Chapter 42

Suddenly, Su Han slapped her forehead as she remembered something. “An Rongyue’s in this instance too. She brought a seawater purifier, and she promised, she’ll cover all our clean water needs.”
Zhong Rui’s face lit up. “That’s awesome. That’ll save us a ton of trouble.”
But then, considering it, he added, “But maybe don’t just let her cover it all. We should still trade fair and square. Just the fact someone can provide clean water steadily in this instance is already huge for us.”
“Mhm, I was thinking the same thing.” Su Han nodded.
At first, she’d teamed up with An Rongyue, not because she actually wanted her to be on water duty for the entire instance. It was just that in the early days, things were too random, luck was everything. With An Rongyue around, she could at least keep risks under control.
And once the first few days passed, it’d all come down to strength and strategy. After that, Su Han knew she could survive just fine on her own.
After a bit more chatting, Su Han and Zhong Rui started unloading, leaving the milk, cola, chocolate bars, and other snacks in the cave. Then, each grabbed three live fish, walked out one after another, and carefully disguised the cave entrance.
On the way back to camp, Zhong Rui couldn’t help but sigh, “I’m really doing my best not to draw attention. But if I trade just one or two fish at a time, I’ll never finish. So, it’s gotta be five or six per run, split into three trips. Who could have guessed that Baldy and his crew would come after us even for just five fish?”
Su Han said casually, "It's no wonder people get tempted when they're broke and starving." Just like someone on the edge of desperation, sometimes they’d rob for a couple hundred bucks. Same principle applies here.
Zhong Rui shook his head with a sigh.
It was just past noon, the sun blazing overhead, and the players in camp were starting to feel their lips crack from thirst.
Someone had somehow scavenged a stash of coconuts and was now gulping down coconut water. The juice was clear, crisp, with a hint of sweetness that had everyone watching in envy.
While the rest were parched, all they could do was stare longingly as others enjoyed coconut water right in front of them. For a moment, you could almost taste the class resentment in the air.
Just then, Su Han and Zhong Rui returned to camp, carrying six live fish.
Out of the corner of his eye, the guy with the coconuts spotted Zhong Rui and went completely still with surprise. After a moment, he gathered up the last three coconuts in his arms, walked straight over, and handed them to Zhong Rui.
Su Han assumed he wanted to trade for fish, but the kid shook his head and said firmly, "They're for you."
Su Han, "…"
If the coconut-bearer hadn't been a boy and Zhong Rui wasn't a guy, she'd honestly think she’d just witnessed somebody trying to flirt in broad daylight.
Zhong Rui narrowed his eyes, bemused. "You?"
And suddenly, he remembered, this boy was the one he’d saved on the cruise ship. After the tenth day in their last instance, he hadn’t seen him, and just figured they’d never cross paths again. Turns out he was wrong, the fourth dungeon, and here they were.
"I'm Lin Xinghai," the boy introduced himself and nudged the coconuts forward. "Go on, drink up."
He even lingered after, waiting politely to see if Zhong Rui needed anything else. When it was clear he didn't, Lin Xinghai finally turned and left.
Su Han clicked her tongue in amazement. "Not bad, you’ve got people handing over their most precious water supply. Color me impressed."
Zhong Rui looked conflicted. He could feel the jealous, hungry stares from the other players growing hotter by the second. The only thing holding them back was his intimidating reputation. But given time, who knew what desperation would drive someone to do?
He immediately found a free spot and called his friends over to share the coconut water.
As soon as the hard shell was cracked open, a wave of sweet fragrance burst out. Su Han downed hers in long, eager gulps, then let out a satisfied sigh.
Zhong Rui felt a wave of refreshment roll through him as well. After a moment, he offered the last coconut to Su Han. "Here. For you."
Su Han didn’t hesitate, she drank every drop.
The prying, jealous looks around them finally faded, probably because everyone realized it was pointless to envy, might as well focus on their own survival.
"I'm going to grill the fish next. You?" Su Han asked.
Zhong Rui glanced around the camp, thinking aloud, "I’ll wander a bit, but I won't go far. Call me if you need anything."
"Alright," Su Han replied softly.
And so, the two split up for now.
Zhong Rui stood and strolled leisurely through the camp.
He hadn't gone far before he let out a low whistle of admiration.
A girl was just finishing up a fishing net woven from vines. It wasn’t as fine or large as his, but it would definitely catch bigger fish, more than enough for their needs.
Not far away, someone else was crafting a tiny, delicate basket from bamboo, roughly the size of a book.
With a basket like that, all you needed was a sturdy stick, some grain for bait, and a bit of rope to create a simple trap. The moment an animal went for the food, you’d yank the stick, and the basket would drop right on top, presto, fresh catch.
Another player was busy whittling a long wooden spear, slowly and steadily shaping it to a point. The system limited their tool stash, so now it was up to everyone to improvise.
Clearly, any player who made it to round four had some real skills.
But after wandering around, Zhong Rui found himself frowning. The tools were ingenious, sure, but they weren't what he needed. He was craving things like wooden bowls, chopsticks, clay pots, smoking racks, basic comforts, not hunting gear.
