Zhang Xuedong opened her hand, revealing the object she had been clutching all along.

Everyone froze for a moment, then someone suddenly exclaimed, “Is that… a bursting bead? Is that the one Brother Mu had?” 

“I thought he’d already used that item…”

“This is the last thing he left me,” Zhang Xuedong said. “He had a bad feeling when he left, so he left this for Xiao Jia and me.”

The bursting bead is a single-use item that causes a small-scale explosion when thrown.

Zhang Xuedong looked ahead and said calmly, “Liao Yongzhi, come forward. I’ll take you with me. Let’s go down together and apologize to A-Chen and Xiao Jia. If you refuse, don’t blame me for throwing it. Although the bursting bead isn’t very powerful, with so many people here, there’s bound to be some casualties.”

The crowd froze. Some wanted to step back but dared not move, their hearts racing as the scene fell suddenly silent. Liao Yongzhi’s eyes dimmed as he began to step forward.

But then a gentle voice rang out, “I don’t believe you’d actually do that.”

Zhang Xuedong froze, and the others were also taken aback. They all turned to see Cen An parting the crowd and stepping forward under the concerned gazes of his friends, coming to stand before Zhang Xuedong.

He said gently, “Your health is poor—is it because prolonged exposure to yellow lowering spirit grass has allowed the poison to seep into your lungs and internal organs?” Zhang Xuedong was taken aback once more.

Cen An continued, “You’ve never let anyone touch that bag. Was it because you were afraid the poison would harm me?”

Zhang Xuedong fell silent for a moment, then said hoarsely, “Chief, you’re a good man. You’ve brought so many changes to the village. Sometimes I wish you’d come here sooner.”

Cen An gave a wry smile. “And what about you? Don’t you want to stay in Yongning Village as it is now?” Zhang Xuedong shook her head and uttered three words: “I’m not worthy.”

With that, she turned away from Cen An and addressed Liao Yongzhi: “I truly don’t want to harm the innocent, but Liao Yongzhi, you must die today.”

Cen An grew anxious, fearing she might, in a fit of rage, hurl the bursting bead and injure both others and herself. Just then, Tian Yuan walked over and said in a deep voice, “But you’ve already harmed the innocent.”

Zhang Xuedong froze. “What?”

Tian Yuan walked over to Cen An. “Do you remember Tian Jun? I’m his grandson. I found this on him.” He produced the deformed metal button.

Everyone saw Zhang Xuedong’s face go blank for a moment. Her chapped lips trembled. “Old Master Tian… wasn’t it… Wasn’t it an ability backlash…?”

After Mu Chen’s death, she had never paid attention to news about the Ability Squad again. She knew Old Tian had passed away, but since everyone in the village said it was due to an ability backlash, she simply believed them.

But she had never once imagined that it was actually because of her…

That split-second of blankness seemed to shatter her already fragile soul into pieces. After a long moment, she gave a desolate smile and sighed softly, “Hatred…”

The next moment, she suddenly fished something out of her bosom, shoved it into her mouth, and swallowed it down, forcing it down her throat.

“No! Stop her!”

No one could have imagined that, among all the ability users present, not a single one could react faster than she could at that very moment. The moment it was down her throat, blood gushed from Zhang Xuedong’s mouth like a fountain, and her frail body collapsed to the ground.

In that final moment before she died, that intelligent, resilient woman returned. She looked at Tian Yuan with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry… The things under my bed—please divide them between you and Wanwan… I’m going to… find my A-Chen and… Xiao Jia…”

The light in her eyes gradually faded.

“Aunt Zhang!” Liao Wanwan cried out as she rushed forward. Her hatred had been cast aside; at that moment, all she could remember were the scenes from her childhood—Zhang Xuedong feeding her and washing her clothes…

Shi Long closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again and gave clear, organized orders: “Evacuate the crowd; don’t let them push against each other. Go check Zhang Xuedong’s house, and destroy all the remaining yellow lowering spirit grass. Be careful not to damage her personal belongings.”

Several squad members, their eyes red-rimmed, nodded and ran off to carry out the orders. Shi Long turned back. “Old Liao, you…”

Then he saw Liao Yongzhi clutching his daughter, wailing at the top of his raspy lungs, “Sis-in-law, waaah—I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry to your whole family, waaah—”

Shi Long’s forehead creased into a deep frown. He took a deep breath, then another… but in the end, he couldn’t hold back. He grabbed a wooden stick at random: “Liao! Yong! Zhi! I’ll let you cry! Cry your heart out!”

