The Village Is in Danger

It had been some time since they reached the boat. Fang Bie had only hastily tied it up by the river, but with no current or wind to push it along, the little wooden boat still floated steadfastly on the water.

When Fang Bie saw that the boat had no oars, he immediately realized that his world's version of Minecraft was probably earlier than 1.9.

The version of Minecraft in this world was essentially the same as the game's version. After version 1.9, boats automatically came with wooden oars, and they moved faster than before.

Yinsen was interested in anything new. As a middle-aged man with a somewhat receding hairline, his way of showing interest was to walk around an object and study it.

Fang Bie hadn't said anything all this time, but when he saw Yinsen draw his sword, he hurried forward to stop him.

Unfortunately, Fang Bie was too late. He could only watch as Yinsen struck the boat with his sword, smashing it into pieces. Then he stood by the river, dumbfounded and speechless, his face full of embarrassment.

"Hey!" Fang Bie shook his head. "Couldn't you take it a little slower?"

He took two more boats out of his Backpack and set them down in front of Yinsen. "Get in first. I'll explain everything on the way."

There wasn't much to say about steering a boat. Fang Bie had mastered it in just two minutes the last time he tried. It wasn't difficult, after all.

Though Yinsen had been a little reckless earlier, Fang Bie gave him careful instructions, and he quickly got the hang of steering. He happily drifted back and forth along the river.

"Fang, why did the boat suddenly fall apart?" Yinsen still preferred speaking English with Fang Bie. Fang Bie was glad to practice the language he'd just learned, so the two got along perfectly.

"Boats are light, but they're also very flimsy. They'll fall apart if they're hit or attacked. But if you apply the right amount of force, you can turn one into a block and carry it with you."

As he spoke, Fang Bie demonstrated. He gave the boat a couple of hard punches with his left hand, turning it into a block floating on the water, then easily picked it up.

"Oh!" Yinsen nodded to show he understood, then turned around and focused on steering.

"You don't need to be so nervous. As long as we don't crash into the logs along the riverbank, our boats won't fall apart." Fang Bie thought he was a good boatman, so he didn't worry about things like that.

"I think this might be a little difficult..." Yinsen was only halfway through his sentence when he suddenly shouted, "Oh! A shark!"

Fang Bie followed his gaze. Far out on the river, a black triangle floated on the surface, slowly drifting toward them.

"It's probably a Squid floating on the river. Don't worry, it's a neutral creature and won't attack us." Fang Bie had sharp eyesight and immediately recognized the creature.

"So it's a Squid..." Yinsen breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he'd been in this world for several days, he still wasn't used to being surrounded by new things everywhere he went. But that was exactly why he'd come here despite Tony's objections.

Boats were much faster than running, after all. Fang Bie had lost quite a bit of time earlier as he searched for all kinds of things along the way, but now the village was already visible in the distance.

"Yinsen, did you bring the fences I asked you to bring?" Fang Bie hurried off the boat, carrying two brand-new nylon ropes.

"I've got them." Yinsen held a fence post that looked like a stick, then took out two Wooden Planks and gently placed them by the river. A simple dock appeared.

Fang Bie got off first, tied the rope to the bow, and secured it to the fence post with a slipknot. He then reached out and pulled Yinsen, who was struggling to bring his boat to shore, up onto the bank.

"Your boat..." Fang Bie had just started to remind him to hold on to it when the boat, propelled by the force of Yinsen stepping ashore, lurched forward and slammed into the Stone on the opposite bank.

"Thud!" A sharp sound rang out. Only a few wooden sticks and planks remained floating on the water. The boat had vanished.

"That's what I meant about them falling apart when they hit something." Fang Bie wasn't angry. He just shrugged and explained.

"Then how are we going to get back?" Yinsen asked anxiously. They only had one boat left.

"It's fine. Before we head back, we can chop down some trees and make a couple more boats here." Fang Bie was unbothered. "When we have time later, we'll build a railway all the way here. Then we'll be able to travel back and forth quickly."

"Hmm, you're right." Yinsen thought it over and saw the logic in it. The anxiety left his face, and he nodded calmly.

"We can see the village from here. That tallest building over there is a clock tower, about three stories high." Fang Bie pointed to the nearby cobblestone building. After making sure the boat was securely tied up, he took his Iron Sword out of his Backpack.

"Monsters usually appear near villages, so be careful," Fang Bie warned. That was why he hadn't stayed long the last time he'd been here.

In many cases, monsters weren't actually interested in players. They attacked players who came near them only because of the way their attack behavior worked.

But monsters were strangely fixated on Villagers. Fang Bie had used this trait to make many kinds of Monster Spawners and Mob Grinders, and it had worked every time.

That also meant that monsters were usually found wherever Villagers lived. The monsters he meant were specifically Zombies.

Zombies in the world of Minecraft didn't eat people, but they could beat them to death or turn Villagers into their own kind.

Fang Bie remembered that feeding a Zombie Villager a Golden Apple could turn them back into a Villager. It was one of the game's hidden features. Back when he was in Skyblock, he had often used this trick to spawn all kinds of Villagers.

"Understood!" Yinsen nodded solemnly and took out his bow and arrows as well. He had a knack for archery, so Fang Bie had given him some of the arrows they'd collected over the past few days.

The two of them couldn't both rush in with swords. One fighter in melee and one attacking from range was the more sensible way to divide their roles.

Even the old game Legend of Mir had known to divide players into warriors, mages, and priests. Fang Bie wasn't about to make such an obvious mistake. Using this strategy, they had once killed several times their number in Zombies and Little Whites. They worked together seamlessly.

"Whoosh!" The sound of an arrow cutting through the air made Fang Bie's heart skip a beat. He hurriedly raised his sword and looked over.

Not far away, a group of Zombies was shambling toward the village. Two Little Whites followed behind them.

"The Zombies are attacking the village? We have to help!" Fang Bie called out, quickening his pace.