Everyone has selfish motives. Zhang Shi originally planned to stockpile more supplies and profit from the information gap. Unexpectedly, before he could even take action, others had already made their move.
After careful consideration, Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng decided to make the matter of Yan Han public.
Since prices in the market have become abnormal, some clever people will surely notice something amiss. Rather than hiding it and waiting for a small group to monopolize the resources, it's better to openly spread the news so that everyone can be prepared.
"This way, fewer people will die."
Zhao Feng nodded, agreeing with Zhang Shi's idea.
However, before announcing the news, the two still went on a shopping spree in the trading market.
——
"Gurgle, gurgle."
The broth was cooked until tender, and the aroma of meat filled the entire stone house.
Smelling the aroma, Zhang Shi temporarily stopped what he was doing. He ladled out a bowl of meat soup and began to eat with gusto.
Bear meat has coarse fibers, giving it a texture similar to fatty beef. High-quality meat contains a remarkable energy; after consuming half a bowl of broth, Zhang Shi immediately felt a warm current flow from his abdomen to his limbs. His entire body felt warm and comforting, as if he were fully charged, and even the dejection from his injury vanished.
"Woof woof!"
Suddenly, a howl of wolves came from outside, and it seemed there were quite a few of them.
Zhang Shi guessed that the wolf from yesterday was holding a grudge and had sent people over today.
"Damn it! They can't even have a peaceful meal. I've been wanting to vent all my energy, so I'll just use you guys as an example."
Zhang Shi took out the bone bow and ran into the yard.
Hearing Zhang Shi's commotion, the wolves outside grew even more agitated and began relentlessly attacking the wooden door.
A cold smile appeared on Zhang Shi's lips. It was unclear whether he was excited from eating bear meat or had gotten rid of his fear of wild animals after killing a black bear today.
Ignoring his leg injury, Zhang Shi climbed up the watchtower and shone a searchlight at the gate.
Under the illumination of the lights, the night was dispelled, and everything was laid bare.
There were seven or eight gray wolves gathered at the foot of the wall. One of the wolves had a limp in its front leg, and it looked like the one that had been injured by a trap yesterday.
Upon seeing Zhang Shi come into view, the wolf pack became even more agitated. They bared their fangs, their eyes gleaming green in the night, looking particularly ferocious.
Zhang Shi's mindset at this moment is completely different from yesterday. With long-range attack weapons, Zhang Shi can take the initiative to attack and no longer has to passively hide behind the wall.
Nocked an iron arrow, pulled back the bowstring, and shot at the wolf pack.
"Whoosh~"
The arrow pierced through the searchlight beam, flashing silver light as it sliced through the night sky and landed diagonally on the ground.
The gray wolf that was closest to the arrow was so startled that it jumped up, its fur bristling.
Zhang Shi watched as a third of the arrow shaft sank into the ground, and he was very satisfied with the destructive power of the bone bow.
"Your accuracy still needs some practice."
After saying that, Zhang Shi drew the bow again. His arm was already familiar with the strength of this bone bow, and Zhang Shi felt more and more at ease with it.
Nock the arrow, release the string—all in one smooth motion, mimicking the cool way characters in games fire three arrows in quick succession.
The gray wolves were very intelligent. When they saw Zhang Shi aiming at them, they scattered and hid in places where the searchlight could not reach, disappearing into the darkness.
As expected, all three arrows missed their mark, embedding themselves in the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Awooooo!"
A piercing scream left Zhang Shi completely bewildered.
"Didn't you not win? Why are you trying to scam me?"
Zhang Shi turned the searchlight toward the source of the sound and discovered that it was an unlucky gray wolf that had been frightened and accidentally stepped into a trap, becoming trapped and unable to move.
Zhang Shi quickly drew an arrow and aimed it at the gray wolf.
"puff!"
The iron arrow pierced the gray wolf's head with a resounding thud, silencing its howl. The gray wolf had been killed by Zhang Shi's arrow.
Zhang Shijian was excited as he finally succeeded, a smile appearing on his lips.
"Whoosh~"
From the distant wilderness, a powerful and resonant cry rang out, and a pair of green eyes stared intently at Zhang Shi through the thick darkness of the night.
Upon hearing the howl, the gray wolves gathered together and slowly dispersed towards the wilderness, gradually merging into the night.
After the battle, the courtyard returned to tranquility. Only the occasional popping sound from the flames in the charcoal kiln could be heard.
Seeing that the wolf pack had dispersed, Zhang Shi used a searchlight to check the surroundings. Finding no ambush, he climbed down the watchtower, opened the door, cleaned up the battlefield, and retrieved the wolf carcasses.
Back in the stone house, after taking off his leather pants, Zhang Shi noticed that the wound on his calf was oozing a trickle of blood.
After cleaning the wound again, Zhang Shi changed the bandage. He secretly resolved to fully recover before going out.
Having expended a lot of energy, Zhang Shi reheated the cooled meat soup and ate it with bread.
A casual glance at the chat channels revealed that tonight there were requests for help everywhere.
Zhang Shi carefully examined the chat history and discovered that everyone had been attacked by large wild animals to varying degrees.
Some survivors' shelters hadn't even been upgraded to wooden houses yet, and wild beasts easily broke in, causing those survivors to log off at lightning speed.
As for the survivors in the middle ranks, they have all upgraded their cabins and acquired some handy weapons.
By relying on shelter, one can fight off wild animals, thus reducing casualties considerably.
Zhang Shi glanced at the number of people online and his pupils contracted.
After a few days of inattention, the number of surviving survivors has dropped to 7955.
"It's only been four days, and the natural disaster hasn't even struck yet, but already 20% of the population has died?"
Zhang Shi inquired about Zhao Feng's situation.
Zhao Feng had acquired a leopard, and with the man and the beast working together, dealing with wild animals became much easier.
Seeing that the two had stockpiled enough supplies to survive the natural disaster, Zhang Shi decided to make the news public.
According to the plan, Zhang Shi will still be the one to handle it.
Zhang Shi (VIP): Everyone, according to reliable sources, the natural disaster in seven days will be severe cold. Please prepare in advance to cope with the disaster. For details, please see [Revelation (Green) x1]
Zhang Shi's message was pinned to the top of the local chat channel, quickly sparking heated discussions.
Zhu Dachang: I see. I knew it! That's why timber prices have skyrocketed in the market.
Sheng Mu: Hmph, who knows if your news is true or false? Maybe you deliberately spread false information to drive up the price of timber and profit from it.
Cheng Xiaobai: Still dawdling here? The Holy Lord has been resurrected. Sheriff Black has gathered the twelve zodiac animals to seal the Holy Lord. You're the only one missing, you pig @Sheng Mu.
Ge Dalong: Everyone, I'm sure you've all noticed that the temperature has been dropping lately. Many of the items you've gotten from the treasure chests are for keeping warm, so I think @Zhang Shi's words are quite credible. Everyone should make some preparations in advance.
After announcing the news, Zhang Shi switched to the trading market.
Sure enough, the prices of timber and animal hides skyrocketed. Items that hadn't yet had their prices adjusted were being sold out in a flash.
After careful consideration, Zhang Shi set the price at 1 unit of charcoal to 2 units of wood, until he had filled the 30 transaction orders.
Zhang Shi had experimented and found that the burning time and heat released by one unit of charcoal were far greater than those of two units of wood. After accounting for the losses and time costs of converting the charcoal himself, Zhang Shi didn't earn much, and the survivors could accept the 2-for-1 exchange price.
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