Chapter 346: This Dungeon Trip Was a Jackpot
Chapter 346: Chapter 346: This Dungeon Trip Was a Jackpot
Despite what Jay Jonas said, it was impossible not to be tempted.
His group’s principle for island settlement was to prioritize the old, the weak, the young, and the disabled. However, there were many others in a more intermediate position who also needed care but couldn’t be accommodated yet due to their limited resources.
So, the moment Ethan Yardley made the offer, Jay’s interest was piqued.
Then Ethan Yardley added, "And for those who are capable—righteous, but also willing to use ruthless methods—as long as they’re genuinely interested, I’m willing to offer other resources to you in exchange."
"Ethan, don’t push your luck."
"Not at all! Your rules have surely changed a lot, but once people settle on an island, the old laws and regulations will have to be reinstated. You have to give people different options. They can come interview with me privately... Oh, right, I forgot to mention, I’m starting to recruit publicly. But since we’re good friends and already cooperating, we’ll run into each other sooner or later anyway."
Jay Jonas grunted. "Alright, then. Show me some good faith, and I can give you a partial list. You can contact them and see how it goes. If your personalities don’t mesh, then we’ll just drop it."
"Don’t worry, don’t worry. It’s a two-way street. I’m not going to force a deal on anyone. After all, anyone who joins is going to be a brother-in-arms, someone we can trust with our lives."
In fact, Logan Langdon had also contacted Jay Jonas and Zachary Pierce. But as Jay had said, the people going to his island were desperate to get on *any* island; they were willing to accept even subpar living conditions.
Logan Langdon, on the other hand, was different. He favored young women and able-bodied laborers.
Those people already had the ability to survive on their own. To convince them to settle on an island, you needed more than just the universal threats from the System and the sea; you needed to offer real incentives.
This was where the inherent difference lay. Jay Jonas and his group wouldn’t interfere with Logan’s methods, but they also wouldn’t offer any extra help to someone who only wanted to cherry-pick laborers.
While also seeking capable people to settle on her island, Faye Yardley’s terms were far more lenient. Plus, the infrastructure and living conditions on her island were much better than anyone else’s.
Most importantly, Faye Yardley was primarily looking for artisans. Age didn’t matter; if their craft was selected, their entire family could move to the island and would be provided with basic living necessities.
Everyone has their own interests; it’s unavoidable. And it’s only human to have biases.
Between Faye Yardley and Logan Langdon, Jay Jonas was more inclined to favor Faye. It wasn’t just because her island had a better foundation for living, but also because she had been the first to place her trust in them, and her personal character was solid.
So, when Zachary Pierce proposed sending some professors and their researchers to Conch Isle to establish a research institute, Jay was the first to vote in favor.
He had also formed a good impression of Faye Yardley’s brother, Ethan Yardley, after dealing with him.
As for the conflict between the siblings and their grandfather and other relatives... well, no one was a fool.
Ethan Yardley was naturally happy to get the answer he wanted.
But when he tried to call his sister, he couldn’t get through again.
’What’s Faye gotten into now?’
When he couldn’t even reach her using the All World Communication, he knew his sister had entered a Dungeon.
’Why is my sister pushing herself so hard?’
A sense of urgency washed over him, the older brother.
Unaware that she had inadvertently lit another fire under her brother, Faye Yardley had already been sweeping the same street for a long time.
For the zombie animals, Faye Yardley’s attacks grew stronger and stronger, and the number and variety of creatures that fell to her blade steadily increased.
She already had a Title that increased her attack power against Undead Creatures. After she had killed so many, even the brainless zombie animals began to know fear.
As another night fell, Faye Yardley frowned in frustration. She still hadn’t managed to wipe them all out.
The problem was, even if the zombie animals were much larger than their original forms, creatures like spiders—originally only the size of a fingernail—didn’t grow much bigger after turning.
This made finding every last hidden one incredibly difficult for her.
She found a relatively clean, empty house, took out a torch and some Oil, and built a campfire using the wooden furniture inside.
The firelight made Faye Yardley’s face flicker between light and shadow.
After a quick wash of her hands, she began to eat.
She hadn’t run into the Baby again. She’d gone back to the ruins twice more; the drink was still there. After a moment’s thought, she left some candy with a long shelf life on top of it.
Running into the Baby even once was a stroke of Luck. She decided to wait until dawn to see if any more zombie animals appeared. If not, she would just pay the points to leave the Dungeon and head back.
She sat eating, seemingly at ease, when suddenly the Red Ruby Ring on her finger flashed. A Protective Screen enveloped her.
Then she heard a loud THUD, and the Protective Screen cracked.
That brief moment of obstruction was all the time Faye Yardley needed to react.
’Well, I’ll be damned. An invisible zombie animal.’
But now that it had moved and attacked, it wasn’t getting away.
Creatures with the Invisibility Superpower, it seemed, didn’t have much attack power. Faye quickly slashed it to pieces with a single strike.
[Points +12]
The firelight also attracted a swarm of moths which, despite being infected by the virus and turning into zombies, had retained their instinct to fly toward a flame.
Faced with moths that could release toxic phosphorus powder from their tattered wings, Faye Yardley simply held her breath. She then executed her Shallow Wound Dance, creating an impenetrable defense and sending all the zombie moths into the fire to become fuel.
All the while, the notifications for [Points +1] and [Points +2] rang out repeatedly.
At this point, Faye Yardley didn’t know whether to be happy or not, as the zombie moths attracted by the fire came in wave after wave.
As more and more zombie moths perished, the campfire’s flames began to shift to a blue-green color.
This, in turn, attracted other zombie animals.
It seemed this was destined to be a restless night.
She fought from dusk until dawn, growing more and more exhilarated with every kill.
Whenever her stamina flagged, she would find an opening to down a Physical Potion.
’This stuff is so cheap and effective.’
When not a single zombie animal was left standing around her, a smile couldn’t help but spread across Faye Yardley’s face.
[Congratulations, player. After a prolonged battle, you have comprehended a Combat Secret Technique. Your four basic physical Attributes have each increased by 1.]
[You have remained in a viral environment for an extended period without being infected. Poison Resistance +1.]
The System’s announcements made the smile on Faye Yardley’s face grow even wider.
’This Dungeon run has been a massive windfall.’
"System, open the store."
After 10 points were deducted, the system store appeared before her.
This time, her points total had reached 27,810.
Thinking of the hospital and school construction blueprints, she immediately searched for them.
She then discovered that the construction blueprints cost far fewer points than she had anticipated. A single one was only 500 points—though, of course, these were the basic versions.
The High Level ones were only 2,000 points each.
She bought two of each, basic and High Level, which immediately cost her 5,000 points.