Qin Yu sat at his exclusive fishing spot, gripping the seemingly ordinary but lethally potent SSS-grade Poseidon fishing rod.
Sweat trickled down his temple.
He remained motionless.
Like a stone statue.
Although he had just enjoyed an extravagant meal of Mutated Blue Crab and was full, a sense of impending danger lingered in his heart.
The sawtooth shark was merely an appetizer.
Since the system declared the "newbie period over," the main course that followed would undoubtedly overwhelm many.
"Brother Qin Yu, have some water."
A pale, delicate hand reached over, holding half a bottle of mineral water.
Yao Qian had quietly approached without him noticing.
She had just finished cleaning the blood-stained fishing nets, yet she carried no unpleasant odor. Instead, her White Silk Stockings and school uniform were slightly damp with seawater, clinging to her body and exuding a youthful vitality.
"Hmm."
Qin Yu took the water and gulped it down.
Before he could even screw the cap back on,
the fishing rod in his hand suddenly jerked downward!
"It's here!"
Qin Yu's eyes instantly sharpened like blades.
This sensation was entirely different from the last time he hauled up a box full of clothes.
It wasn't heavy.
Instead, there was an erratic, tugging resistance.
As if something alive underwater was playing tug-of-war with him.
"A living creature?"
"Or a special box?"
The muscles in Qin Yu's arms tensed abruptly, veins bulging.
"Up!"
He grunted, leveraging his core strength as he yanked upward sharply.
"Splash—!"
Water sprayed everywhere.
There was no earth-shattering roar.
A pale golden shadow broke through the water's surface, tracing a dazzling arc under the sunlight.
"Thud."
The object landed on the deck, bouncing a couple of times.
It wasn't a fish.
Another box.
But this box was completely different from the deep, heavy bronze one before.
It was a sleek, rounded suitcase with a faint golden sheen.
Judging by the material, it seemed to be crafted from some kind of high-grade beast hide.
The clasps were pure gold.
On the side of the case, the same letter that made Qin Yu's heart race was engraved.
[B]
Another B-grade!
"Holy crap…"
Qin Yu couldn't help but curse under his breath.
His luck was truly unmatched.
While others might pray and prepare meticulously just to hook a D-grade wooden box, he casually cast his line and landed another B-grade right off the bat?
Was this the benefit of heightened mental strength?
Or a hidden attribute of that SSS-grade fishing rod?
"Another high-grade box?!"
Yao Xue, who had been sun-drying fish, set down her work and hurried over.
She adjusted her glasses, her eyes gleaming as she stared at the case on the deck.
"This color… it looks like it holds something valuable."
"Could it be a medical kit? Or precision instruments?"
Her professional instincts were kicking in.
Qin Yu ignored her speculations.
He placed his hand on the box—the texture was warm and smooth, unlike something that had been submerged in seawater for long.
"System, open it."
Qin Yu silently commanded.
"Ding!"
"B-grade Supply Box (Special Edition) successfully opened!"
"Congratulations, host, for obtaining: [Doomsday Gluttony Gift Pack] x1."
"Congratulations, host, for obtaining: [53° Flying Moutai] x2."
"Congratulations, host, for obtaining: [Iced Happy Water (330ml)] x24 cans."
Qin Yu stared at the list that had popped up before his eyes.
The corners of his mouth uncontrollably curved into a wide grin.
At this moment.
Even if someone offered him a Gatling gun, he wouldn't trade it!
On this damned sea.
The most torturous thing wasn't the monsters or the storms.
It was the blandness in his mouth.
Eating fish every day, fish at every meal—even mutated giant crabs started tasting the same after a while.
His mouth had long been craving flavor.
"Food?"
Yao Qian asked tentatively, watching Qin Yu's strange smile.
"Brother Qin Yu, don't scare me, your smile is so creepy..."
Qin Yu didn't respond.
With a wave of his hand.
The suitcase on the ground instantly vanished.
In its place appeared a pile of brightly colored packaged snacks, along with two neatly stacked cases of drinks and alcohol.
That red packaging.
That familiar font.
In this world, this was the ultimate hard currency!
"This is..."
Yao Qian's eyes widened as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Her hand trembling, she picked up a package of something glistening red.
"Wei... Weilong?"
"Big gluten strips?"
"And this... konjac snacks?"
"Oh my god! Self-heating hot pot? Spicy tender beef flavor?!"
