Chapter 33: Successfully Passing the Level!
Chen Mo clicked "Start Game" and placed an Ice Mushroom in the second row as his opening move.
Just two seconds later, accompanied by some eerie sound effects, a hair-raising horde of zombies surged forward!
It was truly a sea of zombies. The number of zombies was so vast that it was impossible to count them. In the overlapping mass of zombies, it was impossible to distinguish which types they were. All that could be seen were the largest red-eyed giant zombies, stacked layer upon layer, trudging forward!
In the gaps between the giant zombies, Disco Zombies, Pole Vaulting Zombies, Football Zombies, and others charged forward in groups. The zombies holding vaulting poles lined up like knights charging in formation, making people want to shout, "Holy crap!"
The red-eyed giant zombies simultaneously hurled small zombies toward the plants in the back rows. Instantly, seven or eight small zombies landed near the Gloomy Mushroom and Ice Watermelon. And it didn't stop there—countless small zombies flew over continuously like popping beans, madly gnawing at the Ice Watermelon.
The Gloomy Mushroom began frantically spraying juice, while the Ice Watermelon started hurling watermelons at the zombie horde.
Chen Mo didn't panic. He kept clicking on Corn Cannons and various plant bombs, turning swaths of zombies into charred remains. Occasionally, he planted a few cheap Spore Mushrooms and Sun Mushrooms to slightly slow down the zombies' advance.
Under the relentless bombardment of various bombs, the zombie horde fell in droves. Wen Lingwei and the others hadn't even gotten a clear look at what the zombies looked like before they turned into piles of ash and a ground full of gold and silver coins.
Moreover, Chen Mo's timing with the Corn Cannons was impeccable. It was as if he could predict where the zombies would appear, always positioning them exactly where support was needed most.
Jia Peng watched in stunned silence. Chang Xiuya covered her mouth. Even Wen Lingwei's eyes widened.
Is this even possible?!
A puzzle game, yet it felt more mechanically demanding than some ordinary strategy games?
Under Chen Mo's relentless barrage, it seemed like the zombies had no resistance at all—no matter how many came, they all died.
"I just realized how insane the Corn Cannon is!"
"I know the Corn Cannon's power, but how did the store manager protect so many of them?"
"It feels like... the store manager's formation is very strategic. It perfectly counters the traits of all the zombies. There's hope!"
Even the audience was getting a bit tense.
The game continued. The zombie horde kept attacking the plants, but under the massive slowdown effects, their speed became incredibly sluggish. With Chen Mo's rhythmic bombardment, they quickly fell.
By the time a large wave of zombies approached, Chen Mo hadn't lost a single plant!
"Here it comes, here it comes! A huge wave of zombies is approaching! I think the store manager can really hold out!"
"Holy crap, there are so many!!"
As the system notification appeared, massive waves of zombies surged forward again. Small zombies flew in groups, while the huge giant zombies pushed forward under intense fire.
Chen Mo remained calm, maintaining the same rhythm as before—Corn Cannons, bombs, a flurry of actions that were dizzying to follow!
Jia Peng felt like he couldn't keep up. He wanted to watch where Chen Mo's mouse was clicking, but there was too much happening on the screen. He couldn't memorize all of Chen Mo's moves.
Everyone else was also watching intently. They knew that Chen Mo's ability to get through so many levels with this lineup wasn't just about the formation—it also required skill and technique.
They had mostly memorized the formation by now. All that was left was the technique.
After nearly a minute of intense combat, the last red-eyed zombie collapsed weakly. Chen Mo's plants were mostly intact, all bombs were off cooldown, and he hadn't even spent too much sun.
"Whoa, he passed it!!"
"Level 2012, he actually passed it! Oh my god!"
Everyone present was stunned. How did he do it? Can you really reach level 2000?!
And it seemed like Chen Mo wasn't even flustered. He still had spare capacity—he could probably keep going.
But judging by his expression, he didn't intend to continue.
"Store manager, do it again!"
"Yeah, store manager, explain the key techniques!"
"Store manager, how exactly do you place the Corn Cannons? Which positions do you aim for?"
"When's the best time to use the Doom Mushroom and Ice Mushroom?"
The crowd surrounded Chen Mo, all asking technical questions.
Chen Mo smiled faintly and closed his laptop.
"As I said earlier, I'll only demonstrate it once. How much you learn depends on your own insight."
Chen Mo wore an enigmatic smile, like a reclusive master.
Jia Peng protested, "Hey, store manager, you can't do this! You're just teasing us!"
Chang Xiuya also said, "Store manager, show us one more time!"
Wen Lingwei said coldly, "Explain it properly, or I'll go to the app store and give Plants vs. Zombies a bad review!"
The others chimed in, "Yeah, bad review!"
Everyone tried their own methods to persuade him.
They all surrounded Chen Mo, wanting him to share more tips for clearing the level. But Chen Mo was unmoved—neither coaxing nor threats worked. He had the attitude of someone who couldn't care less.
After all, Endless Mode was something these players could enjoy for years. The process of exploration was the greatest source of fun. If Chen Mo handed them ready-made theories now, it would undoubtedly shorten that exploration process and diminish their enjoyment.
So, one demonstration was enough. No more, and no further detailed explanations.
Seeing Chen Mo's firm stance, a few students quietly slipped away from the counter, returned to their seats, and began trying to set up the formation using Chen Mo's method.
Soon, the others also gave up. While their memories were still fresh, they hurried back to their seats to try setting up the formation.
Before leaving, Wen Lingwei shot Chen Mo a glare. "Hmph, stingy store manager."
Chen Mo's mouth twitched slightly, but he held back. After all, this was for the sake of the game and the players. Yeah.
Soon, Wen Lingwei and the others were deep in Endless Mode, trying to clear levels using Chen Mo's formation.
The formation itself wasn't hard to remember. Wen Lingwei and Jia Peng were both clever. After a bit of practice, they memorized it and cross-checked with each other. It was basically the same.
To set up this formation early on, they needed a few levels of preparation. They had to plant all the necessary plants in the first few levels, then swap in the bombs for later stages.
But that didn't stump Wen Lingwei and the others. They quickly set it up quite well.
In the previous life, Plants vs. Zombies had been played to death by all kinds of experts. The formation Chen Mo chose was a fairly standard 3C Eight-Cannon setup with four Sunflowers—a balanced formation that could easily reach over four thousand levels.
Generally speaking, the more cannons, the greater the firepower. But Corn Cannons were also very fragile. If one was destroyed, there would be a long gap in output, easily leading to a vicious cycle and eventual collapse.
Genius remembers this site's address in one second: