The sun rose higher in the sky.
On the deck, three large wooden crates were lined up side by side, covered in green seaweed and barnacles, emitting a strong smell of the sea.
These were the spoils from yesterday's automatic fishing nets.
"Huff… huff…"
Yao Qian was bent over, hands on her knees, breathing heavily. Her bangs were damp with sweat and stuck to her forehead. She had just dragged these three heavy crates up from the lower storage hold like a laborer—all to keep herself busy.
If she stayed idle, her mind would automatically replay the blush-inducing sounds from last night.
"Finished moving them?" Qin Yu sat on a lounge chair under a sun umbrella, holding a bottle of iced cola. Droplets of water slid down the bottle and through his fingers.
"Y-yes, finished." Yao Qian didn't dare look at him, keeping her head down and staring at her toes.
"Then open them." Qin Yu took a sip of cola, the carbonated bubbles bursting in his mouth, making him squint with pleasure. "Let's see if we can get an engine."
With an engine, this 800-square-meter steel behemoth could completely break free from its "drifting with the currents" fate and become a true maritime overlord.
"Okay." Yao Qian responded and walked to the first crate.
The crate was green with a large "C" carved on it—a C-grade supply box. At this stage, it was already considered a treasure in the eyes of ordinary survivors, but to Qin Yu, it was just a blind box—one that was highly likely to contain junk.
Crack!
Yao Qian used a crowbar to pry the crate open forcefully.
No golden light shone out—only a pile of miscellaneous items.
"Two packs… of sanitary pads."
"A bag of damp flour."
"And this… what is it? A broken radio?"
Yao Qian took the items out one by one, her expression growing more and more disappointed. It was all everyday garbage. On this iron raft where food and drink were plentiful, these things weren't even worth taking up space.
"Next one." Qin Yu didn't even lift an eyelid. It was exactly as he had expected. The supplies from a C-grade box were only useful for those still gnawing on tree bark.
Crack!
The second crate was opened.
"Wow! There's an axe!" Yao Qian got a little excited and held up a rusty iron axe. "A C-grade refined iron axe. Looks a bit better than a stone axe."
"Scrap it." Qin Yu coldly cut her off. "This piece of junk can't even chop wood properly. Throw it in the smelting furnace. We'll use it to make nails later."
Yao Qian mumbled an "okay" and silently tossed the axe aside.
Then came the third crate—their last hope.
Yao Qian took a deep breath.
"Please be an engine… please be an engine…"
She muttered under her breath as if performing some mysterious ritual, then flung the lid open with a sudden motion.
The crate was empty, except for a small, black object placed right in the center.
"What is this…" Yao Qian picked it up and looked at it, her expression instantly freezing.
"What's wrong?" Yao Xue, who had been wiping a table, looked over.
"It's a… hand-cranked generator."
Yao Qian made a pained face as she demonstrated by turning the crank.
"Zzzzt..."
A small bulb on the device flickered with a faint yellow light.
It looked like a child's toy.
"..."
The air suddenly grew still.
The muscles at the corner of Qin Yu's mouth twitched.
A hand-cranked generator?
Using this thing to power an 800-square-meter aircraft carrier?
They'd probably break both sisters' arms cranking before the ship moved even one meter.
"Throw it away."
Qin Yu crushed the empty cola can and tossed it into the sea.
"All junk."
He stood up, brushing the dust off his pants.
Just as expected.
The higher the hopes, the greater the disappointment.
Trying to get rich by scavenging through luck clearly wasn't realistic in this apocalypse.
"Huh? Really throw it away?"
Yao Qian seemed reluctant.
"At least it can generate some electricity..."
"Our entire residence already has power. Do you really need this little bit?"
Qin Yu shot her an exasperated look.
"Keeping this industrial junk would be an insult to my intelligence."
He turned and walked inside.
It was too hot outside.
The presidential suite maintained at a constant 24 degrees was much more comfortable.
Yao Qian and Yao Xue exchanged glances.
Both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Another failed attempt at finding an engine.
...
Back in the living room.
Qin Yu plopped down onto the leather sofa.
Sinking halfway into the cushions.
Comfortable.
"System."
Qin Yu called out mentally.
Since luck outside couldn't be relied on.
He'd have to depend on his cheat instead.
He hadn't used today's daily lottery draw yet.
"Start the draw."
[Drawing in progress...]
The familiar giant wheel materialized on his retina again.
The pointer spun rapidly.
Qin Yu remained calm.
If I get it, it's my fortune; if not, it's fate.
Anyway, life wasn't bad now. Having an engine or not was just a matter of a few days sooner or later.
"Stop."
The pointer gradually slowed.
