Chapter 38 Night Battle: The Alpha Wolf Inventories the Loot Dropped from Its Body

In the evening, the players in the channel became even more active.

Unfortunately, the temperature plummeted at night, and anyone who left the area covered by the campfire would instantly freeze into an ice sculpture. Unable to leave the camp to collect materials, the players had nothing to do but chat and spam the chat channel.

Damn, this weather is getting colder every day!

[1 stone for 3 pieces of wood]

There's not even enough wood to burn. I've been swinging my axe until it's smoking. I don't have to do anything else all day but chop wood.

[You still have wood to chop? I'm unlucky; my spawn point is in the middle of the mining area, and wood is scarce. 1 stone for 3 pieces of wood. DM me if you have any; price negotiable.]

It's only the second day and it's already this cold. How are we going to get through the next few days?

Upgrade your camp now!

[Easy for you to say, I worked my butt off just to reach level 2]

Upgrading to level 3 requires building so many random and miscellaneous structures; who can possibly manage that?

Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't.

Haha, if anyone reaches level 3 today, I'll do a handstand and run around the camp.

The moment that sentence appeared, less than a second later, a system announcement popped up in the channel.

Congratulations to player fzy for upgrading their camp to level 3!

The font is enlarged and bolded, and the color is bright red, so that everyone who enters the channel will see it immediately.

[...]

【？？？】

【！！！】

Wow, someone actually managed to reach level 3!

[What happened to running in circles while doing a handstand? You can run now!]

[Did he cheat?]

If it's not closed, it means it's open.

Is this really the same game we're playing? Why am I only at level 1 after chopping wood all day?

[It's so cold, there's no way to stay outside for long. Where did he get so many materials?]

The chat room was buzzing with excitement for a while.

Fang Zhiyi clicked in and saw hundreds of messages scrolling by, too many to keep up with.

Fang's intention was strange.

Why are all the other players so free and still chatting in the channel, while he feels like he doesn't have enough time?

Could it be that his camp upgrade progress is too slow?

Fang Zhiyi didn't even bother to look at the chat history; she simply sent out the items she had prepared for the trade.

【fzy: [Fur vest][Windproof earmuffs][Stewed apple with chili]】

[fzy: Trading Frozen Fossils, Wolf Tails, and Star Fragments. Other materials are also acceptable. DM me for a trade.]

These are all the materials required for placing an order on the exchange.

If he can get the blueprints, he can immediately complete the quest and obtain the blueprints needed to upgrade his camp to level 4.

The news was met with immediate and enthusiastic response.

[Wow!]

[Is this really the big shot?!]

[Wow, how did you upgrade your camp to level 3 so quickly?]

[Hey bro, can you spare me some materials? (doge)]

The players chattered amongst themselves, and messages asking to trade quickly flooded the screen.

Fang Zhiyi was completely confused.

It took me a while to realize that the "big shot" they were talking about... was it him? Is upgrading to a level 3 camp that difficult?

He was puzzled as he watched a group of players chasing after him, asking how to upgrade to a level 3 camp. Didn't they see the camp upgrade notifications?

It's just about collecting materials, building structures, and then upgrading them.

Although she didn't understand, Fang Zhiyi answered honestly with the intention of helping others.

【fzy: Collect materials and construct the corresponding buildings】

[fzy: There is a prompt on the camp interface]

[What a cold-blooded response]

[Such a matter-of-fact tone]

You don't understand, that's how experts are.

I know that scoring 700 points is enough to get into Tsinghua or Peking University. Does that mean I don't want to score 700 points?

Is anyone else like me, surviving by buying daily discount packs from the system shop?

[He's just faking it. Who could collect all the materials that quickly? He must have spent real money in the store buying bundles. I wonder what he'll do when he runs out of survival points.]

[Hey, isn't this the guy who does the handstand running? Finished your run before you start commenting?]

[...]

The initial player base for the Winter Survival World was 73,000. Even though some players have been eliminated in the last two days, the sheer number means there are still many active players in the chat.

One sentence from you, one sentence from me, and suddenly the screen started scrolling.

Fang Zhiyi remained completely unmoved.

Whether it's praise, speculation, or sarcasm, it doesn't matter to him.

His goal has always been clear: to survive to the end and complete the post-apocalyptic world.

He didn't explain, he just resent the previous message.

[fzy: For trading the above materials, please DM me if you have them.]

I found a frozen fossil, it doesn't look very useful, do you really want it?

[Idiot! If these items were truly useless, would he have offered up his thermal underwear in exchange?]

