Lao Ma, Lao Ma!

Chen Ze walked up to a tree and reached out to start punching it.

To get rich, first punch trees; fish by the river to make a modest fortune.

Just as he finished punching through one section of the tree, something unexpected happened.

The tree in front of him actually fell straight down, landed on him, and knocked a few points off his health.

"Holy crap!"

"This tree actually has a physics engine!? Is the lid back on Newton's coffin!?"

Chen Ze couldn't help shouting.

Everyone in the livestream was shocked too.

[Whoa, it's real? Did Starfield actually put the lid back on Newton's coffin?]

[Put it back, my ass. The lid jumped up and slammed shut again.]

[Bullshit. Newton clearly climbed out of his coffin, put the lid back on himself, and hammered in a few more nails.]

[Old Niu's hardcore. He really couldn't stand watching what Starfield was doing.]

Once his shock wore off, Chen Ze felt that the game had reached a whole new level. If the graphics were a little better, it would be nothing less than a second world.

Still, he only entertained the thought. How could this game possibly be made that realistic? It was already great as it was, much better than the original.

After punching down a few trees, he started wandering around by himself.

The first step to building a house went without saying: find a spot that looked good to him.

If he couldn't find one, he might as well not build at all. After all, the geological survey before construction was something every player had to carry out with the utmost care. It was a sacred and solemn prerequisite.

But he ended up wandering for the entire day. Once Chen Ze started looking, he lost track of time.

As the sky grew dark, he heard Xiao Dingdang's voice.

"A-Ze, how's your house coming along? It looks like it's getting dark."

Only then did Chen Ze suddenly notice the color of the sky.

This was a new modpack, and none of them knew what monsters would spawn at night. He hurriedly threw together a square 5×5 box right where he stood.

"Ahem, you guys can come over and take shelter for now."

The others quickly checked their minimaps and headed toward Chen Ze. After all, it was their first night in this new modpack. If powerful monsters spawned, they'd really struggle to deal with them.

Losing their lives was a small matter, but dropping their items would be a big deal.

If only they could keep their items when they died. Then they wouldn't have to worry.

When the four arrived at Chen Ze's location, they were greeted by... a square wooden-plank house.

The corners of Lü Zhenghao's mouth twitched when he saw it, and he couldn't help complaining, "A-Ze, don't tell me you found that photo of the villa you sent me online."

"This... is the coffin you spent all day building?"

"Ahem~"

Chen Ze couldn't help blushing at that. He'd spent the whole day looking for a good spot nearby and really hadn't noticed the time.

"Well, I lost track of time looking for a good spot. It's fine, guys, just make do for one night. I'll definitely build everyone a proper house tomorrow."

Hearing that, the others couldn't say much. After all, they hadn't made much progress themselves because they'd been exploring the new world.

Xiao Dingdang stuck a torch on the wall, and light filled the little house.

A torch stood in the middle of the house, with the five of them standing around it.

"Do you think any new monsters will spawn tonight?"

"No idea. I really haven't taken a close look at this modpack."

"How about... we dig out one block above our heads and go up for a look?"

"Sure!"

Once they agreed, Xiao Dingdang placed a block beneath his feet and dug a hole in the roof.

As soon as the hole was open, nobody went up. Instead, their eyes fell on the sky outside.

No, it shouldn't be called the sky at this point, but... the starry sky.

The darkened sky was completely different from the original. It was brilliant with starlight, countless stars twinkling overhead, just like the starry sky from their childhood.

The night sky had once held just as many stars, but as the times changed, it had become difficult for people to see a sky filled with them.

They could even make out a meteor or two streaking across the sky. It was truly beautiful.

After the group had watched the night sky for a while, Chen Ze noticed something odd about the sounds outside.

There weren't the usual constant zombie noises. On the contrary, it was rather quiet.

"Guys, anyone want to go out and take a look? I don't think there are many monsters outside."

"How about... Lao Ma and Qiezi go take a look?"

"Sure, Lao Ma and I will go have a quick look and come right back."

"Okay, you two be careful. We still don't know what this new modpack is like."

After discussing it, they decided that Lao Ma and Qiezi would go outside for a look.

Each holding a Stone Sword in one hand and a torch in the other, the two opened the wooden door with serious expressions.

It was very quiet outside, but the quieter it was, the more worried and afraid it made them.

Chen Ze and the other two waited quietly in the little square house until they heard Lao Ma and Qiezi's voices.

"There are monsters outside, but they're the same as in the original: zombies, skeletons, spiders, and the like."

"I don't think there's much danger. Lao Ma and I are kiting the mobs right now."

Hearing that, the three let out a long breath. Xiao Dingdang and Lü Zhenghao couldn't sit still any longer. They immediately crafted two Stone Swords and said, "We're going out too. A-Ze, do you want to come with us?"

Chen Ze shook his head. "No, no. I'll sort out the materials you brought and get ready to build the house tomorrow."

"All right, be careful."

"No problem."

Watching the two leave, Chen Ze let out a long breath, but his gaze was firm.

He had to start building the house tomorrow. He'd just pick one of the spots he'd looked at earlier.

As Chen Ze was thinking, a wailing cry rang in his ears.

"Lao Ma, aaah~! Lao Ma~!"

"Ah~!"

Qiezi's cries were heart-rending, filled with deep regret and despair.

Chen Ze was dumbfounded when he heard it. What had happened?

"What's wrong, Qiezi?"

It wasn't just him. Even Xiao Dingdang and Lü Zhenghao asked urgently, "What happened?"

"Is there some powerful monster out there!?"

At that moment, Da Sima's laughter came through the room's voice chat.

"Qiezi, you're so bad. Anyone who didn't know better would think something had happened to me."

"So bad."

After Da Sima explained what had just happened, the corners of their mouths twitched.

Damn it, Qiezi had accidentally killed Da Sima while kiting the mobs, then started screaming about it. He'd scared them to death.

They'd thought something had happened, that there was some special monster or some other incident.

And now he was telling them he'd accidentally killed a teammate.

He'd cried so sorrowfully and desperately that it was a shame he didn't work as a professional mourner.

In the room channel, Qiezi said awkwardly, "Well... I got too caught up in it just now. Sorry, guys."

"Bad, bad, bad, bad!"

The four said it in unison, then paid him no more attention.