Night had fallen.

The first night descended, but no one had anticipated it arriving in such a manner. Before everyone entered the game, the sky hadn’t yet been replaced by blood red during zombie waves, so there were normal days and Heiye. Players were accustomed to preparing lamps, and the guild even had lamps that stayed lit year-round.

But this sudden descent into darkness caught everyone completely off guard.

Firelight and the others quickly tossed out their lanterns—only because the veterans frequently ran dungeons and had all sorts of odd gadgets. Ordinary people wouldn’t have reacted so swiftly.

But strangely… even with these lanterns, the surroundings remained unlit.

This was bizarre. The darkness clung like thick, viscous ink, cloying and sticky, obstructing their vision.

Jian Xingyi felt he could barely contribute even in well-lit conditions. In a situation like this… he simply couldn’t participate in the fight! Worried he’d slow down the big shots, he swiftly pulled a lychee from the airtight container… and ate it!

He’d saved this lychee specifically for a zombie horde like this. With the horde upon them, eating it now meant no waste.

Perfect timing to test… just how powerful this thing really is!

Jian Xingyi peeled the lychee. An exceptionally fresh, juicy sweetness flooded his mouth as he bit into the plump flesh, its juices bursting forth.

Delicious…!

Truly worthy of its S-grade rarity—a fruit worthy of the legendary “A single rider sweeps the dust, the imperial consort smiles”!

But now wasn’t the time for savoring. Swallowing the flesh, Jian Xingyi immediately raised his gun and unleashed a barrage of fire.

Bang—

Bang bang!!

In the night’s darkness, Jian Xingyi’s bullets found every target, leaving zombies sprawled across the ground.

The three big shots stared at Jian Xingyi, utterly dumbfounded.

Huh…?

Wait—they called this guy a noob with a 6 combat rating?

Wait… this level 6 guy is outdamaging them?!

The pitch-black surroundings forced them to adjust, preventing the headshot precision displayed by Jian Xingyi.

But the trio had no time to analyze him. They scrambled onto the fence, switching to weapons with reduced firepower but wider coverage for sweeping fire.

The environment forced them to abandon precision, relying instead on sheer volume. After all, they weren’t short on ammunition. So they began sweeping fire—with so many zombies, headshots were bound to happen.

These three were seasoned veterans. Their formidable skills kept them calm under pressure, allowing them to secure kills even in harsh conditions, especially with ample guns and ammo.

Bang!

The guild hall echoed with the relentless crackle of gunfire and the shrieks of the undead. The sea of corpses surged forward endlessly, their pace accelerating. In the darkness, it was impossible to gauge distances. Zombies that seemed far away one second were pounding and gnawing at the railings the next.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself that if he didn’t have Lychee, or if the people around him weren’t so formidable and composed, his sanity would probably be shot.

The other three side entrances weren’t faring as well. Many members were flustered, firing wildly in a chaotic mess. The alarm had been blaring nonstop since earlier, its shrill sound only adding to the already unsettling atmosphere. The constant noise even made it hard to hear the captain’s commands.

Everyone’s screams were drowned out by the alarm.

Only then did Jian Xingyi grasp why everyone claimed the main gate was the hardest to defend.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Then they saw a giant zombie slowly advancing toward the gate. Compared to this colossus, they looked like elephants versus ants. They weren’t even as big as the monster’s toes!

Jian Xingyi’s heart skipped a beat. Holy crap… what kind of monster is this?!

This must be tonight’s boss, right?

As the giant approached, it blocked half the sky. Its flesh was thicker and more intact than that of other zombies, a purplish-blue hue covered in livid spots and festering wounds—some larger than a human head. The twisted flesh inside was sickening to behold.

Fortunately, Grapevine Peak’s combat commands relied on hand signals, so they weren’t disrupted by the alarm. At Cola’s prompting, Firelight and Nana flanked the giant, sweeping the smaller zombies while Cola instructed Jian Xingyi: “Focus on the giant. This one’s tough!”

“Oh…!”

Jian Xingyi soon understood what “tough fight” meant.

Despite the harsh environment, Cola adapted quickly and soon matched Jian Xingyi’s accuracy after eating the lychee. Yet even with both of them concentrating fire on the giant’s head, they couldn’t penetrate its hard skull.

“Tsk.” Cola drew another gun, attempting the ultra-difficult dual-wielding technique.

