Chapter 74: Exchanging for Eggs

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Exchanging for Eggs

The deeper they went, the larger and more luxurious the rooms became. The small cabins gave way to deluxe suites.

Unfortunately, all the furniture had been ruined by the seawater.

The biggest haul on the second floor was unopened family planning products. Inside the deluxe suites, piles of embarrassing little toys were strewn about.

After exploring the second floor, they continued to the next one down. The seawater on this level was noticeably colder, and the visibility was even lower.

Jiang Yuxing led the way with Wang Peng bringing up the rear. As soon as their feet touched the deck plating, the three of them immediately split up to search.

Shi Zhile moved inward along the edge of the corridor. Her foot hit something, instantly clouding the water in front of her.

She crouched down and carefully felt around. Suddenly, her hand closed around something cylindrical. She picked it up and brought it closer to see—it was a can of food.

The light from her headlamp shone on the aluminum can, allowing her to see it more clearly:

"Canned hairtail, packaging is intact, shelf life... Holy shit! Fifteen years. Production date is ’18. It’s not expired. I’m taking it."

’Where there’s one, there’s bound to be more.’ She kept searching and eventually found two more around a corner.

Further in was a half-height bar. The floor was covered in shattered glass. She found a few intact glasses in a nearby cabinet, along with several unopened bottles of foreign liquor, which she also stowed in her backpack.

She didn’t know if she’d chosen a bad route or if her luck was just terrible, but the deeper she went, the scarcer the supplies became.

Suddenly, her foot caught on something. She crouched down to feel it and discovered it was a handle-like switch.

She turned the handle slightly. The next moment, countless foam boxes floated up.

She grabbed one at random and opened it, nearly gagging at the contents.

It was rotten meat that had decomposed into a bloody sludge. Although the temperature at the bottom of the sea was low, the meat hadn’t been vacuum-sealed. After long-term fermentation in the seawater, it had turned completely to mush.

With all the foam boxes now floating at the ceiling, a passageway was revealed underneath.

’This might be where they stored the food.’

She propped the hatch open with a rock and dove through the small entryway, following the stairs down.

Below the main deck was a small storeroom. Locked iron chests took up most of the space. She had fished up one of these chests before. Without checking what was inside, Shi Zhile collected them all into her backpack.

Only after all the chests had disappeared did she see the gash in the hull below.

’Maybe the iron chests I fished up before floated out from here.’

She retraced her steps, returning to where the three of them had agreed to meet.

Wang Peng was ecstatic. "I just found a ton of canned food, and none of it is expired!"

Jiang Yuxing said, "It’s five o’clock. It should be getting dark outside. There’s probably a time limit on breathing underwater. We have to get back to shore before six."

Shi Zhile agreed. "You’re right, we should head back. I just found the way out. Follow me."

She led the way, and the three of them quickly exited the sunken ship.

Aside from being tossed around by a huge wave as they surfaced, the journey back to shore was smooth. It took about half an hour to get from the deep sea to the beach.

Inside the shelter, the three of them huddled around the stove to warm up.

Shi Zhile opened her panel. The number of private messages from players wanting to buy eggs was 99+.

She started opening them, one by one, from the top of the list.

10:00 AM: [Sun Ci: Hey, Miss Number One! Willing to trade sanitary pads for eggs? A box of twelve packs for twenty eggs.]

3:00 PM: [Sun Ci: Please don’t ignore me! I’m serious about the trade. If that’s too much, how about one box for eighteen eggs? I can’t go any lower. I really can’t.]

She desperately needed sanitary pads.

Shi Zhile replied: [Sorry, I just saw this. Still want to trade? If so, I’ll send a contract for eighteen eggs.]

[Sun Ci: Yes, yes! I’ll trade! I’ve sent you the contract.]

Shi Zhile quickly reviewed the contract. After confirming there were no issues, she signed it and sent the items.

[Player Sun Ci has sent you Sanitary Pads x12. Accept?]

"Yes!"

After accepting, she didn’t take them out, instead storing them directly in her sailboat.

Second player: [Cui Yu: Do you have any fertilized eggs? I’ll trade you beef sinew for thirty of them.]

[Beef Sinew: Beef sinew obtained from a treasure chest (I am different from ordinary beef sinew. I am inedible, but I am extremely tough and hurt when you hit people with me. I am suitable for making whips, bows, etc.)]

The item description was sent as a screenshot. What surprised Shi Zhile was the way it was phrased.

’His item description also has a first-person narration. Does that mean he has a system, too?’

She called out to her system in her mind, ’Take a look at this player. Can you tell if he has a system?’

[I need to see the player in person to judge based on his energy fluctuations.]

Shi Zhile made a sound of understanding. ’Last time you tried to steal energy from Jiang Yuxing, your own energy suddenly dropped. Did you ever figure out why?’

It was better not to bring that up. The moment she did, the system felt like it was about to explode.

[I don’t know, but I can confirm that Jiang Yuxing has a system. I just can’t determine what kind of system it is yet.]

Shi Zhile asked, ’What kinds of systems are there? Is a Seduction System considered an Advanced System or a low-level one?’

[Seduction Systems are the most useless of all. Their Level isn’t high, but it’s not too low either; you could call them lower-mid tier. But don’t you worry, I’m an Advanced System. Normal systems are no match for me. When they encounter me, all they can do is get obediently devoured.]

Shi Zhile glanced at Jiang Yuxing and saw he was grilling some beef. She goaded her system, ’Want to take this chance to try again? What if you actually succeed this time?’

The system’s voice was eager. [Maybe... we should give it a try?]

’Go for it. I believe in you.’

The system’s attempt sent it directly into hibernation.

Shi Zhile called out in her mind a couple of times. When she heard no response, she knew it had failed again.

She acted as if nothing had happened and replied to the player, Cui Yu: [Fifteen eggs. I do have a rooster, so whether the eggs are fertilized is a matter of luck.]

She already had a bow and arrow. A long whip would just be the icing on the cake.

’If I do get my hands on it, I suppose I could craft a long whip. After all, I won’t know which weapon suits me best until I try it.’

At night, all the players were idle, so the response time was much faster.

[Cui Yu: My luck has always been good. I won’t haggle with you, let’s do twenty eggs. I know you’re not short on supplies, but when it comes to life-saving weapons, the more the better. After all, if you don’t get your hands on it and practice, you’ll never know which one is a better fit, right?]

[Contentment Brings Happiness: Deal! "If you don’t get your hands on it and practice?" Someone in the know would assume you’re talking about the weapon. Anyone else might think you’re hinting at a person.]

She drafted the contract and sent it over. After the other party signed it, she took twenty eggs from her Breeding Space and sent them.

The other party didn’t accept the items right away. Instead, he sent back an ambiguous reply.

[Cui Yu: Maybe I was talking about a person.]

Shi Zhile ignored him and took out the beef sinew.

"I want to craft a long whip. Do either of you have the blueprint? I can trade beef for it."

Wang Peng flipped the grilling fish. "I remember Jiang Yu has a whip blueprint. The required materials are pretty rare, though. I don’t know if she’s traded it away yet."