"Mother!"
At the Future World Camp, a little girl of six or seven years old sat obediently on the edge of her bed in the thatched hut. When she saw her parents enter the room, her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Be good." The woman smiled tiredly, but without her usual enthusiasm.
The couple went into the house to drink some water, then left without saying a word. The girl was used to this and didn't ask where they were going, let alone follow them.
Because Mom and Dad said that they went out to kill monsters and level up to protect her, and she would only be safe if she stayed in the house.
"Oh, what should I do?" Ding Yu sighed and turned away from his daughter.
The Future World camp didn't implement a last-in-first-out system; instead, everyone had their own "head tax." So, even though their daughter wasn't combat-ready, she could come with them. In return, the couple had to hand in three supplies, the same number for children as for adults, with no discounts.
The couple were both fitness coaches. After the apocalypse, their initial combat skill level, as determined by the system, was quite high, allowing them to kill monsters faster than many ordinary players. However, in the Future World camp, which was packed with elite players, they weren't particularly impressive. It was even more difficult for them to obtain the resources of three people with just two people.
Supplies were handed in every three days, and the first few assignments were relatively simple, so they managed to carry them through. Sometimes, if there was a slight shortage, other members would kindly help them make up for it, and they could still get by.
But this time, probably because they were saving money to upgrade the settlement, the mission goals suddenly increased. Not only would they definitely not be able to complete the three-person portion, but the other members who could complete their respective goals would hardly have any resources left to support them, and they were on the verge of becoming homeless.
"Instead of waiting to be kicked out, it's better to find a new camp to join in advance. At least you can pack up your things and won't be so embarrassed." After a long silence, the husband Wu Zhen said this.
This actually makes a lot of sense, because the rules of the Future World Camp are very cruel. Once a player is confirmed to be expelled, he or she will only have 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, his or her camp membership will be officially revoked and the player will be automatically removed from the camp.
Previously, many players who knew they had not completed their goals were optimistic and waited until the last minute to prepare to leave. As a result, many things that could not be stuffed into the backpack had to be left behind, which benefited others.
But if you can prepare early, put away the necessities first, and sell or give away the rest, you will be much more relaxed.
Ke Dingyu frowned: "But where can we go?"
Wu Zhen said: "There are so many camps now, there must be one we can enter."
Ding Yu shook his head. "If we join other powerful camps, the rules are all similar, and none of them are easy to get into. If we join a second-rate camp..." Ding Yu subconsciously glanced at the door behind him and said firmly, "No, I must ensure Xixi's safety! We don't mind suffering a little, but we can't bring her to a camp where her life is in jeopardy!"
Most players agree that a low-quality camp is a precarious place. Not only is it vulnerable to attack by monsters, but it can also become a hunting target for other camps, and members might even die inexplicably in their sleep.
but--
"But we definitely can't stay here." Wu Zhen sighed, "We can find a relatively safe camp to stay in for the time being, and at the same time try to join forces with more powerful people. Other than that, I'm afraid there's no other way."
Ding Yu bit her lower lip tightly. After a long silence, she said to herself helplessly, "There really is no other way."
The two returned to their room and began methodically packing their belongings. They each had a large storage backpack with 30 slots, for a total of 60 slots. Without adding weight to the backpack, identical items could be stacked, occupying only one slot. The only exception was equipment; even two identical pieces of equipment had to be placed in separate slots and could not be placed together. However, if worn directly, they would not take up space in the backpack.
The couple put on as much equipment as possible and put the rest into their backpacks. After putting away the equipment, they began to collect various potions, and finally used the remaining grid to collect food.
After putting them away, Ding Yu counted the supplies and couldn't help but sigh: There were too many things handed in. Now the backpack looks full, and every compartment is filled with things, but in fact, there are many types but few quantities. There are only one or two items in each compartment, which takes up space and is not enough to eat.
Finally, there were some scattered sausages, braised eggs, and instant noodles left in the house. Ding Yu took a few out and gave them to the players who had helped them before, and Wu Zhen put the rest at the door to sell. They were sold out in no time and he made a lot of gold coins.