[Does the Upside-Down Guy really know so much?]

[...I just don't want you to suffer losses or be deceived!]

This guy who was doing the upside-down thing was being unreasonable in the channel, and a player who was interested in making a deal was tempted and sent him a private message.

[White Night: [Frozen Fossil x1] In exchange for 3 of your items]

[fzy: Only 1 can be exchanged]

The temperature is now as low as -30°C, and there is a blizzard outside the camp. Without warm clothing, it is impossible to leave the camp to collect materials.

Players' demand for warm clothing has increased, and its value has risen sharply, making bargaining unacceptable to Fang Zhiyi.

In the channel, that guy who did the handstand was still stirring things up.

These items are useless now, but they might come in handy later. Don't let this so-called expert scam you; you'll regret it later. Haha.

Yes, why would he exchange these props for something if it wasn't useful?

[Exactly! Who knows if this "expert" is real or not? Maybe they're just trying to scam materials.]

There are many people on the channel, and with just a few words, the tone of the conversation can easily shift.

Fang Zhiyi had no intention of taking advantage of the situation and simply handed over the choice.

[fzy: These materials can be used to exchange for blueprints to upgrade a camp to level 4]

[fzy: Not unique, can be obtained again in the future. DM me if you'd like to trade.]

【Me too, I have frozen fossils too, can we trade?】

Are you stupid? I already said it's materials for upgrading a level 4 camp, and you still offered it up for trade?

"You're the idiot! My camp is only level 1 right now. I'm worried about whether I can even survive until level 4. What use is this thing to me?"

[I got warm gear, at least I can go out and collect materials. Hey bro, I want a mouse-down vest!]

[Hu Xiaogua has submitted a transaction request to you]

[Attachment: Frozen Fossils]

[Acceptance or rejection]

Fang Zhiyi traded the [mouse fur vest].

The transaction was successful, and a fossil was acquired. It was placed in the delivery box, the mission was completed, and a design blueprint was obtained.

Choosing to use it immediately brought a series of information to my mind.

[Intermediate Production Table Design Drawings]

[Level 3 Building]

[Requires 5 Iron Ingots, 10 Gold Ingots, and 10 Energy Crystals]

Fang Zhiyi was very efficient and immediately began synthesizing gold and iron ingots.

The furnace, which had just cooled down, started up again with a humming sound.

Once one person started, many players in the channel privately messaged him requesting to trade.

Aside from the fact that frozen fossils are easy to collect, no one has wolf tails or star fragments.

It would be a waste to keep these warm items, so I simply replaced them all with materials.

The warm clothing items were indeed selling well; as soon as I posted them, many people messaged me privately, and I successfully received a large amount of materials in return. After thinking for a moment, I sent out another message.

[fzy: Message regarding the exchange of energy crystals for [chili pepper fruit]]

Wow, how much stock do you have in stock, sir?

【besides? 】

[The fact that it can be traded shows that this big shot has no worries about food and drink; I'm drooling with envy.]

I scrolled through most of the meaningless messages.

An acquaintance messaged me privately.

[Big Glutton: Energy Crystals are Located Deepest in the Mining Area]

[Greedy Girl: But there are a lot of goldfinch rats there, it's dangerous]

Fang Zhiyi had already encountered a swarm of golden rats and had been chased all the way.

The thought of the countless golden-toothed rats covering the mountains sends chills down my spine.

[fzy: Thanks]

[fzy: [Chili Fruit] can be planted to harvest more fruit]

After completing the transaction, Fang Zhiyi left the channel.

I checked the time; more than an hour had passed. The sky was dark and overcast, with only a few dim stars twinkling.

Suddenly, a "ding" sound came from mid-air, and a shooting star streaked across the night sky and crashed to the ground.

Judging from the direction, they landed deep in the forest.

As we pierced through the long night, we indeed saw a small firelight shining deep in the forest, with a wisp of black smoke rising gently.

Fang Zhiyi noted the location of the star fragments, then looked away. The materials in his backpack had been replenished; there was enough wood and stone for the time being, but the gold and iron had been combined into gold and iron ingots, and the backpack was almost empty.

We need to go deep into the mining area again.

Just thinking about the swarms of gold-toothed rats that infest the mining area and not knowing how to deal with them gives me a headache.

Hiss—

The wind howled, and the flames leaped wildly.

Fang Zhiyi opened the basic crafting table, hoping to find something that could deal with the Gold-Toothed Rat swarm.

He flipped through the pages one by one, and actually found it.

