Simultaneous traversal: All Abyss difficulty.

Chapter 688 You live in your matchbox, I live in my mansion

The Earth-Escape Technique, empowered by the Mole Fruit, is diligently digging forward.

Its two linear arms transform into high-speed rotating drills, "thump, thump, thump" gnawing at the rocks in the mine tunnels with an efficiency comparable to ten diamond pickaxes.

Deep in the mine shafts far behind him, Fang Yu lazily picked up iron ore blocks, muttering to himself, "Damn, it's full again!"

He casually swung his stone pickaxe and smashed it wildly against the wall next to him, throwing hundreds of sets of [cobblestones] into the newly dug pit as if they were trash.

With his backpack feeling lighter, he whistled, "Mr. Mole, take it easy! Don't blow up the monster's lair in the mine!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Di Yuanyu's movements suddenly froze.

The digging sounds ahead were interrupted by a strange, low, electronic-like noise called "uh...uh."

Its body, composed of black lines, swayed slightly, revealing a hint of confusion.

The next second, with a crisp "crack," soil and rocks flew everywhere! The mine wall was dug through, revealing a dark natural cave.

The room was filled with an intense, impenetrable darkness, as if even the air had been sucked away.

The lines of the Earth Grudge's eyes locked onto the depths of the cave.

A pure black monster slowly appeared.

It resembled a human but crawled with a hunched back, its skin covered in rough oil, its huge head taking up almost half of its body, and its gaping maw revealing stark white fangs, like a skull inlaid with blood-stained teeth, which gleamed eerily purplish-black in the dim light of the cave.

It is indeed the "man in the fog".

The figure in the mist raised its enormous head, its empty eye sockets sweeping over the resentful and fearful earth.

Its hissing "uh-uh" sound paused, as if it were assessing the situation.

As my gaze swept over the twisted lines of the Earthly Wraith, it tilted its head as if recognizing one of its own kind, showing no hostility whatsoever.

Then, its body dissolved into the shadows like ink, leaving behind a chilling stillness. It vanished with a "whoosh," leaving only the electronic busy tone echoing deep within the cave.

A few minutes later, Fang Yu strolled over to the hole he had dug and looked around with a torch in hand.

"Hey? Mole, any treasures?" The cave was empty, with only the Earth Grudge Yu standing there with its lines knotted, seemingly still in a daze.

Fang Yu muttered, "This is weird." He glanced around and saw that nothing had fallen. He could only spit out his saliva and say, "You've all learned to slack off. Get to work."

He turned around and continued searching for iron ore.

The other end.
On a cloud platform hundreds of grids high in the sky, the survivors of Class 308 are racing against time.

As the sun sank completely below the pixelated horizon, the inky purple night sky, like a cold curtain, made the world seem even smaller.

Teacher Zhang, the man in charge, whose square face was taut and tense, was stuck three blocks below the platform, being pulled upwards by Wang Erniu and Huang Mao.

Their pixelated faces were flushed red, and their tattered school uniforms were soaked with sweat.

"Give it your all, Xiao Wang! Pull me up!" Teacher Zhang shouted hoarsely, with hundreds of blocks of void beneath his feet.

Suddenly, Wang Erniu's eyes caught sight of the ground below!

A pure black shadow is sweeping across the grassland with lightning speed!

It crawled like a ghost, and wherever it passed, the grass withered quickly, the earth turned black, and all sounds around it instantly went out, leaving only an eerie silence.

The man in the fog just now!

"My God! What is that thing?!" Wang Erniu gasped, his hand trembled, and his grip loosened. Teacher Zhang screamed "Ah!" and his body slid down!

"Fuck you, don't let go!" The blond-haired man pulled desperately, and Teacher Zhang almost fell to his death, hanging on the edge of the platform, panting heavily.

"Quick! Hold on tight!" the blond-haired man shouted through gritted teeth. Teacher Zhang used both hands and feet to climb onto the platform.

At this moment——

bass!
The person in the fog suddenly appeared on the block at Teacher Zhang's feet!
The three-meter-long arm, like a venomous snake, emerged and, shrouded in a dark, deathly aura, "whoosh!" it grabbed Teacher Zhang's calf!

