Chapter 35: Desert Island

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Desert Island

This ranking was from before Shi Zhile had obtained the Planting Space.

If the System were to issue the two resources, her rank could very well jump to second, or even first.

The System was warning her to be wary of Jiang Yuxing.

’Jiang Yuxing has poison and Corpse Dissolving Water. If my supplies surpass his, and given that I’m just a young woman... when faced with such an absolute abundance of resources, no one would remain unmoved.’

’After all, supplies are the foundation of survival.’

"Got it. Thanks, System~"

[Hmph!]

She closed her eyes, feigning sleep, but never actually drifted off.

As the sun began to set, footsteps sounded from outside the tree hollow.

Shi Zhile sat up, yawned, and looked toward the person at the entrance.

"What time is it?"

Jiang Yuxing was holding a plate. He placed a portion of marinated salmon and a bowl of shelled lobster meat on the table.

"Almost 4:30. Let’s eat first. We need to set out after we’re done.

We don’t have much time. We have to leave the Desert Island before 5:00 AM. Also, bring all your gear, just in case."

Shi Zhile got up nimbly. After rinsing her mouth, she sat down at the table without ceremony.

Jiang Yuxing handed her a pair of chopsticks. "Try it. I didn’t have any strong spices, so I had to use beer to get rid of the fishy smell. I don’t know if it’s any good."

Shi Zhile took a bite and couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. "Delicious."

’To be honest, it was her first time eating lobster meat without the shell.’

She took out three packs of instant noodles, along with her stove and a stone pot. "Lobster ramen. Want some?"

"Yes!"

「As the sun dipped below the horizon, the two of them finally reached the Desert Island.」

She lowered her voice. "What about the player on this island?"

"Killed him!"

We killed him the first night we landed.

At the time, the three of them—he, Chuyi, and Wang Peng—had been heading over together. They ran into the guy before they even reached the Desert Island.

The large ship had rammed the raft, which cracked on impact. Sinking the man into the sea had taken almost no effort.

The Desert Island was nothing but sand. Near the center of the island, a hint of green was faintly visible.

Shi Zhile followed Jiang Yuxing, collecting sand as she walked and stuffing it directly into her infinite backpack slots.

After about an hour, Shi Zhile could finally see what the green patch at the island’s center was.

It was a very small lake, surrounded by all sorts of weeds.

Jiang Yuxing crouched down and continued his search, pulling a thumb-sized herb from among the weeds.

"Don’t underestimate these little plants. They don’t grow anywhere else. This is Mashui Juice, the raw material for making Powder for Anesthesia."

Seeing Shi Zhile staring at the small lake, he said with an amused chuckle, "It’s a freshwater lake, but the water inside is stagnant. You can’t drink it."

Shi Zhile nodded. "I was just thinking, since this water is found among all these medicinal herbs, maybe it’s a poison or a medicine itself."

She walked over and crouched down, and a panel popped up.

[Medicine Lake: A lake containing unknown medicinal properties.

(The tiger wanted its broken leg to heal, so it drank from me and I cured its legs, but it became blind. The loach said it liked damp soil, so I created mud for it to use, but it gave its legs to me. And you, my friend? What do you desire?)]

Shi Zhile felt goosebumps rise all over her skin.

’This lake is alive!’

’It tempts players into making an exchange, but it also takes something else important from them.’

She moved closer to Jiang Yuxing. "What does your panel say about this lake?"

"A lake containing unknown medicinal properties. This lake is a bit strange. I collected a bottle of the water, but I haven’t discovered any use for it yet."

Shi Zhile found an empty glass bottle, filled it with lake water, and then joined him in searching for herbs.

Her gaze fell on one of the herbs, and a corresponding description automatically popped up on her panel.

As expected, the herb’s properties were highly concentrated.

Time flew by. At 3:00 AM, the two of them set sail back on their sailboat.

Shi Zhile opened her panel and noticed the people in the chat channel were unusually active.

After a week of observation, Shi Zhile had noticed that the players from the former Server 2 seemed... inhuman. They almost all rested during the day and came out at night, and their routine was abnormally consistent.

Thinking of this, Shi Zhile voiced her thoughts aloud: "Do you know anything about the players from Server 2?"

Jiang Yuxing was silent for a moment. "Not too much, but it’s best to avoid conflict with them."

’Scared!’

’No, wrong! He’s wary of them!’

’There aren’t many people who could make the number one ranked player feel wary. It seems he considers the Server 2 players an extremely dangerous existence.’

’Are the Server 2 players a single group?’

The return trip was safe, aside from the increasingly rough waves.

The seawater was pitch-black, and a strong, briny, earthy smell hung in the air.

The two of them silently disembarked, stepping onto the island with caution. The instant they were on land, the sailboat was stored away in a backpack, and they both instinctively dodged to opposite sides.

A large, dark shadow lunged from the shore into the sea with a loud SPLASH and quickly disappeared.

The earthy stench brushed past her nose and gradually faded. Remembering that the unknown creatures were evolving, Shi Zhile didn’t dare to be careless. She gripped her axe in one hand and took out a torch with the other.

"Do you still have that torch I lit your underwear with? Outside of dungeons, that torch can grant immunity to damage."

Jiang Yuxing nodded and took out the torch, gesturing for Shi Zhile to walk in front while he brought up the rear.

「Their hearts pounded with fear the whole way back to the shelter.」

She sat down cross-legged and boiled a pot of water on the stove. "I remember Server 3 went through a snow disaster. Most of the treasure chests we’ve opened recently have contained cold-weather clothing. Do you think the next natural disaster will be a snow disaster?"

The firelight flickered across their faces, leaving half of their features hidden in shadow.

Jiang Yuxing held his hands out to the fire. "The weather’s getting colder. Which do you think will arrive first, the snow disaster or a cold snap?"

"The cold snap! It won’t snow if it’s not cold."

"Wrong. The snow disaster comes first. We still have some time. We’ll head out to sea tomorrow morning and stock up on supplies as quickly as possible.

The snow disaster will arrive by the end of the month at the latest. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be for players to survive."

Shi Zhile opened her panel.

Today was the 14th. If the snow would arrive by the end of the month at the latest, she didn’t have much time left.

"Didn’t you say anything in the chat channel?"

During the novice protection period, he had given quite a few reminders in the chat. In fact, it was his warnings that had made Shi Zhile notice this expert in the first place.

Jiang Yuxing shook his head. "Life and death are up to fate. Players who survived the novice protection period are either tough, lucky, or smart.

As long as they pay attention, many people will figure out the future direction of the game. On the contrary, the more I warn people, the faster and more severe the disasters will be."

’His precognitive Passive Skills are a clear bug. The more he proclaims his knowledge to the world, the more severe the dangers he faces become.’

Shi Zhile took out an anti-inflammatory pill and swallowed it with some spring water.

She had slept for a long time during the day, so she wasn’t tired anymore.

She looked at Jiang Yuxing. "You should go to sleep. I’m going into the Planting Space to water the plants. Do you want some greens in the morning?"

"Yes!"

"Alright!"

In a flash, she entered the Planting Space.

Earlier, afraid she might run out of water while outside, she had filled a large white bucket with lake water and placed it in the Planting Space.

To her surprise, the Planting Space could hold anything, not just plants.

The only condition was that anything placed inside had to be put on the black soil.