Nana, having finished clearing the minor enemies, joined Cola and Jian Xingyi in targeting the boss.

Thud!

The giant raised its bruised foot and crushed the foremost fence panel.

Jian Xingyi: “…!”

One hundred thousand! That’s one hundred thousand!!

Jian Xingyi’s heart bled.

Damn it!!

This boss’s health bar is way too thick?!

Bang!

Fortunately, before the giant could advance to destroy more fences, they finally brought it down.

The colossal figure’s collapse sent a cloud of dust billowing, further obscuring their already limited vision.

Firelight finished off the last zombie, concluding the battle at the gate.

Jian Xingyi breathed a sigh of relief.

Jian Xingyi glanced at the guild channel. The other three gates were still locked in battle. Without the high combat power of the elite players, they were currently locked in a stalemate.

Even Feiyi’s side, with only him as the high-level player fighting solo, nearly collapsed. With only one fence remaining intact, Heiye had already rushed over to assist.

Even while reinforcing Heiye, Heiye had to maintain overall control. Being only a T3 himself, the situation remained strained.

Cola shook his head, a hint of worry creeping in. “If a Level 20 guild is already this tough, I can’t imagine what kind of monsters our guild will face. I hope they can handle it.”

Nana reassured him, “With Shanhai and the Guild President here, the main gate should be fine. No need to worry.”

Cola patted the Firelight. “You stay here to guard against any system backups. Nana and I will split up to support the side gates.”

Cola headed to Feiyi’s position, while Nana went to assist Lone Wolf and Haihai.

With only the rear gate left for Akita and Baizhou, Jian Xingyi thought for a moment and went to check it out.

Akita and Baizhou’s situation was better than Feiyi’s, but still tough.

Jian Xingyi noticed a fence had been destroyed. Baizhou had a wound on his arm—a scratch, thankfully, not a bite. It wouldn’t lead to infection; just apply some medicine.

Akita usually ventured far afield for gathering and combat training, so this was Jian Xingyi’s first encounter with him. Akita bore a striking resemblance to his younger brother, Lone Wolf—like a more mature version of him.

There was no time for introductions now. Jian Xingyi leapt onto the fence and joined the two in their assault.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Facing Jian Xingyi’s unerring accuracy, both Baizhou and Akita froze for a split second.

Akita glanced at Baizhou with confusion. Was this the legendary Level 6 support expert they’d spoken of?

Bang!

Another fence was shattered. Akita’s gaze sharpened as he snapped back into action, unleashing another burst of fire.

Finally, after clearing all four gates, the shrill alarm fell silent.

Whether it was psychological or not, Jian Xingyi noticed the surroundings weren’t quite as pitch-black anymore. At least the path was visible, slightly better than during the zombie surge.

Looking at the shattered fence, Jian Xingyi could easily imagine the state of the other two gates.

Probably… equally grim.

After the battle ended, the system’s voice announced:

【Congratulations, [Long Live for a Hundred Years], on surviving the first night! The Zombie Tide Store is now open!】

Everyone, including Jian Xingyi, curiously checked the store.

Currently, only two items are available.

【Ark Lantern】

【Stock: 8】

【500,000 dawn coins】

【Cannon】

【Stock: 8】

【1,000,000 dawn coins】

…?

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened.

So this was the system’s hidden trick.

Ordinary lanterns, like Firelight torches they’d just thrown, seemed like high-end gear but were still useless. To see clearly, they needed the special Ark Lanterns.

But 500,000 dawn coins was just… way… too… much…

Cannons would likely be highly effective against the zombie tide, especially at the main gate.

But one million was even more… expensive…

Jian Xingyi felt troubled.

These were logistical tasks, but logistics didn’t have that kind of money!

Meanwhile, Heiye ordered everyone to assemble at the office.

Upon arriving at the office, Jian Xingyi found that most people were injured.

Fortunately, no one was infected, and no one had died—this was the best possible outcome.

Heiye bowed to everyone. “You’ve all worked hard today, especially the captains. We’ve saved up quite a bit of money these past few days. Feel free to use the guild funds to purchase bullets and medicine.”

Everyone silently tended to their wounds and applied medicine, the atmosphere somber and low.

“They say the zombie tide gets tougher each day, but we’re already struggling this badly on day one… Can we really win later?”

“Yeah… If it weren’t for those big shots on Grapevine Peak, we’d all be dead by now! But they only have three people. Holding the gate is already a miracle. The rest still depends on us… Can we really do this?”

