Everyone understood Chen Anjiang's message—it was clear that he didn't want to hand over the water resources.
Lei Wei was somewhat displeased but still restrained his tone as he said, "Chen Anjiang, if I remember correctly, you were a manager in the operations department at our Lei Group, right? You've been with me for so many years, and you still don't trust me?"
Chen Anjiang no longer tried to hide his thoughts and directly said, "Lei, when you asked us to contribute food before, you said it was for the common good. But when we asked you to provide a detailed list of the materials we handed over, you refused."
"To be honest, Lei, we secretly did the math. After deducting the food you distributed to everyone, you still have at least several dozen units of food left. Why don't you use that to exchange for water and help everyone survive this crisis?"
Chen Anjiang's words were like tearing the mask off Lei Wei's face.
Lei Wei, who wasn't known for his good temper, exploded in anger seeing Chen Anjiang blatantly disrespecting him. "Chen Anjiang, you ungrateful bastard! What are you spouting? If you don't want to contribute resources, then get out of this discussion group! Don't talk nonsense here! From now on, the Lei Group won't welcome you anymore!"
The atmosphere in the discussion group became extremely tense.
Before this, Lei Wei's threats had always been effective. Most people in the group would remain silent out of fear, as nobody wanted to be separated from the group in this strange world.
But now, the situation had changed.
Moments later, a notification appeared.
[Chen Anjiang has left the discussion group...]
Not only that, but Chen Anjiang's departure seemed to trigger a chain reaction.
Wang Peng, Liu Feirui, Zhang Yamin...
One by one, familiar names started leaving the group.
Lei Wei's face turned so dark it could drip water. The discussion group fell into silence; nobody dared to speak.
The same situation was happening in many other teams, big and small.
In a life-and-death crisis like this, who cares if you're a CEO or a manager?
Survival was the top priority.
Those hastily formed teams now seemed fragile in the face of real danger.
Even the chat channels were filled with arguments, with the situation becoming more chaotic.
...
Han Xing watched their arguments with amusement.
At that moment, Cheng Jianyong suddenly posted a message in their group.
"Brothers, we need to use our water sparingly. People in the chat are going crazy over just a little bit of water."
"I still have 800 milliliters left. If anyone's short, let me know. Let's try to get through this together."
Shen Yun chimed in, "I've got five or six hundred milliliters too. Today won't be a problem. How about you, Xing?"
Han Xing replied, "I've got a few hundred milliliters left. Don't worry about me, but use yours carefully."
The two others agreed and encouraged each other.
Then Han Xing found Shen Yun and traded the skill book he had just obtained with him.
[Holy Light Healing] was the only healing skill for early-stage priest classes, and it could be life-saving in critical moments.
Shen Yun understood the value of the skill book and sincerely thanked him.
Han Xing closed the discussion group.
He checked the attributes of the badge he had just obtained.
[Warrior's Badge: A badge awarded to warriors of a certain tribe. When worn, it increases strength by +1.]
"There's an attribute bonus?" Han Xing was surprised. He originally thought it was just a crafting material, but it turned out to be an unexpected bonus.
At that moment, the materials needed to craft a green-grade beast-hide coat were finally gathered. Han Xing immediately began the crafting process.
A green light flashed before his eyes, and a thirty-second progress bar appeared.
When the progress bar reached its end, a system notification popped up.
[Successfully crafted: Beast-hide Coat (Green)]
[Beast-hide Coat (Green), Quality: Excellent, Defense: 3~5, Strength +1 (Warrior's Badge Bonus), Agility +2, Special Effect: Basic Magic Resistance.]
[Basic Magic Resistance: Reduces magical damage by 10%.]
"Not bad at all!" Han Xing praised the item.
He immediately equipped it.
The next moment, he felt a cold, leathery garment appear on his body.
The coat was made from the hide of a jungle green python, so its surface was covered in green scales.
On the chest area, a leather badge was stitched, depicting the image of an ancient tree.
Although the appearance was somewhat eerie, wearing it gave Han Xing a sense of security.
Now armed with new equipment, Han Xing decided to continue exploring.
In front of him were two clouds, one large and one small.
The larger one was about the size of a helipad, roughly estimating over thirty square meters—perhaps even bigger than his current territory.
The smaller one was only about five or six square meters.
Han Xing decided to focus on the smaller cloud.
However, as he passed by the larger cloud, he faintly heard the sound of running water.
"Water?"
Han Xing immediately stopped in his tracks and listened more carefully.
Gurgling...
"It's really water!"
Han Xing confirmed he hadn't misheard. The sound from the cloud indicated there was likely fresh water inside—and quite a lot of it!
He tried to approach, and the system notification appeared.
"Inside is a group of fallen beings performing a dark ritual to summon an ancient entity. Do you wish to enter?"
Fallen beings? Summoning ritual?
Han Xing detected something unusual from the system's notification.
In other words, entering could come with unforeseen risks.
However, while there was a sense of danger, it didn't seem overwhelming.
Han Xing hesitated.
Without a doubt, the most scarce resource for the nearly 10,000 survivors in Channel 107 was water. Even Han Xing himself was facing a shortage. Food was a secondary concern.
In the trading channel, water had been priced outrageously. Various items, equipment, and blueprints were being offered in exchange.
Whoever had water was practically in control of the entire trade market.
After a moment of contemplation, Han Xing gritted his teeth and said, "Let's do it!"
"If I can clear this area, I won't have to worry about drinking water for the foreseeable future."
"And if the resources are abundant enough, I can even go to the trading channel and start buying up materials and equipment, laying the foundation for my future development!"
With that thought in mind, Han Xing took a deep breath and entered.
As the mist cleared, several humanoid figures emerged.
Long ears, slender limbs, and dark skin—these features allowed Han Xing to instantly recognize them.
"Dark Elves!"
Legend had it that centuries ago, the strongest race in this world was the Elven race. With the support of a certain sacred artifact, they gathered countless fragments of the world and created a vast continent.
Countless elves lived and thrived there, and a grand civilization arose.
But the prosperity didn't last long. Due to certain events and a series of historical incidents, the elves lost their sacred artifact, and many perished in terrifying wars.
Eventually, during a pivotal turning point in history, the Elven Continent was destroyed, collapsing entirely.
To survive, some elves sacrificed themselves to the Abyss, becoming the Fallen Elves—also known as Dark Elves.
...
Han Xing had heard these stories while playing "Sky Island Paradise." NPCs had told them in passing, but the truth behind them remained uncertain.
At that moment, Han Xing refocused on the battle at hand.
Dark Elves were malevolent and extreme beings, harboring deep hatred for all things.
So the moment they saw Han Xing, they immediately picked up various weapons—staffs, bows, hammers, swords...
"It's a human!"
"Don't let him interrupt the Lord's descent!"
"Kill him!"
...