Under the setting sun in the evening, a family of three walked out of the camp and pressed the "Exit [Future World Camp]" button one after another.
At that moment, Ding Yu's mood, which had been gloomy, suddenly brightened. It was like unloading a long-held burden, and for a moment, he felt a sense of relief.
She let out a long sigh, then tugged at Wu Zhen's sleeve and said, "If the apocalypse could end, would you come back to my hometown with me?"
Wu Zhen couldn't help but be stunned. Because Ding Yu had always been very strong-willed, working alone in the big city but never complaining about being tired, let alone mentioning going home.
Ding Yu smiled and said, "I still have a few acres of land in my hometown. We can go back and farm it. Hmm...how about planting pumpkins? Xixi loves pumpkins!"
"Okay." Wu Zhen smiled and nodded in agreement.
In the past, Ding Yu would never have mentioned returning to his hometown to farm, and even if he had, he would probably have expressed incomprehension. But now, after experiencing the apocalypse, they all felt that owning a house, a piece of land, and a home was the greatest security.
His life goal from now on is to go home with Ding Yu and grow pumpkins!
Get rich camp.
Ye Miao was looking at the upgrade target on the panel and thinking about whether to upgrade the camp into a settlement as soon as possible or save some resources for emergencies, when there was a knock on the door.
She pulled herself back to her senses and opened the door. It was Hu Hao outside. After working together for several days, she and the couple had become quite familiar with each other. But now, Hu Hao seemed a little embarrassed. He rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, "Boss, can we discuss something? If you don't think it's appropriate, just ignore what I said."
Um?
Ye Miao wondered what the big deal was. He stepped closer to the door and said, "Come in and sit down."
"Oh... okay." Hu Hao's embarrassment became more obvious. He followed Ye Miao into the stone house and sat down at the table in the living room.
Ye Miao made him a cup of tea, appearing to be in a very good mood. However, he hesitated for a long time before speaking, "Boss, look... if Miao Lin and I want to move the RV out, is that convenient?"
Ye Miao was stunned: "Didn't you sell the RV to come to the campground?"
"I sold it a few days ago," Hu Hao laughed dryly. "I sold it to a relative who wanted to pay in installments. But then he joined another camp and got a thatched hut, so I returned it and kept it in my backpack ever since."
"So now we're thinking... can we use the RV as a business? That way, customers can have a 'dine-in' space, which is more convenient. If the boss thinks it takes up too much space, we can pay rent!"
Ye Miao understood the plan. Unlike the spicy snacks they'd previously sold, which could be easily carried, the bone soup they were selling was quite cumbersome to carry. While the game's settings allowed the soup to be stored in a backpack without spilling or getting cold, a dine-in area would clearly be a much better experience.
Ye Miao smiled and said, "There's so much open space in the camp now, why would you charge rent? Just use it."
"Really?!" Hu Hao was overjoyed. "Thank you, boss!" After saying that, he stood up and went back happily to report the good news.
Ye Miao watched him leave with a smile, and couldn't help but reflect in her heart: Is she really that scary?
To be fair, she thought she was a good person, but the camp members were always cautious towards her, as if they were afraid of angering her.
...Maybe she is just too good at fighting.
In troubled times, combat effectiveness means many things.
Retracting his thoughts, Ye Miao turned his attention back to the issue of upgrading the camp.
The next level above the camp is the settlement. There are still hard targets for upgrading the settlement. This time the targets are:
Have at least 40 members [47/50] (Completed);
Own at least 5 public buildings [6/5] (Completed);
Own at least 30 private residences [47/50] (completed);
Own at least 4 defensive buildings [0/4] (Not completed).
Three of the four items have been completed. As for the defensive building, Ye Miao did not rush to build it because he relied on the protection of the barrier. If he wanted to build it, he could do so at any time.
If Ye Miao remembered correctly, one of the great benefits of upgrading the camp to a settlement was that the territory could collect taxes. Without forcibly collecting materials from members, taxes meant that she would have more income. She would no longer be the only one working hard to maintain the development of the territory, but everyone would work together for the territory.
