The Zombie Tide was entering its final countdown; in three hours, the first wave will begin.

Everyone has also noticed that the system has disabled the permissions to change or merge guilds. Not only that, but the permission to build walls has also been disabled.

This means that guilds unable to gather sufficient resources will no longer be able to use Zombie Tide rewards or kill counts to deceive others and continue construction.

In the final hours, the council members of both guilds, along with Jian Xingyi, gathered at the office to discuss a response plan.

Bai Jie said, “Now that our walls have been connected, the zombies that come are distributed based on our combined level. ”

So there’s no longer a situation where the monsters on the Long Live side are easier while those on Grapevine Peak are harder.

After the merger, they share both glory and shame, so it would be better to simply combine their forces and face this together.

Heiye sighed, “I hope we won’t hold you back. The difficulty of this zombie wave should be even more extreme than last time.”

Bai Jie shook her head. “At least for us, having you guys here will help ease the difficulty this time.”

Otherwise, the zombies facing Grapevine Peak would be truly insane.

In other words, once the two sides balance each other out, the difficulty Grapevine Peak faces this time might be about the same as last time.

Grapevine Peak also posted a reminder in the strategy section that intelligent giants might appear in this zombie surge.

Everyone was on high alert.

And if they followed the usual pattern, the difficulty at the front gate would be twice as hard as at the back and side gates, so everyone planned to deploy the largest number of people and the highest combat power to the front gate.

Bai Jie said, “First, Shanhai definitely needs to be at the front gate. The connected front gate area is quite large, so we also need someone with high combat power who can coordinate seamlessly with Shanhai. One person covers one side, and the two of you handle the front-line charge and breakthrough. We’ll also need a team leader to command.”

“I’ll be the team leader,” Bai Jie turned to look at Cola. “The other person for the charge—can you handle it? ”

Cola nodded, “Then I’ll cover the side near Grapevine Peak, and you cover the other side.”

Bai Jie continued, “Heiye at the back gate, Firelight at the side gate near Grapevine Peak, and Huiguang at the side gate near Long Live.”

After the captain was appointed, it was time to assign the team members.

Combined, there were just over a hundred people on both sides.

Based on previous experience, the monsters at the back door are usually the lowest level and fewest in number. However, since the combined area is now so vast—and due to the terrain, even larger than the front door—the monsters might be scattered. This requires Heiye and Baihua to coordinate from the rear, bringing 10 players from Grapevine Peak and 20 from Long Live.

As for the Side Gate, the area is smaller, and the monsters are average; Firelight leading 10 people and Akita leading 20 will be sufficient.

The remaining 30 players from Grapevine Peak and the remaining 10 from Long Live are all the guild’s top combatants, excluding the captains.

Jian Xingyi asked, “What about me?”

Why didn’t anyone include him when assigning roles?

Bai Jie smiled brightly. “You’re free to do as you please. Go wherever you want. Of course, we hope you’ll take good care of yourself and avoid getting hurt.”

Heiye nodded. “You’re our most important support member. Leave the fighting and charging to us.”

Jian Xingyi nodded obediently.

Shanhai glanced at Jian Xingyi and whispered, “He’s coming with me.”

“No way,” Cola grimaced. “With the way you always charge headfirst into danger, it’s way too risky for Xinghe to follow you.”

Bai Jie added, “Exactly.”

Shanhai paused in surprise.

She had a point…

Shanhai nodded slightly.

Jian Xingyi gently tapped Shanhai’s elbow and said with a smile, “I’ll be watching over you from the front.”

Shanhai paused.

“Oh, right.”

Before the battle, Jian Xingyi handed out five boxes of potato and lamb stir-fry boxed meals, five lychees, and five cups of coffee to everyone.

This provided everyone with a 50% bonus to hot and cold weapon damage, 100% accuracy, and improved morale.

“You…” Bai Jie paused, then chuckled softly, “Thank you.”

The chat channel was buzzing.

Everyone was a bit surprised after seeing the message.

【Big Shot Xinghe is at it again!! Oh my god, I feel so pumped!】

【It feels like I’m following the right leader! Waaah, I’m so happy…】

【Huh? Were those long live guys been living this good life all along? I’m jealous.】

【This is so useful, so practical. I just happened to miss out on buying it earlier. Brothers, cheers!!】

【Everyone, please remember what Ms. Bai told us: if you spot Xinghe, your top priority is to protect our logistics!】

【+1】

Jian Xingyi couldn’t resist replying after seeing this.

Xinghe: 【Hello everyone, my combat power isn’t 6, you know. It’s actually 106 now—I’ve gone from T4 to T3 ^^】

【So awesome!! Just as expected of our big shot Xinghe!】

【Xinghe is so awesome! Applause!!】

【Super awesome!!】

Jian Xingyi: “?”

Something feels off here.

