Chapter 202 - 177: Not Leaving Even a Single Scrap for the Opponent

Chapter 202: Chapter 177: Not Leaving Even a Single Scrap for the Opponent

Meanwhile, at the sunken ship on the ocean floor.

Rowan Rhodes had already dismantled it down to the third deck. Only two decks remained of the entire shipwreck. Rowan checked the time. She figured she could finish dismantling the wreck before the Water-Repelling Pearl’s Effect wore off. During this process, she periodically checked the messages in the World Channel. Although she didn’t consider Harold Thompson and his group a threat, she still had to guard against them doing something unpredictable that could disrupt her progress.

As it turned out, checking the chat actually yielded some results this time. Harold and his crew had decided to enter the water.

Rowan’s eyes flickered. Entering the water at this point meant they probably wouldn’t gain any benefits. "Let them come!" she thought.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, she saw Harold and his group speak up in the World Channel.

"Harold Thompson: @Rowan Rhodes, Boss, we have no intention of attacking. We just feel that since we encountered a shipwreck, we’d like to explore it properly. Please don’t take offense."

"Simon Quinn: @Rowan Rhodes, if possible, we’re willing to give you half of the resources we gather. We hope you can give us a chance."

"Elias Ziegler: @Rowan Rhodes, the resources of the shipwreck are just like the islands. Every player has the right to explore them. Today it’s us, but what if other players encounter it later? Therefore, we hope you’ll allow it."

The members of Harold’s team surfaced in the chat one after another, tagging Rowan and expressing their thoughts.

In reality, this read more like a liability waiver. It also served to declare to the other players in District 122 that they had indeed entered the water, while simultaneously trying to emotionally blackmail Rowan to prevent her from attacking them in the dark. This proved they genuinely recognized her strength, terrified they might accidentally lose their lives.

But their little schemes were crystal clear to the players of District 122.

"Cowardly, yet they still love stirring up trouble."

"They always love making themselves the main characters."

"Exactly! Ever since they discovered the sunken ship, I haven’t seen Rowan say a single word forbidding them from getting close to it!"

"They’re just scared of Rowan’s reputation and tiptoeing around, and now they’re trying to preemptively shift the blame onto her."

"Right. Now they just want to use District 122’s public opinion as leverage to make Rowan hesitate before laying a hand on them."

"But they do have a point. The shipwreck doesn’t belong exclusively to one player; others have the right to explore it."

"But Rowan never stopped them!"

"Besides, a shipwreck really isn’t the same as an island. Just imagine telling the top players from other districts not to snatch the abandoned airplane back at Glimmerstone Isle, or telling them not to rob resources from other players."

"Harold’s team has actually robbed other players before. I’ve never heard of Rowan doing that. Do we even need to compare their character?"

"Just reading what they posted makes me sick."

The emotions of District 122’s players weren’t so easily manipulated, especially when comparing the moral standing of Rowan against Harold and his crew. What kind of person was Rowan? And what kind of person was Harold? It would be a miracle if anyone actually believed Harold. As a result, the vast majority of the comments were mocking him and his team.

Harold and the others saw these mocking remarks, but they didn’t care in the slightest. They knew their objective had already been achieved. They had let the other players know they were going to explore the shipwreck. If anything happened to them, it would definitely be tied to Rowan, which would more or less impact her reputation! To minimize that fallout, Rowan probably wouldn’t go in for the kill.

As for their own reputation? What did that matter? Could it feed them? They even thought Rowan cared too much about her image. If they possessed her level of strength, they definitely wouldn’t let it go to waste; they would inevitably monopolize most of the resources for themselves. But this was fine. This exact weakness gave them an opening.

At the same time, Rowan easily deduced their intentions from their actions. Having figured it out, she realized these people were overthinking things. The primary reason she didn’t attack other players was simply that robbing them yielded less than what she could earn on her own. It was an unseemly method with no real profit.

As for supporting the players of District 122, that was because she saw the benefits of unity and cooperation. If someone encroached on her interests, she wouldn’t hold back. Just like with the players who had previously come to rob her—she hadn’t shown any mercy and had confiscated all their property.

Aside from District 122, did the players in other districts think Rowan was a saint? They didn’t. The entire server universally acknowledged that she was not someone to be trifled with. As for the players in District 122, they respected her because she never used her status as the server’s top player to throw her weight around locally. She had even provided resources on multiple occasions, helping many in the district survive difficult times. Therefore, the players of District 122 naturally viewed Rowan through a favorable lens.

Most importantly, they all understood one thing clearly: Rowan had her own bottom line.

And this was indeed true! After her rebirth, Rowan held a massive advantage. At the same time, her mindset had undergone a significant shift, making her far more decisive and ruthless. But one thing remained true: she refused to become someone who acted with unbridled malice. If she did, what difference would there be between her and the people who bullied her in her past life?

Finishing her train of thought, Rowan increased her dismantling Speed. She truly wouldn’t stop other players from exploring the wreck. However, if she managed to collect all the resources before they arrived, that was none of her business.

For the time being, she simply replenished her stamina while dismantling, her physical state fluctuating up and down. Enduring this constant fluctuation was uncomfortable, but she gritted her teeth and bore it to prevent anyone from taking advantage of her. Besides, her physical constitution had improved significantly—especially since acquiring more Skills, which provided corresponding buffs to her physical stats.

As a result, by the time Harold, Simon, and the others hurried to the scene, only a hollow skeletal frame of the sunken ship remained.

The moment they saw it, Harold and his group were stunned.

Where was the ship? Where was the massive sunken shipwreck? All that was left was this empty frame?

After the initial shock wore off, the group began searching for any sign of Rowan. As they looked around, they spotted her enveloped in a vacuum bubble nearby. Everyone’s pupils contracted involuntarily at the sight. Rowan was moving freely on the ocean floor without a diving suit or an oxygen bottle.

What kind of incredible item did she have?! They were consumed by envy, jealousy, and resentment.

In that very moment, Rowan finished dismantling the last remaining framework of the shipwreck. With that, they lost the chance to touch even the bare skeleton of the ship.

Having finished her task, Rowan shot a faint glance at Harold’s group before swimming straight up, completely disregarding their presence. Left behind on the seabed, Harold and his crew were collectively demoralized!

They hadn’t salvaged a single thing. What was the point of doing all of that?!