No wonder so many strange details in the game are starting to mirror reality—like how monsters don’t always stay within the designated zones the system originally set, or like…

Good grief, haven’t those three Dodo beasts already respawned? How could they still remember them??

Shanhai raced forward on his motorcycle, taking the same route as before. Jian Xingyi felt the wind whipping past him as he frantically activated skills and tapped to collect essence.

Jian Xingyi clung to the motorcycle, dizzy from the g-forces. “Wh-what’s going on? Do they have that good of a memory…!”

Shanhai said, “Across the entire server, there probably aren’t more than five players who’ve hunted all three of them at once, taken all the meat, and still have it in their backpacks.”

How could they not remember?

Jian Xingyi: “……”

Oh, I almost forgot—he still has their meat in his backpack.

It’s going to be so delicious.

After all, taking down these three Dodo beasts isn’t easy. Even though they’re the same level as other high-difficulty maps, thanks to the nourishment from the Fire God’s Belly, they’re several times larger than others. If the sun were out right now, they could block out all the light in the sky together.

Plus, the area was densely packed with trees and shrubs. If they fell, it would cause a massive disaster—people could be crushed to death, or crushed by the trees.

To take them down smoothly, Shanhai resorted to his old trick, trying to lure them to the cliff leading to the heart of the Fire God’s Belly.

But unexpectedly, not only did the beasts remember the two of them, they even remembered the trick.

The Dodo beasts spewed fire toward their path.

Jian Xingyi: “……!”

Wood ignites upon contact with fire; the forest before them bursts into flames instantly. The wildfire spread like a river in reverse, threatening to engulf them.

Jian Xingyi coughed several times, choked by the black smoke, his eyes stinging.

Wow… these Dodo beasts are actually trying to outsmart and outmaneuver them!

Shanhai had no choice but to turn the motorcycle around and head elsewhere.

But the motorcycle could barely reach full speed in the woods, and the Dodo beasts behind them were closing in.

Jian Xingyi looked worried. “Shuixi…”

Shanhai replied thoughtfully, “It’s fine.”

Shanhai twisted the throttle, accelerating toward a more open area.

Jian Xingyi heard the sound of flowing water.

Huh…?

A minute later, the view suddenly opened up before Jian Xingyi’s eyes; the motorcycle had pulled up beside a waterfall.

Shanhai said, “If I remember correctly, there’s also a path leading to the Fire God’s Belly here.”

The entrance accessed via stone steps from the mountaintop was the real entrance; the cliff was a shortcut; and the waterfall entrance… was simply a gap that happened to appear when the maps aligned.

They were now above the waterfall. Jian Xingyi glanced down at the rushing stream below and asked in confusion, “Where’s the path?”

“Down there.”

“Oh.”

“Huh??”

“Ah————”

The next moment left them no time to think—the Dodo beast was already right behind them. Shanhai immediately stowed the motorcycle, scooped up Jian Xingyi, and leaped straight down.

Jian Xingyi’s body plummeted three thousand feet with Shanhai, while his soul lingered above, waving to the pursuing Dodo beast.

Shanhai held Jian Xingyi tightly, shielding him in his arms as they plunged into the water.

“Splash!”

Jian Xingyi felt as though he had already landed in the water, yet he kept falling, as if there were a bottomless pit below.

What’s going on…?

The force of their impact was so great that it shattered the barrier at the bottom of the stream. Jian Xingyi felt as though they had passed through something, then Shanhai crashed onto flat ground, and he landed on top of him.

Jian Xingyi looked around. This was… the Fire God’s Belly Core Zone!

They had arrived at the Fire God’s Belly Core!

Above Jian Xingyi’s head were the same familiar mountain walls he’d seen before in the Fire God’s Belly. Here, he couldn’t see the sky—only the mountain walls covered in swarms of bats.

The ground around them was cracked and barren, devoid of even a single blade of grass.

Jian Xingyi scrambled to his feet, feeling a bit dazed.

Shanhai’s methods for descending into the Earth’s core were indeed avant-garde every single time.

Shanhai furrowed his brow. “Are you okay?”

“…I’m fine.”

Jian Xingyi surveyed his surroundings, a look of concern crossing his face. “We should get out of here as soon as possible, right? This looks… like we’ve arrived at a bad time—another volcanic eruption is coming… I remember there used to be bats here before an eruption, and green plants would grow afterward.”

But now, the surroundings were completely barren.

This doesn’t look good…

Shanhai raised an eyebrow. “We timed it on purpose.”

“Huh?”

Ever since the last volcanic eruption, Shanhai had simply started keeping track of the timing. Members from Grapevine Peak would also come to observe and collect samples, eventually figuring out the eruption pattern, which had already been posted in the strategy section.

However, Fire God’s Belly was sparsely populated to begin with, and its core was practically deserted, so aside from a few big shots, no one paid it much attention after it was posted.

“Why?” Jian Xingyi was surprised at first but quickly accepted it. He had a strange trust in Shanhai; even if Shanhai told him they were going to jump into lava next, he’d probably think it was fine. Shanhai must have had his reasons for doing this.

Shanhai: “It makes it easier for us to jump into the lava.”

Jian Xingyi: “…………”

Shanhai explained, “The number and level of zombies in the Fire God’s Belly air walls are double those of Peace Mountain. Do you think there’s a way to take them out safely and quickly?”

Jian Xingyi was speechless.

Oh…!

Wow…

You’ve got to admit, Shanhai really lives up to his reputation as a big shot…

Last time, they were caught completely off guard by a lava ambush; this time, Shanhai’s just turning it into a weapon.

