I built a safe house in the eerie night.

The last rays of the setting sun, like blood, spread crimson light across the village.

Jiang Ning stood in the village, watching as the villagers, whether young adults or teenagers, worked hard to move the strange skeletons outside the village to the foot of the five bone arrow towers.

The arrow tower is easy to charge: simply pile bones at the base of the tower, and they will automatically transform into white bone arrows, which will then be placed into the quiver on the skull at the top of the tower.

"As things stand, the efficiency is still too low, and it relies too much on manpower."

Jiang Ning pondered.

The true sustainable defense would be developed by creating a system that automatically collects and replenishes the remains within a territory, forming a continuous cycle.

Not only does it save time and effort, but it also completely eliminates the worry of running out of arrows.

Unfortunately, the [Heavenly Craftsman] interface currently does not have this type of automation function.

Jiang Ning approached a bone arrow tower and retrieved its upgrade information.

[Tier 1 "Bone Arrow Tower" (Complete)]

[Requirements for upgrading to Tier 2: 1000 catties of Black Tai Sui, 100 units of Yin Wood, 1 Ghost Eye Crystal]

[Upgrade Effect: Slightly increases shooting accuracy, frequency, and damage; additionally grants the "Double Shot" ability (each attack has a chance to fire two bone arrows simultaneously)]

"Upgrading to Tier 2 requires so many resources?"

Jiang Ning frowned slightly.

1000 jin of black Tai Sui and 100 pieces of Yin wood are already a huge sum of money, but the more crucial factor is the newly emerging material.

The Mysterious Eye Crystal? This thing sounds sinister just from its name, but I still don't know how to obtain it.

Is it a drop from defeating higher-level monsters, or is it collected from resources in the mountains?

"The first-tier arrow tower is just a transitional measure. To truly establish a foothold, it must be upgraded. However... the firepower of the defensive line tonight should be sufficient to handle the situation."

Jiang Ning raised his head and looked at the sky, which was dyed red by the sunset.

The villagers were still tirelessly carrying things, and even the young children had a strong sense of mission to "contribute to the village and its home."

The bustling scene at dusk gave Jiang Ning a strange sense of peace, as if the world was peaceful and stable, and they were simply contributing to the village's simple development, rather than facing an eerie disturbance.

Perhaps this is the calm before the storm?

"Young Master, we're back!" A rough shout broke the silence.

Yu Niu led a group of strong young men, dragging several simple sleds made of thick wooden bundles, piled high with strange corpses dragged back from the dead forest.

As soon as they entered the village, they were stunned by the completely renovated defensive fortifications before them.

Three new arrow towers stood tall, a row of bone spike barricades gleamed coldly, and five ferocious Devouring Flowers bloomed menacingly...

Seeing that these clueless young men were about to fall into another round of shock and admiration, Jiang Ning immediately interrupted:

"It's getting dark. Don't just stand there. Hurry up and move all the usable bones under the arrow tower to recharge them."

"Oh! Yes, young master!"

Yu Niu and the others came to their senses and, without delay, immediately joined the transport team.

Finally, before the last rays of sunlight sank into the western mountains, the strange skeletons piled up beneath the five bone arrow towers had formed a small hill.

They even used wooden carts to store extra spare ammunition behind each arrow tower.

Jiangning estimated this using panel data.

A complete skeleton of an ordinary, unranked, strange creature can be converted into about 5-10 bone arrows, while the corpses of several obviously more powerful first-rank strange creatures brought back from the dead forest can each provide 50-100 arrows.

"The more than one hundred strange creatures we hunted last night, plus these guys we dragged back today..."

Jiang Ning's eyes lit up as he calculated.

"On average, each arrow tower can fire two to three hundred arrows, so five towers together would have over a thousand bone arrows!"

In other words, as long as the density and intensity of the strange creatures coming in do not exceed expectations, the number of strange creatures that can be harvested tonight will be extremely considerable, reaching hundreds or even thousands.

Even if the drop rate of resources is low, the guaranteed reward is still substantial!

Even better, the newly killed corpses from tonight can be retrieved tomorrow to recharge the arrow towers.

If this cycle continues, wouldn't it be an endless stream?

Of course, Jiangning also has some concerns.

With such efficient slaughter of low-level monsters, will stronger beings spawn around the village?

For example, attracting first- or even second-tier monsters with truly bizarre abilities?

Will the existing defenses be able to hold out then?

"Forget it, we'll deal with whatever comes our way."

Jiang Ning shook off his distracting thoughts, "Let's take it one step at a time. As long as we develop fast enough, we won't be afraid of any challenges."

Today, the village appears quite crowded due to the inward-shrinking fortifications and the mountains of bones piled up, almost reaching the front of the houses.

The village is nestled against a mountainside, and its entrance is funnel-shaped, wider at the outside and narrower at the inside. Currently, its defenses are limited, and it can only retreat to the narrower inner part to hold its ground.

As our power grows, we will naturally push our defenses outward step by step to reclaim and control a wider area.

The setting sun faded completely, and boundless darkness engulfed the world.

Night fell once again.

The villagers quickly retreated back into their houses, but many of them, unlike the previous two nights when they huddled in fear in corners, dared to peer out of the village through cracks in doors and windows, filled with anxious anticipation.

They knew that tonight would be a feast of harvest!

