"After that, when they saw that I took out my crossbow to defend for my life, they probably felt threatened and I got the chance to escape."
Liu Lin roughly explained what had happened.
"I'll remember this! Next time, I'll get back at them!"
Liao Bufan was extremely displeased that his materials had been stolen for nothing. However, he felt a little helpless and hence, said those harsh words.
What should he do?
Should he rush over and fight with the other party?
To vent his hatred was one thing. However, doing so would only hurt himself more than the enemy.
It was not worth it.
The vast majority of players could only admit that they were unlucky when they encountered such a situation.
"Let me remember this grudge first!" he thought angrily.
There was still time in the future. There would always be a chance to slowly settle the score by then.
Liu Lin knew very well that she could only blame herself for being careless and admitted that she was unlucky.
At that moment, Fang Heng raised his head and asked, "How many are there? How strong are they?"
"Fang Heng, don't be rash."
Liu Lin sensed that Fang Heng's tone was not right. She advised, "Now is not the time to fight these people head-on. There will be plenty of opportunities for revenge in the future."
She had misunderstood.
Fang Heng softened his tone and said, "I know. I want to know how many are there?"
"I see five people, but their shelter is medium-sized. It can accommodate up to 12 people."
Fang Heng nodded and fell silent again.
Liao Bufan saw that Fang Heng's expression was not very good, so he tried to persuade him, "Fang Heng, why don't we just forget about it this time? At most, we won't trade with them in the future."
Liu Lin pursed her lips as well. "I was very careful when I traded. I traded in batches, so I only lost a few packets of instant noodles. We can accept this loss, but I will be more careful next time."
Fang Heng didn't say anything. He had a very bad premonition, and he kept lowering his head to think about something.
This was the first time Liao Bufan saw Fang Heng so serious.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a little quiet, he couldn't help but persuade him again. "Fang Heng, we don't have to go head-to-head with these people right now. It's just a few packets of instant noodles. We don't lack this little bit of materials, right? At most, I'll eat less tonight..."
Liao Bufan's voice grew softer as he spoke. It was obvious that he didn't have enough confidence in this matter.
"No, I'm not thinking about this. This little bit of food loss is nothing to us."
Fang Heng raised his head and explained to the two of them.
"Moreover, I'm also responsible for this matter. I shouldn't use high-value food to trade with other players at this time."
"What?"
Liao Bufan scratched his head, looking as if he didn't understand.
Jimmy took a sip of hot tea and said slowly, "A man with wealth is guilty of a crime."
"Yes, think about it from another perspective. If you were them and found out that a neighbour had extra food to trade when there was a lack of food, what would you do?"
"If I'm them?" Liao Bufan thought for a moment, and then subconsciously blurted out, "Of course, I would rob him!"
Fang Heng raised his head, a worried look flashing across his face.
"That's right. I am just worried that they will come and rob us of our materials."
Liao Bufan understood.
"This... can't be?"
Liu Lin became nervous when she heard this.
"If they come, then don't blame me." Liao Bufan shook his arms and looked fierce. "If they are going to rob me of my food, I am going to fight them to the death. When that happens, it will be either you or me who will die."
"I don't know. Just be careful. We have enough materials now. Don't go out during the day for the next two days. All of you stay here and wait for two days before moving to a new shelter."
Jimmy put down the glass in his hand and shook his head. "Fang Heng, it's too late. We might not make it in time."
Everyone looked at Jimmy in confusion.
"I went to check around the cabin after I heard Liu Lin talk about the food being stolen. I found a stranger's footprint in the bushes. I guess someone has been snooping around our cabin."
"Ah?"
Liu Lin's expression changed slightly and she said anxiously, "That's impossible. Did I make a mistake? I checked carefully when I came back. I was sure that no one was following me."
"I didn't see wrongly. I noticed that besides human footprints, there were also animal footprints. I deduced that it was some kind of a large dog."
Jimmy explained.
"This isn't your problem. I think a certain player has the talent to summon hounds. They tracked your scent and found this place."
It was over! The base camp was exposed!
Liao Bufan slapped his forehead.
"Fine, we'll take it as it comes. Let's fight it out with them. Old man, help me get more crossbows and arrows. I'll reinforce the cabin while I have some time."
Liu Lin said, "I've prepared ten portions of painkillers and bandages. I only have two bottles of rapid healing potion. Because I need liquorice, I can't mass-produce them..."
Liao Bufan and Liu Lin had begun to discuss how to defend against the enemy.
Fang Heng didn't say a word. He lowered his head and pondered.
The passive defence plan was frustrating and it was a waste of time. It would disrupt his plan to build a shelter.
In the early stages of the game, time was precious, and Fang Heng didn't want to waste it.
Most importantly, if they fought, he wouldn't be able to utilise the combat ability of the zombie clones in this defensive battle.
The zombie clones were still too stiff.
What about taking the initiative to attack?
A few minutes later, an evil plan was formed in Fang Heng's mind.
Fang Heng raised his head again.
"Liu Lin, where is the base of these people?"
"They're in the northwest of our camp. It'll take at least 90 minutes to get there."
Liu Lin was confused.
"Why are you asking this?"
"Clap!"
Liao Bufan clapped his hands suddenly as if he had realized something.
"I see! I understand!"
"Catch them off guard!"
Liao Bufan was also a militant by nature. He thought that he had understood Fang Heng's strategic intention, so he patted Fang Heng's shoulder excitedly.
"The best defence is to attack! Brother Fang Heng, I understand. Let's go! We'll go there first and sneak attack one or two of them. Let them know how powerful we are."
"When the time comes, they won't dare to come and find trouble with us."
"I've been displeased with those people for a long time."
"Attack my a**! This boor!!!"
Fang Heng sighed under his breath and silently moved Liao Bufan's hand away from his shoulder.
"I didn't say that I wanted to fight them head-on. Anyway, I already have a plan. Leave this matter to me. I'll keep watch tonight. All of you go offline to rest first. I still need your help during the day tomorrow."
"Huh? Go offline and rest?"
Liao Bufan widened his eyes. He wondered if he had heard wrongly.
He and Liu Lin looked at each other, and countless question marks appeared in their minds.
What was Fang Heng trying to do?
Why did he take the initiative to keep watch tonight?
His summoned zombies were indeed good at collecting materials. However, they couldn't deal with the other players just by relying on these zombies, could they?
Fang Heng didn't care about the gazes of the others. He slowly sat down in front of the bonfire and began to prepare the materials for the night.
[Hint: You have completed the production of the small stone hammer. You have gained production experience point +1.]
Item: Small stone hammer
Grade: Crude
Damage: 1-2
Description: The most basic survival tool. You can use it to destroy and disassemble (after disassembling, you will receive a small portion of the basic building materials).
Description: This thing has the reputation of the world-breaking hammer, as long as the hammer is in hand, you can break anything.