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

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In this sea of pure white flowers, this dandelion is red.

It’s hard to miss, yet with so many dandelions here, spotting a tiny red dot in a sea of flowers is no easy task; but if you say it’s hard to miss, well, it’s truly a red dot amidst a sea of flowers.

Jian Xingyi stared at the dandelion, lost in thought.

It stubbornly poked its head out, growing taller than the others, looking as if it refused to be outdone.

Jian Xingyi couldn’t help but smile.

He took a deep breath and activated his skill on the flower.

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x50】

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened.

So much…!

【Harvest Successful. Congratulations to the player on obtaining a Purple-A-Grade Seed!】

【Harvest Successful. Obtained 【Green Vine】 x40】

An A-Grade Seed actually appeared…?

Jian Xingyi froze.

Wow!

【Variety: A-Grade Green Vine】

【Description: Stands tall against the wind, undaunted by storms, bravely reaching upward.】

【Source: 【Wind Chaser】 Spirit Tombstone Dandelion】

It was like a summary—a summary of all the people on Flag-Raising Mountain, whether they were medical staff at the hospital, soldiers in the barracks, or the Wind Chasers here at this moment.

Faced with zombies and the apocalypse, the people in this story did their best to stop it. Even when they were afraid and wanted to retreat, they ultimately fulfilled their duties.

The tombstones on Peace Mountain belong to the elite of the elite—the leaders who stood at the forefront of the disaster, such as the Commander of All Humanity, the doctors researching the catastrophe itself, and the builders.

But the people of Flag-Raising Hill have neither tombstones nor epitaphs; they were simply ordinary souls among the masses, commemorated by nothing more than a single dandelion.

Jian Xingyi and his friends were playing a game, but the NPCs in the story were experiencing real fear.

Jian Xingyi knelt before the sea of flowers and bowed reverently.

There were no rewards for paying respects here, but Jian Xingyi did it anyway, treating it as a way to thank them for what they had left behind for him.

After finishing the ritual, Jian Xingyi pondered the seed for a moment.

Qingteng… didn’t say what it was for? What could this seed be used for? It seemed he’d have to wait until he planted it and harvested it to find out its actual use.

Jian Xingyi then began collecting essence from his skills.

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x15】

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x21】

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x9】

Not every dandelion could be harvested, but when they could be, the essence yield was extremely high.

Jian Xingyi maintained his posture with his eyes closed, collecting for quite a while without managing to finish.

Shuixi sat nearby, resting, waiting patiently.

They had taken a brief rest after reaching the hill; though the wind was strong now, it wasn’t strong enough to blow anyone away.

The wind had dried their originally soaked bodies, though their hair was still dripping with water.

Once Jian Xingyi finished collecting, his Essence Points skyrocketed from 669 to 1,503!

That means there were over eight hundred points right here!

Jian Xingyi felt elated, rediscovering the joy he’d felt back in the Fire God’s belly.

Overnight riches, everyone!

And that wasn’t all… Jian Xingyi looked around.

The journey to the hill had been a veritable showcase of natural disasters—torrential rain, thunder, and tornadoes all made an appearance. Yet the hill itself, the resting place of the heroic spirits, was a haven of peace.

In other words, this place was also extremely safe. Surrounded by natural disasters, zombies and beasts couldn’t reach it, yet it wouldn’t be destroyed by them either.

This was truly fantastic!

A prime feng shui location!

Everything was great, except… it was a bit pricey.

Jian Xingyi noticed that the land ratings here hovered around 250—the highest he’d encountered so far, likely because the soil here was exceptionally pure.

So…

210 points, 50 plots of B-grade farmland, 5 million.

240 points, 40 plots of B-grade farmland—yes, starting at B-grade—8 million.

270 points, 20 plots of A-grade farmland… even starting at A-grade!! But 12 million…

Most of the others were similar.

Jian Xingyi was torn.

He checked his inventory. After buying the plot next to the cellar and adding his recent quest earnings, he currently has about 45 million. His Essence Points had risen to a solid 1,503 thanks to the dandelions underground.

Jian Xingyi was so torn and afraid of losing out that he carefully explained the situation to Shuixi, thinking that having someone else to consult with might help avoid oversights.

This was the first time Jian Xingyi had shared his skills and plots with anyone else. Shuixi listened intently and quickly grasped the situation.

Shuixi asked, “First, it depends on how many plots you plan to buy—and how many the system will let you buy.”

That was indeed a good question.

Jian Xingyi pondered, “If possible, I’d definitely want to buy all the land I need right here. That way, I wouldn’t even have to go to other maps to look for more—after all, land this good might not come along again.”

So Jian Xingyi really didn’t need to agonize over it—children make choices, but adults take it all. But the problem was…

Jian Xingyi groaned, “I just tried it, and the system has a limit! I can only buy one plot per area!”

Shuixi knew Jian Xingyi already had the answer in his heart, but was just unsure, so he encouraged him, “Then just buy the one you want.”

Jian Xingyi said, “After crunching the numbers, the Grade A plot is definitely the best deal. God knows how hard it’ll be to upgrade a Grade B plot to Grade A—it’s such a hassle. And price-wise, there’s actually not that much of a difference…”

Shuixi nodded.

Jian Xingyi’s tone grew even more agonized, “But spending that much money all at once… 12 million… it feels a bit… overwhelming.”

