Jian Xingyi’s invitation was so straightforward that Shuixi felt refusing it would make him seem insincere.

“…”

Shuixi silently got up and lay down on the other side of the bed, still keeping a distance from Jian Xingyi.

After lying down, neither of them managed to fall asleep for half an hour.

…Having someone beside him was genuinely unfamiliar, even a bit unsettling.

Since neither could sleep, Jian Xingyi whispered, “Shuixi…”

“Mm.”

Jian Xingyi: “How long will you stay with me this time? Don’t you have work?”

“Not for now.”

To prepare for the impending zombie tide, Grapevine Peak’s division of labor was quite similar to Long Live for A Hundred Years. Shuixi’s task was simple: farm zombie kills. After all, unless he was needed for high-difficulty raids, Shuixi always operated solo, making this assignment perfect for him.

Shuixi figured, killing zombies was killing zombies no matter where. He could complete his task while tagging along with Jian Xingyi. Plus, he could take him to high-difficulty maps for farming, helping him finish his gathering quests along the way.

“Oh… So you don’t have anything you want to do?”

“No.”

Though it was the truth, it sounded distinctly NPC-like.

Jian Xingyi chuckled. “Alright. But aren’t you worried people might figure out you’re an NPC? What if we run into others? How should I introduce you? Like you said before—you’re a player from the Peace Mountain region, and I’m… your gathering partner?”

Shuixi raised an eyebrow, teasing Jian Xingyi. “You could also say I’m your hired bodyguard.”

Jian Xingyi couldn’t stop laughing.

In a way, Shuixi did resemble his own bodyguard.

Lying face-to-face with a distance neither too close nor too far between them, Shuixi’s voice was soft. “Can’t sleep?”

“Hmm…” Jian Xingyi teased back, “How about you tell me a bedtime story?”

“…” Shuixi began seriously considering what stories he could share. His tales were all about fighting and killing in the wilderness—hardly entertaining.

Seeing Shuixi freeze, Jian Xingyi laughed even harder. “Just kidding. Good night.”

“…Good night.”

Jian Xingyi slept deeply that night.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The next morning, Jian Xingyi woke to find Shuixi already seated nearby, maintaining the muzzle of his rifle.

Jian Xingyi wanted to say good morning, but then remembered this world no longer had day or night—it was perpetually shrouded in murky darkness. So he let it go.

After getting up, Jian Xingyi first opened his terminal to remotely check his farmland and breeding areas, ensuring everything was secure and that crops and animals were in good condition.

He also noticed a message from the Moon.

Moon: 【Are you still at the hospital? My guild heard you took down those two wanted criminals and wants to meet you to give a token of appreciation. Would that work for you?】

Jian Xingyi blinked.

A token of appreciation… Might as well take it if it’s offered?

“Shuixi, is the guild too far away for me to hear?”

“If you’re heading to the military camp and the mountain peak to gather dandelions, it’s on the way.”

“Oh!”

Jian Xingyi replied to the Moon that he’d notify her if he passed by. Sensing Jian Xingyi had no intention of traveling with her, the Moon tactfully dropped the subject.

After leaving the hospital, Jian Xingyi and Shuixi continued their ascent up the mountain.

The world was shrouded in darkness now, yet night differed from day in brightness. Though the sky remained black, lanterns weren’t needed during daylight hours.

All the way up, Jian Xingyi diligently activated his skills and clicked away. Combined with the task she’d completed at the hospital last night, he barely scraped together 300 points.

Along the way, he found only two dandelions beneath a palm tree, yielding 10 essence points. After blowing them away, he now had a total of 32 dandelions collected.

Jian Xingyi sighed, “Wild dandelions are scarce out here.”

Scarce enough, but exhausting too.

Jian Xingyi took a deep, heavy breath.

Exhausting! He’d been walking against the wind all day, his footsteps heavy, clothes and hair whipped by the gusts nonstop.

The wind here is crazy strong! And it actually gets stronger the higher you go??

Fortunately, besides dandelions, there were plenty of fruits to gather along the way. Scattered resources from “soldiers” and “medical personnel” littered the path, too—medicine, bullets, and wood needed for building walls.

Shuixi: “There wasn’t much to begin with, and players have collected quite a bit. If you need more, it’s faster to run dungeons or head to less populated, dangerous zones.”

True enough, his route was one every player had to take. But Flag-Raising Hill wasn’t Peace Mountain; they’d encountered quite a few people along the way.

