Chapter 3 Raft Upgrade and Loot Inventory

The sea was calm and still, and not a single fish could be seen.

Fang Zhiyi began to take stock of the spoils of war.

The backpack was brimming with items.

[35 pieces of wood, 13 pieces of iron, 8 scraps of cloth, 20 pieces of fish, 2 gears, 3 horns, 1 treasure map fragment]

Wood and iron are the most basic materials, which can be used to upgrade the raft. As for the others, their uses are currently unknown, so keep them in your inventory for now.

Fang Zhiyi was most interested in the treasure map fragments.

Taking it out of the backpack, the first thing I noticed was a palm-sized piece of kraft paper with irregular serrations along the edges. The lines on it were clear, simply depicting the direction of ocean currents and islands on the sea.

I held it up and looked at it for a long time, but I still couldn't figure out where the treasure was.

It seems that only by collecting all the fragments and obtaining the complete treasure map will it be useful.

[Would you like to upgrade the raft using 20 wood and 5 iron?]

【yes】

[Raft upgrade complete]

The raft has successfully upgraded to level 2.

I don't know if this speed is considered fast or slow among players.

Fang Zhiyi looked at the raft.

The upgraded raft is now much sturdier, with wire mesh wrapped around the joints, so you don't have to worry about it falling apart with a single wave.

[Raft Level 2, upgrade requires 40 wood, 10 iron, 5 ropes, and 1 electronic component]

Upgrading from level 2 to level 3 requires even more materials.

Not only did the amount of wood and iron required double, but materials that had never been seen before also appeared.

Fang Zhiyi wasn't in a hurry. After all, if they could provide these materials, they must have a way of obtaining them.

Before we knew it, it got dark.

As dusk approached, a sliver of sunset glow appeared where the water met the sky. Like an overturned palette of paint, it quickly set half the sky ablaze, creating a sense of impending storm.

It's almost evening.

However, the flint needed to build a campfire has not yet been found.

I killed so many fish and none of them dropped anything. Does that mean the flint and steel doesn't come from fish?

But what else is there in the vast ocean besides marine life?

Fang Zhiyi may not know, but that doesn't mean others don't.

Isn't there a [channel] too?

He has a megaphone and can speak in the channel, so he can ask other players instead of wandering around like a headless fly.

[Area] [Raft Survival] [34709/36500]

However, within half a day, the number of players decreased sharply.

Unlike the stagnant situation before, some news has started to surface from time to time.

There were complaints.

[Playing it cool: Ughhhhh, I'm already dead, can't I just die peacefully? [Spitting out soul]]

It's imaginative.

[Don't underestimate a young man's potential: All those years of reading infinite flow novels haven't been for nothing; I will become the protagonist of this world!]

There was also a trade of goods.

[Please help! I'm dying of thirst and hunger! I desperately need water and food. I'm willing to trade other supplies for them. Any help would be appreciated!]

Fang Zhiyi was also preparing to send a message asking for a flint and steel.

[Use a loudspeaker]

Please enter your ID.

When you're out and about, especially surfing the internet, how could you possibly use your real name?

Using an ID code can also help conceal one's identity.

Fang Zhiyi didn't put much thought into it, simply adding his initials. He was a person who disliked trouble and didn't want to waste time on such things.

[fzy: I'm short of flint and steel. I can trade other resources for it. DM me if you have any.]

As soon as the message was sent, several private messages popped up.

What do you need the flint and steel for?

[Hey bro, you have some extra supplies, please give me some food, I'm starving, you can't just leave me to die!]

I have extra flint and steel. What can you trade me for?

[...]

The messages were all over the place, making Fang Zhiyi dizzy. Ignoring the useless information, he chose to reply to someone who seemed reliable.

[fzy: Can I trade you some fish?]

After upgrading the raft, Fang Zhiyi still had 15 pieces of wood and 8 pieces of iron. The quantity was not much, not to mention that it would be useful later. As for the other materials, he planned to keep them for the time being, so that he wouldn't have them when he needed them later.

The only thing that can be exchanged is fish.

