Thanks to Green KiTea for the kofis, enjoy the bonus chapters!

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【Personal Special Reward for the Zombie Tide has been distributed! Player 【Xinghe】 defeated 【General】, earning an S-grade item! 【Click to view inventory】】

【S-grade Seeds x2 have been distributed! 【Click to view inventory】】

Jian Xingyi eagerly clicked open his mailbox.

After the zombie tide concluded, individual rewards were distributed based on each player’s contributions. At the top of his mailbox now sat the reward for Jian Xingyi’s killing of the General.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, so the credit for killing the General had been credited to him—likely because he’d used mental control on the General.

This reward should be incredibly generous, right? After all, it was a boss!

Jian Xingyi swallowed hard, clicking open the notification with anticipation.

【Congratulations! Player 【Xinghe】 has obtained 【Combat Power Medals】x3 and the item 【Master Plan】x1!】

【【Combat Power Medals】 increase player combat power. Each medal adds 10 points. Confirm use?】

Jian Xingyi was stunned. Such a good thing existed? No need to wait for the New Year then!

After confirming the use, Jian Xingyi’s combat power instantly jumped from 56 to 86.

This was a huge leap forward!

As for the item…

【Brilliant Strategy】: When facing danger or difficulty, simply open the pouch. The general’s vengeful spirit will grant you a suitable item!

Jian Xingyi: “…”

The item itself was great, but the description was divine. Did it really need to involve a general?!

Still, this item was incredibly practical. It might even save his life.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself that if he ever faced real danger, he could open the pouch to protect himself!

He tucked it away with a satisfied smile.

Next came another mailbox—the seeds.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath, his hand trembling slightly as he clicked to open it.

Golden Legend S-Class Seeds! And two of them!

The S-Class Seeds he’d obtained before were all incredibly powerful. They included potatoes with extremely high yields and extra satiety bonuses, watermelons that restored stamina and strength, and lychees with 100% accuracy.

So, what would the system bring him this time?

Jian Xingyi clicked open the mailbox, filled with hope.

【Variety: S-Class Mung Beans】

【Description: A bowl of mung beans in summer brings bliss like a god~ Consumption not only satisfies hunger but also provides a cooling effect, reducing body temperature by 50%.】

【Source: Savior System’s Wishing Pool】

Jian Xingyi froze.

If watermelon—a stamina-boosting food—was well-suited for Lava Volcano due to the intense heat draining players, then these mung beans were practically custom-made for the Lava Volcano zone!

After all, while watermelon was popular among players in both Lava Volcano and Peace Mountain, mung beans were uniquely tied to Lava Volcano. They were too specialized.

Watermelon’s cooling effect was more psychological—players felt happy eating it—but mung beans delivered genuine, stat-boosting relief!

Jian Xingyi was thrilled. This would become a bestseller in the Lava Volcano region!

What about the other one?

Jian Xingyi scrolled down.

【Variety: S-Grade Ginger】

【Description: A bowl of ginger soup in winter brings bliss like a deity~ Consumption grants cold resistance, increasing body temperature by 50%】

【Source: Savior System’s Wishing Pool】

…Good grief, the system’s playing with symmetrical artistry here.

This ginger is clearly exclusive to Thousand Bells Snow Mountain!

As Jian Xingyi understood, Lava Volcano was hot but bearable—he’d managed it before. But Thousand Bells Snow Mountain’s cold seemed genuinely challenging to overcome, given its higher map level compared to Lava Volcano.

This item would be incredibly useful!

But Jian Xingyi couldn’t unlock that many regions yet. His next unlockable was Flag-Raising Mountain, not the more distant Thousand Bells Snow Mountain.

No big deal, though. He’d save it for now—it was definitely a valuable item.

Jian Xingyi checked his mailbox next. The zombie tide rewards were plentiful—the system had distributed random upgrade materials to all victorious players, along with food and ample beast meat. Essentially, it had everything one could need.

Seeing he couldn’t scroll through it all, Jian Xingyi simply clicked the one-click claim button. Instantly, his backpack filled with various items, nearly bursting at the seams.

Jian Xingyi began sorting through them. Unused items went into the Universal Bag he’d bought from the store, while useful ones were set aside.