But it’s definitely convenient—I just wonder if it’ll backfire?

Shanhai said, “You’ve got your Nut Wall, and I’ve gathered more items.”

If it worked last time, it’ll naturally work this time too.

When Shanhai and Jian Xingyi had previously run the Snow Mountain Saint’s dungeon together, although he had already cleared the dungeon and couldn’t receive rewards, it was still a high-difficulty dungeon, so the system gave him a little compensation.

For example… the Freezing Ball, which seemed useless but now finally appeared to be coming in handy.

After making their decision, the two headed toward the air wall.

Just like before, Jian Xingyi happily began collecting essence from the bats.

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x14】

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x21】

【Collection Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x9】

……

Praise the Fire God!

Praise the Fire God’s Core!

Praise Shanhai!

After accumulating 1,400 essence points from the snow lotus on the mountaintop, Jian Xingyi continued to train diligently by activating his skills while traveling to various locations. Now, with the help of these bats, he had amassed a total of exactly 2,000!

After walking for half a day, Jian Xingyi and Shanhai arrived at the air wall. Hiding in a corner to observe quietly, Jian Xingyi was still somewhat surprised.

“Bang!”

“Bang!!”

The black hole here was situated on the cliff face directly above them, so the zombies were falling down in droves.

…… What a treacherous location.

The zombies, already suffering from dislocated joints and misaligned organs, became even more contorted from the fall. Some had their necks twisted 180 degrees, while others had their arms twisted around to their chests.

Jian Xingyi: “……”

No wonder the zombies from the lava volcano looked so ugly.

But this also meant there was no land to buy here—it was all covered in magma and zombies, and could be destroyed at any moment. Jian Xingyi sighed; it seemed his dream of buying land in the Earth’s core had been shattered.

But now, snow lotus was in high demand, and Jian Xingyi needed more farmland. Yet he dared not buy recklessly—what if he chose the wrong location and the fields were destroyed by zombies, wild beasts, or natural disasters? Wouldn’t he be making a losing deal?

The two hid in a corner and waited for a while. Sure enough, they heard a continuous rumbling.

The difference between a volcanic eruption and a tornado is that a tornado strikes without warning, while a volcanic eruption follows a cycle and comes with signs.

As the earth shook violently, Jian Xingyi could hear explosions in the distance, and the air around them began to rise rapidly.

“It’s coming.”

No sooner had Jian Xingyi spoken than a wave of heat swept over them, the flapping of bat wings ringing in their ears, and surging lava was about to crash down.

The heat and smoke were already burning their skin, so Jian Xingyi immediately summoned the Nut Wall.

Whoosh—

The lava moved with incredible speed. In an instant, Jian Xingyi felt the entire Nut Wall get knocked away, floating on the lava as it was swept forward.

Shanhai threw a Freeze Ball. Instantly, a layer of hard, cold ice formed around the Nut Wall, carrying the chill of the Thousand Peaks Snow Mountain—and surprisingly, it didn’t melt.

Jian Xingyi was speechless.

This item could freeze the surrounding area—the smaller the area, the greater the power. Wasn’t it tailor-made for this very moment?

The air around them immediately grew cold. Jian Xingyi even felt like putting on a coat from the Thousand Bells Snow Mountains. Not only did it lower the temperature, but it also sealed off the space, preventing the black smoke from entering, and reinforced the Nut Wall.

The only downside was the lack of air circulation, but since the two of them would be swept toward the black hole by the lava in an instant, this wasn’t a major problem.

Whoosh—

Jian Xingyi heard the agonized screams of zombies outside; presumably, the zombies here were periodically subjected to lava surges.

Just as they were about to touch the black hole, Shanhai suggested, “Let’s try holding each other and see if I can get inside.”

“Oh…!”

With the situation so urgent, there was no time for shyness, so Jian Xingyi immediately embraced Shanhai.

To prevent the system from separating them, Jian Xingyi clamped his legs tightly around Shanhai’s waist, while Shanhai wrapped his arms firmly around his back. The two pressed together without a single gap.

Jian Xingyi buried his face in the crook of Shanhai’s neck and could feel his body heating up.

But Jian Xingyi himself was also…

Boom—

The moment the Nut Wall collided with the Air Wall, Shanhai withdrew the Frozen Orb just before it was repelled. A crack appeared in the Nut Wall, and Jian Xingyi’s back touched the black hole.

And so, Shanhai watched helplessly as Jian Xingyi—held in his arms, every inch of his skin pressed against his—still… slowly vanished.

“……”

Alright then.

……

Jian Xingyi opened his eyes to find himself in a town, with zombies numbly shuffling toward the black hole in the distance, surrounded by dilapidated buildings.

But unlike the skyscrapers from last time, this time he was surrounded by small rural houses. Not far away stood a smoking volcano and a defunct train station.

This place was different from last time, but it was still the “reality” of the game.

Jian Xingyi remembered that in reality, many people lived near volcanoes because the volcanic ash provided ample nutrients for the soil, allowing them to reap bountiful harvests. Not only that, but mineral resources were also abundant near volcanoes.

Before exploring, Jian Xingyi cast out a Unity Anchor.

【This area restricts player entry and exploration; anchors cannot be used here.】

Jian Xingyi: “……”

Huh?

Then what is he?

How come he can come in?

Jian Xingyi sent a message to Shanhai, explaining the situation with some frustration, then glanced at the signboard nearby.

It was a directional sign pointing in various directions.

South: Farms and Ranches

North: Lumberyard

West: Tourist Attractions

East: Factories

Hmm…?

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, it seems that even if Shanhai can’t come, he’ll have to make the trip himself!