Chapter Eighteen: Third-Level Residence

Ah, finally, I can get a good night’s sleep. Eyes cheered in delight.

Fang Tang was equally pleased in his heart. The only issue was that the amount of fabric required was substantial, and his stock of fibers and cotton was nowhere near enough. Fortunately, there was plenty of fiber available in the trading area, and the price was bearable. But cotton was in short supply and terribly expensive. A single batch of cotton cost a whole loaf of bread—outrageous!

He only had six portions of cotton, enough for three pieces at most. After a moment’s thought, Fang Tang put up a **** and three rounds of ammunition for trade, hoping to exchange them for fourteen portions of cotton. I have a gun—are you afraid?

Trades took time. Meanwhile, Fang Tang picked up his breakdown hammer and struck the airdrop crate, extracting six iron ingots.

Not bad, not bad at all!

With everything prepared, Fang Tang hurriedly dug a tunnel and dashed away. After all, airdrops showed up on the map. Who knew if there were others nearby? Better to head downward right away. Even if someone spotted his tunnel, he wasn’t worried. Without shock-absorbing insoles, how could they hope to catch up?

In Cavern 45, there was a wooden chest. After collecting the resources, he scouted out another promising direction. In this manner, Fang Tang dashed through three or four caverns in succession before finally stopping.

“I’ll wait here for a bit and see if anyone’s tailing me.”

He halted in Cavern 48, found a corner, and sat down, gripping his fully loaded **** in hand. He waited quietly for over half an hour. When no one appeared, Fang Tang finally breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, his fourteen portions of cotton had been successfully traded.

He spent twenty minutes crafting ten pieces of fabric, then set about upgrading his tent. This process took longer than the upgrade to level two—a full forty-five minutes. Still, this gave Fang Tang a much-needed break. Even if the tent wasn’t heavy, carrying it for long was still tiring.

Rested, he picked up his pickaxe and headed toward the lower caverns. There was a bronze chest below. He’d opened many bronze chests recently and had a good sense of their value. So this time, he didn’t feel much excitement.

He glanced around the caverns. Eyes popped out.

Look, we’ve run into an old friend. Do you remember what I said? Wherever he is, there’s always something good.

“Doghead?” Fang Tang suddenly recalled a four-meter-tall figure wielding a massive spiked club.

A Doghead ahead meant good loot was waiting.

“Luck’s on my side!”

Rubbing his hands together, Fang Tang dug a tunnel toward Cavern 50. He tossed in a Fire Spirit Stone, fastened his **** at his waist, and readied his explosive bow. With quick steps, he swept the cavern with his gaze and spotted the towering figure to his left.

“Hey, buddy, I’m here!” Fang Tang deliberately made some noise. The Doghead turned, its pitch-black eyes flashing with savage intent. It lunged toward Fang Tang, swinging its club with fierce power. They were only five or six meters apart. At four meters tall, the Doghead closed the distance in two strides.

Fang Tang, calm as a mountain, raised his explosive bow with steady hands and aimed at the Doghead’s head.

Whoosh!

The arrow, enhanced by wind and lightning, flew far faster than the Doghead could react. As it lifted its club, the arrow pierced its skull. A crackling net of electricity exploded, charring the Doghead’s head. The heavy club slipped from its grip and crashed to the ground with a dull thud. The creature’s massive body followed, thundering down in a cloud of dust.

“That was quick,” Fang Tang muttered, the swiftness of battle making reality feel dreamlike. Just yesterday, he’d nearly numbed his hands with a pistol before finally taking one of these down. The difference was clear—an explosive bow was leagues ahead of a ****.

“Nice!” Fang Tang licked his lips, picked up the breakdown hammer, and approached the Doghead. He retrieved his arrow, then watched as the enormous corpse transformed into a pale red bead. He pocketed the spiked club and bead, then leaped up in delight.

“Does this mean I’m invincible at this stage? As long as I don’t run into anything stronger than a Doghead…”

For once, Eyes did not mock him. Perhaps it agreed, or perhaps it couldn’t be bothered to answer. In any case, the usually chatty Eyes finally fell silent—a cause for celebration!

Time for a bottle of gamer soda to celebrate.

Thinking of that, Fang Tang felt a pang of hunger. He took out the grill he’d crafted long ago. It looked like an ordinary electric grill, but its power came from Lightning Stones and Fire Spirit Stones. The surrounding fans instantly blew away any smoke the barbecue produced.

He took out a pound each of pork and beef, sliced them, and laid them on the preheated grill. Then he brought out some chicken legs, scored and salted them, and cut a few slices of the ham he’d obtained. At last, dinner was prepared.

Opening a bottle of gamer soda, Fang Tang sat on a pile of timber, quietly watching the public chat channel as people bragged and lamented. Listening to their tales of hardship, Fang Tang shook his head repeatedly. Truly, people’s fortunes are not the same.

On the second day of the game, they were still eating bread and drinking mineral water. If there happened to be fruit, it would be cut into several pieces to share. But look at him—just that ham alone would last him ages. And with a grill, roasted meat, and soda to boot.

Too bad there was no cumin or chili powder; the flavor was a bit lacking. But one must learn contentment. At the very least, he was thoroughly satisfied at that moment.

Before long, the aroma of grilled meat filled the entire cavern. Fang Tang was utterly intoxicated by the scent.

“Right, let’s see if Xie Ling has anything good today.”

His eyes narrowed as he opened a private chat with Xie Ling.

“How’s your haul today?” he asked.

Xie Ling replied, “Ah, chief, my pickaxe is on cooldown—I’m still waiting.”

“So soon? You’ve already dug through thirty caverns?” Fang Tang asked.

“Mhm, I found enough resources not to starve. There were a few little troubles along the way, but I handled them,” she replied.

“As long as you weren’t hurt,” Fang Tang said.

“Thank you for your concern, chief. Was there something you needed?” she asked.

“Not really, just finished some barbecue and happened to notice your message,” he replied.

“Emmm… Chief, I had bread and sausage today,” she said.

“That’s not bad. Did you get enough to eat?” Fang Tang asked.

“Just finished, I’m full,” she replied.

“Oh, then never mind. I was thinking of grilling some meat for you, but since you’re full, I don’t need to bother,” he said.

“Waaah… Chief, please be human! I’m begging you!” Xie Ling replied.

“Hahaha…” Fang Tang burst into hearty laughter.

Suddenly, the laughter died away. Staring at his own messages, Fang Tang fell silent.

When did I become like this? This isn’t who I am. How could I act so shamelessly? I’m not Eyes…

Yes, that’s it! Eyes must have rubbed off on me—this is all Eyes’ fault.

Fang Tang rubbed his face and let out a long sigh.

Eyes have led me astray!