Chapter 52 一 After Bai Ruogu caught a rabbit, what happened next?
Both of them lacked food. Bai Ruogu was better off. Though his face was pale from hunger, he remained calm.
Yang Liu, on the other hand, was in bad shape. He clutched his stomach, his vision going black, and cursed non-stop.
“Damned bastard! Why is it that if everyone else doesn’t eat, I don’t get to eat either? I’m just an ordinary person. If I die, who will serve your god?”
He panted heavily, scratching the cracks in the wall with one hand while supporting himself with the other, searching for any sign of life.
“Damn it, not even an ant! Lao Bai, can’t you move a bit? Aren’t you worried about starving to death?”
Bai Ruogu’s breath was weak, but his voice was calm. “Why the rush? Given our current situation, half a day without food won’t kill us.”
Saying this, he ignored Yang Liu’s anger and began to assess the surroundings for any signs of life.
Unlike Yang Liu, who was impatient, the current predicament seemed to make Bai Ruogu’s mind more active.
He somewhat enjoyed his current situation, especially when he thought about how he would overcome the present dangers in the future, which made him even more spirited.
He particularly enjoyed the joy and satisfaction of solving a difficult problem.
Yang Liu was already desperate, especially when he saw the genuine smile on Bai Ruogu’s face. His breath caught, and he pointed at Bai Ruogu with trembling arms.
“My God, are you mad, or are you just naturally sick? How can you smile in this situation? That’s it, we’re as good as dead.”
His heart sank to the bottom, and he felt a chill all over.
Without food and with a weakened body, his companion seemed to have fallen into some sort of mental illness. It didn’t look like things would improve any time soon.
What else could he do?
Yang Liu sat dumbfounded on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling, as if hoping to see a glimpse of “God.”
Now his only hope was for “God” to drop some food. But anyone with half a brain would know that was impossible.
Yang Liu became more dazed, staring blankly around. If someone showed mercy and brought him some food, he would call them dad! No, grandpa!
Yang Liu almost buried his face in his hands. Oh my god! Could someone who was good at game carry him? He really wanted to win without doing anything.
Meanwhile, in the space.
In a borderland shrouded in darkness, “God” stood before a light screen without blinking. He didn’t know how long he had been standing there, but it seemed to be ever since he returned from the altar.
His breath was low, as if he had seen something that greatly displeased him.
On the other side of the screen was the interior of an ancient temple. Bai Ruogu, pale-faced, looked down at the table as if lost in thought.
His body was very weak, and he needed both hands to support himself on the table.
The pressure around “God” became even lower, and the black light sphere person couldn’t withstand such a powerful aura and shattered instantly.
He was already so weak, why didn’t he eat?
Invisible howls questioned the space, ruthlessly destroying everything in the space.
He wanted to place all the world’s delicacies before Bai Ruogu and tie him up, forcing him to eat mouthful by mouthful until he was full, sealing his mouth to prevent him from spitting it out.
“God” stood there, with all the world’s delicacies gathered in another space, ready at any moment for Bai Ruogu.
He couldn’t help but transmit his consciousness into the air, sending countless messages into Bai Ruogu’s ears.
“Would you like some food? I can give it to you anytime. Whatever you want, you can have it!”
“Just take one bite, just one bite.”
“I beg you to eat something. As long as you eat, I can get you any delicacy in the world…”
The scene resembled a devil tempting a determined human.
These messages had reached Bai Ruogu’s ears countless times over the past few days, but they were all rejected by Bai Ruogu with mouth movements.
No, I want to be self-reliant and find food through my own efforts.
Bai Ruogu came here to challenge the predicament. If he accepted the cheat from Su Mou, the game would become too easy.
Thus, he would lose the sense of accomplishment he sought.
He forced himself to ignore Su Mou’s presence, pretending he was just an ordinary player, and diligently searched for food despite his weakened body.
“God”: …
Anyone who could get Bai Ruogu to eat would have their wish granted by “God.”
Getting Bai Ruogu to eat had become “God’s” most pressing and desired problem to solve.
After living with the natives for a few days, the natives gradually let their guard down, and Bai Ruogu’s range of activity expanded.
