Xingyi glanced at it, his brow slightly furrowed.

Their guild… was indeed severely understaffed.

Though he hadn’t participated, he’d witnessed others’ tactics during Blue Sky and White Clouds.

The main gate’s difficulty was absurdly high. Even with Lone Wolf’s brother—the guild’s top fighter, Akita—holding the line, plus Haihai assisting, it would still be incredibly tough. Frankly, Akita and Haihai were only T2-tier.

But no one else could come to help. Not only were two people still at the main gate, but the remaining gates each had only one player… Relying on a single high-tier player to hold a gate alone was frankly stretched thin. Moreover, while Feiyi and Lone Wolf could be considered Tier 2, Baizhou was only Tier 3.

Jian Xingyi felt their guild… was in a bit of danger.

Jian Xingyi explained the situation to Firelight.

Firelight: [Hmm… Two T2s are guarding the main gate, and only one high-level player is at the side gate. Honestly, I don’t think the odds are in your favor. This situation definitely needs backup. Alright, we’ll send reinforcements.]

Receiving Firelight’s promise, Jian Xingyi felt slightly reassured.

He continued tending his fields.

Before planting the same crops again, he wanted to do the most enjoyable thing first—level up!

Woo-hoo!!!

Who among his family understood? After visiting the Fire God’s Belly, he now had… 2712 Essence Points!

After pondering for a while, Jian Xingyi decided to expand the livestock area first.

He spent 500 points to upgrade the only livestock area, Area 1, from D-rank to C-rank.

The once-dilapidated sheep pen now looked refined, and its capacity doubled from five to ten animals.

Jian Xingyi still had 34 sheep, 30 cattle, and 30 dairy cows in his inventory.

Jian Xingyi pondered briefly. Since sheep and cattle weren’t vastly different, he filled the remaining five empty stalls with dairy cows.

Can’t wait for the milk!

After completing this, he still had 2212 essence points left. He upgraded four B-grade fields to A-grade.

【Congratulations! Player [Xinghe] has obtained [Fields of Eternal Memory] x4!】

With A-grade fields, not only did his harvests double, but he could also collect essence points and identical seeds during harvest to complete a self-sustaining cycle. Waaah… He’d never have to worry about running out of A-grade or higher seeds again!

After completing this, he had only 212 essence points left.

He now owned 4 Grade A and 9 Grade B plots.

He planted feed, watermelons, chili peppers, and spring bamboo shoots across the Grade A fields.

…Potatoes were definitely not a seed concern in the near future.

Subsequently, he planted all remaining crops.

Jian Xingyi glanced at his backpack, which contained 5221 pieces of wood.

He still needed 6,000 pieces to build the greenhouse. Jian Xingyi wondered if he’d have time to gather them during the next five days of zombie waves.

779 pieces of wood… honestly, it shouldn’t take too long.

…Probably.

That depends on the drop rate from guild trees.

As Jian Xingyi pondered this, the chat window exploded with messages.

[Wait, why is Firelight in our guild?!!]

[Holy crap, not just Firelight—Le Ke and Nana too!!]

[Huh?? Seriously? Le Ke??]

At the entrance.

The trio on Grapevine Peak stood by, waiting for Heiye to grant access—they couldn’t enter either.

Heiye and several Guild Administrators were already inspecting the gate barriers. Seeing the group, they froze.

“Hello…?”

Firelight smiled brightly. “Is this the Long Live for a Hundred Years Guild? Where’s Xinghe?”

For a moment, Heiye thought Jian Xingyi had gotten into trouble and offended someone.

But it didn’t quite feel like it…

“Here!”

Jian Xingyi arrived breathlessly. “I… I was busy with the fields and forgot to mention—I struck a deal with Grapevine Peak. I’ll supply them with food, and when they have surplus, they’ll come help us like this…”

Firelight chuckled playfully. “Because the food is simply too delicious! We were worried about losing our regular cook, so when we heard about your situation, we came to help. Do you need any support?“

”We… we need it…” Heiye was stunned.

Grapevine Peak only had about seventy members, yet they sent three of them to support them—one of whom was T0, the server’s TOP 11 player, Leke…

Good heavens, what kind of status does Xinghe have!!!

