After reading the messages in the group, Ryan's expression suddenly turned cold. Even someone like him, who could see the internal messages, hadn't anticipated that this seemingly fortuitous instance was a complete scam.
This group of administrators was luring everyone into the instance just to eliminate the weak!
"What a sinister scheme. If what they say is true and 95% of the players die, then any thoughts of opposing the administrators will become nothing but a fantasy." Ryan shook his head, realizing he had to take action.
So, after leaving the administrator group chat, he quickly typed up a trading message in the chat channel.
[Ryan: Selling crossbow. Same old rule, only charging for materials, no limit on quantity.]
As soon as Ryan's message was sent, it caused a huge stir.
The reason most players were hovering in the shadow of death was fundamentally due to the lack of powerful weapons. However, with the crossbow, a strong ranged weapon, their situation could change drastically!
Beyond the crossbow trade, the bigger surprise for everyone was Ryan's return!
[Oh my God, my eyes aren't deceiving me—it's the great Ryan! Is it really him?]
[Ryan is alive! I knew that Black Snake was talking nonsense. Good thing I wasn't swayed by him!]
[Look, the great Ryan is also selling crossbows, and he's only charging at cost!]
[I'm in tears, the great Ryan is the true hero. I will absolutely follow him forever!]
[Hurray! As long as we have the crossbow, we'll have the means to fight back against beasts and zombies alike.]
The entire channel was filled with reverence for Ryan, and soon, trade requests flooded in.
[Ryan: However, I'm currently busy and can't make any for you right now, so you all need to hide for the time being. I'll craft them when I have the chance.]
Ryan's response was a bit helpless. After trading away Ruben's crossbow, he didn't have any on hand. Since he was going to rescue someone, crafting crossbows would have to wait.
Additionally, Ryan noticed that among those who requested trades were some who had just been ready to submit to Black Snake. Clearly, in light of the price difference, they were now regretting their decision.
Ryan let out a cold laugh and immediately followed up.
[Ryan: By the way, those who joined Black Snake earlier will not have access to the crossbow for sale.]
After saying that, he promptly closed the channel. He wasn't a soft-hearted fool who helped everyone, doing so would only lead to his own demise. Besides, they were all Black Snake's lackeys. Giving them crossbows was just asking for trouble.
[No worries, great Ryan. We can trust your credibility. We can send you the materials first, and you can ship to us when you have the time.]
[Exactly! Those guys who submitted to Black Snake must be dumbfounded now. They don't even have a chance to regret it!]
[Hahaha, we are the luckiest ones! No way should we compromise with a scoundrel like Black Snake!]
For a moment, even though Ryan had closed the panel, he kept receiving materials from others—so many that he couldn't even count them all.
Compared to Black Snake, whose followers had to hand over ten materials, many were quite hesitant and unwilling.
But Ryan had easily received materials sent voluntarily by everyone, and their quantity far exceeded what Black Snake had. This was the difference, the fairness, and the goodwill of the people!
Ryan smiled, "The gap between me and that guy is far more than just moral righteousness. Even in terms of strength, I surpass him by a long shot. Next up, it's time for him to atone!" As he laughed, his expression gradually turned serious.
At that moment, while driving, Ryan noticed a zombie appear on the road ahead. He didn't hesitate to stop the car, open the door, and pull out his AK-47.
"Let's test the firepower first." Ryan's shooting skills were excellent, he had been a long-term member of a shooting club and understood all types of firearms, with the AK-47 being no exception.
However, just as he was about to pull the trigger, he suddenly realized something embarrassing: although he had the gun, he had no bullets!
"I almost forgot, I don't have any bullets at all! So this AK-47 is less useful than a stick!" Ryan frowned. Even after realizing this issue, he couldn't solve it because he didn't have the blueprints to craft bullets.
"Even without the AK-47, I'm not afraid of Black Snake and his crew, but this complicates things too much." Ryan shook his head. That bunch had crossbows and had also received that guy Leo's shotgun.
Although Ryan had the advantage of Superhuman Blood, he didn't want to gamble on whether his body could withstand a bullet.
Just then, he found the old shotgun from before. In comparison to the AK-47, this shotgun seemed even more useless, and the bullets couldn't be interchanged. However, after staring at it for a while, Ryan had a sudden idea and placed it on the workbench.
[Shotgun, (can be dismantled)]
"Dismantle?" Ryan's eyes lit up. This was exactly what he wanted to try. Everything could be processed and synthesized through blueprints and materials at the workbench, so by using reverse thinking, would placing a finished product on the workbench yield blueprints and materials?
It seemed that Ryan had truly discovered this hidden feature.
This hidden feature was something others wouldn't even have the chance to find, given how rare the shotgun was. In fact, he had to thank Candy for taking care of those scavengers.
"Alright, dismantle." Ryan rubbed his hands together and chose to dismantle without hesitation.
[Dismantle successful, obtained makeshift shotgun blueprints ×1]
[Obtained bullet blueprints ×1]
[Obtained iron ×8]
[Obtained wood ×3]
[Obtained gunpowder ×7]
[Note: Materials obtained from dismantling are only 70% of what is required for synthesis.]
Ryan received the dismantled materials. Although the amount was reduced by 30% compared to what was needed for synthesis, it was no big deal. He had obtained the bullet blueprints he had longed for, along with gunpowder!
"Let's synthesize bullets!" He placed the blueprints on the workbench, and soon the required materials were displayed.
[10 bullets: Gunpowder ×1, Iron ×1]
Once the bullet blueprints were unlocked, the synthesis was quite simple. Of course, gunpowder was still a very rare material, and Ryan only had seven.
He chose to use all the gunpowder to synthesize bullets, and in the end, he obtained seventy rounds of AK-47 ammunition.
"Alright, this will do!" After loading the bullets, Ryan whistled to attract the attention of the distant zombie, which immediately charged towards him and his car.
Ryan smiled, picked up his gun, aimed at the zombie's head, and pulled the trigger for a single shot. With a flash of light, the zombie fell.
[Ding, dropped gold ingot ×1, zombie essences ×1]
"Gold ingot?" Ryan's expression changed. At that moment, he remembered seeing in the administrator group chat that killing a zombie could drop random materials, and there was even a one in a thousand chance to find a treasure chest.
His luck seemed to be quite good, killing this zombie had yielded a gold ingot!
As for the zombie essences, it was likely that every zombie dropped them upon death. If others received it, they might be utterly confused, not knowing its use.
But Ryan understood that the zombie essences were a rare synthesis material and the key to crafting infinite AK ammunition!
"After this dungeon ends, getting zombie essences will be impossible, so besides taking down Black Snake and his crew, I need to hunt as many zombies as I can." Ryan resolved internally as he got back in the car.
Driving along the city highway, he could see groups of zombies every time he ventured a bit further.
These were Ryan's targets, and he wouldn't let any of them escape. However, he was reluctant to use the AK, especially since he only had 69 rounds left, so he pulled out his compound bow.
"Let's stick with this, it's economical, powerful enough, and the arrows can be reused." Ryan shrugged helplessly. Once you manage a household, you realize how precious resources are, and gunpowder is a rare material that must be conserved.
Half an hour later.
Ryan had used the compound bow to kill ten zombies. In the process, he not only collected ten zombie essences but also a variety of dropped materials, such as wood, rubber, oil, and even coins!
Every little bit counts, and Ryan welcomed everything, but that precious gold ingot had not reappeared.
"Hmm? What's going on with that zombie up ahead?"
Suddenly, Ryan noticed something unusual.