I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 65: Seven Days, Player Numbers Rebound

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Seven Days, Player Numbers Rebound

"Water source, sorted!" Gu Shanhai put a check on a task in the plan, then he walked back on his own.

By now, it had been the seventh day post-apocalypse, during which Gu Shanhai had dashed from east to west according to the guide, gradually building the early stages of a post-apocalyptic sanctuary. He had also gathered about a dozen survivors and a hundred or so players, all the survivors were special ability users, each with their own unique abilities.

Gu Shanhai wasn’t really skilled in management, so he let the survivors take charge according to the plan laid out in the manual.

As for where He Lingyun had gone, Gu Shanhai didn’t know, but he wasn’t worried. At the current stage, even if Gu Shanhai died on the way, He Lingyun wouldn’t.

Lately, Gu Shanhai had noticed that the number of players seemed to be picking up, but not by much.

The reason was simple, people were curious. An ordinary, uneventful world they had long had enough of; now that it had turned post-apocalyptic, it naturally drew in a portion of like-minded individuals, such as story enthusiasts.

Moreover, with the emergence of special abilities, many power-seeking players had returned, trying to see if they could get their hands on some abilities.

Once the fact that abilities could be talents was leaked on the forums, the numbers would soar. Currently, everyone’s talents were mostly what they received when they first entered the game. Now that there was a new way to obtain them, naturally they would take the opportunity.

So Gu Shanhai pondered whether to stimulate the progress of players by researching the special ability awakening potion. With his abilities, he could succeed in at most ten days, having plenty of samples at his disposal. A multi-ability awakening potion suitable for himself might be more troublesome, but an awakening potion to induce mutations was definitely manageable.

Glancing at the plan, there were still many tasks unfinished. He guessed He Lingyun would deal with it. He just needed to follow the plan.

After resolving the water issue, the whole base had finally stabilized.

There were only about a dozen survivors, and the copious amounts of food they had brought earlier were enough for their living needs. The hundred or so players didn’t need to eat, drink, or sleep. It was thanks to this group of players building the base that construction went so quickly.

However, there wasn’t much in the way of rewards in the base at present; he figured it was probably mostly experience points.

"This plan here is definitely a world mainline-level mission. If this were the past, I could have made a fortune," Gu Shanhai commented.

Quests like hidden missions and the world’s main line in middle and high-tier areas actually gave double rewards: one was the reward from "The First Epoch", and the other was thanks from the natives.

Like before, when Gu Shanhai helped in Fengtai Village and assisted Black Tiger, they received an extra passive skill.

His current actions, in fact, counted as pre-emptively drawing on some of the rewards. Yes, He Lingyun’s thumb, once this was completed, it was highly likely that He Lingyun would give him a multi-ability awakening potion suitable for him, or perhaps even collaborate with him on the research.

In any case, the rewards were roughly these, amounting to an additional talent or even selecting multiple talents for a player.

"These past couple of days, it seems like some players are getting a bit restless, as if they’re planning to seize power," Gu Shanhai sighed and put away the plan.

What remained was monster hunting and appearing at a specific time to settle some affairs. The tasks involving running around outside had been completed.

So he planned to return to the base to read and study He Lingyun’s flesh and blood situation at the same time.

The other’s abilities were strong, each one of them. Although life enhancement was still his first choice, it would be great to glimpse their secrets.

For Gu Shanhai, most of He Lingyun’s abilities were only effective in this world. They would likely be useless if transferred to another world, so future vision or alter-ego-type abilities were out of the question. He had already determined that the core ability to score 100 percent on tests would be useless if he took it with him out of this world.

If he were a player at this time, he would have unhesitatingly abandoned his original plans and replicated He Lingyun’s ability set, backed by the semi-digitalized "The First Epoch". He wouldn’t have to worry about inefficiency in other worlds, but unfortunately, that wasn’t an option for him, so he had to stick to the plan.

This experiment must have been conducted in a previous life; otherwise, there wouldn’t be the current plan.

He would not gamble on a possibility, especially not on such a slim chance of winning.

Returning to the base, every player was busy. Seeing Gu Shanhai come back, they just glanced at him and continued with their work, evidently too engaged in racking up experience points to pay much attention.

"Young Gu, you’re back. How did it go?" An elder came over. His name was Su Anhu. He was the earth and stone ability user who Gu Shanhai had rescued from the nursing home.

"The water source issue has been dealt with. There are basically no problems with using water now," Gu Shanhai stated.

Previously, not only the land had suffered from the special ability radiation but also the water, which caused the reservoir to be filled with genetically broken and dead fish and shrimp that rotted away, contaminating the water source.

Gu Shanhai was somewhat concerned, such as how to deal with bacteria and viruses.

But He Lingyun must have a plan, so Gu Shanhai didn’t interfere, knowing he wouldn’t die.

Nor did he worry about mission failure. He was just a runner; the core of this operation was He Lingyun. As long as he succeeded, Gu Shanhai’s side was only a minor issue.

"That’s great to hear. It must have been hard on you running around these past days," Su Anhu also felt relieved. It’s inconvenient without water.

"What trouble? I’m just a runner. The key isn’t with me," Gu Shanhai didn’t keep any secrets and bluntly shared his thoughts; he wasn’t someone who coveted credit or fame.

"You mean He? Do you have any news about him?" Although Su Anhu found it odd, he still asked.

"None. I’ve been running around outside every day, how could I know these things? Maybe you know more than I do," Gu Shanhai spread his hands in a shrug.

"Okay then, you go rest. I’ll take over here. It’s funny, I always thought these players were a nuisance, but now it seems they do have their advantages," Su Anhu remarked with a sigh.

It was easy to discern a player at a glance, thanks to their semi-digitalized state. Gu Shanhai, on the other hand, was taken by them as another native. Only players could see those three asterisks above his head. Indeed, some players had complained, but no native believed it; natives could distinguish the special features of players. This was probably one of the rules of "The First Epoch’s" encroachment.