Thinking about the upcoming expedition, Jian Xingyi pulled out his Combat Exchange Voucher, ready to properly upgrade his gun.

He was currently using an A-grade pistol, needing just one more attachment to upgrade it into a rifle.

Jian Xingyi rummaged through his backpack and, lo and behold, found the very last missing attachment.

This was a real stroke of luck!

Jian Xingyi joyfully upgraded his pistol into a rifle.

Watching his 【Pea Shooter】 transform into a rifle, Jian Xingyi felt brimming with confidence.

He felt like his combat power had jumped from 86 to…

Well… an 86 with a rifle!

To upgrade an A-grade rifle to an S-grade required feeding countless attachments to advance the upgrade progress bar.

He still had 5 exchange vouchers left, so Jian Xingyi cashed them all in, then selected attachments with matching attributes to feed into the upgrade.

After feeding everything usable from his backpack, the upgrade materials were halved, and the progress bar was also half-filled.

Jian Xingyi thought for a moment and decided to scavenge materials to craft a piece of armor.

After some effort, Jian Xingyi successfully crafted a B-grade armor. He clicked to equip it. Though he felt nothing and saw no physical armor upon wearing it, he would notice its effects if attacked. It was said to reduce pain and lessen the severity of injuries.

Phew…

Finally finished the inventory check!

Jian Xingyi took stock of his current haul and remaining items.

First, countless dawn coins—roughly 42.8 million remained. He dared not spend recklessly, as both purchasing land and upgrading required them.

Thirty Business Exchange Vouchers could buy new land; twenty-eight remained, with the last two exchanged for a plot on Peace Mountain.

He synthesized an A-grade rifle and B-grade armor.

His combat strength now stood at 86 points.

His homestead currently holds 50 plots: 5 A-grade fields, one C-grade farm, the Lava Volcano had 10 C-grade plots.

His backpack contained countless unused upgrade materials, a pile of life-saving Plants vs. Zombies items, and the three Concentric Anchor Points Shuixi had given him.

Oh, and a mountain of beast meat he could never eat—praise the Dodo beast.

A bag of tricks.

A Savior System Wish Bottle, he hadn’t it used yet, it was too precious to part with.

After weighing his options, Jian Xingyi felt even more confident, convinced he could conquer Flag-Raising Mountain Mountain at any moment.

Jian Xingyi thought it over and decided to go alone. After all, this journey would likely take a long time, and he felt awkward burdening the guild members.

Mainly, he was just a bit socially anxious.

If everything went smoothly, that would be ideal. But if he encountered danger, or if he was nearing Thousand Bells Snow Mountain, he could always use the Anchor Points then. After all, he had plenty of survival items now.

Jian Xingyi resolved to prepare for the expedition first: tend to his fields, then get a good night’s sleep.

With the zombie tide freshly ended, everyone was still adjusting. Most were holed up at home, either sleeping off exhaustion or healing wounds. The map’s outskirts were largely deserted.

Jian Xingyi stepped into the courtyard, surveying his empty fields. Lost in thought, he was startled by the system’s voice.

【Greetings, Dawnbreaker players! The Undead Tide Feast has concluded successfully. Congratulations to all players who boarded the Ark. The Undead Tide leaderboards have been revealed—welcome to the public channel to view them!】

Like all other players, Jian Xingyi opened the public channel’s announcement page. First up was the damage output leaderboard, showing each player’s total damage dealt.

This one held no surprises. Everyone knew Grapevine Peak would take first place—after all, the monsters they faced were on an entirely different level, guaranteeing higher damage output.

Jian Xingyi studied the list carefully.

【Damage Output Leaderboard】

1. Grapevine Peak

2. Beyond the Sea

3. It’s Really Cold

…

14. Wildfire Sweeps the Plains

…

76. Long Live for A Hundred Years

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, “76th place isn’t bad at all!” After all, they were just a small guild barely scraping by at level 20, barely managing to enter the Zombie Tide event.

As expected, Grapevine Peak claimed the top spot. He didn’t know the guilds behind 2nd and 3rd place, but judging by their IDs, Beyond the Sea likely belonged to a guild at the map’s edge, while Freezing Cold probably hailed from the Thousand Bells Snow Region.

