The tornado drew ever closer.

The game world had now plunged into darkness, and everyone had gradually grown accustomed to it. Jian Xingyi wore a small light strapped to his waist, but after the tornado appeared, the sky—previously as black as ink—was now overcast with grayish clouds.

A funnel-shaped tornado emerged from the center of the clouds, connecting the sky to the ground.

Jian Xingyi: “…!!”

Come on, he just got here!

Fortunately, the tornado ahead didn’t look too extreme. Jian Xingyi scanned his surroundings before finally running to a low-lying area and lying flat. He curled up beside a massive tree, looping the rope around its trunk.

Boom—

The roar grew louder, like a train drawing ever closer.

Jian Xingyi hugged his head, gripping the rope tightly to steady himself.

Whoosh—

He could feel the tornado sweeping past, carrying debris and fragments. Wood splinters even cut a small gash into his back.

After the tornado passed, Jian Xingyi watched from a distance as it shrank and vanished. The dark clouds swirling overhead gradually dispersed.

Jian Xingyi breathed a sigh of relief.

He stood up, applied medicine to his wound, and then, with a sigh of relief, opened the Grapevine Peak guide panel.

True to expectations, Grapevine Peak had marked several red zones where tornadoes frequently occurred, referencing user feedback. It also labels tornado strengths from EF0 to EF5.

Jian Xingyi glanced at the map. The entrance was marked as EF0, confirming tornadoes did occur here, but only at the lowest intensity.

As for precautions… beyond the basics of run, duck, cover, the only real option was to tough it out. After all, it wasn’t life-threatening. Unless you ventured to the summit marked on the Grapevine Peak map, certain dungeons, or special areas like the Belly of the Fire God, you wouldn’t encounter deadly EF5 tornadoes.

Which meant… a motorcycle seemed pretty essential here?

After all, if a tornado strikes, he could just hop on and ride away.

…But he doesn’t know how!

Is it too late to learn now?

Jian Xingyi sighed, deciding to bypass the EF4 and EF5 zones for now.

Before arriving, Jian Xingyi had briefly researched guides. Each map has its own side quest: for Lava Volcano, it’s gathering five Fire Spirit Flowers to earn the Fire God’s favor—most players have completed this, and the flower locations are widely known. For Peace Mountain, it’s paying respects at five graves, which no one has finished yet.

As for Flag-Raising Mountain, the task was to scatter dandelion seeds.

This was a peculiar quest with no upper limit. Players would randomly encounter spawning dandelions on the map; simply pick them up and blow the seeds away. Reaching certain thresholds would drop rewards. Players from the guild stationed nearby had already scattered thousands—after all, they encountered them while gathering resources.

According to players, unlocking certain quantities also unlocks story fragments.

What’s known so far is that Flag-Raising Mountain stands on the former site of a hospital and military camp. Thus, blowing dandelions here blesses those who once lived or worked here—each puff bestows a blessing upon either a soldier heading to battle or a medical worker on duty.

Of course, like Peace Mountain, these are heroes within the game’s lore.

The difference lies in their roles: Peace Mountain honors leaders, while Flag-Raising Mountain honors the masses.

Since dandelions spawn randomly, there’s no set strategy. Jian Xingyi began ascending the mountain in search of opportunities.

Flag-Raising Mountain’s terrain was gentle; even climbing felt almost flat. The surrounding trees were peculiar—either clustered densely together or growing on barren plains devoid of any vegetation.

Jian Xingyi activated his skills, sweeping them across the landscape one by one.

The seeds yielded by these plants were also basic staples like rice, wheat, carrots, and daikon radishes—nothing special. The essence values were similar to those on Peace Mountain: not every plant possessed it, and when present, the amount was meager.

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x3】

【Harvest successful, absorbed 【Essence】 x1】

【Harvest successful, absorbed 【Essence】 x1】

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

If this were the Jian Xingyi who’d just been stuck in the game and was collecting on Peace Mountain for the first time, he might have been overjoyed. Back then, he needed 50 essence points to upgrade a single plot of land. But the Jian Xingyi of today…

It takes 500 to upgrade a single plot now, dude…!