Jian Xingyi: “Beyond dandelions, my main goal is finding suitable farming land—low population, high soil quality, and a large area. Is such a place available?”

Shuixi pondered, then said: “Yes, but what you describe is an EF5-level area. This region also has heavy winds and abundant dandelions due to its sparseness.”

Jian Xingyi paused. True enough.

Few people, high-grade land, large area—wasn’t that exactly the EF5 tornado plains? Plus, they could pick up some dandelions to earn essence points along the way.

He wasn’t holding out much hope for seeds. Along the way, he’d noticed that unless the plants were truly special, the seeds they produced were always the same beginner’s four-piece set.

Jian Xingyi opened his terminal and flipped to the Grapevine Peak map guide to locate the EF5 zone and get a sense of its location.

Areas with EF5-level tornadoes were marked in red. Currently, only two locations fit this description: the mountain peak and the training plains adjacent to the military camp.

The military camp was enormous, occupying nearly half the mountainside. Though higher-level than the hospital, it still drew many visitors. Inside lay the old PvP training grounds. Beyond the camp, however, a plain stretched through a grove that was now utterly deserted. Rumor had it that this former military drill and training site had become a breeding ground for zombies and tornadoes.

Jian Xingyi studied the map. Ahead lay the I Can’t Hear Guild. After visiting the guild, they could continue upward to reach the military camp and head directly for the training plain.

With Shuixi by their side—someone who’d even been to the Fire God’s Belly—Jian Xingyi wasn’t worried they couldn’t handle the training plain.

But…

Jian Xingyi asked curiously, “What does an EF5 tornado even mean?”

Shuixi crouched down, picked up a tree branch, and sketched the progression of tornadoes from 0 to 5 for Jian Xingyi.

EF0 and 1 were the strong winds Jian Xingyi had encountered before; EF2 would scatter leaves and rip roofs off; EF3 would uproot half a tree and blow away roofs; EF4 would leave only debris from entire trees and houses.

“When an EF5 tornado strikes, nothing remains.”

Jian Xingyi nodded like a diligent student. So tornadoes starting at EF3 could cause serious injury or even death. Thankfully, he’d snatched a tent from those two thugs that could withstand EF4.

“But what if we end up in an EF5 zone and actually encounter one?”

Shuixi: “Monitor and avoid it beforehand. If the area is small, escape by bike. If large, use the tent and tough it out.”

“Oh…”

By evening, the two reached the gates of the I Can’t Hear Guild.

Jian Xingyi notified Moon of his arrival, but Moon was likely in a dungeon or elsewhere and didn’t see the message right away.

After waiting a moment, Jian Xingyi spotted someone exiting the guild. Seizing the chance, he asked, “Excuse me, is Moon here?”

The man’s eyes darted around before he replied with a smile, “Ah, no, she’s not. May I ask who you are? Is there something I can relay to her?”

Jian Xingyi stated, “Just tell Moon a player named Xinghe came looking for her.”

“Xinghe…?! Oh…” the man said. “I’ll go tell her right now.”

With that, the man walked away.

Jian Xingyi blinked, feeling something was off.

A moment later, two people emerged. One was the man who had just relayed the message, and the other was a man with his hair permed into golden curls.

The blond man’s eyes lit up the moment he spotted Jian Xingyi. “Xinghe, right…!”

His overly enthusiastic manner, like a relative during the New Year, startled Jian Xingyi into instinctively taking a few steps back.

The blond man greeted him warmly, “I’m a Guild Administrator. My name is Dajin.”

Jian Xingyi glanced at his golden hair and thought to herself, Easy to remember.

“Hello, Dajin…”

Dajin then turned his attention to Shuixi, standing tall and imposing behind Jian Xingyi with a stern expression. “Is this Xinghe’s bodyguard? What’s your name?”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Moon asked if they were a couple, and now Dajin was asking if he was a bodyguard.

Just as Jian Xingyi was about to protest, Shuixi, seemingly too lazy to explain, simply stated, “Shuixi.”

Dajin’s reasoning was simple: Jian Xingyi was a resource tycoon with low combat prowess. Now that he was famous, everyone knew he was a walking hot commodity. This guy stood quietly behind him, seeming obedient but trying to hide his strength. Even with his reserved demeanor, Dajin could instantly sense the unmistakable aura of lethality radiating from him—clearly no pushover.