Peace Mountain was actually the starting map, so most guilds established in this server were laid-back players seeking a peaceful life.

Higher-difficulty and special zones, however, presented guilds with tougher environments but also richer rewards. They were also tightly connected to resource-rich maps, allowing members to gather rare materials just around the corner.

Consequently, guilds in these areas were typically powerhouse guilds, like the ones ranked 2nd and 3rd this time.

So why Grapevine Peak appears in Peace Mountain remains a mystery.

It’s downright absurd.

After all, Peace Mountain… is genuinely peaceful, with only average resources.

Could this be the whims of the elite?

Next up is the Survival Ranking.

This ranking synthesizes multiple factors—essentially the most cost-effective victory—including member casualties and overall losses.

The calculations are meticulous: if Guild A loses a T1 player while Guild B loses a T4, Guild B scores higher.

【Survival Leaderboard】

1. Long Live for A Hundred Years

2. Grapevine Peak

3. Beyond the Sea

……

13. Wildfire Sweeping the Plains

Jian Xingyi: “……”

???

??????

Hang on!

What the hell?!

The Long Live for A Hundred Years channel exploded.

【Huh? We’re first?】

【What? ?? Is it really us? Did I see that right?】

【Come to think of it, it makes sense. After all, Xinghe is in our guild and provided so many items. We only lost two members… but they were T3 and T4. Meanwhile, Grapevine Peak supposedly lost a squad leader named Dawen, and their team was full of T1 players nearing max level. That we won… seems pretty reasonable?】

【Exactly! It seemed absurd at first, but thinking about Xinghe makes it make sense! Even with Xinghe, we barely won. Other guilds would have it even harder! They don’t have full sets of fences, cannons, and Plants vs. Zombies items!】

Jian Xingyi felt his face grow hotter with each word of their discussion.

Was it really… because of him?

Jian Xingyi couldn’t help but curve his lips inwardly, thinking: This is fine!

Everyone surviving safely is a good thing anyway.

No wonder he triggered the Savior System…

It wasn’t just the players in the Long Live for A Hundred Years Zone who were shocked; the public chat was also buzzing with heated discussion.

【What the heck is Long Live for A Hundred Years?? They actually managed to suppress Grapevine Peak? Huh?】

【Peace Mountain Region players angrily unmuted. Long Live for A Hundred Years is a big shot in a different sense—don’t you dare look down on my father, Xinghe!】

【Lava Volcano Region players +1. He’s our big dad, and he’ll become your big dad too someday. We suggest you watch your words—don’t end up like us /dog head/ a lesson learned the hard way!】

【???】

Players from other servers were curious, then got a full lecture from these two regions about how incredibly wealthy and generous Jian Xingyi is—like how he sells food and uses Plants vs. Zombies items to help everyone through tough times.

【So impressive, is this real or fake?】

【Hmm… we’ll see. I’m looking forward to it too.】

【Wow, Xinghe, I’ll remember that! Ah, when will this big shot come trade in our server?】

【Players seven or eight maps behind Peace Mountain quietly crumbled… By the time Xinghe unlocks our server, the grass on our graves will be three meters tall!】

After the zombie feast, Jian Xingyi and Long Live for A Hundred Years had become instant celebrities.

Other regions had players who managed their resources or casually leveled up skills, but none could match Jian Xingyi’s extreme feats.

Thus, Xinghe’s ID was now a household name.

Some players were curious.

【Wow… Grapevine Peak has never come in second, right? Wonder how they feel getting beaten by a level 20 small guild this time. And both guilds are in the same zone—can’t even avoid running into each other! Hahaha!】

【SRDS, what’s Grapevine Peak’s standing? They wouldn’t stoop to arguing with a small guild, would they?】

【Who knows! Xinghe is stealing all the spotlight now. Some even say Xinghe’s members are more skilled than those from the Shanhai and Grapevine Peak guilds. Seems their goals aren’t simple.】

Everyone kept discussing the subtle relationship between the two guilds, with the talk growing increasingly exaggerated. Then, Firelight opened their mic.

