Bu Ya asked, "What materials?"
The old man leaned back in his worn-out rattan chair, looked up at Bu Ya, and a shrewd glint flashed in his cloudy eyes: "The material I need is not simple. It's something called Starry Crystal Sand, which comes from deep rock crevices in abandoned mines. Its texture is like fine sand, and it even emits a weak electric current when touched lightly."
"If you can find this Starry Crystal Sand, I'll give you this map."
Upon hearing this, Bu Ya did not immediately agree. Instead, she met the old man's gaze without flinching, her tone full of doubt and dissatisfaction: "You think you can make me believe this map is real just because you've covered it up so tightly? You won't even let me take a look. Isn't this just fooling me?"
The old man's face darkened, he crossed his arms in front of his chest, and snorted coldly, "Hmph, quite wary."
"Fine, I doubt they'll give up until I let you investigate first. Let me tell you, Aeonalloy is very likely hiding in the abandoned mechanical fortress at the border of Sector 023 and Sector 024. That fortress is located on the edge of the Death Dunes, surrounded by deadly quicksand. Go there and confirm it. If you can sense Aeonalloy's presence, then we can continue our discussion."
"Also, don't blame me for not warning you, without my map, getting into this mechanical fortress is like entering a maze, and once you're in, you won't be able to get out."
Abandoned mechanical fortress at the border of District 023 and District 024?
Bu Ya frowned, a hint of hesitation flashing across her face, but she quickly nodded. "Deal. But once I confirm the location and bring the things back, you have to give me everything that's due."
We have to be careful... Although he's an NPC, this old geezer is really wicked!
The old man chuckled dryly twice: "Don't worry, although I'm a man who likes to negotiate, I'm a man of my word. As long as you bring the things back, you'll definitely get the map. But this abandoned mine is fraught with danger, and there are some mutated mechanical beasts inside, so you have to be careful. If you're scared, it's not too late to back out now."
Bu Ya said firmly, "Since I promised, I will definitely do it."
After confirming the location, she took a card from the card album, and the next second, a motorcycle appeared beside her.
Buya straddled the motorcycle, its body gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. The roar of the engine was like the low growl of a beast, particularly jarring in the deathly silence of the abandoned mine.
......
Survival instance "City of Light", Day 8 of the "Survival Period".
The gale whipped up sand and gravel, raging across the vast, boundless sand dunes.
Su Yao collapsed onto the scorching sand, gasping for breath, her voice filled with disbelief: "The ruins... they actually collapsed?!"
Professor Zhang simply shook his head, his sigh barely audible.
Yu Xiangnan quickly opened the game interface to check the number of remaining players, and sure enough, the number on the screen was less than 300.
I see.
The entire Xisha ruins turned out to be an elaborate "trap," and if it weren't for Bula carrying them out, things would have been quite dangerous.
Yu Xiangnan wiped the dust from his face and turned to look. He saw many figures around him. Some of them, like him, had just escaped from the ruins; a few had been guarding the outside of the ruins, never stepping inside.
There are twelve days left to survive. Next, should we fight the boss, or...?
bite--
[Congratulations to all players for making it this far!]
[Now, the new rules are in effect: all water resources in all player card collections are frozen. From now on, to obtain water, you must venture alone into the desert and complete a solo challenge. This is a test of both strength and willpower. Good luck!]
When Yu Xiangnan opened the card book, he found that all of his stored water had been frozen.
"......"
Good grief, suddenly locking up supplies is a bit much.
I should have gulped down a few mouthfuls of water right away.
Looking at the sandstorm raging in front of him, Yu Xiangnan felt deeply regretful.
The new regulations state that to obtain water, one must venture deep into the desert alone and complete a solo challenge... In such an extreme environment as the desert, the human body loses water very quickly, and the frequency and amount of water needed are very different from those in a normal environment.
Although the various attribute points she added enhanced her physical fitness, she still needed to consume at least 2-3 liters of water per day in this desert. If she engaged in prolonged physical activity, her water intake might need to increase to 4-5 liters or even more.
Moreover, there's Su Yao and Professor Zhang...
What exactly the single-player challenge includes, how much Light Points you can get after completing the challenge, and how much Light Points can be exchanged for how much water... all of this is still unknown.
At this moment, Fedo's gaze inadvertently fell on Bula, who was raising its little paws and clicking incessantly, as if it were inputting some information.
Strangely, in this survival instance, the only chat box that can be used for communication is not used by Bula to send any messages.
【chat】
【Feiduo】: @Bula, who are you messaging?
[Bula]: Hehehe, I won't tell you.
[Feiduo]: Hehe
[Yu Xiangnan]: ?
Yu Xiangnan's gaze fell on Bula, and he said, "Bula, it's the same old rule. If you find a single person to challenge, I'll give you a can of luncheon meat."
Upon hearing about canned luncheon meat, Bula's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly.
However, looking out over this vast and boundless desert, with its scorching sand dunes and desolate landscape, finding a spot for a solo challenge and acquiring enough Light Points to exchange for enough water is no easy task.
Over these eight days, the water reserves that Su Yao and Professor Zhang had originally stored up had long been exhausted.
Su Yao keenly noticed that Yu Xiangnan's expression was somewhat strange, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Xiangnan, why are you protecting us?"
Yu Xiangnan remained expressionless and solemnly fabricated a story: "Here's what happened. An employer offered me a high price to protect you, so I created a fake graduate student identity and took the opportunity to join this expedition team."
"Employer?" Su Yao asked, her face full of doubt. "You, you wouldn't happen to be the world's number one mercenary, would you?"
She gasped sharply.
Considering Yu Xiangnan's agility and calm demeanor in the face of danger, Su Yao couldn't help but wonder if what she said might actually be true...
Su Yao looked on with suspicion, when a bold idea suddenly flashed through her mind. She turned to Professor Zhang and blurted out, "Could it be that Professor Zhang, you are actually some kind of high-level agent or a top-tier tycoon, and you've been hiding your identity all along, right?"
Professor Zhang: "?"
How could he not know?
In all my life, this is the first time I've heard such an outrageous guess.
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