The mist ahead swiftly receded, yet the haze behind relentlessly pursued.
As the island drifted forward, the directional arrow remained a constant red—offering no opportunity to turn or halt.
In other words, once a direction was chosen, it could not be altered.
Meng Hao's heart stirred with unease, uncertain of what lay ahead.
Even with a formidable 98K sniper rifle in hand, a weapon of immense lethality, anxiety still gripped him tightly.
Though the 98K possessed devastating firepower, its flaw was equally apparent—its deafening roar.
A game prompt warned: the gunshot would alert any zombies within a 500-meter radius.
A lone zombie would pose no threat.
But should there be two or more, the situation would grow precarious.
And if it were a horde… then firing would be tantamount to suicide.
After drifting forward for about ten minutes, the island's speed gradually slowed, revealing a small landmass approximately two kilometers in diameter emerging from the mist.
There were flowers, grass, hills, and trees.
Yet only half the scenery was visible—the remainder shrouded in dense fog.
Moments later, the two islands gently drew near, halting silently ten meters apart.
Simultaneously, the arrow atop Meng Hao's base island shifted to green, and the status changed to 2/3.
[You have arrived at an uncharted island. Do you wish to disembark?]
The prompt, once again in blue font, beckoned him to make a choice.
This meant that arrival alone did not force entry—one could retreat if the island appeared too perilous, though at the cost of wasting a precious drift attempt.
In the early stages of the game, such a feature was a godsend for beginners.
If an island teemed with the undead, it was better to flee than to perish.
Even with a 98K in hand, Meng Hao knew he had to carefully assess the danger before him.
The sky was dim and heavy. Half the island lay veiled in mist, with the air thick with the stench of decay.
Meng Hao scanned the terrain. In the grass not far ahead, a zombie lurked beside a treasure chest.
Though mentally prepared, the sight of its rotting flesh still jolted him.
Pale, lifeless eyes. Razor-sharp fangs. Blackened claws. A suffocating stench...
One, two, three...
Beyond the grass, one zombie stood amidst the trees and another loitered along the beach.
Whether more hid within the fog remained unknown.
Meng Hao swallowed hard, gripping his 98K tightly, his heart pounding like a war drum.
"Don't panic," he muttered. "I've got a silver-tier 98K. Compared to those guys wielding sticks, I'm a walking juggernaut."
"Besides, that zombie is within range—I can shoot it from here."
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he began to measure the spacing between the three visible undead.
They would need time to reach him.
Even if others lurked in the mist, they were far enough away not to hear the shot.
Encouraged by his analysis, Meng Hao's confidence began to grow.
"Disembark."
He tapped the blue game panel to initiate landing.
Instantly, a two-meter-wide stone bridge emerged, connecting the two islands.
[Landing Bridge: A stone bridge linking both islands. Initial width is two meters, expandable as the base island levels up.]
He skimmed past the blue prompt.
For now, a wide bridge served little purpose—should he need to retreat from a horde, narrowness would aid defense.
In time, when his base flourished, a broader bridge would allow faster troop deployment.
Poised atop the stone bridge, Meng Hao raised his 98K, the dark barrel aimed squarely at the zombie's head.
It was about two hundred meters away—a range where the 2x scope would barely suffice.
Bullet chambered. Sight aligned. He aimed for the skull, drew in a breath, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A thunderous report echoed as the 98K roared like a miniature cannon, the bullet hurtling forward.
–60 HP!
The shot scraped across the zombie's cheek, blasting away a large swath of decayed flesh, revealing the bone beneath.
"D*mn!" Meng Hao cursed, his body trembling.
He'd missed.
Despite the scope, his first shot had failed to pierce the zombie's skull.
The undead had been aimlessly pacing—he hadn't accounted for its movement.
No time to dwell on it—he hastily chambered the next round.
One shot wasn't enough. He had to fire again.
"Roar!"
The zombie let out an earth-shaking howl, its face half-torn, blood blackened, visage grotesque.
Enraged, it locked onto Meng Hao's position and charged toward the bridge.
Worse still, the other two zombies, drawn by the noise, turned their attention his way.
Thankfully, the other two remained outside the 500-meter gunshot radius—while they heard the roar, they couldn't pinpoint his location.
Reloaded, Meng Hao took aim again, this time abandoning the headshot.
A novice like him would fare better aiming for the body—larger, easier, more forgiving.
He adjusted the scope downward, centered the reticle on the zombie's torso, and fired.
Bang!
–100 HP!
The bullet punched a fist-sized hole through its chest. The zombie crumpled lifelessly.
[Congratulations! First zombie slain. Reward: Crystal Coin Furnace.]
[Crystal Coin Furnace: Black iron-grade item. Automatically refines slain zombies into one Crystal Coin per body. Refinement time: 10 minutes.]
[Crystal Coins: The primary currency of the Island Survival Game. Usable for all resource purchases.]
[Ding! Divine Fortune triggered. 100x reward.]
Reward options:
100 black iron-grade crystal furnaces
1 silver-grade crystal furnace
Meng Hao pondered.
Only one furnace could be used at a time—more were redundant. Option 2 was clearly superior.
"Option 2."
[Congratulations! Silver-grade Crystal Coin Furnace acquired. Refinement time per zombie: 6 seconds.]
A black iron furnace took ten minutes per corpse—his now needed only six seconds.
An overwhelming advantage.
The more he killed, the greater the edge.
While others refined one zombie, he could refine one hundred.
[Refinement complete. +1 Crystal Coin.][Ding! Divine Fortune triggered. +100 Crystal Coins.]
First the blue system prompt, then the golden glow of his fortune buff—his gains multiplied one hundredfold.
One kill now equaled the bounty of a hundred.
His wealth skyrocketed.
While others still fought for food and safety, Meng Hao was already advancing toward prosperity.
His confidence soared after the first kill.
The two remaining zombies, claws raised, sprinted toward him.
Meng Hao steadied himself, took aim through the scope at the nearest one's chest, and fired.
Bang!
–100 HP!
Another fell.