Chapter 42: The Dung Beetle Theory

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Dung Beetle Theory

[Player "Jiang Jing" is inviting you to a voice call!]

Shi Zhile raised an eyebrow slightly and accepted the call.

"What’s up?"

The person on the other end paused for a moment. "Nothing. I was just curious why you suddenly mentioned Jiang Yu. Who is Jiang Yu?"

Shi Zhile snorted. "Just someone who doesn’t know what’s good for her. But it doesn’t matter anymore. She’s been hit with my poison, and without the antidote, she won’t live through the night."

"I see. Are you the only one with the antidote?"

Shi Zhile gave a haughty "mhm." "If I weren’t the only one who could cure the poison, why would I have bothered using it?"

That statement was very suggestive.

At least, to the man on the other end, it was impossible not to read into it.

Jiang Jing’s mind was racing.

’What happened to Jiang Yu?’

’Did she mention Jiang Yu to me on purpose? Does she know my identity?’

’She wants to use Jiang Yu against me!’

’What does she want from me?’

Even though he tried to restrain himself, his tone couldn’t help but turn grim. "What do you want from her?"

Shi Zhile felt a pang of guilt. ’If my guess is right, then what I’m doing is a little too cruel.’

"I want to hear your story."

The other man replied through gritted teeth, "I don’t have a story!"

Shi Zhile was now certain of her guess. She said, "My apologies," then hung up and immediately sent him a screenshot of her recent chats with Jiang Yu.

The two of them rarely texted, usually opting for video calls. Although the calls were always short, it was enough to show they had a good relationship.

[Contentment Brings Happiness: Jiang Yu really misses her brother, but she also hates him. She lost her composure when she heard the name "Jiang Jing." The poison is fake! Also, to cheer Jiang Yu up, I gave her a pair of ducklings. I’ll have to trouble Comrade Jiang to pay the remaining balance.]

[Contentment Brings Happiness: These are special times. I want to live, so I have to ensure my own safety before I can officially trade with you all. Let me introduce myself. My name is Shi Zhile, a type-three... no, a type-two player.]

The contentious, combative type-two.

[Contentment Brings Happiness: Sorry for the blunt question, but even in a game where we don’t know if we’ll be dead tomorrow, do you really have to hide your identity?]

He replied with two words: [What identity.]

Shi Zhile replied: [Dung Beetle Killer.]

Dung beetles push balls of dung. To disguise yourself as one, you have to smear crap on yourself and join the dung-rolling procession.

The other person seemed to understand.

[Jiang Jing (Server 2): Can a young lady like you not say such disgusting things? I just can’t show my face; it’s not like I’m actually smearing crap on myself.]

Shi Zhile asked: [Can the world not know the truth? Even in the game?]

[Jiang Jing (Server 2): The world doesn’t need to know the truth; it’s enough that I know. As for inside the game versus outside... who’s to say this is even a game? Maybe it is, but there are evil people in the game all the same. Or maybe it’s not, since this is our real experience.]

[Jiang Jing (Server 2): Holy crap, I suddenly feel so profound. Don’t you think I’m super brave, super great?! HAHAHAHA, I think so too. I’m a goddamn legend~]

The flicker of emotion Shi Zhile had just felt was instantly extinguished.

[Contentment Brings Happiness: Will the people who know the truth be silenced?]

[Jiang Jing (Server 2): They will~ Unless you keep trading vegetables with me, I’ll hunt you down and chop you up the next time we’re in a dungeon.]

Shi Zhile sent two videos. One showed a flock of chickens eating vegetables, and the other showed a pullet laying an egg.

[What was that? I didn’t quite hear you!]

The other person retracted a message.

[Jiang Jing (Server 2): I didn’t just send anything. Was I being too loud and bothering you? Sorry, I’ll be quieter next time. How much for the eggs?]

Shi Zhile laughed out loud.

’This guy really is interesting.’

She replied: [Seeds, soil, and fertilizer. One set for one egg.]

Eggs were too scarce right now. She had to take advantage of this period when they were both rare and in high demand to rake in as many resources as she could.

There were plenty of wealthy players after the server merge; she couldn’t just fleece one person.

Once the eggs from her experimental chickens could be hatched, she would choose the right moment to offer them fertilized eggs.

Actually, she was a little curious about everyone in Server 2.

Were they all the same?

Or was it a motley crew like in Servers 1 and 3?

She closed the chat window, and a new weather alert popped up on her panel.

[Survival Tip: Blizzard conditions. Players away from a heat source for extended periods are at risk of hypothermia. Snow will continue to fall for the next month. Snowfall amount is unknown. Temperatures may drop as low as sixty degrees below zero. Players, please prepare for the cold and strive to survive.]

The pop-up message was pinned, and messages from other players flooded in one after another, either complaining about how inhumane the game was or crying about being poor.

As the second-ranked player on the resource leaderboard, Shi Zhile had been cursed out so many times she’d lost count of how many people hated her.

The blizzard was not suitable for fishing at sea, which was indeed a fatal blow for players lacking resources.

But it was precisely because they lacked resources that her own value became apparent.

[Contentment Brings Happiness: Selling eggs. One egg for one portion of soil.]

This was aimed at the wealthy players. Those who lacked resources needed food to fill their stomachs; they wouldn’t trade for a rare item like an egg.

She had to profit from the wealthy players, but she also had to profit from the players who lacked resources but could still be squeezed.

It was just that her capabilities were limited for now, so she could only focus on one group first.

The temperature in the glass-enclosed yard dropped below freezing. Except for the area near the furnace, the rest of the space was miserably cold.

The furnace hadn’t stopped, having already produced over a hundred panes of glass.

After stashing them in her backpack, she carried a torch back up to the second floor.

The lava on the second floor hadn’t been removed, so the temperature remained above ten degrees.

A cold wind blew in through the cracks in the window, and as the chill hit her, Shi Zhile shivered.

"I have enough glass, so I can upgrade the windows. It would be great if I had stainless steel. Then I could make sliding glass windows."

"But just having glass is already pretty good. Tong’er, upgrade the windows."

[Materials required to upgrade two windows: Glass x4, Wood x2. Upgrade?]

"Yes!"

As soon as she spoke, the wooden windows disassembled. Before any snowflakes could drift inside, two clear panes of glass appeared in the frames.

The windows were instantly transformed. The cold wind no longer poured in. The only drawback was that the windows were completely sealed shut and couldn’t be opened.

But that didn’t matter right now. Until the blizzard and severe cold passed, the chance of her opening a window was zero.

After being busy all day, she finally had a free moment to sit by the stove and eat a bowl of hot instant noodles.

The aroma of the instant noodles filled the air. Shi Zhile added the lobster meat she had been saving for a few days, then took a picture and posted it in the chat channel.

[Contentment Brings Happiness: Enjoying the snow on a snowy day, eating instant noodles by the stove... it’s absolutely amazing. Anyone want some instant noodles? One pack for one unopened treasure chest.]

[Fengzi: Are you crazy? A pack of noodles for a treasure chest? Why don’t you just rob us instead? Whoever makes that trade is a total sucker.]

[Old Man Le: Boss, I want some! I want some so bad! Look at me, I’ll trade! I’m sending you the agreement right now!]