Liao Wanwan deftly leaped out of her father’s arms. Her tears hadn’t even dried yet, and she patted her chest in relief, “That was close…”

Cen An had been feeling quite down just moments ago, but seeing this scene nearly made him twist his back in shock. He stared in disbelief, “What on earth…”

Liao Wanwan waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine, Brother Cen. My dad’s tough as nails—you can’t break him. Back in the day, Team Leader Shi used to beat him three times a day, and he was still fine.” Cen An’s mouth twitched. Three times a day…

Tian Yuan, standing nearby, finally spoke up, “Brother Cen, I…”

Cen An patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. “It’s only natural to seek justice for a loved one. Besides, I know you meant that remark to stop her.”

But no one could have imagined that Zhang Xuedong’s spirit was so fierce. Or perhaps she never intended to return alive today; she simply gave up on her revenge at the very last moment.

Zhang Xuedong’s body had already been laid to rest. Ji Lan and the other female ability users helped her change into fresh clothes and gather flowers. The mournful chime, long unheard, sounded once more.

It was melancholic and desolate, much like her life.

Funerals in this otherworld were simple. Liao Yongzhi had originally intended to erect a tombstone for her with his own hands, but Shi Long refused.

The blue stone monument bore only the simple inscription “Zhang Xuedong,” with “Mu Chen” beside it. Between the two, a small mound bore the inscription.

“Mu Jia.”

Liao Wanwan’s eyes were still red-rimmed, yet she took the initiative to approach Cen An and Tian Yuan. “Let’s go to Aunt Zhang’s house and see what she left behind.” Naturally, the others had no objections, and they made their way to Zhang Xuedong’s home.

The others were curious as well and followed along.

Zhang Xuedong’s home was practically empty, with very little food stored away; the only piece of furniture was a bed. Under the bed, the group discovered two wooden chests, one large and one small.

When they opened the larger chest, it was filled to the brim with crystal cores.

Shi Long glanced at it. “These must be what A-Chen left behind. I doubt anyone has touched them since he left.” The smaller chest had a brass lock, but the key was on the bed. Liao Wanwan fetched it and unlocked the chest.

Inside were neatly arranged small medicine pouches.

Cen An stepped forward to examine them. “These are common wound remedies, along with some medicines for treating illnesses.” Pointing to several packets wrapped in red leaves, he said: “These are for young women to strengthen their constitutions.”

Liao Wanwan’s eyes reddened again. She sniffed and picked up those packets. “I’ll take these. Give the rest to Tian Yuan. Grandpa Tian’s situation is also because of my father’s trouble.”

Liao Yongzhi quickly nodded in agreement from behind.

Tian Yuan thought for a moment. “Why not donate them to the Ability Squad?”

“Give the medicine to Brother Cen,” Liao Wanwan added. “Besides, he’s the only one I know who knows how to use them.”

“Then let’s give the crystal core to Brother Cen too,” Tian Yuan said indifferently. “The Ability Squad’s crystal core is going to him anyway.”

Everyone agreed. A few of the younger members even said that since they’d have to hand it over to Brother Cen anyway when they transferred to the Ability Squad, they might as well skip the formalities—it was sweltering out, after all, so it would save them the trouble.

Cen An：？

“Wait, hold on a second. Aren’t these Aunt Zhang’s belongings? Don’t you guys think something’s off here…”

A few ability users cheerfully carried the box out, saying, “Step aside, Brother Cen. We’ve got things to do.”

Cen An instinctively stepped aside, then realized, “Wait a minute, I’m actually your business…”

And so, the matter of Zhang Xuedong was put to rest. After mulling it over for two days, Cen An offered his management suggestions to Yongning Village for the first time.

He had never meddled in such matters before. First, he didn’t consider himself an expert; second, he wasn’t familiar with the situation in this alternate world and was always afraid his good intentions might backfire.

But this time, perhaps not wanting to accept Zhang Xuedong’s medicine and crystal cores for nothing… he felt he had to do something. Maybe he could help the village avoid another Zhang Xuedong or another Tian Jun.

“I’d like to conduct house-to-house inspections,” Cen An said methodically. “Any household found to be storing explosives, long-range weapons, or high-damage weapons should be registered.”

“Secondly, I’ll hold a class at the small market to teach everyone how to identify poisons and what effects they have. If anyone collects unfamiliar herbs or plants, they can come to me for identification. This will be an ongoing initiative—we can use this opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of the plants in the nearby mountains.”