But with hungry bellies and water in short supply, who had time for creature comforts?
Even with innate skills, extra loot only dropped by chance. Day one was a paradise for the lucky few; the rest of them had to grind it out through sheer grit.
Most people were barely scraping by, Zhong Rui thought, feeling a bit exasperated.
"I'm back!"
Su Han was grilling fish when she heard a familiar voice call out. She glanced up to see An Rongyue striding over, a bunch of bamboo canisters slung across her shoulders, obviously filled with drinking water.
Su Han raised an eyebrow and called out, "You’re finally back. Any longer and I would’ve forgotten you existed."
"What can I say? Lost my portable inventory and suddenly I’m dead broke, scraping by for survival," An Rongyue muttered. "I had to hustle hard just to score these bamboo flasks."
She couldn't help scanning the area. "Where’s Zhong Rui? Haven’t seen him yet."
"No idea where he wandered off to. Always so busy," Su Han grumbled, half-joking and half not.
"Tsk tsk tsk." An Rongyue smirked. "Gone so long, not even worried his wife might run off. The man’s got nerve."
But she shrugged it off just as quickly. "Whatever. You two are always together anyway. I'll hand his share over to you."
As she spoke, An Rongyue held out four bamboo canisters.
Su Han shook her head. "Actually, I was just about to tell you, keep the water for yourself this time."
An Rongyue blinked, puzzled. "Why?"
What made her change her mind?
"Before, I was worried we’d have rotten luck and not find enough drinking water, so I didn’t refuse," Su Han explained patiently. "But now that’s not an issue, so I don’t want to trouble you anymore."
An Rongyue silently marveled, only a top player could manage this well without a water purifier.
She didn’t insist, just said, "Well, if you’re ever short on water, my supply is always open. Just ask, no need to be polite."
"Thanks," Su Han replied with a smile, then called out, "The fish is almost done grilling, want some?"
An Rongyue instantly remembered the terror of being stared at by hungry players. Her answer was firm: "Nope." And with that, she got up to leave.
Su Han stared at her in surprise.
“Sorry, I’m just more used to flying solo.” An Rongyue gave a small, apologetic smile.
Su Han nodded, completely understanding. “Hey, play however you like. It’s your game.”
“I’m off, then.” With a quick wave, An Rongyue left without a backward glance.
Some people believed that, in games, only the end result mattered. As long as you made it to the finish line, whatever it took, nothing else was important.
But she felt the journey mattered more than the outcome. She was curious to see how far she could get relying only on herself, with zero interest in latching on to a big shot for an easy win.
Su Han muttered under her breath, “Girls these days, they've got guts.” Shaking her head, she pushed the thought aside and refocused on grilling fish.
The sweet, smoky scent of roast fish was growing impossibly tempting.
Before Su Han could even say anything, people were already lining up in front of her.
Su Han: “……”
Honestly, she wanted to warn them that her grilled fish required a trade in willow baskets, not just anything.
But before she could speak, someone beat her to it. “How about elastic bands? You can use them to hunt!”
Su Han blinked, and then it clicked. There’s such a thing as a frameless slingshot: you loop the elastic around your ring and middle finger, pull it back with your index and thumb, and voila, no frame needed. All you needed, after all, was a single elastic.
She sized the person up and down, then asked, “How many elastics did you bring? What about ammo?”
“Loads and loads.” The guy let out a nervous laugh. “And for ammo, you just collect sharp little stones. That’ll do.”
Su Han named her price without hesitation. “Two elastic bands for one fish. And you have to throw in something extra.”
“Girl, that’s downright brutal!” He squeezed his eyes shut in anguish. “These are hunting tools! Think, once you have a slingshot, how much more game you could catch?”
Su Han was unmoved. “How much damage do you really think a pebble will do? Hunting with this thing? Not exactly reliable. I’m only trading because I’m curious to test it out.”
The guy fell silent. Sure, frameless slingshots worked great, if you had ammo. And not everyone could actually make use of them. Besides, even the best slingshot was useless if you couldn’t aim.
Most importantly, the smell of that grilled fish was absolutely irresistible. No way this was some cursed survival ‘fusion cuisine’ nightmare!
He clenched his jaw and gave in. “Deal! Two elastics, and I’ll even throw in a sparrow!”
Sparrow, huh… Su Han wasn’t remotely interested in skewered sparrow. But she knew that, for your average player, any wild meat at all was a win.
“Here, take it.” Su Han handed over a stick of grilled fish.
The other player swallowed hard and quickly produced two elastics and a tightly bound sparrow.
The trade complete, he bounced away with a spring in his step.
The next five people, though, offered junk hardly worth considering. Su Han rejected all their trades.
The players left, shoulders slumped, thoroughly dejected.
But the more frustrated they were, the more annoyed Su Han felt. There were just too few useful supplies. Unless she wanted to get nothing for her grilled fish, she might as well eat it herself.
Thinking this, she grabbed a skewer and took a healthy bite.