Chapter 89: New Rules, One Extra Person

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: New Rules, One Extra Person

Shi Zhile’s heart tightened.

One point of Spirit Value was consumed per minute.

She quickly checked her panel. ’I only have 15 Spirit Value points left. The trip here took 25 minutes, and the return journey with the cargo will probably take half an hour. I don’t have enough Spirit Value.’

But it was impossible for her to abandon a whole net full of supplies.

She first stored the two treasure chests from the net into her inventory.

[Spirit Value consumption: 1 point per 2 minutes.]

A smile touched Shi Zhile’s lips. At this rate, she would have just enough for the return journey.

She hadn’t eaten lunch, and though she wasn’t hungry, she needed to replenish her strength.

She took out the leftover beef and finished it, then began her journey back.

As she dragged the fishing net ashore, the dull ache of her completely depleted spiritual power exploded from her temples.

The pain bored toward the spot between her eyebrows, and waves of darkness washed over her vision.

She staggered, pressing her hands tightly against her temples. After a moment, her vision cleared.

The beach wasn’t safe; she had to get back to her wooden house immediately.

She collected some seawater into her inventory, then slung the fishing net over her back and headed for the wooden house.

Seawater leaking from the fish and shrimp soaked her clothes, and a fish tail would occasionally slap against her back. Although the smell of fish filled the air, the thought that she wouldn’t have to go out tomorrow because of this catch made her quite happy.

No one was outside the yard. Inside, Lan Lan was busy working. By the time Shi Zhile reached the front of her own wooden house, the pain was unbearable.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed right in front of the house.

Lan Lan jumped in fright and rushed to help her up.

"Sister Zhile, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?"

Shi Zhile struggled to speak. "Not hurt. Just exhausted."

Lan Lan breathed a sigh of relief and tried to lift the net of fish and shrimp for her.

The effort of lifting it just a little made her face turn beet red. "It’s so heavy! No wonder you’re this exhausted after carrying it all the way. I’ll help you move it into your house."

Shi Zhile nodded.

The panel had indicated that after the upgrade, no one but her could enter the wooden house. She wanted to use Lan Lan to test this out.

Lan Lan lifted the net with both hands and shuffled toward the wooden house, only to be stopped by an invisible force at the doorway.

Unconvinced, she charged forward, only to be thrown back the next second.

She put down the net, backed up a few steps, and tried to rush into the house with a running start. This time, she was sent flying.

Shi Zhile: "..."

Lan Lan: "..."

She got up, wincing. "Sister Zhile, your house has a mind of its own! It won’t let me in."

Shi Zhile picked up the net, walked into the wooden house, and sat down inside.

"Try coming in again."

She was now inside the house and had given her permission to enter.

She wanted to see if this would allow other players to enter her house.

Lan Lan walked forward and, this time, successfully entered.

Shi Zhile took out a military greatcoat, spread it in a corner, and then started a fire.

"Open the net and take a couple of fish back to roast. Also, you have to build your wooden house tonight. If you have enough wood, try to get it to Level Two."

Lan Lan opened the net and picked out two small fish. "Upgrading to Level Two will stop other players from getting in?"

Shi Zhile didn’t deny it. She gave her two more large fish, each around three pounds. "Go build your house. I need to get some sleep."

After Lan Lan left, Shi Zhile erected a man-high stone wall in front of her door for cover. Then, she took off her wet clothes and rinsed them with seawater to wash away the fishy smell.

The Soft Armor was waterproof, so she gave it a quick wipe with the wet clothes before putting it back on.

She draped her wet clothes over a branch to dry by the fire. Then, she used an axe to chop the fish and shrimp in half and store them in her backpack. After rinsing the doorway clean with seawater, she collapsed onto the military greatcoat to rest.

Night fell, and a cacophony of hammering and banging came from outside.

Shi Zhile opened her panel. ’It’s already six-thirty. I actually slept for three hours.’

The fire had dwindled. Her clothes were completely dry, with fine sea salt crystals clinging to the surface. She picked them up and patted them out for a moment.

After getting dressed, she recalled the stone wall and stepped out of the house.

A fire burned in the middle of the yard. Lan Lan, Luo Jiuyin, and Li Ran were all busy working in front of their respective wooden houses.

A small patch of blood remained beside the fire. Shi Zhile walked over, added some firewood, and then washed the stain away with seawater.

Seeing Shi Zhile come out, Lan Lan put down a stone and rubbed her wrists, saying rather proudly, "Sister Zhile, come check out my wooden house."

Shi Zhile looked over.

The wooden house wasn’t tall, resembling a tent. It was small and compact, just big enough for one person to lie down in.

The gaps between the logs were small, and the foundation was solid. As long as there wasn’t a blizzard, it would be enough to keep her alive.

"Not bad. Did a Level display appear?"

Lan Lan nodded excitedly. "Level Two Wooden House! I had Sister Jiu Yin try it. No one can get in except me."

A faint smile touched Shi Zhile’s lips. "Good. You’ll be able to sleep soundly tonight."

Shi Zhile returned to her own house and took out wood and iron nails to build a ladder.

Once the ladder was finished, Shi Zhile started working on the roof.

The current roof was made of reeds, which would be damaged by wind and rain. She needed to build a new one out of wood underneath the reeds.

She placed a long log across the center of the roof as a beam, then fixed shorter, uniform logs to the beam and walls on both sides.

The south wall of the house had no door, so she built a wooden door and installed it.

All in all, it took nearly an hour to finish assembling the simple little house.

As the door was installed, the wooden house upgraded to Level Three.

[Wooden House upgrade complete. Current House Level: Three. The sixth rule has been unlocked.]

[Rule Six: There are new rules on the island. Violators will die!]

Shi Zhile was startled.

’New rules on the island?’

’How come I haven’t seen them?’

She pushed open the door and scanned the yard, suddenly noticing what looked like words on the giant boulder.

It was too dark to see clearly, so she took out a torch and walked closer.

[New Rules: Rule 1: Killing is forbidden on the island. Players killed by other players will transform into island monsters and attack indiscriminately.

Rule 2: Wooden houses are the only defense against monster attacks.

Rule 3: Wooden houses can be upgraded. Over seven days, the monsters’ destructive power will increase. Once a wooden house is completely destroyed, its owner will become food for the monsters.

Rule 4: Killing monsters may randomly drop treasure chests, but leaving your wooden house at night will result in being swarmed by monsters.

Rule 5: There are currently 8 players remaining on the island.]

’The first four rules are understandable, but what does the fifth one mean?’

’Is it just to inform players of the exact number of survivors?’

Shi Zhile copied the rules and sent them to the island’s group chat. When she saw that the group chat showed nine members, a cold sweat broke out on her back.

’So that’s what Rule Five was implying.’

’There are nine people in the group, but only eight actual players. That means one of them isn’t human... or rather, isn’t alive.’

She returned to her wooden house to process this information as the sounds of others moving about came from outside.

Lan Lan knocked on her door. "Sister Zhile, where did you find the new rules?"

Shi Zhile opened the door and counted everyone one by one. Including herself, there were indeed nine people.