As always, a huge thanks to GreenKiTea for the kofis, enjoy the bonus chapters!

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After organizing the fields and deducting the five Grade B plots from the Lava Volcano—since those were part of the “Wildfire Sweeping the Plains” self-sufficiency order—Jian Xingyi now has 120 plots!

Five of these are Grade A plots. Jian Xingyi plants whatever seeds he’s running low on in these plots to maintain a cycle.

With a full 120 plots, Jian Xingyi began re-planning his crops.

Now that he had enough land, Jian Xingyi could finally start his stockpiling plan!

For example, although he hadn’t needed lychees yet, he still planted two plots of them in the greenhouse to stockpile for future zombie hordes, ensuring a one-time supply. He now had enough leeway to plan for the future.

Jian Xingyi also notified Baizhou, hoping to hire the Guild’s remaining members to cut down timber for him. He plans to upgrade the greenhouse; otherwise, two plots simply won’t be enough.

He planted 30 plots of potatoes outright, including two Guild orders, items listed for sale, and his own stockpile.

Jian Xingyi also used a full 20 plots to grow watermelons. Aside from orders and listed items he wasn’t aware of, he planned to stockpile some for himself. Watermelons aren’t just delicious and thirst-quenching; they also provide stamina and energy, making them incredibly useful.

Feed is a necessity, and since he’ll be gradually upgrading his livestock area—meaning more animals—he’s allocated 10 plots for that. Chili peppers are mainly for seasoning, so he’s set aside 10 plots for them as well. For side dishes, Jian Xingyi has planted 5 plots each of radishes and spring bamboo shoots.

Jian Xingyi plans to expand his recipe collection and list more unique dishes. He recalls that while some ingredients offer no bonuses on their own, certain advanced recipes combine different foods to create new bonuses. Therefore, Jian Xingyi now intends to focus on his recipes.

As a collector who has unlocked the entire recipe collection, he has countless recipes at his disposal. However, since some recipes lack the necessary ingredients, most of them are currently grayed out; he simply needs to unlock them one by one.

That’s why Jian Xingyi plans to replant the wheat and rice he had previously neglected due to limited farmland.

Wheat and rice don’t offer any bonuses on their own and can’t compare to S-rank seed potatoes, which provide a satiety bonus—both of which are part of the system’s initial seeds. However, they serve as raw materials for many foods; for example, wheat can be used to make flour.

Once Jian Xingyi’s cows mature, he’ll also have milk. With these raw materials, there are endless possibilities no matter how they’re combined!

As for mung beans and ginger—which provide special temperature bonuses—Jian Xingyi didn’t allocate much farmland to them, since that bonus is too niche.

After organizing everything, Jian Xingyi spent 500 essence points to upgrade his last livestock area to C-rank. After the upgrade, he had 477 essence points left—just shy of 500. Upgrading a livestock area from C-rank to B-rank requires 1,000 points, while upgrading farmland from B-rank to A-rank requires 500. Jian Xingyi planned to hold onto the remaining points for now and upgrade whichever area needed it first.

But upgrading the livestock area to Class C was such a great deal! Consuming Class C meat increases attack power for both cold and hot weapons by 20%—that’s absolutely amazing!

Currently, all three livestock areas in his farm are Class C, each capable of holding 10 animals: Area 1 is for sheep, Area 2 is for cattle, and Area 3 is for dairy cows.

The sheep in Zone 1 are currently all part of an order from Grapevine Peak. Jian Xingyi is really looking forward to when the cattle in Zone 2 mature—he’s sure he’ll make a killing once they’re listed for sale.

As for the milk from Zone 3, Jian Xingyi doesn’t plan to list it for sale right now. It provides a 50%… well, after upgrading to Class C, it offers 70% immunity. Although the stats are high, it doesn’t seem to have much practical use.