Heiye opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

He instinctively glanced at Jian Xingyi.

Even the fence Jian Xingyi had painstakingly repaired for them was now badly damaged. The situation was indeed grim.

…Their odds weren’t good.

Jian Xingyi scanned the surroundings.

The Guild Administrators, all wounded, stood silent. As the frontline defenders, they understood the guild’s true strength and the overwhelming power of the monsters facing them.

The remaining members wore gloomy expressions, their faces either still haunted by lingering fear or etched with utter despair. Ordinary players, especially those at T3 and T4 tiers, had few options against the undead tide.

The Firelight members stood by without intervening. After all, they were merely reinforcements, their minds preoccupied with the safety of their own guild members.

After all, this zombie tide… its difficulty was truly beyond imagination.

Jian Xingyi felt a surge of anxiety.

This was only the first night. If this were a game, they’d barely cleared the first level. But everyone’s morale was shattered—how could they possibly fight on? If he gave up first, victory would truly be impossible!

Jian Xingyi wanted to say something, but his social anxiety held him back. Instead, he nervously twisted the hem of his shirt.

The observant Haihai and Baizhou noticed Jian Xingyi’s tense posture. Baizhou stood up and declared, “No! We don’t have to lose!”

Haihai chimed in, “That’s right! We still have Xinghe, right Xinghe?”

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath, stood up, and addressed the group: “Everyone… giving up now is too soon!”

Jian Xingyi’s demeanor radiated honesty and sincerity—he never deceived anyone, and his emotions were always written plainly on his face.

Such a person might seem easy to bully, but equally, they inspired no hostility. His words naturally earned trust.

Jian Xingyi surveyed the group. “I can repair the entire fence immediately. Lanterns and cannons aren’t completely out of reach. With me here, I’ll find a way to lead us to victory!”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Jian Xingyi wasn’t skilled at hyping people up, but his words were solidly reassuring and brimming with confidence.

This confidence stemmed from his substantial financial resources and underlying strength.

“I don’t know what new features the mall will roll out next, but at least I have the capability to build an environment for us that’s superior to many other guilds!”

Lone Wolf took a deep breath, stood up, and shouted in agreement, “Exactly! There are tons of Level 20 guilds out there, but we’ve got both Grapevine Peak backing and Xinghe! If we think we can’t do it, then how the hell are others supposed to?! Pull yourselves together!”

Jian Xingyi smiled and said, “We can win!”

Everyone looked into Jian Xingyi’s eyes, and in an instant, their negative emotions dissipated considerably.

“We can win!”

“That’s right! We can win!”

“Tomorrow will be better! Tomorrow’s difficulty is higher, but we have more items!”

“We can win!”

They shouted to bolster their courage, chanting victory. Someone—no one knew who—began calling out “Xinghe,” and soon the entire office echoed with Jian Xingyi’s name.

Jian Xingyi froze for a moment, then felt… stunned.

Everyone trusted him, even followed him. Each gaze directed at him felt like they were looking at a… belief that could keep them alive.

In that moment, other emotions—the unease of responsibility and a barely perceptible thrill—overwhelmed his social anxiety.

Cola and Firelight exchanged glances.

Hmm… This kind of support… kinda makes you crave it.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Afterward, everyone returned home to rest and recuperate, gathering strength for the next day’s battle!

The next day’s zombie tide arrived at midnight as usual. Within these five days, the system imposed restrictions, preventing anyone from leaving their guild.

Jian Xingyi began chopping down trees.

Firelight and the others, having been granted visitor permissions, simply relocated their homesteads temporarily—otherwise, there wouldn’t even be space to sleep.

Passing by, they spotted Jian Xingyi chopping wood, their expressions turning rather peculiar.

Is this what it means to be a management player?

How fascinating.

While others slay monsters, he chops trees.

Even now, amidst the zombie tide, when players were tense and the atmosphere heavy,

Jian Xingyi seemed utterly unaffected. He continued living his best life—and striving to live it well.

Curiosity had been gnawing at Cola for a while. He stepped forward and asked, “How did you land every single shot just now? You definitely don’t look like a Combat Power 6!”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Jian Xingyi: “My combat power is 56 now…”

Cola’s ID and his combat power—what a coincidence.

Maybe he should note that he’s no longer Old Jian 6, but New Jian 56.

