[What's the most painful thing in life?]If this question were to be answered by Lincoln, he'd surely say, "It's when you're dead and still have money left unspent." One second ago, a three - headed monstrous bird over five meters in size had its head buried, feasting on his meagerly - fleshed innards. The next second, he found himself in a luxurious office. The stark contrast between the two scenes was so intense that he couldn't help but doubt the authenticity of what was before his eyes. Lincoln rubbed the back of his head, double - and triple - checking, only to realize that this wasn't an illusion caused by his brains "pouring" out.
"Am I... back?" He stared at the familiar yet extravagantly decorated room, the expensive murals, the crystal chandeliers, and the minimalist but costly office furnishings... "Is this my office?" He had been reborn!? Lincoln pinched his own cheek and sat quietly in the plush leather executive chair for nearly half an hour before finally confirming this fact.
As if struck by a sudden thought, he suddenly looked up at the time displayed in the bottom - right corner of the computer screen — [July 1st, 2033, 11:20:23]. Lincoln jolted awake. He quickly grabbed the phone beside the computer, unlocked it with practiced ease, and started searching. A few seconds later, a mobile game called [Sweet Haven]appeared on his screen.
"Could it really be... I'm back? And it's before the version update!" He still couldn't quite believe his eyes as he stared at the game on the screen, and his mind was flooded with memories from the past decade. Apart from the betrayals of relatives, friends, and lovers, the most unforgettable thing was undoubtedly witnessing the downfall of human civilization. The bustling streets outside the window had turned into endless deserts, and the beautiful homes where people once lived had become paradises for ferocious beasts and monsters, with no place left for humans to set foot. And the root cause of this apocalyptic scene was [Sweet Haven], which now lay quietly in Lincoln's phone.
This was a mobile game that combined casual entertainment, character - building, and tower - defense elements. "Welcome back, esteemed VIP5 user. Your [Millionaire's Hamlet]has been waiting for you." The system's voice rang in Lincoln's ear. The game interface popped up. What first caught his eye wasn't a modern city built of steel and concrete, but a small village with a lotus - filled pond under the moonlight, pavilions outside the attic, and beautiful rural scenery. This was Lincoln's [Millionaire's Hamlet], looking like a utopia, having absolutely nothing to do with the impending apocalypse.
In fact, before the version update, [Sweet Haven]was more like a casual infrastructure - building mobile game, without even a PK mode. Players would build beautiful houses, raise fish, and grow crops in the game, and at most, they'd compare the creativity of their house - building on the game forum. Lincoln had once been one of the casual players of this game.
Who could have thought that this casual mobile game would undergo a [Doomsday Version]update in seven days? At that time, the game would shut down the online channels and the top - up channels and launch a full - scale public beta. Everything in the game would descend into the real world. This included the bases built by players, the NPCs, as well as the ferocious beasts and monsters that would appear after the doomsday version update, and the new doomsday mode — [Blood Moon Frenzy]. An endless horde of monsters and beasts would attack the human players' homes through the void channels. The casual bases built by players simply couldn't withstand the onslaught of these beasts and monsters and would be reduced to ruins and deserts under the rampage of the beast tide.
Lincoln opened the regional chat channel. As expected, the most - discussed topic among players was the version update in a week.
"I've lived a long time, but I never thought this game's official was capable of an update. Aren't they known for being so laid - back?"
"Haha, I'm hoping they'll add more beautiful furniture. My little fairy's pink castle's interior always seems to be missing something."
"I hope they'll introduce some new seeds. I'm so sick of growing cabbages these days."
"I think you're all getting ahead of yourselves. Didn't you see the new version is called [Doomsday Frenzy]? Maybe they'll introduce a monster - fighting mode."
"What? Isn't this a casual game? Why would there be monster - fighting? I hate it, I don't want it [Hate.jpg]!"
"..."
Some players did notice something unusual about the version update, but none of them could connect it to the real - world apocalypse. It was understandable. If someone had told Lincoln before his rebirth that the world would end in a week, he'd have thought they were crazy.
After some thought, Lincoln didn't leave any message in the chat channel. Instead, he turned his attention back to his own little village. The small bridge, the flowing water, the attic... From an aesthetic point of view, his little village was understated yet luxurious, and the villagers lived in peace and contentment with a high level of happiness. But from a defensive perspective, it was a complete disaster. Once the beast tide came, it could charge straight in and destroy this seemingly idyllic utopia in an instant. In his previous life, Lincoln's [Millionaire's Hamlet]hadn't even withstood the first wave of the Blood Moon Frenzy, despite all the resources he'd invested in it earlier. Later, he could only lead a small number of villagers to migrate and start over from scratch.
"What a pity. It's not completely without its merits," Lincoln shook his head regretfully. Geographically, his [Millionaire's Hamlet]was located by a mountain and a river, rich in natural resources, making it one of the best starting locations.
Back then, like other casual players, Lincoln regarded this game as a simple casual pastime. During his breaks from work, he'd casually log in to grow crops and raise fish, without any serious plans for development. There were over 200 villagers in the hamlet, but most of them were basic - level villagers who could only perform the most fundamental tasks, such as farming, logging, mining, and road - building. There wasn't even a blacksmith recruited in the little village, let alone a guard squad. Usually, when there was a wild - beast invasion, the villagers could spontaneously resist and drive the beasts away. If things got really bad, Lincoln, as the village chief, could pick up an iron sword and take on a few jackals, wolves, or leopards. At that time, he even thought he was incredibly heroic.
Now, looking back, he realized what a huge mistake that had been. Lincoln glanced at the long - abandoned recruitment tavern in the village and wished he could slap himself a few times. The ferocious beasts and monsters in the Blood Moon Frenzy were on a completely different level from the ordinary wild animals in the wild. If he didn't make preparations in advance, both the villagers and himself would end up as a delicious meal for the beasts.
The first thing Lincoln did after his return to the game was to repair the Hero Tavern. After clicking the confirmation button for the repair on his screen, a system prompt popped up: [Ding! Do you want to call on the villagers to repair the Hero Tavern?] Along with it, several messages about cash - top - up gift packages also popped up: [Ding! There is a "Recruitment Gift Package" available. Do you want to top up?]
Lincoln slapped his thigh, his expression instantly turning excited. Damn it! He'd almost forgotten that the top - up channel was still open!