You promised it would be a free game, but now your screen is full of in-app purchase prompts?

Is it still a work in progress, so they're just creating a free gimmick?

I agree. They'll definitely start charging you once it's officially released!

I've applied for beta testing access, but I don't know yet if I'll get it.

What the hell are you guys doing? When I clicked in just now, there were only 23 applications, but after I finished applying, I saw that there were already 5768 applications...

Goodness, that's ten thousand...

[Wow, over 10,000 people vying for 500 beta test slots, the odds are like winning the lottery.]

[Which bro got a beta test qualification? I'm willing to spend 500 yuan to buy a qualification account, or is there anyone willing to lend me one to play? I really want to play!]

This game is getting more and more addictive; I want to create an account and try it out too.

[Damn it! What's wrong with Fengyun Games? Using scarcity marketing for a game, they're seriously sick!]

……

Gradually, the public opinion surrounding Bao Ge's live stream changed completely.

At first, people dismissed or even ridiculed the game.

But now, everyone has suddenly realized that this game is actually quite fun.

When they finally wanted to play, they discovered that the game had some kind of closed beta mode, with only 500 access codes available.

Isn't this just someone making a joke?

But Brother Bao doesn't care about any of that right now.

He's now diligently digging in the soil with a shovel, constantly planting pea shooters.

In the short time that followed, Brother Bao had planted two more Pea Shooter plants, bringing the total number of Pea Shooter plants in his garden to three.

"Holy crap! My sunflower!!!"

But Bao Ge's joy didn't last long.

The moment he looked up after planting the third Peashooter, he was completely stunned.

He didn't know when, but the two zombies had already reached the middle of his garden.

The moment he looked up, he saw his sunflower being devoured by the zombies, turning into starlight and disappearing without a trace.

The thought of the sunflower swaying back and forth with a big smile on its face when he touched it just now made Bao Ge feel like his heart was breaking.

This is also the core reason why Chen Feng designed this thing.

Once the plants in the game gained interactive capabilities, they were no longer just strings of ordinary data or soulless inanimate objects in the players' minds.

In this immersive AR experience, these plants feel like family to the player.

This makes players unwilling to see their baby plants killed by zombies, leading many to grit their teeth and spend money to make their plants stronger...

Seeing this, the fans in the live stream were also filled with frustration.

[Holy crap! We're doomed! The sunflowers are gone, and our sunlight source is cut off.]

[Seriously? You can't even get past the beginner levels? You're really bad at this!]

[As I was just saying, for support plants like sunflowers, which are already planted in the back row for protection, it's more appropriate to place the Peashooter in front.]

Here we go again! Classic hindsight bias!

[Hahahaha, what a brilliant hindsight expert...]

[Isn't this just hindsight? You didn't say anything when Brother Bao was planting them, but now that the sunflowers have been eaten, you've noticed. People like that are the most interesting.]

[It's hopeless. Only three Peashooters left, and the number of zombies on the other side is increasing. Without sunlight, we're doomed.]

[I guess the only option is to restart... Just wait and die...]

……

Bao Ge obviously saw the comments posted by fans in the live chat.

He was also very uneasy, as the current situation was not optimistic.

Although he now has three Peashooters, his firepower is very concentrated.

However, there were still at least seven or eight zombies left on the other side, and they were all very close.

It's highly likely we can't win.

But he still didn't choose to quit, perhaps because he was so afraid that he forgot about it, or perhaps he wanted to take a gamble.

In short, he nervously picked up his shovel and retreated to the doorway of his room, ready to make a final stand at any moment.

If all else fails, he'll grab a shovel and go up there to see if he can smash two zombies to death...

clap clap clap...

clap clap clap...

The three Peashooters' attack frequency should not be underestimated, creating a relatively dense barrage of fire.

If you're facing three or five zombies, there might not be any problem at all.

However, there are too many zombies on the other side, and most importantly, the distance is already very close.

After playing for so long, Bao Ge has also discovered a lot of information, namely that it takes about ten attacks for the Peashooter to kill a zombie.

However, if a zombie rushes up to your face and starts gnawing on a plant, it only takes less than two seconds.

"Oops... I made a mistake just now!"

"I paused for a moment and lost two sets of sunlight, otherwise I should have passed with just one more Peashooter!"

"Or I should prioritize planting two sunflowers to speed up sunlight acquisition, so I can plant more Peashooters!"

"Oops, we made a mistake, guys..."

Bao slapped his thigh hard, clearly realizing he had made several mistakes in that short time.

If there had been just one less mistake, this beginner level wouldn't have turned out like this.

Let him try again. With experience, he definitely won't make such a basic mistake again.

