Chapter 13: Game Update
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The originally cramped five-square-meter thatched hut nearly doubled in size in an instant. The total area was now close to ten square meters. The supplies that had once been piled in the corner were now all arranged in the center of the room. It seemed that after the house upgrade, all the furniture and materials inside needed to be reorganized.
The original earthen walls had transformed into wooden ones. Even the roof had grown considerably higher—at least now one wouldn't have to worry about bumping their head when standing upright. A lamp now hung in the very center of the ceiling. It was a simple bulb, with a switch connected by a wire. This reminded Ning Yun of her childhood, when her grandfather’s old family home had similar lighting—dim, but warmly comforting.
What delighted Ning Yun the most was that the floor had become wooden. Stepping on it, the coldness was gone. The room temperature had risen several degrees as well. Even without wearing her outer shell jacket—just the sportswear beneath—she no longer felt cold. This made her even more eager to see what it would be like if the house were upgraded to level two.
She truly wanted to ask Xiao Qichen about it, but unfortunately, they had no way to contact each other.
With the house now more spacious, Ning Yun moved her small bed to the deepest corner of the room, placing it against the walls on two sides for a sense of security. The wall directly opposite the door was nearly covered with all kinds of items.
No longer worrying about burning her quilt, she could finally cook a steaming hot meal!
Xiao Qichen had given her kitchen utensils, including pots and pans. The pot wasn’t large; Ning Yun took it out, added rice and water, preparing to make herself a bowl of porridge. Fortunately, she had found three boxes today and opened two large bottles of water, so she didn’t have to worry about running out of bottles for the time being.
Her one real desire was for a bucket.
She set the pot on the stove and took out some meat from her backpack. It was meat from a short-toothed rabbit; after she killed it with her dagger, the meat automatically dropped into her backpack, saving her a lot of trouble.
She cut the meat into small pieces, skewered them on carved wood sticks, and got them ready to roast over the fire.
During this time, Ning Yun kept busy—first warming up, then doing several sets of exercises, and the time passed quickly.
When the aroma of the meat and rice wafted through the air, Ning Yun couldn’t help but sniff deeply, feeling almost moved to tears.
It had been three days!
She was finally able to eat something warm.
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She missed the leisurely days of hot pot, barbecues, and milk tea.
How she longed to return to Huaguo—even if only for half a day.
Lately, she found herself talking to herself more and more.
“Ah,” she sighed, knowing that such thoughts were useless. Ning Yun restrained herself, telling herself not to dwell on it.
Compared to those less fortunate players, she now had food and drink, and could even eat roasted meat—she was truly lucky.
In the chat channel, everyone was discussing what the upcoming game update might include.
“I really want to go home.”
“Stop thinking about it. It’s more likely your family will come looking for you.”
“Didn’t the system say there are 916 players? I’m sure I heard that right.”
“Actually, I calculated before that there should be a round number of about a thousand people in the beta test, each with their own number. So the missing ones must be dead.”
“Eighty dead in just three days?”
“Understandable. Our birth locations vary. If you’re unlucky and spawn in a desert with no water or food, it’s hard to survive.”
“No way, I spawned in the desert and I’m still alive.”
“Boss, amazing! Mind sharing how you did it? I want to learn.”
“I’m no boss, just a survival enthusiast. Basically, it’s the usual online tactics—open as many boxes as possible to get useful tools like the engineer’s shovel.”
“I don’t want to open boxes! I’m just unlucky and get nothing!”
“Haha, have you ever gotten garbage from a box?”
“What? That’s a thing?”
“Lucky players don’t understand unlucky ones. Just don’t talk.”
“Don’t spawn in harsh environments. If you don’t act recklessly, three days should be manageable. Those people probably died by their own fault.”
“You talk from a safe place, huh? I’m in a swamp right now. Every time I go out I fall into water. Let’s swap places and see how long you last.”
Some were lucky, without life-threatening worries, chatting leisurely. Others had given up and were just shooting the breeze.
On the third night, the channel was lively well into the late hours.
Ning Yun, however, went to bed early to conserve energy.
The survival game had only just begun.
******
Early in the morning, the chat channel was buzzing. Some were even still arguing about yesterday’s topics.
After washing up, Ning Yun couldn’t help but marvel, “Everyone really has energy.”
At exactly 7 a.m., the game update notification finally arrived!
[Update Notice]
1. Added currency, obtainable through opening boxes and defeating monsters.
2. Added trading function; players are encouraged to explore the details themselves.
3. Added friend feature; players can search using player IDs.
4. The fog has lifted; everyone is encouraged to explore freely.
All updates take effect at 8 a.m. Enjoy the game!
This long notice was pinned at the top of the chat channel for players to access anytime.
Overall, the updates aimed to facilitate player interaction.
For example, the much-complained-about friend system had finally arrived.
The currency was likely to support the trading system and make exchanges easier.
But in the early stages, players still preferred bartering.
As reflected in the chat, the main concern was whether they could trade for what they needed.
“I think this trading system came too early. Everyone’s too poor to even use it properly.”
“That’s just your opinion. This world never lacks lucky players. Maybe someone’s luck will explode and they’ll have food piled high.”
“No way, it’s not that extreme.”
“Please, big shots! My kid wants water! I have axes, sickles, lighters—if anyone’s interested, remember my ID and come trade!”
“I have plenty of kudzu, taro, and yams, ready to sell some. Prioritizing weapons.”
“If anyone wants wood, come find me. Water is the priority for trades.”
“I’m selling stones. Add me if interested.”
“I want a quilt. It’s too cold at night. Anyone willing to sell?”
Suddenly, the chat was full of players advertising their goods.
Ning Yun wasn’t in short supply of food or water, but she could stockpile some wood and stone.
Since the thatched hut had been upgraded to level one and turned into a wooden house, the conditions for level two had also been revealed—doubling in requirement.
She now needed 100 pieces of wood and 50 stones.
Even if she did nothing else but chop wood in the forest every day, it would probably take her a week.
That was too much of a time sink.
Instead, it was better to use the supplies she had to trade for wood and stone.
The most convenient resource she had on hand was water!
With that in mind, she advertised herself in the chat channel.
“Selling water. Bring your own containers. Add me if interested.”