However, Jian Xingyi believes the system wouldn’t provide useless items. Take the previous Plants vs. Zombies series, the shovel, and the axe—at first, they might seem optional, but later on, he’d be incredibly glad to have them. These items could even save his life.

Since the system considers cows even more fundamental and essential than eggs, Jian Xingyi decided to raise them for now and stockpile the milk.

Now Jian Xingyi’s backpack is filled with milk; he can pull some out to drink every now and then—it’s pure bliss.

After finishing up, Shuixi had also cleared out all the zombies outside. Before leaving, Jian Xingyi cast a lingering, reluctant glance at his new plot of land.

From now on, he’d only be able to view it remotely through the terminal, but having the land set up here put his mind at ease. This way, he wouldn’t have to rely on the people from the “I Can’t Hear You” guild to look after it, nor worry whether they’d be able to manage the land in such a remote wilderness.

After Jian Xingyi and Shuixi left the cellar, they saw that there was no trace of the tornado left.

While in the cellar, Jian Xingyi had clearly heard the sound of trees snapping, but now the system had already repaired everything, and the surroundings were just as they had always been.

Shuixi retrieved the motorcycle, and the two left the wilderness and returned to the military camp.

Although the wilderness offered vast, high-quality land, Jian Xingyi couldn’t find a truly safe spot, so he gave up on the idea.

After returning to the military camp for a brief rest, the two continued their ascent.

Jian Xingyi had arranged to meet Moon and the others near the mountaintop, where the entrance to the Windchaser dungeon was located. By the time they reached their destination, it was exactly the agreed-upon time.

Currently, Jian Xingyi’s inventory contains two EF3 wind-proof umbrellas, two EF4 tents, a Shelter Navigator, and a Wind-Repelling Device—all specifically designed to counter tornadoes.

With those two tents, it should be enough for him and Shuixi to handle the Wind Chaser Dungeon, right?

Jian Xingyi briefly explained the contents of his inventory to Shuixi.

“What kind of dungeon is the Wind Chaser Dungeon? Is it hard?”

Shuixi replied, “It’s an A-rank dungeon, just like Nectar and Ambrosia, but a bit harder.”

Jian Xingyi: “……?”

So that means it’s really hard!!

Shuixi chuckled lightly, “Don’t worry. I’m here, and so is the ‘I Can’t Hear You’ Guild.”

This dungeon has a minimum party size requirement—you need more than 20 people to start it. So, since I Can’t Hear the Guild is joining, there will definitely be at least 20 people, including Houyi and Lei Gong.

People like Lei Gong and Houyi have been running dungeons with their members until they’re numb to it; they’re certainly familiar with the process. The only thing to worry about is… the second half when it’s about to end.

Shuixi explained, “In this dungeon, we’ll be playing the role of Wind Chasers.”

Wind Chasers are a group of crazy yet admirable people who pursue one of the most dangerous professions: chasing and venturing deep into tornadoes to film and collect data.

However, they have professional, high-quality equipment, while Jian Xingyi and the others can only rely on items obtained in the game to survive.

“Once we enter the dungeon, our actions will be the opposite of what we usually do. It’s a dungeon designed to challenge our inner fears. Normally, we monitor the weather to avoid tornadoes, but in this dungeon, we have to find the center of the tornado and take photos.”

Jian Xingyi asked, “So as long as we successfully film it, we’ve completed the dungeon?”

“Not exactly. The dungeon is considered successful if more than five team members capture the tornado’s appearance and two successfully plant a flag at its center.”

“How do we get to the center to plant the flag?” Jian Xingyi asked in surprise. “You don’t mean we have to charge right into the tornado to plant it, do you?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Oh, man.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself. It had been tough enough when he and Shuixi were swept up in an EF3 tornado before… and the tornadoes in this dungeon were randomly generated between EF3 and EF5. What if they were “lucky” enough to encounter an EF5—would they have to grit their teeth and complete the mission anyway?