This was a magical world where killing a wild creature would drop random items.
Bai Ruogu lay low behind a pile of stones, covered with dry grass. He squinted, crouching, and focused on the trap not far away.
Yang Liu held his breath and hid behind Bai Ruogu. His nerves were tense as he watched the rabbit hopping in front of him while also observing Bai Ruogu’s profile.
The person before him was very different from what he had expected. At first, he thought the other was just a newbie who had mistakenly entered the game. However, as they spent more time together, the other’s calm demeanor, way of thinking, and skilled techniques made Yang Liu’s heart gradually race.
Could it be that he had encountered a master?!
He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. His initially fiery temper had noticeably subdued, and he no longer dared to blurt out in front of Bai Ruogu.
Yang Liu glanced at the distance between them and silently took half a step back. He was very self-aware. Since he was of no use, he shouldn’t stay too close and risk affecting the master’s performance.
The rabbit hopped around the trap, and Yang Liu was worried it would escape. However, Bai Ruogu seemed to have already predicted the rabbit’s movements, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
Both had already prepared themselves for what the rabbit would drop. Early on, someone had posted a basic guide on StarNet.
Small game like this was the most common in the game, and the drops were always the same few items, usually the lowest tier.
Bai Ruogu held his breath and focused intently on the rabbit. In other regions, no one hunted rabbits because it was too inefficient and not worth it.
However, they were born in the Hell Zone, starting with nothing and facing deadly traps. The rabbit before them was something they had waited for half a day to catch.
The drops others scorned were precisely what Bai Ruogu wanted the most. Seeing that the rabbit was about to fall into the trap, he felt a bit nervous.
He hoped it would drop a hunting knife, giving them at least some ability to fight back.
Yang Liu’s mindset was different, he didn’t care about the drops. He just wanted to feast on the rabbit to stave off hunger. As for the drops? Once they got out and developed, they could get whatever they wanted.
Thinking about the rabbit’s deliciousness, he couldn’t help but lick his lips. Prolonged hunger made the rabbit look like the most delicious thing in the world.
The rabbit, with its big ears twitching, probed the trap’s edge and looked around with its red eyes, as if sensing something, then started to move in the opposite direction.
Yang Liu slapped his thigh in frustration, thinking it was all over. Unexpectedly, he stepped on a sharp rock and, unable to maintain his balance, fell over.
By sheer luck, the rabbit fell into the trap.
There were spikes already set up below, and as soon as the rabbit fell, it stopped moving.
[Congratulations! You have successfully hunted a rabbit. Please go to the designated location to collect the dropped items.]
A prompt flashed before them, and Yang Liu rushed out excitedly.
“Beautiful! Hey, Lao Bai, wait here. I’ll make us some roast rabbit!”
Bai Ruogu wasn’t as excited. He stood up slowly, leaning against a rock, and walked unhurriedly toward the trap.
What Yang Liu said didn’t interest him much. He was more rational than Yang Liu. Without any seasonings, the taste of the rabbit wouldn’t be anything special.
As for whether it would be cooked properly? Earlier, when he had asked Yang Liu to help set up the trap, Yang Liu had fumbled around, clearly lacking any wilderness experience. Without automated grilling technology, whether the rabbit would be fully cooked was uncertain.
What he cared about most was the drops, wondering if they would meet his expectations. Honestly, he did want to taste some good food, but with just one rabbit, it was questionable if they would even get full.
The two of them walked to the edge of the trap and looked down. The rabbit lay alone in the large trap, looking thin and weak.
Yang Liu was thrilled. He picked up the tools they had prepared in advance and fished the rabbit out, all the while muttering.
“Hey? Why are there no drops? Damn, it’s already hard to catch prey, and if it doesn’t drop anything, that’s just unfair!” He cursed.
Bai Ruogu remained calm. With his extensive experience in technology, he knew it was probably just a delay or glitch, and the drops would appear soon.
Yang Liu, holding the scrawny rabbit, sighed, “Why is this rabbit so dumb? It didn’t even fatten itself up. Oh well, we’ll just make do.”
The two of them caught their first prey, although it was not big, Bai Ruogu still felt a sense of accomplishment.
