"Why isn't there any news about the dragons?"
"Are those really dragons? Why are they so patient?"
"Everyone says those creatures are short-tempered and won't tolerate anything, yet they've waited this long!"
"Could the mages be lying? That's unlikely!"
"Or maybe they aren't dragons at all, and those three shapes are something else?"
"That shouldn't be right either. The Wandering Mage said with his own mouth that they're dragons!"
"Then why are they just dawdling? I don't get it!"
Time passed slowly, but the three black dots remained circling in the sky, completely unmoving.
It wasn't just the viewers; even Galen Yu was starting to wonder.
"You said those creatures were hot-tempered and lacked patience?"
Galen turned to the Wandering Mage, his doubt clear.
The Wandering Mage looked a bit embarrassed.
"Normally, that is indeed the case."
Whenever he had encountered dragons before—whether they were Iron Golems or mages—those dragons never gave them a second thought.
Why did everything around Galen Yu turn into something he couldn't recognize?
Soon, the Wandering Mage had another thought.
"In my estimation, they must be wary of you."
"You were able to kill the Ender Dragon, and you've made this chunk so prosperous and strong. That's why they find you dangerous."
This was the only explanation he could come up with.
A few mages would struggle to kill a single dragon, yet Galen Yu had killed the Ender Dragon alone.
Dragons had heightened senses; they could sense approaching danger much better than ordinary people. They must have caught the unusual atmosphere radiating from the Sky Island!
Hearing the Wandering Mage say this, the viewers were amazed.
"Because they're afraid, the dragons don't even dare to attack?"
"Holy crap! That's badass!"
"God Yu is just God Yu. He always manages to surprise us in the most unexpected ways!"
"Since it's coming from the Wandering Mage, it's probably quite true!"
"To think he could even intimidate dragons!"
These magical creatures from myths were the very symbols of power.
In most people's minds, they were supreme beings, yet they were being cowed by Galen Yu!
"That doesn't sound right."
Galen frowned, noticing a flaw in the Wandering Mage's logic.
"If they were truly afraid of me, they wouldn't have come at all. Why waste the effort making the trip?"
If they were scared, they wouldn't show up. Since they were here, they weren't afraid.
If they aren't afraid, why are they just circling in the distance?
Forget excuses about waiting for allies or reinforcements.
According to the Wandering Mage, dragons might be wary of certain powerful beings, but he had never seen them actively cooperate in groups of ten or more.
The fact that three had arrived already showed they were taking this seriously.
"Strange."
The Wandering Mage pondered the reason but couldn't figure it out.
Since the dragons weren't attacking, Galen wasn't foolish enough to give up his home-field advantage and strike first, so he let the stalemate continue.
He sat on the Great Wall of China and looked into the distance. Thanks to his Steve's Body, he could maintain peak performance even if he didn't sleep or rest for years.
The sun and moon cycled. The night gradually faded as the first light of dawn broke.
A new day was about to begin.
Looking at the sky, Galen suddenly had an epiphany.
"Wait... today is the forty-ninth day of the Crisis. We're about to reach the final challenge!"
There were sixty days in total, and the final ten were almost here!
That wasn't the key. The key was that on the fiftieth day, the zombies would undergo a new evolution!
"Could they be waiting for that moment?"
Realizing what the dragons were waiting for, Galen's eyebrows shot up.
If that were the case, the dragons were actually quite clever.
At least they weren't as mindless as he had imagined.
For Galen, this was actually good news. The Fragrant Study was the place where dreams began and where they came true.
At the very least, when he became a Dragon Knight later, he wouldn't have to work as hard to command them.
As for whether the zombies would affect the Sky Island, he glanced at the rails on the ground and the new platforms built atop the redstone cannons.
Based on the original design, the Architect had added new cages for Profiteers on the upper platforms.
If zombies approached, they would lock onto the villagers first and do everything they could to get up there and kill them.
But because they had no brains, they couldn't think of anything too clever.
Ultimately, they would just be mowed down by the redstone cannons. It wasn't a problem at all.
He had prepared plenty of redstone cannons in advance, enough to fend off the zombie hordes of the final ten days.
Since the dragons wanted to wait, Galen was content to wait with them.
Time ticked away. The night passed, and the sun rose higher and higher.
Finally, it reached its zenith, and broad daylight arrived!
In what should have been a moment of sun-drenched vitality, the system prompt appeared.
[SYSTEM: YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY SURVIVED FIFTY DAYS. THE FIFTH CRISIS HAS ARRIVED!]
[SYSTEM: CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL PLAYERS WHO HAVE SURVIVED TO DAY 50. EACH PLAYER'S CHUNK SCORE HAS INCREASED BY 85.]
[SYSTEM: THE FIFTH CRISIS. THE ZOMBIES SEEM TO HAVE UNDERGONE NEW CHANGES.]
[SYSTEM: THEY HAVE BECOME MORE TERRIFYING AND UNIQUE. CERTAIN VARIANTS HAVE LEARNED HOW TO BUILD BLOCKS!]
[SYSTEM: MONSTERS HAVE BECOME MORE PERCEPTIVE. THEIR DETECTION RANGE HAS INCREASED!]
[SYSTEM: THE ENVIRONMENT HAS UNDERGONE SUBTLE CHANGES.]
[SYSTEM: IN THE FACE OF IRRESISTIBLE NATURAL LAWS, ONLY THE STRONG CAN SURVIVE!]
The last ten days were also the most horrifying ten days!
Just from the announcement, one could see the zombies had mutated again. They learned to build!
Moreover, the increased detection range meant zombies from further away would actively seek out players, meaning they would have to face even larger numbers!
And that was just what was stated on the surface. There might be hidden variants that hadn't been discovered yet!
And that was just what was stated on the surface. There might be hidden variants that hadn't been discovered yet!
The only bit of good news was likely regarding the environmental changes.
It seemed that, considering how difficult the last ten days would be, the probability of mist and Blood Moons appearing had been slightly reduced.
At least they wouldn't have to face the endless zombies while groping in the dark.
Yet, this minor detail couldn't overshadow the main point.
Zombies could build now!
"Did I hear that right? What on earth did the zombies evolve?"
"Building blocks? How are we supposed to survive that?"
"We worked so hard to build high platforms, and now zombies can just pillar up and get to us easily?"
"I don't want that! I haven't lived long enough!"
"Wait... if zombies can build blocks, does that mean they can destroy them too?"
"I've been watching God Yu for so long, I almost forgot... they really can, can't they?"
"This is hell! This is literally hell!"
Whether they were experts, contestants, or just viewers, the whole world was in an uproar.
What was a contestant's most important tool?
Crafting! Building!
If even ordinary monsters like zombies could tear down blocks and build them up, their greatest advantage would vanish!
How could they possibly resist the monsters then?
In the Alliance, Mark trembled all over.
Looking at the rising sun, he couldn't believe his ears.
"Jett, did you hear that? Was I hallucinating?"
"No, I heard it. It wasn't a hallucination."
With those few words, the two saw the shared terror in each other's eyes.
It wasn't a hallucination. The zombies really had learned how to build!
They had three layers of defense: outer stone, middle cobwebs for slowing down enemies, and even a core of obsidian to prevent zombies from digging through.
But this... this was the one thing they hadn't prepared for.
Or rather, even if they had thought of it, they wouldn't have known how to stop it.
How were they supposed to stop zombies that could both destroy blocks and build them?
[Support the story with Reviews, Power Stones, and Comments—they mean a lot and keep me going! 30+ chapters waiting on patreon.com/elite_reads]