There were no other players nearby, except for Soren Park, whose chunk was so barren it was pitiful to behold.
Used to playing solo, Galen Yu realized he hadn't done a great job of securing his perimeter against other players.
However, given the current state of Sky Island, he didn't really need to worry too much about it.
With fully armed Guard Villagers and two boss-level creatures standing watch, most intruders wouldn't have any room to operate anyway.
"The mob farm is indeed one of the few blind spots. In the future, I could place some lava or soul campfires up there."
It was an easy fix, so Galen Yu didn't bother pursuing the two who fled.
With their Ender Pearls, it was hard to chase them down given their rapid movement. He turned his gaze toward the sky instead.
The night had ended, and a new sun climbed high into the heavens.
[CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL PLAYERS WHO SURVIVED UNTIL DAY 40, EACH PLAYER'S CHUNK SCORE +35.]
[THE FOURTH CRISIS HAS ARRIVED. THE ZOMBIES SEEM TO HAVE UNDERGONE ANOTHER CHANGE.]
[THE SPECIAL PHYSIQUES OF CERTAIN ZOMBIES HAVE BEEN FURTHER ENHANCED!]
[THE VIRUS HAS MUTATED; THEY WILL BECOME MORE AGILE!]
[CERTAIN SKELETONS HAVE ALSO BECOME STRONGER BECAUSE OF THIS!]
[IN THE FACE OF IRRESISTIBLE NATURAL LAWS, ONLY THE STRONG CAN SURVIVE!]
The announcement was characteristically vague, simply stating that zombies and skeletons were getting stronger and that one must stay powerful to survive.
The true nature of things like the upgraded Skeletons, Mutant Zombies, or those wielding firearms would have to be discovered through gradual exploration.
But the most significant change this time didn't require any exploration to notice.
Standing atop the Great Wall of China, Galen Yu gazed into the distance.
Despite the night ending and the sun hanging high in the sky, a massive, dark swarm was still visible in the distance.
Zombies, zombies, and more zombies!
They hadn't caught fire and vanished. Even facing the sun, they kept their heads held high, emitting sickeningly foul shrieks.
"The Fourth Crisis... zombies are no longer affected by fire damage."
Galen Yu murmured as he identified the biggest change, his expression remaining calm.
This was one of the most classic traits of the Crisis; he knew this day would eventually come!
Because he had prepared in advance, even with zombies active during the day, they couldn't breach Sky Island.
This world-flipping change sent the audience into a frenzy.
"What's going on with those zombies? Shouldn't they be burning in the daylight?"
"Zombies are supposed to fear sunlight. Why is there no reaction with the sun right there?"
"It's the new Crisis! They aren't afraid of the sun anymore?!"
"Immune to sunlight? How is anyone supposed to play now!"
"Holy crap, this Crisis is taking it way too far!"
"Zombies were already a problem, but players relied on the daytime to gather resources!"
"This is just driving everyone to their deaths!"
After struggling through the night, they counted on the day to catch their breath.
But now, even that brief respite was gone?
Just thinking about it was suffocating; it was utter despair.
Even without the Crisis, having zombies out during the day would make things significantly harder, let alone with the Crisis's bloated monster counts.
Who would dare go outside now?
"Thank goodness I wasn't caught."
Takeshi Sable let out a sigh of relief, his heart still pounding from the close call.
He had escaped, and Galen Yu hadn't pursued him. He had his life back!
Dimensional Slashes, teleportation, Phantom Blades—the variety of skills was dizzying and simply inconceivable.
Facing Galen Yu felt like a primitive man trying to fight a Star Destroyer with a club.
However, before he could relax for long, his heart sank again as he read the details of the new Crisis.
"You've got to be kidding me... they aren't afraid of sunlight!"
Upgrading SlashBlades later would require many resources. Wasn't this the same as cutting off their lifeline?
The impact was massive!
And looking at the immediate situation...