Firelight: 【Good afternoon, everyone! We have a great relationship with Long Live for A Hundred Years ^^ Xinghe is our regular supplier—we restock from them every other day. So Xinghe single-handedly feeds our chefs! They’re our ‘guild darling.’ Let’s not overanalyze things, okay?】

【???】

【Holy crap, who wouldn’t say holy crap seeing this! Xinghe has it made—money, food, and big shots backing him!】

【So jealous… Can I get just 10% of Xinghe’s luck in my next life? T_T】

The rankings weren’t just for show; they came with real rewards. The higher the rank, the bigger the prize.

Jian Xingyi saw the announcement pop up in their guild channel.

【Congratulations to Guild 【Long Live for A Hundred Years】 for topping the Survival Rankings! For the next three months, guild members will earn an extra 20% EXP in combat. Members will receive a 20% bonus on dungeon and quest rewards, as well as farming and breeding yields. All purchases in the member shop will be 50% off!】

Jian Xingyi was nearly overwhelmed by this avalanche of incredible, endless rewards.

Great.

Absolutely fantastic!

This meant his farming and breeding yields would skyrocket, dungeon rewards would be boosted, and even shopping came with discounts.

This was way too sweet!

Truly befitting the prestige of the server-wide rankings!

After announcing these two leaderboards, the system dropped another bombshell without giving anyone a moment to catch their breath.

【Though the Corpse Tide Feast concluded successfully, this is merely your starting point. The Ark has been activated, yet whether players will attain ultimate salvation remains unknown.】

【The next trial—【Midnight Shift: Corpse Tide Feast】—will commence in three months! This will be a feast of unprecedented grandeur!】

Everyone was stunned.

Huh?

【The Midnight Edition of the Zombie Tide Feast will be a thousand times more spectacular than this one! And to keep things fresh and exciting, it will feature an entirely new gameplay mechanism! Details have been sent to all players’ email accounts. Prepare yourselves and get ready for the thrill!】

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Now that everyone had barely survived the zombie tide and grown accustomed to this mode, the system was pulling another stunt?

A brand-new mechanism… wasn’t that just a more brutal and twisted scheme?

Jian Xingyi rubbed his temples and opened his email. Sure enough, a new message had arrived.

【Midnight Session of the Zombie Tide Feast – Entry Ticket】

—Welcome to the Midnight Session, where everything changes!

—In the Midnight Session, more eyes hidden in the night will open, devouring all living things. Merely repelling them is meaningless, for the night can never be severed.

—The feast that follows will be a Fortress Battle!

Fortress Battle…?

—Simultaneously, after the system issued the admission tickets, the entire game world rebooted.

First, the sky shifted from crimson to night.

It wasn’t as dark as during the zombie tide—faint light still lingered around the edges—yet it remained a lifeless night. No moon, no sun, no stars, not even a cloud in sight.

Yet miraculously, a colossal… vessel? floated in the sky.

Was this the 【Ark】 the system spoke of?

Visible from any corner of the game world, this Ark contained nothing within.

Then, the walls surrounding the guild… vanished.

Originally, the guild was enclosed by walls and four massive gates. Now, with the walls and gates gone, the guild had become a place wide open to the elements—zombies, beasts, and even other players could freely enter.

【Over the next three months, players can construct their own fortresses to withstand the Midnight Eyes!】

Jian Xingyi’s home was closest to the rear gate. Standing in his courtyard, he could clearly see the vanished walls all around. Outside, a shambling zombie staggered into the guild’s territory.

Jian Xingyi frowned.

Previously, guild access was restricted—zombies and beasts were blocked by the walls, while other players were kept out by an invisible barrier. But now…

Had all these restrictions vanished?

Jian Xingyi drew his rifle and shot the trespassing zombie dead.

This is insane…

Absolutely insane!

Jian Xingyi now understood what the “fortress battle” meant. It meant the next zombie horde wouldn’t obediently and systematically enter through the four main gates. They’d invade the guild and everyone’s homes from all directions!

Nowhere to hide!

Jian Xingyi walked to the vanished wall and clicked the floating “Build” button.

One brick costs 1000 dawn coins, one piece of wood, and one zombie head.

Jian Xingyi surveyed the area. To build a complete fortress encircling the entire guild, he had no idea how many hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of bricks it would take.

…This is ridiculously expensive.