However, in addition to these four obvious tasks, there is actually another task to upgrade the territory, which is to "spend 30,000 gold coins."
Ye Miao has been constantly killing monsters and catching Pixiu these days, and with the sporadic income from selling houses, he can now come up with this money. But the problem is -
Frost Giants were currently causing trouble, and she didn't know if they would attack her camp, nor did she know if their combat power would be any different from what she remembered. If the Frost Giants came, the barrier stone might be damaged to some extent. Based on her previous experience with this game, the barrier stone could be repaired, but it would require a huge amount of money.
Ye Miao struggled with her thoughts, and ultimately decided it would be best to wait until the Frost Giant incident was over before leveling up. Otherwise, given the unscrupulous nature of this crappy game, if they sent several waves of high-level monsters after her barrier was destroyed, even if she could defeat them, it would be very troublesome.
Outside Ye Miao's stone house, the small market in the southeast corner of the camp was bustling with activity.
It was evening now, and the members returned one after another for dinner. As the gold coins accumulated increased, many members gradually became dissatisfied with just the meals provided by the camp, and instead began to buy various things to satisfy their hunger.
Taking advantage of the large crowd, Hu Hao and Miao Lin hung a sign reading "Auspicious Restaurant" on the newly-set-up RV, instantly creating a restaurant atmosphere. Most of the furniture had been put away, and six sets of tables and chairs were placed. A curtain was hung at the top to create a partitioned area. Behind the curtain was a relatively large round table and eight chairs, creating a simple private room that looked quite presentable.
In the apocalypse, who had ever seen this before? Almost everyone couldn't help but lean forward to watch, and then, drawn by the aroma of bone broth, they got on the bus.
"Please take a seat!" Miao Lin greeted everyone warmly. "We're newly opened today, so we're offering a 20% discount! We also have a new dish, bone broth ramen, you can try it!"
A customer immediately asked, "What are the properties of bone broth ramen? How much is it?"
Miao Lin didn't waste any time and showed the panel first.
[Item: Bone Broth Ramen]
【Quality: Blue】
[Description: After consumption, it can effectively relieve hunger and restore physical strength. After consumption, the speed of physical strength consumption is reduced by 30%, and the gold coins dropped when killing enemies are increased by 10%.]
Then he added, "The price is 40 gold, 20% off today, 32 gold."
"Ah, it reduces energy consumption and increases drops! This is perfect for eating before going out in the morning!" The customer who asked the question earlier had a bright look in his eyes. "Pack me ten... no, twenty!"
He planned to stock up on goods while they were on sale and eat them slowly later.
Miao Lin kindly reminded: "Dear, this product has a shelf life of only three days, so it's not suitable to stock up too much."
"..." The customer was instantly discouraged and said weakly, "Then give me three packs first. And one grilled sausage and one fried blood tofu, for dine-in."
"Okay!" Miao Lin quickly calculated the price. "The original price is 180 gold, and the discounted price is 144. Let's call it 140!"
"Thank you." The customer paid promptly. "Business is booming!"
The shopkeepers outside the RV were equally busy, with roasted marshmallows and potato chips selling particularly well. Meanwhile, He Kailai's cooking skills had reached level 60. After careful consideration, he splurged on a purple skill card and produced two successful trials.
[Item: Kung Pao Chicken]
【Quality: Purple】
[Description: Immediately restore 50% of health and 60% of mana after consumption.]
He Kailai was delighted. He used up all his magic points to make a dozen more servings, then put them on sale: "Kung Pao Chicken! Freshly baked Kung Pao Chicken! Restores health and mana! 90 gold per serving!"
Dishes that cost 90 gold are not uncommon outside, but I have never seen them in the Get Rich Overnight Camp. The price alone is enough to attract attention.
Many players came to watch out of curiosity, and were shocked when they saw the description.
In the game "Fantasy World", the most convenient way to restore mana and health is actually to buy potions. The most common primary potions nowadays restore 10% of the amount, and the intermediate ones can restore 25%, but they are only for a single item.