Passing the white [Case of Instant Noodles].
Passing the blue [Advanced Detector].
Finally.
Under Qin Yu's slightly surprised gaze.
The pointer seemed magnetically attracted.
Steadily landing on a golden segment!
Gold again!
Another S-rank!
Qin Yu straightened up.
Was it because last night was the "first time" that his luck was overflowing?
If that were the case.
For the happiness of all humanity, he'd be willing to work harder a few more times.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host!]
[Extremely Lucky!]
[Acquired: S-rank "Doomsday Ark" Exclusive Component - Holographic Esports Entertainment Room (Independent Module)]
[Configuration: S-rank Quantum Computer Mainframe x1 (Unlimited Computing Power/Perpetual Power), 85-inch 8K Holographic Display x3, Full-sensory Immersive VR Pod x1, Massive Resource Library (Contains All Released and Unreleased Games/Movies/Literary Works from Blue Star).]
[Description: Bored in the apocalypse? Not here, where you can play until the world ends. No more worrying about no internet - this IS the internet!]
Qin Yu stared at the introduction on the light screen.
Frozen for a full three seconds.
No engine.
But...
Something even more incredible.
A gaming room?
With unlimited resources?
In this apocalypse where even electricity was scarce, this thing's value was ten thousand times higher than gold!
For modern humans.
Having no internet was worse than having no meat.
These past few days, that girl Yao Qian had been flipping through her signal-less phone's photo album repeatedly, almost developing depression from it.
"Good stuff."
Qin Yu snapped his fingers.
This was practically tailor-made for killing time.
"Extract."
"Build another room next to the side bedroom."
[Constructing...]
[Detected main structure is presidential suite, initiating module fusion...]
[Fusion complete!]
A soft hum echoed through the air.
Where there was once a wall on the right side of the living room, a high-tech automatic door now stood.
Blue light flowed along its frame.
It looked like the entrance to a spaceship from a sci-fi movie.
"What... what is this?"
Yao Qian, who had just entered the room, spotted the new addition immediately.
She was still clutching the hand-cranked generator she couldn't bear to throw away.
"Go see for yourself."
Qin Yu gestured with his chin.
A mysterious smile played on his lips.
Yao Qian set her things down.
Cautiously, she approached the door.
As her hand neared the surface—
"Whoosh—"
The door slid open automatically.
The sight inside made Yao Qian's eyes widen like copper bells.
In that instant.
The hand-cranked generator in her hand clattered to the floor and split in two.
"Oh... my god..."
Her voice trembled.
She looked as if she'd been struck by lightning.
The room wasn't large—about twenty square meters.
But inside...
It was all light.
Flowing RGB strips decorated the entire space like a cyberpunk-themed bar.
In the center.
Stood a massive L-shaped gaming desk.
Topped with three monitors that looked absurdly expensive.
Beside it was a fully transparent computer tower, its internal components emitting an eerie blue glow. There was no fan noise—the silence was unnerving.
And in the corner.
Sat an enormous, eggshell-like chair.
A VR pod!
"Is this... a computer?!"
Yao Qian shrieked.
The decibel level nearly blew the roof off.
Like a starved wolf spotting fresh meat, she lunged inside.
"It's a computer! A real computer!"
"And it's on!"
"Oh my god! This graphics card... this keyboard..."
Her fingers trembled as she caressed the cool mechanical keyboard.
That tactile feedback.
That familiar keycap bounce.
For a seasoned homebody, this felt more intimate than reuniting with her own father!
"Sis! Sis, come quick!"
"Brother Qin Yu made a computer appear!"
Yao Xue was startled by the commotion.
She walked over, glanced at her ecstatic younger sister, then surveyed the glowing equipment.
She looked puzzled.
"Does this thing... actually work?"
"There's no internet, right?"
"Who needs the internet?!"
Yao Qian expertly pressed the power button.
It booted in one second.
The desktop was minimalist.
Only one icon labeled "Infinite World" stood out.
She double-clicked it.
"Boom!"
The screen instantly filled with a dense list of titles.
Elden Ring 2, GTA6, Cyberpunk 2088, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter...
Even countless movies, TV series, and anime.
"All... all single-player games!"
"And games that haven't even been released yet?!"
Yao Qian was practically drooling.
With trembling hands, she launched one of the games.
The screen instantly filled with stunning visuals.
The clarity, the smoothness.
It was a visual feast.
"Ahhh!! Brother Qin Yu, I love you so much!!"
Yao Qian was so excited she could barely form coherent words.
She spun around and rushed out, throwing her arms around Qin Yu.
All awkwardness was forgotten.
The embarrassing sounds from last night no longer mattered.
