The danger had not yet passed, and Meng Hao dared not let his guard down.
Thinking back on how recklessly he had fought the zombies before, he realized how foolhardy it had been.
Caution and steady growth were the keys to survival; only the wary endure.
Should a zombie leap out unexpectedly from some hidden place, even with a 98K in hand, Meng Hao would stand little chance.
Thus, he began a thorough search of the island, scouting for any lurking threats.
At the same time, he continued gathering iron ore.
[Beep—metallic object detected. Collecting will yield iron ore. Collect now?]
"Collect."
[Collection successful. Iron Ore +10]
[Ding! Divine Fortune triggered—100x reward activated.]
Choose your reward:
Iron Ore +1000
Copper Ore +10
My goodness...
Meng Hao beamed with delight.
Even this could trigger a hundredfold reward—it was truly exhilarating.
Iron ore was exactly what he lacked most; it was essential for crafting numerous items. The choice was obvious.
[Iron Ore +1000]
[Collection successful. Iron Ore +10]
[Ding! Divine Fortune triggered—100x reward activated.]
[Iron Ore +1000]
[Collection successful. Iron Ore +10]
[Ding! Divine Fortune triggered—100x reward activated.]
[Iron Ore +1000]
...
Meng Hao continued forward, scavenging vehicle wreckage and amassing a vast reserve of iron.
Each wrecked car yielded about 10 units of ore. With roughly eighty wrecks on the island, an average player might obtain 800 units of iron.
With Divine Fortune? Meng Hao secured 80,000 units!
Clearly, the earlier game prompt had not disclosed all possibilities—there were hidden mechanics yet to be revealed.
With iron now plentiful, a wealth of new items could be forged.
At the very least, spears and iron axes could now be crafted.
With an axe in hand, he could gather more wood.
Resources, like snowballs, only grew larger the further they rolled.
As Meng Hao explored, he eventually reached a collapsed gas station.
Perhaps he could find some gasoline.
In a wilderness survival scenario, gasoline was of immense value.
No matter the era, it remained a vital resource.
[Collapsed Gas Station: A derelict fuel station, its energy reserves fully depleted. Completely unusable.]
Receiving this system message, Meng Hao gave up the thought.
Not all items could be dismantled into resources.
It seemed he would have to abandon his hope of acquiring gasoline.
He had scoured the entire island and found no lurking dangers.
So what was amiss?
The island spanned a mere 2 square kilometers, its perimeter clearly visible.
Standing in the center, all directions were within 800 meters.
If zombies remained, where could they possibly hide?
Could it be...?
Underground?
The thought struck him like lightning.
This place was a ruined cityscape—surely there would be sewers.
If there were still zombies... they might be hiding in the sewers!
Meng Hao glanced at his 98K, then imagined the cramped confines of underground tunnels.
"Forget it."
"My rifle's range is too long—it's not suited for close-quarters combat."
"I'll open the remaining treasure chests first. Maybe I'll find a weapon better suited to melee."
With that thought, he slung his 98K and briskly crossed the landing bridge, returning to his home base.
Only upon reaching familiar ground did his nerves settle.
Nearby, the farm, mine, and barracks bustled with activity, steadily producing resources.
Thanks to the influx of iron, the armory had begun forging spears.
It truly felt like coming home.
Meng Hao did not immediately open the chests. Instead, he entered the trading interface.
First, he needed to cancel an earlier trade.
Previously, in his desperation for iron, he had listed instant noodles and bottled water for barter.
Now that iron was no longer scarce, wasting resources was unwise.
Trading Interface:
[Seller: Meng Hao746996585][Item: 100g Instant Noodles, Stock: 10][Item: 400ml Bottled Water, Stock: 10][Exchange Rate: 1:1 for Iron Ore][Trade Status: Unfulfilled]
He located the listing and clicked cancel.
[Your trade is pending. Remove item from market?]
"Remove."
[Trade cancelled. Thank you for visiting.]
Instantly, the items vanished from the trade board.
At the same time, the global chat exploded.
"Hey! The noodles and water are gone! I didn't get a chance to trade!"
"Don't kid yourself—you probably don't even know what iron ore looks like!"
"Honestly, I think the seller's run into a food shortage and took them back for himself."
"Wake up, man. The stock was 10 units. You'd better worry about your own stomach."
"I'm starving. Can someone please tell me how to get food?"
"Is seawater drinkable? I'm dying of thirst!"
"I don't want to die. I want to go home... Mom, I miss you."
"My dear boys in the dorm—Dad misses you so much. Are you still alive?"
"Marilyn Cuihua, I love you. I swear I'll marry you in the next life!"
"Hey pros, I've got a friend—asking for a friend—how do you drink your own urine without a container?"
"..."
The chatroom was in utter chaos. Many were acting as if the world was ending—though truly, it wasn't that dire yet.
The game had only been live for half a day. Starving to death? No one believed that.
Thirst, however—that was real.
On the deserted island, under sun and wind, water loss was rapid.
In such conditions, most wouldn't last a full day.
In reality, Meng Hao's goods had only been on the trade board for less than thirty minutes.
While they were listed, their mere presence brought comfort to many.
Knowing someone had food—even if you didn't—meant you could still trade for it later.
But once those listings disappeared, people panicked.
So the food supply wasn't constant. It could vanish at any time.
Even in a civilized world, sudden food shortages in supermarkets would cause panic.
In this post-apocalyptic setting, Meng Hao's simple action shook the hearts of billions around the globe.
Of course, some players had managed to find food and water—
Survivalists, adventurers, scavengers, soldiers.
But their supplies were limited—barely enough for one person.
The more pampered a person's previous life, the harder it now was to survive.
Meng Hao paid no mind to others' fears. His priority was opening the remaining two treasure chests and securing a close-range weapon.
There were still dangers lurking on the opposing island—he had to act quickly.
From his storage ring, Meng Hao withdrew two treasure chests and placed them before him.
Time to open them.
[Sandalwood Chest discovered. Open it?]
"Open!"
At his command, the sandalwood chest creaked open automatically.
Inside was a box wrapped in green paper, its contents neatly arranged, weighty and solid.
Ammunition?
[Bullets: Black Iron-tier item. Highly destructive ammunition that auto-matches gun calibers. When paired with firearms, unleashes devastating firepower. Quantity: 5]
[Ding! Divine Fortune triggered—100x reward activated.]
Choose your reward:
Bullets x500
Grenades x5
Seeing the contents, Meng Hao was overjoyed.
Bullets—at last!
To players without firearms, bullets were almost useless.
But to Meng Hao, they were a vital resource—an anchor of security.