Fish is used to restore strength and satisfy hunger, and since he owns a supermarket, he doesn't lack such supplies.

I just don't know if the other party is available or not.

【The ocean is all waves: Okay!】

【The ocean is all waves: Boss, just give me 5 pieces of fish.】

Five pieces of fish meat, not much, just within Fang Zhiyi's budget.

He has no shortage of supplies, but he doesn't want to be taken advantage of.

Before I could even type "OK," another new message popped up.

The ocean is full of waves: even 3 pieces of fish will do.

The other party seemed afraid he would change his mind, and a transaction request popped up the next second.

The ocean, it's all waves making a trade request to you.

[Attachment: Flint]

[Acceptance or rejection]

It was as if they were afraid he would run away.

Fang Zhiyi clicked "accept".

After thinking about it, I put five pieces of fish on top.

【The ocean is all waves: Thank you so much, sir! Thank you so much!】

The flint and steel has arrived.

[Do you want to use 5 wood and 1 flint and steel to build a campfire?]

【yes】

Please set up your campfire.

A miniature raft and a campfire icon appeared on the light screen.

Fang Zhiyi nodded and placed the campfire in the middle of the raft.

【bite】

[Bonfire under construction]

As the icon fell, a white light appeared in the middle of the raft, along with a progress bar that was slowly increasing. Judging by the speed, it should be completed in a few minutes.

【The ocean is full of waves: Hey bro, could you tell me what you use the flint and steel for? If not, never mind.】

While waiting for the campfire to be built, Fang Zhiyi had nothing to do, so he replied to the other party's message.

【fzy: Used to build a campfire】

【The ocean is full of waves: Why don't I have the option to build a campfire here?】

[fzy: Requires design blueprints. They drop from killing fish.]

The private chat window popped up a few times, indicating that the other person seemed to have a lot to say.

【The ocean is full of waves: Boss [clasped hands] I only dare to run away when I see fish】

Fang Zhiyi paused in his movements.

[fzy: Where did you get your flint and steel?]

The other party was completely unsuspecting and replied immediately: "There are quite a few reefs around here; the waves must have washed down from them."

Reefs?

Fang Zhiyi was surrounded by a vast sea, with nothing in sight.

It seems that although they are all on the same sea, each player's surroundings are different, and the resources they can obtain are also different.

The materials required for upgrading the raft become more numerous and complex. Does this mean that players are encouraged to explore and collect resources in other areas?

Ignorance equals danger, so Fang Zhiyi decided to put that thought aside for now.

[fzy: Try your best to get the campfire blueprint; it might be dangerous at night.]

【The ocean is full of waves: Thanks for the reminder, I'll try my best TT】

Fang Zhiyi exited the private chat and then refreshed the channel.

The channel is mostly filled with uninformative information.

He looked at it for a while, then found it boring and was about to exit when a new message popped up.

[Chu Zhao: Don't leave your raft. If 80% of your body is submerged in the sea, you will be eliminated and killed within 5 seconds.]

Upon seeing this sentence, Fang Zhiyi immediately became serious.

This was information he was unaware of.

If I accidentally fall into the sea and am eliminated, who can I complain to?

Keep reading.

This player named [Chu Zhao] seems to have a strong spirit of research. He has figured out some unpublished game rules and shared them in the [channel] for all players to know.

Not only will you be eliminated if you fall into the water, but there are also patterns in how supplies respawn.

[Chu Zhao: Resources in the ocean currents refresh every hour, appearing in the order of east, south, west, and north. There is also a chance that treasure chests will spawn, and there will always be a sea monster guarding the treasure chests.]

[Chu Zhao: The first fish you kill will definitely drop a campfire blueprint. Try to build the campfire before nightfall, as there will be danger on the sea at night.]

As soon as the news came out, some people thanked the bigwig, some begged for supplies, and a small number of people scoffed and argued.

It's easy to talk when you're not the one suffering; are fish really that easy to kill?

[Exactly, instead of spouting all this nonsense, give us more supplies.]

I think he just wants us to go and die; don't be fooled by him.