“Additionally, I hope the Ability Squad will establish a mediation affairs group. When conflicts arise among villagers, they can first turn to the mediation affairs group for mediation. The mediation affairs group will serve as a lubricant between villagers, doing its utmost to prevent matters from escalating to extremes.”

“Finally, the punishment system needs to be more refined. There must be clear regulations for theft, robbery, assault, domestic violence, and so on, with graduated penalties. If the punishment for every offense is simply confinement in a stone cell, it will lose its deterrent effect over time.”

After speaking, Cen An still felt a bit uneasy as he looked around at the crowd. “What I’m saying…”

But just then, someone slammed their fist hard on the table, their voice booming, “That’s a great idea! If the villagers all recognize the poison, they won’t be ambushed!” Liao Yongzhi’s outburst startled not only Cen An but also several young ability users.

Only Wang Lie and his group sighed with a sense of familiarity—it was their upright yet clueless Team Leader Liao! Shi Long rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Shut your mouth!”

He then turned to Cen An and Feng Xiyu and said, “Leader, regarding the mediation affairs group, do you have any more detailed suggestions? We’re short-handed.”

“I’ve thought about that too,” Cen An nodded. “We can organize the ability users in the village who are below Level 1. They have more energy and are slightly stronger than ordinary people, so we won’t have to worry about them getting violent during mediation. Also…”

He smiled. “As Team Leader Shi knows, with my ‘special ingredients’ on hand, leveling them up won’t be a problem.” Shi Long’s eyes lit up. “I’d actually overlooked that point… Chief, you’re a genius!”

Cen An waved his hands dismissively. Genius? He was merely building on others’ ideas.

And so, the sweeping administrative reforms in Yongning Village began in earnest. First, regarding the registration of poisons and weapons.

The villagers were initially opposed to this. In these times, every household had some means of self-defense; if others found out, how could they possibly protect themselves?

But as soon as they heard it was Cen An’s order—and that Zhao Wu hadn’t even been called upon this time—the villagers’ attitude did a complete 180-degree turn on the spot, and one after another, they scrambled to sign up.

This left Cen An stunned; none of the explanations he had prepared were needed.

On the way, Yu Lin was puzzled and couldn’t help but pull a villager aside to ask, “Uncle, why did you all agree so easily?”

The man replied cheerfully, “What’s there not to agree to? It’s what Young Master Cen said, isn’t it? Would Young Master Cen ever harm us?”

Yu Lin was taken aback. “But… aren’t you afraid that others will find out about your survival techniques…”

The man waved his hand dismissively. “What’s there to be afraid of? We don’t trust others, but Young Master Cen definitely won’t spill the beans. Besides, what exactly are our survival techniques?”

Yu Lin thought to himself, How the hell am I supposed to know what they are?

The middle-aged man chuckled. “For many of us, our means of survival are the items and weapons we’ve exchanged for from Boss Xiao Cen! He gave them to us in the first place, so it’s only natural for him to take them back—especially since it’s just a matter of registering them!”

The old man added, “Are you going to ask or not? If you don’t, I’m leaving. It wouldn’t be good to keep Boss Cen waiting too long.”

Yu Lin let go, dazed. After a moment, he suddenly looked down and smiled. “Just like him…”

As for Cen An’s lecture on medicine, the audience was packed to the brim. Even children as young as a few years old sat quietly in the front rows, listening intently. In these trying times, it was so difficult to gain any experience or knowledge; with someone willing to teach, they listened with nothing but gratitude in their hearts.

Just like on the Day of the Sun festival, the wooden platform had been erected on the spot. Looking at the grateful eyes below, Cen An couldn’t help but speak more and more, covering more and more ground. He had originally intended only to discuss how to identify poisons, but eventually expanded to include how to distinguish medicinal herbs, the collection of rare herbs, and what to do when encountering unfamiliar plants…

By evening, he returned home with a hoarse voice, only to find his doorstep buried once again under supplies.

On top of the pile of supplies lay a small note, its crooked handwriting reading: “Thank you, Chief. I’ll study hard. When I grow up, I want to be just like you.”

Cen An stood there in silence for a long time, then suddenly broke into a smile. Although people often said he brought hope, he wanted to tell them: they themselves were the very embodiment of hope.

Just as work was in full swing in the village, the small merchant caravan traveling outside also ran into trouble.

“Stop right there! This is a robbery!”

Six masked men suddenly leapt out from the side of the narrow path. Sensing their energy fluctuations, the group realized they were all ability users—the lowest at Level 2, and the highest at Level 4.

