Slacking off in the Game of Survival

Chapter 16 Dark Rock Incident(4)

Qian Yue has a feeling that she was being targeted, but she had no evidence.

The previous players bought their items and left, so there was no way to verify the prices. She couldn’t just stay there and wait for the next person to come.

Qian Yue thought for a moment and asked shamelessly, “Can I get a discount if I buy more at once?”

The item merchant replied, “Prices are fixed, no bargaining.”

Qian Yue didn’t give up and said, “Can I at least get a small gift? I’m a big customer.”

The item merchant glanced at her and decided not to respond.

Qian Yue waited for a long time but didn’t get an answer. She realized it was hopeless and reluctantly started budgeting carefully.

The most expensive items in the inventory were things like tents and sleeping bags, but Qian Yue didn’t need any of those.

She picked an item that has been ignored by others— a bucket and also bought the last small knife.

But when it came to basic supplies, Qian Yue began to hesitate.

Currently, the item she lacked the most was food, so before coming, Qian Yue had intended to buy as much hard bread as possible.

However, looking at the black mask on the item merchant’s face and then at her own lower-quality version, Qian Yue couldn’t help but space out.

In the following days, masks were crucial, but it seemed that the previous players didn’t realize this. There were still plenty of masks in stock.

But masks of this level would probably be useless in the later stages, and buying too many would be a waste.

With only three or four hundred yen left, Qian Yue was unsure how to allocate it.

As she was contemplating, the shopping page suddenly closed!

Qian Yue, “?”

The item merchant stared at her coldly, his gaze was as if he were looking at a weirdo.

“Today’s transaction is over!” he announced.

He picked up his things and prepared to leave. Qian Yue was taken aback and hurriedly chased after him, saying, “Hey, what do you mean it’s over? You haven’t sold everything yet—”

She reached out to grab his sleeve but unexpectedly, he turned around swiftly. Qian Yue grabbed hold of his flying ponytail!

“…”

Qian Yue felt that the way he was looking at her now was as if he was looking at a dead person.

The item merchant said expressionlessly, “Player number 3873, attacking the system’s NPC. Your actions have been recorded.”

Qian Yue was frustrated, “It was just a misunderstanding! If you hadn’t rushed off, I wouldn’t have grabbed you!”

“Can you spare me two more minutes? I’ll buy the remaining items.”

The existence of the item merchant was to provide players with a shopping channel, so after Qian Yue triggered the keyword, the shopping window appeared by itself.

Afraid that he might close it again, Qian Yue quickly selected hard bread and masks without counting the quantity and immediately made the purchase.

“Alright, I’m done shopping.”

The item merchant completely ignored her and prepared to leave once more.

Qian Yue recalled the sequence of his change in demeanor and asked uncertainly, “It can’t be, you think I’m after your mask?”

The man froze in place.

Qian Yue sighed helplessly. “I don’t have any unusual preferences. Why would I be interested in other people’s clothes?”

The item merchant turned his head coldly and although he didn’t say anything, his facial expression spoke volumes.

Qian Yue helplessly said, “I was just thinking about how many masks to buy. These masks are practically useless.”

She paused and suddenly asked, “Are you a real person NPC?”

The item merchant froze and lowered his gaze, saying, “Error command, unable to recognize.”

Qian Yue exclaimed, “Seems like you’re not real after all. Can you at least take note of player feedback?”

The item merchant replied sternly, “Please provide feedback on the forum. I’m only responsible for buying and selling items.”

The official tone of his response was completely different from their previous conversation. It seemed that he was just an artificial intelligence NPC.

Qian Yue muttered to herself, “Although this appearance is nice, it won’t fit the world setting in a couple of days. I suggest asking the graphic designer to give you a different kind of gas mask that covers even the eyes.”

The item merchant remained expressionless.

Qian Yue continued, “I’m serious!”

The man still maintained his emotionless demeanor, leaving her uncertain if he understood or not.

But Qian Yue had finished speaking.

She picked up her bucket, as she had too many rocks in her backpack, causing her newly purchased hard bread to be temporarily stored in the bucket.

“I’m leaving.”

She waved to the item merchant and took a few steps, then suddenly said, “By the way, your hair looks well-maintained!”

The man’s hand holding the suitcase clenched slightly, then relaxed.

He disappeared with a cold expression, right where he stood.

02:22:19

The sky is gloomy.

Song Zeyang walked alone through the jungle, his prolonged running causing him dizziness from lack of oxygen. However, he couldn’t afford to stop at the moment.

Voices could be heard behind him.

“Where did that guy go?”

“That direction! I just saw him!”

“Damn, how can he run so fast…”

Song Zeyang thought to himself, “I want to ask the same thing!”

They had been chasing him for almost half an hour. How could these people be so fast?

“That guy has good stuff on him. We can’t let him escape. Keep chasing!”

The sounds behind him were getting closer, but Song Zeyang felt like he was reaching his limit.

At least three or four people were chasing him, and after several rounds of pursuit, even someone as physically fit as he was starting to struggle.

What should I do?

Just as he was at a loss, he suddenly heard the sound of water.

