Finally, he pulled himself together; a bright spark flashed deep in his eyes.
The sky darkened, darkness swallowed the light, and night finally fell.
The scorching air that had lingered around the Island vanished in an instant.
A sea breeze blew in, cool and refreshing.
Lin Bei lit a bonfire in the open space outside the warehouse.
Flames danced, crackling and popping.
He polished off an entire roasted fish by himself.
Strangely, ever since his Combat Power rose to 45, his appetite had noticeably increased.
Now, one meal for him could match the combined intake of three or four grown men.
"If you compared strength purely by appetite, mine should be about equal to Bei Bei Nan Gua's—does that mean our Combat Power is close too?"
A flicker of curiosity surfaced in his mind.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
He'd suddenly realized he'd overlooked a key detail.
The bigger appetite might only reflect improved physique; actual combat ability… was another matter entirely.
He hadn't forgotten Bei Bei Nan Gua was a traditional martial-arts inheritor—when it came to technique, he himself was miles behind.
So at most his body matched hers; as for Combat Power… he was still a notch below.
"Next time we chat, I'll just ask outright."
"I just hope I haven't been left too far behind."
Lin Bei murmured to himself.
[Notice: Night has fallen! The Island is about to face a Marine Creatures invasion! All Survivors please prepare your defenses and protect your Islands from destruction!]
[Invasion countdown: 30 minutes]
[Invasion duration: 3 hours]
Just as Lin Bei was about to open the treasure chest he'd received from the afternoon's auto-fishing, a thunderous announcement rang across the sky.
Hearing it, a trace of bewilderment flashed in Lin Bei's eyes.
He quickly collected himself, brows knitting tightly.
"There's actually a Monster Invasion phase? Island Survival really won't give anyone a break."
He cursed under his breath.
He could picture the other Survivors, baked by the sun all day and exhausted from labor, now too weary to face the coming Marine Creatures.
Lin Bei wanted to help, but whether he himself could even survive the wave was still uncertain.
He guessed that, with his current level-2 Island, the situation in half an hour would be far more dangerous than for others.
So for the rest of the Survivors, he could only sympathize—his ability fell short of his wishes.
All he could do was give it his all and leave the rest to fate.
Inside the public chat channel, panic spread and the atmosphere grew tense.
"We're doomed, doomed, doomed! I ate something bad today and I'm still stuck on the toilet! When the Marine Creatures hit, I'm finished!"
"Damn this Island Survival! Won't it let us rest? Scorched by day and now fighting monsters at night—keep this up and we'll all die!"
"Half an hour left! Anyone selling weapons or self-defense gear? Don't hold back!"
Sure enough, once someone brought up weapons and gear, a Survivor with the ID "Xiang Ru Fei Fei" spoke up.
"hardwood spears for sale up front! Top quality, fair prices—while stocks last!"
"Bro, how much for one spear?"
"One bottle of purified water or two pieces of bread. Food and water only—no primal stones."
"Robbery much?"
"Hah, if you're broke, know your place. A hardwood spear isn't for the likes of you—if you won't buy, others will!"
"You're shameless! It's made of hardwood, so I'll trade hardwood for it!"
"Fine—five hardwood for one spear. Don't say I didn't give you a chance!"
"That's daylight robbery! Can't you show some compassion like Great Lord did today with the cabins and lower your price? I'm not asking you to lose money—just earn a bit less so more Survivors can live!"
"Screw off! Everyone else's life is none of my business—buy or begone! I'm not running a charity!"
The hardwood-spear seller's stance was rock-hard; clearly he didn't care about the others.
No joke—after toiling all day he'd only gotten this one blueprint.
Though it had just 100 durability, each craft cost only 1 hardwood and produced 10 spears; fully used, it could yield 1,000 spears!
It was his ticket to riches.
Ask him to sell cheap? He'd rather die.
As for copying that idiot "Great Lord" from this afternoon and handing out charity?
Don't be ridiculous!
He wasn't stupid.
He wanted loot—
Mountains of it!
