Chapter 21

Deep down, Su Han wanted to throw the winter gear back in his face. But the moment she shrugged off the down coat, her arms prickled with a chorus of goosebumps in protest. No use fighting it, she pulled the coat back on and zipped up, resigned.
Thinking about Zhong Rui’s tip, trading for jewelry in the late game and reselling it for cash in the next instance, Su Han perked up and bundled herself tightly before heading out to scavenge.
The streets were almost deserted, bleak and empty. Su Han wandered aimlessly, thinking there really ought to be a market or two popping up now that supplies were running low.
Sure enough, she’d barely made it a block when she heard a commotion up ahead. Su Han quickened her steps and soon found a small impromptu street market.
“Buying down coats, wool blankets, insulated boots and pants, top prices!”
“Family heirloom jade bangle! Only trading for food!”
“Desperate for fever meds! Name your price!”
Su Han browsed a few stands. Winter gear was now far pricier than it’d been a few days ago. Back when the tornado hit, no one cared about winter clothing. But when the cold wave rolled in, panic set off a frenzy, everybody scrambled to buy, and prices shot through the roof.
“Come on, the island’s always been tropical, who’d ever expect temperatures to drop below zero?” a customer nearby sighed, echoing what everyone was probably thinking. “Nobody ever bothered hoarding down coats. You never even wore them! If you bought a blanket, it was just for the decor.”
Su Han got it. If something’s never happened before, people always assume it never will. So when disaster strikes, they panic.
But understanding didn’t mean she agreed. As a prepper, she believed in always being ready, no matter what survival crisis landed on your doorstep.
Truth was, she’d only hoarded one alpaca-wool blanket, nothing more. On the surface, she’d just not planned well enough, but really, she was broke… If she’d had the cash, she’d have bought out the whole market ages ago.
It just felt wrong to trade away valuable, limited survival supplies for winter gear she might not even use this round. Better to wait till she made her fortune and stock up, too bad disaster struck first, as usual.
Su Han shook her head and refocused, making a thorough sweep of the market. By the end, she knew exactly where things stood.
Cold weather gear was now stratospherically overpriced, no point stockpiling any more. Far smarter to scoop up cheap jewelry now and splurge guilt-free in the next instance. Besides... the prices on accessories were honestly a steal.
“A solid gold safety lock for just three loaves of bread? Hm... how about cake, biscuits, or chocolate, would you swap for those?”
“Gold rings, gold necklaces, bracelets, anklets? I’ll take the lot.”
“Pigeon-blood ruby ring? That’s too steep, drop the price and I’ll consider.”
“Nice shade on the emerald, if the price is right, I’m in.”
In no time at all, Su Han had filled a box with jewelry and gemstones. Judging by regular prices, it felt like she wasn’t holding a jewelry box, but the deed to a mansion.
On her way back to the inn, Su Han made a point to take a stroll along the beach. As expected, not a single trace of seafood washed up by the waves remained.
Strolling along, Su Han passed the dock. She glanced to the side, and instantly did a double take. Wasn’t that Zhong Rui over there? And what was that next to him…?
Su Han nearly facepalmed. Zhong Rui had several enormous shipping containers lined up beside him!
She couldn’t help but rub her forehead, thinking, People’s minds really do work differently. Some folks hoard bottled water, others stock up on giant jugs. Some folks cram supplies in backpacks, others use storage boxes, and then there’s this guy… who sets his sights straight on shipping containers.
With plenty of cash, a portable inventory, and shipping containers at his disposal, was this guy aiming to become a living system bug? Amused at the thought, Su Han drifted closer to get a good look at this top player.
To her surprise, Zhong Rui didn’t look pleased at all. He was grumbling under his breath, “Seriously? Now it says the item’s too large, doesn’t fit?”
Su Han couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter.
Zhong Rui glanced over, his expression easing a little. “What are you doing here?”
“I went and swapped out a bunch of jewelry,” Su Han replied, and shot back, “How about you?”
Zhong Rui gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “As you can see, I was trying to stash these shipping containers in my portable space. Too bad the system won’t let me.”
Before Su Han could answer, he clicked his tongue. “I even considered squeezing an RV in there. Guess that plan’s dead in the water now.”
An RV… Su Han realized there were a whole lot of wild ideas in this game that she’d never even dreamed of.
“Where do you get all your money?” Su Han couldn’t help but ask. She doubted just selling jewelry would get anyone this loaded.
Zhong Rui hesitated, then decided to be honest. “At the end of the beginner instance, I tried collecting some currency to bring into the second round. Didn’t expect it to work, but turns out the money’s valid here, plus, it actually has normal purchasing power in this round. It was a great surprise.”
