Qin Yu walked up to the quasi-S-grade chest.
The chest was heavy.
Its surface was carved with intricate patterns. Though covered in mud and bone dust, it couldn't conceal its imposing nobility.
A quasi-S-grade treasure chest.
Apart from the S-grade supplies provided by Qin Yu's system, this item was absolutely a rare find compared to what other survivors possessed.
"I hope it contains something practical."
Qin Yu took a deep breath and placed his hand on the lid.
Without hesitation.
He flung it open.
Click.
A dazzling golden light did not shoot into the sky as expected.
Instead, it remained restrained.
Inside the chest lay a silver-gray metal cube.
About the size of a fist.
Its surface was smooth as a mirror, flowing with faint blue data streams.
[Ding!]
[Successfully opened quasi-S-grade treasure chest!]
[Obtained: T-X All-Terrain Automatic Harvesting Terminal (Engineering Edition)]
[Grade: Quasi-S-grade]
[Description: A marvel of civilian engineering from a high-dimensional civilization. This is not just a machine—it is an untiring engineering team.]
[Function 1: Fully automatic resource identification. Can accurately identify all basic resources within a 10-kilometer radius, including wood, ore, and vegetation.]
[Function 2: Violent harvesting. Equipped with a high-frequency laser cutting arm and molecular oscillation drill, harvesting efficiency is 500 times that of manual labor.]
[Function 3: Space-fold storage. Built-in 1000-cubic-meter subspace warehouse, automatically packs and stacks harvested resources.]
[Note: As long as there is light, it will work until the end of time.]
Qin Yu stared at the metal cube in his hand, his pupils slightly dilating.
He couldn't suppress the smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Good stuff."
"Really damn good stuff."
In this damned survival game, what was most important?
Resources.
Wood needed to be chopped, stones needed to be quarried—these basic tasks consumed the most energy and wasted the most time.
With this thing.
It was equivalent to having a super miner that never tired and had terrifying efficiency.
"System, how much longer can this island last?"
Qin Yu suddenly asked.
Based on previous experience, after killing the guardian beast, the island would soon sink.
[Ding! Detected that the island's geological structure is stable. After the guardian beast's death, the island's core energy will completely dissipate in 20 hours, at which point the island will collapse and sink.]
"20 hours."
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes.
It was enough.
Enough to scrape this island clean down to the last inch.
He turned and looked toward the valley covered in white crystals and the dense forest in the distance.
In Qin Yu's eyes.
These were no longer just scenery.
They were piles of wood, mountains of stone—the foundation for upgrading his base.
"Activate."
Qin Yu tossed the metal cube in his hand onto an open space.
Hum—
A soft sound echoed.
The cube hovered in mid-air.
Then.
A series of dazzling mechanical transformation sounds followed.
Clack, clack, clack—
The silver-gray metal block rapidly expanded, unfolded, and reassembled.
In the blink of an eye.
A three-meter-tall, menacingly designed silver mecha appeared before them.
It had no legs—its base consisted of four wide tracks, adaptable to any terrain.
It also lacked a head; where the head should have been was a radar scanning eye flashing with red light.
Most terrifying were its two mechanical arms.
The left arm was a high-speed rotating alloy chainsaw, while the right arm featured a massive spiral drill.
It exuded a violent industrial aesthetic.
Beep—
"T-X Collector ready. Awaiting commander's instructions."
A cold, synthesized electronic voice rang out.
Qin Yu gestured to their surroundings.
His tone was icy.
"Except for me and that woman."
"Anything usable."
"Chop down all the trees."
"Drill through all the rocks."
"Scrape even the topsoil off the ground."
"I want this island turned into barren wasteland."
"Command confirmed."
The robot's red eye flickered.
Rumble—
The tracks began to move.
Like a steel monster, it charged directly toward the nearest grove of bizarre trees.
Bzzzzzt—!!!
The piercing sound of cutting instantly filled the valley.
Those unusually hard trees, so thick it would take several people to encircle them, were like tofu before the laser chainsaw.
Wood chips flew everywhere.
In mere seconds.
A towering tree came crashing down.
Then, as it fell, the mechanical arms swiftly dismembered and cut it into standardized lumber, sucking it into the mecha's internal storage space.