Still, something was better than nothing. Jian Xingyi patiently gathered bit by bit, like putting coins into a piggy bank—small amounts add up!

Jian Xingyi followed the guide up the mountain.

As expected of a popular map, he encountered quite a few people along the way—groups out gathering, lone wolves like himself. But since none knew each other, there was little interaction.

Still, Jian Xingyi found no dandelions. Maybe his luck was off, or perhaps they hadn’t respawned yet, scooped up by others.

After all, since this was an unlimited-attempt quest, the real challenge wasn’t finding dandelions, but finding one that hadn’t already been used.

This was a novel experience—it was the first time Jian Xingyi had encountered so many other players on a map.

By the time he reached the mountain’s mid-slope, it was already midnight. Jian Xingyi decided to find a safe spot to spend the night.

The only structures on Flag-Raising Mountain immune to tornado destruction were undoubtedly the system-generated hospital and military barracks. The hospital sat closer to the base, so Jian Xingyi decided to spend the night there… Though it felt a bit unlucky, he chose a hospital ward to rest.

There was even a soft, plush bed.

Zombies were bound to be inside, but they were concentrated in the morgue. Upstairs, with so many people using the hospital like a hotel, most zombies had been killed off—not too dangerous.

Jian Xingyi arrived at the hospital to find its white exterior walls already crumbling and peeling, radiating an eerie, foreboding aura.

Now that darkness had permanently settled, Jian Xingyi stood by the entrance, staring into the pitch-black interior. Only faint wall lamps flickered in the corridors. She swallowed hard.

Um…

This abandoned hospital… it just had that inherently creepy vibe.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath, psyching herself up. After mentally preparing, she stepped inside.

Life’s tough, Xingyi sighed.

It was scary, sure, but she’d seen zombie hordes before. This was manageable.

Jian Xingyi rounded a corner and suddenly faced a dark shadow.

“Aaaaaaah!!!”

“Aaaah!”

“…”

“…”

The backlash came too fast.

“Oh, it’s just a living person.”

Across from him stood a young man. He patted his chest and said, “You scared the hell out of me.”

Feeling his heart pound wildly, Jian Xingyi stammered, “…Me too.”

Why was this guy suddenly screaming like that?!

The man sighed. “I was looking for a room to sleep in. You’re a first-time overnight player, too?”

Jian Xingyi nodded.

“Want to share?”

“Oh…”

The man scratched his head. “Players from this area should be used to it by now, but it’s my first time. Still adjusting.”

The hospital was dimly lit, its white walls covered in scratch marks and bloodstains. The floor was littered with medicine bottles, paperwork, and… organs??

The man said, “Let’s go up. I need to meet up with my companions. They got here first.”

Instead of the elevator, they chose the open staircase in the lobby to go down to the first floor. The ground floor was filled with examination rooms and counters, looking incredibly creepy, with nowhere suitable to sleep.

Upon reaching the first floor, they faintly heard voices. The man pushed open the door to one of the large wards first. Jian Xingyi saw five or six men and women inside.

One of the women asked, “Why did you bring a stranger?”

Her tone, however, held no blame or suspicion—just genuine curiosity about their origins.

“We met at the main gate,” the man replied. “We were both alone and a bit scared, so we came up together. You guys did the same, right?”

He gestured toward two burly men in the corner—one bald, the other heavily bearded.

“We met them on the road, too. He’s been with us for two days now. And look at them—they’re so big. More people means safer!”

Everyone chatted in scattered, disjointed sentences.

They’d brought several mattresses and laid them directly on the floor. After asking permission, Jian Xingyi sat down to rest on a mattress in one corner.

He now understood what everyone had meant earlier: Flag-Raising Mountain was a Schrödinger’s cat of danger.

It meant the map itself was hazardous, and places like the hospital and military camp were high-risk zones. But because there was a high probability of encountering other players, and the buildings offered convenient escape routes, it truly was a Schrödinger’s cat situation.