The girl's shriek instantly pierced the calm of the sea surface.
Clutching the pile of snacks, she completely lost her composure.
"Wah!!! I want to eat! I want to eat them!"
"I've missed this flavor so much!"
"I've been dreaming about eating spicy strips!"
Though Yao Xue wasn't as unrestrained as her younger sister.
When she saw those cans of cola still beaded with condensation, her throat involuntarily moved.
This wasn't just supplies.
This was the last glow of civilized society.
This was proof of being alive.
"Qin Yu..."
Yao Xue looked up, her eyes filled with a hint of longing.
"This alcohol... could you give me one bottle?"
She was a surgeon.
When stressed, she was accustomed to having a couple of drinks.
After so many days in this world, with her nerves constantly on edge, this Moutai was practically the best sedative for her.
"Take it."
"We'll celebrate tonight."
"But don't get drunk."
"If you get drunk, I'll throw you overboard to feed the fish."
Though Qin Yu's words were harsh, he casually tossed a bottle of Moutai to Yao Xue.
He then nudged the cola case beside him with his foot.
"Yao Qian, that's for you and your sister."
"As for the spicy strips and hot pot..."
"Use them sparingly. Once they're gone, there's nowhere to buy more."
"Got it, got it! Brother Qin Yu is the best!"
Yao Qian couldn't wait any longer.
"Pshhh—"
That was the sound of a pull-tab being opened.
The fizz of rising bubbles sounded incredibly pleasant.
"Gulp, gulp..."
Yao Qian tilted her head back and chugged half a can of cola in one go.
"Ha—!"
"Amazing!"
"I'm alive again! I'm really alive again!"
Tears nearly welled up in the young girl's eyes.
The sensation of carbonated bubbles bursting on her tongue was simply heavenly.
Watching their satisfied expressions.
Qin Yu felt a sense of gratification too.
In this post-apocalyptic world, being able to provide a better life for his people.
That was a man's achievement.
He picked up a package of self-heating hot pot.
Just as he was about to figure out how to prepare it.
Right at that moment.
Without any warning.
A cold, emotionless mechanical voice erupted in his mind—and in the minds of all survivors worldwide.
This was no ordinary system notification.
It carried a heart-palpitating pressure.
[Announcement! Announcement! Announcement!]
[Attention, all global survivors!]
[The novice protection period has officially ended. The screening process has now begun.]
[First-phase survival rules are as follows:]
[Rule 1: This survival cycle lasts 7 days, designated as "Dark Tide Week."]
[Rule 2: From 20:00 to 08:00 daily, sea levels will rise, storm intensity will reach Level 8 or higher, and all marine life will enter a "Berserk Hunt" state, actively attacking all human-made floating objects within sight.]
[Rule 3: Daylight hours (08:00-20:00) are designated safe gathering periods. Marine life aggression decreases, and resource crate spawn rates increase by 20%.]
[Rule 4: Your raft is your only fortress. Destruction of the raft results in immediate elimination.]
[Countdown begins.]
[Time until first "Dark Tide" arrival: 11 hours 32 minutes.]
The voice faded.
But the suffocating pressure lingered.
Yao Qian, who had been reveling in the joy of cola and spicy strips, let her soda can clatter onto the deck.
The remaining half-can of happiness spilled across the planks.
She paid it no mind.
"Ber... Berserk Hunt?"
"For seven whole days?"
"Twelve hours every night?"
Her face instantly turned ashen, lips trembling.
"Last night... just one attack last night killed so many people."
"If it happens every night..."
She couldn't bear to finish the thought.
The terror of sharks tearing at her raft resurfaced.
Yao Xue tightened her grip on the liquor bottle.
Knuckles whitening.
"Qin Yu..."
She turned to Qin Yu, voice strained.
"These rules... they're pushing us toward certain death."
"Gather by day, defend by night."
"Do they expect us to never sleep?"
Qin Yu remained silent.
Expressionless, he opened the [Regional Chat Channel].
Just as expected.
Chaos erupted.
The channel, previously filled with lamentations, had transformed into a madhouse.
Messages scrolled too fast to read.
Pure panic.
"I quit! Berserk Hunt? A regular shark nearly sank my raft last night! How am I supposed to survive berserk ones?"
"Twelve hours! Who can stay alert for twelve straight hours?!"
"This isn't survival! It's slaughter! They're trying to kill us all!"
