Envious?
Of course she was.
But Su Qingyue had her own principles.
To expect her to sell her body like Gu Yihan did, just for some food, and even have to call out so flirtatiously with a fawning expression?
In her dreams!
"I refuse to believe I can’t survive without you!"
Su Qingyue swore to herself.
Lin Ji paid no attention to the scheming between these two women.
With the team now possessing some initial combat capability, he felt a slight sense of relief.
Taking advantage of Gu Yihan’s mealtime, he opened the Chat Channel again.
Although it was still the early stages of survival, humanity’s adaptability was terrifying.
The Chat Channel was already beginning to show the seeds of various organizations.
"[Capital Brotherhood] recruiting! Anyone human is welcome! Let’s unite!"
"[Rose Legion] accepting sisters. Any sisters who have been bullied can come to us for warmth and solidarity. We only accept females!"
"I am a retired special forces king. Current coordinates (112, 568). Any comrades nearby? Acknowledge if received!"
Lin Ji quickly scanned through these messages.
Most were just ragtag groups, unlikely to amount to much.
But soon, a bolded Red message caught his attention.
"[Hai City Gu Family]: This is Gu Tianming. All Hai City executives, Gu Corporation employees, and security personnel, upon seeing this message, report your coordinates immediately and assemble!
Anyone providing leads on Miss Gu Yihan’s whereabouts will be rewarded with 10 liters of purified water and 50 loaves of bread! Anyone who finds the young lady will be rewarded with one Red weapon!"
Gu Tianming?
Lin Ji’s heart stirred.
Wasn’t this Gu Yihan’s CEO father?
Well, well.
Truly worthy of the Gu family, at the pinnacle of both power and wealth!
To be able to offer such bountiful resources as a reward right from the start—it seemed his situation was quite favorable.
He had probably crossed over with a large entourage of bodyguards and supplies.
Lin Ji instinctively glanced at Gu Yihan beside him.
The young lady was sitting on the raft, devouring the spicy beef with gusto, completely unaware of the messages in the Chat Channel.
Lin Ji narrowed his eyes.
If Gu Yihan found out her father was looking for her, this woman would undoubtedly defect without hesitation.
After all, staying with him only meant eating self-heating hot pots, while returning to her father meant living like a princess.
"She must not find out."
Lin Ji made up his mind.
Although he possessed a dual system, he was still in the early stages of development.
If he were to clash with a behemoth like the Gu family, the outcome would certainly be unfavorable.
He needed time.
He needed to use these two women to quickly accumulate resources, upgrade the raft, and enhance his strength.
Only by becoming powerful himself would he never have to bow to anyone.
Closing the chat panel, Lin Ji looked at the sky.
The sun was already beginning to set.
The system panel showed it was currently 2:00 PM.
There were four hours left until nightfall.
Once night fell, the sea would become extremely dangerous.
Moreover, according to the laws of survival, nighttime was perilous.
"The raft must be upgraded."
Lin Ji opened the [Construction] page.
[Dilapidated Raft (LV1)]
[Next Level: Catamaran (LV2)]
[Upgrade Requirements: Wood x10, Evolution Points x50.]
[Upgrade Effects: Area expands to 10 square meters, adds a simple rain shelter, adds a sail (controllable direction), increases stability.]
Wood was easy to handle.
There were plenty of rotten wooden planks floating on the sea surface; breaking them down would be enough to gather what was needed.
The difficult part was the Evolution Points.
Fifty points.
Lin Ji glanced at his Evolution Points balance: 0.
Although he had previously picked up a few green-quality items, like that condom and the leftover self-heating hotpot container, he had been reluctant to break them down, thinking they might have other uses.
"I need to hurry up and break things down for Evolution Points."
Lin Ji stood up and clapped his hands.
"Are you full?"
Gu Yihan quickly swallowed the beef in her mouth and wiped her lips.
"Full, I’m full."
"Good, then get to work."
Lin Ji pointed at the sea surface. "See those floating objects?"
"From now on, wherever I point, you go there."
"Especially you, Gu Yihan."
"Doesn’t your Wind Listening let you run fast? You go retrieve the ones floating far away."
"And Su Qingyue."
Lin Ji turned to look at the other side.
"Don’t just stand around either. The ones nearby are yours."
"I don’t keep idle people. If you want shelter, you have to work."
Although Su Qingyue was unhappy inside, she knew now wasn’t the time to throw a tantrum.
She silently picked up the iron hook and stood at the edge of the raft.
For the next two hours, this stretch of sea was subjected to a plundering.
Lin Ji activated his [Eye of Insight], acting like a precise radar.
"That red plastic bucket on the left, go get it!"
"Thirty meters ahead to the right, that broken fishing net, green quality, Gu Yihan, you go!"
"Su Qingyue, don’t throw away that rotten crate by your feet; there are nails inside!"
Under his command, the two campus belles were like diligent little bees, bustling around on the sea surface.
Although most of it was junk.
The resources in this sea area were indeed scarce. Even with the Eye of Insight, the number of green-quality items that could be found was pitifully small.
Fortunately, quantity made up for quality.
"Whew... whew..."
Two hours later.
Gu Yihan collapsed ungracefully onto the raft, panting heavily.
Sweat had soaked through her tank top, outlining breathtaking curves.
Su Qingyue wasn’t much better off; her arms were so sore she could barely lift them.
But looking at the mountain of supplies piled in the middle of the raft, a flicker of a sense of accomplishment passed through both their eyes.
Lin Ji began taking stock of the spoils.
By breaking down that pile of miscellaneous items—which, while white or green quality, were indeed not very useful—he finally gathered enough Evolution Points.
[Evolution Points: 50 points (Target Reached)!]
[Wood: 25 units, Plastic: 15 units, Iron Sheets: 8 units.]
Besides these basic materials, luck was somewhat decent, as they managed to retrieve a few practical survival supplies and food.
[High-Power Flashlight (Green)]: No need to worry about batteries; solar-powered, range of 200 meters.
[Simple Water Purifier Blueprint (Green)]: Although it’s a simple version, it’s still green quality. Note: Only survivors with mechanical-type talents can manufacture and perform subsequent upgrades.
[Multi-Function Entrenching Tool (Green)]: Self-defense, digging holes, chopping vegetables—one tool, multiple uses.
[Windproof Lighter (Green)]: This is a Divine Artifact for starting fires.
Besides tools, there was also some enviable food:
[Beef Jerky (3 packs)]: High calorie, keeps you full.
[Red Bull Beverage (2 cans)]: Refreshes the mind and restores stamina.
[Dove Chocolate (1 box)]: High-sugar food that can save lives in critical moments.
[12L Mineral Water (1 barrel)]: Although warmed by the sun, it is life-saving water.
Although no Red equipment appeared this time, for the current stage, this was already a bountiful harvest.
"Not bad."
Lin Ji nodded with satisfaction.
His gaze fell on the [Upgrade] button on the panel.
Finally, he could upgrade.
As long as the raft was upgraded to LV2, gaining a rain shelter and a sail.
Only then could he get a good night’s sleep tonight.