To escape Galen Yu, Kira Oakmoor and the others had just used Ender Pearls to flee Sky Island!
With a never-ending stream of zombies that wouldn't vanish, would they even make it back to the Alliance alive?
Takeshi Sable felt as though his world had turned dark.
The Blonde Elder was equally astonished.
"To think the Crisis could evolve to this extent."
One of the Alliance's greatest resources was labor.
All those low-tier players who were submissive just to survive—that was their greatest advantage.
But now, that advantage was mostly severed.
Not everyone was as strong as Kira Oakmoor, capable of braving the darkness. It was precisely because they were weak that they relied on the Alliance.
They relied on the Alliance and worked hard to find resources just to scrape by.
With zombies out even during the day, they wouldn't dare leave. No leaving meant no new resources, and labor efficiency would plummet.
"The safest place now... is Sky Island."
The Blonde Elder's tone was laced with a hint of bitterness.
Even with zombies present during the day, Galen Yu's expression didn't change at all, as if he had anticipated this long ago!
Most of those zombies were stuck outside the rails, while a few entered the Rail world, attracted by the villagers, and threw themselves into the Nether.
Only a tiny fraction managed to reach Sky Island, only to be gunned down by the Guard Villagers.
When you thought about it, that particular zombie was almost tragic.
As an Elite Mob with top-tier talent and strength, it was agile, powerful, and possessed a level of intelligence others lacked.
Out of the vast masses, it had found a human settlement and managed to navigate the Rail world without getting stuck like the others.
It possessed one-in-a-million luck and strength, but all that awaited it was a magazine's worth of bullets.
A so-called genius was nothing more than an ant to be crushed at will...
Shaking off those stray thoughts, the Blonde Elder's eyes suddenly lit up.
Shaking off those stray thoughts, the Blonde Elder's eyes suddenly lit up.
"It's not all bad! The fact that the zombies have become this strong proves the Crisis is nearing its end!"
Given the nature of the Block World, it was impossible for things to be entirely devoid of life. This meant zombies couldn't keep getting stronger indefinitely until everyone was dead.
There had to be a limit, and time was the most likely factor.
If they could just endure, the Crisis would be over soon!
The research team had speculated that the arrival of the Crisis was likely linked to Civilization Promotion.
By then, Mark would complete his transformation, moving from a Miniature Chunk to a Small Chunk!
Catching up to Galen Yu might be difficult, but they had gathered the resources and construction power of so many players.
After the promotion, they would definitely be at the forefront, and based on the Black Mage's intelligence...
Small Chunk resources were far superior to Miniature Chunks.
"We just have to hold on!"
"Ha—"
Realizing something, the Blonde Elder suppressed the loud laugh that was about to escape.
He remembered the results of the previous times; every time he laughed, a reversal inevitably followed.
Even if he didn't believe in jinxes, the Blonde Elder was now a bit wary. He chose to stifle his laughter.
Since laughter seemed to be a jinx, he simply wouldn't laugh this time!
He would reverse the luck!
Elsewhere, Kira Oakmoor was in a frantic retreat.
Reaching a patch of open ground, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
That was close! It was far too dangerous.
He had almost been caught by Galen Yu; he nearly left his life there.
Soren Park had seen it clearly. The Guard Villagers had their magazines loaded. If it came to a real fight...
The two of them would have been riddled with bullets the moment they stepped out.
"How could anyone just give firearms to villagers?"
Soren Park muttered, then turned to his companion.
"Oakmoor, don't be afraid. Even though we didn't defeat Galen Yu this time, we've actually gained a lot!"
"The progression race isn't over yet. Cheer up! You still have a chance to get a SlashBlade!"
Kira Oakmoor gave a dazed reply, his eyes unfocused.
This blow had been too much for him; he needed time to recover.
"It's daytime now, so the zombies will all vanish. Let's head back."
Thinking this, Soren Park suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Why are the zombies still here?"
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