The efficiency was terrifyingly high.
[Ding! Obtained Hardwood x50]
[Ding! Obtained High-Quality Resin x10]
[Ding! Obtained Granite x20]
The system notifications in Qin Yu's mind began scrolling rapidly.
This feeling of effortless gain.
Was utterly exhilarating.
"Let's go."
Qin Yu dusted off his hands and turned to Yao Xue, who had remained silent.
"This big guy doesn't need our supervision."
"We're heading back to the ship."
Yao Xue leaned against a rock.
Her face still pale.
The recent battle, combined with last night's frenzied events, had drained too much of her energy and stamina.
Especially when that giant bear charged—
The fear of nearing death still made her hands and feet turn cold upon recollection.
"Mhm..."
Yao Xue responded.
She tried to stand.
But as soon as she put weight on her legs—
Hiss—
Her knees buckled, and she uncontrollably started to slide down.
The sore weakness seemed to seep from her very bones.
It wasn't just from fear.
It was also due to Qin Yu's relentless exertion the previous night.
Coupled with the intense sprinting to lure the giant bear, now that she had relaxed, the lactic acid in her muscles erupted instantly.
She couldn't steady herself at all.
A strong, large hand reached out, firmly grasping her arm.
Steadily supporting her.
"Legs weak?"
Qin Yu looked down at her.
A hint of mockery in his eyes.
Yao Xue bit her lip, a flush of embarrassment crossing her face.
Both ashamed and helpless.
As a once-proud chief physician, she never imagined she'd reach a day where she couldn't even walk.
"I'm... I'm fine."
"Just need to rest a bit."
Stubbornly, she tried to push Qin Yu's hand away.
But his grip was like an iron clamp, unmoving.
"Rest, my ass."
"This place is filled with the smell of blood. If it attracts other bugs, will you have the strength to fight?"
Qin Yu didn't give her a chance to refuse.
He turned around directly.
His back facing her.
He crouched slightly.
"Get on."
Two short, forceful words.
Carrying an unquestionable dominance.
Yao Xue was momentarily stunned.
Staring at the broad back before her.
His clothes were tattered and stained with mud and dried black blood.
Left behind when he blasted the giant bear at close range.
Dirty.
Very dirty.
In the past, Yao Xue would have found even touching it disgusting.
But now.
Looking at this blood-stained back.
She only felt an overwhelming sense of safety.
This blood was a medal.
A medal this man had earned with his life—for survival, for protecting her.
"Hurry up."
"Do I have to beg you?"
Qin Yu urged impatiently.
Yao Xue hesitated no longer.
She took a deep breath and leaned onto his back.
Wrapping her arms around Qin Yu's neck.
Qin Yu reached back, cupped the backs of her knees, and stood up effortlessly.
"So light."
Qin Yu adjusted his grip.
He started walking out of the valley.
"Eat more meat from now on."
"You're as thin as a rack, not much to hold onto."
Yao Xue lay against his back, her cheek pressed against the tattered clothes smelling of sweat and gunpowder.
Hearing this, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"If you don't like it, you don't have to carry me."
Though she said that.
Her body clung even tighter to him.
As Qin Yu walked.
Their bodies pressed closely together.
Though separated by clothing.
Qin Yu could still clearly feel the sensation against his back.
Soft.
Surprisingly soft.
A structure completely different from muscle.
With the rhythm of his steps, those two soft mounds pressed firmly against his back muscles, deforming under the pressure.
He could even feel their delicate elasticity.
Yao Xue's figure had always been exceptional.
Usually hidden under her loose white coat.
Now pressed tightly against him.
The plumpness unique to a mature woman was fully revealed.
Qin Yu was no saint.
That sensation stirred something in him.
Images of last night's madness flashed through his mind again.
He subconsciously tightened his grip on Yao Xue's thighs.
"Mmm..."
Yao Xue let out a soft murmur.
Her body stiffened slightly.
She clearly noticed the change in Qin Yu's grip and his increasingly heavy breathing.
Her face grew redder.
Blushing all the way down to her neck.
"Pervert..."
She whispered the insult near his ear.
Her voice soft and tender.
Devoid of any bite.
Instead, it sounded almost coquettish.
"Carrying my own wife—how is that being a pervert?"