Old Geng gave a subtle signal to the people behind him, then slumped his shoulders and timidly stepped forward. “Good sirs, we’re just a small merchant caravan carrying some worthless goods…”

The leader across from him gave him a haughty look. The old man appeared to be a Level 4 ability user, but at his age, his abilities had surely begun to decline; his actual combat prowess was nothing to fear.

He glanced at the other four men; they were no higher than Level 2 or 3, roughly on par with them—and they had one more man on their side.

The leader didn’t take them seriously at all. “Just because you say it’s worthless doesn’t make it so? Number Two, go check it out.” A burly man stepped forward from behind him and roughly tore open the cargo on the cart. “Any food?”

Old Geng forced a smile. “Yes, we have some—wild greens and mushrooms.”

The burly man curled his lip in disgust. “Fine, leave the stuff here. You can go.”

Old Geng hesitated for a moment. They weren’t actually in the business of trading, so losing the goods wouldn’t be a big deal. But since they hadn’t reached their destination yet, it wasn’t the right time to get into a conflict with these men. So he nodded repeatedly and took a few steps back.

Just as he was about to leave with the people from Yongning Village, the leader suddenly pointed at Li Wei. “Wait. Are you an earth-elemental ability user?” Li Wei nodded, not quite understanding.

The second man immediately said, “Boss, we’re actually short an earth-elemental ability user to build houses.”

The leader nodded. “All right, he stays. The rest of you can go.”

Old Geng paused for a moment before saying, “Sir, this is my own grandson. If you keep him, aren’t you asking for my life? Please have mercy…”

The leader waved his hand impatiently. “I don’t care if he’s your real grandson or a fake one—I’m taking this guy! If you don’t like it, you can all stay here and be buried with him!”

There was no reasoning with him.

Old Geng sighed. Just as the leader thought the old man had resigned himself to defeat, he saw him straighten his chest—and the cowering, timid old man transformed into a powerful ability user.

Before the leader could react, he heard Old Geng shout with unwavering confidence, “You brats, draw your weapons!”

Li Wei and the others had been seething with pent-up anger all along, but had held back for fear of disrupting Old Geng’s plan. Now, they immediately responded in unison, “Yes!”

They all slapped their chests in unison, and their clothes suddenly transformed—spikes sprouted all over their bodies, making them look like a bunch of chestnuts. With a swift pull from behind their backs, they simultaneously raised massive purple axes.

These were the giant rock crystal axes that Cen An had specially prepared for them before they set out. These weapons were extremely resource-intensive; the amount of rock crystal needed to make a single giant axe was enough to craft five rock crystal daggers.

To gather enough materials for these five Rock Crystal Giant Axes, Cen An led the Ability Squad in working overtime to feed Dahei, continuing for several days straight, making Dahei so happy his eyes narrowed in delight.

The effort was ultimately worth it—if nothing else, the sheer presence of those five massive axes was intimidating! The leader gritted his teeth. “Stop them!”

He started to retreat, but his foot caught on something, and a gust of wind swept past his ankle. Old Geng watched him with a smile. “Young man, I’m your opponent.”

The leader sensed his ability, and his expression turned panicked—the old man’s power hadn’t diminished at all! Why…? A sudden scream rang out from the side, and he instinctively turned his head—

The second man, with his metal-based ability, had coated himself in a layer of metal armor. Yet when that armor met the giant rock-crystal axe, it crumbled like paper at the slightest touch. The massive blade sliced into his shoulder, and blood began to flow.

The second-in-command still refused to give up. He secretly flung a handful of iron nails. A few clinking sounds followed… The second-in-command rejoiced—he’d hit his mark! But the next second, a sharp pain shot through his chest, and several bloody holes appeared. “Why…”

The ability user fighting him chuckled, “Backlash. Never heard of it, have you? You fool.”

The leader’s face turned pale. “Those are traps! They have five—no, they have ten traps! Retreat! Retreat!” They couldn’t retreat, but they did move fast.

In just a few minutes, the group was bound by vines and hung from the trees lining the road.

His face mask was yanked off. The leader’s face was ashen; he was now both furious and filled with regret. He wished he could turn back time to ten minutes ago—he’d never in a million years have chosen to rob this group of old, weak, and infirm people! He’d rather have fought ten burly men!

He was also furious at this group—damn it, they were playing games! Playing the fool to catch the tiger, were they? If you had so many props, why hide them? If he’d known you had all that gear, would he have even bothered to rob you?