Dajin said, “Hey, don’t just stand out there. Come on in. I’ve granted you access.”

But granting access would reveal his ID. Shuixi said, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

With that, he stood firmly by the entrance, fulfilling his bodyguard duties perfectly.

Dajin led Jian Xingyi to the office and smiled, “Moon and her brother are out. No worries—perfect timing for us to chat.“

”Hmm?“

Dajin rubbed his hands together. ”Here’s the thing. I heard you’ve been doing long-term deals with Grapevine Peak and Wildfire Sweeping the Plains, right?”

Jian Xingyi now guessed Dajin’s purpose. He nodded.

Dajin smiled. “So, since that’s the case, I wanted to ask—now that you’ve unlocked our region, would you consider our guild? Would you be willing to give us a chance? We’d also like to establish long-term trade with you. We might not be able to offer prices as high as Grapevine Peak, but we can match Wildfire’s.”

Jian Xingyi asked, “What do you want?”

Dajin replied, “Naturally, basic sustenance like food and watermelons. We heard you have a food item that boosts stamina—we desperately need that! Our guild has about a hundred members.”

The big shots at Flag-Raising Mountain suffer from strong winds every day during their dungeon runs.

Jian Xingyi pondered for a moment. “Shouldn’t be a problem. Wait for me to check our inventory, and since I’ve already added Moon as a friend, I’ll notify her then?”

“Ah… no way!”

“?”

Dajin chuckled dryly, “What I mean is, Moon’s just a little girl. She wouldn’t understand guild affairs. You add me as a friend—just talk to me, the Guild Administrator, directly, okay?”

“Oh, alright.”

Jian Xingyi and Dajin added each other as friends. Dajin asked to see Jian Xingyi’s rifle and subsequently sent him a bunch of corresponding upgrade materials.

Jian Xingyi gratefully accepted them, thinking to himself: Is this the thank-you gift?

Jian Xingyi’s current rifle was A-grade. To reach S-grade, he still needed to feed it a lot of accessories to fill the experience progress bar. He saw that it was still a long way off.

2655/10000

This progress came from hoarding upgrade materials from Wildfire Sweeps and rewards from the Corpse Tide event. Wildfire Sweeps had given him a decent amount, and the Corpse Tide material rewards were practically overflowing in his mailbox—though after sorting through them, he ended up with less than three thousand.

S-rank is tough to reach!

Dajin escorted Jian Xingyi out. Just as he was about to leave, he encountered Moon and another bespectacled man at the gate, bickering as they entered.

Moon fumed, “Will you ever stop? I said I’ll be more careful next time! Are you trying to ground me from gathering?”

The man looked equally displeased. “I never said you couldn’t go out. I said next time you must come with me. You got lucky this time meeting Xinghe and his bodyguard—what about next time?”

Moon suddenly changed the subject: “Um… I don’t think they were bodyguards. Maybe they were a pair…”

The man looked like he was about to explode at Moon’s seemingly carefree remark.

“A pair, my ass! How naive can you be? Based on your description, what other possibility besides a profit-sharing arrangement could there be? That’s exactly why I can’t trust you to go out alone! Didn’t you just get caught this time?”

“Hey… mainly, players like those two wanted criminals are a once-in-a-century occurrence, right? This was just bad luck, I was caught off guard. It doesn’t mean I’m actually that weak! Ah… Xinghe?”

Moon was about to continue when she spotted Jian Xingyi standing nearby, watching the scene unfold. She immediately felt awkward, especially since they’d just been discussing him.

Then, as if remembering something, Moon quickly checked her terminal. “Ah…! Sorry, I didn’t see your message! Good thing we got back in time!”

The man scrutinized her and asked, “Is this Xinghe?”

Jian Xingyi nodded. “Hello.”

The man nodded back. “Hello, I’m Houyi.”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

Sister is Moon, brother is Houyi—this is even stranger than the Sun ID.

Houyi said, “Shall we go inside to talk? I’ll get straight to the point. Besides the reward for saving my sister, as a Guild Administrator, I’d also like to discuss establishing a regular food trade with you. Would that be convenient?”

Jian Xingyi: “…”

This guild is weird. Don’t they coordinate their actions or consult others before doing things?

Jian Xingyi asked in confusion, “I already heard about the trade from another Guild Administrator of your guild—the one called Dajin.”

