"Understood, Joseph." Justin nodded, then turned to lead his rcenaries in cleaning up the corpses on the deck.
Not far away, on the steering platform, Bella hadn’t noticed the scene below.
She kept her eyes on the ship’s controls while staring at the ssages on her screen, her expression hesitant.
Stephanie had also arrived in this world... She was alive.
Like many wealthy families, Bella and Stephanie were mbers of an underground clan.
However, the family was so vast that they were rely marginal figures, never enjoying its wealth or prestige.
Even so, they had inherited the family’s traditions and hidden techniques.
Almost the mont Stephanie sent the coded ssage on the global chat, Bella had noticed it.
After deep thought, she let out a soft sigh, then opened her contact list and sent a ssage to Keston: "Darling, my sister is still alive. Can you find her and look after her for ?"
Keston replied quickly: "Why not ask Joseph or Justin to find your sister? I thought Justin would be very interested in Stephanie."
Bella shook her head, speaking softly: "Darling, are you still angry with ? I stayed with Joseph to secure our child’s future."
"You know I don’t want our baby to grow up in poverty. Stephanie knows what happened between us. If she ever slips up, both of us will be in mortal danger."
"Darling... could you really bear to watch get killed by those two brothers?"
Her words were earnest, filled with pleading and tenderness.
Keston’s reply ca soon.
He sighed and agreed: "Give Stephanie’s Survivor ID. I’ll contact her directly."
"Also, now that the Eldritch have descended, Joseph and Justin have long lost the glory their family once held."
"Bella, I’ll prove to you that in this chaotic world, I will rise like the sun."
"One day, I will find you myself and bring you and the child back to my side."
Bella smiled faintly and replied: "Good. I’ll be waiting."
Then, she opened Stephanie’s chat window: "Stephanie, I’m so glad you’re still alive."
"I’ve been worried about you. I suppose you’ve seen the latest Survivor Leaderboard. Keston, ranked third, is the boy who once pursued ."
"I’ve asked him to co looking for you. He’ll reach out soon. Take care of yourself, and survive until he finds you."
As she typed, Bella’s lips curled into a triumphant smirk, superiority dripping from her words.
After sending the final ssage, she could no longer contain her excitent, muttering to herself, "Silly sister, I’m never letting you on this yacht to ruin my plans."
"Who told you to be more beautiful and have a better figure than ? Joseph and Justin will both be mine. I won’t let you co here and try to steal them away."
"You’re only good enough to play housekeeper for fools like Keston. That moron still believes the child in my belly is his. Hahaha, he’s so naive."
Just as Bella basked in her private victory, Stephanie’s reply popped up almost instantly:
"Sis, you’re alive? That’s amazing! I’m safe right now, but how about you? How are you holding up?"
A photo dropped into the chat window alongside the ssage. Stephanie had taken a picture of Kevin’s navigation bridge and sent it straight to Bella. Since Kevin had consolidated most of their supplies there, the image was packed with the previously scavenged cigarettes, alcohol, beverages, sandwiches, and cookies.
Bella’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"Damn it, is this girl surviving out here on the ocean, or is she attending so kind of luxury sumr camp? And how does she even have cola?"
Seething with frustration, Bella gritted her teeth and typed back:
"Stephanie, I’m relieved to know you’re doing well. But are the people on your ship really trustworthy? You need to stay on guard. Don’t let them deceive you."
The mont the ssage was sent, Stephanie replied instantly:
"Sis, I’m perfectly safe here. My companions are all very kind and reliable. Please don’t worry."
"By the way, I should tell you-#1, #2, and even #9 on the Survivor Leaderboard are all my shipmates."
"Oh, and Kevin, who’s ranked #1? He’s your ex-boyfriend."
Bella froze. Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound ca out. She could only stare blankly as Stephanie’s ssages continued to flood in, bragging about Kevin’s bravery, strength, and unwavering protection.
Not once did Stephanie ntion how cold and indifferent Kevin had been to her. On the contrary, she magnified Kevin’s virtues, his heroics, and the security he provided, spinning it into an intoxicating narrative.
To Bella, those words dripping with admiration felt like thorns in her eyes and splinters in her flesh, utterly grating.
But in the end, she could only force out polite pleasantries:
"Stephanie, I’m relieved you’re with Kevin. I know he’ll take good care of you."
anwhile, leaning against a corner of the navigation bridge, Stephanie wore a smug grin.
"Bella, I know you’re seething inside. But if I don’t poke a few needles into you, how would you ever volunteer to send help?"
"Besides, it’s fine if you send Keston looking for . I’ll just use him to take out those two bitches, Luna and Alia, first. A man as powerful as Kevin deserves to be monopolized by alone."
As she spoke, Stephanie’s eyes grew hazy and seductive, a sinister smile curling at the corners of her lips. She bit her lower lip, one hand resting over her chest while the other slipped beneath the hem of her skirt.
anwhile, on the other side of the ship, Kevin, Luna, and Alia sat around the dining table, sizzling steaks on the grill.
Thunk.
Kevin popped the cap off a bottle of 1982 Lafite, poured a glass, and took a slow sip.
"Even the system’s rewards have that premium taste. Nice."
Luna and Alia exchanged a glance, both grinning as they simultaneously pouted, "We want so too."
Each brought out a glass, and Kevin poured the red wine.
The liquid swirled, reflecting the flushed cheeks of the two girls.
Luna speared a piece of steak and popped it into her mouth, a look of pure bliss spreading across her face. "My God, this is incredible. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve eaten anything this good."
Sitting beside her, Alia sliced herself a piece as well. She chewed slowly and deliberately. Unlike Luna’s overt excitent, the satisfaction shining in her eyes was unmistakable, making her contentnt easy to read.
[Affection 50]
[Affection 50]
With two system chis, the Affection ters above their heads ticked up once again.
Kevin raised his glass, clinking it against theirs in a toast. But none of them drank to intoxication. After a few light sips, they corked the remaining half-bottle of Lafite and tucked it back into the fridge.
As for the two extra bottles, Kevin suggested listing them on the World Channel for trade.
Kevin’s objective this ti was crystal clear: he only wanted to exchange for resin, rubber, copper ingots, silicon blocks, and raw materials related to weapon crafting.
Kevin was confident that after two consecutive nights of harrowing battles, the Survivors were starting to realize that while traditional firearms were powerful, they weren’t as effective against Eldritch Entities as they once thought.
On the contrary, right now, a bottle of wine, a can of cola, or even a single piece of bread might be worth more than a gun or a box of ammo.
After all, today marked the third day since the Eldritch Descent. Three days was already pushing humanity’s physiological limits for food deprivation.
Many Survivors currently craved sustenance far more than they craved weapons.
Kevin was betting that soone would be willing to trade the copper, rubber, or resin they happened to have on them.
His prediction proved exactly right.
In less than an hour, Luna and Alia successfully traded their two bottles of 1982 Lafite and the C-Tier Eldritch Artifact - Lantern of the Mutated Anglerfish.
In return, they acquired five kilograms of copper, five kilograms of resin, five kilograms of rubber, twenty kilograms of plastic tubing, and twenty kilograms of electronic components and scrap.
If these materials weren’t so notoriously rare-since no Survivor would normally carry massive quantities of them-they could have gotten even more.
But for Kevin, this was more than enough.
...
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