Chapter Seventeen: Airdrop?

Fang Tang, for once, refrained from dismantling the table.

Because he realized that the table's height was just right to serve as a seat.

He could even lie his upper body across it.

It was, in short, a rare moment of comfort.

Propping up a newspaper with both hands, he waited idly for the barbecue grill to be finished.

Just then, a huge red-framed notification appeared on the newspaper.

"Attention! A supply drop will be delivered to this area. Nearby players, please proceed promptly to receive it."

"Supply drop?"

Fang Tang looked astonished and turned to consult the Eye.

"What’s that supposed to be? What’s inside?"

[When in doubt, leave it to the rules. You can think of the supply drop as an airdrop in a battle royale game—blueprints, weapons, resources, and so on.]

"So how do I find the airdrop?"

Fang Tang’s interest was piqued.

For some reason, the Eye didn’t answer further, so Fang Tang had to figure it out himself.

This labyrinthine underworld sprawled in all directions, its boundaries unknown.

Wandering about blindly in search of the airdrop would be next to impossible.

Yet, Fang Tang managed to find a way.

With a light tap on the red notification, a three-dimensional route map appeared.

He glanced at it and saw the airdrop wasn’t far—just five chambers away.

However, he’d have to descend through two more chambers along the way.

Without hesitation, he slung his pack over his shoulder, gripped his pickaxe, and began digging along the indicated route.

[The crocodile is at the far corner of the opposite wall.]

The Eye offered an occasional hint, so Fang Tang prepared himself accordingly.

He charged into the black mist, loosed two arrows into the corner.

They pierced the crocodile’s tough hide as easily as paper, lightning crisping its innards.

This was the fastest victory he’d ever had against a crocodile.

He used the Decomposition Hammer to collect the crocodile’s drops, then moved on to Chamber 40.

Chamber 40 was utterly empty.

Unfazed by this minor disappointment, Fang Tang simply broke through the wall into Chamber 41.

There, he found a wooden crate with a few resources inside.

After scavenging it clean, he looked down.

Two more levels below, and he’d reach the airdrop’s chamber.

He hoisted the pickaxe.

As the opening appeared, and the Eye gave no warning of danger, Fang Tang leapt down without hesitation.

Thanks to his shock-absorbing insoles, he continued downward.

But at Chamber 43, the Eye issued a warning.

[Both danger and opportunity await below. There is not only a silver chest, but also five vampire bats.

The bats are swift and your archery skills are not yet good enough to handle them. You’ll have to use your **** again. Nine bullets should suffice.]

Not just for the airdrop, but for the silver chest as well, Fang Tang tightened his grip on the ****.

He tossed in a fire spirit stone, then jumped down.

Landing, he executed a forward roll, half-kneeling to stabilize himself, and looked up.

Five enormous bats, each half a meter long, hung upside down from the ceiling.

Each bared razor-sharp fangs.

Fang Tang’s heart sank; he raised his gun without hesitation.

Bang!

With a thunderous report, one bat was slain. The remaining four startled awake, screeching shrilly at the sight of him.

The shrieks were piercing, but fortunately Fang Tang was in the habit of wearing earplugs, and could just about bear the noise.

The four bats swooped at him.

Fang Tang drew a deep breath, his pulse slowing, his face expressionless as he aimed at one and squeezed the trigger.

Bang!

The second bat hit the ground, while the other three closed in.

Huge wings whipped up a gale, sending clouds of dust swirling, making it impossible for Fang Tang to keep his eyes open.

When one bat lunged for his arm, fangs bared, Fang Tang hastily withdrew and fired at point-blank range.

Bang!

Icy blood splattered his face, making him momentarily lose focus.

The heavy thud of a body hitting the ground snapped him back to his senses, his heart racing.

That was close!

Just a little more and he’d have been bitten.

But the two remaining bats had gone berserk.

Their shrieks grew shriller as they hurled themselves at him with reckless abandon.

Quick as lightning, Fang Tang jammed the gun’s muzzle into the open maw of one as it lunged.

Bang!

The bat’s head exploded instantly.

Its vast wings drooped powerless to the floor.

One left.

Wiping the viscous blood from his face, Fang Tang eyed the last bat, three meters away.

It was the perfect target.

He drew his explosive bow, curious to see if he could hit it.

The speed of the explosive bow was undeniable.

At such close range, nothing could dodge it—not even a bat with echolocation.

Whoosh!

The black arrow had barely left his fingers before it was upon the bat.

The arrow’s tip howled with a blue-green wind, its shaft wrapped in lightning.

A dazzling electric net burst forth, and the last bat crashed to the ground, reeking of scorched flesh.

“Phew…”

Fang Tang exhaled heavily, slumping to the floor, laughing as he gazed at the corpses of the five bats.

“Heh, yesterday I’d never have dared provoke these things. Today I can face them, even if a bit battered.”

[Clap, clap, clap…]

Fang Tang: “…”

Was that really necessary?

After a brief rest, he lifted the Decomposition Hammer, curious what loot the bats would yield.

A few solid blows, and all that was left was a small, crimson pearl with a red thread inside.

Fang Tang picked it up, lost in thought.

“If I judge the strength of the underworld creatures by these pearls, then among creatures that can produce pearls, bats are the weakest, followed by crocodiles, then kobolds, and the only red one I’ve seen belongs to the Phantom Sand Lizard.”

“What’s the use of this pearl?” he muttered.

He’d asked this question more than once.

But the Eye always evaded, never giving a clear answer—only saying they were valuable.

He didn’t dwell on it further. After dealing with the remaining four bats, Fang Tang approached the silver chest.

This was the second silver chest he’d seen.

It was packed with supplies: instant noodles ×3, cola ×3, ham ×1, beef ×3, a bag of chili seeds, fiber ×3, cotton ×4, glass ×4.

He also received three silver ingots with the chest, which he tucked into the newspaper, then looked down.

Below lay the chamber with the airdrop.

After stowing everything away, Fang Tang dug a hole in the floor and jumped down.

Right before him stood a massive iron chest.

Unlike the airdrops he’d imagined, it emitted no smoke, bore no red or blue coloring.

Just an ordinary iron chest—albeit a large one.

[This is a product of the rules. Every four hours, it will randomly appear in a different area. Inside, you’ll find rare materials—blueprints, weapons, elemental stones, supplies, or even pets.]

“Pets?”

Fang Tang narrowed his eyes, stepped forward, and opened the airdrop.

Inside the vast chest was only a single blueprint and two elemental stones.

“That’s it? Nothing else?”

Fang Tang scratched his head, disappointed.

The Eye had said pets could appear here—he’d been hopeful at first, but now saw his luck was as poor as ever.

“Well, better than nothing!”

He tucked the blueprint away, and the synthesis tree appeared before him.

Level 3 Residence: Level 2 Residence ×1, Iron Ingot ×20, Copper Ingot ×10, Silver Ingot ×10, Fabric ×10, Glass ×2, Lightning Stone ×1.