If he hadn’t refrained from saying anything truly nasty, Xia Qiu would have blocked him already. Then again, she mused, it wasn’t too late to do it now. Mechanical Maze City was still spamming ads in the world chat, acting completely oblivious to the sarcastic comments piling up. Xia Qiu opened her private messages, searched for his name, and hit the block button without a second thought.
The incident with Day Day Up, however, served as a stark reminder to everyone active on the world chat: this was not Blue Star. They were no longer law-abiding citizens. Deceit and harm could strike at any moment, and every transaction demanded extreme caution.
With ample materials on hand, Xia Qiu went ahead and crafted two extra raincoats. The next time someone requested her crafting services, she could simply take their materials and processing fee, then trade the finished product over directly.
The afternoon passed quickly. The meadow underfoot had become damp and slick, and she decided against heading back toward the dense forest.
This time, a helpful reminder from the system arrived right at 4:30 PM.
[Friendly Reminder: There are 10 minutes until sunset. All players, please prepare for the night of the first challenge phase.]
The system’s "friendly reminders" never appeared without reason. There had been no warning at sunset yesterday, so its return today surely meant something different was going to happen after dark.
Just in case, Xia Qiu traded three pieces of charcoal and two long logs to Song Ci’an for a grease torch. If she was forced to leave her camp, she needed to at least ensure she stayed within the circle of its light.
Her backpack was already full, so she stuck the grease torch into the ground near the campfire, directly under the large animal-hide umbrella. The umbrella Song Ci’an had made was quite tall; at five-foot-six, Xia Qiu still had about three head-heights of clearance beneath it. Even though the hide was thick and heavy, the space underneath didn’t feel cramped.
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye. The idle chatter in the world chat dwindled as more and more players braced for the potential dangers of the night. Most people still lacked proper weapons, and even basic tools were scarce.
Xia Qiu, at least, had a refined stone axe that could pass for a weapon. As soon as the sky darkened, she took it out of her pack and held it firmly.
During the novice period, the "Restless" status effect typically didn’t appear until midnight. But today, a mere two minutes after nightfall, it materialized in her status bar.
Fortunately, Xia Qiu checked her personal information panel every few minutes. The moment she saw the glaring status effect, she immediately took out a pinecone and began to shake it. She had become quite adept at this; in just two minutes, she had 57 pine nuts and one empty pinecone. Find the original chapter at novelping dot com.
The instant the empty pinecone fell into the campfire, the "Restless" status vanished. Xia Qiu let out a small sigh of relief and kept a vigilant watch on her surroundings.
With the arrival of night, an unnerving silence descended. There were no chirping insects, no calls of birds, not even a breeze. The damp, grassy scent in the air felt slightly cloying out in the open.
The hours ticked by. Until 9:00 PM, everything remained unnervingly quiet. No strange creatures appeared, and the rain held off.
Gradually, the world chat began to liven up again. Many players, tense for the better part of the day, started to relax and look for conversation.
[Only Love Money: Taking advantage of the fact that everyone’s still awake to buy materials! Anyone selling? Prices are negotiable!]
It was Only Love Money again. The corner of Xia Qiu’s eye twitched. She had a strong urge to add him as a friend. She was incredibly curious about where he was getting so many resources to trade. She wanted some too!
[Wilderness Survival Specialist: Does anyone remember that guy who popped up out of nowhere and told us all not to sleep tonight? Nothing’s happened. Where is he now?]
[Xue Zihang: I remember. I think his name was Bo Gaoxing?]
[One Strawberry: I’ve been busy all day and had to rush to take shelter from the rain this afternoon. I’m so tired and sleepy, I just want to go to bed.]
[One Star: Same, I want to sleep +1. I’m dead tired, ahhh... Plus, my Spirit Value drops faster when I’m this exhausted, and I’m running low on recovery food.]
[Xue Zihang: I have recovery food! Star, reply to my private message! I can give you some.]
[One Star: Get lost!]
Xia Qiu was exhausted too, but she forced herself to stay alert and scan her surroundings. It wasn’t just Bo Gaoxing’s warning in the world chat earlier. Right after nightfall, Song Ci’an had also sent her a message, telling her to stay up until at least the second half of the night before sleeping.
Even Yan Chi, a man of few words who never made small talk, had sent her a message.
[Yan Chi: Don’t sleep tonight. Be careful.] Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
At first glance, it sounded like a threat. If they weren’t practically strangers, Xia Qiu would have been sorely tempted to recommend a copy of *The Art of Conversation* to him.
As midnight approached, Xia Qiu tossed a piece of savory grilled mushroom into her mouth, restoring some of her hunger while also speeding up her Spirit Value recovery. The pinecones could only ward off the nightly debuff; they couldn’t replenish the Spirit Value she lost to fatigue.
After throwing another empty pinecone into the campfire, she suddenly heard a soft—*PLOP*.
She paused, her tired mind reacting a beat too slow. Do pinecones make a delayed sound when they land in a fire?
No! That wasn’t the sound of a pinecone at all!
PLOP, PLOP, PLOP...
The sounds grew more frequent, more dense, coming from above her and all around. In an instant, Xia Qiu was wide awake, scrambling to her feet.
Something was landing on the grassy field around her and on the hide umbrella over her head.
Beyond the small bubble of her campfire, the darkness seemed capable of swallowing all other light.
Axe in one hand, Xia Qiu yanked the grease torch from the ground with the other. She lit it using the campfire and, holding the torch aloft, cautiously poked her head out to survey the situation.
In the oppressive dark, something reflected the firelight.
Before she could get a clear look, a system notification flashed before her eyes.
[Warning: Your private territory is under attack!]