Xi Xi : "Hot water is provided, and you can act as a water-boiling agent. You only need to provide a water storage container, a 350ml bottle of purified water, and fuel wood. The agency fee is 8 survival points per use (the minimum is a 350ml bottle of purified water, and the agency fee will increase based on the amount of water used)."

As soon as the transaction information was posted, the public chat exploded. Not only was the demand exactly what Xi Xi wanted, but the fee was also very reasonable. In an instant, Xi Xi received one private message after another about the transaction.

"But plastic bottles are toxic when they come into contact with boiling water, and they also deform and shrink!"

"It doesn't say you have to use plastic bottles to store water. Don't most people have water cups in their cars?"

"Ahhh, I wish you had released this earlier! I believed a short video I saw that said you could boil water in a paper cup, but I didn't control it properly or what, and I accidentally burned a hole in my instant noodle box!"

"I can boil water. I just put a stainless steel cup on the fire to boil water. I don't think it's necessary."

"You can't put a thermos on a fire, it's too thick and has a vacuum layer."

"What's going on? Why don't I have a water bottle? How about the pencil case from the treasure chest? I want something hot to drink."

What's the use of survival points?

"Who cares what survival points are for? You get 10 points for opening a treasure chest, and I can barely accept spending 8 points to make a bowl of instant noodles or have a meal."

"Hahaha, that's hilarious! You've only ever opened beginner chests. Intermediate chests only give you 20 survival points!"

"So the survival points increase depending on the treasure chest level? Wouldn't it be more cost-effective to boil water once every 8 points?"

...

Xi Xi didn't have time to browse the public chat, but she didn't close it either. She quickly accepted a few orders, silently chanted "shrink" a few times, placed the small screen beside her, and then started boiling water.

The hot water containers that the players sent her were all sorts of things. There were ordinary polypropylene cups, wooden bowls, and instant noodle buckets, which were fairly decent containers, as well as strange containers such as glass funnels, cosmetic bags, and loofah ladles. Some of the containers had very limited capacity, but Xi Xi didn't mind the trouble and filled them with water in small amounts and traded them to the buyers multiple times.

Only a few people wanted to use the original plastic bottles to store water, but Xi Xi politely declined, citing the fact that PET plastic decomposes under high temperatures with catalysts, which could have adverse effects on the human body.

Wan Sigang (Ping): "I think you guys got sunburned during the day. Is boiling water some kind of skill? Is it worth 8 survival points?"

Suddenly, a different voice of condemnation appeared on the public screen, breaking the silence all at once, and then a swarm of people came out to support this opinion.

It's strange, really. Humans seem to be a peculiar species. They tend to seek a sense of belonging and band together with their own kind.

Western communication scholars once proposed a theory called the "spiral of silence." This theory describes how, when people see that the views they agree with are widely welcomed, they will actively participate, leading to the bolder expression and dissemination of such views.

If no one is talking about your opinion, you will remain silent even if you agree with it, until someone starts to bring it up.

Wei Chenghao (Ping): "It's just boiling water, and it costs 8 survival points? Only a fool would buy that!"

Rui Xiaomin (Ping): "That's right, I don't like drinking hot water. Mineral water tastes better when it's cold."

Lin Hao (Xiao Ji): "The world has improved; even cheap jobs like boiling water can make money now."

Wan Sigang (Ping): "Laughing to death."

Rui Xiaomin (Ping): "Hahahahahahaha"

Lin Hao (Xiao Ji): "People who disrupt the market like this should be boycotted!"

...

When Xi Xi saw these condemnatory comments, she had just finished boiling the ninth batch of hot water. She casually fanned away the smoke and added some more firewood.

Xi Xi was somewhat surprised to see Lin Hao, the rich second-generation heir whom Liu Yunyan called a "daddy's boy," also stirring up trouble. She thought that she had only traded a bottle of chilled plum juice and couldn't possibly have bothered him in any way, but it turned out that he was still holding a grudge.

"They're a bit too petty," Xi Xi chuckled and muttered under her breath, realizing she had overestimated the cunning of some of these guys.

If Xi Xi remembered correctly, the phrase "People who disrupt the market like this should be boycotted!" was something one of the players said in anger when the unscrupulous merchant Lin Hao was being denounced by the crowd that afternoon. Yet, he had copied it verbatim, without changing a single word.

Whether it was to cut off her source of income, to mock the players who insulted him that afternoon, or both, Lin Hao was certainly overreacting. His luxury car even had a built-in refrigerator, so boiling water was a piece of cake, right? Therefore, whatever his purpose, it was rather ironic. Xi Xi sneered, delivered the boiled water to her client, and then promptly blocked all of them.

When it was Wan Sigang's turn, Xi Xi opened the chat history and discovered that he had been blacklisted for hurling insults at her during a barbecue transaction. She couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing. No wonder he started the trouble and even went back and forth with someone like Lin Hao in the public chat, mocking her; it turned out he was holding a grudge after being blocked.

A barely perceptible smile played on Xi Xi's lips as she tidied up the haphazardly piled plastic bottles on the ground. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed that someone had already turned on their microphone for her on the public chat.

Xi Xi paused for a moment, her hand still suspended in mid-air, but her eyes showed no surprise. The first day of the journey was similar to the first day of the apocalypse; people still retained their rationality, and their humanity was still indulging in the comforts of peacetime.

Xi Xi hadn't experienced such human warmth and coldness in a long time, and she couldn't help but feel a little shaken. However, this shock was not something to look forward to. Xi Xi shook her head sharply, trying to bring herself back to reality. She couldn't forget the wickedness that gradually emerged after humanity had been eroded, and she couldn't let herself waste her life by following the rules again.

Zhong Ziyuan (Ji): "They put in physical labor, what's wrong with charging a small handling fee? Why make such a big deal out of it? Don't be so mean!"

Fang Jin (Xiao Ji): "Boiling water is indeed not a technical skill, but everyone is short of hot water now. It's that simple. Don't bring old values ​​into the game."

Chu Dehua (Ping): "Oh my god, this hot water saved my life! We Chinese people can't go without drinking hot water!"

Liu Yunyan : "No way, no way? Someone reacted with stress at 8 survival points, it's not like there are 80 survival points."

You Yunxiao (Ping): "Hey, you've really messed with me. You're still arguing about this price. That's a bit much!"

To be fair, 8 survival points is quite generous compared to other barter transactions on the public chat. After all, scarcity increases value, and right now, tangible supplies are far more valuable than survival points that seem to have no practical use.

Xi Xi sighed, but this was exactly the effect she wanted. After all, this deal looked like a thankless task, with too much effort and too little reward, so almost no one would compete with her. Even if someone followed suit and raised the price, it wouldn't affect her business.

In fact, no one expected that the survival point was just a pretext, at best a minor benefit that was merely icing on the cake.

Actually, Xi Xi had ulterior motives; she just wanted to get someone else's empty plastic bottles for free...