But this time, it seems like it's really gone.

Four of the eight zombies were killed by the Peashooter, while the remaining four were closing in on the Peashooter's position.

Given the Peashooter's attack power and frequency, this distance is already too far to turn the tide.

In the end, Bao Ge could only watch helplessly as the three Peashooters he had planted with his own hands "sacrificed themselves" and fell to the zombies' attack.

At that moment, Bao Ge felt not only fear but also pain.

His pea shooters and sunflowers are said to have souls; they smile at him when he touches them.

But now, in their efforts to protect their home, they have perished in the mouths of zombies.

As the zombies approached him step by step, Bao Ge gripped the shovel tightly, preparing for a final, desperate fight with these guys.

Holy crap! I can't watch this... It's terrifying...

[Will there be any particularly gory scenes later on?]

[Probably not. Our review process shouldn't produce such disgusting visuals.]

Watching yourself get eaten by zombies is way scarier than being hacked to death or shot in other games.

[Hahaha, look at Bao Ge, his legs are shaking right now!]

I have to say, this game is incredibly immersive; even I, as a spectator, was on the edge of my seat!

……

Even the fans watching the live stream were terrified, let alone Bao Ge facing such pressure.

But just as his fear was about to reach its peak, and he was about to grab his shovel and rush forward to fight the zombies to the death.

What happened next was completely unexpected.

No one had noticed before, but the harvester, which was placed at the junction of the house and the garden, suddenly started up, emitting a series of engine roars.

Just as the first zombie reached the harvester, the harvester suddenly started.

They rushed forward at high speed.

Unstoppable, all four zombies along the way were instantly killed, unable to even slow down the harvester's pace—a true instant kill.

"Holy crap! Is this thing really that powerful?"

They were all ready to grab shovels and go into hand-to-hand combat, but a harvester wiped out the remaining four zombies in an instant. Who could have imagined that?

Not only Bao Ge, but tens of thousands of viewers in the live stream were completely dumbfounded.

[Is this thing even useful?]

[This must be a safety net mechanism set up in the game, right?]

[It's likely that this kind of thing shouldn't be used casually; it should only be used once.]

It's a shame to waste something like this in the beginner levels...

[It's all because Big Monkey played terribly. If he had played any better earlier, he wouldn't have ended up like this...]

……

Coming back to his senses from the shock, Bao Ge looked at the comments from fans in the live chat and felt his face burning.

They're absolutely right; things got a bit chaotic up ahead.

If I had been a little calmer and had a clearer mind earlier, I wouldn't have made such a mess of the beginner level.

That's so damn embarrassing.

At the same time, the eerie and terrifying background music disappeared instantly when the last zombie fell.

Instead, a cheerful melody filled the air.

And a string of prompt text displayed on the screen.

[Congratulations! You have successfully repelled the zombie attack. You have collected 20 silver coins from the defeated zombies.]

[Silver Coins +20...]

Seeing that he had successfully completed the level and received the reward, all of Bao Ge's previous unhappiness vanished, and he was overjoyed.

Undoubtedly, this model of bringing despair followed by sudden success, and then rewarding one for that success, has an infinite appeal.

I thought I was going to die, but not only did I survive, I also got 20 silver coins.

This made Bao Ge so happy that his face was practically beaming with joy.

Even though he didn't know what the silver coins in the game were for, Bao Ge still chatted with the viewers in the live stream with a big smile:

"Hahaha! See that?! That's the power of your brother!"

"I beat the game! Okay, I know how to play!"

"I promise this won't happen again. I'll play however I want from now on!"

As he spoke, Bao Ge rubbed his hands together, waiting for the next part of the game to be played.

It's clear he's completely hooked on this game.

My initial disdain has transformed into a strong desire to explore.

At first, he only planned to play for two hours, which was the promotional time that Fengyun Games had signed for him. He would uninstall it as soon as the time was up.

But now, he has completely put that matter out of his mind.

Even if Chen Feng stopped giving him money, he would still fight to play with it...

"Wabi Babu!"

"Hey! Congratulations, my dear neighbor!"

Just as Bao Ge was basking in the joy of clearing the level, Dave, the old neighbor who was speaking strangely and looked odd, appeared once again.

However, the viewers in the live stream couldn't hold back their excitement at this guy's sudden appearance.

[That bastard! He even has the nerve to call himself the player's neighbor! He hid when the zombies came, then came out again after the player dealt with them. Unbelievable...]

This guy named Dave is pretty pretentious...

However, I got the sunflower and pea shooter seeds from him, so this guy must be pretty skilled.

[What kind of strength do you have? You're a piece of trash who hides as soon as you encounter zombies!]