Chapter Bonanza (9/10)

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Right now, everyone is either resting up in Dawn Town or racing against the clock to continue exploring for resources in the wilderness, though they’ve all tacitly agreed not to stray too far.

Everyone was eagerly anticipating what the guild merger would look like in 12 hours.

Jian Xingyi and Shanhai went to a private room at a restaurant in Dawn Town to find Bai Jie.

They had only communicated with Bai Jie through the terminal before, so this was Jian Xingyi’s first time meeting her in person.

In person, she was a sharp and decisive woman, with a high ponytail and a white uniform, and a small rose brooch pinned to her chest—the perfect finishing touch.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Bai Jie said with a smile, extending her hand to Jian Xingyi.

“H-hello…” Jian Xingyi shook her hand.

Bai Jie’s gaze swept over the two of them, then she laughed, “I never would have guessed.”

Jian Xingyi opened his mouth to explain, but upon reflection, he realized he’d never be able to clear his name—even if he jumped into the Yellow River. Of course… he wasn’t exactly innocent either, so he gave up.

Bai Jie, as always, cut straight to the chase, “So I’ll get straight to why I’m here. As you know, to achieve the highest resource-sharing tier, we need to raise the bond level between ‘Long Live’ and ‘Grape Mountain Peak’ to the maximum level 8. Originally, Heiye and I planned to have both sides team up for dungeon runs, with one team led by Shanhai. But since the two of you have already reached level 3 on your own, the plan has changed.”

Jian Xingyi listened, his ears turning red.

Bai Jie said, “From here on out, Xinghe and Shanhai, you two can continue leveling up on your own. We won’t bother you anymore.”

Bai Jie knew that Shanhai wasn’t the type to enjoy group activities unless he was needed to keep things under control, and Heiye had mentioned that Xinghe was socially anxious. Since these two had managed to reach Level 3 all on their own—clearly getting along swimmingly—Bai Jie didn’t intend to interfere.

“Oh…” Jian Xingyi blushed.

Bai Jie then discussed resource allocation with Jian Xingyi. For now, the two guilds had decided to share only wood and zombie kill counts.

However, the resources required after the merger had already been significantly reduced.

Now they only needed to build three walls, meaning each guild needed to prepare 900 million Dawn Coins, 900,000 units of wood, and zombie kill counts.

While Jian Xingyi was climbing the mountain, the members of “Long Live” were also working hard to stockpile wood and zombie kill counts. The “Lone Wolf” group and others had also managed to gather quite a bit while following 【It’s Really Cold】 in the snowy mountains.

In contrast, the situation on Grape Mountain was completely different. They still didn’t have much wood, but since they’d been running dungeons these past few days, their zombie kill counts had reached a new high.

Jian Xingyi and Bai Jie opened the memo on their terminals to list the resources they were lacking, including a tally of their respective Dawn Coins.

Jian Xingyi could earn 20 million per transaction. After listing items and accumulating 100 million that day, he has since listed food twice and fulfilled orders, earning an additional 50 million—thanks to the increased meat supply from upgrading the farm.

The vines have also earned him 50 million so far—a staggering amount that will continue to rise, given that everyone needs to build walls, and the sheer number of walls required is already staggering.

All told, Jian Xingyi’s Dawn Coins have reached just over 200 million.

Long Live For A Hundred Years

210, 000, 000 / 900, 000, 000 Dawn Coins

555, 300 / 900,000 Wood

42, 000 / 180,000 Zombies Killed

Thanks to the 80% kill bonus provided by Grape Mountain Peak, the original 900,000 was reduced to 180,000, which undoubtedly made things much easier for everyone, and progress on the wood supply was also going well.

Jian Xingyi glanced at what Bai Jie had written.

Grape Mountain Peak

830, 000, 000 / 900, 000, 000 Dawn Coins

10, 100 / 180,000 Wood

60, 300 / 90,000 Zombie Kills

Jian Xingyi was speechless; the guild’s financial resources were truly terrifying.

Jian Xingyi thought to himself: his 200 million had been earned through countless systems—including the Grand Merchant and the Savior—as well as an endless stream of food resources. This included over 50 plots of farmland and 6 B-grade farming zones.

So while 200 million was no small feat for Jian Xingyi, Grape Mountain had actually managed to save up 800 million for the walls after covering daily expenses!

In other words, Grape Mountain had almost achieved its goal!

Bai Jie laughed, “Xinghe, you earned 200 million all by yourself, but our 800 million is the result of over 50 guild members working together—it’s been accumulated over many years.”

Bai Jie raised an eyebrow. “It’s already impressive that you can match the financial strength of over 50 T1 and T0 players all on your own.”

