Han Feng was speechless. "Aren't you supposed to be guarding the shelter? If you hide inside the thatched hut, then who's going to protect us?"
The wooden fence sounded pitiful. "But... I'm scared!"
"Scared, my *ss! Toughen up!" Han Feng snorted before turning around and stepping into the thatched hut, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Ouch! Be gentle! That hurt!" the thatched hut complained.
Han Feng rolled his eyes. "You guys are ridiculously dramatic."
He ignored their whining and took a look around the hut. Due to the darkness, there was no source of light, and the inside was dimly lit. His eyes swept the floor, and he noticed something new—what seemed to be a straw mat.
It was about two meters long, one meter wide, and five centimeters thick.
It must have been formed from the thatched walls, he figured. Though it wasn't large, it was enough to be useful.
Han Feng tossed the frying pan, the entrenching shovel, and the magnifying glass into a corner before plopping himself down on the mat.
Not bad—soft and quite comfortable.
The entrenching shovel suddenly spoke up. "Boss, is it comfy?"
Han Feng replied nonchalantly, "It's alright. Why do you ask?"
The entrenching shovel chuckled. "Can I try lying on it?"
Han Feng scoffed. "Do you think you deserve that?"
A mere shovel wanting to enjoy the straw mat? Who spoiled it this much?
The entrenching shovel fell silent.
Ignored, Han Feng slowly lay down on the mat and opened the regional chat for Area 10086.
As soon as the chat loaded, he was startled to see that only 3,860 people remained in the channel.
Where did the other 140 go?
Could they all be... dead?
They had only been in this world for half a day, and already over a hundred people were gone. And that was just in their region. If he added up all the other regions, how many would that be?
Countless, for sure.
This world was far too dangerous.
Han Feng sighed and began reading through the chat.
Wu Dahai: "Guys, I'm going to say this again. Whatever you do, DO NOT go to the beach! DO NOT go to the beach! DO NOT go to the beach!"
Li Chenguang: "You said that three times."
Wu Dahai: "Because it's important!"
Zhang Sheng: "What's wrong with the beach? I was planning to go catch some crabs tomorrow."
Wu Dahai: "The beach is too dangerous! There aren't just man-eating sea turtles—crabs are vicious too!"
Su Lin: "Crabs? Man-eating?"
Wu Dahai: "Yes! They eat people!"
Zhang Sheng scoffed: "I have a transformation ability. A few crabs won't be a problem for me."
Wu Dahai: "You could transform into a giant gorilla, hell, even King Kong, and it wouldn't help you."
Zhang Sheng: "You're exaggerating."
Wu Dahai: "I wish I was! These aren't your ordinary crabs. Each one is thirty centimeters across, about the size of a d*mn washbasin! And they're extremely aggressive. Earlier today, someone on our island—Li Liang—went to the beach. Guess what happened? A whole swarm of crabs tore him apart and devoured him!"
Everyone: "Holy sh*t!"
Zhang Sheng: "Guys, if the beach is that dangerous, we should stay away."
Jiang Feng: "But we only got three pieces of bread. Who is that enough for? If we don't search for food, where else can we go?"
Chen Qiang: "We can catch insects—like grasshoppers. They're rich in protein and totally edible."
Yang Xuliang: "Where do we find grasshoppers?"
Chen Qiang: "In the grass, but be careful. These grasshoppers are strong and move in swarms. If you're going after them, go in a group. Otherwise, instead of catching them, you might get eaten yourself!"
Su Lin: "Even grasshoppers are terrifying?!"
Tao Naimu Xiangnai: "I've said it before—every creature on this island is deadly."
Shi Mang: "Waaah! I'm scared! I wanna go home to my mom!"
Chen Qiang: "Face reality, man. We've all been exiled. You're never seeing your mom again."
Shi Mang: "Don't say that! I only got a 6,000-year sentence. If I serve my time, I can go home."
Everyone: "...."
Serving a 6,000-year sentence and expecting to go back? Is this guy brain-dead?
Zhang Sheng: "Shi Mang, what crime did you commit to get such a long sentence?"
Shi Mang grumbled: "I was fixing my neighbor Wang Jie's plumbing, and when she was showering, I took a peek. Just a single peek! And they slapped me with 6,000 years! Do you think that's fair?"
Wu Dahai: "Why does this sound so familiar? Like I've seen it somewhere before?"
Yang Xuliang: "Don't think too hard. You've probably watched too much Japanese adult content."
Zhang Sheng spat: "Ugh! So you're a peeping tom? You deserve that sentence!"
Shi Mang: "But I only looked! I didn't do anything!"
Chen Qiang: "Looking is still a crime. Sharing a region with you is the biggest disgrace of my life."
Shi Mang: "...."
Jiang Feng: "Guys, do any of you still have food?"
Su Lin: "We all got three pieces of bread and three bottles of water. You already finished yours?"
Jiang Feng: "I eat a lot. I need at least ten pieces of bread per meal. Three is nothing! I'm starving—I feel weak and lightheaded!"
Wu Dahai: "Man, even landlords don't have surplus grain right now. Everyone's struggling. No one's going to give you food. But I have a suggestion."
Jiang Feng: "What is it?"
Wu Dahai: "Endure it."
Jiang Feng: "F*ck! If I could endure it, would I even be complaining?"
Wu Dahai: "Then I got nothing for you."
Xu Damao: "If you're really desperate, dig up some roots. Those are edible."
Jiang Feng: "You sure? Isn't that animal food?"
Xu Damao: "When you're starving, even tree bark is edible. I ate it as a kid. It's got a slightly sweet taste. The only downside is, if you eat too much, you'll get constipated."
Jiang Feng: "Better than starving. I'll try it tomorrow."
Peng Yu: "Don't listen to Xu Damao. I have a better idea."
Jiang Feng's eyes lit up: "What is it?"
Peng Yu, completely serious: "You could just eat sh*t! Eat, poop, repeat—endless cycle. You'll never starve!"
Everyone: "...."
Eat sh*t?
How the hell did he even come up with that?!
Zhang Sheng cautiously asked: "Peng Yu… have you eaten sh*t before?"
Peng Yu: "Are you insane? Of course not! That's disgusting!"
Jiang Feng: "Then why are you suggesting it to me?!"
Peng Yu: "I was just trying to help."
Jiang Feng: "F*ck you and your whole family for eighteen generations!"
Peng Yu: "...."
Han Feng silently closed the regional chat. These people were hopeless.
He then opened the trading hall to check out what was available.
One post caught his eye:
Tong Xiaowei: "Selling 100 empty water bottles—trade for one piece of bread."
Han Feng's eyes flickered.
Empty bottles might be worthless to others, but not to him.
After all, he had a water spring that produced ten bottles of fresh water daily.
Since he couldn't drink that much himself, storing it in empty bottles would be perfect.