Chapter 40: End of the Extreme Heat Disaster

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: End of the Extreme Heat Disaster

Meanwhile, the extreme heat disaster had entered its final countdown, and the World Channel buzzed with activity once again.

"WAAH! Thank goodness, we survived it."

"I really didn’t expect to make it!"

"Thanks to the top players."

"I guess we’ve overcome the first hurdle."

"We should be able to get a good rest after midnight tonight, right?"

"These past few days have been incredibly tough!"

"Yeah! It’s only been a few days, but it feels like I’ve been through the wringer."

"Speaking of which, I feel like I’m about to spoil like rotten food."

"Who doesn’t?"

"Suddenly thought of some top players who can still wash up. So jealous!"

"I hope things will be better tomorrow. I’m going to stockpile some water and take a nice hot bath."

"That seems doable. Even just a sponge bath would be nice!"

"Definitely."

"I think so, too."

"..."

At this moment, the number of people on the World Channel had stopped decreasing. Whether they were actively chatting or just lurking, everyone was filled with joy. No matter what they would face in the future, they were at least free for now.

Consequently, the trading information in the Trade Hall surged instead of dwindling. Those with surplus materials on hand were much more generous now. Previously, they had held back. But after confirming the countdown’s end, they decided to indulge a little. Otherwise, if every memory was nothing but suffering, how could they endure it?

***

Celia Lynch had the exact same thought. Right now, she was focused entirely on salvaging the surrounding resources and wooden chests—especially the chests. After she leveled up, the resources she obtained from them had become much more abundant.

For her, using the Hook Claw to salvage resources was much more cost-effective. She knew she possessed a resource-rich sea area, and precisely because she understood this, she didn’t want to waste this Luck. Moreover, the words Harold Thompson and Simon Quinn had once said still echoed in her mind. Even though they hadn’t dared to repeat those threats on the World Channel, they definitely still harbored such intentions. As for the players who had spoken up for her on the channel, they wouldn’t be able to help her if she encountered real danger.

A moment later, she looked at the newly plentiful resources and waited for the countdown to end. Once it was over and the temperature dropped, she was definitely going to give herself a thorough scrub, clean herself up properly, and get a comfortable, good night’s sleep.

***

Zelda Parrish watched the now-healthy World Channel, and a slight arc tugged at the corners of her usually aloof mouth. It seemed that trading really could achieve a win-win situation sometimes. It was much better than fighting alone.

However, she was well aware that being able to achieve this required a top player to secretly "direct" things. If she had only been ninety-nine percent sure before, she was now one hundred percent certain that Rowan Rhodes was in their District 122. She had noticed that the number of explored islands for Rowan Rhodes, who was currently ranked first, had changed from one to two. The timing perfectly coincided with the garbage collection.

The moment she discovered this, she had used her improved Equipment to make her raft advance rapidly. She had now also set foot on Thesora. Then, she used her garbage to purchase the resources, blueprints, and Equipment she needed from the shop at the peak of the mountain.

Following that, Zelda Parrish gathered various resources on Thesora, making several trips back and forth between the island and her raft. After leaving the island, looking at her fully stocked resources, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, "Following behind a top player really pays off!"

However, she was also very curious if her improvements to the raft would one day allow her to surpass the top player and reach the third island ahead of time. This was her goal for the future. In the Sea Survival Game, having a target to chase was a good thing. Besides, by finishing her exploration of the island now, she was also helping to draw some attention away from Rowan Rhodes.

***

Harold Thompson curled his lips in disdain as he saw the World Channel flooded with gratitude toward the top players. These experts were just keeping up appearances. If they were really that kind-hearted, why not just give things away for free? Didn’t one of them even set up a shower? That guy definitely wasn’t lacking water! These people were all idiots.

Cursing inwardly, Harold Thompson refrained from posting anything on the World Channel. He knew very well that the current situation was not a time when he could fish in troubled waters. Jumping out too quickly could make him a target. If only they could freely create groups, he would definitely gather a bunch of like-minded people—like Simon Quinn, for instance. That kind of life would be truly satisfying!

While feeling disgusted, Harold Thompson kept lurking on the screen, ready to see if there was a suitable opportunity to jump out.

***

Simon Quinn, whom Harold Thompson considered a teammate, harbored the exact same thoughts at this moment. He even found it a bit of a pity that Harold Thompson wasn’t jumping out on the World Channel. With Harold Thompson around to draw some of the aggro, he wouldn’t stand out as much. Since Harold wasn’t making a move, he felt too awkward to do so himself.

However, even without acting out, Simon Quinn was silently lurking on the screen. He was continuing to record the people who didn’t lack resources. Celia Lynch was obviously one of those who had plenty, but she had way too much, and her leveling Speed wasn’t slow either. She was too formidable. Without absolute certainty, he feared that delivering himself to her door would only result in his own demise. He needed to pick easier targets.

While comparing the World Channel with the leaderboards, Simon Quinn suddenly realized that two players had already finished exploring the second island. One was Rowan Rhodes, and the other was Zelda Parrish. He couldn’t be entirely sure if Rowan Rhodes was in District 122, but he could confirm Zelda Parrish was. Moreover, he suspected that Zelda Parrish was the person who had viciously beaten him and Harold Thompson that day.

That woman was too ruthless! He couldn’t afford to provoke her. But he was consumed by envy, jealousy, and hatred! Why was she so strong? He was indignant. It was only because of this wretched sea area that he couldn’t develop properly. When would this garbage game finally allow players to plunder sea areas!

***

Skye Schuyler looked at the countdown on the control panel and let out a long sigh of relief. It was finally coming to an end. Even though she hadn’t suffered too much during this extreme heat disaster thanks to her Cooking Skill talent—and had even accumulated a lot of resources because of it—she would still prefer if the game had no disasters at all if possible.

But she understood that was impossible. The extreme heat had followed the novice period. After the extreme heat, there would be other disasters. She only hoped that when the next disaster struck, she would still be able to survive relying on her craft.

Seeing people guessing that the top player was making a new move when garbage was being collected earlier, she just wanted to say that she hoped these top players would do better and better, and accumulate more raw materials. Because she had realized that without the raw materials provided by these experts, her craft was completely useless. This Skill of hers was truly a support type.

***

Owen Caldwell, Faye Sinclair, and some other craftsmen shared Skye Schuyler’s thoughts. They looked forward to the end of the extreme heat and hoped that the top players and all the players in District 122 would survive well. A relatively peaceful environment was necessary for them to have a chance of survival.

While hoping for this, Owen Caldwell and Faye Sinclair didn’t give up on researching new Equipment. They were older and had experienced more in life. They didn’t know how many disasters there would be. Nor did they know what the next disaster was. But they felt that if there was extreme heat, there was a high probability of extreme cold.

Moreover, they keenly remembered that a top player had been buying Rough Insect Skin earlier. The characteristic of Rough Insect Skin was thermoregulation. No matter what, they would start preparing Equipment in this direction first.

***

Just like that, amidst the varying thoughts of different players, the time unknowingly reached midnight.

The mechanical voice of the system rang out right on time.