In the face of this S-class gaming room, dignity was worthless!
"I want to play! Can I play?"
She looked up, her eyes sparkling like stars.
That gaze—
even more intense than when Yao Xue had looked at him last night.
"Go ahead."
Qin Yu smiled, peeling the koala-like girl off him.
"It was prepared for you."
"So you won't have nothing to do all day, eavesdropping everywhere."
"..."
Yao Qian's face instantly flushed crimson.
"I... I wasn't eavesdropping!"
She retorted guiltily, then darted into the gaming room.
Slam!
The door closed, shutting out the outside world.
Yao Xue watched the sealed door and shook her head helplessly.
"Just like that, she's bought over?"
"This girl wouldn't care if the sky fell, as long as she has games."
Qin Yu walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey.
"That's fine."
"She's been too tense these past few days."
"Let her vent."
Yao Xue came over and nestled into his embrace.
"What about you?"
"Aren't you going to play?"
"I'm not interested in games."
Qin Yu swirled his glass, watching the amber liquid.
"The game I'm playing is called 'The Apocalypse.'"
Moreover.
This game had no save points, no respawns.
If you died, you died for real.
Just then—
Beep—!!!
A piercing alarm suddenly exploded in everyone's minds.
Not an ordinary notification sound.
But a soul-piercing shriek.
Even Yao Qian, hiding in the soundproof room playing games, was jolted into removing her headphones.
"What's happening?"
Yao Xue's expression changed sharply as she tightly gripped Qin Yu's arm.
Qin Yu's eyes instantly turned sharp.
He set down his glass.
The transparent system panel automatically popped up.
No longer the faint blue hue.
But a bloody, dripping crimson!
[Region-Wide Announcement!]
[Region-Wide Announcement!]
[Trial period - undertow—has ended.]
[Congratulations to the 1,452 survivors who made it through the first round of screening.]
[But this is only the beginning.]
The text pulsed with a suffocating pressure.
[The system will initiate a three-day "buffer period."]
[During these three days:]
[1. Aggression of marine life reduced by 50%.]
[2. Supply crate refresh rate increased by 100%.]
[3. Regional Chat Channel restrictions lifted.]
At first glance.
It all seemed like good news.
Benefits?
Rest period?
But Qin Yu knew the system was no charity.
Every sugar-coated bullet it offered contained deadly poison.
Sure enough.
The final line of text slowly emerged.
In massive font.
Red as dripping blood.
[In three days, the second phase of the disaster will commence—]
[Extreme ice hell!]
[Temperatures will plummet to -50°C, seas will freeze over, glaciers will descend.]
[All survivors, prepare for extreme cold.]
[Countdown: 71:59:59]
The announcement vanished.
Leaving only a frigid countdown hanging in the upper right corner of everyone's vision.
Deathly silence.
Yao Qian had emerged from the esports room at some point.
She stood frozen in the doorway.
The game continued on the screen, but she had completely lost interest.
"Minus fifty... degrees?"
Yao Qian shivered.
Even with the room maintained at a constant 24 degrees, she felt a piercing chill.
It was fear of the future.
Right now, it was 30 degrees outside!
In three days, it would drop directly to minus fifty?
This wasn't just about the cold.
Frozen seas meant rafts couldn't move.
It meant no fishing.
It meant all water sources would freeze solid.
Without preparation, even if they didn't freeze to death, they would die of thirst or starvation.
"Is this... the big move?"
Yao Xue looked at Qin Yu, her voice tight.
As a doctor, she understood all too well how lethal low temperatures were to the human body.
Hypothermia.
Frostbite.
In such extreme conditions, without heating or thick clothing, humans wouldn't survive a single night.
"Interesting."
Qin Yu extinguished his cigarette.
His face showed no fear.
Only the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent.
"Three days."
He held up three fingers.
"The system gave us three days to scramble for supplies."
"These three days will be chaotic at sea."
The doubled supply crate refresh rate.
This wasn't just a benefit.
It was bait.
Bait to lure all survivors into frenzied slaughter over the meager resources needed to survive.
It was predictable.
The next three days would turn the ocean into a true slaughterhouse.
"Qin Yu, what should we prepare?"
Yao Xue quickly composed herself, getting into the right mindset.
"Clothes? Or fuel?"
"Both."
Qin Yu stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
Gazing at the still relatively calm sea outside.
"Although we have a climate-controlled room and won't freeze to death."
"But..."
His eyes fell on the distant horizon.
"If we don't want to be trapped on the ice as sitting ducks."
"We must solve the power problem within these three days."
"Even if we have to steal it."
"We need to get our hands on an icebreaker-grade engine!"
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