The Iron Mine was at a high elevation, and from here,
he could look down on many places.
The first thing Gu Yu saw was several players hard at work.
They looked anxious as they darted between the various mines, searching deep underground every time they went in.
"Has word about the diamonds gotten out?"
The only thing that grew deep underground and was very useful—at least as far as Gu Yu could remember—was diamonds.
Some player had found diamonds, and the outside world had discovered how powerful diamond gear was. Then they'd sent their own contestants to look for them.
That was certainly possible.
Seeing this, Gu Yu couldn't help feeling relieved once again.
"Good thing I can trade with Piglins!"
Not only could he get items and resources, but in this real Block World, he could trade for information too!
If he hadn't known that, he would've wasted his time on pointless tasks like everyone else!
With the others all looking for diamonds, Gu Yu quickly found nine Gold Ore.
He put it in the furnace to smelt into gold ingots and waited.
Outside, Gu Yu noticed that something seemed to be missing.
"The Iron Golem's gone?"
He'd made it, and it was supposed to automatically guard the chunk. It shouldn't have left.
Or had something killed the Iron Golem?
He heard a noise not far away.
"Over here!"
The Mutated Zombie Villager ran fast.
It caught up to Park Sam-chang several times, and each strike dealt nearly ten points of damage.
It nearly killed him in one hit.
The more this happened, the faster Park Sam-chang ran.
He kept an eye on the Zombie Villager while defending himself with his shield.
"We're here! Gu Yu's chunk is just ahead!"
The Zombie Villager caught up, and Park Sam-chang blocked its attack with his shield until its thirty points of durability ran out.
The shield's short, miserable life came to an end.
As he approached the chunk, the Iron Golem sensed someone nearby and moved forward on its own.
It seemed to know its opponent was strong. The glow in its red eyes grew brighter.
"Ugh!"
The Mutated Zombie Villager seized its chance and dodged, landing an attack on the Iron Golem.
The Iron Golem didn't back down. Its two iron arms struck in retaliation.
Its tremendous strength sent the Mutated Zombie Villager flying into the air, dealing fall damage.
The two powerful creatures began to fight.
"Smart. He knows to lead the monster to Gu Yu!"
"There's an old saying in Jiuzhou: 'Borrow another's knife to kill your enemy.' This is exactly that!"
"That big guy even drove Mark and Jeter back. Its strength is nothing to scoff at!"
"Hahaha! No matter how strong it is, now it's just a weapon for our Bangguo!"
"Whoever wins, we're the ones who profit!"
They were using Gu Yu's strength to build up their own momentum!
The Bangguo viewers laughed in delight, thinking they'd gotten a good deal.
Park Sam-chang hid nearby and watched in silence.
If either side started to falter, he could choose to run or swoop in to claim the kill.
"That big guy's pretty strong. It must drop something good when it dies!"
In Park Sam-chang's mind, the best outcome would be for the Iron Golem to kill the Mutated Zombie Villager, then be left with barely any health.
He'd come out and finish it off with one strike, taking all the good loot!
"Is that Gu Yu?"
A figure appeared in the distance. Park Sam-chang narrowed his eyes.
Once he confirmed it was Gu Yu, he wasn't worried.
"He's only gotten this far with a few clever tricks. In terms of strength and combat experience, he can't compare to me!"
He'd let the Mutated Zombie Villager wear them down, then strike when they were both at their weakest.
He'd take out Gu Yu and inherit the Sky Island and the Iron Mine.
That would be even better!
"The Iron Golem hits hard. A normal zombie dies in two hits. How has this thing held out for so long?"
"If it's not a boss, it has to be an Elite Monster!"
"The Iron Golem doesn't count as a player. Who gets the reward if it kills something?"
"We take the hits, and you get the rewards?"
"Damn it! If you're so tough, deal with the monster yourself!"
The Jiuzhou viewers were furious.
Nobody could stand having the fruits of their hard work handed to someone else.
The Iron Golem was so powerful and such a loyal guardian. It must've been hard to get. If it got killed—
Wouldn't that be a huge loss?
But when Gu Yu saw the scene, his expression remained calm.
Inside, he was already grinning.
He'd waited a whole day on the Sky Island without seeing a Zombie Villager. Now, the thing he'd been searching for all this time had appeared here!
"It doesn't burn in daylight, and it can fight the Iron Golem this fiercely. It's no ordinary Zombie Villager."
That was even better!
Each villager had a different profession, and except for nitwits, they all had their own specialties.
Trade quality determined their rank, from lowest to highest: novice, apprentice, journeyman, expert, and master.
This Zombie Villager looked like it had to be a master at the very least. Once converted, he could skip the whole leveling process and get the highest rank right away!
But how could he control it?
"Hang in there, Old Iron! I'll be right back!"
He'd made up his mind and immediately went to get some planks.
"He left? No, the Crafting Table—what's he making?"
Straightening up, Park Sam-chang looked a little more serious.
He did believe Gu Yu lacked his combat experience, but he'd watched Gu Yu get through every previous crisis.
He had to admit, the man had a few clever tricks.
Better to stay on guard, in case he came up with something else Park Sam-chang had never seen before.
"Five planks, arranged in a U shape."
Gu Yu quickly crafted an item at the Crafting Table and picked it up.
It was a boat.
Made of oak, it was about the same color as oak planks and had two oars and two seats.
When Park Sam-chang saw Gu Yu make a boat, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"A boat? What does that have to do with fighting?"
"Or does it just look like a boat, and it's actually something else?"
Fighting was fighting. What did a boat have to do with it?
Could you even use a boat to fight?
He suspected it was something else until Gu Yu placed it on the ground.
It really was a boat!
He hadn't been seeing things!
The Bangguo viewers sent a flood of Bullet Comments.
"I thought he'd come up with some crazy item. That's it?"
"A boat? Hahaha! He pulled out a boat in the middle of a fight!"
"Is he going to row across the land and make his enemies laugh to death?"
"Don't know if the zombie will die laughing, but I'm about to!"
"He must've never seen an enemy like this before. He's scared out of his wits, huh?"
"The Lightning Creeper disappeared after it exploded, but zombies don't do that!"
"Just wait. He'll get beaten to death like the Iron Golem!"
At the Research Institute, Dean Qi had just finished recording the details of the Mob Spawner Tower.
"Even more ingenious than the Stone Generator. These two things are definitely the best structures when resources are scarce!"
"Huh? A zombie? A boat?"
He knew that the Block World didn't follow the laws of physics, and that many things had their own unique rules.
Like the Stone Generator. Like Infinite Water. They were practically Perpetual Motion Machines!
But even with the wildest imagination, he couldn't think of any use for a boat besides traveling over water.
"Fries, do you think Gu Yu's scared out of his wits?"
He asked Fries, who had more experience.
"I've never seen Gu Yu panic."
Fries answered honestly, certain of what he'd seen.
If you looked closely, you'd notice that ever since entering the game, Gu Yu seemed to have everything under control and all his plans laid out.
He never seemed afraid or panicked.
"Maybe it has some other use?"
Fries scratched his head. He couldn't think of how a boat could be used in combat either.
Curious, he continued watching.
Before you continue