mousepad-d2 Chapter 2 A Different Path
Chapter 2 A Different Path
He took out a dagger from his backpack, and deftly took off his clothes, revealing his upper body, which was slightly thin but had begun to take shape after a month of intensive training.
He bit the back of the dagger with his teeth and, without the slightest hesitation, leaped into the sea with a "plop!"
The moment he entered the water, the still slightly chilly morning seawater enveloped his entire body.
As the depth decreased, the light overhead quickly became dim, and Yu Wang opened his eyes wide, adjusting to the slightly dim underwater vision.
The bubbles bubbled and rose upwards. He swung his legs and struggled to dive downwards.
His birthplace was located in a shallow area of a coral reef, where the water was only four or five meters deep.
As is well known, in most games, metal crates are considered more advanced than wooden crates.
Wooden crates can float on water and be retrieved by survivors using grappling hooks, but metal crates cannot.
In the early stages of the game, the only metal boxes players can access are in dungeons, islands, inside sea monsters, and on the seabed in shallow waters.
However, during the beginner stage when the shallow waters are most frequent, survivors are too busy solving problems like food and water to think about searching for treasure underwater. The few lucky ones who have tasted success keep their secrets, unwilling to reveal this way of making money.
It wasn't until after the relatively safe seven-day protection period for newbies had passed that someone cheekily revealed this discovery.
The colorful coral reefs resemble an underwater forest, with strangely shaped fish swimming leisurely among them, and sunlight shining through the sea surface, casting shimmering spots of light.
During the seven-day protection period before the storm, the underwater world was so beautiful that it seemed like it had never been there before.
But Yu Wang had no time to appreciate the magnificent scenery; his gaze quickly swept over the coral reefs, the crevices of the rocks, and the sandy ground...
In less than three minutes, his lungs ran out of oxygen, and he had to float to the surface.
After returning to the surface to breathe, Yu Wang started the Little Yellow Duck and continued diving in a different location, repeating this process.
"Given how games are played, there should definitely be good stuff at the spawn point! There must be a treasure chest nearby!"
As the oxygen supply for his fourth dive was about to run out, Yu Wang finally found a raised, square patch of sand.
Pushing aside the sand, as the grains slid down, a box made of a completely different material and engraved with ancient and intricate patterns was suddenly revealed underneath!
Bronze Resource Box!
Without a moment to think, Yu Wang grabbed the container with both arms and kicked off the seabed rocks with both feet, using the counter-propulsion to desperately float upwards.
The moment the water broke, the tank suddenly sank a few degrees.
After four dives, my energy, which I had already used up some of in the gym, has dropped again, leaving me with only 57% of my energy. I'm on the verge of exhaustion.
Yu Wang gritted his teeth and, with a combination of pushing and pulling, finally managed to get the bronze box, about the size of a shoebox, onto his little yellow duck plastic boat.
"Thump!"
The bottom of the crate slammed heavily against the hull of the boat with a dull thud, leaving two deep scratches on the bottom of the crate.
A prompt immediately flashed before Yu Wang's eyes.
【Durability: 299/300】
"Tsk," he curled his lip, "I almost forgot about the special ships made of plastic. They're as brittle as paper in the early stages... Hmm, speaking of paper, I remember someone in Division 444 had a special ship made of paper."
"The captain of the paper boat must be cursing filth right now, right?"
This also served as a reminder to Wang: either upgrade the Little Yellow Duck to level 1 as soon as possible, or find a way to improve its durability.
"Upgrading requires 300 units of plastic pellets, 100 units of wood, and 10 units of glass. Upgrading from level 0 to level 1 requires basic resources, which are easy to obtain by salvaging floating objects with a grappling hook. However, the quantities are quite large, making it difficult to accumulate enough resources by one person slowly salvaging them."
"As for temporarily increasing durability, there's a lot of room for maneuver. Plastic hardener, ship cover, talismans... these are all good options."
His wild thoughts churned for a moment, but he forcibly suppressed them. Opening the treasure chest was more important right now.