[Sonic rodent repeller]

[Requires 1 radio and 3 iron bars]

The collected trash has come in handy!

Fang Zhiyi took out the radio he had picked up from the hunter's cabin from his backpack and immediately combined it into a sonic rat repellent.

bite!

The radio and the iron disappeared, merging into an oval-shaped black handheld device.

Fang Zhiyi put it in his backpack and decided to try to deal with the Gold-Toothed Rats tomorrow.

It was getting late, and I was about to go into my tent to rest when a sudden gust of wind blew by. I looked back and saw that the area outside the camp was shrouded in thick darkness, and I couldn't see anything at all.

The night was quiet.

The cold wind rustled the branches, and large chunks of snow fell, splashing up a cloud of snow mist.

Fang Zhiyi held her breath, remaining motionless, her heart pounding rapidly as she could clearly sense the danger approaching.

But after looking around, nothing appeared.

Is he being paranoid?

Fang Zhiyi had an idea and turned to climb up the watchtower.

The observation deck is built on a high point, and from the platform, you can see the entire scene below.

Upon closer inspection, the anomaly was finally discovered.

Covered in snow, a series of footprints were clearly visible.

In the darkness, pairs of bright green eyes lit up.

The wolf is coming again.

The snow wolf is cunning and vengeful. Having suffered such a great loss during the day, it combined old and new grudges and prepared to launch a surprise attack on the camp under the cover of night.

Fang Zhiyi gripped the railing of the watchtower tightly, remaining remarkably calm.

The snow wolf pack is not in good condition.

During the day, they fought with the swarm of gold-toothed rats, and all of them were covered in bruises. Some were even bitten by the gold-toothed rats and ended up limping.

Instead of resting and recuperating, the snow wolf pack prepared to catch him off guard.

But this is also his opportunity; he can take advantage of his illness to kill him and wipe out the entire snow wolf pack in one fell swoop.

Fang Zhiyi silently climbed down from the watchtower, wiped the snow off the catapult, and put the stone projectiles into the catapult.

They added plenty of wood to the campfire.

Everything is ready; all that's left is to wait.

Fang Zhiyi pretended to enter the tent to rest, but secretly crawled out from the other side and used the catapult to cover his figure.

The wolf pack sent out a vanguard to observe for a moment, but not seeing Fang Zhiyi, they assumed he was asleep. They turned around and let out short, low howls. The wolf pack trod across the snow and approached silently, surrounding the camp from both sides.

A trench was dug around the camp, and a wall was erected around it.

A hint of surprise flashed in the alpha wolf's eyes.

I never expected that the camp would be built to this extent in just one day.

Even so, it still didn't stop them.

Just as they were about to reach the camp, a sudden loud bang was heard, and a stone projectile streaked through the air and crashed down heavily.

The wolf pack experienced a brief disturbance.

Fortunately, they were prepared and scattered in twos and threes, dodging the stone projectiles. Then, well-trained, they charged towards the camp.

Stone projectiles are very powerful, but they also have drawbacks. They are effective at long range but not at close range, and they are difficult to control for precise strikes. Once they get close to the camp, the catapult becomes a pile of useless stones.

boom!

Boom!

The wolves moved nimbly and lightly through the stone rainforest, arriving at the camp only to be blocked by a trench.

"Waaah—"

At the alpha wolf's command, the other snow wolves took a step back, then leaped high into the air and charged toward the camp.

Just then, a "whoosh" sound came from mid-air.

Long arrows pierced the night sky, falling like rain; the arrowheads rubbed against the air, scattering sparks.

The snow wolves, fearing the firelight, were caught off guard and unable to dodge in time, tumbling headlong into the trench.

The trench was filled with rows of spikes. The snow wolf fell heavily and was pierced through the abdomen by the spikes, leaving a trail of foul-smelling blood.

The wounded snow wolf struggled to get up, but its injuries were too deep. After kicking its limbs for a moment, it finally turned into a white light.

The alpha wolf turned its gaze away, its fierce eyes fixed on the figure on the watchtower.

Fang Zhiyi raised his hand, the bowstring taut to its limit, and aimed at the alpha wolf's eyes.

To shoot a man, first shoot his horse; to capture a thief, first capture his king.

The snow wolf pack is led by the alpha wolf; once the alpha wolf is dealt with, the others are no threat.

The alpha wolf understood his intention, arched its back, pushed off backward with force, and leaped over the ditch, climbing directly onto the wall.

The alpha wolf let out a long howl, shaking off the accumulated snow.