Houyi’s expression darkened further, muttering a low curse before turning to Jian Xingyi with earnest eyes. “Here’s the thing. Whatever price Dajin quoted you, I can personally cover higher transaction fees. I hope you’ll switch your designated trading partner to me. And if this works out, I hope you’ll designate me as your exclusive supplier.”

Jian Xingyi stared blankly. “What difference does it make?”

Moon rolled her eyes. “My brother and Dajin are fighting over the Guild Vice-President position…”

“Moon!” Houyi’s face darkened. “This is guild business. Don’t you realize how embarrassing it is to air it out like this?”

Moon snapped back angrily, “Well, if you think it’s embarrassing, then why are you fighting Dajin for it?”

Houyi retorted, “Moon, get your facts straight—it’s Dajin who came to challenge me!”

Jian Xingyi silently took a step back. “Um, you two discuss it first. Come find me when you have a decision. I’ll leave now.”

Jian Xingyi quietly found Shuixi and left together.

After Jian Xingyi recounted the incident to Shuixi, Shuixi remarked, “This is a good thing.”

“Hm?”

Shuixi analyzed, “I heard the guild lost its vice-president in the zombie tide. In terms of combat strength, Dajin and Houyi are roughly equal. Now, who rises to power likely depends on other factors like influence and administrative ability. So whichever of them you assign to handle the guild’s stable food supply afterward will gain greater prestige. For that, they’ll definitely fight tooth and nail to curry favor with you, offering better terms.”

The food price is fixed and covered by guild funds, so it won’t change. But other things—like the remaining two transaction fees for Jian Xingyi, or small gifts to bribe him—have no upper limit.

Jian Xingyi was a bit surprised and embarrassed upon hearing this.

Shuixi raised an eyebrow. “You’re a merchant—don’t overthink it or feel burdened. Just go with whoever offers you the best price.”

“You’re right,” Jian Xingyi chuckled. “Then I’ll just wait!”

He and Moon were now even. Now it was up to Houyi and Dajin to see what terms they offered!

He also needed to carefully calculate his food inventory. After all, he’d now established trade with two guilds, and the quantities were substantial.

Fixed-price deals sounded lucrative, but they also carried responsibility. If unexpected supply issues arose and he failed to deliver, he’d break trust. What if the other party had plans relying on this shipment?

Breaking trust is a merchant’s worst nightmare. That was the first consideration. Second, if the fixed trade didn’t yield higher profits or easier earnings than regular listings, then Jian Xingyi might as well just list the goods directly.

Grapevine Peak had initially set prices double those of regular listings, while Wildfire Scorched Principle had originally used their land, switching from a 30/70 split to covering the full cost themselves—Jian Xingyi still made a killing.

And Shuixi was absolutely right. Houyi promptly sent him a friend request, likely getting his contact info from the Moon.

Houyi: 【This was your first time listing in our district, right? I’ll cover the fees for your next two listings—at double the price. And I still owe you that promised reward.】

【Player 【Houyi】 gifted Player 【Xinghe】 6,666 dawn coins, 10 Gun Upgrade Items, Quest Item 【Yellow Color Flag】, Consumable Item 【Wind-Repelling Device】】

Earlier, Jian Xingyi had obtained a White Color Flag from those two thugs, and now here comes a Yellow Color Flag. Shuixi also mentioned this was a very rare and hard-to-obtain item, supposedly from a map quest in Thousand Bells Snow Mountain.

The Wind-Repelling Device is an item that can temporarily buy people time when a tornado strikes.

Wow… Jian Xingyi thought to himself, Houyi sure is throwing down the cash.

Dajin somehow got wind of this and sent Jian Xingyi a private message.

Dajin: 【Heard you’re in contact with Houyi? Here’s the deal: whatever commission he plans to pay you, I’ll automatically double it.】

Jian Xingyi gave both the same reply: he needed time to consider.

Leaving the guild, Jian Xingyi and Shuixi continued their ascent.

Jian Xingyi upgraded his essence to 321 points and added two more dandelions, bringing his total to 34.

“Phew…”

Jian Xingyi stuck out his tongue, exhausted, and paused to catch his breath.

The military camp’s elevation was considerable; they now stood at a high point on the mountainside. Each gust of wind nearly knocked them off their feet.

Jian Xingyi watched Shuixi with equal parts curiosity and admiration. How come this guy felt like he was on a different level entirely?

Shuixi, both amused and exasperated, turned and said, “I’ll pull you up. We’re almost at the camp.”

