In an instant, no one spoke in the Village 4 chat room. The players, who had worked so hard to come to terms with this radically transformed world, felt an inescapable surge of helplessness, despair, and grief welling up in their hearts.
If destruction was their destiny, was there any point in struggling?
What was the meaning behind their endless tree-chopping, stone-breaking, grass-cutting, and monster-slaying?
Some players even contemplated laying down their weapons and stepping out of their safehouses to end it all once and for all.
[Qi Yi]: “Wait! I’m still alive!”
[Qi Yi]: “Although survival isn’t easy, as long as we work hard together, things will definitely get better! I was on the brink of being killed by a monster, but just because I didn’t give up, I was lucky enough to wait for the Big Boss’s salvation!”
[You Hua]: “Going Home Bro, you’re okay?!”
[You Hua]: “It’s so weird hearing you speak for the first time without weeping or crying about wanting to go home.”
[You Hua]: “What Big Boss’s salvation? Is it what I think it is?! You met my idol!”
The rest of the group was drawn out as well, curious about what had transpired, momentarily forgetting their extreme thoughts from moments ago.
[Qi Yi]: “Wait till I get to a safe spot.”
He was currently sprinting back on his own.
The Big Boss had shooed him away the moment his paralysis cleared, watching him move away from the massive river before vanishing at lightning speed.
Recalling that terrifying river, Qi Yi was actually deeply worried about the Big Boss and wanted to stay and help. But when the Big Boss glanced at him, he understood instantly.
Staying behind would only hold her back.
“The Big Boss is so strong, she’ll definitely be fine.”
Qi Yi kept muttering to himself along the way, not forgetting to pull out his stone sickle to cut grass once he reached a relatively safe zone, returning to his safehouse only after his Energy Points were nearly depleted.
While he was frantically expressing his gratitude to the Big Boss in the group, He Miaomiao was still by the riverbank.
It wasn’t that she wanted to foolishly stand by the river, but rather that the giant fish seemed to have locked onto her.
The giant fish appeared to possess a certain level of intelligence. Seeing that the Mutated River Shrimps couldn’t crowd-control her, it recruited other monsters—Aberrant Crabs. Swarming up the riverbank in packs, they attempted to surround her, raising their massive pincers in a joint effort to snap her in two.
Front, back, left, right—there was no route of retreat.
The result was—
[HP -4!]
[HP -4.8!]
With a base attack power of 12 landing on He Miaomiao, even triggering their special skill “Armor Break”—which reduced He Miaomiao’s Defense by 10%—it amounted to nothing more than scratch damage.
Had it not been for their sheer numbers and omnipresence blocking her path, He Miaomiao wouldn’t have bothered with these crabs, which had low attack power but possessed a thick health pool of 260.
[Raw Crab Meat ×40, Copper Coins ×12, EXP ×1000!]
[Raw Crab Meat ×40, Copper Coins ×12, EXP ×1000! (Critical Hit)]
[EXP: 11350/1000 (Upgradeable)]
[EXP overflow exceeded 10x, starting automatic level-up!]
“Here it comes again.”
He Miaomiao had tried her best to avoid fighting them, slaying only the path-blocking crabs she couldn’t bypass to break through the siege. Yet she still couldn’t withstand the formidable size of the crab army, whose massive EXP drops were doubled by critical hits.
Player: He Miaomiao (Lv4 → Lv5)
[HP +20!]
[HP +20! (Critical Hit)]
[Attack Power +2!]
[Attack Power +2! (Critical Hit)]
[Defense +2!]
[Defense +2! (Critical Hit)]
[Agility +2!]
[Agility +2! (Critical Hit)]
[Energy Points +80!]
