Chapter Twenty-Two: Possessed by Eyes

Rice Cooker: Iron Ingot ×2, Copper Ingot ×2, Silver Ingot ×1.

Staring at the synthesis tree in the newspaper, Fang Tang fell into deep thought.

Is this… all? Isn’t something missing?

After spending five minutes crafting the rice cooker, Fang Tang lapsed into silence.

"Everything else made from blueprints comes with its own power supply, so why does the rice cooker have a plug? Where am I supposed to find an outlet?"

[Lulululu… I’m laughing like an octopus. I warned you ages ago that the rice cooker was useless, but you wouldn’t listen.]

Fang Tang: "…"

Fine, it’s my fault!

Still, even if the rice cooker isn’t very useful, at least it has an inner pot.

The inner pot is stainless steel… well, iron ingot turned into stainless steel.

It’s good enough to cook a pack of instant noodles. It’ll do.

After all, survival in the underground world requires improvisation. No tool is too humble.

Everything for survival.

The pickaxe’s usage limit had already been reached, so it would be twelve hours before it refreshed. Fang Tang could take the opportunity to rest properly.

He took out the necessary items: the water collector, barbecue grill, wooden bucket, firewood, and so on, spreading them out like a campsite.

Then he set up his tent.

His residence was now level three, yet his backpack felt no heavier, even with all the new materials added.

It was… quite miraculous.

If there was any explanation, it could only be due to the rules. If the rules didn’t allow it to get heavy, then it wouldn’t.

The weight and shape of the backpack remained unchanged.

But once the tent was unfolded, things became different.

From a small camping tent, it transformed directly into an army tent.

Three meters long, two meters wide, with a peak height of two and a half meters. Fang Tang, at 182 centimeters tall, could move freely inside without feeling the least bit cramped.

Notably, a military cot appeared inside the tent.

Integrated with the tent, its copper and iron frame looked very sturdy.

Finally, there was an energy-saving bulb inside.

Entirely white, hanging by the entrance, it illuminated both inside and outside the tent with ample brightness.

"What a good thing!"

Fang Tang explored every corner of the army tent, completely satisfied.

He even tested the military cot. It didn’t have the fragile feel of a folding bed; it was comfortable, and he could sleep well even without a layer of cotton fibers.

[The level three tent barely meets my standards, but eyes can never be satisfied. Upgrade your residence to level four as soon as possible—eyes want to sleep in a proper bed.]

"One must learn to be content!"

Fang Tang grinned, walked out of the tent, and began preparations.

He used water liberally for a quick wash.

Fang Tang fired up the barbecue grill, placed the stainless steel inner pot on it, and poured in some water.

Tonight, he planned to cook instant noodles, crack an egg, and add a sausage. Isn’t that a delicious dinner?

The grill was long enough—one third used for heating the pot.

The remaining two thirds continued roasting meat.

His daily physical exertion was tremendous, so Fang Tang always ate heartily.

That was only natural.

Compared to him, others might not be able to fill their stomachs.

Take Zhang Feng for example.

He had plenty of supplies, but pitifully little food.

Three bottles of water, two bags of sliced bread.

Enough for one person to eat their fill, let alone with a woman in tow.

From this glimpse, Zhang Feng represented the majority.

Only a few exceptionally capable, or naturally fit, individuals could survive in the underground world.

As for Fang Tang, he was an anomaly.

No one knew what lay in the next dungeon, so each excavation was nerve-wracking.

If one struck an empty chamber or found food, that was ideal.

Even a wild dog was manageable.

But if one ran into something as dangerous as a Crocodile-Head Dog, it was game over.

Despite the lively chatter in the public channel, all participants could be considered extremely lucky.

Those less fortunate had already been killed by underground creatures.

In terms of luck, Fang Tang knew that Xie Ling was another anomaly.

Few could comprehend the world of the "lucky emperor."

The young girl managed to excavate thirty dungeons on her own, relying solely on luck.

Her harvests were impressive.

If word got out, the commotion would rival Fang Tang’s.

Fortunately, Xie Ling had always behaved quietly.

She never acted as ostentatiously as Fang Tang, never flaunted her achievements as if afraid no one would notice his wealth.

The water in the pot boiled. Fang Tang took out two packs of instant noodles.

He thought for a moment, then put one back.

He’d eaten earlier; this was just a midnight snack, so better not to overindulge.

One pack of noodles, one egg, one sausage, plus a bit of ham and roasted meat.

Another simple meal.

Satisfied, Fang Tang began his new training.

Still physical training, but since he’d just eaten, he avoided strenuous exercise, sticking to push-ups, crunches, squats, and the like.

When he was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, Fang Tang finally stopped.

He glanced at the newspaper, seeing people chatting and laughing, and his lips curled.

Should he show off a bit? Stir up some envy?

Hmm…

Better not. Such tasteless antics were only for Eyes. He’d never stoop to that.

Fang Tang said, "Eating roast meat without cumin or chili isn’t very satisfying, but at least the instant noodles provide enough salt."

Heaven knows!

Fang Tang always salted his grilled meat.

…

The lively public channel was full of discussions about survival tips in the underground.

Suddenly, a message appeared that stood out sharply.

It was especially tempting.

Everyone swallowed hard, hands trembling on their keyboards.

"Damn you, Fang Tang, what are you doing in the middle of the night? Poisoning us?"

"Are you cursing? Try it again!"

"Damn, poisoning us late at night! This guy’s not human—brothers, let’s get him!"

"Roast meat, instant noodles, sob sob… I want some too!"

"Apologize to the children, you heartless fiend!"

"Master Fang, may I ask where you are? No misunderstanding—I have no ulterior motive, just want to send you a batch of razor blades. You’re not some hiatus-abandoning bastard, but that’s all I can do."

…

…

Fang Tang had stirred up public wrath.

He found endless amusement in the flood of messages.

This was definitely Eyes possessing him, since Eyes hadn’t even come out to jump.

After teasing everyone, Fang Tang comfortably lay down on the military cot.

Before sleeping, he packed away all his belongings.

He also closed the tent door, in case someone wandered into this dungeon and decided to stab him while he slept.

He wasn’t worried about the tent being broken into.

After all, even a level one tent was bulletproof—let alone level three.

That night, Fang Tang slept deeply and sweetly.