Chapter 18: Xiao Qichen's Treasure

Upon receiving news from Xiao Qichen, Ning Yun revealed a mischievous smile.

She had known all along that no one could resist canned peaches!

Patting Little White’s head, Ning Yun happily said to it, “You and I made the right choice. If it were anyone else, they really couldn’t afford to raise you.”

She had never kept a pet before and hadn’t realized how much a little tiger could eat.

If it grew bigger, her less than two hundred pounds of snake meat probably wouldn’t last it more than a few days.

Suddenly, she felt the weight of her responsibilities pressing down heavily.

Armed and carrying lunch, Ning Yun set off with Little White.

Stepping outside, she was immediately struck by the thick blanket of snow.

Though a northerner, accustomed to heavy snowfalls, she had rarely encountered snow this deep in her memory.

With each step, a crisp "crunch" sound echoed beneath her feet.

Little White leapt vigorously but suddenly slipped, landing flat in the snow with a soft “plop.”

“Awwooo?” It looked utterly confused, its bewilderment visible to the naked eye.

Ning Yun laughed heartily, scooping Little White into her arms.

“The snow’s too deep. I’ll carry you.”

Before leaving, she made sure to install the fence.

Erecting the fence was simple: she just had to take it out of her backpack, place it on the ground, and it would automatically embed into the soil.

However, the area she could enclose wasn’t limitless.

Her little cabin measured ten square meters, and the fenced area couldn’t exceed that.

So Ning Yun fenced off a patch of land in front of the cabin as a buffer zone.

Remarkably, once the fence was fully installed, the system notified her that the cabin’s area had expanded.

Within the fenced region, the snow quickly melted away, revealing the original grass beneath.

It seemed this snow could only fall in the wilderness.

Little White stared wide-eyed, utterly baffled by what was happening, letting out a confused howl.

“All right, Little White, this time we’re really going out.”

Deeper into the forest, most of the snow rested on the leaves, and under the trees, the snow was surprisingly sparse.

Ning Yun simply let Little White down. “Don’t run off, okay?”

She was somewhat nearsighted, though inside the game her vision seemed improved.

Still, finding an all-white creature against the snow was truly challenging.

The bad weather made locating chests even harder.

After wandering for over half an hour, Ning Yun found only one chest.

Opening it, she obtained merely four eggs.

She spent another hour searching to no avail.

A nagging feeling told her something was wrong—had the number of chests decreased?

She opened the chat channel to ask others about their finds.

To her surprise, she wasn’t the only one facing this issue.

“Am I just unlucky? I’ve been roaming almost all morning and only found one chest.”

“Same here…”

“I haven’t found a single one, sob sob sob.”

“Definitely fewer chests now, I also only found one.”

The last comment came from the well-known lucky player, 356.

Usually, he found at least four or five chests.

His words unsettled many players.

“How are we supposed to play this broken game? Are they trying to kill us off?”

“This difficulty is insane. Without chests, where am I supposed to find food?”

“I’d rather end it now than starve to death.”

“Hey, don’t be so hasty. Better to live in misery than die well.”

“Yeah, think about your family. What will they do if you die?”

“I don’t care what you all think. I’m going to survive no matter what. If worst comes to worst, I’ll fight monsters to the death.”

“Actually, don’t be so pessimistic. Maybe the snow will clear by tomorrow, and things will go back to normal.”

“Instead of complaining, why not craft some weapons and fight monsters? I tried last night—spears work best. Sharpen some wood, stock up, and killing one monster will drop a chest.”

“I went out last night too. Nearly died, but 63 is right—monster drops are better. Better to fight than wait to die.”

“Here’s a tip: put some meat outside your door to lure monsters. Stand inside your house so you don’t have to worry about being attacked from behind. It’s slower but safer.”

Soon, many shared their experiences fighting monsters the previous night.

Each had their own tactics, and Ning Yun learned quite a few.

“Wow, so many pros out there! I was terrified by the monster sounds last night and didn’t dare leave.”

“Coward! This is a survival game. Anyone who’s played knows killing monsters or bosses yields the best rewards. If you don’t dare try, you’re just waiting to die.”

Though harsh, this game clearly encouraged players to battle monsters.

The harsh weather and reduced chests were designed to create a sense of urgency.

Meanwhile, Xiao Qichen had already located the boss’s lair.

He hailed from the mountains too, though his area had fewer trees and more exposed rock.

Yet the mountains were teeming with wild beasts.

In the past four days, Xiao Qichen had slain three bosses.

Now, this den of wild boars was the fourth he had found—possibly even the fifth.

“In the deep wilderness, it’s better to encounter bears or tigers than wild boars.”

Still, wearing only a lightweight tactical jacket and wielding the Scarlet Blood Blade, Xiao Qichen approached the boar’s den.

He surveyed the surrounding terrain, then pulled out an object, lit it on fire, and threw it into the cave.

With a loud bang, flames erupted inside the cave.

Soon after came the piercing howls of wild boars—so shrill they might deafen ordinary people.

Then five or six boars charged out.

Leading the pack was a massive boar, two meters long and one and a half meters tall, its sharp tusks gleaming coldly.

Behind it was a slightly smaller boar, lacking tusks—likely the sow.

At the rear were three smaller boars, each over a meter long.

Clearly, a whole family.

The three piglets had lost one-third of their health.

The sow and boar had lost about one-fifth each.

Unfortunately, the grenade had failed to kill a single pig.

Xiao Qichen felt a twinge of regret but gripped his Scarlet Blood Blade tightly, crouching slightly with every muscle taut.

The boars seemed to recognize him as the culprit who destroyed their den.

The boar charged at him with tremendous speed and force.

Unfazed, Xiao Qichen swiftly dodged to the side as the boar lunged, slicing a shallow cut along its flank with his blade.

The wounded boar let out an enraged roar.

Far from retreating, the attack only roused the boars’ ferocity further.

They charged at Xiao Qichen from different directions.

Leaping high, he avoided their charges.

Seizing an opportunity, he pierced a small boar’s neck with his blade, blood spurting instantly.

One by one, the piglets fell, dissipating into the air.

Seeing her young slain, the sow attacked more fiercely than the boar but wildly and without strategy.

Under Xiao Qichen’s onslaught, she too was swiftly killed.

Only the boar remained.

As its family faced extinction, the boar’s reason returned.

Rather than attacking, it tried to retreat.

But Xiao Qichen blocked its escape, engaging in a deadly struggle, each swing of his blade packed with immense power.

Before long, the boar let out a reluctant roar and collapsed, vanishing.

The ground erupted with a heap of items.

Frowning, Xiao Qichen sifted through the loot, selecting only the most valuable supplies.

He gathered every treasure chest without exception, intending to give them to Ning Yun.

The largest boar dropped the best items: a silver chest and two cards.

For the first time, a flicker of expression crossed Xiao Qichen’s usually impassive face.

He picked up the cards, fingers trembling slightly.

One card he carefully placed back into his backpack.

Throughout this time, whether day or night, he had been tirelessly hunting monsters and bosses—all for this small card.

Its function was simple but coveted by all players in the previous world.

He also kept the other card—the Solo Dungeon Voucher—which was more suitable for Ning Yun.