Shuixi explained, “I couldn’t hear the selection, but I assume the flag-planters have already been chosen. If I’m not mistaken, it’s Lei Gong and Houyi. I’m sure they just want to bring you along to piggyback on the rewards. If they find an EF5 that’s too intense, they’ll probably dodge it and look for another one.”

“I see…” That sounded safe and reliable.

Jian Xingyi felt relieved.

The wind grew stronger as they climbed. Jian Xingyi pushed forward against it, and after a while, he began to feel tired. Under normal circumstances, he would have silently endured it, but now…

“Why not take advantage of it?”

Jian Xingyi sheepishly nudged Shuixi, who was walking ahead of him.

He tapped Shuixi’s arm with his index finger, smiling a bit slyly.

Shuixi: “?”

Jian Xingyi gave him a knowing look.

Shuixi reached out helplessly, and the next second, Jian Xingyi happily grabbed his hand.

Jian Xingyi was pulled along by Shuixi. His hand was broad and sturdy, completely enveloping his, and since he was wearing leather gloves, he could grip him firmly without worrying about his grip slipping due to sweat.

Yay! Saves energy!

Jian Xingyi held onto Shuixi’s hand like that, taking one step at a time.

Along the way, they found five dandelions and a few essence points. He had already blown 105 dandelions to pieces, and his backpack contained 505 essence points.

When the two arrived at the dungeon entrance, they saw that everyone from “I Can’t Hear You” was already there.

They’d even brought three cars.

Before them lay an area enclosed by barbed wire fencing; the area beyond the wire was shrouded in thick fog—presumably the dungeon itself—and they’d have to go inside to see for themselves.

The dungeon entrance was a metal gate; both the gate and the barbed wire appeared to be electrified, and touching them carelessly would likely result in an electric shock.

Shuixi and Jian Xingyi explained that Flag-Raising Mountain not only had a military camp, a PvP arena, and a hospital, but also a car rental service. Players could drive the rental cars anytime and anywhere, though their range was limited to Flag-Raising Mountain and managed by I Can’t Hear. In other words, while the system didn’t restrict players from borrowing cars, they still had to apply to I Can’t Hear to drive them. This was a better way to manage the system, ensuring every guild and player had a chance to borrow a car for dungeon runs.

After all, the forests of Flag-Raising Mountain aren’t really suitable for driving such large vehicles; they’re mainly borrowed for running dungeons or hunting in the wilderness.

The vehicle they drove up in was a metal-clad TIV—that is, a Tornado Interceptor. It was larger than the standard model, covered in a layer of metal, and equipped with massive wheels that provided excellent traction.

Moon came over and greeted Jian Xingyi. “Hey! We got the food—it was really delicious! The stir-fried potatoes and pork kept us full all day, and the watermelon gave us tons of energy. It’s really amazing!”

“Thanks.”

Moon explained the vehicle setup to Jian Xingyi, “We’ll split into three teams. Each group of six or seven will ride in one vehicle, then we’ll split up into three routes to explore. Whichever team finds the target first will signal the other two to come and regroup with them.”

“One team will be led by Lei Gong, another by Houyi and me, and the third by our other Guild Administrator, Hera, as the support team. The support team consists of players with lower combat power in the guild; we’re bringing them along to piggyback on the rewards. Which team do you want to join?”

Houyi and Lei Gong came over to greet us. Hearing their conversation, Lei Gong chuckled, “I suggest you join the support team. It’s not that you’re weak—it’s just that this is your first time in the dungeon, and you’re our honored guests. Our main goal is just to show you around. Houyi and I are in charge of claiming the flag, so our vehicle will be charging straight into the center, which carries some risk.”

Jian Xingyi nodded, obediently following the arrangement. So does that mean they can just hang back? Of course, no problem!

Houyi patted Moon’s shoulder. “Get in the car.”

Moon glared at him. “Leave me alone.”

Houyi turned away with a cold expression.

