Chapter 115 – The Unlucky One in the Survival World (Part 16)

From what she'd read in survival books, Zheng Haoyun knew very well that in a tropical rainforest, the only relatively safe place is up in the trees.

So, she found a sturdy tree with thick branches and no poisonous creatures, and climbed up. She also had a herbal repellent pouch tied to her waist to ward off snakes, bugs, and rodents—a concoction she had specially prepared using ingredients bought from the system shop.

After all, she had formally studied traditional Chinese medicine, so brewing a mosquito-repelling pouch was no big deal.

Only once she got up into the tree did Zheng Haoyun finally feel like she could breathe.

Of course, being in a tree wasn't absolutely safe—but compared to everywhere else, it was the best temporary shelter she could find.

Now that she was in a secure spot, she could finally check the loot in her backpack. She first examined what was most valuable from that man's inventory:

A heavy sword

A healing card

And… a fishing boat

The healing card was the most satisfying find—it was essentially a second life. She had truly struck gold this time.

The heavy sword could temporarily replace her broken machete and upgrade her close-combat weapon.

As for the fishing boat—it looked useless now, but who knew? It might come in handy later.

She didn't waste anything. Even the miscellaneous junk was stuffed into an empty wooden box and stacked in her backpack's dedicated crate compartment.

She also found a fake advancement token in the man's bag. Judging from how carefully it was wrapped, it was clear the man had cherished it dearly, believing it to be real.

Sigh… Yet another poor fool tricked by the game. Zheng Haoyun couldn't help mentally grumbling.

After that, she only ate some black rye bread and drank some water before starting to lurk in the chat channel.

After all, she wasn't lacking resources—all she needed was a real advancement token, so there was no rush.

Currently, due to magnetic interference in the tropical rainforest zone, only survivors within the rainforest could chat with each other.

The world channel and regional boards were all grayed out—no contact with survivors outside the rainforest.

Upon entering, Zheng Haoyun first glanced at the survivor count in the upper-right corner: 9,630 remaining.

That meant, in just nine hours, 370 players had already died.

Suddenly, Zheng Haoyun noticed a special team recruitment message in chat:

"Hello everyone, I'm 'Possessed by Luck'. I ranked first in the last arena match and am now looking to recruit three reliable teammates. If you're interested, DM me with your info."

Everyone knew the name "Possessed by Luck"—he was a top-tier player. Many believed that any team he formed was guaranteed to be strong.

As expected, quite a few people were tempted and quickly DM'd him to discuss the terms of joining.

Zheng Haoyun was slightly curious about why a top player would make such a thankless move—but the thought lasted only a second. After all, these were strangers. Not her business.

In truth, Possessed by Luck had already found a real advancement token—but his girlfriend hadn't.

So, he planned to use a team as cover to help her find one too.

But sometimes, the more people you have, the more dead weight you carry.

When he finally saw the three people he'd recruited, Possessed by Luck started to worry about how to feed them.

So he said, "Everyone is responsible for their own food."But his teammates immediately rejected that idea:

"You're the team leader, and you ranked first last time—how can you not contribute anything?"

His girlfriend, Qingqing, also spoke up:

"Alang, let's just give them a little something. Otherwise, the team might fall apart."

She even gave him a subtle look, signaling him to endure for now.

And so, this uneasy alliance was temporarily established—though no one knew when this fragile peace would break.

Back on her end, Zheng Haoyun ignored the rest of the chat channel after reading the team recruitment post.

She decided to use this time to rest and recover, preparing for whatever came next.

But in the middle of her sleep, she was suddenly jolted awake by a blaring alarm.

Zheng Haoyun was a light sleeper to begin with—and she would never sleep deeply in a place like this—so she woke instantly.

She looked for the source of the sound and realized it was coming from the top of the tree she was in. One look, and she knew—it had to be the game messing with her.

Not daring to hesitate, she climbed down immediately. And sure enough, the moment her feet touched the ground, the alarm stopped.

She then checked the game's notification panel:

Warning: 'Time for a Lucky Break', staying in one location for over three hours will trigger an alarm. Please don't repeat this behavior. Good luck! 😊

That little grinning emoji at the end made Zheng Haoyun shake with rage.

The alarm wasn't meant for her—it was meant to alert nearby survivors to her location.

It meant that no place could be stayed in for more than three hours. Even at night, she'd have to keep moving—a huge increase in danger.

She thought she might cheat the system by jumping to another tree a few meters away, but no sooner had she done so than the familiar alarm went off again.

She had no choice but to grab her flashlight and leave quickly.

Then another system message appeared:

Warning again: 'Time for a Lucky Break', each time you relocate, your final position must be at least one kilometer away—anything closer will count as cheating, and the alarm will still go off. You have one warning left. Exceed the limit and bear the consequences.

Deliberate. This game had definitely withheld part of the rules. Now Zheng Haoyun didn't dare mess around anymore.

She carefully advanced forward. At night, every little rustle from animals in the underbrush sounded ten times louder in the silence of the rainforest.

Suddenly—A sharp whoosh—the sound of an arrow cutting through the air.

Instinct alone saved her—Zheng Haoyun twisted aside just in time to dodge the ambush from behind.