"Wood! Who's got wood? I'll pay anything! I'll trade all my water for wood!"
"Are you stupid? Nobody's selling wood now! Wood means survival! My raft's only 10 square meters—it won't last tonight. Lend me some wood and you can have my wife for a day!"
"Go to hell! How can you think about that now? I've got plastic—anyone trade for nails? I need to reinforce my railings!"
"I'm done for... My raft only has two layers. It nearly fell apart last night. With Level 8 storms tonight... I'm dead..."
Panic spread like a plague.
And with the panic came the collapse of prices.
No.
To be more precise.
It was the skyrocketing prices of basic building materials.
Qin Yu opened the Trading House for a glance.
The worthless rotten wood that nobody wanted before was now priced at 1 wood = 500ml fresh water.
Some even listed the outrageous price of 1 wood = 1 piece of compressed biscuit!
Just yesterday.
One piece of compressed biscuit could have traded for a hundred pieces of wood!
Overnight.
The tables had turned.
Those who had sold all their raft expansion materials for food were now gnawed by regret.
But regret was useless.
At 8 PM tonight, death would come knocking.
"Heh."
Qin Yu sneered and closed the Trading House.
This was human nature.
This was the apocalypse.
Never sacrifice your foundation for immediate gains.
If he hadn't been hoarding building materials like mad, expanding his raft to 100 square meters and reinforcing it to the highest level...
He'd be like those people now, begging like a dog in the channels for someone to spare a piece of wood.
"Qin Yu, what... what should we do?"
Yao Xue took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.
She looked at Qin Yu.
This man was their pillar.
As long as he remained steady, the sky wouldn't fall.
"What should we do?"
Qin Yu stood up.
His gaze swept across the seemingly calm but turbulent sea.
"Same as usual."
"We'll get through tonight the same way we did last night."
Listening to the faint hum of the Deep Sea Specter beneath the hull
Qin Yu tightened his grip on the SSS-grade fishing rod.
A bloodthirsty curve touched his lips.
"Since daytime resource refresh rates increased by 20%."
"Then I'll fish this entire area dry before dark!"
"Let's see."
"Whether tonight's monsters are tougher."
"Or my trump cards are stronger!"
...
Time ticked by.
The sun began to set.
The wind over the sea grew increasingly restless.
That damp, fishy coldness began to permeate the air again.
Qin Yu didn't move.
He was like an emotionless lottery machine.
Mechanically casting and reeling.
"Splash!"
"Congratulations: Obtained C-grade Wood Pack x1."
"Splash!"
"Congratulations: Obtained D-grade Scrap Iron Box x1."
"Splash!"
"Congratulations: Obtained Basic Reinforcement Blueprint x1."
...
Though he didn't get any more premium B-grade or above items.
Basic materials poured in like they were free.
These things usually seen as worthless...
Were now literal lifelines in the Trading House!
Qin Yu checked his backpack.
[Wood: 1200 units]
[Plastic: 800 units]
[Nails: 500 units]
Filthy rich.
If he listed all these now.
He'd instantly become the richest person in this region.
Could even have countless beauties begging to board his raft.
But he didn't move.
Sell?
Only fools would do that.
At this stage, building materials meant defense, meant margin for error.
Better to rot in storage than supply the enemy.
The sky grew darker.
On the distant horizon, black clouds spread like spilled ink, rapidly staining the sky.
Waves began to churn.
That oppressive rumbling sound emerged from the ocean depths.
[Time until dark tide arrival: 00 hours 30 minutes.]
The system's blood-red countdown once again hovered before everyone's retinas.
On the raft.
Yao Qian and Yao Xue stood ready for battle.
Both held sharpened wooden spears, standing back-to-back before the tent.
Though their legs still trembled.
The panic from yesterday was gone from their eyes.
Because they saw.
That man.
The shirtless man revealing his lean, powerful muscles.
Standing at the very front of the raft.
Facing the fierce winds.
Holding a [Fine Steel Mountain Cleaving Blade] freshly obtained from a C-grade chest.
"Vroom—"
The [Deep Sea Specter High-Pressure Water Cannon] beneath the raft emitted a low roar.
Preheating complete.
Qin Yu extended his tongue to moisten his chapped lips.
Gazing at the churning black waves ahead.
And the dense, flickering crimson eyes hidden within those colossal waves.
He smiled.
"Come on then."
"Second night."
"Let this old man see if you beasts can gnaw through my bones!"