Su Han: “……”
The guy in front of her was actually someone who cleared the beginner instance! Day 20 of that crazy inflation, what was that even like!?
Zhong Rui elaborated, “On day 20, three million Bei barely bought you a bowl of noodles, not that you could find any to buy. But here, that cash is a fortune. You can buy almost anything.”
“You’re incredible,” Su Han exclaimed, genuinely impressed.
“You’re not too shabby yourself.” Glancing at the time, Zhong Rui’s face tensed. “I’ve got a ton to do, catch you later.”
He hurried off.
Watching his retreating back, Su Han murmured softly, “He actually shared crucial intel for free… Maybe having a reliable teammate wouldn’t be so bad after all.”
Since entering the game, this was the first time she’d thought teaming up might be a great idea. Two people could cover each other’s weaknesses.
On Day 12, the system delivered some cheerful news right on schedule: “Light snow today. Lowest temperature: minus 10 degrees Celsius. Those with weak constitutions are at risk of frostbite. (Players with stamina >80 are immune.)”
“Due to burst water pipes, island-wide water supply is suspended effective immediately.”
Minus ten…
Su Han bundled herself tighter in her little blanket, determined not to leave her room for anything.
But without power, there was no heat. No matter how tightly she wrapped herself, only her face peeking out, the chill still seeped in.
All at once, Su Han remembered something, and dashed out the door. Zhong Rui was standing right outside, hand raised, about to knock. They nearly crashed into each other.
Surprised, both stopped in their tracks.
“What’s up?” Su Han asked first.
Zhong Rui quickly regained composure. “It’s freezing. I’m thinking of burning some firewood for warmth. If both of us chill in the same room, the firewood will last way longer. Want to team up?”
Su Han nodded. “Works for me. I was just about to boil some water for tea, and maybe fill up a hot water bottle.”
“Let’s do it together.”
The two grabbed armfuls of firewood from the storage, then set up a bonfire in room 502.
Su Han huddled close to the flames, feeling real warmth soak into her bones. She finally relaxed for the first time all day.
“If I’d known it’d get this bad, I wouldn’t have slacked off, I should’ve chopped down another tree for more firewood,” Su Han muttered, annoyed.
Zhong Rui replied offhandedly, “Don’t worry. I’ve got charcoal and solid fuel stashed too. We’ll have enough to last at least five days.”
Su Han: “……”
Was this what it felt like to be rich? Just buy whatever you want, no need to sweat the details. She had to admit, this guy was seriously reliable.
“So, what did you swap for after the whole shipping container fiasco?” Su Han asked, making small talk.
“Ten medium storage boxes. Any bigger and the system blocks it,” Zhong Rui said, not hiding his disappointment.
“But a storage box packs way more stuff than a measly hundred-item limit, so it’s fine. I can fit so much more than before.”
“My initial plan was to burn through all my emergency supplies in one go. But now, since most of it fits in my portable space and carries into the next instance, it’s all good.”
Su Han struggled to keep her expression in check, was he for real? Did he seriously mean most of his stockpiles could fit? Could ten storage boxes not hold all of it? Just how much stuff had this man hoarded?
She used to think her own supply stash was extreme, but now realized there was always someone crazier out there.
“Honestly, looks like you could survive just fine on your own. You don’t need teammates at all,” Su Han said, awed.
Zhong Rui shrugged. “In a survival game, you never know what’s coming. Better to be overprepared than sorry.”
Su Han fell silent, quietly fishing out some snacks from her portable storage and nibbling away.
Zhong Rui had to look away. Sure, he had ninety packets of food bars, not going hungry, per se, but those things tasted like cardboard. Every bite was suffering.
He’d been so focused on prepping everything else that he totally forgot to stock up on snacks, by the time it hit him, it was already too late.
After chewing tasteless ration bars for days, Zhong Rui couldn’t bear to watch someone else savoring delicious food.
Who would’ve guessed,
“Want some?” Su Han started pulling out chocolate cake, meat floss cream bun, candy, chocolate, cookies, one after another, offering them all with a grin. “Take whatever you like, seriously.”
Zhong Rui fought the urge, lost the battle, and said, absolutely deadpan, “Well, don’t blame me for not holding back, then.”
He quickly boiled some instant noodles with bottled water, sinking his teeth into that ultra-soft bread as he did. Yep, having a teammate really does make you feel a whole lot safer.
Once the water was ready, Su Han whipped up a hot water bottle, nearly bouncing with impatience to press her hands against it.
Her numb fingers slowly regained life, and every inch of her body grew cozier. Su Han let out a long, content sigh, it felt like heaven itself.