Shuixi suddenly raised his hand, “Let’s play rock-paper-scissors. If I win, you give up; if you win, you buy it.”

“?”

How childish!

Jian Xingyi obediently raised his hand.

Then, the next moment, he decisively dropped his hand and covered his face, saying, “Waaah… thank you, I’ve made up my mind…”

The moment he raised his hand, he suddenly felt incredibly nervous, terrified of losing. He didn’t want to lose, nor did he want to miss out on this Grade A plot of land.

Actually… he already had the answer in his heart; no matter how long he agonized over it, the outcome would be the same.

Jian Xingyi steeled his resolve and spent 12 million plus two redemption vouchers to purchase 20 plots of Grade A land.

He currently had 24 redemption vouchers left, but honestly, was it a shortage of vouchers? No, it was a shortage of money!

After buying the land and setting up the fields, Jian Xingyi had 33 million left. He reassured himself, “It’s okay, there’s still plenty left!”

The main thing was those 20 Grade A plots… they were just too good to pass up!!

Jian Xingyi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he had nearly met his KPI.

“So…” Jian Xingyi said helplessly, “Take off my handcuffs! I need to farm!”

“…Oh.”

I forgot.

After Shuixi removed the handcuffs, he looked at the faint red marks on Jian Xingyi’s wrists and, feeling quite apologetic, gently massaged his hands.

Jian Xingyi laughed, “It’s fine. I even left you with a bruise.”

Shuixi thought to himself, staring at the red marks on Jian Xingyi’s wrists, yet he felt… something strange.

Shuixi’s eyes darkened slightly, and he quickly looked away.

Jian Xingyi skipped off happily to tend the fields.

The beauty of Grade A farmland lies not only in doubling the harvest but also in the ability to recycle seeds and essences. After planting various seeds, Jian Xingyi and Shuixi finally left the area.

The weather upon their departure wasn’t as harsh as when they’d arrived; it almost felt as though the system had given up, figuring they’d already been through it anyway.

The motorcycle sped across the wilderness at top speed. By now, a torrential downpour had begun. With only the two of them left—and no one around to scold Jian Xingyi for sticking his hands out—he happily spread his arms wide to fully embrace the wind and raindrops.

Awesome!!

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After leaving the dungeon, the two returned to the “I Can’t Hear You” guild to rest and collect their rewards.

“Looking for the Guild President? He seems to be discussing the dungeon rewards with my brother. Come on, I’ll take you there.”

Moon led Jian Xingyi and Shuixi to the office.

Upon arriving at the office, just as they were about to enter, they heard furious shouts coming from inside.

“Guild President, how much longer are you going to let those people run wild?!”

“Calm down…”

“I am calm!”

Oh no.

The group exchanged glances.

They’re arguing… Now the group was stuck—they didn’t know whether to go in or not.

“Guild President, I’m putting this out there: if you keep dragging your feet on cleaning out Da Jin’s remnants, we’ll all be doomed by them. Today was just a minor incident—what about the future? And looking further ahead, what about during the zombie tide?”

“Houyi… don’t you know what the situation is right now? We already have enough enemies. Other guilds are all eyeing us like hawks. Flag-Raising Mountain is a good location, but it’s really not easy to survive here. Everyone is itching for us to fall out with Xinghe! Everyone is itching for us to collapse! So they can take over our assets!”

“Then, when will you realize that even if you don’t clean house, sooner or later, they’ll become our enemies anyway! I know exactly how the other guilds feel about us—some have even reached out to me, offering me a chance to switch sides.”

“What?”

“Guild President, don’t blame me for being disloyal, but if the remnants of Da Jin are really still here causing trouble for everyone, rather than being killed by them sooner or later, I’d rather take Moon with me and switch guilds!”

The group had originally been about to leave, but after hearing this gossip…

Moon heard her name and silently shifted a little closer; Jian Xingyi did the same.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, No wonder Lei Gong was willing to offer me ten times the commission…

So he was afraid I wouldn’t hear him if he teamed up with other guilds against me…

“You… Houyi, calm down.”

“How am I supposed to calm down? There’s something I’ve never told anyone—not even Moon—and today I’m going to tell you. Do you know that Da Jin once tried to attack and assault Moon while she was fast asleep? If I hadn’t arrived in time, he might have succeeded! And today, too—what if we’d gone into a dangerous dungeon? Wouldn’t Moon and I have died for no reason at all? Are you going to wait until it’s too late to do anything before taking action? I’ve done all this just to protect Moon! If switching jobs will achieve that goal, then I don’t mind!”

“……I do mind!” Moon could no longer hold back and rushed in, her eyes reddening as she said, “Back when we were stranded out there, it was Lei Gong who took us in! How could you… You never tell me anything you do! Do you think I like it when you take everything upon yourself without consulting me? I—I also…”

Moon choked back tears. “I don’t want you to work so hard either! I don’t want to be a burden. You’ve changed so much, and you say it’s for my sake—have you ever considered how I feel?”

Houyi froze.

The Lei Gong sighed. “Alright, you two go find a place outside to talk this out properly.”

The Lei Gong glanced at Jian Xingyi. “Since you heard everything… would you mind talking with me? I have something I need to discuss with you.”

“Sure…”