Chapter 192: Disaster Survival System (21)

Xie Yang couldn't help but glance at him: "How did you know there was ore here?"

"This is a game dungeon," Fu Zhangzheng explained while mining. "Wild boars and island rabbits are equivalent to the bosses of this dungeon; you can usually find treasure in a boss's lair."

"..."

Seeing Xie Yang remain silent, Fu Zhangzheng chuckled: "It's clear you didn't play many games during your student days."

"..."

In her own student days, she had, of course, played games.

It was just that it felt far too distant from the present.

Setting that aside, she took out two Refined Iron Pickaxes and tossed one to Fu Zhangzheng: "Use this to mine; it's more efficient."

【Obtained Gold Ore *10】

【Obtained Gold Ore *10】

【Obtained Gold Ore *10】

【Obtained Gold Ore *10】

【Obtained...】

This morning, the two of them kept their heads down mining Gold Ore, and only after breaking two Refined Iron Pickaxes did they finish mining the Gold Ore in the wild boar cave.

They harvested a total of 1,500 Gold Ore.

The two of them sat down to rest.

Xie Yang took out a lunch box containing the Wolf Meat Rice Ball she had shaped the day before and handed one to Fu Zhangzheng.

Fu Zhangzheng handed her a bottle of Mineral Water.

The Deep Underground Water dug out from the depths of the wolf den was clear and sweet; the taste was indeed much better than water from melted snow.

Once full and rested, the two of them emerged from the wild boar cave.

Before leaving, they packed up the unburned forage so the wild boars wouldn't be afraid to enter their own home when they returned.

"Keep heading up?"

"Let's go!"

The two didn't return to the foot of the mountain but instead followed the mountainside, winding upward to continue exploring.

Unlike the Nameless Island, which was filled with nothing but barren, rocky mountains, this island was covered in greenery everywhere except for the beach.

Beneath their feet was the central mountain range, which occupied the largest area of the island, covered in lush green plants.

Relying on the Collection Illustrated Handbook, Xie Yang discovered quite a few edible mushrooms, wild vegetables, and medicinal herbs.

If not for the limited time, she would have really wanted to squat down and harvest to her heart's content.

But even if she couldn't harvest freely, she still plucked plenty as they passed by, leaving the roots of the wild vegetables and herbs and keeping the spores of the mushrooms to take back and see if they could be transplanted.

Seeing how keen she was on digging up wild vegetables, Fu Zhangzheng slowed his pace of exploration and helped dig up some as well.

Xie Yang hurriedly said: "No need to slow down; I'm just plucking a few things as I pass by. We can't let them affect our mining plan!"

"..."

"Huh? Is there a cave here?"

Xie Yang inadvertently discovered a pitch-black cave behind a cluster of Chicken Fir Mushroom.

She could faintly feel a breeze at the cave entrance, which meant the air inside was circulating.

The two immediately decided to go in and explore.

Xie Yang took out the forage that hadn't finished burning earlier, tied it into the shape of a torch, lit it, and held it in her hand.

It was a bit smoky, so Xie Yang took out two Protective Masks and they each put one on.

The cave was pitch black, and from time to time, they could hear the sound of "drip, drip" water.

Fu Zhangzheng took out two Mining Lamp Hats he had bought from the Game Mall, and he and Xie Yang each put one on.

With the mining lamps for illumination, the cave was much brighter.

This cave was narrow but very long, winding and twisting as if it had no end.

Moreover, the cave floor was exceptionally slippery, and the two of them nearly fell several times.

They relied entirely on their Engineering Shovels to act as hiking sticks for support.

They kept walking along the cave like this until they discovered a blinding light at the end, only to find upon approaching it that it was just another exit to the cave.

They had walked to the very end without discovering any treasure in the cave.

The two looked at each other: "..."

It felt like they had explored for nothing.

"Ouch—"

"Careful!"

【Congratulations to players GY and GY09854 for unlocking the Rare Illustrated Handbook entry: Liquid Gold. Reward: Blind Box Treasure Chest *1】

"!!!"

What is it?

Liquid Gold?

Crude oil?

The two met each other's eyes, both of them filled with disbelief.

The next second, they simultaneously raised their Engineering Shovels and chiseled into the slippery ground beneath their feet.

A stream of nearly colorless, transparent liquid bubbling with oil began to gush out...

The 24-hour extreme special-forces-style exploration trip on Fengqing Island allowed Xie Yang and her companion to return with a full load.

The greatest harvest of this trip was not the ore, nor the seafood, but petroleum!

When they discovered the colorless, transparent, and clear condensate oil in the Central Mountains—meaning "natural gasoline" that could be used directly as fuel—the two of them were nearly driven mad with joy.

Xie Yang immediately took out the four large iron buckets she had kept for holding seafood, but they couldn't hold it all! They simply couldn't hold it all!

The transparent condensate oil flowed out in an endless stream.

Fu Zhangzheng came up with an idea: he cleared out a Backpack Slot and touched the condensate oil with his hand to see if it could be stored without a container.

He discovered it could.

The two found a new path to wealth—continuously loading crude oil into their Backpack Slots.

The Game Mall's buyback price for condensate oil is 100 Gold Coins/L.

The unit price is the same as the buyback price for Gold Ore; no wonder it is called liquid gold.

We're rich, we're rich!

The two looked at each other and smiled.

They buried their heads and continued loading.

Xie Yang took a footstool and a small wooden chair out of the Storage Space, and they each sat on one to work.

When thirsty, they would free up a hand to drink water; when hungry, they would gnaw on a meat bun.

They only stood up to stretch when nature called; the rest of the time, they never stopped.

They stayed busy until midnight that day, and the amount of liquid gold in both of their Backpack Slots had surged to 【number】 L.

If sold to the Game Mall, they could profit two million.

But neither of them intended to sell.

Fu Zhangzheng pondered and said, "Do you remember what that guy who called himself the system said before we entered the game? Any supplies we obtain in the game can be brought back to reality. This oil has a higher purity than any crude oil currently known to our country; it might be helpful for national construction."

Xie Yang nodded in agreement: "But first, we must survive the Four Seasons Natural Disasters. I worry that during the next season of disasters, we might not be able to stay safely on the Residence Island."

Fu Zhangzheng agreed with her speculation: "I also think that once the temperature drops to a certain point, it will rise again. When the ice and snow melt, the sea level will rise, and the Residence Island will inevitably be submerged... We'll find a way to build a ship when we get back! I know a few players on the World Channel; I'll see if I can trade for ship blueprints."

That night, the two took turns resting in the narrow cave.

One would sleep, while the other kept watch and collected oil.

Xie Yang slept for three hours first, then got up at two in the morning to relieve him.

Fu Zhangzheng slept until four-thirty, then got up to let Xie Yang go rest for a while.

Xie Yang didn't stand on ceremony with him; she hugged her sleeping bag and caught up on some sleep, waking up at five-thirty just in time to see the sunrise over the sea.

The magnificent seascape suddenly reminded her that she hadn't caught a single piece of seafood yet; the four large iron buckets were still empty!

She said to Fu Zhangzheng, "I'm going to the beach to take a look and get some seafood to take back! Who knows when we'll enter a dungeon again."

"Mm, go ahead, stay safe!" Fu Zhangzheng urged her.

Looking at his posture, he didn't intend to let go of this condensate oil until the very last moment.

Xie Yang seized the time to run down the mountain, sprinting at the speed of a competitive runner toward the receding tide of the beach.

On the way, she had the Main System exchange a Fishing Net for her.

One must go beachcombing, and one must also cast a Fishing Net!

By grasping both, the harvest will be greater!