The gaping maw of blood-red teeth opened wide, revealing a bloody crimson.

"Ughhhh—!" Teacher Zhang only had time to let out a short scream before the man in the fog pulled hard!
With a muffled thud, Teacher Zhang's head and neck were instantly severed by the giant jaws, scattering blood and pixelated fragments everywhere.

The corpse fell into the darkness like a tattered rag.

Everyone was stunned.

The platform was deathly silent, like a graveyard.

The figure in the mist treads on empty air, looking up at the terrified survivors. Its enormous head slowly turns, emitting a piercing "uh-uh. hum" electronic buzzing sound, like an old, short-circuited stereo.

Wang Erniu was the first to react, his voice cracking with tears: "Run! Form a human ladder! Build one up!"

Dozens of blocky figures instantly rushed towards the remaining dirt blocks like madmen. They formed groups of three, set up ladders, and frantically smashed the stones under their feet to build up the blocks. They didn't even have time to mourn Teacher Zhang's name.

Fear had engulfed everything; the "uh-uh" sounds from the dark, misty shadows were etched into everyone's very bones.
Fortunately, the teleportation height of the Fog Man seems to have an upper limit. After dealing with Teacher Zhang, it did not continue to teleport upwards, but disappeared without a trace.

The night, like a giant pair of panties, covered the strange world Fang Yu was in, a world made up of sharp, angular blocks.

A gentle breeze carried the unique freshness of the water vapor and the coolness of the lake. Fang Yu stood on a small hill in the night, arms crossed, looking down at the pixelated lake that rippled slightly under the dim starlight.

“This is it.” Fang Yu’s voice was deep, carrying an unprecedented sense of certainty.

After his perilous journey underground, the frenzied zombie horde of the Blood Moon, and the simultaneous shocks brought by other worlds "himself," he desperately needed a safe haven, a place he could call "home."

With its expansive views, abundant water supply, relatively pleasant environment, and distance from the forest, this lake is undoubtedly an excellent choice.

However, as his gaze swept over the terrain beneath his feet and along the lake, Fang Yu frowned slightly.

To be fair, this place isn't perfect.

The ground was uneven, with grass blocks and dirt blocks interspersed, interspersed with protruding stones and sunken pits.

Even the most rudimentary "matchbox" shelter needs a relatively flat foundation, unless it's floating in the void. "Generally speaking," he muttered to himself, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his pixelated face, "building it in the sky is obviously safer, even a fool would think so."

But he is no longer the novice blocky who could only tremble in fear and survive by chopping down trees with his bare hands.

The expansion of strength has brought confidence!
Fang Yu's lips curled into a confident smile. "But... I have a cheat code!"

His gaze suddenly became sharp and focused.

"Swish, swish, swish -!"

Four muffled yet clear explosions of white smoke rang out in succession, sounding particularly abrupt on the quiet lakeside!

Five figures, twisted and intertwined with jet-black lines, as if emerging from the deepest nightmare, appeared silently in different locations around Fang Yu's body.

They wear identical masks, their bodies, composed of lines, exude a cold, eerie yet absolutely obedient aura—the Grudges, beings possessing various Devil Fruit abilities.

As soon as the five Earth Grudges appeared, they quickly dispersed, occupying several key high points and approach points along the lake. Their pupil-less, distorted faces scanned the surrounding lake shore and undulating hills and woodlands, acting like radar to guard against any threat that might intrude into this area.

"The guards are yours to guard," Fang Yu ordered in a deep voice, no longer glancing at them.

Immediately afterwards, he rapidly formed hand seals in front of his chest, the movements so fast they left afterimages.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

More dense and louder bursts of white smoke followed!

The open space by the lake instantly became incredibly lively.

Dozens of figures, identical in appearance to Fang Yu and dressed in the same tattered pixelated clothing, suddenly appeared, densely crowding the open space by the lake, even reflecting a bunch of images onto the lake itself.

These shadow clones shared the same expression as Fang Yu. They all looked in the direction of the main body and joked, "You eat and drink well but don't think about your buddy, but you're never absent from work, huh?"

"Get to work, guys!" Fang Yu waved his hand. "Stop fooling around and get to work."

