The Hidden Dark Horse

Thunder rumbled over the hills.

Dense raindrops swept down like heavy machine-gun fire, occasionally mixed with hailstones like armor-piercing rounds, pounding his whole body with pain.

With night already fallen and the rain shrouding everything, his vision was nothing but a vast sheet of white.

Still, he could vaguely hear Phila calling for help from somewhere across the creek.

Li Wei charged forward entirely by his familiarity with the terrain. As he drew closer, Phila's cries became clearer—but where was the cow?

"Help! Save me! George!"

Phila was still screaming herself hoarse. Then Li Wei finally saw what was happening. It was the old wolf he had encountered during the day, and it was attacking Phila.

The beast had already knocked Phila to the ground and was repeatedly trying to tear open her throat and belly. It was experienced—clearly a qualified hunter.

But Phila was experienced too. Curled up on the ground, she protected her throat and neck with both hands while constantly kicking wildly with her feet. Though the old wolf had bitten her many times, none of the wounds were fatal.

There had never been any cow. Phila had simply donated the cow to the family in hopes that he and Penny would come rescue her.

Pretty clever.

"Get away from her!"

Li Wei roared. Even if there was no cow, he could not just stand by and watch her die. The plot logic had to hold up.

Who would have thought that the old wolf would become even more vicious? Maybe it was starving, or maybe Phila's blood had stirred up its savage nature. It abandoned Phila and pounced straight at Li Wei.

Li Wei could not see anything clearly. He could only instinctively grip his spear and point it ahead. The next second, the Wooden Spear in his hands suddenly sank, and a tremendous force knocked him flat on his back. Only then did he realize what had happened.

The old wolf had been pierced straight through the heart by the Wooden Spear.

Thank the rain. Thank the Wooden Spear.

"Rumble!"

Lightning flashed, followed by rolling thunder. Just as Li Wei belatedly realized that his heart had nearly stopped from fright, several lines of information silently appeared.

[You saved a family member. You gained 5 Family Contribution Points.]

[You killed a lone wolf exiled by its pack. You gained 15 Hunting Experience.]

[You obtained a wolf corpse. Would you like to contribute it to the family? You will gain 2 Family Contribution Points.]

Of course he contributed it.

Li Wei rapidly shifted from overwhelming fright to wild delight. He even scrambled to his feet, then happily carried the badly wounded and barely conscious Phila back to the house. After that, he returned to bring back the old wolf's corpse. As for the cow, there was nothing he could do about it for now.

And this time, he had truly struck it rich.

Originally, he had 4 Family Contribution Points, 45 Farming Experience, 18 Construction Experience, 1 Gathering Experience, 10 Fishing Experience, and 0.6 Cooking Experience.

Today's food expenses had deducted another 2 Fishing Experience.

But now, he suddenly had 11 Family Contribution Points.

It was like squeezing gold coins out of an old bastard.

"Mother, Mother, what happened to you? Don't scare me! What would George and I do without you?"

When Li Wei carried Phila back, Penny—who had remained perfectly dry inside the house—was kneeling beside the blood-covered, pale, barely conscious Phila. She wept until tears streamed down her face, devastated beyond measure.

She had not left the house at all. After all, rain was pouring outside, so it was reasonable from a plot perspective that she had been unable to find Phila.

Li Wei was already used to this sort of thing. He could not be bothered to pay attention. He directly took off his soaked clothes, wrapped himself in a sheepskin blanket, and went to sleep. Nothing mattered more than staying healthy. He hoped he would not catch a cold.

Unfortunately, they could not light a campfire inside the house. Otherwise, this would not have been a problem.

As for Penny, after crying and wailing for a few moments, she went to sleep herself. Phila was definitely going to be eliminated. She would die without even needing a Plot Kill vote, so a new player would appear early tomorrow morning. There was a fifty-percent chance that the new player would become George's wife, and a fifty-percent chance that they would become Penny's husband.

But no matter what, Phila would leave behind part of an inheritance, just like the portion of inheritance left by that cheap father.

It was guaranteed profit with no risk.

The rain fell on and off throughout the entire night, finally clearing completely at dawn.

The house had not leaked at all, passing the test with flying colors. At the same time, it showed that Penny really was a capable craftsman.

When Li Wei woke up, he could not help freezing for a moment. Penny was still asleep in the other corner, but Phila was gone.

Dead?

Even the body was gone.

He hurriedly changed into clothes that were still cold and damp, then rushed outside. There, he saw that Phila had already started another campfire, with a familiar pot of Barley Porridge cooking over it.

The old wolf had even been skinned and butchered.

"George, my good child, you make me so proud. You will become an outstanding hunter."

Phila turned around and gave Li Wei a loving smile. There were still bloodstains on her body, and some wounds had already scabbed over, but she was completely different now.

Previously, she had been sickly and listless, as though she might drop dead at any moment.

But today, she was like a healthy, energetic middle-aged woman.

She was even healthier than Li Wei.

Dead?

Heh. Li Wei had no doubt that Phila's life expectancy was longer than his.

"You—"

Li Wei was shocked, but he immediately stopped himself. He knew where the problem lay. Phila really was a hidden dark horse. She must have secretly accumulated a great deal of experience without using it to level up right away. Only after being seriously injured last night had she used that experience to obtain Free Attribute Points. From the looks of it, she had repeatedly added points to her vitality attribute.

Penny also came out of the house at that moment. Seeing this, she looked as though she had seen a ghost.

"Penny, George, I think we should build a sturdy wall, then put up a simple cowshed and warehouse. We should also clear another plot of farmland. Summer will soon be over, and winter will arrive. I do not want our family to freeze or starve to death."

Phila continued in a calm but unquestionable tone.

Penny wanted to say something. She was unconvinced. She had been planning to build a Brick Kiln and could not possibly do anything else.

But the next second, several notifications appeared in succession.

[Professional Chef *** contributed 10 kilograms of wheat to the family and designated it as seed grain. She gained 3 Family Contribution Points.]

[Professional Chef *** is exercising the authority of the head of household. Friendly reminder: when a family member's Family Contribution Points reach or exceed 20 and they are ahead of everyone else, they will gain head-of-household authority for one month.]

[Each use of head-of-household authority deducts 3 Family Contribution Points.]

[Each family may exercise head-of-household authority only once per month.]

[For work tasks assigned through head-of-household authority, all rewards belong to the family rather than the individual.]

[Warning: Work tasks assigned through head-of-household authority have the highest priority. Before they are completed, unless unavoidable circumstances arise or you use rest time, it is not recommended to undertake other unrelated work.]

[You may choose the series of tasks to build a wall, cowshed, and warehouse, or choose to clear one mu of farmland. Upon completion, you will receive double experience rewards and 5 Family Contribution Points.]

[Friendly reminder: Until work tasks assigned by the head of household are completed, all Plot Kill votes will be suspended.]

[Friendly reminder: If exercising head-of-household authority brings better results for the family's future development, additional completion evaluation rewards will be granted.]