Xinghe: 【Thanks?】

At the same time, the system’s voice sounded again.

【Attention players of *Dawn of the Dawn* V3.0: The five-day Zombie Tide Feast Midnight Session will begin in one system hour!】

“Everyone, take your positions.”

This time, the gates were tightly shut, and zombies were coming from all directions, so the barriers had already been retracted by the system. The cannons, however, were still in place—it remained to be seen if they would be activated later.

Shanhai stood by the fence inspecting his weapons, with Jian Xingyi waiting by his side.

Cola couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic. Last time, he and Huiguang had accompanied Jian Xingyi as they waited for the zombie tide to begin—back then, they were still on Cricket Mountain, and Shanhai hadn’t even chirped yet.

Now, Shanhai and Jian Xingyi were already together.

The server’s top resource tycoon and the server’s top combat power… just saying that out loud would shock people.

Of course, no one knew yet that the mysterious man by Jian Xingyi’s side was Shanhai; once they found out, they might be even more shocked.

【Attention players of *Dawn of the Dawn* V3.0: The five-day Zombie Tide Feast Midnight Session is about to begin!】

【10, 9, 8…】

After a moment’s wait, the shrill, piercing sound of sirens finally rang out.

The sky, already as black as ink, grew even darker. The clouds and twilight had completely retreated, leaving the entire sky gloomy and murky, with not a single glimmer of light in sight.

It was back to the same poor visibility as during the previous zombie tide, so all the squad leaders pulled out the Ark flashlights they had purchased earlier.

【6, 5, 4……】

Boom, boom……

The ground around them began to shake, and Jian Xingyi was jolted so violently that he nearly lost his balance and fell.

Jian Xingyi grabbed hold of Shanhai’s shoulder.

Goodness…

Jian Xingyi froze in surprise. Just how massive was this thing?

【3, 2, 1…】

【The First Night of the Zombie Tide Feast begins!】

The next moment, a sea of zombies appeared from all directions—this was standard fare, but this time, Jian Xingyi finally witnessed what a giant tide was all about.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The giants approached slowly with heavy footsteps.

Behind them stood the Intelligent Giant they’d encountered in the dungeon that day. Though there was only one, it was surrounded by the others, making it nearly impossible to approach.

The Intelligent Giant seemed to be directing the horde of zombies. They charged toward the same section of the wall, with groups on the left and right concentrating their attacks to create a breach and storm inside.

“……!”

Too clever! This wall won’t hold them back!

Bai Jie shouted sharply, “Concentrate fire!! Shanhai, Cola, target the Intelligent Giant!”

Everyone, including Jian Xingyi, who had eaten the lychee, immediately opened fire on the spots where the zombie horde was attempting to break through.

But the giants were massive; taking them down wasn’t going to be easy.

To prevent the walls from being breached, the most critical thing… is to take down the Intelligent Giant!

To catch the thief, catch the king first!

This zombie tide has made it clear to everyone: compared to a typical zombie horde, this is more like an ancient battlefield. They’re fighting a siege battle—the slightest lapse in vigilance, and if the city falls, everyone will die!

Shanhai gave Jian Xingyi a light pat on the shoulder. “Take care of yourself.”

With that, he pulled out a rope, hooked it onto the towering gate, and shot forward into the horde of zombies.

No matter how tall a person is, they remain insignificant against a sea of zombies. Watching Shanhai vanish into the swarm, Jian Xingyi felt a chill run down his spine.

Jian Xingyi took a deep breath, steadied himself, and continued firing at the zombie horde.

There were simply too many zombies. The giants focused their attacks on destroying the walls, while the ordinary zombies targeted every inch of the perimeter, spreading everyone’s firepower thin.

If everyone concentrated on shooting the giants, the other sections of the wall would eventually collapse from prolonged damage and fall. But if they didn’t focus on the giants…

…Sure enough, this second trial was far more difficult than the first!

Shanhai and Cola charged toward the Intelligent Giant from the left and right, but they were blocked by layers of giants; even their line of sight was obstructed, requiring Bai Jie to use the megaphone to guide them.

Jian Xingyi and the rest of the group fired while throwing cherry bombs at the zombie horde. The surrounding chaos made Jian Xingyi’s head buzz. Everyone was fighting with blind fury, but fortunately, Bai Jie had clearly assigned roles: a few coordinated with the newly activated cannons to wipe out the zombies, while the majority targeted the giants.

BOOM——!

But the giants still managed to breach the wall, creating a gap in the central section of the two guilds’ perimeter.

Once the gap appeared, all the zombies went berserk, trying to squeeze through.

……?!

Haihai and Gu Lang flanked Jian Xingyi on either side. “Watch out!”

The battle was heating up. If they didn’t deal with the Intelligent Giant soon, things inside would only get tougher. Shanhai and Cola exchanged a glance and immediately lowered a rope to pass through from the bottom.