He pulled out the mountain of resources from his inventory—oak planks, cobblestone, iron ore, and blocks that instantly appeared on the open ground beside him.

"Fine, we're one of you too."

Dozens of shadow clones immediately sprang into action.

They split into several small teams and ran in an orderly fashion to the block pile to pick up the materials they needed.

They moved timber, stacked stones, and fired glass with fluid and swift movements, without any hesitation.

Just as the entity was contemplating the specific architectural layout, preparing to conceive a simple matchbox or two-story cabin design in its mind.
A completely different perspective suddenly entered his consciousness without any hindrance!

It's a grand, bird's-eye view, with precise geometric lines, a complex spatial structure, and a design that combines elegance and sturdiness!
A blueprint for a truly luxurious modern villa!

The attention to detail is evident in everything from the foundation structure and roof slope to the window layout and internal functional area division.

It's the design blueprint that Bruce Wayne from Gotham asked Batman for!

"Wow! Good heavens, this is so extravagant!" Fang Yu gasped, his pixelated face showing amazement and ecstasy.

This is infinitely superior to my own matchbox design!
He immediately transmitted this top-notch architectural design from the DC universe to every shadow clone present through his thoughts.

Forget the matchbox! Just do it like this!

The moment the command was given, the entire lakeside construction site seemed to be on fast-forward!

Once the shadow clones understood the blueprint, their action speed exploded instantly! The land preparation team took the lead! Several Earth Grudges also quickly joined the ranks of transforming the terrain. Under the coordinated "knocking" of the shadow clones and Earth Grudges, the originally uneven ground was efficiently dismantled, picked up, transported, and reused, with grass blocks, dirt blocks, and stones being removed, picked up, transported, and reused.

Huge square foundations made of dark pebbles began to emerge steadily on the lakeshore at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The frame structure is quickly formed, and the load-bearing walls stand tall! Polished spruce planks are precisely laid to form the floors and walls, raw stones build sturdy barriers, bright glass blocks are carefully embedded into the pre-designed window frame structure, and the roof slope is meticulously designed and laid. In the details, you can even see the reserved positions for chimneys and balconies!
Dozens of shadow clones, along with the occasional Earthly Grudge Yu that lends a hand in leveling the hard ground, work like the most efficient construction machine under the central command and blueprint guidance of Fang Yu's main body.

The land preparation, foundation construction, wall erection, roof sealing, and window installation were all seamlessly integrated.

The sounds of blocks being placed, "click" and "thud," rose and fell, almost forming a symphony of accomplishment.

The starlight moved, and the pixelated moon silently slid toward the western sky.

As the darkest, inky purple sky before dawn was pierced by the first faint ray of light on the eastern horizon, a thin mist rose from the lake.

At the moment when the first rays of dawn appear, and the golden-red sunrise is about to burst forth—

The last oak door was securely installed at the entrance.

On the once rugged ground by the lake, a two-story block villa with a clear structure, strong lines, and modern aesthetics stands majestically under the light of the mist and the morning sun!

The dark stone foundation, the light-colored wooden walls, the bright glass windows, and the sloping dark roof—everything was exactly as Bruce Yu had designed.

Dozens of shadow clones completed their mission, turning into wisps of white smoke in the dawn and dissipating one after another.

The five Earth Grudges also quietly disappeared behind the villa or into the shadows, leaving only a slightly damp patch of soil as evidence that they had altered the foundation.

Fang Yu stood alone in front of the brand-new villa, which exuded a faint smell of wood and stone, while the lake shimmered gently in the morning light.

He looked at the solid "home" that had risen from nothing in just one night, built by his shadow clones, and exhaled a breath of earthy, yet incredibly satisfying air, which condensed into a small cloud of white mist in the cool morning light.

"Now, we need to think about interior decoration and finding sheep to make beds."

He pushed open the dark oak door within the oak frame, the hinges making a slight but real creak, and went inside.

Behind him, the rising sun was leaping from the lake, bathing his new home and the whole world in a warm and hopeful golden glow.

On the other side, on the high platform.

Feng Yuanyuan stood up stiffly, touched her cold, hard back, looked down at the earth below where everything was reviving, and sighed deeply.

What should we do if Teacher Zhang dies?

(End of this chapter)