He started rubbing his hands like a fly, then raised his foot and kicked the bronze box hard.
"Bang!"
The box remained motionless; no monster crawled out, nor did it show any sign of turning into a mimicry.
After waiting a few seconds to confirm that everything was safe, Yu Wang opened the box lid:
After a flash of white light, the list of supplies appeared.
【获得：图纸X1、木材X10、铁块X3、饮用水X3（500ML）、粗粮馒头X5】
[Congratulations to survivor "You're Going to Have a Lucky Break" for becoming the first survivor in all 14 regions to open a Bronze Supply Crate! Do you want to show off your skills to all players in all 14 regions?! (Select "Yes" to receive +100 Regional Reputation!)]
Yu Wang's gaze lingered between "yes" and "no".
If he hadn't been reborn, given his personality, he would definitely have chosen "no" without hesitation right now.
In his past life, he believed that the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind, so he proceeded cautiously, concealing his strength and biding his time to develop. And what was the result? He watched as those who were once far inferior to him built fleets and forged alliances based on their early reputations, their power growing like a snowball.
Even though he later became quite powerful, piloting his fortress-like steel behemoth, he always remained a lone wolf. There was hardly anyone else breathing on the ship besides himself.
Lacking reliable teammates, they abandoned countless resource dungeons and ultimately perished silently in a brutal beast tide.
Perhaps... it's time to live a different life.
Stepping into the public eye will undoubtedly make you a target of criticism, exposed to countless envious or jealous gazes. But it can also attract opportunities, gather like-minded companions, and unlock greater possibilities!
"Even if we fail, at least we won't die from foolishly repeating the same mistake!"
Yu Wang muttered to himself, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes replaced by determination, and his fingertip steadily pointed to the option:
"Yes."
As soon as the words were spoken, the panels for all survivors in all 14 regions automatically opened, and a line of golden text with a special effect popped up:
[Congratulations to "You're Going to Have a Lucky Break" for becoming the first survivor in all 14 regions to open a Bronze Supply Crate!! Other survivors, hurry up and work hard, don't fall too far behind, GuGu!]
After a moment of silence, the chat interface of partition 444 exploded with messages!
"Our 444 division has really made something of itself! A big shot has emerged from us! Who said our numbers are unlucky? This is incredibly auspicious!"
"No, I haven't even seen a wooden box, so where would a bronze box come from?!"
"Hey, big shot, help me out! We've never known each other since we were kids. You played at your house, and I played at mine! For our sake, please tell me where I got the treasure chest!"
"I'm so hungry! Could someone please give me something to eat?"
"Get lost, you freeloader! You've only been in the game a short while and you're already complaining of being hungry! Are you out of your mind?"
"Don't say that. We're all the same. In times of crisis, we should help each other. Does anyone have any extra food? Quickly take some out."
"Damn it! Where's the stake?! There's a Virgin Mary here!"
"Don't insult the Virgin Mary, that's a hypocrite! They're not the same!"
"The hook is so hard to use! I could clearly see the wooden box, but I just couldn't throw it accurately! I almost poked a hole in my turtle!!"
"The Green-haired Turtle? Hahaha, still no turtle footage to watch?"
"I'm sorry, you might be disappointed. Not only did I not get any turtle slices, but the leader of the turtle group also gave me a bronze box. It's a pity I was a little slow when I went to get the box, otherwise the district-wide announcement would definitely have been mine."
"...If I'm not mistaken, this is the turtle chief courting, right? Now that you've accepted the chief's gift, isn't the next step to start laying turtle eggs?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"Holy shit!"
……
On the first day of the voyage, everyone was in good spirits, and some were even in the mood to chat and joke.
Upon seeing the Green Turtle captain's comment, Yu Wang glanced at the other person's ID: "Survival is victory."
"He was in the top ten of Division 444 in my past life. I didn't know he started to show his talent so early."
Regardless, Yu Wang felt a sense of urgency.
Even if you control the locations of many resource points, others may have different circumstances, and their development speed may not be slower.