Not only that, but Grape Mountain Peak is the most profitable guild in the entire server. Their philosophy is high investment for high returns; they’re willing to pay top dollar for Jian Xingyi’s food and spend massive sums on materials to refine their weapons. They believe that investing in themselves—and growing stronger—will yield even greater returns. For instance, they possess the capability to venture into dangerous zones on the map, where they can obtain rare materials to sell at high prices, and they can forge weapons and armor with absurdly high stats.

They’ve even managed to forge a weapon worth tens of millions. Having accumulated wealth like this over so many years, how could their financial resources not be substantial?

Jian Xingyi paused.

Y-yeah, that makes sense.

Does that mean I’m actually pretty impressive…

Jian Xingyi couldn’t stop laughing.

Bai Jie said, “I think you know our philosophy: things that get consumed aren’t true wealth. Our own strength is what truly belongs to us—and it’s what will keep creating value for us forever. So I believe your wealth extends beyond that. Your management skills are one aspect, and the manpower and influence you command are another.”

“……?” Jian Xingyi looked puzzled.

Bai Jie smiled. “The reputation of your guild and your ID.”

Jian Xingyi wasn’t the guild master, yet he acted as if he were—or rather, he didn’t need to perform the duties of a guild master but held even greater power than one. Whether it was development or expansion, manpower was essential. For instance, if Jian Xingyi were to set up a massive farm or something similar in the future, the entire guild would serve as his “labor force.”

But Jian Xingyi clearly wasn’t thinking that far ahead at the moment, so Bai Jie simply smiled and said, “The operation of a group is like a set of precision screws, but you need to be able to control the direction of those screws and make them create value for you.”

“Friction reduces efficiency, which is why everyone at Grape Mountain Peak has such close relationships. That’s the lubricant for the screws, allowing them to operate more smoothly.”

Jian Xingyi seemed to half-understand, and finally he laughed, “When the day comes that I actually need to use this… I’ll come back and ask for your advice then.”

Although it felt like he’d never actually need it?

“Sure,” Bai Jie replied with a light chuckle.

Jian Xingyi glanced at the data.

Now, it was actually Dawn Coin that was in the most precarious position… The gap between 200 million and 900 million was still enormous.

With only 10 days left until the second zombie tide, this was the final sprint.

Jian Xingyi had to secure the remaining 700 million within these 10 days!

If he continued selling food at his current rate—earning 25 million per transaction—he could make just over 100 million from five more sales. Combined with the vines and upgrades to his upcoming farms and fields, he might reach 200 million.

That still left him 500 million short.

Even with help from the rest of the guild, he likely wouldn’t be able to scrape it together.

Bai Jie raised an eyebrow. “If you’re having trouble, you can discuss it with us. We’re always open to fair-trade deals.”

Fair-trade deals…

If he were to borrow money from Grape Mountain Peak, what could his guild offer in return?

He needed to think it through. Just as Bai Jie had said, he had to assess his own value.

Jian Xingyi: “I’ll think it over.”

“Alright.”

With the topic of resources concluded, Bai Jie smiled and asked, “Have you decided about what happened earlier?”

“Mm.” Jian Xingyi lowered his gaze. “I… I’m fine with it.”

“Oh?” Bai Jie looked at Shanhai. “Aren’t you going to welcome your new colleague?”

Shanhai furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

Bai Jie chuckled softly. “Welcome, the 25th member of the Human Liberation Plan, and also the fourth cadre—Xinghe’s joining us.”

Shanhai paused, then turned to look at Jian Xingyi.

Jian Xingyi just gave a nervous laugh. “I hope I can fulfill my mission well…”

Shanhai gently took Jian Xingyi’s hand.

Bai Jie added Jian Xingyi to two chat groups.

One was 【Secret – Human Liberation Project】, which had only five members—presumably the “cadres” Bai Jie had mentioned: Jian Xingyi, Bai Jie, Shanhai, Wu Yun, and Cangshui.

The other was the 【Human Liberation Plan】, which had 25 members. Aside from the five core members, the people he recognized were Cola, Firelight, and Mao Tuan.

“We treat Wu Yun and Cangshui as a single person; their roles are identical, so it’s more convenient.” Bai Jie explained, “This ‘Secret’ isn’t actually kept secret; it’s merely to prevent misinformation and avoid confusion from too many people weighing in on decisions. So most of the time, discussions about details and plans involve only the core members, since everyone is in different regions. But for example, Cola and Firelight are often with us, so they know all the details.”

Jian Xingyi asked curiously, “How do you screen your officers and members?”

