Chapter 51: The Most Beautiful Man’s Face

“Ah, General! I’ve spotted some little monsters—they’re attacking your fence!”

“What?” Yun Xiaoyu’s usually cool little face was suddenly filled with shock. “Damn, those fish monsters are bold! Just wait, this general is coming to wipe you out!”

“Pidan, Al, Zhuzhu, Gouwazi, Doudou—Warlord Squad, get ready to move out!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

A chorus of righteous, childish voices rang out in unison, immediately drawing attention from all directions. The villagers rushed over at the commotion.

“Monsters? Where? Leave them to me!”

“Don’t even think about stealing my kill! This time I’m definitely getting a skill card…”

Next door, the Tang father and son dropped the vegetables they’d just washed, abandoning their meal prep and dashing outside.

Their luck was good—just as they reached the gate, they ran into a brazen snowfish spitting ice arrows at them. The two exchanged a glance, sparks flying, then whipped out their weapons and, with no regard for family ties, scrambled to snatch the kill.

After Old Tang skewered the snowfish with his longsword, he stood with hands on hips and laughed heartily. “Ha! The older, the wiser! You little brat, you can’t beat your old man.”

Tang En scowled, snorted, and turned away, refusing to acknowledge his father’s smug, sky-high nostrils.

“Hey, brat! Aren’t you going to stick around to see what your old man gets? What’s the rush? Hmph…”

Old Tang hummed a little tune, delighted as he prepared to open his loot box.

Meanwhile, Yun Xiaoyu, as the leader of the little kid squad, had already gathered her dad and the five little ones.

A row of kids, like little gourd dolls, lined up in the snow, heads held high and chests puffed out, listening intently for instructions.

Yun Xiaoyu put her hands behind her back, her little face serious as she walked over. “Same rules as always—two to a team. If you run into danger, call my dad for help. Got it?”

“Got it!” the kids shouted in unison.

“Alright, split up and get moving!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

With a commanding wave of her little arm, Yun Xiaoyu sent the kids off. They split into three groups with practiced ease, little feet stomping, weapons in hand, earnestly fighting monsters. The newcomers in the courtyard, like Yun He, were left gaping in astonishment.

Are they training soldiers from kindergarten now?

Yun He suddenly thought back to when he was five or six—he’d just been trailing after his brother, begging him to play in the mud.

He lowered his head in shame.

Under the danmu tree, Ah Hua was howling with excitement.

“Fish! Amos, I see fish! They’re so pretty—nothing like the black fish we found in the sewage ditch before.”

“Hurry, hurry! We’re having fish tonight!”

The locals, clad in all sorts of eye-searingly bright cotton coats and barefoot in the snow, rushed to fight monsters, weapons swinging with gusto.

Charge! For the monsters! For delicious fish—charge!

Even Chief Luke felt decades younger, grinning ear to ear as he hefted his giant axe, his big white teeth gleaming.

This Earth Village is amazing. The Poor Whale Tribe is bound to thrive from now on.

Swords, spears, clubs, axes—the once-quiet snowy ground was suddenly bustling with activity.

Yun Qimu stretched his arms, picked up the Pangu Axe from the snow, and strode out with a smile.

After three days in bed, his bones were aching for some action.

Mo Xie followed, cloak billowing, long legs striding out.

Wu Xingyu’s silver eyes flashed with determination as he ground his teeth. “Let’s go. We’re joining in too.”

He would never admit he was unlucky—if one loot box was empty, he’d just kill more monsters.

“Oh.” His two sidekicks didn’t dare argue, and their curiosity about the loot boxes overcame the cold. Gritting their teeth, they charged outside into the snow.

Pei Yu, still thinking about fighting for the bathroom, reached out in shock. “Hey, hey! Aren’t you guys going to shower?”

“You go ahead. We’re off to fight monsters and open loot boxes.”

Pei Yu: ……

Suddenly, the bathroom just didn’t seem so appealing!

Out in the snow, Wu Xingyu went all out, moving like a shadow, his dagger striking fish with deadly accuracy.

The broadcast announcements rang in his ears:

[Ding-dong—Congratulations, player, you’ve received 1 Bronze Loot Box!]

[Ding-dong—Congratulations, player, you’ve received 1 Spirit Coin!]

Wu Xingyu couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth curl up. See? A Spirit Coin is still a win.

[Ding-dong—Congratulations, player, you’ve received 1 Bronze Loot Box!]

[Ding-dong—Congratulations, player, you’ve received 2 Spirit Coins!]

[Ding-dong—Congratulations, player, you’ve received 3 Spirit Coins!]

[Ding-dong—Congratulations, player, you’ve received 1 Spirit Coin!]

……

But gradually, Wu Xingyu’s smile faded, then flattened, until his lips pressed into a straight line.

Just as his mood was turning sour, suddenly—

[Ding-dong—Congratulations, player, you’ve killed the Snowfish Mini-Boss and received 1 Silver Loot Box!]

“Whoa, Third Brother! That loot box is a different color!”

Wu Xingyu’s eyes lit up, surprise and delight on his face as he looked at the silver-glowing box.

Yun Qimu paused, panting lightly, his bright eyes glancing over. Envy flickered as he looked at Wu Xingyu. “You got the Snowfish Mini-Boss? Not bad! Open it up—what’s inside is way better than the bronze ones.”

“Village Chief, you’ve gotten a silver loot box before?” Yun He asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“Yeah, got it from the Chicken Mini-Boss. Pulled out four items—one of them was this A-grade, growth-type Pangu Axe.”

At that, Yun He, Yuan An, and even Mo Xie all looked on with envy.

That golden axe—small enough to be an ornament, big enough to be a mighty weapon—had just shown its power. With a single swing, it could chop down a snowfish, doing more damage than stabbing it ten times with a regular dagger. Who wouldn’t want a weapon like that?

What man wouldn’t be tempted?

Everyone looked at Wu Xingyu, urging him to hurry up and open the box.

Carrying everyone’s hopes, Wu Xingyu’s heart pounded. His silver eyes flickered. For some reason, he had a bad feeling, but he steeled himself and reached out.

[Ding-dong—Congratulations, player, you’ve received 1 Spirit Coin!]

And… that was it. Nothing else.

Wu Xingyu’s vision went black; he nearly collapsed, but Mo Xie caught him just in time.

Mo Xie frowned, his face stern. “Alright, there aren’t many monsters left. You should go back, shower, and rest. You’re still badly hurt, and your powers are depleted. Don’t push yourself.”"