"Still, that little wooden house of Great Lord Bei Ming's is pretty nice—lucky I snagged two of them back then. Now one room's for sleeping and the other's for storage. Sweet, sweet life~~~"
On a thirty-square-metre Island, a young man sporting an aeroplane haircut looked utterly relaxed.
He wore a loud floral shirt and shorts, rubber flip-flops on his feet—the very picture of a flashy street kid.
Xiang Ru Fei Fei tore into the soft bread he'd just traded for, washed it down with a big gulp of purified water, and couldn't stop his grin from spreading.
"Hahaha! Awesome! This is the life I deserve!"
"Come buy them! Everyone grab my War Spears! Then this daddy can get rich overnight! Wahahaha—"
In no time he'd sold more than a hundred hardwood spears, trading them for piles of food and water.
Of course, when some people offered five hardwood for one spear, he happily took the deal.
That way he could use the hardwood to craft even more spears and harvest survival supplies from other Survivors.
"Pity I can only make a thousand hardwood spears—otherwise, with so many people in the public channel, I'd rake in way more resources!"
The aeroplane-haired youth thought with regret.
He thought of that guy called Bei Ming; his smile vanished, replaced by a sneer of disdain.
"Hmph, only a fool leaves money on the table! Who's the poser now? Just because you lucked into some good stuff at the start?"
"Think your luck'll last forever? Hmph, one day you'll regret today's 'generosity'!"
The youth ground his teeth, spitting out the word "generosity" like poison.
"Heaven kills the man who won't look out for himself!"
"Bei Ming, right? Sooner or later you'll pay for your stupidity today!"
"Hmph, just courting death."
After cursing Bei Ming up and down, Xiang Ru Fei Fei felt much better and resumed his sky-high pricing for spear sales.
He did the math: almost ten thousand Survivors, but he had only a thousand spears.
Rare goods fetch high prices.
As time passed, he'd raise spear prices bit by bit to squeeze out bigger profits.
"Heh-heh, I'm a freakin' genius!"
His lips curled in delight, feeling on top of the world.
As for the broke loudmouths who couldn't afford them and kept yammering—he didn't care.
Soon enough they'd all be dead.
Then he'd finally have some peace... Meanwhile, Lin Bei shook his head helplessly at the shouting match in the public chat channel.
Such is human nature.
He wouldn't judge.
Half an hour quickly passed.
The night grew darker and deeper.
The Marine Creatures invasion finally began.
[Notice: Marine invasion event has started! Estimated duration: 3 hours! All Survivors, protect your Islands!]
[Reminder: During the invasion, Marine Creatures will keep damaging Islands. Damage reduces Island area until total destruction! Note: this is NOT a drill! NOT a drill!]
The massive system announcement echoed across the sky.
On the Islands, Survivors wore varied expressions—some resolute, some downcast, some, like Lin Bei, dumbstruck and bewildered.
Because the instant the Notice appeared and the invasion began, he heard continuous booms in his ears.
In a flash, the eight Automatic Cannons on his Island fired, spitting out more than a dozen shells.
The surrounding seas became a scene of roaring artillery.
Then a prompt rang in his ears.
[Reminder: You have eliminated all invading creatures! Survival EXP will be calculated after the event ends. Please wait patiently!]
"What the heck?"
"What just happened?"
"It's... over?"
"Uh..."
Lin Bei's mouth twitched hard.
I already dropped my pants for this!
And you show me this? Seriously?
Are you kidding me?
Where's that tense build-up they promised?
Where are the terrifying monster hordes?
This is it?
This is it???
Lin Bei felt utterly numb.
But it also proved his eight Automatic Cannons packed serious heat.
In the blink of an eye they'd wiped out every invader.
The only pity was he didn't even get to see the poor things before they were blasted to the afterlife.
"Sigh... how tragic."
"Come on, guys, enjoying life in the sea would've been great, but no—you had to show up on my Island!"
"Now you're toast... or should I say, chum?"
Lin Bei reclined in his Lounge Chair, lit an invigorating cigarette, and exhaled a long plume; the gloom in his heart vanished in an instant.