“Officers need a leader. To use an analogy, Shanhai is in charge of the combat sector, while the members under him—like Cola and the high-powered members from other guilds—serve as support.”

Bai Jie explained, “Among these 20 people, four are players with construction expertise, led by Wu Yun and Cangshui; I’m in charge of the eight specialists; and the remaining eight are high-level players from Shanhai’s server-wide roster. In the future, if you encounter players who, like you, have access to resource channels, you can invite them to join after we’ve vetted them.”

Jian Xingyi understood.

Since they’ve all joined…

Jian Xingyi shared the third memory bubble—containing the visions and prophecies he’d witnessed in the Holy Son’s Tomb—with Bai Jie and Shanhai.

Jian Xingyi glanced at Shanhai but did not mention the second memory bubble concerning him.

There was a brief pause between the two.

They had both experienced the third memory bubble depicting the annihilation of humanity, but when Jian Xingyi mentioned the matter concerning the Holy Son, Bai Jie fell into deep thought before saying, “I thought I was the only one who’d experienced strange memory bubbles. I didn’t expect you to have experienced more and in greater detail than I have.”

In reality, Bai Jie had only experienced one such memory bubble, whereas Jian Xingyi had encountered them countless times. However, since Jian Xingyi hadn’t yet sorted through them himself, he had only shared two—one of which Wu Yun, Cangshui, and the others had also experienced.

Bai Jie said, “When I first entered this game, I also saw a memory bubble on Peace Mountain, but it didn’t contain much information. I was in a small office with a plan titled ‘Human Liberation Plan’ on the desk—the introduction stated that this was the only way to end the game.”

“At the time, I thought it was just a case of ‘what you think about during the day, you dream about at night.’ But after that, we recruited quite a few people to search for a way out together. And just as I decided to formally establish an organization with everyone to better accomplish the mission, a system approached me.”

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened.

Bai Jie has a system, too?

Bai Jie chuckled. “Judging by your reaction, it seems I’m not the only one. My system is called 【Commander】. When I opened the description, it said I’m the 【Most powerful executor under the Savior】. What’s your system?”

Jian Xingyi: “……”

Bai Jie: “It’s fine if you don’t want to say. It’s your trump card.”

Jian Xingyi: “I-it’s not like I can’t tell you.”

Bai Jie: “Hmm?”

Jian Xingyi: “The 【Savior】 system.”

“……”

“……”

Oh my.

Bai Jie froze.

Jian Xingyi was also feeling quite awkward.

It’s—it’s the Heavenly Gangs!

But Bai Jie burst out laughing.

“It makes sense, it makes perfect sense!” Bai Jie clapped her hands. “Now the puzzle is finally complete!”

Bai Jie continued, “Later, as the tombstones on Peace Mountain were gradually unearthed—thanks largely to your efforts—we were still somewhat surprised… It actually bore some resemblance to the framework we’d set up at the beginning. I’m not sure if it’s a coincidence, the system intentionally guiding us, or if we’re simply walking through the system’s historical dungeon.”

“Most of us believe it’s mostly a coincidence, while a few think the system is tailoring the dungeon to the players. After all, if it were intentional guidance, that would be quite interesting—could the system be teaching us how to clear the game? Then why did it trap us here in the first place?”

Jian Xingyi nodded. “That makes sense.”

Then he smiled and said, “Anyway, regardless of whether these coincidences exist or not, we’re just doing what we can.”

“That’s right.”

Ultimately, they all had to find a way to escape the game.

Jian Xingyi asked curiously, “Your Commander System… what’s it like?”

Could Bai Jie make wishes just like him? If they merged their systems or cooperated, would it have a miraculous effect? Would they be able to get more rewards?

Bai Jie explained, “Occasionally, a mission pops up, but the probability is very low. More often, rewards are triggered by specific actions we take. Unfortunately, the only reward this system offers is Dawn Coins—though it does give out a lot of them.”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, So it only functions as a currency?

So this is the “reward” Bai Jie was talking about? After their team completed a mission, Bai Jie would use the system to directly transfer funds to everyone.

Jian Xingyi added, “I’ve never had a quest pop up either; most of the time, they just trigger suddenly.”

He didn’t elaborate further.

“I see. The quests that occasionally pop up for me… I used to find them strange, but now I understand what’s going on.” Bai Jie raised an eyebrow. “You know what? Once, my quest was to dispatch high-powered players to ‘Long Live,’ to ensure the survival of the Long Live For A Hundred Years.”

“……?”

Bai Jie had never mentioned this mission before; not even Shanhai knew about it, so he was somewhat surprised.

