From their messages, Cao Xing learned that quite a few people had already died.
Most had died from the low temperatures, while a few had encountered monster attacks in the wild.
Humanity as a whole was gripped by fear and unease.
There were also other relatively calm survivors in the World Channel, sharing their experiences there.
Zhang Huaiyun: "Brothers, make sure you build the Lord's Hut as soon as possible. You can only unlock other buildings after you've built it!"
Ed Stafford: "I suggest you gather the stones and wood near your territory as soon as possible, then upgrade your bonfire."
Wang Sheng: "If you encounter monsters in the wild, don't try to attack them. Remember to run back immediately. Once you reach the bonfire's range, those monsters won't attack you!"
Just as Cao Xing had expected, among the more than seven billion people around the world, there were plenty who adapted well.
However, they were still a step behind Cao Xing.
Not only had they never played this game in advance like he had, but they also lacked an SSS-rank hidden talent.
In those four hours, Cao Xing had not only built a Lord's Hut and a Polar Folk Hut, but also constructed buildings such as a Logging Mill and a market, and upgraded his bonfire to level 3.
Moreover, after two battles, Cao Xing had amassed a wealth of resources.
Cao Xing thought for a moment and added a message, too.
Cao Xing: "The temperature will drop to a low of -60°C tonight. Don't go outside carelessly. If you don't have time to build a Lord's Hut, you can first use wooden boards and stones to build a simple shelter. It should just about hold up against the cold on the first night."
After Cao Xing finished speaking, he closed the World Channel.
He didn't know how many people would see his message.
He also didn't know whether anyone would use his method to make it through the first night.
But no matter what, he could consider it a well-intentioned warning.
Then he opened the [Regional Channel].
According to the system's description, this was a square region measuring 500 kilometers by 500 kilometers.
The display showed:
[Region 174 Channel] [Online: 38224/40173]
Cao Xing fell silent for a moment.
It was clear that quite a few people had already died on the very first day.
In his region alone, nearly two thousand people had died.
One could imagine how high the death rate among survivors worldwide was.
But there was nothing to be done. In a survival game, many people were bound to be eliminated.
Besides, once they made it through the first day, everyone would adapt, and the death rate wouldn't be so high.
Of course, once the Newbie Protection Period ended, the monsters roaming outside might attack their camps. When that happened, the death rate could soar again.
So it wasn't just other survivors.
Cao Xing also needed to make the most of the Newbie Protection Period and develop his territory as quickly as possible.
He opened the [Regional Channel], and a flood of messages immediately appeared.
Wang Wenjie: "Brothers, are you all from Xiangjiang?"
Gu Boren: "I'm not from Xiangjiang, but I'm from neighboring Shengang City."
Qiao Pingwei: "I'm from Xiangjiang."
Pan Fei: "I'm from Xiangjiang, too."
After reading the messages above, Cao Xing nodded in realization.
The region division probably randomly grouped together people from several neighboring cities.
At that moment, Wang Wenjie continued: "Fellow countrymen, I'm in trouble. My younger sister suddenly passed out after being exposed to the cold. She has a high fever that won't go down. Does anyone have cold medicine or antibiotics? Please save my sister!"
Qi Qiang: "My family is sick, too. Both my parents have collapsed, and it's just me and my younger brother left. What are we supposed to do?"
Lu Jizhong: "This is bad. After tonight, we won't have enough food for tomorrow, and we don't have any warm clothes..."
Fang Long: "I'm Fang Long of the Three Heroes Association. I need the other members to contact me as soon as possible."
In the chat channel, many people were describing the difficulties they were currently facing, hoping to get help from others.
Of course, some survivors in the region had already managed to develop.
Chen Tianhao: "Hahaha, a bunch of cowards. You can keep cowering by your bonfires. I've already found a chest in the snow and got an Iron Sword and a pile of food from it."
Ji Wenlong: "I opened a chest, too, and got a Medical Kit from it. It can treat colds and fevers. If you want it, trade me food or weapons!"
Cheng Lei: "Cold-resistant coats for sale. I need food-a lot of food!"