[Energy Points +80! (Critical Hit)]
Player: He Miaomiao (Lv5)
Coordinates: Despair Village 4 (65/100)
HP: 190/190 (150 → 190)
Attack Power: 21 (17 → 21) (+20)
Defense: 14 (8 → 14)
Agility: 17 (13 → 17)
Energy Points: 525 (365 → 525)
EXP: 10350/1400 (Upgradeable)
Her depleted Energy Points refilled completely, and the HP chipped away by the crabs instantly expanded and filled to max.
Since she couldn’t dodge it, fine—no more hiding!
Just like during her high school entrance exams, college entrance exams, and other crucial tests throughout her life: due to her innate jinx physique, she would inexplicably suffer stomachaches, faint, or experience scantron errors, resulting in terrible scores that kept her out of the dream schools she had tirelessly worked for and possessed the actual capability to enter.
Was He Miaomiao not angry back then? Was she not aggrieved? Did she not resent heaven’s injustice in targeting her at every turn?
Of course she was angry, aggrieved, and resentful.
Yet she had never given up because of it. Wiping away her tears, she stood up, self-studying with insane drive, obsessively grinding for certifications, taking on tasks that many disdained or looked down upon, until her efforts reached a point where even atrocious luck couldn’t obscure her—allowing her to claim what she wanted and reach the places she wished to go.
Now, even if everything she had fought for in the past was gone, and even if this was a hazard-strewn Despair Valley, she remained the same unstoppable He Miaomiao.
If she couldn’t hide, then she would work hard to get stronger, stronger, and even stronger! Strong enough to slay all monsters, strong enough to no longer fear passive level-ups attracting newer creatures, strong enough that she wouldn’t endanger the fellow players she had finally encountered—forcing her to hurriedly shoo them away without daring to say a word—and strong enough to never again need to be cautious, hide away, or scheme at every turn out of fear of this world!
He Miaomiao was never one to hesitate. Once her mind was set, the helplessness in her eyes vanished instantly into a blazing battle intent. Gripping her Stone Blade tightly, she stopped fleeing, turning on her heels to face the sea of red Aberrant Crabs head-on.
Slay!
The Stone Blade pierced through crab bodies one after another, causing them to explode into mist beneath her hands. The strange, greyish-black blood of the monsters splattered all over her, giving off a horrific stench.
He Miaomiao didn’t pause for a single instant, slaying crabs and river shrimps on one side while employing Sparks Slash to fend off the giant fish attempting ambushes on the other.
Raw Crab Meat ×400, Raw Shrimp Meat ×320, Copper Coins ×240, EXP ×20000!
[EXP: 30350/1400 (Upgradeable)]
[EXP overflow exceeded 10x, starting automatic level-up!]
Player: He Miaomiao (Lv5 → Lv8)
[HP +70!]
[HP +70! (Critical Hit)]
[Attack Power +9!]
[Attack Power +9! (Critical Hit)]
[Defense +6!]
[Defense +6! (Critical Hit)]
[Agility +6!]
[Agility +6! (Critical Hit)]
[Energy Points +360!]
[Energy Points +360! (Critical Hit)]
Player: He Miaomiao (Lv8)
Coordinates: Despair Village 4 (64/100)
HP: 330/330 (190 → 330)
Attack Power: 39 (21 → 39) (+20)
Defense: 26 (14 → 26)
Agility: 29 (17 → 29)
Energy Points: 1245 (525 → 1245)
EXP: 24550/3200 (Upgradeable)
As far as the eye could see, the black soil was thoroughly soaked in greyish-black monster blood.
He Miaomiao gasped for air with an open mouth, sweat dripping from her eyelashes and stinging her eyes. Her right hand holding the blade trembled uncontrollably, so sore that she couldn’t raise it normally again.
She knew her body had fought to its absolute limit; even fully restored Energy Points couldn’t grant her an instant full-body repair. Refusing to prolong the battle, she departed at top speed.
Thanks to her 29 Agility and the constraints of the terrain, the creatures in the river couldn’t keep up with her at all.