[...]

Fang Zhiyi clicked his tongue.

Human hearts are unpredictable.

Not to mention in this kind of apocalyptic game, where the constraints of social rules are gone and no one knows who you are, it is even easier to bring out the dark side of people's hearts.

If he were Chu Zhao, he wouldn't bother with these people.

It's pointless to talk to them.

[Chu Zhao: Currently, only two types of fish are spawning.]

[Chu Zhao: [Fanged Fish] is highly aggressive, vengeful, extremely fast, and has high burst damage but low endurance. You can ride into the waves to slow it down and wear it down, making it easier to kill.]

[Chu Zhao: The [Blackthorn] is slow, has thick scales, and is very strong, primarily damaging rafts. As long as the raft is upgraded to level 1, timely repairs with wood will prevent it from falling apart.]

[Chu Zhao: If you don't have any attack items, you can use your clothes and a boat oar to make a makeshift net to trap the fish. As long as the fish is on the raft and out of the water for more than 5 seconds, it will be considered a kill.]

It's packed with useful information.

Posting this now would significantly increase the survival rate.

Fang Zhiyi stared at the spokesperson's ID, a simple two-word name that stood out among a group of strange and unusual usernames.

Registering your real name to access the internet, that's ruthless.

【bite】

[Campfire successfully built]

As the message popped up, the raft sank. Then, with a hiss, a spark burst out from it.

The campfire, made of several pieces of wood, sat in the middle of the raft. The flames were burning brightly, and the light emitted by it enveloped the raft.

A sliver of light fell on the sea, making it shimmer.

【bonfire】

【03:59:59】

Below is the time for sustainable burning, which is decreasing second by second.

Fang Zhiyi tried adding wood inside.

[Do you need to add fuel?]

【yes】

A piece of wood disappeared from the backpack.

Then, visibly, the flames in the campfire leaped upwards, becoming even brighter, and the fire burned for an additional hour.

The warm firelight instantly dispelled my fatigue and the chill of the sea.

Looking at the status bar, there was a new "Warmth" buff.

It can continuously restore physical strength, although not much, but even a small mosquito bite is still meat.

Fang Zhiyi sat to the side and yawned.

I'm hungry.

I hadn't felt anything because I was tense before, but now that I've relaxed, my stomach is making a rumbling sound.

Fang Zhiyi opened his backpack and took out a piece of fish.

Raw fish

[Restores 5 stamina and 10 hunger points]

The fish was raw, in a square piece, and it emitted an undeniable fishy smell as soon as you held it in your hand, making it hard to swallow.

Fang Zhiyi: "..."

His hand trembled, and the fish fell into the campfire.

Sizzle—

The fish is cooked.

[Cooked fish]

[Restores 10 stamina and 20 hunger]

From raw to cooked, the data doubled.

It seems that the campfire is a very important survival tool.

Fang Zhiyi picked up the cooked fish.

In just a few seconds, the fish was transformed. The skin, rich in oil, became golden and oily after being grilled, emitting a fragrant aroma. One bite revealed tender and smooth fish meat underneath, its savory flavor palpable even without any seasoning.

I grilled another piece of fish to fill my stomach.

With nothing else to do, I opened the [Shop] again.

The 【Mall】is filled with a dazzling array of products from the system, with a wide variety of categories.

There are flashy but impractical items like the "Raft Skin (Limited Edition)" and "High-End Fashion." There are also enviable items like the "Cannon," "Musketeer," and "Deck Upgrade Set." Even pets are available for sale.

However, all of these need to be redeemed using survival points.

Fang Zhiyi's survival points are 0, and it is currently unknown how to increase them.

Fang Zhiyi could only look but not buy, so he got his fill of looking and then exited the [Shop].

[A Fresh Food Supermarket Lv.1 (Bound)]

[Daily pickup count 1/3]

There is one last chance to pick up the goods today.

He decided to use his last pickup opportunity before nightfall.

After all, who knows what might happen tonight?

If we don't have a chance to pick up the goods, it would be a waste.

A note from the author:

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