Over there, the young guys were still buzzing with excitement. One ability user was holding a massive rock crystal axe, clearly unable to put it down: “Brother Cen is so awesome! This axe packs a serious punch!” 

“The damage-reflecting armor is so freakin’ awesome! I just realized that making the enemy take damage from their own skills is way more satisfying than hitting them myself, haha!”

Old Geng let the kids chat while he walked over. “Let’s talk. Which settlement are you from?” The leader, naturally, didn’t want to say.

Old Geng wasn’t in a hurry. There weren’t many settlements nearby, so he listed them one by one: “Tianhu Base, Stone Spring Village, Linghe Base…” The leader’s eyebrow twitched involuntarily.

Old Geng frowned. “You’re from Linghe Base? That doesn’t make sense. I’ve met the leader of Linghe Base—how could he possibly allow people to rob travelers on the road?”

The leader suddenly smiled, a malicious glint in his eyes. “What Linghe Base? There’s no such thing anymore.” 

Old Geng froze. “What did you say?”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Registration, medical lectures, mediation affairs group… As one task after another was completed, it wasn’t until he came to his senses that Cen An realized several days had already passed, and the weather was growing increasingly hot.

During the rainy season, they’d complained about the constant rain, but now the situation had reversed: everyone was hoping for rain every day to cool the earth down, yet the heavens weren’t so accommodating.

Cen An splashed some water on his face and felt as though the water flowing from the bamboo tube had turned warm. “Xiao Yi, go cut up some cold jade melon. Let’s go find Senior Lin and eat some melon with him.” He called out, but heard no reply from Xiao Yi.

Cen An straightened up. “Xiao Yi?”

“Big Brother!” Xiao Yi’s voice came from afar, full of excitement. “Our chicken laid an egg!” “Really?” Cen An’s face lit up with joy as he hurried over to the chicken coop.

You really have to hand it to the system—this Level 1 animal shed actually had a simple temperature control system. Even though the sun was baking the air outside until it seemed to warp, the temperature inside didn’t seem to bother the little animals at all.

As soon as Cen An approached, a cool breeze wafted from the coop. The comfort made him squint his eyes involuntarily; if it weren’t for a shred of self-restraint, he’d have wanted to sleep in the chicken coop that very night…

“Where are the eggs?”

Xiao Yi held up both hands, and sure enough, there were two white eggs. “One is a chicken egg, and one is a duck egg.”

“Even the duck laid an egg!” Cen An was overjoyed. “Great, great! Quick, put them back. If we hatch a few chicks, we’ll have plenty of eggs to eat.”

Thinking back to his past life, his farm and ranch were vast. His farm had reached Level 9, with every unlockable crop unlocked; endless stretches of fertile fields stretched as far as the eye could see. The ranch’s animal pens stretched on and on, housing every kind of animal imaginable. The daily output of meat, eggs, and milk was enormous—he couldn’t even finish all the cheese he made himself. Not only that, but he also had vast orchards and plantations, filled with fruit trees, cotton, rubber trees……

Who would have thought that after crossing over, it was all gone, leaving him with nothing but a tiny shack.

Looking back now, he thinks the only reason he remained so calm at the time was probably because he’d been dead for a while.

Thankfully, all of that is slowly coming back now.

Xiao Yi nodded, put the egg back, but then felt something else in the nest. “Brother, what’s this?” He held it out for Cen An to see.

Mr. Cen touched it and smiled. “This was dropped by a rabbit. Xiai Yi’s got some good luck.” In his hand was a large leaf with a simple map drawn on it.

Speaking of which, farm animals in the game each have their own specific drops. For example, chickens and ducks lay eggs; geese, in addition to laying eggs, drop goose feathers that can be used to make clothes; cows produce milk; sheep produce wool… As for rabbits and pigs, they’re meat sources—you have to slaughter them to get anything.

But aside from these common resources, the animals also have a very low chance of dropping special items. For instance, pigs have a very low chance of dropping pig bristles, which can be used to make magic pens; and rabbits have a very low chance of dropping rabbit hole maps—if you find one and dig it up, you can get the treasure inside the rabbit hole.

Cen An glanced at the address on the map. “That’s not far, is it? It’s on the mountain just north of us. Want to go check it out?” Xiao Yi naturally nodded.

But even though they planned to go, they couldn’t set out under the blazing sun. So the two of them—one big, one small—carried the cold jade melon over to Lin She’s house. After eating until their bellies were round as balls and the sun had set, they finally took out the Rabbit Hole Map and headed up the mountain.