As time passed, He Miaomiao began feeling dizzy and lightheaded, covered in a cold sweat. By the time she finally sprinted back to where her home came into view, everything before her eyes was blurred and distorted beyond clarity.
Gritting her teeth to push through, she allowed herself to collapse only after pushing open the fence.
Thud—
He Miaomiao lost consciousness completely, passing out cold.
When she woke up again, the hazy sky met her eyes above.
“Lord.”
He Miaomiao turned her head to find Grandma Temporary Citizen 1 sitting on the ground, guarding her side, her eyes filled with subtle concern.
“Grandma, I’m back.”
A smile tugged at the corner of He Miaomiao’s mouth. With the help of Temporary Citizen 1, she scrambled up from the ground.
“I brought back lots of good stuff today.”
Entering the house, she retrieved the meat that had been roasting beside the campfire before her departure, placed a new batch on the fire, and used both hands and feet to crawl onto the nearest sofa to lie flat.
He Miaomiao still felt terribly uncomfortable—like she had just climbed 37 flights of stairs, done 100 high-knees and 200 frog hops around the track, and then was forcibly dragged to run a 3,000-meter race after three days and nights without food or water.
Her steps were unsteady, her complexion pale.
At this moment, tinkling chime notifications rang in He Miaomiao’s ears.
[Congratulations to player He Miaomiao for accumulating 100 Mutated River Shrimp kills and achieving the River Shrimp Killer achievement! Rewarded with Blue Chest ×1! Warrior, please continue fighting!]
[Blue Chest ×1! (Critical Hit)]
[Congratulations to player He Miaomiao for accumulating 100 Aberrant Crab kills and achieving the Crab Killer achievement! Rewarded with Blue Chest ×1! Warrior, please continue fighting!]
[Blue Chest ×1! (Critical Hit)]
[Congratulations to player He Miaomiao for being the first to reach Lv5, Lv6, Lv7, and Lv8! Obtained Green Chest ×4!]
[Green Chest ×4! (Critical Hit)]
Now He Miaomiao possessed 4 Blue Chests and 8 Green Chests.
He Miaomiao, who had been listless just a second ago, perked up in an instant. “Open!”
Small Clay Jar (Blue) ×4, Copper Coins ×200!
Dual Blades (Blue) ×4, Copper Coins ×200!
Primary Plant Nutrient Solution ×4, Copper Coins ×80!
Rice Seeds ×4, Copper Coins ×80!
Detoxification Pill ×4, Copper Coins ×80!
Looting Skill Book (Intermediate) ×4, Copper Coins ×80!
He Miaomiao: So many items! What a massive profit!
Stashing the copper coins away, she prioritized learning the skill book first.
One book.
Looting (Intermediate 1/3): Can loot all drops within a 3-meter radius of the player in a single action, cap 5.
Can it be upgraded further?
He Miaomiao studied it for a moment. The “5” referred to all dropped items from 5 monsters, not merely 5 individual items.
“This is awesome!”
He Miaomiao recalled how, after killing 100 rabbits last time and hundreds of crabs and river shrimps just now, she had to walk to where each monster exploded, cast Looting once on its drop, then walk to the next exploded monster to cast Looting again—repeating that process hundreds of times.
It was time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Now things were great! Looting had upgraded!
He Miaomiao used all 3 remaining skill books immediately.
Looting (Intermediate Tier 2 1/5): Can loot all drops within a 6-meter radius of the player without hindrance in a single action, cap 15.
“6 meters! 15!”
He Miaomiao stared gleefully at the upgraded Looting skill, looking at it repeatedly, unable to put it down.
In future exhilarating battles, she would no longer need to squat awkwardly on the ground to pick things up one by one!
Looking at the other items:
Detoxification Pill: Taking it clears a certain amount of accumulated toxins in the body.
He Miaomiao’s eyelids twitched. Thinking of the hazy grey sky outside, the grey trees, the grey everything, and the grey mist bursting forth when monsters exploded, she swallowed one without a second thought.