In other words, if you want to restore 60% of your health and 70% of your magic power, you need 2 bottles of intermediate blood-replenishing potions, 2 bottles of intermediate magic potions, and 2 bottles of primary magic potions. Even if you buy them at the lowest price from Zhu Yihua, it will cost 100 gold. It will be more expensive if you buy them from other pharmacists. The price in the world outside the camp will be several times higher.
In comparison, Kung Pao Chicken is cheap and delicious. Compared to potions, the only disadvantage of food is that it cannot be consumed in battle, which means it is not suitable for emergency use.
But overall it's worth it!
Players who had figured out the cost immediately started buying. Within three minutes, the Kung Pao Chicken was sold out, and He Kailai earned 1,530 gold.
The [Kung Pao Chicken] skill card costs 4200 gold. At this level, he can make back his investment in about three days. After that, he only needs to deduct the material cost, and the rest is net profit.
As dusk deepened, the vendors in the small market gradually sold out their goods and went home, and the camp fell silent.
The central bonfire was still lit, and some players who weren't yet sleepy gathered around it, chatting. Some recent members recalled the past few days as a dream. Xin Lu sighed with mixed feelings, "When we first arrived, we complained that everyone here was bad at math, so they sold things so cheaply. Now, look, it really makes everyone feel comfortable!"
Blacksmith Zhang Xu had just finished counting the day's commissions at home and was about to sit down for a while when he heard this. He couldn't help but smile, "Everyone can make money, and everyone can survive regardless of whether they can fight or not. This is probably the right way to stick together in the end times. Our boss... don't be fooled by his small size and cute appearance, he's actually quite wise."
"I just don't know what would happen if we encounter high-level monsters or attacks from other camps." Xin Lu smiled, and her words that seemed like she was talking to herself revealed an unconcealable worry.
Before she finished speaking, she felt that Zhang Xu's expression became complicated.
"...I know what you want to say." Xin Lu was speechless.
She had also heard the legend of Ye Miao fighting the attackers alone when the camp was first established, but to her, it was just a "legend" after all, and she believed it was not what she heard.
Besides, the players' levels at that time should have been much lower than they are now. Being able to fight ten alone back then was not the same as being able to survive a crisis now. Xin Lu always felt that beneath the joyful atmosphere here was a kind of self-abandonment of "drink while the wine is here".
Another hour passed, and the players gathered around the campfire dispersed, and everyone returned to their rooms and fell asleep.
The night deepened, the temperature dropped, and a bright moon hung in the sky. In the silence, a distant, unreality, heavy sound could be heard: "dong—dong—," drawing closer.
In the game "Fantasy World," a player's agility is directly linked to their various senses. A group of players with high agility were the first to wake up. Assassin Fang Yuming held his breath and listened for a few seconds before immediately jumping out of bed and pushing the door open.
The "Stone House District" where he lived now had a total of five houses. Besides him and Ye Miao, there were also pharmacist Zhu Yihua and traveling merchant Ren Guoqing. However, apart from him, the other three had relatively low agility, and he was the only one who heard the sound.
However, other high-sensitivity players in the "wooden house area" were also awakened. They rushed out of their rooms one after another, their faces horrified: "Is it... is it a Frost Giant?!"
Fang Yuming gasped, walked decisively towards Ye Miao's stone house and knocked on the door.
Ye Miao, who was originally fast asleep, quickly woke up when he heard the door open and subconsciously raised his voice: "Who?"
"I," Fang Yuming said solemnly, "there's movement. It might be the Frost Giant coming towards us."
Ye Miao snapped awake, grabbed her backpack, and quickly donned her gear. The Pixiu, who had been sleeping soundly on the backpack, was suddenly thrown over. She sat on the ground, rubbing her eyes with her paws, then climbed onto the bed to rub against Ye Miao, feeling aggrieved.
"Be good, go to sleep first." Ye Miao patted its head twice perfunctorily, inserted his two swords into the crossed scabbards behind him, and strode out of the door.