Just as they were about to prepare the rabbit, something happened around it.
A light flashed from the rabbit’s body, a clear sign that a drop was imminent, as Yang Liu had seen in videos before.
“Hey!” Yang Liu’s interest was piqued. He nudged Bai Ruogu with his elbow, “Lao Bai, what do you think it’ll drop this time?”
Bai Ruogu calmly looked at the rabbit and succinctly said, “A hunting knife.”
Just as those two people were mentally prepared to receive their prizes like little characters in the game, something strange happened.
The rabbit seemed to open a black hole, from which a large number of items began to drop——
First was a small cake, which made Yang Liu beam with joy.
“Looks good, doesn’t it? Just from its appearance, it must taste fantastic. I think our luck is off the charts!”
Bai Ruogu, who had been starving for a long time, licked his lips. Although he felt a great appetite for the food in front of him, he had an ominous feeling for some reason.
Next, a small orange dropped.
“Wow!” Yang Liu exclaimed, picking up the orange and showing it to Bai Ruogu.
“Two items! We must be the luckiest players ever! Such a rare event, and we got it!”
Yang Liu, full of pride, activated the system camera and snapped a few photos of the scene.
“When we get out of here and post these on the forum, they’ll be so envious!”
Next, a slice of pizza fell, which excited Yang Liu so much that he almost knelt down.
“Dad! Thank you, System Dad, for your generosity! Please accept your son!”
However, things were far from over.
Immediately after, pastries, fried noodles, stir-fried noodles, stir-fried rice vermicelli, and cold vermicelli salad, accompanied by a large steamed bun that was just the right temperature.
Then, Kung Pao chicken, fish-flavored pork shreds, sweet and sour ribs, spicy crayfish, steamed fish, Mapo tofu, cola chicken wings, shredded cabbage, braised pork, curry beef rice, fillet steak, and tomato tofu fish all gushed out in a rush.
It even seemed worried that there wouldn’t be enough space, so it produced a luxurious large wooden table that could be stored in the backpack at any time, equipped with just one chair.
Yang Liu was dumbfounded. He was utterly shocked and became completely bewildered.
The system did not stop and even started to get excessive.
A big plate of chicken, a whole roasted lamb, half a pig, a 20-pound fish… it was just short of an elephant.
Bai Ruogu: …
The outburst items finally ended, and Yang Liu, still in a daze, began to doubt his reality.
“Lao Bai, tell me, am I dreaming?” He said, slapping his face. “Why can’t I feel any pain?”
Dazed, he looked at Bai Ruogu. “Lao Bai, be honest, are you cheating?”
Bai Ruogu also stared blankly at the pile of items. He was about to hint that it might be true when Yang Liu interrupted with a firm denial.
“Impossible!” Yang Liu shook his head vigorously, his expression confused. “You don’t know how powerful this game’s system is. So many experts and even top hackers have tried, but none could crack it.”
“And!” He glanced at the table, almost losing his balance.
“You have no idea how strict and fair this system is! We don’t have any special abilities. We work hard to kill a monster and only get a fingernail-sized reward. They never give more, and no one is favored.”
Looking at the pile of items, he nearly lost his breath. “Lao Bai, just tell me the truth. Do you have someone backing you? Did you hook up with some big shot who’s giving you cheats? Otherwise, how could this be… so unbelievable!”
Bai Ruogu: …
To be honest, the one giving me cheats is the system you just mentioned.
Bai Ruogu looked at the pile of items in front of him, also at a loss for words.
He wanted to clear the levels through his own efforts, but his lover kept rushing to give him cheats.
Just then, a rabbit suddenly hopped over from somewhere.
The rabbit’s actions were strange. It was hugging a large water bottle and jumped over, then carefully put it down, raising its head cautiously. Its red eyes looked at Bai Ruogu, but when Bai Ruogu’s gaze shifted, it looked in another direction, clearly guilty.
After putting down the bottle, the rabbit hopped around for a while and then hurriedly ran away.
Its actions seemed to say that it had been so focused on providing food that it forgot to bring water and was now quickly making up for it.
Bai Ruogu: …