As he thought about it, Yu Wang loaded the supplies he had brought out into the ship's hold, not even leaving the boxes behind.
Although the box has no storage space after it is opened, it can be broken down into materials once a recycling machine is available.
At this point, including the resources he brought into the instance, Yu Wang possessed the following:
匕首X1、压缩饼乾X10、线面X3、矿泉水X7（500ML）、抗生素X600（颗）、退烧药X550（颗）、酒精500ML、巧克力X10、能量胶X5、防水打火机X1、便携锅、图纸X1、木材X10、铁块X3、换洗衣物一套、粗粮馒头X5、青铜物资箱X1.
Because of limited backpack space, Yu Wang even sacrificed space for food and water in order to carry a large amount of early-game essential medicines.
If he weren't worried about being unlucky enough to fall into water hundreds of meters deep and being unable to dive at the start, Yu Wang would have even considered reducing his supplies to carry more pills!
In the early stages of survival, medicine is essential for saving lives!
You can even exchange rare items with buyers who are in urgent need!
The Little Yellow Duck's cabin only has twenty slots, and the same type of item can be stacked in one slot, with a maximum of 999, so it can barely fit all these things.
But it's certainly not a long-term solution.
The nightmare of hoarders is having nowhere to put the trash they collect and being forced to throw it away!
Besides, you can't litter at sea, or you'll get targeted by those monstrous NPCs from the environmental organization!
"We're still short of materials. If only we could expand the ship's hold immediately."
"Oh right, I remember getting a blueprint just now. If it can be made directly without a workbench, you can take on contract manufacturing jobs to earn resources."
With that in mind, Yu Wang stuffed the items from his backpack into the cabin. Instead of rushing to go diving again, he sat back in the wheelhouse to rest and studied the blueprints.
Should we study the blueprints for the "Stone Fire Basin"?
"study!"
"Luckily, it's a blueprint for something essential for surviving the first night!" Hearing the game's notification, Yu Wang was overjoyed. "Looks like I'll be able to make a fortune before tonight!"
The stone brazier has been unlocked.
[Type: Creation]
【Materials required: 10 stones】
[Description: A sturdy stone basin that insulates against most of the heat. Simply place it on the boat to easily start a campfire. Mom no longer has to worry about not being able to start a fire on the damp deck!]
-
Yu Wang was well aware of the value of this thing. Leaving aside the lucky few who possessed special ships made of metal, over 90% of the players used the simple wooden rafts and flammable, fire-sensitive plastic boats that were standard in the game!
On those rafts made of bundled logs, if the waves are a little big, seawater will seep through the gaps in the raft and wet the survivors' shoes.
Let alone starting a fire, being woken up by icy seawater in the middle of the night is a common occurrence.
In this situation, a fire pit that can extend above the raft deck, has its own stone wind and water barrier structure, and can effectively insulate against heat is simply a necessity for all raft survivors, and the market potential is huge!
Having confirmed that no additional workbench was needed to make the stone brazier, Yu Wang no longer hesitated and promptly posted a link.
You're in for a ton of luck: [We're customizing a stone fire pit! We need 12 units of stone blocks plus 3 units of basic materials such as plastic, wood, and glass! It'll be dark in seven hours! We can't do without fire after dark!]
To prevent other survivors from being unaware of the function of the "Stone Fire Basin," Yu Wang also posted a description of the item and added a link emphasizing its importance.
Of course, in order to make it easier to take a cut and earn processing fees, Yu Wang hid the materials needed for production from the description.
This price is quite reasonable. Survivors who obtained the blueprint in their previous life, especially rare blueprints, not only have to provide three times the building materials, but also have to pay a lot of extra resources as a labor fee!
Considering that everyone doesn't have many resources in the early stages, and the 'Stone Fire Basin' blueprint isn't particularly rare, the closer it gets to night, the higher the probability of it being opened. Other players might soon come out to compete for business, so Yu Wang plans to make small profits but quick turnover.