Jian Xingyi told them about the lychee situation.

“Holy shit…”

“Damn…”

Firelight thought to himself: A 100% accuracy rate was already a massive cheat code. But in this zombie horde situation, it wasn’t just a cheat code—it was a lifesaver!

Jian Xingyi scratched his head. “I’m currently gathering materials to grow lychees. Figured lots of people need them right now, so I could sell them at a premium. Maybe… eight thousand?”

Jian Xingyi thought the price was a bit steep, so he asked the others for their opinions.

Firelight: “Be bold. Ten thousand.”

Cola: “Fifteen thousand is fine. This is a lifesaver. Even if players can’t afford it, trust me, the guild will pool money for their top players to buy it. Seriously, if that giant shows up and you can’t aim your gun properly, you’re done for.”

If the zombies breach the fence and scatter, it’ll become incredibly difficult to fight them.

Plus, the system grants zombies a buff once they enter guild territory—faster speed and greater strength.

Now imagine a giant with that speed and strength buff… That’s terrifying.

Jian Xingyi pondered this and agreed silently.

“Alright, thanks.”

Fifteen thousand…

That’s a huge profit!

Jian Xingyi felt even more energized, hacking away at the tree with renewed vigor.

We have to win!

If we lose, everyone will be wiped out. Only if the guild successfully wins the battle will there be rewards, and only then can we survive!

Worrying won’t help. He was the logistics guy.

Logistics would find a way to lead everyone to victory!

Thanks to Shuixi’s tech, Jian Xingyi had already stockpiled 5,221 pieces of wood inside Huoshen’s belly. The gap wasn’t too wide now, so after working hard for ages, he finally gathered 6,000 pieces!

Staring at the exact 6,000 pieces in his backpack, Jian Xingyi felt so moved he could cry. This was truly… a historic moment!

Jian Xingyi headed to his backyard.

The surroundings were shrouded in a grayish darkness, but since the battle hadn’t started yet, it wasn’t pitch black.

At least he could clearly see the red “Under Construction” line on the empty plot.

Jian Xingyi reverently clicked “Synthesize,” combining ten steel and ten glass. He then clicked “Build.”

The next moment, a greenhouse appeared in the yard. Its frame was made of steel, its shell of glass—simple yet undeniably beautiful.

This yard was filling up with more and more things. The fields were expanding, and now there was a breeding area and a greenhouse. If outsiders came, they’d surely be startled, thinking this was some kind of shop in Dawn Town.

Jian Xingyi was deeply moved.

Finally, finally, family!!

His blood, sweat, and tears!

After all this effort, seeing results at last, Jian Xingyi couldn’t wait to go inside and inspect the details. The greenhouse was quite spacious, but the system only allowed for two plots of land. To accommodate more, an upgrade would be necessary.

Good news: the upgrade didn’t require essence.

The bad news: it requires more wood. Jian Xingyi glanced at the requirements—30 steel and 30 glass—and his eyes went dark. He decided to put it on hold for now.

But for now, two plots were enough!

Jian Xingyi moved one B-grade and one A-grade plot inside. He circled them three times, then performed a self-invented divine dance, full of superstition and ritual.

“Fire God above, Dawnbreaker God above, any deity will do! This devotee vows to balance meat and vegetables for life, praying for a bountiful lychee harvest!”

Afterward, Jian Xingyi sowed the seeds with deep reverence.

By the time he finished, it was already dawn. Exhausted, Jian Xingyi collapsed into sleep.

In his dream, he repeated the cycle of chasing and being chased once more. Only this time… he saw more people. Several figures appeared beside the person he pursued: an intimate couple, a woman, and the doctor he had encountered before in that memory bubble during the Peace Mountain side quest.

He kept chasing them, yet just like the previous person, no matter how hard he tried, he could never catch up.

“Don’t worry. When you set out on your journey again, we’ll meet at the summit.”

Unable to catch up, Jian Xingyi grew so exhausted he stirred groggily before collapsing back to sleep.

By the time Jian Xingyi awoke, several system hours had passed. If this were the usual cycle, it would be afternoon now, but the perpetual darkness meant no distinction between night and day.

Feeling his stamina restored after waking, Jian Xingyi wandered toward the four gates.

Theoretically, zombie waves only appeared at specific times—midnight—and zombies shouldn’t roam freely otherwise. Yet this was their first wave since being trapped in the game, and unexpected situations could arise at any moment. To be safe, Jian Xingyi called on Haihai and Lone Wolf to help repair the fence.

