[Dear wanderers, welcome to Hope Village! Currently, the identities available for selection are: Visitor (10 copper coins/day), Resident (10 silver coins/permanent)]
"Resident."
This scene happened to many people. At that moment, they didn't have time to think and chose to join the territory.
Upon entering the territory, they immediately turned around to check the situation behind them.
They saw not far from the end of the line, a group of half-human-high rabbits following them. The rabbits had red eyes, two large front teeth that were sharp, standing on two legs, hopping along, with claws extending one by one, shining sharply.
Who would have thought that before the apocalypse, soft and cute rabbits would become so terrifying?
One rabbit was tough enough for a group, let alone a whole horde.
Just a moment ago, many of them had died under their sharp claws and teeth, then turned into white light and vanished.
Thinking about it made everyone's face pale.
Finally, the last person stepped into the territory.
But the rabbits behind them did not give up. Their eyes were greedy as they looked at them, and with a kick of their legs, they leaped into the air and lunged towards them.
Everyone's heart skipped a beat involuntarily.
Could this broken wooden fence of the territory hold them back?
Soon, "boom boom boom..." sounds echoed at the scene as a group of rabbits slammed into an invisible barrier in front of them and then were bounced back.
Watching this, many people breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Zhou Bai had already received the notification that the fence was being damaged.
[The fence is being damaged, defensive power left at sixty percent, please repair 400 units of wood]
[The fence is being damaged, defensive power left at fifty-two percent, please repair 480 units of wood]
Looking at the notification, Zhou Bai felt his heart bleeding as he repaired the fence, and then he took out his Iron Axe and started chopping at the attacking rabbits, again and again...
[Congratulations Host, for killing lv.2 Magic Rabbit, you've gained carrots*2, rabbit meat*2, rabbit skin*2, experience points*20, copper coins*20]
When he heard the news, Zhou Bai's eyes lit up.
"Dad, killing demon beasts will drop goods. Hurry over." Zhou Bai swiftly shouted.
Zhou Zhengping looked at Zhou Bai rushing out and was a bit taken aback, but after hearing Zhou Bai's next words, he quickly took out his Iron Axe and charged forward.
As for Ding Qiurou, she joined in with her husband and children.
The whole family should stick together!
The courageous action of the trio was seen by the post-disaster survivors and they quickly realized it as well.
With the fence present, the demons outside were no longer a problem.
Only... many people looked at the Iron Axes in the hands of Zhou Bai's family with glimmering eyes.
Zhou Bai, who was killing Magic Rabbits, seemed to sense this, and he turned to look at the new group of survivors, "There are Iron Axes for sale in this territory. There are 7 left now, you can check it out."
Upon hearing this, many people turned and rushed inside.
Moments later, someone returned with an Iron Axe and joined in the fight against the Magic Rabbits.
No one knew how long it took, but the Magic Rabbits were finally all defeated.
Everyone cheered instantly at the scene.
At this time, Zhou Bai realized he had leveled up.
[Character: Zhou Bai]
[Race: Human]
[Level: lv.1 (100/200)]
[Identity: Lord of Hope Village, Hope Village Resident]
[Life Value: 179/200]
[Attributes: Constitution (4/10), Intelligence (7/10), Agility (5/10), Defense (2/10)]
Looking at the panel, thinking about the territory requirement for the Lord to reach level 5 made Zhou Bai feel more confident. Leveling up through killing demon beasts was indeed faster.
The important thing is that after leveling up, the blood volume becomes thicker, and this is a hidden benefit.
"Thank you for telling us there's a weapon inside." At this moment, someone approached Zhou Bai's family warmly to express gratitude, "By the way, my name is Li Xingteng."
"No problem, another person means more strength. Relying on us alone wouldn't have solved these demon beasts so quickly." Zhou Zhengping smiled, "Zhou Zhengping, my wife Ding Qiurou, and daughter Zhou Bai."
The two were indifferent toward Li Xingteng.