Jiang Ning remained standing outside the house, gazing at the withered trees outside the village and the dark mountains and fields further away.

They also gazed at the ancient tree in the center of the mountain range, whose towering shadow could still be glimpsed even through the dense branches.

"Young Master, let's go back inside. It's chilly outside, and... it's not entirely safe."

Wang Fu arrived unnoticed and gently draped a thin garment over Jiang Ning's shoulders.

Jiang Ning nodded slightly, and was about to turn around when a sturdy, honest voice, filled with eagerness, came from behind him:

"Young Master! Are we... not going back to the room tonight, but going out to kill those ghostly things?"

It is Yu the Ox.

The naive young man, carrying a knife in one hand and an axe in the other, had an excited look on his dark face, thinking that Jiang Ning was really going to stay outside to personally lead the attack.

Looking at his headstrong yet passionate appearance, Jiang Ning smiled and patted his broad shoulder:

"The time isn't right yet. We don't have the strength to face and confront those things head-on. Let's go back first."

Yu Niu's face immediately showed visible disappointment, and he muttered, "Alright then."

Jiang Ning took a couple of steps, then turned back. "A Niu, why don't you share a room with me tonight? My room has been reinforced, so it's sturdier and warmer. It won't be crowded with three people."

Yu Niu was stunned for a moment, looking at Jiang Ning's main house, which was obviously more sturdy and spacious than the wooden houses of ordinary villagers, and was immediately flattered.

"Young Master, may I...?"

Jiang Ning had already stepped into the house without looking back, leaving only the words:

"If you don't come in soon, those things will be here."

Upon hearing this, Yu Niu abruptly turned his head to look outside the village.

Darkness completely enveloped the area, and in the deep shadows, something began to writhe and gather wildly.

A chilling, biting cold swept across the night sky, causing Yu Niu to shiver involuntarily.

"Young Master! Wait for me!"

Yu Niu dared not delay any longer. Holding his knife and axe, he chased after him in three steps at a time.

The night has fallen, and darkness reigns.

The village fell into a deathly silence, but the mountains and fields outside the village seemed to come alive at that moment.

Various indescribable rustling and friction sounds, low growls and sharp wails, came from afar and grew stronger, tearing apart the tranquility of the night.

The wind was filled with mournful howls, and the entire forest was filled with countless eerie and incomprehensible sounds echoing through the mountains.

Strange figures once again filled the land; the true master of this dark mountain wilderness had awakened.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, obscuring the stars and moon.

But that was no ordinary night sky. As everyone knows, the most ominous thing about the night sky in this era is not darkness, but the blood-red moon that periodically replaces it and hangs high in the sky.

That was the source of a bizarre revelry, a symbol of humanity's nightmare.

Fortunately, the terrifying red moon had not yet arrived, nor had it yet appeared; the village was simply shrouded in pure, deathly darkness.

Only the flickering light of the village altar, like a candle in the wind, swayed in the wailing darkness.

"roar--!!"

A greedy, frenzied roar rang out from the withered woods outside the village, breaking the brief stalemate.

Immediately afterwards, a second, a third... countless roars echoed in response.

The altar's gradually fading aura, along with the deadly allure of the five Devouring Flowers, acted like a beacon in the darkness, igniting the madness of the wandering hungry ghosts outside.

Countless eerie figures, like a black tide bursting its banks, surged forth from the withered forest.

Most of them still retained their twisted and deformed limbs, emitting inhuman howls, their eyes filled with endless hunger, as they launched a frenzied charge towards the village.

The few monsters at the very front completely ignored the row of bone barricades that gleamed with a chilling light blocking the entrance to the village, and just charged forward headlong!

"Pfft!"

"Snap!"

A dull thud and the sound of bones shattering rang out simultaneously.

Acting as cannon fodder, the fastest of the strange creatures crashed headfirst into the sharp bone spikes at the very front of the chevaux-de-frise.

The bone spikes, strong enough to pierce through wood and stone, pierced its swollen, fleshy body without any hindrance, stringing it onto the barricade like a candied hawthorn.

Black blood gushed out, and it frantically thrashed its limbs, letting out painful roars, but it could no longer move forward an inch!

Inside the room, Jiang Ning, who had been calmly observing, narrowed his eyes slightly.

It worked! This barricade has done a great job!

Seemingly spurred by the fate of their companions and the smell of blood, more eerie howls surged forth, crashing headlong into the barricade.

Some were pierced and caught directly, while others were pushed and shoved onto the bone spurs by the oncoming spurs, instantly creating several bloody holes.

The chevaux-de-frise made from the bones of the strange corpses have a natural restraint on these creatures of the same kind; ordinary strange creatures cannot shake them by simply charging at them with their bare bodies.

At the very moment these bizarre piercings occurred, the bone arrow towers, already fully charged and ready to fire, reacted.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Several sharp whistles pierced the air almost simultaneously.

The stark white bone arrows pierced the darkness, precisely striking the eerie heads whose movements were restricted by the barricades.

Black blood splattered, the screams stopped abruptly, and the corpse hung limply on the barricade, becoming an obstacle for its companions behind.

This round of violent sniping also marked the beginning of tonight's defensive battle, seemingly declaring to the surging, eerie tide—

This place is owned; it's eerie and forbidden to enter!