Chapter Sixteen: Precision Shooting

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Jiang Ran opened the message.

Whirlwind Slash: “Brother, do you have any hemostatic bandages and anti-inflammatory medicine? Also, if there’s any heat-relief medicine, send me some too.”

Strong Brick Flyer: “Do I look like a wishing well to you?”

[Whirlwind Slash initiated a trade request: Precision Shooting Skill Card *1.]

Originally, Jiang Ran had been thinking, “Last time I got ripped off buying heat-relief medicine, this time I must really squeeze him.” But when she saw the item up for trade, she shamelessly felt tempted.

A skill card that could enhance combat ability—Whirlwind Slash wasn’t hoarding it for himself but was eagerly trading it to her. That could only mean one thing: his life was in danger.

If that was the case, not raising the price would make Jiang Ran slap herself awake at two in the morning.

She replied curtly with two words: “Is that it?”

Whirlwind Slash: “……”

He was so anxious he even sent a voice message: “Brother, this is the most valuable thing I have. I can see you’re not short on supplies, and this should be very useful to you.

“If I die, it’s gone with me. And if there’s anything else you want, just say it. Even if I don’t have it, I can write you an IOU!”

A flicker of surprise crossed Jiang Ran’s eyes: although Whirlwind Slash’s voice was weak, it sounded like a young woman’s.

But choosing a gender-neutral name to protect oneself was only natural.

Jiang Ran thought for a moment: “I can give you one roll of hemostatic bandages, one board of anti-inflammatory medicine, and one dose of heat-relief medicine. You give me the skill card and write an IOU for ten fabrication station shards.”

As soon as she sent this, the IOU arrived along with the trade request.

In the game, an IOU acted more like a contract: the debtor had to mortgage a certain amount of life value. If it wasn’t repaid within a set time, double the mortgaged life value would be deducted, and half of that would be returned to the creditor.

Perhaps because he was confident in his debts, Whirlwind Slash sent another message: “Brother, can I also owe you a bottle of electrolyte water?”

Jiang Ran saw the IOU mortgaged eighty life points with a one-month repayment period, clicked confirm, then put the supplies into her aura, adding two extra bottles of water.

Whirlwind Slash immediately replied, “Thanks, brother!”

Jiang Ran didn’t correct her and instead began examining the skill card.

So far, the skill cards she had obtained roughly fell into three categories: one, those somewhat unscientific and more reflective of the game’s nature; two, those with special effects; and three, more realistic skills that could be learned through practice.

It was impossible to say which was better—only whether they were useful or not at the moment.

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Clearly, for Jiang Ran right now, precise shooting was the skill she wanted most.

[Precision Shooting (Grade D): Within a fifty-meter radius, all types of ranged weapons have 100% hit accuracy; from fifty to one hundred meters, hit accuracy gradually decreases (the degree of decrease is based on the player’s own accuracy, but will not fall below the player’s minimum hit rate).]

Jiang Ran habitually clicked on the “D grade” button.

[Upgrade materials: Silent Hawk eyeball (0/5), Exploding Rat meat (0/5). After upgrade, range doubles.]

Surprisingly, it shared the same upgrade materials as a previous skill, “Hawkeye.” Perhaps because both related to eyesight?

However, in her previous life, Jiang Ran had never encountered the Silent Hawk or Exploding Rat, nor had she heard anyone mention them.

Maybe she hadn’t opened a box containing these creatures yet, or possibly their lethality was too high, so they didn’t appear in earlier dungeons.

After tidying up, Jiang Ran mustered her courage and stepped out of the comfortably temperate safe house.

The moment she opened the door, a suffocating wave of heat hit her, and the normally dry Jiang Ran was instantly drenched in sweat.

It was only a little past nine in the morning; the game interface displayed a temperature of 44 degrees Celsius.

This was still inside the mountainside; Jiang Ran dared not imagine how hot it would be under direct sunlight outside.

Everyone had realized by now that hiding in caves was the safest option. Although still scorching, digging deeper would at least lower the temperature slightly compared to outside.

The chat hall was abuzz with discussions that, given the outdoor temperature and sunlight, even wearing ordinary sun-protective clothing would leave one unable to last more than half an hour. The best choice was to stay in the cave, dig around the rocks, and leave the magma zones to those who wanted to risk it.

Without proper gear, entering the magma zone recklessly would lead to dehydration in less than twenty minutes.

After adjusting to the heat, Jiang Ran removed the stones blocking the cave entrance and headed toward the magma pool.

Only she knew that after six o’clock tonight, even “safely hiding in the cave” would become a luxury.

Jiang Ran replenished her electrolytes and wiped ice packs on her neck and elbows, sighing at the visibly more active magma.

If she could, she would have preferred to stay in the relatively cooler rock layers to chip away at stones.

But the number and quality of boxes in the magma pool far exceeded those in the rock layers. After all, the rock layers covered a larger and more uncertain area than the pool.

She quickened her scavenging pace; she had other tasks today and could only spend half a day gathering.

While working, she pondered how to deal with Little Top.

Upon pulling up a wooden box for the fourth time and finding a piece of sour meat inside, Jiang Ran sighed: suddenly, she felt reluctant to take care of Little Top.

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But it was only a passing thought.

Jiang Ran didn’t want to leave behind an enemy with great potential, even if that enemy hadn’t noticed her yet.

Assuming her luck wouldn’t improve today, Jiang Ran decided to scavenge a little longer, planning to return after retrieving one last box to prepare for the evening’s mission.

And the surprise came precisely when she had given up hope.

Her net suddenly felt heavy in her hand; she instinctively pulled it up.

A glimmer of gold slowly emerged from the magma.

Jiang Ran: !!!

Seeing the long-missed golden treasure chest, Jiang Ran was almost moved to tears.

She packed the chest carefully, satisfied, and quickly returned to the cave with her sweat-drenched clothes that looked like they could shed a whole packet of salt.

One hand held a gun, the other a half-length iron rod to pry open the golden chest.

Luck continued to favor her: there were no dangerous creatures inside, only a quietly resting item card.

Jiang Ran picked up the card, and her eyes lit up when she read the details.

[Item: Teleport (Single Use): Pay 1,000 life points to teleport directly to another player’s side, with the option to return to the original coordinates within half an hour (must know the target’s real name and coordinates).]

A perfect tool for assassinations, delivering and picking up targets with ease!

So all her morning luck at opening boxes had been rewarded with this item card?

Jiang Ran was very pleased.

She sincerely hoped that before she went to find Little Top tomorrow, he could open more items or skill cards.

After all, a unlucky “lucky king” like him was rare and hard to come by again.

In high spirits, Jiang Ran resealed the cave entrance with stones, then mixed cement, stones, and sand to fill all the gaps before returning to the safe house to quietly await the first volcanic eruption.