Chapter 28: Island Survival 9
The steel claws struck the machete, scraping across its surface with a piercing screech. Yu Wenhao felt his heart skip a beat—a deep scratch had appeared on his blade.
The claw gauntlets were actually sharper than his machete! Yu Wenhao was strong, but the bearded man possessed even greater brute force.
Under the continuous onslaught, Yu Wenhao’s defensive posture grew more skewed with each clash. His arms bore a crushing amount of pressure, and the throbbing numbness and pain began to torment him.
Perhaps in five minutes, or maybe ten, he would be beaten to the ground.
Locked in a severe disadvantage, Yu Wenhao strained every muscle to block attacks that grew more powerful with each strike. The outcome of the battle was already starkly clear. The players lying on the ground began to wear expressions of pity. They looked at Yu Wenhao with sympathy, or perhaps they were seeing a reflection of their own tragic fates.
The bearded man split his mouth into a wild, arrogant grin. Almost there. With just one more move, a single strike, he could drive his steel claws into the man’s heart. He could already visualize the sound of cardiac muscle being ripped apart by the sharp blades. That sound would be absolutely exquisite—a symphony of death.
Clang!
The bearded man’s fatal strike toward Yu Wenhao was intercepted by a spiked mace. The force behind the mace was immense; even as he exerted all his strength to press down, he couldn’t budge it a single millimeter.
The bearded man followed the length of the mace with his eyes. He first saw a fair, delicate hand belonging to a young woman. Lifting his gaze, it turned out to be that girl?
He found it somewhat unbelievable.
The bald man had already written the script for the five-person squad’s demise, but he hadn’t expected the situation to magically reverse the moment the young girl blocked that strike. The lackeys fixed their eyes on the confrontation. A sudden intuition flashed through them that a turning point was imminent!
The premonition came out of nowhere, growing stronger by the second. Was a miracle truly about to happen? The blood in their veins began to boil.
Chu Yun’s spiked mace was also forged of solid steel, yielding nothing to the claw gauntlets. Her moves looked simple, but every single strike landed precisely where it needed to.
With an exaggerated lean of her body, Chu Yun precisely evaded the claws thrusting at her. Capitalizing on the momentum, she arched her upper body backward, raising her spiked mace to swing at the bearded man. The man was strong, but she was stronger. When the mace smashed into his dominant hand, Chu Yun clearly heard the crisp crack of fracturing bone.
Chu Yun’s movements were blindingly fast. The bearded man found it exceptionally difficult to hit her elusive silhouette. Conversely, Chu Yun could swiftly locate his weaknesses amidst the exchanges, dealing a fatal blow.
This speed of adapting to imminent danger wasn’t just a matter of technique; it could be called a pure instinct. Under the formidable, crushing aura Chu Yun unleashed, the bearded man was forced to bitterly admit that he was no match for her.
The moment this realization set in, the bearded man exposed far more flaws. He retreated in a chaotic mess, ultimately beaten to the ground by Chu Yun, stripped entirely of any power to retaliate.
Chu Yun looked toward Yu Wenhao. Yu Wenhao hesitated for a brief moment, then stepped forward with absolute resolve, driving his machete straight into the bearded man’s heart. The bearded man stared with wide eyes, dying with immense hatred.
His personal interface manifested before everyone for the first time, its surface flashing with a violent red light. The system voice began broadcasting to the crowd:
[Player has died! Player has died!]
The voice repeated three times before falling silent. The bearded man likely never expected until his dying breath that the opposing party genuinely intended to kill him in the truest sense.
The bearded man’s eyes closed. Yu Wenhao checked and found he was no longer breathing, yet the corpse lay on the ground instead of dissolving into white smoke to return to the community. Only then did Yu Wenhao exhale a long-held breath of stale air from his chest.
The bearded man would remain in this game instance as a corpse forever, right until the next round refreshed the map. He was dead in the truest sense of the word.
This was Yu Wenhao’s first time killing someone, but it didn’t make him feel terrible. Previously, the sense of justice and moral constraints in his heart had made it impossible for him to cross that line.
However, conventional methods should never be used against this kind of human trash. Their existence only brought fear and endless harm to others. Since there were no legal constraints in the game world, he would act as the enforcer of the law!
The bald man and his group of brothers had witnessed the entire demise of the bearded man, and they were currently so emotional they couldn’t speak. They looked toward Chu Yun and Yu Wenhao with gazes filled with reverence and gratitude. This was a holy light; these were the benefactors who had delivered them from a demon.
Yu Wenhao had still cared about how others would view him, but seeing the bald man and the others look at him with deep gratitude, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch upward slightly. He hadn’t done the wrong thing.
Chu Yun kept her eyes locked on Yu Wenhao, only shifting her gaze once she saw he had found peace with it.
“He won’t force you anymore. Go make your own livelihoods,” Chu Yun left these words, preparing to depart with her companions.
“Sister, Sister, wait a moment!” the bald man quickly called out to her.
Chu Yun stopped in her tracks, turning her head in confusion. Was there something else?
“I followed this bearded guy for over a dozen days. The few of us helped him find a supply pack, and he also robbed someone else of one. I don’t know if you need the supplies inside, but take a look…”
The bald man looked at Chu Yun with an expectant gaze. Besides two Land Item Cards, the backpack left behind by the bearded man contained a fair amount of food and protective gear. With only two cards but nine of them, the distribution would be highly uneven and held little practical value for them anyway. Furthermore, he genuinely wanted to leave them for Chu Yun. This girl was so powerful; this was a prime opportunity to cling to a big shot’s coat-tails. With that in mind…
Chu Yun’s eyes lit up when she heard “item cards,” and she said thoughtfully, “Alright, I’ll take the item cards. I don’t need the remaining supplies; help yourselves split them evenly!”
“Thank you, thank you, Sister!” The bald man was immensely grateful. If he handled the distribution, it would inevitably trigger conflicts. Such a task was best suited for Chu Yun, who had just displayed explosive combat power and garnered a massive amount of prestige.
The bearded man had plundered supplies from quite a few people, so the backpack was very large. Chu Yun fished out the two item cards and pocketed them.
She divided the remaining food, water, and protective gear evenly into nine portions for them to choose freely. Each person received exactly three portions of food and one protective item, no more and no less.
These players held nothing but pure admiration for Chu Yun’s recent combat performance. Right now, whatever she said was absolute law. Furthermore, Chu Yun was entirely fair, reasonable, and unbiased.
Chu Yun stated, “Thank you for leaving these two item cards for me. When I grow food in the future, I will definitely treat you to a wonderful meal.”
The players merely smiled, none of them taking it seriously. They hadn’t expected Chu Yun to fulfill her promise very soon, but that is a story for later.
The bald man and his group took their respective shares of supplies, splitting into several teams as they departed happily. They had their own small community cliques, and moving separately might actually be better. Before they left, Chu Yun instructed the bald man and his group to come find her here if they ever encountered news of item cards; she would trade for them at equal value.
Watching them disappear into the distance, Chu Yun finally retrieved the supply pack she had secured from the swamp from her storage ring. Inside the supply pack were the usual food, water, protective gear, and a Land Item Card.
The quantity of food and water was identical to before. Among the protective gear, the solar flashlight was replaced with a hoe. Chu Yun felt the system was truly thoughtful; knowing she wanted to farm, it kept handing out various agricultural tools.
She had obtained one card from the Highway instance, one a few days ago, two from the bearded man, and now added another one—making a grand total of five cards. Once she left the game, she could synthesize her personal instance. She could barely contain her excitement.
At night, they finally located a cave that shielded them from the wind to pitch a temporary shelter. The cave was very small; the group could barely sit around the campfire, and lying down was completely out of the question. But it was highly secluded, the mouth of the cave choked with wild grass and hidden by various covers.
Day 21 on the island.
They could see the seawater rising higher and higher, almost reaching the mountain summit. The water submerged the path they had taken to get here. The creatures in the water weren’t seafood either, but piranhas, sharks, and electric fish—perils abounded, and many players didn’t dare draw near.
The number of players climbing up also increased. The summit was vast, but Chu Yun’s group searched for half a day without finding any extra food. Consequently, players who currently hoarded supplies would face attacks from others.
Chu Yun’s squad encountered two robberies within just a small half-day outside, though the attackers were thoroughly beaten into a disorganized mess each time.
After every fight, Chu Yun would search their backpacks to check for item cards. The beaten players assumed Chu Yun had taken a liking to their food and intended to plunder it, each trembling with fear. But after a quick browse without finding the supplies she wanted, Chu Yun let them leave completely unscathed.
The number of attacking animals also multiplied: pythons, vultures, and even marine creatures. They moved in packs, striking anyone on sight. To grind gold coins, Chu Yun specifically picked a spot and took her teammates to farm points—once in the morning and once in the afternoon, keeping a highly regular routine.
The other passing player teams couldn’t help but stare open-mouthed at Chu Yun’s fierce style. While others steered clear of these creatures on sight, Chu Yun’s group proactively hunted the mobs to kill them.
They still spent the night inside the cave. The spot they had found was highly secluded and hidden from average people, eliminating a lot of unnecessary trouble at night. This place possessed a unique geographical advantage, aside from being a bit small. There were no other destinations on the summit anyway, so the group decided to spend their remaining few days here, leaving one person behind each day to guard their home base.
Day 22 on the island.
The seawater stopped rising once it reached the summit. The players currently appearing on the plateau constituted all the survivors. The seawater trapped the players within this single circle on the summit; with no food source, they additionally had to fend off various attacking creatures.
The players outside suffered immensely, experiencing devastating losses. A conservative estimate suggested half the teams had already vanished, because Chu Yun didn’t run into a single soul when she went out to farm gold coins today.
In the afternoon, a torrential downpour began to unleash itself. The heavy rain was laced with tiny venomous insects that were ubiquitous, and one careless mistake would easily lead to an injury. Worried about accidents, Chu Yun ordered everyone to huddle inside the cave without venturing out. With the five of them staying inside, though it was a tight squeeze, the atmosphere was highly cozy.
Day 23 of the game.
This was the final day of the instance. As long as they held out until 12:00 AM, they could clear the stage. Combining the Raft Survival instance and the Island Survival instance, they had survived for a cumulative total of twenty-eight days, spending nearly a month in the game. They spent the final day practically watching the clock.
Skinny Monkey and Fatty slightly missed the community, but they also felt a trace of reluctance to part with Chu Yun. They weren’t in the same community, and once they departed today, who knew when they would meet again next time.
The heavy rain continued to pour, the water hammering against the rock walls to whip up sprays of foam. The moment the venomous insects in the rain touched the ground, they sought out players to launch attacks, acting as if they were programmed with an unalterable directive to fight to the death.
At the entrance of the cave, Chu Yun scattered some powder ground from insect-repelling herbs, adding a bit more dosage at regular intervals to prevent the insects from breaching the defensive line.
With the wind and rain raging outside and venomous insects blanketing the ground today, venturing out was completely impossible.
On the final day, the group stayed peacefully inside the cave, awaiting the conclusion of the game.
At 12:00 AM, the game concluded, and their food happened to be entirely consumed as well.
Inside an entirely white, three-dimensional virtual space, the system broadcasted the rewards.