Jian Xingyi asked curiously, “What’s wrong with you two?”

Moon had looked pretty glum that day at the military camp, too.

“Nothing, it’s just…” Moon paused, looking into Jian Xingyi’s clear eyes, and unconsciously vented, “Don’t you think our guild is a mess?”

“Um…”

That’s hard to say.

Moon said irritably, “It’s a complete mess. Everyone’s split into factions over power and resources—not even Lei Gong can stop it. My brother wasn’t like this before, but now…”

Now he doesn’t hesitate to frame people or even kill them.

The day Houyi saw a Wind Attractor stolen under his name, his first reaction was actually joy. He said, “Moon, our chance has come.”

Seeing that everyone was already getting ready to board the vehicle, Moon didn’t say much more, only adding, “Well, whatever. Good luck to you all! See you later.”

Jian Xingyi nodded and got into the support vehicle with Shuixi.

They were in charge of filming the tornado’s form.

Hera, the team leader driving the vehicle, shot the two a cold glance upon seeing them, then turned her attention back to the road ahead, ignoring them entirely.

Someone whispered to Jian Xingyi, “Don’t take it personally, boss… She used to like Da Jin, so she might be taking out her anger over his death on you guys… She hasn’t been giving Houyi or the Guild President a friendly look lately either.”

Jian Xingyi looked at the beautiful, dashing woman in front of him, then thought back to Da Jin’s spiky hairstyle, snake-like eyes, and punk-rock appearance—though the main issue was, of course, Da Jin’s questionable character. Jian Xingyi really wanted to tell the beautiful woman, “You should eat something nice.”

Of course, he didn’t dare say that.

Jian Xingyi and Shuixi exchanged glances and sat down in the back row of the vehicle.

“Rumble—”

Hera started the massive vehicle, and the passengers were thrown backward by the recoil.

Then the heavy metal truck laboriously began to move, rumbling forward as it plowed through the wild grass on the ground.

【Player 【Lei Gong】 has activated the dungeon 【Wind Chaser】. All participating players must enter the dungeon area within three minutes!】

Jian Xingyi watched as the iron gate in front of them slowly opened.

Hera steered the wheel and followed the two vehicles ahead into the dungeon.

Roar—

Dust swirled in the air.

Three minutes later, the iron gate closed again.

Upon entering the dungeon area, Jian Xingyi found himself surrounded by an endless wilderness. The sky was darker than outside, with a light drizzle falling intermittently, and the sound of thunder and lightning could be heard in the distance.

It was the first time Jian Xingyi had seen raindrops since entering the game, and he happily held out his hand to catch a handful of rainwater.

It felt cool.

Shuixi raised an eyebrow. “You like the rain? The map after Thousand Bells Snow Mountain has nonstop rain—even if it stops for a few minutes, it starts again.”

“I do like it, but if it keeps raining nonstop, it feels a bit inconvenient,” Jian Xingyi sighed. “The players in that area have it rough, too.”

“Won’t you catch a chill or get sick doing that?”

Hera frowned and said coldly, “Put your hand away. You’re blocking my view.”

Jian Xingyi grudgingly pulled his hand back and stuck his tongue out at Shuixi.

“Blocking my view”… That’s ridiculous.

Jian Xingyi smiled and showed Shuixi his hand, whispering playfully, “Check out my ‘Palm of the Buddha.’”

Shuixi couldn’t help but laugh either, and before he knew it, he reached out and ruffled the back of Jian Xingyi’s head, messing up his slightly curly hair.

Hera watched the two of them acting all lovey-dovey, and her expression grew even colder.

Hera activated the sensor on the car’s roof to track the wind, and everyone else pulled out their own devices to observe.

The three cars headed off in different directions.

By now, the windows were closed, and the rain outside had stopped.

Hera said coldly, “You two… you know what this mission is for, right? Even though the Guild President said you can slack off and be useless, don’t hold us back.”