Jian Xingyi looked at these strangers he’d just met. He didn’t join in the conversation, choosing instead to rest quietly by himself.

Just then, the system alert chimed, signaling harvest time. Jian Xingyi happily opened the backend interface.

The terminal page was visible only to him, so he began organizing his fields and goods.

Potatoes occupied 20 plots, lychees filled one greenhouse plot, and experimental ginger took up four plots. The remaining crops and feed each occupied five plots.

Jian Xingyi claimed the lychees, ginger slices, and milk for herself. The beef hadn’t reached harvest yet, while all the lamb belonged to Grapevine Peak.

The remaining inventory…

300 jars of mixed radish pickles at 1000 dawn coins each;

100 jars of chili-pickled bamboo shoots at 1000 dawn coins each;

100 bowls of mung bean soup priced at 3,500 dawn coins;

100 watermelons priced at 3,000 dawn coins each;

800 boxes of stir-fried potatoes with meat priced at 3,000 dawn coins each, of which 160 boxes belonged to Grapevine Peak. Jian Xingyi also stockpiled 160 boxes for his own security.

Jian Xingyi divided these food items into three portions, then listed them separately in the Peace Mountain, Lava Volcano, and Flag-Raising Mountain districts.

This marked his third time listing food in the Lava Volcano district, and the final occasion where Liehuo provided him with the excess funds.

For Flag-Raising Mountain, Jian Xingyi personally covered 20% of the transaction fees.

Jian Xingyi felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. After all, this was his first time listing food in Flag-Raising Mountain—a test run, really—and he had no idea how it would go.

He also hoped to make a good impression on Flag-Raising Mountain’s players, since he’d be heading there next.

At that moment, Flag-Raising Mountain’s marketplace page exploded.

【Woke up to find a row of delicious food listed in our marketplace?】

【Holy crap, did Xinghe join our server? His shop finally made it here??】

【So the legend about Xinghe is real?】

【Aaaah, amazing! That potato looks so good, I’ve been starving!】

【Wow, there are quite a few side dishes too! The pickled radish and bamboo shoots look super appetizing!】

【This watermelon bonus is way too tempting? I’m buying it all—I need it! And it tastes great!】

It went surprisingly smoothly. Since Flag-Raising Mountain players were seeing these foods for the first time, they sold out instantly.

【Finally! I finally got to eat it!】

【Aaah, I didn’t get any! So curious what it tastes like!】

Jian Xingyi breathed a sigh of relief.

The previous push into the Lava Volcano Zone had indeed hit some snags due to disruptions, but barring any unexpected incidents, this was how things should run smoothly.

Seems Flag-Raising Mountain is another new market!

Perhaps everyone’s wallets were still bulging from the recent zombie tide, because sales were strong across all three zones—goods sold out within half a day.

Jian Xingyi earned a total of 2.49 million from these goods. Add to that the 662,000 in Lava Volcano Zone transaction fees, Fireblaze gave him extra, minus the 165,500 he’d covered himself for Flag-Raising Mountain fees.

Plus the fixed orders: 1.05 million from Grapevine Peak and 370,000 from Wildfire Sweeping the Plains.

In the end, Jian Xingyi netted 4.4 million.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself: This meant that until he found more essence upgrades, each harvest—every two days—would bring in 4.4 million. That was no small sum…

Of course, that was assuming the market didn’t saturate.

Jian Xingyi worried that with such a large volume every two days, it might not sell out every time.

Therefore, he needed to unlock other areas quickly. After all, the Peace Mountain area, being the starting zone, actually had the fewest guilds. The farther he ventured, the more buyers he would find.

At this moment, after completing this transaction, Jian Xingyi’s balance soared back to 44.06 million.

Just as Jian Xingyi was basking in his satisfaction, the players before him erupted into a heated discussion.

They’d been chattering away for quite some time, but Jian Xingyi had been too focused on his transactions to notice.

“Ahhh! So happy, I snagged it! I snagged it!” The woman who’d started it all beamed, “Two boxes of stir-fried potatoes with pork slices, everyone! I won’t go hungry for the next few days!“

”That’s nothing! I snagged a watermelon!! This bonus is pure joy!“ The man who came in with her boasted even more proudly.

