Chapter 48: Provocation

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Provocation

"Do you need me to save you?"

Jiang Yuxing shook his head. "Not for now. It’s safer where I am compared to outside.

You should find Wang Peng and the others as soon as you can. The temperature difference between day and night on this Desert Island is huge. The low at night can drop to tens of degrees below zero, while the high during the day can reach thirty or forty degrees."

Shi Zhile could already feel the chill.

Jiang Jing came in from outside, stuck a torch in the ground for light, and laid some dry grass in a corner of the house before sitting down next to Shi Zhile.

"The snow is coming down harder outside, and the temperature is dropping below zero. It looks like it’ll keep getting colder. What’s worse is that someone’s got their eye on our house. Try not to go out tonight."

"I know. I just hope this wooden house is sturdy enough."

She paused for a moment before taking out the Magma Stone Basin. The temperature inside the wooden house quickly rose.

"If it really comes to it, you can fight them. I’ll hide in the Planting Space and come out after you’re all dead."

Jiang Jing instantly shot up and moved away from her. "Being with you is a death sentence! You’re heartless!"

Shi Zhile suddenly thought of the Medicine Lake treaty. She asked Jiang Yuxing,

"Is the treaty outside the Medicine Lake real or fake? I don’t remember this when we first entered the Desert Island."

The person on the other end was silent for a moment. "The treaty is real."

"What’s at the bottom of the lake?"

"Water!"

Shi Zhile: "..."

’He’s not wrong,’ she thought, ’but his tone is unusually aggressive, like I owe him money.’

Thinking of Chuyi’s strange look, she tentatively ventured, "Xi Nan?"

As soon as those two words left her mouth, Jiang Yuxing instantly ended the video call.

Jiang Jing spread a blanket over the dry grass, gloating, "Looks like your boyfriend’s angry."

Shi Zhile’s face was blank. "He’s a male friend. Say, should I start a video call with Jiang Yu? You think she’ll come at you with an axe if she sees you?"

Jiang Jing’s smile vanished. Before he could say anything, there was a knock on the wooden door.

Jiang Jing shouted harshly, "Who is it? Piss off if you don’t want to die!"

A voice came from outside the door, one that sounded exceptionally familiar. "Brother, I mean no harm. Interested in cooperating?"

Shi Zhile patted Jiang Jing’s shoulder and lowered her voice. "Speak of the devil. That’s Wang Peng. Where he is, Chuyi is sure to be, and if Chuyi is here, so is Jiang Yu."

She moved closer to the window and saw three figures in the faint twilight.

Jiang Jing’s body stiffened. He took a deep breath, then lowered his voice and said, "Not interested! We’re used to working alone."

Outside, Chuyi spoke up. "In that case, how about we stay out of each other’s way?"

"Fine!"

The three of them left.

Night officially fell, and the snow came down harder and harder.

Many makeshift shelters had appeared by the Medicine Lake outside the wooden house. This greatly reduced the chances of their house being coveted.

The two of them had a simple meal and then each stood watch by a window.

"Was the first dungeon this boring too? I thought with so many players dead, there’d be a massive free-for-all in the dungeon. But right now, it seems this desert instance is centered around the Medicine Lake."

Shi Zhile sat leaning against the wall, her mind replaying the scene on the sea from earlier that day.

"Is it possible the Medicine Lake is just a diversion? What’s the main objective for players entering this dungeon?"

Jiang Jing pondered. "Survive. Kill players on the rankings to climb up yourself."

Shi Zhile smiled. "Surviving and killing players are both secondary objectives. The main objective is to acquire supplies.

Supplies on the Desert Island are scarce. The only vegetation is around the Medicine Lake. If we stand guard here for three days, we’ll not only consume our supplies but also have to face the unknown dangers of the lake.

And if on the final day, the Medicine Lake treaty just disappears..."

Jiang Jing finished her thought, "...it’ll be a bloodbath!"

"Mhm. Among so many people, how many could truly have enough supplies?

Because of the treaty, those lacking supplies will try to borrow them politely. But if they can’t, resentment is inevitable.

We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning. Don’t alert anyone. We’ll leave the house behind."

A wooden house that could block the rain and sun was a rare find in the desert. The moment its owners disappeared, many would fight over it.

’The resentment from not getting food alone won’t be enough to make them all fight,’ she thought. ’I’ll give them some extra motivation, keep everyone busy.’

「Late into the night.」

The yellow sand was completely covered by snow.

Players who hadn’t found a team eventually turned their attention to the wooden house.

Shi Zhile took the first watch. She sent her consciousness into the Breeding Space to collect eggs.

Today’s haul: 41 chicken eggs and 34 duck eggs.

Just as she was feeling pleased, there was another knock on the wooden door.

"Anyone in there? The snow’s coming down really hard. Can you let us in to take shelter? We can give you supplies."

Shi Zhile looked out the window. There were about a dozen men outside, all of them.

She blocked the door with a stone, deliberately making a small noise but not saying a word.

Sure enough, the men outside grew impatient.

"Why waste time talking to him? There are a lot of us. If he’s not saying anything, it means he’s not refusing. Let’s just go in."

The door was pushed hard. When it didn’t budge after a couple of shoves, the pounding grew louder.

"Open the door! Open up, don’t make us do this the hard way."

The noise woke Jiang Jing. He exchanged a glance with Shi Zhile. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Shi Zhile’s voice, pitched artificially high.

"Stop knocking! I’m not letting you in. Don’t forget the first rule of the treaty."

There was a moment of silence outside, followed quickly by lecherous laughter.

"Little sister, we’re all good guys."

"Yeah, open the door. It must be so lonely for you in there all by yourself. Let your big brothers come in and keep you company."

Shi Zhile sat calmly. "You’re not coming in, and that’s final."

She moved closer to Jiang Jing and tentatively tried to pull him into the Breeding Space. The next moment, they both vanished from the spot.

[Planting Space Notification: Living being detected. Type: Human. Devour?]

"No!"

Jiang Jing was wide awake now. He looked all around, squatting in front of the flock of chickens, reluctant to leave.

Shi Zhile casually took out a basket and handed it to him. "If you’re not sleepy, go collect the chicken and duck eggs. We’ll have scrambled eggs tomorrow."

She took out a wooden bed and fell right asleep.

Before sleeping, she sweet-talked the system for a bit and successfully got it to keep an eye on the wooden house for her.

Around four in the morning, Shi Zhile got up and scrambled a dozen or so chicken and duck eggs. She served them with two sandwiches, and after they finished eating, they left the space.

The Magma Stone Basin and the dry grass were all packed away. The two of them carefully opened the door and slipped out quietly.

They had just left when four men began to furtively follow them.

It was the same group that had been knocking on their door the day before.

The commotion yesterday had been loud, so naturally, many people were watching from the shadows. Seeing the wooden house was now empty, the players on watch quickly woke their teammates, hoping to seize the opportunity.

「By the sea.」

Shi Zhile and Jiang Jing were surrounded by four men.

"They both have glowing spots on them. Looks like they’re both players on the rankings."

"Even though we’re teammates, completing the objective still comes down to individual skill."

The four men closed in. Jiang Jing stepped in front, felling one with a single punch.

The remaining three men knew some basic fighting skills, but they didn’t last three moves against Jiang Jing.

They didn’t even manage to touch the hem of Shi Zhile’s clothes.

Shi Zhile’s eyes lit up. She squeezed up to Jiang Jing’s side, took out two axes, and handed one to him.

"It’s either they die, or we do."