“Hera… watch your language,” someone advised. “They’re the Guild President’s honored guests.”

“What’s it to you?”

Seeing the two about to argue, Jian Xingyi decided to speak up… which only made Hera angrier.

Jian Xingyi chuckled, “Don’t worry, we’re not weak enough to hold you back. After all, we’re the ones who killed Da Jin.”

“…”

The rest of the people in the car were too scared to say a word.

Hera gritted her teeth and snarled, “Don’t make me throw you out of the car right here!”

Only then did the others speak up to stop and restrain Hera.

Jian Xingyi thought to herself, “You can yell at me, but calling Shuixi a liability? That’s just too much to bear.”

What kind of strength does Shuixi have? Is he someone others can just push around?!

Besides, Jian Xingyi was confident now. After all, he’d survived the zombie horde and countless wilderness dungeons; he had plenty of gear and skills—he certainly wouldn’t be a liability.

Among the three teams, Lei Gong was taking the most dangerous route in the guide—the one with the highest chance of encountering a tornado—and sure enough, that’s exactly what happened to him.

Lei Gong’s voice came over the in-car radio: “Everyone, lock onto my coordinates. An EF4 tornado has appeared here! Get ready to film!”

Hera was about to turn around when she heard Moon’s voice.

“Hera! Don’t go there yet—come support us first! We’re closer to you, and our vehicle is out of fuel!”

Hera frowned in response. “Out of fuel? Didn’t you check before driving? Hah, isn’t there a vice president in your vehicle? Is this how you operate? Do people like that even deserve to be in a position of authority?”

Moon snapped from the other end, “It’s none of your business whether he’s worthy or not. Aren’t you supposed to be providing support? Your job is to deliver supplies to us properly—that’s your responsibility!”

“I’m not necessarily going to deliver anything,” Hera said, glancing at the map. “We’re closer to Lei Gong. Instead of detouring to bring you gas, we might as well go straight to Lei Gong and film with him.”

“You…!” Moon felt like she was about to explode with rage. “Do you know why our vehicle ran out of fuel? Before we left, Lei Gong had Xiao Jin inspect the vehicle—it was because he harbored a grudge that he dumped our fuel, wasn’t it? You people are truly selfish!”

Xiao Jin is Da Jin’s younger brother.

Hera snapped, “What proof do you have?”

The people in the car were split between supporters of Da Jin and Houyi, and their expressions varied widely at that moment.

Jian Xingyi leaned quietly toward Shuixi and whispered, “Why do they have so many disputes?”

Shuixi: “Maybe because there are so many people—this is still Flag-Raising Mountain.”

“I Can’t Hear” has twice as many members as Grapevine Peak and Wildfire, and three times as many as Long Life and a Hundred Years. That’s the first reason.

The second reason is that Flag-Raising Mountain is rich in resources. Everyone who comes to gather them relies on items, or on “I Can’t Hear” members—for example, borrowing a vehicle requires paying with dawn coins, and when entering dungeons, people hope that experienced “I Can’t Hear” members will help them monitor the situation.

So the more power you hold here, the more resources you can control.

With so many people and resources, how could there not be conflicts?

Houyi also picked up the walkie-talkie. “You need to supply us with fuel; otherwise, how will Lei Gong’s team complete the dungeon? Remember, in Lei Gong’s team, only Lei Gong can jump out of the vehicle to film—the rest of the members lack both the filming skills and the combat strength! Now, drop that stupid romantic nonsense. Running a dungeon requires teamwork!”

Hera scoffed: “Houyi, don’t act like you’re irreplaceable. Don’t forget I’m T1-tier combat power just like you. If I’d delivered the fuel and gone with you, that Tornado might’ve already escaped! Teamwork? My decision was based on teamwork—the mission comes first!”

“You f***ing… Xinghe is still in your car!”

