**Day 4, Blocky World**
A sliver of sunlight pierced the darkness, heralding a new day. Su Han's internal clock kicked in, consciousness slowly returning. He sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes and looking beside him. Xiao Ling was still deep in sleep, showing no signs of waking.
"Don't need her help clearing the zombies yet. Let her sleep," he muttered to himself, hopping off the bed and rushing to the shelter's edge. He eagerly punched out a block and peered down.
Over a hundred zombies crowded below, roaring incessantly. None had wandered off. These were clearly different from the night-spawned ones – sunlight didn't weaken them. A threat to Collaborators, but not a major one for Su Han. Because...
"Ta-da! The Dragon's Breath Iron Ring!" He brandished it overhead like a treasure pulled from a pocket, excitement bubbling. Slipping the ring back on, he extended the platform downwards by two blocks, creating a 3x3 area. As his feet touched down, the zombies' roars intensified, leaping desperately towards the now three-block-high platform.
Su Han stood at the edge, extending his ring hand towards the horde. "**Wyrmfire Blast!**"
The ring flared, its metallic silver rapidly shifting to crimson.
**WHOOSH!**
A cone of scorching fire erupted, sweeping across the zombies below. The blast knocked them back, instantly shaving 10 HP off each. Flames clung to their bodies, rapidly spreading to nearby infected.
Within a minute, the entire horde was ablaze, transforming the area below into a roaring conflagration.
"Gah! Gah! Gah!" Short, pained cries echoed through the substation as their HP visibly plummeted.
*Ding!*
The first zombie collapsed, charred corpse hitting the ground. Glowing EXP orbs and two granite blocks sprayed from its remains. Others followed rapidly, succumbing one by one to the inferno. Su Han watched from the platform edge, relishing the effortless cleanup.
*Feels amazing not having to swing a sword! If nothing goes wrong, this ring might be my lifelong companion.* His gaze swept the loot-covered ground, searching for anything useful. Zombie drops were notoriously stingy – mostly grass blocks and cobblestone, with the occasional plank, sand, sapling, coal, rag, hat, or random flower.
*Might as well just bunker down instead of fighting these things at this rate…*
As he mused, the last of the 125 zombies crumpled. He jumped down, EXP orbs swirling towards him. His level surged from 2 to 5.
*Nice!* Su Han took a deep breath, focusing on the loot. He picked up a cobblestone block at his feet and tossed it into his inventory. With no stack limit per item slot in this world, collecting cobblestone now was perfect for future base building.
*Thump... thump... thump...* The satisfying sound of stacking items filled his ears.
Suddenly, movement flickered in his peripheral vision. "Hmm?" He straightened up, scanning the source of the shadows.
Father Jiang Yunpeng stood frozen, jaw practically on the cobblestone ground. Beside him were the silver-haired girl from last night, Jiang Xue'er, and a Cow-boy. Their native species partners looked... *very* young.
"Ahem!" Su Han coughed loudly, banishing the stray thoughts. Father Jiang snapped out of his shock, striding forward and gesturing wildly at the field of charred corpses. "You... did *all* this?!"
"Got lucky with a lightning strike. Ignited them. Don't worry about it," Su Han deflected, quickly changing the subject. "Father Jiang, the substation's clear. You can go finish your quest now."
Recognition dawned on Father Jiang's face. "It *is* you! Yesterday's trader!" His expression shifted to earnest pleading. "We're short on DPS. Join us? Please?"
A wave of awkwardness washed over Su Han. He started to raise a hand in refusal, but Father Jiang pressed on: "If you join, I'm confident we can tackle the hidden objective. You get first pick of the regional boss loot."
*Hmm?* Su Han lowered his hand. A mantle of righteous duty settled over him. "On second thought... leaving an elder and three youngsters alone *is* concerning. I'll accompany you." He ducked back into the shelter, roused Xiao Ling, and followed Father Jiang.
Father Jiang consulted his map, guiding them deeper into the substation complex. As they walked, conversation flowed. Su Han learned Father Jiang was a church priest; the silver-haired girl, Jiang Xue'er, was his daughter. Her mother had passed early, leaving the two相依为命 (yī xiāng wéi mìng - relying on each other for survival).
Mentioning Xue'er brought a somber look to Father Jiang's face. "Sigh... my daughter's always been closed off. I wonder if she'll ever open up..."
Su Han raised an eyebrow, glancing at Jiang Xue'er. Waist-length silver hair, stunningly beautiful features... yet her face was utterly devoid of expression, like an emotionless doll.
*Ah... a Kuudere (三无 - san wu: emotionless, expressionless, voiceless).*
Suddenly, his arm was enveloped in soft warmth. He turned to see Xiao Ling clinging to him, eyes half-closed, lips moving faintly as she drifted between sleep and wakefulness.
*This girl sleeps way too much! ...Though she is adorable.* He patted her blocky head gently. Nearby, the Creeper-girl and Cow-boy watched with undisguised envy.
As mutant species, they'd been cast out by their clans as children, forced to wander the wilds. They craved attention and affection. The Creator's announcement of Collaborators had filled them with hope, overriding even their fear of zombies. They'd eagerly emerged from hiding to find their partners. Unfortunately, their Collaborators were... distant. The Creeper-girl constantly tried engaging Jiang Xue'er, met only with silence. Father Jiang focused solely on leveling, paying little attention to the Cow-boy. Long neglected, both natives felt deeply hurt, trailing behind in quiet resignation. Seeing Su Han and Xiao Ling's closeness intensified their longing. The Creeper-girl opened her mouth, perhaps to speak to Su Han, but Father Jiang halted abruptly.
He pointed towards a dark ventilation shaft ahead. "Su Han. We enter here. Leads straight to the underground lab."
"Lab?" Su Han asked, puzzled. He pinched Xiao Ling's cheek lightly to wake her fully. "What *is* your quest exactly?"
"Rescue the researcher. If we extract him unharmed, we get the facility map. Then we can take on the substation boss."
"Got it. Let's move." Su Han nodded and crawled into the vent first, Father Jiang close behind.
The group navigated the cramped metal tunnel. A foul stench seeped through the joints in the ductwork, making Su Han tense.
*The night zombies didn't smell! What's down here? Rot?* Suddenly, the metal beneath him groaned ominously. He looked down – cracks spiderwebbed across the duct floor. Before he could shout a warning—
**CRASH!**
The metal gave way, shattering into fragments beneath him.