……No wonder it’s the Commander System under the Savior System.

Jian Xingyi gave a dry laugh.

Bai Jie shook her head. “It seems bringing you in was definitely the right choice. You’ll be a powerful asset to us.”

Jian Xingyi blinked. “So, what should I do next?”

“Nothing,” Bai Jie said. “I do have a plan, but if we’re really going to carry it out… let’s wait until after we’ve survived the second zombie wave.”

Actually, wasn’t Jian Xingyi already doing all of that right now—selling food, selling vines, and working with Wu Yun and Cangshui on how to build the walls?

Jian Xingyi nodded.

After saying goodbye to Bai Jie, the two of them left.

The Liberation Plan chat group was also welcoming Jian Xingyi. No one was surprised by the addition of the famous resource tycoon Xinghe; everyone had long been aware of his background.

Jian Xingyi thanked them one by one.

After leaving the restaurant, Jian Xingyi instinctively glanced up at the sky.

In truth, the sky was always black these days, but people still looked up at it—perhaps it was a habit one of them just couldn’t shake.

There were now 12 hours left until the guild merger was complete.

Jian Xingyi walked aimlessly, pondering his next plan.

Returning to Snow Mountain first wasn’t practical; Meimei had mentioned that a blizzard was expected in the coming days.

With only ten days left until the zombie tide, Heiye had divided the guild into two groups: one would follow Grape Mountain to farm Bond Points and zombie kills, while the other would gather wood. Snow Mountain currently has the most wood, followed by Flag Mountain, so they would likely be active there.

Jian Xingyi pondered that perhaps he should focus on Dawn Coins. For a while, everyone had been saving a little of everything—Jian Xingyi had stockpiled wood and gathered resources wherever he could—but now the goals and numbers were clear.

The final ten days were the time to sprint toward those goals.

And Jian Xingyi was still far short on funds.

So… how could he quickly earn more Dawn Coins?

Jian Xingyi had absorbed too much information at once. He hadn’t even recovered from the aftermath of the Mountain Sea incident before engaging in a lengthy conversation with Bai Jie, and now he had to think about resource issues—his brain was overheating.

He walked while deep in thought, not noticing that Mountain Sea had been silently following behind him the whole time.

Jian Xingyi only gave a start when he passed a store’s glass wall and saw Shanhai.

“Ah, ah… You haven’t left yet?”

Shanhai whispered, “My current mission is to follow you.”

After all, Bai Jie had personally ordered them to go gather resources together!

So it was only natural for him to be following Jian Xingyi now.

Jian Xingyi blinked.

“So wherever I go, you’re going to follow me?”

Shanhai replied, “Wasn’t that how it was before?”

“……”

Yes, that was exactly how it was.

Jian Xingyi scratched his head. “Actually, I don’t know where to go either. I’m still trying to figure out how to make more money.”

The two sat down by the fountain.

Jian Xingyi was deep in thought when he heard a notification sound from his terminal.

Cangshui had tagged Jian Xingyi in the 【Secret】 chat group.

Cangshui: 【@Xinghe Good news! Huge news!! The reinforced vines are working!】

Jian Xingyi perked up immediately.

Huh??

Cangshui: 【Many of the temple’s walls are supported by plants and vines because the century-old trees have enough grip. So when I got back, I tried replicating the temple’s construction method, and sure enough… the new vines you gave me successfully turned 300,000 bricks into… 250,000!】

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened.

It actually… really managed to break through again!

Jian Xingyi’s eyes lit up.

His new source of income… had arrived!

Half an hour later, the public chat exploded.

It all started when Cangshui shared a document teaching everyone how to use hardened vines to arrange bricks, reducing the total to 250,000.

【250,000??? That’s insane!!! I never even dared to dream of it—Big Shot Cangshui actually managed to reduce a 400,000-brick layout to 250,000! This is truly… mind-blowing!】

【Xinghe is mind-blowing too—how does he have everything?? This Hardened Vine was given by Big Shot Xinghe; he must have some new secret tech up his sleeve!】

【Aaaaaah, Big Shot Cangshui, save my life! So how do you harden the vines?! Please, this is absolutely crucial!】

Then everyone noticed that a new product had been listed in the store.

——Rock-Hard Potion

Jian Xingyi had previously purchased the vines from the VIP Store for 100 credits and listed them in the general store for 1,000 Dawn Coins. Since everyone needed such large quantities of vines, Jian Xingyi didn’t set the price too high.

But while the vines were a necessity for everyone, Jian Xingyi couldn’t bring himself to sell them at an exorbitant price; this hardening potion, however, was a luxury item on a whole new level.

