Chapter Nineteen: Trapped in the Quagmire

"Run! Let's see where you can run to now!"

Ever since Liang Yi realized that no matter how far she walked, she could always return to her vehicle, she began running in various directions. Although her movements seemed aimless, she carefully controlled her path to center around the car, never straying too far while skillfully evading the man’s attacks.

However, just as the man believed she was exhausted, he suddenly noticed Liang Yi standing perfectly still. Seeing this, the man gasped for air, a smug expression spreading across his face, thinking that she had finally reached her limit. He rushed forward impatiently, eager to deliver the fatal blow.

Yet, the moment he was about to reach her, Liang Yi darted to the side. The man, having completely failed to anticipate this move, could not stop his momentum and continued to charge forward. Only when his foot landed did he suddenly realize that Liang Yi’s hesitation had been nothing more than a trap to lure him in. By then, turning back had become exceptionally difficult. His other foot, driven by inertia, stepped forward as well.

To make matters worse, Liang Yi, who had been fleeing from his blade just moments ago, suddenly turned back, a wooden stick appearing in her hand from nowhere. Without mercy, she jabbed the stick hard into the man’s back. The man let out a sharp cry and pitched forward, landing face-down. Then, he felt his body begin to sink.

"Help... help me!"

The man pushed his hands against the ground, desperately trying to crawl out. But the more he struggled, the faster he sank. Liang Yi had no intention of saving him; instead, she used the stick to press down on him, accelerating his descent.

Indeed, the ground before them was a swamp. Liang Yi had once watched a documentary on tropical rainforests with her roommates at school, which had explained the characteristics of marshlands. Swamps often emit a distinct, musty odor, and the surrounding vegetation typically consists of hygrophytes like sedge and reeds. Just a moment ago, after stopping, Liang Yi had noticed the ground covered in a layer of green peat moss and sphagnum. The moment her foot had touched that moss, all the information she had learned about swamps flashed through her mind like lightning, aligning perfectly with the scene before her. Without a second of hesitation, she had pulled back her stepping foot and carefully retreated.

At the same time, a method to deal with the man had surfaced in her mind. Now, as her gaze fell upon the Tang sword that had fallen into the swamp along with him, a trace of regret stirred in her heart. If she had known there was a swamp here, she should have found a way to seize his sword first.

[It is not a pity.]
[After all, given the current circumstances, that man is doomed. Once he dies, the supplies he obtained from his treasure chests—aside from his vehicle—will vanish along with him.]
The Game Assistant spoke up to remind her. Liang Yi remembered this rule, having simply forgotten it in the heat of the moment.

[If I go back now with a rope and tie him up, can I pull him out after he dies?]
Looking at the man who was already halfway submerged, Liang Yi suddenly thought about the prospect of looting his corpse. The Game Assistant analyzed the situation and offered its assessment.

[Given the suction of the swamp, even with the pulling force of your tricycle, it is impossible.]

Knowing it couldn't be done, Liang Yi regretfully used the stick to push the man further down. Once she was certain he could not get out, she tossed the stick aside and headed back toward her vehicle. Following the prompts on her game interface, it took her over twenty minutes to return to the tricycle. Fortunately, no one else had arrived, and the vehicle remained safe.

Checking the time, she saw it was already past four in the afternoon. Liang Yi decided to rest where she was. After taking a few sips of water, she opened the [Channel] tab, browsing through player chat logs to learn about the dangers hidden within the forest.

[One Hundred Million Prize, Easy Pickings: Why is there a damn swamp in this shitty forest? Good thing I’m quick-witted, otherwise I’d be stuck just like that idiot earlier.]
[Player 3698: Be careful when traveling, everyone. There are crocodiles in this forest. Damn, I watched a player get swallowed whole right in front of me. Do you have any idea how traumatic that is?]
[Player 13659: Don't talk about it. I just opened a Tier 3 chest, and a green bamboo viper came out. I've been bitten. My bank card password is 369258. There isn't much money in it, but if any of you make it out alive, do me a favor and spend it.]
[Game Master: Just hunted a tiger that was in the middle of a meal, and happened to cut a person out of it. Take a look, photo.jpg]
[Player 23486: The big boss is a legend.]
[Player 13695: To the person above, I found a detox serum. Do you need it?]
[Hello Tomorrow: Waaaah, I went into the river to take a bath and got bitten by leeches.]
...

Liang Yi observed that most of the chat logs were about the dangers they encountered, with no one revealing what they had found in their treasure chests or what supplies they had obtained. It seemed these people still had their wits about them.

Closing the [Channel], Liang Yi went to the [Trading] tab. The first thing she did was post a listing.

[Player 2010: Looking to buy a large quantity of corpses, human or animal, it doesn't matter. Private message for price.]

She currently had a surplus of food and could afford to trade for some remains, which she could then exchange for points for her parents.

[Player 3695: Whoa, brother, what is your profession? What do you need bones for?]
[Miss Yogurt: You... you aren't planning to make bone soup, are you?]
[Player 123: To the person above, don't scare me like that.]
[I Just Want To Go Home: Hungry, so hungry. Brother, if you taste them and find out human bones are edible, let me know. I want to eat too.]
[Player Play 1: Mom, someone here wants to eat people! I want to call the police.]
[Ride My Beloved Donkey: Brother, are you a forensic pathologist? I’d like to get to know you.]
...

Liang Yi watched the conversation spiral into absurdity and her mouth twitched. Not wanting to cause a panic, she posted another message.

[Player 2010: Don't worry, it's not for eating. It's for grinding into powder.]
[Bone-Crushing Fear: Grinding into powder, that makes sense. You’re planning to grow your own food?]
[Rice Bucket: You can grow your own stuff in this game?]
[Player 26935: Yeah, didn't you guys check the [Creation] tab?]
...

Seeing that the players' attention had shifted elsewhere, Liang Yi closed the trading interface with satisfaction. Having studied the [Creation] tab earlier, she knew the mechanics were similar to sandbox games. Bone meal, being an essential resource for accelerating plant growth, naturally existed in this survival game as well.