On the desolate island, Meng Hao was frantically scrolling through the chat channel.
He kept swiping upward, staring at every user profile, trying desperately to spot a familiar face.
But there were simply too many messages. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
He was browsing the regional channel. If his family wasn't within this 1,000-player region, he had no chance of finding them there.
As for the world channel—forget it. With seven billion players, there was absolutely no way.
His fingers slowed. But as he scanned the chaotic messages, Meng Hao's interest was unexpectedly piqued by the conversations unfolding among other players:
"Holy crap, another one's dead! Everyone, look at the player count—it's down to 879!"
"This game is terrifying. People really die in here!"
"Haha, thank goodness I'm smart enough to not start drifting yet."
"D*mn, I regret it. Once island drift begins, you can't stop it!"
"What's there to fear about zombies? I already bashed one to death."
"Respect! Mind sharing some tips on zombie-slaying?"
"One slide tackle from me and the zombie was a goner."
"Do you get rewards for killing zombies?"
"What do they even look like?"
…
From the chats, Meng Hao could tell: most players hadn't truly begun the game.
Some of the faster ones had maybe killed one or two zombies, but many were still frozen in fear.
Of course, since island assignments were randomized, it was entirely possible that some lucky players landed on treasure-rich islands, or even met another player early on and cooperated to survive.
Then, a new prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Congratulations, uninhabited island devouring complete. Base island upgraded successfully.]
[Area increased by 1 km². Current base island size: 1.5 km².]
[Wilderness Farm unlocked – requires 5 crystals.]
[Wilderness Mine unlocked – requires 10 crystals.]
[Wilderness Armory unlocked – requires 50 crystals.]
[Wilderness Barracks unlocked – requires 100 crystals.]
[Channel Search function unlocked – 1 crystal per search.]
The ten minutes had passed. The devouring process was complete.
Meng Hao's island had grown from 0.5 km² to 1.5 km²—tripled in size.
From the looks of it, devouring an island added roughly half of its landmass to the base.
More importantly, the upgraded base unlocked several new features: a farm, a mine, an armory, and a barracks.
Each one required zombie crystals to activate.
Ordinary players would need to keep fighting zombies to accumulate enough currency to unlock even a single feature.
But Meng Hao had hundreds of crystals to spare.
"Activate them all!" he commanded.
[Wilderness Farm unlocked. -5 crystals. Reward: Bread Recipe.]
[Wilderness Mine unlocked. -10 crystals. Reward: Wood and Stone Harvesting Recipes.]
[Wilderness Armory unlocked. -50 crystals. Reward: Spear Crafting Recipe.]
[Wilderness Barracks unlocked. -100 crystals. Reward: Goblin Guard Training Recipe.]
[Channel Search Function unlocked. Input a name to find the corresponding player. -1 crystal per search. Group chat feature now available.]
One blue system prompt after another flooded his view. But Meng Hao's eyes locked onto a single line:
"Input a name to find the corresponding player!"
Joy surged in his chest.
He'd strained his eyes earlier trying to locate his family. Now, with this function, he had a direct path forward.
Even if it cost one crystal per search, he had plenty to spare.
"Meng Ke!" he typed—his little sister's name.
A long list of avatars named "Meng Ke" appeared, each with a unique 9-digit ID.
Thankfully, there weren't too many. He quickly identified his sister by her profile picture.
[Search successful. -1 crystal.]
[Player found: Meng Ke. Add as friend?]
"Add!"
[Friend request sent. Awaiting confirmation.]
Without delay, he searched for his father and mother, spending 2 more crystals.
One by one, he located and added them both.
Then, all at once—
[Ding! Meng Ke has accepted your friend request. You are now friends—start chatting!]
[Ding! Meng Nanshan has accepted your friend request. You are now friends—start chatting!]
[Ding! Zhang Hailan has accepted your friend request. You are now friends—start chatting!]
[You now have more than two friends. Group chat is now available. Would you like to start one?]
Meng Hao immediately initiated a family group chat.
[Group Chat – The Meng Family]
Meng Ke (Sister):"Brother? Is it really you? You're alive—thank goodness!"
Meng Hao:"Ke'er, I finally found you. Are you okay?"
Meng Nanshan (Father):"Xiao Hao, Ke'er—are you both safe? Don't start drifting yet. I've already killed two zombies. I'll come and save you!"
Meng Ke (Sister):"Dad, you've already started fighting? Be careful! I saw tons of people getting eaten out there…"
Meng Nanshan:"Don't worry. The first island only has five zombies. I'll rest for a bit, then take out the other three and find a way to reach you."
Meng Ke:"But I don't even know where I am! How will you find me?"
Meng Nanshan:"Don't give up hope. There has to be a way. By the way, where's your mom? She hasn't said anything."
Zhang Hailan (Mother):"Now that I know you're all safe, I can finally breathe. I was just about to start drifting. It's such a relief we could contact each other now."
Meng Ke:"Mom, I think I'll start drifting too. There's nothing here but the scorching sun. I feel like I'm being roasted alive."
Meng Nanshan:"Don't rush. Let me come get you. You're no match for those zombies yet."
Meng Ke:"Wait—where's Brother? Why is he so quiet? Brother…?"
Meng Nanshan:"Right, Xiao Hao—I haven't even asked. How did you manage to find us and add us as friends?"
Zhang Hailan:"Xiao Hao, don't do anything reckless. You and your sister stay put. Your father and I will come get you. Whatever you do, don't start drifting."
Meng Ke:"Brother, please answer me! Don't scare me… I'm worried… sob…"
The family was finally reunited, and the group chat was alive with concern and emotion.
Their father was already fighting zombies, eager to save them all.
Their mother and sister hadn't yet started drifting—like most players, they were still too afraid to begin.
But Meng Hao didn't hesitate.
With a calm breath, he opened the trade interface and began distributing supplies.
Meng Hao:"Everyone, calm down. I'm sending you supplies now."