Chapter 208 - 181: Searching by Yourself Is Never as Fast as Robbing

Chapter 208: Chapter 181: Searching by Yourself Is Never as Fast as Robbing

"WAAAH, Rowan Rhodes is way too OP! Level 9!"

"It was only a matter of time before she reached Level 9. I just think it’s crazy that she was dealing with Harold Thompson and still had the mind to upgrade her raft. With a mindset like that, she’ll succeed at anything."

"Yeah! So they guessed right earlier. The weapon Rowan just used against Harold must be the one unlocked by the Level 8 Raft."

"I wonder what it is!"

"Our district doesn’t have any other Level 8 Rafts yet, but other districts do."

"@Zelda Parrish @Skye Schuyler @... Do you guys have any news from the main group chat? After all, there are players with Level 8 Rafts in other districts."

"Zelda Parrish: The weapon unlocked by the Level 8 Raft is the Vortex Torpedo, a highly lethal modern weapon."

"WHOA, it sounds incredibly powerful just from the name."

"Boss Rowan has truly entered the era of modern weaponry!"

"For every Level after Level 6, the accumulation of resources required is massive. Only Rowan can just upgrade whenever she wants!"

"Yeah! Formidable!"

"I strongly request Boss Rowan to write a guide."

"I feel like Boss Rowan’s guides probably wouldn’t apply to us. Take the sunken shipwreck for example—who else has the capability to swallow it whole like she did?"

"That’s true!"

"Looks like we can roam around the same sea area more often from now on. Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll stumble upon a sunken shipwreck too!"

"Speaking of which, Harold and his crew still had a bit of luck on their side to encounter the sunken shipwreck. It’s just that their luck wasn’t strong enough. They ran into Rowan, lost the shipwreck, lost most of their own resources, and are now in Boss Rowan’s hands."

"Wasn’t it because of their own greed? If they had just left on their own accord, nothing would have happened."

"True."

"This lesson is definitely enough for them."

"Wait, do they even have a chance to choose again?"

"In Rowan’s hands, they probably do. But in the eyes of others, that’s not guaranteed."

"..."

In the District 122 world channel, the players continued to sing Rowan’s praises. After all, her actions constantly shattered their worldviews. Overall, however, they were happy. Rowan’s overwhelming strength gave them a certain sense of security, especially since she always gave back to District 122.

But when the topic shifted to Harold Thompson and his crew, the tone became somewhat meaningful. This time, Harold’s group was likely doomed. Even if they managed to escape Rowan, the other players—especially those they had bullied—would never pass up this chance for open retaliation. The opportunists wouldn’t let it slide, either. A fallen giant is still a giant; targeting Harold’s weakened crew was a much safer bet than going after unknown players.

These players were all biding their time.

Meanwhile, the targeted Harold and his crew had already arrived near Rowan, completely cowed by her intimidation. Looking at her raft from such a close distance, they felt an unprecedented, suffocating pressure. They never expected her to possess a lethal weapon like the Vortex Torpedo. If they had known, they would have fled long ago. Right now, they wondered what price they would have to pay to escape Rowan’s clutches.

Just as these thoughts crossed their minds, Rowan stepped out of her raft’s cabin. Several Seagulls flanked her, and she cradled a creature resembling a lump of black coal in her arms. The moment they saw that black furball, everyone’s pupils constricted. Wasn’t that a Void Beast? To think that a Void Beast from the Void Isle was actually following Rowan! They finally realized how the resources on their rafts had vanished into thin air. They had been carted off by the Void Beast!

They hadn’t expected the Void Beast to assist Rowan’s pets in a coordinated attack. Had they not been the ones suffering the heavy losses, they probably would have applauded the creatures’ Wisdom.

Once their shock subsided, the players’ gazes shifted to Rowan herself. Contrary to the burly, fierce amazon they had imagined, Rowan had exquisite, beautiful features and skin that radiated a healthy glow. Even in the real world, she would be an unforgettable presence at first glance. Yet, standing before her now, the very first thing they noticed was her slightly sharp gaze. Deep within her eyes lay a trace of chilling indifference that made them not dare to act out of line.

A moment later, one of the players couldn’t help but beg for mercy.

"We really just wanted a piece of the pie! We never intended to do anything to you, Boss. Please let us go!"

"We’re all compatriots here. It’s not good to hurt each other."