Heiye looked at Jian Xingyi, both shocked and delighted. “So you made this kind of deal with Grapevine Peak! And called for backup! Getting Grapevine Peak’s assistance is truly an honor for us… My god…”

The others whispered among themselves. If this were the case… wouldn’t they be under Grapevine Peak’s protection from now on?!

Firelight clarified, “Yep, that’s right. If Xinghe calls us, we come.”

He then turned to Jian Xingyi, beaming with radiant sunshine: “This is a VIP service exclusive to Xinghe across the entire server!”

Firelight thought to himself: Though he was a workhorse, he wasn’t one anyone could summon at will. Only Jian Xingyi could command him like this. Otherwise, becoming a habitual crutch for others would be problematic.

Heiye remained cheerful. If Jian Xingyi could call him, that was a huge blessing!! He never dreamed such good fortune could come his way!

Heiye granted visitor permissions to the three.

The others were stunned.

Wow…

It felt like they’d latched onto a big shot—Xinghe’s coattails. When the master prospers, even the dogs and chickens rise.

Firelight said, “We’re new here and haven’t coordinated with you before, so we worry about disrupting your plans. How about this… if you trust us, hand over full control of the main gate to the three of us. You can arrange the rest yourselves. What do you say?”

Firelight was confident.

The main gate could be managed by just the three of them; the others would only get in the way.

Heiye and the Guild Administrators were stunned.

The Long Live for a Hundred Years Guild had over fifty members. Their original plan was to station most at the rear gate and the most challenging front gate. But now, with Firelight and his team…

Akita and Haihai could support the side gates! Members could be deployed more effectively!!

This undoubtedly solved their most pressing problem!

Heiye was on the verge of tears.

What kind of divine intervention was this?!

“Thank you so much… We’ll leave the main gate to you leaders! If you need anything, just tell Xinghe. He handles our logistics.”

“No problem.”

Heiye reassigned duties: the main gate went to Grapevine Peak. Backdoor Captain Baizhou gained Akita’s assistance, instantly transforming the most perilous gate into the most secure one within the Long Live for A Hundred Years. The West Gate remained unassigned, while the East Gate’s Lone Wolf gained Haihai. Moreover, members were now divided by three instead of four, drastically reducing everyone’s pressure.

Heiye and the others went to discuss strategies for the remaining three gates, while Firelight and the others, along with Jian Xingyi, stayed at the main gate.

Firelight introduced Jian Xingyi: “You should know everyone here. This is Nana, one of our guild’s most formidable warriors.”

Firelight gestured toward the girl who had arrived with them.

Nana was a tall, seductive older woman with striking, vibrant curls.

“Hello!” Nana extended her hand to Jian Xingyi with a smile. “Firelight said your food was delicious—and it truly is! This is the best meal I’ve had since joining this crappy game!”

Nana was absolutely right. An hour earlier, their guild had received the food box. When they opened it, everyone was stunned.

The box was enormous, divided into two generous halves. One half held glistening, cooked meat—marbled with fat and lean—while the other held thick potato slices, golden and tender.

The meat, though just ordinary beast meat, was incredibly satisfying in this post-apocalyptic world. The potato slices were crispy and fragrant when bitten into, yet melted in the mouth, soft and slightly powdery inside, leaving a profound sense of fullness.

“Thank you, Sister Nana…!” Jian Xingyi felt a bit embarrassed.

Nana felt a rush of satisfaction at being obediently called “sister” by Jian Xingyi.

“No problem.”

“And the portions are huge!” Le Kechimed in, “So happy!! Five thousand is totally worth it! Once we earn more money and our guild level gets higher, we’ll get the Guild Administrators to order even pricier meals—it’ll be even happier!”

“Thanks, Le…”

Le Ke shouted loudly, “No, no, no, don’t call me by my ID! I’ve told you so many times, I changed my name! I’m Cola!”

Jian Xingyi blinked.

Game IDs can’t be changed, so this was just Le… Cola unilaterally declared his new name, right?

“Got it, Brother Cola…”

【Attention all Dawnbreaker V2.0 players: The five-day Zombie Tide Festival commences in one system cycle!】

The group paused.

Cola shook his head. “Everyone, load up your ammo. Follow my commands. Even though we’re just a Level 20 guild, we’re only three people. Don’t underestimate the enemy.”