Fang aimed and released.

The bowstring snapped back hard, and a tearing pain shot through my hand.

The alpha wolf stared intently at Fang Zhiyi, then pushed off again, leaping into the air. The arrow grazed the wolf's fur and landed on the ground not far away. The arrowhead burst into flames the moment it touched the ground, leaving a scorched black mark.

Fang Zhiyi took out another burning arrow and nocked it to the bowstring. Before he could shoot, the alpha wolf suddenly vanished.

Looking down, I felt a tremor beneath my feet. The alpha wolf was clinging to the watchtower, its claws gripping the ladder tightly as it climbed upwards.

Wolves can't climb trees, can they?

The thought vanished in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, the alpha wolf was upon him, a foul stench wafting towards him, leaving him no time to ponder whether wolves could actually climb trees.

"Awoo!"

The alpha wolf stood majestically, its gaping maw opening wide in mid-air.

The wolf pack below responded in unison, launching a frenzied attack on the camp.

Fortunately, a new stone wall was built, which can hold out for a while without being breached.

Fang Zhiyi cleared his mind of all distractions and remained exceptionally calm, then fired another arrow from his fingertips.

At such close range, it's impossible to miss.

The burning arrow's tail swayed slightly, embedding itself directly into the alpha wolf's body.

The wounded alpha wolf was even more savage, charging upwards recklessly despite the arrows. It pushed off with its hind legs in mid-air, using its waist to leap across the final distance. With a thud, it landed steadily on all fours in front of Fang Zhiyi.

The platform is narrow.

Fang Zhiyi took a step back, his lower back hitting the railing and causing a sharp pain. He held his longbow in his hand, staring at the alpha wolf.

The alpha wolf was covered in blood, panting heavily with its tongue lolling out, and its foul-smelling saliva dripped down, corroding into wisps of blue smoke.

The stalemate lasted for a moment.

The alpha wolf's fur stood on end, it let out a threatening growl, took a step back, and suddenly pounced.

Fang Zhiyi reacted quickly, rolling over to dodge the alpha wolf's attack. He looked up, and the starlight shone brightly in his eyes.

In a life-or-death situation, there is no room for fear or retreat; all you can do is fight with all your might.

The alpha wolf, having missed its first attack, grew even more frenzied, baring its teeth and spewing out hot, foul-smelling gas.

Snow wolves are social animals. The reason they occupy a place at the top of the food chain is because they are good at teamwork to hunt prey and can work together to kill prey that is larger than themselves.

Now, the alpha wolf, blinded by rage, has climbed the watchtower alone. The enemy's intention is that although the situation is critical, victory is not entirely impossible.

Stay calm and don't show weakness.

Fang Zhiyi kept a close eye on the alpha wolf's every move.

Just as the alpha wolf was about to pounce again, Fang Zhiyi seized the opportunity in the instant he took off and pulled out a spear from his backpack, striking it hard in the abdomen.

Wolf is known as having "copper skin, iron bones, and tofu-like waist".

The wolf's waist is its weak point, and its belly, lacking fur protection, is equally vulnerable.

Bang!

The moment the spear struck, the alpha wolf howled and rolled to the ground.

Fang Zhiyi seized the opportunity, pressing his entire body against the alpha wolf and tightly wrapping the bowstring around its neck.

Push harder, push harder—

Large beads of sweat slid down his forehead as Fang Zhiyi held the alpha wolf's limbs firmly, not letting go even though the bowstring had left a long, bloody gash on his palm.

The alpha wolf struggled fiercely at first, then convulsed weakly, and finally breathed its last, turning into a wisp of white light.

Fang Zhiyi let go of his hand and collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

Because of the excessive force, a dark shadow blurred before my eyes. Looking up at the sky, a snowflake slowly drifted down and gently landed on my brow, bringing a slightly cool touch.

it's over.

The wolf howls gradually faded into the night, leaving only a scene of devastation.

After a few minutes, Fang Zhiyi regained some strength and used his hands to push himself up and sit up.

He blinked, and a shadow appeared in front of him. He touched it and found that the wound on his forehead was still dripping blood.

【Injuried】

[Continuous bleeding]

Exhausted

Numerous negative effects have appeared on my body, and I'm down to my last bit of stamina, on the verge of collapse.

A thrilling victory.

But regardless, we won.

Fang Zhiyi stood up unsteadily and counted the items that had fallen from the alpha wolf.

-----------------------

Author's note: Sorry, sorry, I forgot to set a timer for the saved drafts [laughing and crying emoji]