Chapter 6: When the Clam and the Snipe Vie for Supremacy, It Is the Fisherman Who Benefits

Ryan's two messages came right after Charlie's. 

[Ryan: If anyone needs a hunting knife, you can come to me.] 

[Ryan: I only charge 2 metal materials and 1 wood.] 

[Ryan: But I can't constantly keep an eye on the trading page, so I've set up a delayed trading option. Every night before 6 PM, I will craft and ship the items.] 

Soon, Ryan's two messages stirred up all the players in the chat room once again. 

[Wow, thanks to the big guy! This is really a benefit for us!] 

[This guy named Charlie is such a profiteer, I suggest everyone blacklist him!] 

[Ryan, if I buy something in the future, as long as the price is the same, I will buy from you.] 

[Did you see that? This is what a conscientious merchant looks like!] 

Sure enough, Ryan's actions instantly put him on the moral high ground. 

Meanwhile, Charlie, who wanted to make a quick buck off the hunting knife blueprint before it became widely available, became the target of everyone's criticism. 

In reality, trading is a matter of mutual consent. 

At the same time, in Charlie's small truck, 

he adjusted his black-framed glasses and looked at the various insults on the system panel, fuming as he slammed the steering wheel. 

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" 

Charlie clicked on Ryan's profile and angrily shouted, "What the hell, are you out of your mind?" 

"Damn it, how am I supposed to do business now?" Charlie seethed, gripping the steering wheel and shaking it violently before slumping back into the driver's seat. 

When he first got the hunting knife blueprint, he felt a sense of glee. 

He thought that good luck had finally come his way. 

Perhaps he could cash in big with this blueprint in the early stages. 

Charlie's plan was simple— 

to inflate the profits and roll up a snowball effect, then buy more blueprints from the players. 

This way, the players without blueprints would have to work for him. 

However, before the dream of a good life could even start, this guy named Ryan knocked him back to reality. 

Charlie opened Ryan's private messages and sent several insulting messages in a row. 

But before he could vent his frustration, Ryan had already blacklisted him. 

In fact, Charlie only had the hunting knife blueprint in his possession. 

He had also noticed that Ryan was looking to buy electronic components and quickly sensed that this player must have obtained some kind of blueprint. 

To that end, Charlie wanted to raise the price of electronic components. 

As long as he had this competitor, Ryan would have to pay a higher price. 

At that point, he could message Ryan and extort a nice sum from him, or else he'd have to forget about getting the electronic components. 

But before the plan could even start, Ryan had already tarnished his image, branding him as a profiteer... 

Now, the animosity between the two was set in stone. 

Charlie's eyes turned fierce as he looked at Ryan's photo, "Just wait, you little punk." 

... 

Ryan looked at the backend. 

In just a few short minutes, the hunting knife received 16 orders. 

Since the orders required buyers to pay first and sellers to ship later, Ryan had already received the materials. 

32 metal materials and 16 wood resources had appeared in the system warehouse. 

"Great, it seems the promotion was very effective." Ryan temporarily closed the system panel. 

In fact, Ryan now had temporary usage rights to these resources. 

This was actually beneficial, and if he could turn it around, it would be like having an extra supply of materials. 

It was akin to an interest-free loan that required repayment every day. 

Ryan effectively had an extra bargaining chip in his hands. 

In an unregulated trading market, as long as the quantity was sufficient, he could even manipulate the price of certain goods. 

Ryan couldn't help but smile, but for now, there was no real purpose in doing so. 

"Woo-woo-woo—" 

At that moment, Ryan suddenly heard a beast's low growl. 

He quickly shut the car door and grabbed the hunting knife that was placed in the passenger seat, instantly becoming alert. 

Ryan scanned the surroundings, "What is that?" 

Soon, he pinpointed the source of the growling. 

About 20 meters away on the left side of the rocky desert, a black bison and a gray wolf were standing off against each other. 

Both animals seemed to be injured. 

The ground beneath the bison was stained red with blood, and the wound on its shoulder was deep enough to see bone. 

The gray wolf wasn't in good shape either, its hind leg seemed to be injured from being gored by the bison and could barely touch the ground. 

The wolf limped around the bison, looking for an opening to deliver a fatal blow. 