Shuixi extended his hand toward Jian Xingyi.

“Okay.”

Shuixi wore black leather gloves with anti-slip grips. Jian Xingyi slipped his hand inside and immediately felt the solid strength.

Shuixi pulled him forward, saving Jian Xingyi a lot of effort.

Later on, Jian Xingyi gave up and let Shuixi practically half-carry, half-drag him forward.

“We’re here.”

Jian Xingyi looked at the military camp before them. It contained numerous watchtowers and windproof tents scattered everywhere. Many players chose to spend the night here, as long as they cleared the zombies from the tents.

Upon entering, they spotted the PVP platform not far away. Once bustling with events, it had been plastered with posters of each PVP champion—Shanhai. But now, the PVP arena lay abandoned, the posters vanished.

Shuixi said, “First, let’s do the military camp hidden quest: 【Thousand-Mile Family Letter】.”

Jian Xingyi listened attentively.

Shuixi: “It’s pretty straightforward, and pays better than the hospital quests.”

Demonstration speaks louder than words. Shuixi led Jian Xingyi straight to one of the tents where he remembered stashing items. After eliminating the zombie inside dressed in a soldier’s uniform, he retrieved a letter from the corner. He opened the envelope and gave it a quick scan.

To My Beloved Wife:

I cannot return yet. After the zombie outbreak, I must hold the line here. I cannot let those monsters breach our defenses and harm you and the children. Head to Shelter A. Don’t worry about me.

Shuixi said, “See? Shelter A. We just need to find a mailbox nearby marked ‘Shelter A’ and drop it in.”

“Oh…” It was indeed simple, though time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Fortunately, Shuixi remembered the corresponding mailbox’s location. After Jian Xingyi dropped it in, dandelions appeared in his hand. No wonder Shuixi said it was more profitable than the hospital—there were fifteen in total.

【Player 【Xinghe】 scattered dandelion seeds x15】

The two continued searching.

Passing a tent, Jian Xingyi’s footsteps halted.

Why… was there a light point beneath that tent?

Jian Xingyi stepped forward to investigate. After a moment’s pause, he decided to take out his shovel and tap the ground beneath the tent.

Clang!

Boom—

The ground beneath them suddenly caved in. Jian Xingyi felt the ground vanish beneath his feet, losing his balance as he plummeted straight down!

Thud!

Fortunately, the hole wasn’t very deep. After Shuixi helped him up, Jian Xingyi realized they’d fallen into… a tunnel?

Jian Xingyi glanced upward. Climbing back up wouldn’t be difficult.

He then looked ahead. The tunnel led into darkness, but further on… There were many points of light.

Jian Xingyi turned to Shuixi.

He wanted to investigate.

Shuixi spotted some engraved characters on the wall beside them.

【Escape Route】

Following Shuixi’s gaze, Jian Xingyi froze.

So this tunnel… was dug by soldiers trying to escape?

Shuixi’s expression grew grave. Jian Xingyi didn’t understand why he suddenly looked like that.

Then Jian Xingyi heard the system’s voice echo in his mind.

【Congratulations! Player has triggered the hidden instance 【Deserter’s Shame】!】

“BOOM——”

Immediately, the sound of cannon fire erupted all around them, causing the entire tunnel to shake. The exit vanished, and they entered the instance world.

Endless cannon blasts echoed—this… wasn’t ordinary artillery fire. At least, Jian Xingyi had never heard such deafening roars before. Not even the cannons during the zombie tide or the volcanic eruption had been this intense.

This sound felt like stepping onto a fiercely contested battlefield. The artillery fire seemed poised to tear open the sky, to shatter one’s very heart.

Jian Xingyi even heard cries of agony, gunfire, explosions, and the rumble of tanks.

This was unmistakably a battlefield!

Flag-Raising Mountain was famed as the map with the most hidden instances and characters, teeming with countless NPCs and untold stories.

Jian Xingyi must have triggered one of them.

“Shuixi, this…”

Just as Jian Xingyi was about to ask Shuixi if he’d ever fought this instance, he turned and froze in shock.

Shuixi knelt nearby, his face deathly pale, eyes glowing crimson.

He looked terrible, fists clenched tightly as if suppressing some terrible thing or emotion.

“Shuixi…?” Jian Xingyi asked cautiously, “Are you… okay?”

Shuixi croaked, “I’m fine. Let’s go.”