Moving across the top left them exposed to the Giants and Intelligent Giant, making it difficult to get through as they were being guarded; the bottom didn’t have that problem.

……But they would be surrounded by a horde of zombies.

Back-to-back, the two fought with blind fury, sweeping aside the encroaching zombies as they closed in on the intelligent zombies.

It was practically a suicide mission, but clearly, the two were relishing it.

On the other side of the wall, to the left were zombies frantically trying to squeeze into the guild, and to the right were giants still struggling to breach the wall.

Haihai whispered, “That’s some serious gold…”

BOOM!

A breach had been torn in the other wall as well. No new zombies appeared, but the first wave was more than enough to handle. By now, a third of them had already breached the guild’s interior. They were rampaging without any order, and quite a few had even entered the residential area near the main gate.

“Kill! Keep killing!”

“Don’t let them in!!”

A group immediately broke ranks to take down the zombies that had crossed the line.

Jian Xingyi felt a tinge of admiration. The people on Grapevine Peak weren’t just strong—they had impressive mental fortitude… Even in this situation, they hadn’t lost their composure; everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

It was clear that although they were fighting with a bloodthirsty intensity, they remained completely unflustered.

Meanwhile, Shanhai and Cola finally managed to get close to the Intelligent Giant.

Cola drew the giant’s attention, while Shanhai climbed onto its shoulder without being noticed.

Thwack!!

The giant’s head was split open by Shanhai’s greatsword.

Success…!

Seeing this, the people inside the guild couldn’t help but cheer.

The Intelligent Giant crashed to the ground.

But the swarm of zombies below hadn’t been dealt with yet, so Shanhai and Cola returned to the entrance and joined the main force in the fight.

“The Intelligent Giant has fallen, everyone! Victory is within reach! Kill!”

……

It was unclear how much time had passed. By the time Jian Xingyi had fought until he was numb, and the act of firing had become pure muscle memory, the zombies had finally been completely wiped out.

After it was over, the area fell into silence.

Cola collapsed onto the ground.

“Holy shit… this isn’t much easier than last time.”

Shanhai stood to the side, his chest still heaving, a lingering blood-red glow in his eyes.

He stood with his back to Jian Xingyi, reluctant to let him see him like this.

—Shanhai was terrifying when he fought.

That was the general consensus.

“Shuixi.”

The next moment, Shanhai’s hand was taken. Jian Xingyi stood beside him, looking worried. “Are you hurt?”

Shanhai paused, wanting to step back but reluctant to let go of Jian Xingyi’s hand.

“What’s wrong with you? You’re spacing out—you aren’t actually hurt, are you?”

“…No.” Shanhai gave a light laugh. “I’m fine.”

Jian Xingyi looked at the two gaping holes in the wall and sighed heavily. “Shuixi… my heart is bleeding.”

That wall was everyone’s hard work! It’s only the first day—is it really going to be destroyed so easily?

Bai Jie and Heiye also stepped forward to inspect the holes in the wall. Bricks lay scattered on the ground in fragments; it looked like there was no way to repair them.

And since the construction function had been disabled after the zombie tide, there was no way for anyone to patch them up.

Just then, the system’s voice suddenly rang out.

【Congratulations to players for successfully surviving the first night!】

【As a reward, the Zombie Tide Store is now open again!】

Jian Xingyi paused.

Oh.

So that’s how it works.

Just like last time, it looks like they want everyone to spend money again.

Jian Xingyi opened the store.

【Brick Repair Cement: One bucket of cement can repair five bricks】

【Stock: +99】

【10,000,000 Dawn Coins】

One bucket of cement costs 1 million…

Jian Xingyi’s vision went dark.

Bai Jie also frowned, “That’s way too much.”

The system’s voice hadn’t stopped yet.

【Not only that, but wall layout customization will also be unlocked! Details have been sent to all players’ inboxes!】

Huh…?

What does that mean?

Jian Xingyi opened his mailbox. After reading the instructions, he was still a bit confused. He asked, “Does this mean we can build the walls anywhere we want? As long as it’s within the guild’s territory? No matter how we build them, the zombies will come? Ultimately, the zombies will surround the walls and attack the guild.”

Bai Jie nodded. “Exactly.”

Jian Xingyi paused. “Then can we make the wall’s perimeter smaller? That way, we won’t be overwhelmed.”

Heiye clapped his hands. “Exactly! We can shrink the area the walls enclose. If we make it smaller, we might even save money—we wouldn’t even need repairs, and we could build two layers of walls!”

“But it can’t be too small.” Firelight cautioned, “Last time, fissures appeared within the guild’s perimeter. If it’s too small, once those fissures appear, we’ll basically be trapped like turtles in a jar.”

“Let’s discuss the details at the office,” Bai Jie said. “Let’s go.”

After the first night, there was so much to discuss.

Right now… it really is a siege battle!