"From now on, whenever I see you, I’ll stay as far away as possible."

"Please, let us off the hook."

"I’m willing to offer half of my net worth!"

"..."

As they kept speaking, their attitudes grew increasingly sincere, especially the last player, who spoke with agonizing reluctance. After witnessing Harold’s current predicament, none of them harbored any delusions of luck. They were well aware that Rowan didn’t have the time to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. But what if she targeted them specifically? They didn’t have Harold’s confidence or capabilities to survive a direct bombardment from the Vortex Torpedo. Driven by the primal urge to survive, they compromised. After all, they hadn’t offended Rowan as deeply as Harold had. Wasn’t it obvious that Harold was being made an example of?

None of them dared to even glance at Harold. His current state was truly miserable.

Listening to their pleas, Rowan raised an eyebrow and looked directly at the player who had offered half his resources.

"Sure! Give me half the resources you currently have on hand, and you can leave," Rowan said bluntly.

This player, Jane Yates, froze for a moment before hastily digging out his resources. He was the one who had been left on the surface to guard the rafts, which meant his own raft hadn’t been stripped of its resources. When Harold and the others returned, looking thoroughly battered and having suffered heavy losses, Jane knew he couldn’t stay in this team any longer. Who knew if they would try to hold him accountable once everything was over? Therefore, when he begged for mercy, he was fully prepared to buy his safety with resources. He had only offered half to leave some room for negotiation; his actual bottom line was parting with three-quarters of it.

He hadn’t expected Rowan to agree so readily. So what was his choice? Naturally, he chose to hand it over.

As Jane made his offering, Void Beast Atticus leaped in front of him, gathered all the resources he had pulled out, and then hopped back into Rowan’s arms.

After paying his dues, Jane cautiously said to Rowan, "Boss, I’ll be going now."

Rowan gave a soft hum of acknowledgment, and Jane immediately started his raft to retreat. His raft drifted further and further away.

Once the other players confirmed that Rowan wasn’t going to attack, they also began preparing their tributes.

"I’m willing to offer half my net worth, too," Simon Quinn was quick to follow, looking at Rowan with burning eyes.

Rowan’s gaze landed on Simon as she said flatly, "Two-thirds."

Simon’s expression stiffened, but he still replied, "Alright." He was afraid that if he haggled, he would end up paying even more. After handing over his share, Simon promptly left.

The subsequent players all offered their tributes according to the two-thirds quota. Most of them found it acceptable. Having already been thoroughly plundered once, two-thirds of what they had left wasn’t much anyway; getting away safely was far more important. Just like that, they left one by one. By the time they departed, each player looked as if they had been drained of all their strength.

Finally, the last one remaining was Harold Thompson. Compared to the others, Harold’s current state was truly pitiful. Stripped down to the most basic Equipment, he had nothing left but a bare raft. As he looked at Rowan, a sliver of resentment flickered deep in his eyes. He assumed that since Rowan had saved him for last, she had no intention of letting him go. After all, the two of them had forged a genuine enmity today.

"The same goes for you. Two-thirds," Rowan said casually.

Harold froze, staring at her in sheer disbelief. "You’re really willing to let me go?"

"If you don’t want to leave, that works too. Jump into the sea, and give me all your resources," Rowan said coldly.

"I’ll give it! I’ll give it!" Harold sputtered, hastily handing over two-thirds of his remaining Wooden Treasure Chests. After paying up, he waited a moment. Seeing no further reaction from Rowan, he finally fled.

Once Harold was gone, Rowan checked her newly enriched inventory, her eyes brimming with satisfaction. As expected, scavenging on her own was nowhere near as fast as robbing!

"Master, there’s another raft over there. It’s been lingering for a long time," Seabird One reported. Seeing Rowan’s expression, the bird knew she was in a good mood and hurried to inform her of the situation.

Hearing this, Rowan followed Seabird One’s gesture and spotted a three-story-tall raft. Its Level was Level 7—definitely a top-tier existence in District 122.

Rowan recognized it immediately. It most likely belonged to Wendy Thorne, the "reporter" who had been passionately broadcasting on the District 122 world channel. Recalling some of Wendy’s earlier comments, Rowan started her raft and headed toward her.

She wondered if the other party would misunderstand her intentions and flee in terror. However, she was genuinely curious.