"Are there only you three in this territory?" Li Xingteng continued to ask, with some scrutiny in his eyes.
According to his novel-reading experience, there should be a Lord in a territory, could it be one of them?
"Yes, just the three of us. We were the first batch to arrive, our home was nearby, and we were lucky enough to enter the territory without much hardship." Zhou Zhengping said, his face full of gratitude, "Oh, by the way, as for you guys becoming residents of this territory, you probably haven't claimed your Identity Token yet? Once you get the Identity Token, you'll have the Hope Village Resident title above your head. You'll also be able to see the types and levels of demon beasts."
After hearing Zhou Zhengping's words, those eavesdropping nearby started heading to the Lord Mansion.
Moments later, everyone inside the territory had the word Hope Village Resident above their heads.
The earliest one to probe Zhou Zhengping for information, Li Xingteng, deliberately returned to check them, and after confirming they were all residents, he no longer focused his attention on them and started investigating around the territory.
Upon ensuring they were not being suspected, the family shared a relaxed smile and proceeded to lead a normal survivor's life!
**
The arrival of this group increased the village's population to 21, making the village much more lively, and Zhou Bai restocked ten more Iron Axes and added 180 more steamed buns.
Although buying materials from the System Store was more expensive, the resale profit made Zhou Bai earn back quite a bit, finally appreciating the benefits of a larger population.
Many people, after gnawing on steamed buns, started finding random open areas in the territory to rest.
After spending most of the day fleeing, no one would be picky about the environment.
They just wanted to rest well, gather their thoughts, and determine their next course of action.
Meanwhile, Zhou Zhengping took advantage of this opportunity to inquire about the outside world information.
"There are demon beasts, but their numbers seem not many for now. This group of Magic Rabbits was an exception; we accidentally stumbled upon their nest."
"Besides dropping Beast Skin, Beast Meat, and copper coins, some people reportedly found some items that could increase defense or strength."
"Moreover, there are quite a few wild fruit trees outside, and their fruits can be collected."
"Food has an expiration date, but excess food and goods can be sold to the system."
"Wood and Stone were mentioned by someone before, just cut trees and stones."
"..."
"Thank you very much. We've been hiding here as a family and were too afraid to go out, so we're not very familiar with outside information." Zhou Zhengping sincerely thanked them.
"No worries, it's the end of the world, we should help each other!"
"Plus, you'll eventually find out this information anyway."
"Speaking of which, is anyone gathering later to go outside to collect wood and stone? I became a resident and bought an Iron Axe and now have not much money left; it feels so insecure."
"Same here, Moonlight Clan, with no savings. Used to be carefree, but after entering the game... well, we have to endure hardships."
"Really envy those rich people, who surely won't have to worry about food and drink after entering the game!"
"..."
As they talked, everyone's mood started to decrease.
"The most important thing is to survive. If we survive, there's hope. We're all still alive, and that's enough." Zhou Zhengping looked at the emotions revealed in their eyes and tried to comfort them.
This indeed comforted most people's hearts.
Yes! They're still alive!
"Our family also plans to go outside to collect wood and stone." Zhou Zhengping continued.
"Your family? Your wife and daughter going too?"
"Yes, I'm afraid if I protect them too much, if anything happens to me in the future, their days will get tough, so it's better to adapt sooner." Zhou Zhengping replied with a wry smile.
Everyone listened, both envying and sympathizing, envying him for having family nearby, sympathizing with him for having two burdens.
Oh no, one was not.
"Don't worry, your daughter was the first to rush up just now, really brave!" someone said, raising a thumb in admiration.
Zhou Zhengping listened, and the corner of his mouth twitched subtly.
Afterward, he asked her why she charged ahead first; she said it was because the fence hit by the Magic Rabbits needed wood to repair.
Wood = money.
With the apocalypse coming, it's impossible to just freeload; she can only strive to have more money while building the territory!
Yes, that's his daughter as he remembers!