From the messages above, it was clear that everyone was short on supplies.
Cao Xing closed the Regional Channel. He also needed to go to the market and trade for some supplies.
Cao Xing opened the [Market] interface in the territory buildings.
As soon as he opened it, he saw many listings.
[Item for sale: Stone*20] [Wanted: Food*10 or Medical Kit*1.] [Seller: Zhao Jiaxing] (Seller's note: Basic materials. Price negotiable.)
[Item for sale: Rusty Spear (White)*1,] [Wanted: Food*20.] [Seller: Anonymous] (Seller's note: An iron spear. Though rusty, it's still stronger than the initial weapon the system gave you. Need food! Food!)
[Item for sale: Opened Bronze Chest*1.] [Wanted: Warm clothes.] [Seller: Wang Wen] (Seller's note: I've already opened the chest, but it can be dismantled into copper, a rare material. Give me some warm clothes! I'm fucking freezing to death!)
It was clear that this was the first day since the world's arrival.
In this world with its extreme conditions, the most urgently needed things were naturally food, warm clothes, and medicine.
Everyone was trading with the few resources they had.
Cao Xing had only one Medical Kit, and he didn't even have enough warm clothes for himself.
So, of course, he couldn't put any of those things up for trade.
He continued browsing to see if there was anything he needed.
Just then, he saw a listing.
[Item for sale: Ice Armor Skill Book (White)*1] [Wanted: Food*50 or Medical Kit*5.] [Seller: Mai Le Se] (Seller's note: An early-stage Frost Mage skill book. Feel free to haggle a bit. Buy now!)
Cao Xing's eyes shifted.
It was the Frost Mage's [Ice Armor]!
This skill could increase the user's armor by a certain amount based on their mental strength. The effect lasted 20 seconds, but it consumed a lot.
For other Frost Mages, this might be a mediocre skill, but for Cao Xing, it was a divine skill!
That was because, when combined with his talent, this skill could become a permanent enhancement.
Then, if he stacked it with Ilena's [Scale Armor], Cao Xing's defense would reach a terrifying level!
At that moment, Cao Xing even wanted to buy the skill book on the spot.
But clearly, this guy was asking an exorbitant price, demanding 50 food right off the bat.
Fortunately, the seller's note said the price was negotiable, which meant there was room for discussion.
So Cao Xing opened the private chat for the listing.
Cao Xing: "Ten food for the Ice Armor Skill Book."
A few seconds later, Mai Le Se sent an exasperated emoji.
Mai Le Se: "I said to haggle, not to rob me. You think you can get a skill book for ten food? Why don't you just go rob someone?"
"Get lost, go play somewhere else!"
Cao Xing replied: "I know you're in a hurry, but don't be. What if I told you that this isn't ordinary food, but meat?"
Mai Le Se: "Meat? You got meat this quickly?"
The other party's tone was filled with intense surprise.
Cao Xing knew the other party wouldn't believe him. After all, at this stage, meat could only be obtained from those wild monsters.
Clearly, on the first day, basically no one could defeat those wild monsters.
Cao Xing directly attached the item information to the private chat window, but the information he sent was for Snake Meat.
It wasn't until then that Mai Le Se finally believed Cao Xing actually had meat.
"Not bad, brother! You really did manage to get some Snake Meat."
Cao Xing asked directly, "So, how about it? Are you selling?"
Mai Le Se said, "Of course I'm selling, but what you're offering is way too fucking little! At least 40 food-that's 8 pieces of Snake Meat-or no deal!"
Cao Xing said, "What are you thinking? I don't even have 8 pieces of Snake Meat myself. The most I can offer is 3."
However, Mai Le Se insisted that the minimum had to be 6 pieces of Snake Meat.
Cao Xing heard him out, then replied, "Forget it, then. Keep it for yourself."
"Ice Armor is only an early-game skill, and its drop rate isn't that low. After tomorrow, even if you want to trade it for food, you won't be able to."
Hearing that, the other man seemed a little hesitant.
Mai Le Se asked in confusion, "Is that true?"
Before you continue