“Why are you worried about him? He just said himself that he’s got what it takes to take down Da Jin—he’s no pushover.”

Hera stepped on the gas and headed toward Lei Gong, ignoring the cursing over the radio.

As for Lei Gong’s end, they’d lost contact after entering the tornado’s path—all that remained was the howling wind, so Houyi’s tirade went unheard by Lei Gong.

Jian Xingyi looked out the window at the approaching tornado with a sense of helplessness.

An EF4 tornado was massive enough. Jian Xingyi saw a gigantic trunk-like column of air rampaging and spinning across the ground not far away, with dust and weeds flying all around. The roaring sound made his eardrums ache.

Chasing a tornado was indeed a different experience from the usual; people normally run away when they see one. But right now, they were actually getting closer and closer, and then…

The car plunged into the heart of the tornado!

ROAR———

Debris pelted the windows, and the outside turned into a chaotic blur.

The entire vehicle was shaking violently.

Hera activated the car’s massive hook, which dug into the ground to anchor the vehicle. She had a companion take the wheel, then pulled out a small flag from the car, opened the door, and struggled to jump out.

Hera had a rope tied around her waist, the other end secured inside the vehicle to ensure she wouldn’t be blown away.

As soon as the door opened, the wind outside rushed in, and everyone immediately grabbed onto the vehicle to avoid being sucked out.

Shuixi held Jian Xingyi close while observing the situation outside.

Jian Xingyi, clutching the armrest and Shuixi’s arm, also peered out curiously.

They saw Lei Gong seemingly ranting and raving about something, while Hera struggled to plant the flag. Eventually… she was swept away by the wind.

“Aaaah—”

Hera’s screams echoed inside the vehicle.

Jian Xingyi: “……”

Shuixi: “……”

Just a moment ago, she was so confident—how quickly she’s been proven wrong…

Everyone inside the car wore a variety of expressions.

Not only was it embarrassing, but Hera was now in danger. It just goes to show that one shouldn’t be too stubborn or competitive; it’s better to know one’s limits, or else you’ll only bring trouble upon yourself.

Outside, the Lei Gong was also in a fix; the flag had been swept away along with Hera.

Shuixi let out a soft sigh. He glanced at Jian Xingyi and said, “Looks like I can’t slack off anymore?”

There were spare flags inside the car.

Jian Xingyi asked, “Can you handle it?”

“Yeah.”

If Shuixi said he could, it certainly wasn’t him putting on a brave front. Jian Xingyi laughed, “Alright, go out there and show them what you’ve got!”

Shuixi coiled the rope and tied the other end to the seat in front of Jian Xingyi. “Keep an eye on this for me.”

Jian Xingyi: “Mission accepted!”

Shuixi leaped out and quickly helped Lei Gong plant the flag.

Actually, at first Shuixi wasn’t sure if he still remembered how to plant the flag, because it required pinpointing the center of the tornado—and that wasn’t easy.

The last time he’d planted a flag was back when he’d first started playing the game, during his rookie days, when he’d done it with Le Ke and the others. But there was no other choice now; if they kept dragging this out, everyone would be in danger—and Jian Xingyi was still in the car—so he decided to just go out and give it a try.

Unexpectedly… it was surprisingly easy.

It seemed his muscle memory was still intact.

Lei Gong stared dumbfounded at Shuixi, who looked as relaxed as if he were out for a stroll.

Huh?

Lei Gong snapped out of it and moved to rescue Hera, while Shuixi headed for the car to have everyone evacuate first. Just then, Jian Xingyi froze inside the vehicle.

Another tornado appeared not far away. The two massive thunderclouds in the sky had actually merged, and an even more terrifying roar filled the air.

Jian Xingyi thought he must be seeing things. How could two tornadoes appear at the same time?

Someone in the car gasped, “No way! We’ve run into a pair of tornadoes?”

“The one over there… looks like an EF5!”

Wow, we hit the jackpot!?