Just as Qi Xu was about to make a quick choice, she suddenly noticed five lines of poetry popping up...
"Uncle! Vitality Brother! It's your home turf now!"
Qi Xu roughly figured out what they meant. The first line probably contained a surprise, the second line might mean nothing at all, and the following three lines were food, weapons, and medicine.
However, the selection buttons next to them were greyed out.
Fengyu Tongzhou was quite excited. The scene of fighting alongside everyone just now was very thrilling. Although his strength wasn't too great, he at least had life-saving skills, so he could charge forward and help the youngsters tank some damage.
He didn't expect to have another opportunity to show his worth. Excitedly, he translated all the lines of poetry for everyone, while Bubbly Girl Guo Degang kept nodding beside him, saying, "Right, right, right."
Bian suggested, "I lean towards the third option, food supplies. Did you guys notice that after arriving here, we get hungry exceptionally fast? I have a small appetite and had just eaten before coming here. Logically, it wouldn't matter if I didn't eat for a day, but now I can clearly feel the hunger."
Cooking Master Boy nodded desperately, as if he had found a comrade-in-arms. "Me too! I thought it was just my problem. My stomach has been growling for a while now."
Qi Xu originally leaned more towards choosing weapons, but... it wasn't until Bian spoke up that she noticed the detail of her stomach being very hungry. Just then, the light screen broadcast sounded again.
[Please, top ranker of the sub-zone, make your choice!]
Qi Xu decisively chose the third option: "When granaries are full, warm smoke rises from the chimneys; when boxes are filled with cloth, the years are peaceful and secure."
Only after the basic needs of food and clothing were fully resolved could they seek breakthroughs in combat power. Bian's decision was flawless.
After all 5 sub-zones made their choices, Qi Xu noticed that Sub-zone 08 of Megazone 01 also chose food.
[Do you wish to initiate a duel to defend your chosen base camp?]
[Yes / No]
Qi Xu chose Yes without hesitation, but Sub-zone 08 of Megazone 01 decisively changed their target and clicked on option one instead.
What was interesting was that the other three sub-zones all chose weapons. And they had already started PK-ing!
Qi Xu was a bit puzzled. She thought Sub-zone 666 would be jointly targeted by the other four sub-zones, but now she realized... Bad Ball's ability to manipulate the actual situation of the competition was also limited.
Soon, Qi Xu received a set of coordinates and a navigation route. She immediately gathered everyone to set off together.
Everyone basically walked in pairs. Qi Xu and Dongfang Yuan led the way, while Song Peifeng and Dandan Seven brought up the rear.
As they moved forward, everyone's stomachs began to growl one after another. However, they didn't encounter any other monsters along the way and reached the base camp very smoothly.
It was just a very simple and crude-looking warehouse, but it was surrounded by piles of food.
Rice, millet, flour, basic vegetables, and meat—everything was there. It even included cooking utensils, a full set of equipment, and bowls and chopsticks.
Cooking Master Boy's home turf had arrived. Without needing Qi Xu's orders, he immediately started getting busy. Everyone who knew how to cook and could help out gathered around him. Cooking Master Boy was used to being a chef in a buffet restaurant, so he knew exactly how to assign tasks to his helpers, keeping the work organized and efficient.
Qi Xu briefly observed the group. Among the players who knew how to cook, there were five with lower stats who weren't ability users. They could be assigned to Cooking Master Boy as members of the logistics team.
Including Bian, that made a total of seven people.
Looking at the current trend, they might need all three meals a day, so it was best to fix the division of labor.
Qi Xu divided the remaining people into four groups of 11. She, Dongfang Yuan, Wolf Warrior Dandan Seven, and Retired Magical Boy each led a team.
As long as Sister Boy summoned her truck, she could go head-to-head with whatever monsters they encountered. After all, it was a level 7 vehicle, which was an absolute killer in these conditions.
Retired Magical Boy was a bit dazed. He was used to being a rookie and planning to just tag along with the boss. He belatedly realized that he had somehow become a squad leader among so many experts, and he felt vaguely unaccustomed to it.
"Sister, please protect me. I still want to tag along with you~"
Bubbly Girl Guo Degang had always been a very heartwarming presence. Whenever she noticed Retired Magical Boy lacking confidence, she would be the first to step forward.
Dandan Seven was clearly also incredibly excited. Unlike Retired Magical Boy's nervous lack of confidence, Dandan Seven was so thrilled he was jumping up and down.
Before, he was the only noob in the Wolf Warriors, but now he was the pride of the Wolf Warriors! He had to enjoy this swagger a few more times before Old Nine became an ability user; he might not get the chance later.
Dongfang Yuan's squad stayed behind to guard the base camp. Excluding the direction they came from, the other three squads each headed in a different direction to explore the surroundings, record the terrain, and search for supplies.
Qi Xu led her team west. The further they walked, the hungrier everyone got. It had been a long time since they felt this way on the Survival Highway.
Just then, a drone suddenly appeared above them. Everyone quickly readied themselves for battle, but the drone seemed to be just delivering supplies. After dropping a package, it retreated and didn't launch an attack.
Wolf Warrior 004 directly activated his ability skill, Sleight of Hand, and directly stole back a card.
Instantly, the drone above froze. It halted its retreating figure and looked back at the crowd with extreme resentment. Wolf Warrior 004 also froze, awkwardly scratching his head with a slight blush on his face, feeling as though he had done something immoral.
"That was my first time succeeding!"
The drone angrily tried to take back the package it had dropped, but Old White Dragon in the Waves sprinted over and snatched it back.
Without a word, the crowd tacitly turned around and ran.
It wasn't until there was no sign of the drone behind them that Qi Xu glanced at the card Wolf Warrior 004 had just handed her.
[Champion's Tournament Weapon Supply Card: You can use this card to summon the weapon of any player at will.]
Good stuff. Qi Xu hesitated for a moment, then first took Dandan Seven's machine gun.
Coordinating with her Crimson Strike dash and the pink mist it released, she could still guarantee her early-stage combat power. Right now, the most important thing was long-range attack methods.
As for the item air-dropped by the drone, it was a [50-Person Family Bucket].
Now that they had both weapons and food, they didn't continue exploring further and headed back to the base camp first. This kind of food wouldn't taste good if left out for too long.
It was better to finish it off quickly.
Cooking Master Boy didn't make any overly complicated dishes. He simply cooked a large pot of white rice porridge and stir-fried two large woks of vegetables, which perfectly complemented the family bucket.
This settled their first meal. It wasn't until the food entered their stomachs that the unbearable hunger completely vanished.
Cooking Master Boy felt the food was too simple and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'll treat everyone to something delicious when we get back. The ingredients and seasonings here are limited, and time is tight, so please make do with this for now."
.........