In just a moment, the footsteps were getting closer. More players rushed out of the room, looked up at the night sky, and vaguely saw the fruit trees swaying not far away.
"Everyone stay in the camp." Ye Miao drew his swords and strode towards the gate.
The camp leaned against a cliff to the north, and the footsteps of the Frost Giants approached from the south. In the rice paddies to the east and the bushes to the west, the two groups of people lay motionless, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
On a small hill further to the east, a team of archers was counting their equipment in a cave halfway up the mountain.
Seeing the arrows becoming increasingly scarce, Yi Hang felt distressed. "Alas... It's not that I don't want to save people, but this isn't a solution. Fire Array Arrows are so hard to collect. We've spent so much time and money to amass just over 200, and now, after just a few days, there are less than a hundred left. At this rate, they'll be gone in three or four days."
Chu Cheng listened quietly to the heavy footsteps approaching outside, shouldered his longbow, and walked towards the cave entrance: "Then let's do it for another three or four days."
"No... you don't plan to keep any for yourself?" Yi Hang was unwilling to give in and kept trying to persuade him, "Flame Formation Arrows are the most effective for killing monsters in the wild. We should at least keep some... seven or eight would be fine."
"Human lives are at stake," Chu Cheng said softly. "When I won the championship, I accepted all the blessings from the entire internet. Now that I'm in danger, I'm holding back. Am I still human?"
"But..." Yi Hang wanted to persuade him, but he didn't know what to say.
His results weren't as good as Chu Cheng's, not enough to qualify for the world's top competitions, but he was still one of the world's top players. So even if he hadn't tasted the glory that Chu Cheng had, he at least knew that countless people had worked hard to train him.
The coaching team, nutrition team, sportswear design team, and countless taxpayers, as well as many seemingly unrelated industries, all supported the once stable and prosperous society, allowing them to train with peace of mind and achieve results.
So Chu Cheng was right. Although they lost equipment by doing this, at least they felt good about it.
Yi Hang adjusted his mood and walked towards the cave entrance with three other teammates. Chu Cheng had already drawn his bow, and his eyes were calm and sharp as he looked towards the camp ahead in the night.
The footsteps grew closer, and finally, three frost giants emerged, attacking the barrier that glowed faintly blue in the night.
Ye Miao jumped out without thinking, and just as he touched the range of the barrier, five feather arrows shot towards the frost giant, hitting the frost giant accurately in front of him and forming a straight line.
Instantly, flames erupted. This was a unique property of the Flame Array Arrows. If several were linked in a line, they would form a wall of fire. If formed into a polygon, they would become a star-shaped array with a polygonal outer contour. This was extremely suitable for encircling and suppressing groups of wild monsters during monster hunting.
Ye Miao jumped out of the barrier and walked out of the fire steadily. He turned the swords in his hands and walked slowly towards the frost giant in front of him that was as big as a hill.
When Chu Cheng saw this figure, his eyes froze as he was about to shoot another arrow to extend the wall of fire.
"What does this mean?" Yi Hang stared at Ye Miao in amazement. "Why did only one person come out? A one-on-one fight? Logically, we can only help them save their lives. If they don't intend to fight, we can't hold on!"
Before he finished speaking, the figure jumped up again, stepped accurately on the Frost Giant's raised fist, triggered a double jump, and jumped to the top of the Frost Giant's head.
"Shadowless Sword." Ye Miao muttered silently.
The skill was triggered directly above the giant's head. She swung her two swords, and her attack speed instantly increased to 5.25 times, leaving an afterimage on the frost giant's head.
Yi Hang watched from afar as the numbers above the Frost Giant's head, which represented the blood loss, jumped around wildly, but he couldn't see what kind of attack it had suffered. He had to open the panel and zoom in before he could vaguely see a figure flying around.
"...Is that the female player from before?" Yi Hang asked woodenly.
"Yes." Chu Cheng, who was also zooming in to see what was going on, stared at the figure, with an indescribable complexity in his eyes.
The author has something to say:
I'll give out red envelopes to 50 random comments on this chapter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com