Nana and Firelight nodded.

Cola glanced at Jian Xingyi. “The first wave of the zombie tide shouldn’t be too tough. You probably won’t need to handle logistics yet. Want to stay here, watch the show, and lend a hand?”

“Okay.” Cola chuckled. “Then let me correct myself: don’t underestimate them. There are only four of us.”

【Attention Dawnbreaker V2.0 players: The five-day Zombie Tide Festival begins in half a system hour!】

Standing behind the fence, Jian Xingyi shared watermelon with everyone, ate some himself, and loaded his pistol.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath. With the Grapevine Peak bosses’ assistance and a full sense of security, he finally had the chance to stand here and experience the zombie tide!

Cola was checking the Grapevine Peak Guild’s internal messages.

“Wow, did you guys see that? Shanhai brought back so much loot. Wonder where he snuck off to these past few days.”

Firelight’s eyes sparkled. “That’s our captain for you!”

Nana snorted coldly. “Don’t even mention him.”

Jian Xingyi glanced at Nana curiously.

Nana chuckled. “What’s that look, Xinghe? Don’t I have the right to dislike Shanhai? What, are you a Shanhai fan too?”

“I’m not, just curious…” Jian Xingyi scratched his head, honestly admitting, “It feels like everyone in this game loves Shanhai. This is the first time I’ve seen someone dislike him, so I’m a bit curious.”

Cola chuckled, “Well, you’re actually right! Nana’s a special case… She used to adore Shanhai, chasing after him so hard everyone knew about it! But that guy Shanhai acted like an AI and never responded at all. Nana turned her love into hate! It’s still love at its core!“

Nana rolled her eyes. ”Love turned to hate? Love my ass! Those are all embarrassing memories. If my current boyfriend heard this, you guys wanna start a fight?”

Nana paused, then continued bitterly, “But I really think Shanhai is an AI. I used to wonder if he was a robot, but after watching him for a while, it’s not about being a robot or not. This guy just can’t fall for humans! His true loves are motorcycles and weapons… oh, and maybe fighting.”

Cola thought for a moment before saying, “Makes sense. I’m his real-life buddy too, but what you’re saying… is undeniable. He probably doesn’t have a ‘thing’.”

What does ‘doesn’t have a thing’ even mean…!

Firelight had intended to defend his idol in front of outsiders, but he paused, glanced at Jian Xingyi, and admitted awkwardly, “Guess you’re right…”

Seems like he really doesn’t have any ‘jiji’.

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Seriously, is it okay to slander someone like this…?

But Jian Xingyi was thoroughly enjoying the gossip.

So this is the real deal behind the legendary figure of Shanhai?

【Attention all Dawnbreaker V2.0 players: The five-day Zombie Tide Festival is about to commence!】

【10, 9, 8…】

The countdown began!

The four chatting idlers stiffened instantly, assuming combat stances.

【7, 6, 5…】

As the final five seconds ticked down, a piercing alarm blared, shaking everyone’s eardrums.

Simultaneously, the sky—previously crimson—now… turned pitch black.

Ever since they’d been trapped in this game, the sky had always been red, varying only in shade.

But now, as the tide of corpses approached, it finally ended.

Dawn would not come; crimson became night.

They watched as shadows gradually engulfed all things on the earth, their vision plunging into a long-forgotten darkness.

【3…】

This sudden darkness caught many off guard. Jian Xingyi saw panic spread through the chat channel.

[What the hell?! I can’t see anything! How are we supposed to fight in this?!]

[Aaaah! Why did it suddenly go dark?!]

Humans instinctively fear the dark.

【2…】

Cola and the others frantically pulled out flashlights and tossed them around, barely illuminating their surroundings.

【1!】

In the flickering light, Jian Xingyi saw beyond the gate… a vast horde of zombies advancing toward them.

The zombie army moved in unison, closing in on the gate with a thunderous “Thud! Thud! Thud!”

The light couldn’t reach everywhere. Jian Xingyi could only barely make out the hideous, rotting faces ahead, along with the twisted, dislocated postures, while feeling the terrifying zombie cries in the darkness.

【The first night of the zombie feast begins!】