Chapter 24: The Loot

Logan Lane only woke up at noon the next day, and it still hurt when he moved. Judging by his current recovery, he would need at least three days to heal.

Watching the steady rain outside, he decided to craft an umbrella from wood: strips spliced on top and a wooden stick below—about as primitive as it gets.

He roasted more meat, and thanks to the salt he had, his food tasted much better than before. After eating and drinking, Logan first went out to gather forage for the hungry deer lying on the ground, then spent a few planks and a piece of iron to build a tiny stable with a roof.

That was one benefit of having a crafting table: saws and nails could be produced without any blueprint, though they looked hideous. As long as they worked, he didn't care.

When Logan finished, he went to check on his warehouse. What he saw there left him in shock. A small corner of Cabin #1 contained a transparent aperture, and the game system panel showed it contained all the materials from the B-grade Aurora Hornshark.

Because of the sheer volume, the system used a small spatial pocket as a reward for Logan. If anyone else touched that pocket, it would vanish on the spot, and the overwhelming mass of materials would crush his little cabin.

He inspected the inventory, which read:

"B-grade peak Aurora Hornshark Meat 500g, B-grade Aurora Hornshark Teeth x72, B-grade Aurora Hornshark Skeleton x1 (702 pieces total), B-grade peak Aurora Hornshark Beast Pill x1, B-grade Aurora Hornshark Skin x1 (1026 meters), B-grade Aurora Shark Tendon x31, B-grade Aurora Shark Eyes x2, B-grade Aurora Shark Organs 500g*, B-grade Aurora Shark Blood 500g*767, B-grade Aurora Shark Golden Horn x1 (21 meters).

[Note: The beast's essence was burned up while resisting heavenly punishment, thus the monster's rank is downgraded by one stage overall, except for the horn, which remains late B-grade. The Golden Horn retains partial beast essence with armor-piercing properties. If made into a separate weapon, the armor-piercing skill will be lost.]"

Logan Lane felt like he'd struck gold. He was ready to dance in celebration—until a chilling reminder sobered him:

"B-grade food exceeds the player's rank by four major levels. The daily limit is 5 grams. Consuming more than 5 grams will cause your meridians to burst. No other food or water should be eaten that day. A rankless player (below G-level) who consumes B-grade meat without vomiting for 5 seconds will explode to death."

Logan closed the panel silently, telling himself he couldn't use these materials yet. Better to wait until he'd broken through further.

With the pouring rain and a body riddled with injuries, he wasn't about to fish for crates again. He noticed the island's resources continued to regenerate, so he wasn't short of food.

For now, no newly spawned beasts would threaten him—unless they were at a high level. Hunting would be easy.

He gazed at the downpour overhead, seeing little sign of it stopping anytime soon. A thought struck him, and he wondered if his foresight ability would work through the rain.

Sure enough, the world in Logan's eyes shifted. The rolling black clouds revealed a timeline, similar to before, though it extended further.

This time it didn't halt at 5:00 AM the next day; instead, it stretched to a full week. Throughout those seven days, rain fluctuated but never ceased.

Not until 5:00 PM on the seventh day did the sky finally clear, and a single beam of sunlight broke through.

At that moment, the timeline stopped advancing, but he saw the future scenes of entire "days." Horrifying images of blood and violence filled his mind.

Over the next week, many survivors—unprepared, without thatched huts, short on food, or naive—faced grim ends: devoured by sea beasts, starved, or even killed by other players.

Some degenerates resorted to unspeakable acts. One scene showed a person reduced to swallowing muddy clumps of soil after the rain had turned everything to slop.

The final vision showed a ghostly ship flickering on the ocean's surface, then everything turned dark. Logan's vision blurred, nearly causing him to collapse.

Bracing himself against the cabin door, he stared at a puddle forming beside the foundation, pale-faced and dizzy.

Once he steadied himself, he parsed what he had learned:

This heavy rain will persist for another full week. Anyone who lacks proper shelter or medical supplies will risk sickness or worse.

Medicine is scarce; Logan himself only has 3 boxes of anti-inflammatory drugs and no other treatments.