The Mysterious Fruit was about the size of an apple. Its entire surface was blue, with some strange patterns that looked a bit like the Devil Fruits from a certain anime.
Blue was a natural appetite suppressant. Holding the Mysterious Fruit, which looked like it wouldn't taste good at all, Ling Chu hesitated.
But since it was a Blind Box reward from the system, surely it wouldn't poison her to death.
Ling Chu closed her eyes, steeled herself, and took a bite.
It didn't taste bad. It was a little like a mix of blueberries and apples. As soon as Ling Chu swallowed, a system notification sounded.
[You ate a Mysterious Fruit. Intelligence +1.]
Ling Chu's eyes widened. It was just what she needed!
She'd just been worrying about how to raise her Intelligence, and it was as if the heavens had answered her question by sending her a Mysterious Fruit that could increase it!
But she'd only gotten this Mysterious Fruit because she'd achieved the number-one ranking across the server and received a System Blind Box. It probably wouldn't be so easy to get one under normal circumstances.
The time she'd spent dealing with all that had brought it close to midnight.
Before going to sleep, Ling Chu casually opened the Public Chat Channel.
"It's so dark, help! I have claustrophobia and Deep Sea Phobia!"
"Trading Freshwater for anything that can provide light!"
"One Flint for a hundred Wood, or a stack of food and Freshwater."
"A hundred Wood? That's way too much!"
"I just salvaged a wooden crate and got a Fire Basin Blueprint. I can craft Fire Basins for everyone. Bring your own materials: five Charcoal and ten Wood. The crafting fee is one Iron Ore!"
"Iron Ore's harder to get than food. If I had any, I'd upgrade my raft first. Where am I supposed to get extra?"
Flint and Fire Basins were in such high demand?
Ling Chu glanced at the Fluorescent Starfish shining brightly on the folding table like a bedside lamp. When it came to light sources, the Fluorescent Starfish was just as good as a Fire Basin.
"Don't fish at night, whatever you do! I caught a Sea Snake and got bitten. I've been poisoned and losing Health Points ever since. My Health Points are almost gone! Does anyone have an Antidote Potion? Please help me! I'll trade everything I have for it!"
"An Antidote Potion is so rare and precious. Who would trade one?"
"Exactly! It can save your life at a critical moment. I wouldn't trade one for any amount of resources."
Amid the many mocking replies, one chat message stood out.
Lingering Wind and Fading Moon: "I have a bottle, and I don't need it right now. I've traded it to you. Saving a life is worth more than building a seven-tier pagoda."
Ling Chu stared in surprise. Were there really people this selflessly kind these days?
"Thank you, kind stranger! Sob, sob, sob! You saved me! If I get the chance, I'll repay you properly!"
"Big shot, could you spare me some food? I haven't eaten all day. I'm starving to death..."
"Big shot, big shot, I'm out of Freshwater. My mouth's so dry. Could you give me some water? Even half a bottle would be great."
"Big shot, do you have any more Antidote Potions? I got bitten by a snake too. I'm dizzy and seeing stars. I think I'm going to die!"
The chat channel scrolled by as if it had gone mad.
Ling Chu shook her head to herself. There was nothing wrong with being kind, but in a survival game where everyone was looking out for themselves, it would undoubtedly get you into trouble.
Lingering Wind and Fading Moon: "...Sorry, I don't have that many supplies either. I just happened to get an Antidote Potion from a wooden crate I salvaged."
Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away from Ling Chu, on another stretch of ocean...
A young woman sat on a raft, staring at the rapidly scrolling chat channel, furious.
How could there be so many shameless people in the world? Were they all online beggars?
And the person who'd said they'd trade all their possessions for her Antidote Potion—after she'd traded it over, all they did was send two thank-you messages in the Public Channel. Then they'd gone silent without even giving her a single piece of Wood.
Ling Chu: "Trading Fluorescent Starfish for 500 g of food, 500 ml of Freshwater, or other useful tools and equipment. Available in multiple colors. Get yours while you can!"