Meanwhile, the bison remained vigilant, and it seemed both animals were nearing their limits. 

Sitting in the truck, Ryan picked up the crowbar and hunting knife, opening the door to get out. 

This was a perfect opportunity for a "when the clam and the snipe grapple, the fisherman profits" scenario. 

Ryan looked at the robust bison and couldn't help but murmur, "Maybe I'll get to enjoy a steak tonight…" 

He scanned the environment for any potential dangers. 

After all, wolves are typically pack animals. 

Only some older wolves or young wolves that failed to challenge the alpha would be driven out of the pack. 

Once Ryan confirmed there were no wolf packs nearby, he began to slowly approach. 

Both beasts were already injured, so it would be easy to deliver a finishing blow. 

Before long, Ryan was about five meters away. 

The gray wolf and bison both noticed Ryan, but they remained locked in their standoff, refusing to flee. 

The bison, weakened and losing blood, had lost its ability to run. 

And the gray wolf clearly wasn't willing to give up this hard-won meal. 

The wolf's sharp gaze fixed on Ryan, seemingly flickering with a hint of concern. 

It knew that killing the bison and driving away this approaching human would be the best course of action. 

"Awwooo!" 

The gray wolf howled and suddenly lunged for the bison's neck. 

The bison had lost too much blood to dodge, and it only reacted after the wolf bit into its neck. 

"Mooh—" 

The bison let out a pained cry and fought back fiercely. 

The size difference between the two animals was too great, the bison easily tossed the gray wolf aside. 

The weakened gray wolf crashed heavily into a snowbank, coughing up a mouthful of blood. 

It trembled as it tried to stand but ultimately remained lying down. 

Meanwhile, Ryan, who had been watching, seized the opportunity and charged toward the bison. 

He plunged the knife in his hand forcefully into the bison's abdomen. 

The bison turned around in pain, but Ryan didn't give it a chance, already withdrawing the knife and creating distance. 

The bison, with its throat bitten by the wolf, was now breathing heavily and slowing down. 

Under Ryan's successive strikes, it finally collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless. 

"Phew, finally dead." Ryan wiped the sweat from his forehead. 

He was wearing thick clothing, and avoiding the bison's charge was somewhat strenuous in the snow. 

But looking at the bison, it appeared to be a young one that had strayed from its herd, not too large in size. 

Ryan estimated that after removing the bones and internal organs, he could probably get around 200 kilograms of beef. 

At that moment, the system panel popped up. 

[Fresh bison carcass detected, would you like to proceed with dismemberment?] 

Ryan clicked confirm, and the special effect of the hunting knife took effect, causing the bison's carcass to vanish in an instant. 

It quickly transformed into neatly stacked pieces of beef. 

The bison's skeleton, internal organs, and a complete hide were laid out beside it. 

[Dismemberment complete: Obtained 210 kilograms of beef] 

Ryan looked at the beef in front of him, nearly three times his own weight, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. 

"Now, how am I supposed to move all this meat?" Ryan sighed, glancing back at his truck, realizing he would need to drive it into the snow. 

After all, the ground was covered in snow, and who knew if there were any hidden pits underneath? 

Plus, the snow could easily be slippery, and getting stuck would be a huge hassle… 

After weighing his options, Ryan decided he would slowly clear a path. 

The truck was only about 20 meters away, so it shouldn't take too long to create a walkable route. 

About 15 minutes later, Ryan finally got back into the truck. 

He drove alongside the path he had painstakingly cleared with his feet, moving closer to the beef. 

Finally, the truck came to a stop. 

He opened the truck's cargo area and began loading some of the beef into the system backpack, but the capacity filled up quickly. 

Although the space was limited, it saved him some effort in transporting the meat. 

After several trips back and forth, Ryan finally managed to transfer all the beef into the truck. 

Fortunately, the temperature here wasn't high, it was practically a natural refrigerator. 

The beef could also be stored for a longer time. 

He looked at the bison bones and internal organs on the ground and decided to take those as well, as they still had some value. 

After packing everything up, Ryan was ready to drive away when he noticed the wolf not far off. 

"Oh right, I almost forgot about you." Ryan said as he opened the door and got out of the truck. 

He walked over to the wolf to see if it was still alive. 

If it was still alive, he wondered if it could be tamed as a pet.