Chapter 104: The Schemes of Other Players

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: The Schemes of Other Players

Two adjacent mountains stood tall. One belched black smoke while the other sprayed lava, which devoured everything in its path like a fire from the heavens.

Black volcanic ash coalesced into a thick, dark cloud in the sky, continuously spreading toward the horizon.

The deep rumbling grew louder and louder, and the island trembled slightly, as if gathering strength for an even larger eruption.

The two islands were too close to each other. As more and more lava spewed forth, the surrounding air temperature rose relentlessly.

The system alarm blared.

[Warning! Warning! Warning! A volcanic eruption has been detected approximately 1 kilometer below the seabed. Stone Island is within the projected eruption zone.

The area within a five-kilometer radius of the erupting volcano is a danger zone, containing 12 islands.

The area within a three-kilometer radius is a moderate danger zone, containing 7 islands.

The area within a one-kilometer radius is a high-danger zone, containing 3 islands. The projected temperature of the lava flow is 300–800 degrees Celsius. Air temperatures will exceed 60 degrees Celsius.

All players in these zones are advised to prepare accordingly.]

Shi Zhile’s expression was grim. "Stone Island is within the one-kilometer radius. Our island is no longer safe."

Wang Peng said, "Two volcanoes erupting one after another... According to the system’s announcement, this one erupted from the seabed. The lava’s temperature could reach over 1,000 degrees. Once it spreads, the nearby islands will be incinerated without a trace."

Jiang Yuxing looked at Shi Zhile. "It hasn’t spread that far yet. You two should come to my island while you have the chance."

Shi Zhile shook her head. "You two go first. I’m going to watch a little longer. I’ll leave once the lava reaches this point."

’There’s an Energy Shield over the island. It can block minor natural disasters. As long as the lava doesn’t well up from beneath the ground, the shield should be able to hold it off for a while. Besides, I haven’t used my Wish Drifting Bottle for the day. I don’t want to abandon Stone Island until the very last minute. The shelter on Stone Island is something I’ve poured so much effort into building. To just abandon it is too much to ask. Besides, if I leave Stone Island, I have nowhere to go. I could stay on Jiang Yuxing’s island temporarily, but an outsider is still an outsider. Even family members clash over trivial matters, let alone strangers. Rebuilding a shelter would consume a huge amount of resources. The cost isn’t something I can just casually write off.’

Wang Peng sighed. His Volcano Island was completely done for. With nowhere else to go, his only option was Jiang Yuxing’s island.

"When a player dies, their island disappears," Wang Peng said. "But if you can land on their island before they die, you can take it over.

I can’t go back to Volcano Island. If Stone Island gets damaged too, we could go and take over someone else’s."

Jiang Yuxing was silent for a moment. "Three new islands just spawned near mine. We can try to take those."

Shi Zhile agreed. "Alright. If Stone Island is hit, we’ll go take another island. Last time Brother Peng used the Summon Order, he couldn’t use the Teleportation Gate and had to row here. You two should test the Teleportation Gate to see if it’s working."

Jiang Yuxing opened the Teleportation Gate and pulled Wang Peng through.

In the next moment, they both vanished from Stone Island.

Shi Zhile looked away from where they had been and resumed observing the eruption on Volcano Island.

Torrents of lava rolled down the mountainside into the sea. Amidst the billowing black smoke, the water around Volcano Island instantly began to boil.

The volcanic ash spread in all directions, and in the blink of an eye, Volcano Island was completely obscured from view.

The sky grew dim and the haze thickened, feeling as if a great storm was about to break.

Shi Zhile checked the status of the Energy Shield. So far, its power level hadn’t changed.

The high temperature hadn’t yet affected the Energy Shield. With the sun completely blotted out by volcanic ash, the dry heat intensified into a scorching, oppressive warmth.

Just as Shi Zhile was pondering how to use her daily Wish Drifting Bottle, a player from Rainforest Island initiated a video call.

Shi Zhile frowned and declined the call, but the other person immediately sent a message.

[Xiang Bei: Hello, I’m Xiang Bei, a player from Rainforest Island. Our islands are both within the volcano’s blast range. Should we all get together and discuss how to survive this?]

Shi Zhile replied: [No.]

’Both our islands are the same distance from Volcano Island. Meeting up to talk now would be a waste of time; it won’t lead to any solutions.’

The person messaged again: [There are a total of 12 players in this area, including the one on Volcano Island. I’ve already contacted everyone except for the poor sap on the volcano itself. We’re on a video call right now, you should join us. There’s Strength in numbers, and we might actually figure something out.]

Soon after, another player named "Xiang Qian" invited her to a group video call. This time, Shi Zhile didn’t decline. she accepted.

Her interface split into 11 panels, each showing a different player.

Shi Zhile scanned them one by one but didn’t see any familiar faces.

Of the eleven people on the call, all but Shi Zhile were men.

The one leading the discussion, Xiang Bei, was a young man with a scholarly air, wearing glasses.

"Welcome," he began. "Time is short, so let’s skip the lengthy introductions. Stone Island and Rainforest Island are the closest to Volcano Island. The lava has already reached the sea, and the ash is so thick we can’t see the volcano at all anymore.

Putting out the volcano is impossible. Does anyone have another way to stop the lava flow?"

Another man, who bore a strong resemblance to Xiang Bei, spoke up in exasperation, his voice tinged with urgency. "Brother, what are you even thinking? If lava flows could be stopped, people in Japan wouldn’t be dying every time one of their volcanoes erupts.

The best option right now is to abandon our islands and escape by boat. As long as we get far enough away, the lava won’t reach us.

Brother, listen to me. Leave Rainforest Island now. We should all meet up and then head for the Huaxia Base."

Several others chimed in. "I agree with Xiang Qian’s suggestion. The sea is dangerous, sure, but if we all set out together, we can help each other and avoid a lot of the risks."

Another man, his face marred by a scar and twisted into a vicious scowl, added, "I agree, but we don’t need to bring any dead weight. The sea is already dangerous with Sea Monsters lurking about. Why would we bring along burdens? That’s just asking to get us all killed."

His gaze swept over Shi Zhile and an elderly man, well into his sixties with graying temples, the disgust and contempt in his eyes impossible to hide.

Shi Zhile’s expression remained cold. She didn’t say a word.

The old man’s expression was placid, and he showed no intention of speaking either.

Shi Zhile opened his player profile. The only thing visible was his name: Wen Shuhua.

Shi Zhile felt the name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place where she had heard it before.

A shrewd glint flashed in Xiang Bei’s eyes. "Xiao Cong, don’t talk like that. We’re all Huaxia people; we should help each other when we can. Since we’ve all agreed to head for Huaxia Base, how about I organize a party so we can all travel together?"

’Burdens have their uses,’ Xiang Bei thought. ’When sailing, if we run into a Sea Monster, that’s when they can serve their purpose.’