She also attached a live photo. It showed a blue-glowing starfish on a folding table, brighter than a bedside lamp. On the dark ocean, it had an almost dreamlike beauty.
"Starfish can glow? So pretty!"
"I want one!"
"Way better value than Flint. I want two!"
"Damn, whose fingers were so fast? They're all gone?"
Ling Chu's Fluorescent Starfish instantly changed the subject in the Public Chat Channel, and Feng Xiaoyue breathed a sigh of relief.
Before she'd been pulled into this game, she'd been a doctor, so she'd felt a natural responsibility to save lives. But right then, looking at one outrageous message after another in her private chats, Feng Xiaoyue fully realized that this world was no longer the same as before.
She was secretly glad she'd later claimed that the potion was something she'd come across by chance. If people found out she'd made it herself, wouldn't that bring her even more trouble?
Taking advantage of the chaos, Ling Chu listed the Fluorescent Starfish on the Trading Post. Worried that no one would notice, she also posted a message in the Public Channel.
Her nickname had been a default numerical ID. Before she sent her first message, the system had asked whether she wanted to change it, so Ling Chu had changed it to her real name. Before she'd transmigrated, she'd been an ordinary university student with no grudges against anyone. Besides, she'd always used her real name in online games because she couldn't be bothered to come up with a nickname.
The Flint and Fire Basins that people had advertised in the Public Chat Channel had been priced too high. Ordinary players didn't have nearly enough Wood or food, so only two or three had sold so far.
Ling Chu still had more than thirty Fluorescent Starfish in stock. She might as well sell them cheaper and faster. Besides, she could keep fishing tomorrow after she'd sold them.
But she hadn't expected them to sell so well. In less than a minute, all thirty-plus Fluorescent Starfish were gone.
Thirty-five Fluorescent Starfish had gotten her fourteen Wheat Bread, two baskets of blueberries, a stick of Butter, a can of Sweet Corn Can, a small bag of salt, and more than a dozen 500 ml bottles of Freshwater. She wouldn't have to worry about running out of food and water for the time being.
Ling Chu was about to close the System Panel and go to sleep when she suddenly received a private message.
Stay Away From Gambling, Drugs, and Vice: "Do you have any Fluorescent Starfish left? I can trade this weapon for one."
[Iron Dagger] [Quality: Common] [An unremarkable dagger. Can be used for self-defense.]
Ling Chu's eyes lit up. She couldn't use the Revolver for now, but this dagger would come in handy. Whether for self-defense or killing fish, she wouldn't have to let the system take a cut from her anymore.
"I have one last starfish left. I can trade it to you."
Ling Chu replied at once. She was brave and wasn't afraid of the dark, so a bedside lamp didn't matter much to her.
The other person was straightforward and traded the dagger over immediately.
Stay Away From Gambling, Drugs, and Vice sounded a little disappointed. "Why is it blue? I wanted a pink one."
Ling Chu looked at his distinctly masculine-sounding ID and fell silent for a moment before saying, "I can keep fishing tomorrow. If I catch one, I'll give you a pink one to make up for it."
Even if she traded two starfish for this weapon, she'd still come out ahead.
Stay Away From Gambling, Drugs, and Vice replied with a single "Okay" and then didn't say anything else.
And the fact that she was willing to trade this weapon for a starfish clearly meant she had something better. It seemed she wasn't the only one who'd been lucky.
Ling Chu lowered the folding chair as far as it would go and lay down. The night was a little cold, so she covered herself with the two sets of sportswear the system had given her.
She'd spent the whole day salvaging supplies and fishing without a break, but she was in good shape. Her arms were only a little sore; the real exhaustion came from the mental strain.
She'd suddenly been transported into this survival game. There was nothing but an endless expanse of ocean around her, and she had no water or food. She had to do everything she could just to stay alive. Someone who couldn't handle stress, or who had a mental illness, might have jumped into the sea and killed themselves already.
But Ling Chu wouldn't. Even if she were the last living person in the world, she still wouldn't kill herself.
She tugged at the sportswear covering her. Just as she relaxed and was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard a strange, chilling buzz.
Ling Chu's eyes snapped open.
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