”Wow… Xinghe is so awesome!“

”So jealous… This big shot is every bit as impressive as the combat experts!”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

This is so embarrassing, everyone.

Someone else approached Jian Xingyi, asking, “Were you silently watching the terminal in the corner just now, also trying to snag something?”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Jian Xingyi wasn’t good at lying, but admitting he was Xinghe was absolutely out of the question!

So cringey, right?

Seeing Jian Xingyi remain silent with an awkward expression, the man patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Oh, didn’t manage to grab one? No big deal!”

“Oh, right.” The woman suggested, “Since we’re a big group, how about we team up before bed to run the hospital instance or do some hospital quests? The rewards are pretty good, and we can choose the difficulty. Let’s add each other as friends so I can check everyone’s combat power and decide the difficulty level?”

Everyone agreed.

After some hesitation, Jian Xingyi agreed too. After all, with so many people, it should be fine, and he had plenty of gear now.

Then, while adding friends…

The woman’s eyes widened. “Xinghe?! Are you seriously Xinghe?!”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Jian Xingyi’s face flushed bright red, wishing he could sink into a hole.

Adding friends did reveal your ID, that was true…

For instance, he now knew the bright-faced, short-haired woman before him was called Moon.

Moon’s eyes lit up instantly. “You’re that big shot from the Peace Mountain District!!”

In an instant, everyone crowded around.

Faced with this unfamiliar enthusiasm, Jian Xingyi was somewhat stunned.

Had his fame really spread that far? Even to other districts?

“I heard your combat power is only 6. Can you handle this dungeon?”

Jian Xingyi: “…It’s already 86.”

Why on earth did that 6 combat power rumor spread so deeply…!

“Then let’s do an easy one!” Moon beamed. “Just that ‘Midnight Nurse’!”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, This shouldn’t be too hard, right…?

Moon patted Jian Xingyi’s shoulder generously. “It’s nothing scary! Big sis’ got your back!”

Jian Xingyi replied obediently, “Thanks.”

“This quest isn’t too difficult, but you can get some basic hospital supplies like healing potions. Pretty good value for the effort.“ Moon seemed to be the team leader. She suggested, ”Let’s split into two groups? Me, Xinghe, and those two uncles over there, will be one team. The remaining four of you form another. We’ll go to the first basement level, and you head to the second floor. Don’t worry—the first basement isn’t the morgue, it’s a storage area. The second basement is the morgue. The second floor is all patient wards.”

Everyone agreed, and the two uncles sitting in the corner silently nodded.

The group immediately set off.

Since we’re already here, we might as well scavenge some medical supplies from the hospital.

This mission is a standard collection task. Simply go to the designated locations, retrieve the required syringes, and place them on the counter. Players will automatically receive rewards in their mailboxes.

Everyone took the elevator down to the basement level. After pressing the floor button, Moon said, “I’m from Shengqi Mountain District, part of the 【I Can’t Hear You】 guild. Our folks are used to strong winds, tornadoes, hospitals, and military bases. This time I brought some friends from another district to play. We’re gathering resources here. Looks like this is your first time, too? Why not join us? I’ll show you around.”

Moon grinned. “Heh, I’m also hoping to curry favor with the legendary Xinghe big shot.”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself: he’d heard of the I Can’t Hear You, Guild, before—while researching guides, he’d learned it was the strongest guild in this zone, ranked just above Wildfire Sweeping the Plains.

Jian Xingyi hesitated.

Want to come?

Moon said, “You can stick to your own plans if you want, but be careful. There were two traitors from the nearby Really Cold Guild who stole resources. Rumor has it they even killed someone and are wanted across the Thousand Bells Snow Mountain region. They recently slipped into our zone, and our guild is hunting them down.”

Moon turned to the other two men. “You’re from another district, too. Have you seen them? They have very distinct knife scars on their faces.”

Both men shook their heads silently.

“Oh, alright…”

Ding!

The elevator reached its destination. Just as the doors were about to open, the bald man pressed the close button.

Moon felt a twinge of confusion. Before she could turn to ask, the bearded man beside her drew a pistol and aimed straight for her heart!

Bang!!!

Caught completely off guard, she had no time to dodge.

Moon’s eyes widened as she stared blankly at them, as if finally realizing something. With great effort, she managed to say to Jian Xingyi, “Quick… run…”

But how could Jian Xingyi run? The elevator was a tiny, enclosed space. The two men blocked the doorway, cornering Jian Xingyi into a cramped spot.

Jian Xingyi felt the blood freeze in her veins—it might as well have been cardiac arrest.

While the bearded man attacked Moon, the bald man had already aimed his gun at Jian Xingyi.

“Don’t move!”

Jian Xingyi glanced at Moon, who lay on the floor still clinging to life. Her voice carried a hint of fury, “What do you want? Just say what you need! Don’t take a life!”

Moon could still be saved…! But only if these two bastards were dealt with first!

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, hadn’t Moon said those two criminals had scars on their faces?

But these two didn’t have any? Were these the men Moon described, or were there more than two criminals?

The bald man bared his teeth in a grin. “We’ve been pretending for two days. We planned to keep it up, but… who asked you to show up?”

“Heh heh, Xinghe, right? Heard you’re loaded with resources and food. Hand them over, and we’ll spare your life! As for this woman… who asked her to get in the way?”

Jian Xingyi gritted his teeth.

These two were after him. He’d dragged the Moon into this!

Bastards.

Shengqi Mountain was crowded and safe, but you could still run into… scoundrels like these two.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath. “What do you want?”

“Simple. Just open your backpack and let us look.”

“…”

Jian Xingyi opened his backpack.

Boom—

In the next instant, Cherry Bombs and Nut Walls launched simultaneously. The two men were plastered with explosive paste, their bodies splattered with blood. Amid the chaos, they fired wildly at Jian Xingyi, but every bullet was blocked by Nut Walls.

Taking advantage of their distraction, Jian Xingyi dashed out of the elevator.

But in the chaos, the elevator had already been pressed to Level -2.

Jian Xingyi frantically pressed “Open.” What greeted his eyes was… a morgue?

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Oh, great.

But there was no time to think. Zombies might be easier to deal with than humans. Jian Xingyi dashed out, sprinting down the long corridor. The two men, still wounded, pursued her, even firing their guns in her direction. But their bodies, mangled and bloody from the explosion, could only offer a desperate, futile resistance. Their speed was significantly slowed.

Jian Xingyi used Nut Wall to deflect bullets while barging through the only exit: the door labeled “Mortuary.”

Bang!

A chill swept over him, sending a shiver through Jian Xingyi’s entire body.

Jian Xingyi saw rows upon rows of neat, white flat beds lining the vast morgue, each covered with a white sheet.

The bodies were roused by the loud bang, slowly rising.

Jian Xingyi watched as every corpse in the morgue gradually straightened up and sat upright, the white cloth covering their bodies sliding off.

Holy crap!!!

A hospital morgue is an A-level danger zone, as rare as the nectar and ambrosia instance!

Jian Xingyi immediately rummaged through his backpack and tossed out a Concentric Anchor Point. He’d mentioned traveling together earlier—wondered if Shuixi could make it?

The corpses… or rather, the zombies, emitted a collective hoarse growl as they began rising from their beds.

Jian Xingyi raised his gun and backed up two steps warily, only to bump into a wall of flesh.

“Ah…!!!”

Those two men couldn’t have caught up so fast, and zombies would definitely make noise. What the hell was this silent thing behind him?!

Prosperity! Democracy! Civilization! Harmony!

Freedom! Equality! Justice! Rule of Law!

The next moment, he felt a hand clamp over his mouth as he fell into a familiar embrace.

Why did this embrace feel familiar? Because it was the same sensation he’d felt when Shuixi had held him on the motorcycle earlier.

“…?!

”Shh.“ Shuixi watched the zombie still searching for the sound source and whispered, ”They’re already dead.”