Qin Yu retorted confidently.
His steps never faltering.
They passed through the dense forest.
Trees around them kept collapsing, evidence of the distant steel behemoth working frantically.
Yet the path Qin Yu walked remained unusually quiet.
Perhaps the dying roar of the quasi-S-class giant bear had scared away the nearby beasts.
Or perhaps it was the intense killing aura radiating from Qin Yu.
Nothing foolish dared to cause trouble.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves.
Dappling the two of them in shifting patterns.
"Qin Yu."
Yao Xue spoke suddenly.
Her voice very soft.
"Hmm?"
"Will we keep living like this?"
She gazed at the sparkling sea in the distance.
Her eyes somewhat lost.
They had won this time.
But what about the next time?
And the time after that?
This world was full of unknowns and horrors—no one knew whether tomorrow or disaster would come first.
Qin Yu stopped walking.
He tilted his head slightly.
Though he couldn't see Yao Xue behind him, his tone was exceptionally firm.
"We will."
"Not just survive."
"We will live better than anyone else."
"Build a base, stockpile supplies, upgrade weapons."
"Whether it's wild beasts, natural disasters, or even gods."
"Anyone who dares stand in our way."
"I'll kill them right before your eyes."
His words carried an air of arrogance.
But to Yao Xue's ears, they were the most beautiful promise.
She buried her face in the crook of Qin Yu's neck.
Took a deep breath.
That was Qin Yu's scent.
Powerful, wild, yet reassuring.
"Alright."
"I believe you."
...
After walking for about twenty minutes.
The view suddenly opened up.
The sound of waves crashing against rocks reached their ears.
They had returned to the gravel beach where they had landed.
The black assault boat sat quietly by the shore, gently rocking with the waves.
Qin Yu placed Yao Xue into the cabin.
Jumped in himself, and started the engine.
"Vroom—"
The motor roared.
The assault boat cut through the sea, leaving a white wake behind.
In the distance.
On the horizon.
The small black dot gradually grew larger.
That was their iron raft.
Their only home in this desperate world.
The raft now.
Was no longer the shabby little wooden plank it once was.
After several expansions, plus Qin Yu's previous enhancement using the doubling card.
It now measured a full hundred square meters.
Like a small floating platform.
In the wooden cabin on the second floor.
A petite figure was pressed against the window, clutching a dagger tightly, anxiously scanning the horizon.
When she saw the speeding assault boat approaching.
Her tense little face instantly relaxed.
Tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Brother Qin Yu! Sis!"
Yao Qian pushed open the door and rushed barefoot to the edge of the deck.
Waving while crying.
She had spent the night alone on this vast ocean.
That loneliness and fear were more terrifying than facing wild beasts.
She was terrified that Qin Yu and her sister might never return.
If that happened.
She definitely wouldn't survive another night.
The assault boat pulled up steadily beside the raft.
Qin Yu jumped aboard first and tied the mooring rope.
Then turned and carried the weak-legged Yao Xue aboard.
"Wahh... Sis..."
Yao Qian threw herself into Yao Xue's arms, crying pitifully.
Her white silk stockings were getting stained from the rubbing, making her look even more pitiable.
"There there, it's alright now."
Yao Xue stroked her sister's head, comforting her softly.
Her eyes filled with affection.
Qin Yu stood to the side.
Watching this scene.
He didn't find it noisy.
Instead, it felt like a long-lost sense of normal life.
In this post-apocalyptic world.
Someone to cry, someone to laugh, someone waiting.
This was the meaning of being alive.
"Alright, stop crying."
Qin Yu interrupted the tender moment.
His mind was now completely focused on practical matters.
"Hurry and boil water, cook rice."
"Bring out all the leftover wolf meat from yesterday."
"We're going to feast tonight."
After speaking.
He looked at Yao Xue.
"You go rest too."
"I'll organize the supplies."
"In 20 hours, that big guy will empty the entire island."
Yao Xue wiped Yao Qian's tears and nodded at Qin Yu.
"Understood."
She led Yao Qian toward the wooden cabin.
When they reached the doorway.
She suddenly stopped and glanced back at Qin Yu.
Her eyes shimmering.
With a hint of lingering charm.
"Qin Yu."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."