Not only did he need to earn Dawn Coins, but he also had to hunt zombies and gather wood.

But how could anyone collect wood in this game? Not every player had a magical axe from the VIP store like his.

The public chat was also buzzing with confusion about the wood requirement.

But soon, the system released a manual. It stated that certain areas would be opened up for players to chop down trees, and wood could also be exchanged at the shop and with NPCs. New quests would be launched, with wood as the reward.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath.

It was indeed getting harder and harder.

Heiye also tagged him and several Guild Administrators in the channel, asking everyone to gather in the conference room to discuss countermeasures.

“So…”

Inside the conference room, Heiye rubbed his temples. “As you all saw, the next challenge will be even tougher.”

Haihai sighed helplessly. “I was still basking in the joy of our championship win, and the next moment reality smacked me back down.”

Lone Wolf spat, “The system’s gone mad! They’re trying to kill us, aren’t they?!”

Heiye said, “Complaining won’t help. Let’s figure out a solution.”

Jian Xingyi offered, “Leave the dawn coins to me. You all don’t need to worry too much about that. But the other things…”

Heiye nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. Here’s the plan: excluding Xinghe, we’ll split the guild members into several teams.”

Huh?

Everyone sat up straight, listening intently to Heiye’s arrangements.

Following Heiye’s instructions, they divided into different teams, each taking on specific responsibilities.

Heiye and Baizhou led one team—the smallest contingent—to guard the main base. They remained at the guild headquarters to ensure its security. With access restrictions lifted, unscrupulous individuals might cause trouble. Even without such threats, zombies and beasts remained a constant worry.

Baizhou chuckled, “But we don’t need too many people. Thanks to Xinghe, we’ve boarded the Grapevine Peak ship. At least we’re under the Grapevine Peak Guild’s protection. No one should dare act too brazenly toward us.”

The remaining teams were assigned as follows: Akita’s squad led everyone to the dungeon to collect wood. This team would gather the guild’s high-powered members.

Lone Wolf and Haihai’s team headed to the wilderness to farm monsters, focusing specifically on zombie kills. This didn’t require high combat power, but it definitely needed the largest number of people.

The Feiyi team was the smallest. They were responsible for running daily dungeons to earn dawn coins and gathering resources in the wilderness to sustain everyone. In short, they were there to assist Jian Xingyi.

Jian Xingyi belongs to none of these teams; he is free.

After pondering, Akita remarked, “This arrangement is quite good. It covers all bases.”

Jian Xingyi added, “I’ll also embark on expeditions soon, traversing from Peace Mountain through the Lava Volcano, Flag-Raising Mountain, and Thousand Bells Snow Mountain.”

Jian Xingyi now had more than enough reasons to embark on expeditions.

He had several A-grade seeds that needed soaking in the Thousand Bells Snow Mountains.

He needed to gather more essence and different types of seeds.

He wanted to buy land in the Thousand Bells Snow Mountains.

He also wished to scout other maps to better prepare for listing his goods.

“Huh?!”

Everyone reacted with surprise upon hearing this.

“You’re going alone? No way, it’s too dangerous!”

“We can accompany you.”

Jian Xingyi shook his head. “You all have your own missions. Coming to help me would be putting the cart before the horse.”

“Letting you go alone is putting the cart before the horse…!”

Jian Xingyi kept shaking his head. “But I really don’t need it. I have my own way…”

Everyone frowned. “What method?”

“…”

Ugh, how to explain this?

Jian Xingyi scratched the back of his head.

Could he say he could summon an overpowered NPC?

“Well, someone is helping me…”

Lone Wolf stared at Jian Xingyi’s innocent face and snapped, “Who? Who would help you at a time like this! Everyone’s got their own problems to deal with! Don’t let yourself get tricked!”

Haihai sighed helplessly, “Acting all sneaky like that… Could it be your sweetheart?”

Jian Xingyi’s face flushed bright red.

“No, no way!!”

“…”

The atmosphere grew quiet.

Heiye and Baizhou exchanged bewildered glances, while Haihai gaped in disbelief.

Jian Xingyi weakly protested, “I swear it’s not…”

Ugh, he’d already denied it—why did everyone still look so shocked?

Heaven knows, he and Shuixi were completely innocent!