Moreover, the production costs are substantial. Jian Xingyi must purchase and use farmland to grow snow lotus, as well as buy pesticides from the mall. Although he can now use a Synthesis Table to create seeds and increase the yield of snow lotus, this requires him to expend Premium Synthesis Vouchers. And regardless, since he only has seeds, he still needs farmland to grow the snow lotus.

So, after calculating the costs and weighing his options carefully, Jian Xingyi priced the potion at 6,000.

【Wow, that’s so expensive! I’m buying it anyway, even though it hurts!】

【Actually, it’s not that expensive. Our guild’s data analyst has crunched the numbers—let me share his findings with everyone~】

Since one bottle of potion isn’t limited to a single vine, and a single vine isn’t limited to supporting just one brick, people started doing the math.

Option one: Save the Dawn Coins by not buying the potion and continue using regular vines to build 300,000 meters of wall.

Option two is to spend the Dawn Coins on potions, which would save 50,000 units of wall construction.

The final conclusion is that buying potions is more cost-effective—not only does it save Dawn Coins, but it also reduces the number of zombies you need to kill and the amount of wood required. Those two savings make a huge difference.

Jian Xingyi has currently planted snow lotus on 5 plots of his own farmland and 10 plots of Grade A farmland on the snowy mountain. Each plot yields approximately 20–30 snow lotus flowers, and Jian Xingyi had previously collected many more from the mountaintop—after all, the mountain was covered in snow lotus. So, adding it all up… a total of 900 flowers!

After crafting them, Jian Xingyi listed 900 bottles of potions for sale, and they sold out in an instant.

Jian Xingyi’s account was immediately credited with 5.4 million.

【Help!! Big Shot Xinghe, please save us! List a few more!! QAQ】

【Aaaah! I was just a second too slow—how could they be gone already?? You guys are terrifying!】

【Aaaah, we didn’t manage to snag any at all!】

Everyone was tagging Jian Xingyi.

【Do we have to drop a little dirty talk for Big Shot Xinghe to show up? @Xinghe】

【Then let’s wish Big Shot Xinghe and the mysterious man a lifetime of happiness together?? @Xinghe @Xinghe】

Jian Xingyi: “……!”

Jian Xingyi feared that if he said any more, he’d accidentally reveal that the mysterious man was Shanhai, so he hurriedly logged in to clarify.

Xinghe: 【The ingredients for potions are rare, and they take time to craft. Sorry, the new potions won’t be available for another two days. Hope everyone will continue to support us.】

【Hahahaha, help! So this is the kind of trick you need to lure him out?】

【Big Shot Xinghe is as adorable as ever. Why does he seem so dazed and tongue-tied? Shouldn’t he be playing the victim and raising prices at a time like this? (x)】

【Can the person above please stop giving bad advice!! What if he actually raises prices? What will we all do then?】

【To the person above: You just don’t understand Big Brother Xinghe. He really isn’t that kind of person. He’s the last conscience of the apocalypse, everyone!! Big Brother Xinghe’s prices are already very cheap… he’s practically a living Buddha!】

【Post “The Last Conscience of the Apocalypse” on the public chat!】

【Xinghe! The Last Conscience of the Apocalypse!】

【Xinghe! The Last Conscience of the Apocalypse!】

【Xinghe! The Last Conscience of the Apocalypse!】

……

Jian Xingyi: “……”

The more he read, the more mortified he felt.

Jian Xingyi hurriedly closed the chat window.

What on earth is going on here…

But… at least I have a clear goal now!

Jian Xingyi, filled with ambition, turned to Shanhai and said, “I’m going to keep looking for more land. I’m not short on snow lotus seeds right now, but I’m desperately short on farmland!”

And it wasn’t just for selling—he also needed to set aside some potions for his own guild. Plus, Grapevine Peak and the other guilds he’d been working with long-term might place orders with him, too. He couldn’t plant snow lotus on all his existing fields, since he also needed to grow food. So… he’d just have to buy more land.

Shanhai nodded. “Alright.”

Jian Xingyi said excitedly, “So, where should we go next? The merger is in 12 hours, so I don’t want to go too far. Why don’t we head to Peace Mountain and see if there’s any corner we can buy land in?”

Shanhai nodded again and said softly, “Alright.”

It was as if he would agree to anything Jian Xingyi said.

So Jian Xingyi said with a smile, “Shanhai is such a dummy.”

Shanhai raised an eyebrow and murmured, “Yeah, I am.”

Jian Xingyi’s ears turned slightly red. He turned his head away and stood up to avoid Shanhai’s gaze. “Oh, oh… let’s get going!”