Chapter Twenty-Five: Worries

“Zombie King?!”
Mo Fangyuan had anticipated trouble, but he hadn’t expected it to be such a formidable monster. The Monster Compendium’s entry on the Zombie King was vague—only that the “King” type zombie excelled in strength and defense, could wield special weapons, and could transform into a towering giant zombie. Beyond that, nothing was known.
“This… Damn it… Skeleton King to the north, Zombie King to the east, can’t get through to the south… How am I supposed to deal with this? I need answers, fast!”
Mo Fangyuan’s thoughts were in chaos; he had no idea how to reply.
If the Zombie King became aware of them, and teamed up with the Skeleton King, the Block Kingdom wouldn’t stand a chance…
“Alas! We’re living on the edge of life and death. Any day now, we might just become experience orbs returning to the embrace of the sun…”
The village chief, Duan, thought they were frightened and let out another long sigh.
“As soon as the Zombie King discovers us…”
Discovers? Mo Fangyuan caught onto that word instantly.
That meant the Zombie King did not yet know—or at least didn’t suspect—there were villagers hiding in this forest.
Mo Fangyuan pondered this and realized he could take in this survivor camp.
“Chief, would you be interested in coming with us?”
“Huh… There’s nowhere left for us to go…”
“The Block Kingdom! Follow me to the western paradise. It’s a vast kingdom where everyone is safe, well-fed, and well-clothed!”
Chief Duan hesitated, then gave a bitter smile.
“We probably won’t make it; the monsters along the way will finish us before we get there.”
“Besides, none of us here are combat professionals…”
The block people of this world were peculiar. When faced with monsters, they experienced overwhelming terror, rendering them incapable of resistance—turning them into prey who could only flee. Only those with combat professions were immune to such psychological damage.
If a kingdom was willing to accept another village, it was either because that village held a treasure even the king could not refuse, or it had at least five elite combat professionals.
This showed how vital the combat profession was to a village; without it, the chance of being accepted by another settlement was almost zero.
“I can personally guarantee your acceptance!”
Mo Fangyuan declared resolutely to Chief Duan.
“In the name of the Sun!”
Invoking the Sun was highly effective; anyone who used it as a guarantee would never have their promise doubted—except for a materialist like Mo Fangyuan.
After an intense discussion, Chief Duan finally agreed to lead the villagers westward with Mo Fangyuan.

On the condition that Mo Fangyuan, Zhang San, and Lin Ye could protect them.
“Your Majesty, why don’t you tell them who you really are?”
Zhang San was puzzled, and Lin Ye nodded in agreement.
“Revealing my identity would solve some problems, but it would also make them dependent. In this world, dependence is fatal.”
Mo Fangyuan spoke slowly and calmly.
Of course, that was just a lie; in truth, it was to satisfy a certain mischievous pleasure of his…
“All right, we’ve wasted over a week here already. We need to head back.”
Mo Fangyuan didn’t want the Zombie King to discover them; their group couldn’t afford to provoke that power.
“We must leave at once…”
They had destroyed three of the Zombie King’s villages; if they didn’t get away quickly, the zombie forces would be on their trail—no, the monsters would come.
“Forty-seven block people, fifteen freemen, thirty-two villagers… five of whom are professional farmers, three carpenters…”
With these new immigrants, the Block Kingdom’s population would surpass two hundred—a worthwhile journey after all.
Mo Fangyuan had entered from the southeast; going back the same way was out of the question. He wasn’t foolish enough to risk running into zombies the moment they set out.
“We’ll go due west!”
True, following the stream out would be convenient, but if Mo Fangyuan could think of it, so could an intelligent Zombie King.
As it happened, the Zombie King wasn’t that clever; in fact, it hadn’t even noticed its precious zombie villages had been destroyed!
The Block Kingdom’s western border led directly to the exit; once they got out of the forest, they could head straight for the kingdom’s territory.
“If only I had a horse…”
After experiencing the hardships of travel firsthand, Mo Fangyuan longed for a swift mount.
Due to the world’s settings, horses, sheep, pigs—these animals were domesticated from the outset. Any block person could raise them if found.
So, as long as they could find these animals, the Block Kingdom would gain new resources.
“Or maybe a sheep?”
Thinking of those villagers in ‘Annoying Villagers’ who rode sheep, chickens, or other odd mounts, Mo Fangyuan quickly dismissed that terrifying idea.
Forty-seven people in the wild made for a massive monster generator, especially on the plains.
Despite his best efforts, Mo Fangyuan was unable to protect everyone—one unlucky soul was wounded by a white projectile from a skeleton’s bow.
It made him question everything; before, he had managed to protect over ninety people alone without mishap, so why this time?
“At least I’ve established a heroic image in their minds.”
As the sun rose in the east, golden light spilled across the beautiful yet deadly blocky land… Mo Fangyuan wondered why he always seemed to return at sunrise.

Maybe he truly was favored by the Sun?
He wasn’t sure, but he knew they were finally safe.
Compared to a week ago, the kingdom was in much better shape—most of the fields had torches, and only a few showed signs of monster damage.
Block people were born builders; if they’d lived in his previous life, many unprecedented wonders would have been created by their hands.
Sadly, with monsters everywhere, their talents could never be fully awakened.
“If only there were no monsters…”
Lin Ye sighed softly. If the block world were like the trial space, with no monsters and everyone surviving by their own effort, how wonderful that would be!
Even if the trial space wasn’t perfect, it was still better than the brutal law of the jungle here…
“My power has reached its limit. Time to visit that trial space and see what comes next for the Assassin sequence… I can’t wait…”
Lin Ye’s face was grave.
Mo Fangyuan didn’t notice his odd behavior; his focus was on the immigrants.
After relentless persuasion, he had planted the seed of belief in their hearts; soon, they would adapt to life in the Block Kingdom and become valuable workers.
“Welcome to the Western Paradise—Block Kingdom. I am King Mo Fangyuan…”
Sure enough, when he revealed his identity, the immigrants were astonished.
Chief Duan was both shocked and moved; to think the king himself had hidden his identity to protect these useless refugees from feeling pressured.
He immediately pledged his unwavering loyalty and deepest respect.
Thus, Mo Fangyuan’s mischievous pleasure was satisfied, and he gained the allegiance of all.
After arranging for the new villagers, Mo Fangyuan returned alone to the castle.
“The Block Kingdom’s situation is dire.”
Surrounded by powerful monster factions, the slightest exposure could bring overwhelming attacks.
Mo Fangyuan could level up and grow stronger—
But even if he could kill ten, a hundred… monsters, they would respawn every night, endlessly.
One man alone couldn’t stop it, unless he possessed overwhelming power—like the Ultimate Sword, or mastery of the Command Block…
“Conceal our existence, buy time, develop in secret, and strike with a single fatal blow!”
This was Mo Fangyuan’s plan for the Block Kingdom’s survival.