The trio approached the gate with guns raised, staying alert. Only after confirming safety did Jian Xingyi crouch down and click to repair.

After Fire God’s belly went on a crazy umbrella-buying spree, Jian Xingyi’s personal assets were now down to less than ten thousand. He planned to keep this for himself, just in case something unexpected happened.

The dawn coins earned from trading, however, were earmarked for the guild, with 830,000 currently remaining.

After the first night, one of the four gates had been damaged by the giants. Feiyi’s side suffered three damages: one each from Baizhou and Akita. Lone Wolf and Haihai each had one.

Combined, that was seven damages, totaling 700,000.

After Jian Xingyi finished repairs, only 130,000 remained.

Jian Xingyi began to feel a headache coming on.

The Ark Beacon cost 500,000, the cannon 1,000,000, while Jian Xingyi had just 130,000 in his pocket.

Rubbing his temples, Jian Xingyi casually asked, “How come only one of your barriers was damaged? Did you use some clever trick?”

Haihai sighed, “Purely because Lone Wolf’s voice is loud. He’s as hot-blooded as that underage kid in the canyon. When everyone was tense, he forcibly yelled everyone back into focus… Then his commanding style—he yells at whoever makes a mistake.”

Lone Wolf rolled his eyes. “Nah, Haihai’s got plenty of tricks too. That sly bastard went up front claiming he’d scout and report the situation as a vanguard. Then he started telling everyone the zombies were finished, we were winning… but when I looked, there were zombies everywhere—just like Haihai’s twisted logic. Pure pie-in-the-sky.”

Haihai gave a nervous chuckle. “A little encouragement can boost morale. Just now, Akita and Feiyi came over to learn from us. Looks like we’ll be painting some more pie tonight…”

Jian Xingyi looked thoughtful.

Indeed… mindset is crucial. Morale must stay steady.

He had to give everyone a sense of security. For instance, the Ark Beacon wasn’t just for reassurance—it actually made combat smoother.

Shooting blindly in the dark versus precise targeting were two entirely different concepts!

Not everyone could fire as accurately as Firelight and his team did in the dark.

Plus, today was the second day of the zombie tide. He also had to plan for the next three days.

If the fence kept getting destroyed and he had to constantly spend money on repairs, he wouldn’t be able to handle it. After all, each fence costs 100,000! His trading usually happened every two days, and his dawn coins simply couldn’t keep up.

So rather than constantly repairing the fence, it was better to invest in Ark Beacons, or even cannons if possible. That was the long-term solution.

After pondering briefly, Jian Xingyi returned home and used the growth accelerator he’d previously acquired from Sisi.

He’d been reluctant to use it, but now it finally served a purpose!

He needed to harvest and complete at least one transaction first—to recoup the cost of the lanterns.

These growth accelerators reduced maturation time by one hour per dose. Jian Xingyi applied varying amounts to each plot: potato fields and lava volcano plots, planted before the zombie tide, required less, while the lychee plot, planted just before bedtime, needed significantly more.

After meticulously applying the accelerators, Jian Xingyi was ready to harvest.

Jian Xingyi stared intently at the lychee trees inside the greenhouse.

Come on, my lychee brothers!

The big money depends on you!

Jian Xingyi watched wide-eyed as the lychee trees, spurred by the pesticide’s acceleration, burst through the soil like they were on double speed. They shot upward, growing taller and taller, then bore clusters of fruit.

Two clusters…

Three clusters…

A minute later, Jian Xingyi stared blankly at the greenhouse.

He’d poured immense effort into these two plots.

Grade A with triple yield and Grade B with double yield—he’d applied every harvest-boosting pesticide available in the mall. The greenhouse itself was built from trees he’d painstakingly felled over several days.

Now, both fields bore numerous clusters of fruit. He counted them—there were a total of… 66 edible fruits!

Ahhh…!

It worked!

It worked!!

Jian Xingyi couldn’t stop screaming.

He still had two left for himself. Taking two more for his own consumption, the remaining 64 were for sale. At fifteen thousand per fruit, he could earn a total of… 960,000 dawn coins!

He was going to be rich!

Jian Xingyi immediately opened the marketplace page.

Little did Jian Xingyi know, he was about to deliver a “tiny” shock to everyone.