There’s a water source!

Song Zeyang’s eyes lit up.

Approaching a water source recklessly in the wilderness wasn’t a smart move, as it could be quite dangerous.

But from a different perspective, if he could lead these people there, maybe he could use other animals to successfully escape!

While running, Song Zeyang shouted back, “You can’t catch me! Give up on that idea!”

Before he could finish his sentence, his feet suddenly stumbled on something, causing him to lose control and fall forward!

“Whoosh!”

The ground beneath him gave way, and he fell into a pit!

“Damn it!”

Song Zeyang was dumbfounded.

Who the heck dug a trap here?

As if in response to his thoughts, a head emerged from above the pit the next second.

The person had a comical black cloth covering their face, revealing only a pair of contrasting black and white eyes, resembling a mischievous villain from a movie.

Then, in a tone of disdain, the villain said, “Why is it you?”

At noon, the sky darkened, showing signs of volcanic ash filling the air.

Therefore, after buying the necessary items, Qian Yue decisively returned along the same path, back to the vicinity of the water source.

In a while, a large amount of volcanic ash would fall. While it could be beneficial for the fertility of the soil, it was harmful to human health, similar to smog, offering no advantages.

That’s why Qian Yue had been collecting stones since yesterday, planning to build a house by herself.

Choosing a location near the water source served two purposes: food availability and water during the construction process, as Qian Yue didn’t want to keep going back and forth.

“But the area near the water source is more dangerous. Who knows when an attack might occur? It’s better to dig a few more traps for safety.”

Unexpectedly, there was a disturbance shortly after finishing the trap.

Even more surprisingly, the person caught in it was someone she had seen before.

Song Zeyang in the pit quickly shouted, “Help! Someone is chasing and trying to kill me!”

Chasing and trying to kill him?

Qian Yue pondered for a moment, then picked up her shovel and threw a pile of dried leaves on him.

“Then you can stay down there.”

With a mouthful of leaves, Song Zeyang said, “…”

Qian Yue had no idea what the other person was thinking, and she had no intention of revealing her presence to save him.

Fortunately, making this trap wasn’t difficult. She simply used a few pieces of wood and covered them with leaves. When the group of people caught up, all they would see was an ordinary forest.

“Where is he?”

“Did we lose him?”

“How is that possible? I saw him running in this direction.”

The three argued, but a more composed voice spoke up, “Keep searching. He shouldn’t have gone far. Maybe he’s hiding nearby.”

This person seemed to be the leader of the group, as the others obediently began searching after his words.

Listening to their footsteps walking back and forth near her, Song Zeyang hid in the pit, not daring to even breathe.

“We couldn’t find him.”

“I haven’t found anything either.”

“There seem to be signs of activity over there, but it’s just a pile of rocks.”

“So what? This area has slopes. Maybe during yesterday’s earthquake, they rolled down here.”

Song Zeyang, “…”

Although he did not know why he needed to collect stones, he felt that it must be something that woman wanted—so where did she go?

Would she be found?

Song Zeyang couldn’t help but worry.

The woman seemed quite delicate, and he didn’t want her to get involved in any trouble.

At this moment, the leader’s voice spoke again, “He probably ran away. We still have a chance. Let’s go after him.”

“Yes!”

They quickly agreed and their footsteps gradually faded away.

Song Zeyang subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

However, the object above his head hadn’t been removed. He was still trapped and unable to get out, so he had to wait patiently while maintaining his composure.

He glanced at his character attributes. Due to the running, his stamina had already dropped by half.

His health was even more dramatic, nearly reaching the red danger zone, and there was an additional status: 【Respiratory Infection】.

【Respiratory Infection】: Caused by poor air quality, it leads to respiratory infections, reducing the character’s mobility and continuously decreasing their health.

Poor air quality?

Thinking back to the gloomy sky he had seen earlier, Song Zeyang couldn’t help but feel a sinking sensation in his heart.

It must be because of the volcanic ash.

It seemed like wearing a mask was crucial in this situation. As soon as he thought about it, an image involuntarily appeared in his mind—a woman with a black cloth covering her face. Song Zeyang couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle.

Although it was somewhat amusing, he had to admit that the woman was indeed a boss for thinking of that.

But…

Did the boss forget about him?

Why hadn’t she come to move him yet?

Song Zeyang waited for another two minutes, almost unable to resist shouting for help when suddenly he heard the voice of the leader from before coming from above.

“It seems like he’s really not here.”

Damn it! He didn’t leave!

Song Zeyang’s heart skipped a beat, and a cold sweat began to trickle down. It was a close call. Thankfully, he hadn’t called out just a moment ago. So, did this person actually leave now, or was it just a bluff?

Song Zeyang instinctively held his breath, and the next moment, he heard a “whoosh” sound from outside, followed by a “thump,” as if something had fallen into the pit.

Qian Yue eagerly jumped down from the tree, stretched lazily, and then walked over to the edge of the trap, picking up her ice pick and grumbling.

“I mean, once is enough with the same trick. It’s already dark, and you’re still hanging around. You’re so annoying!”

Her house wasn’t even finished yet!

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