When Turkey-Flavored Potba woke up, he found himself lying on a cramped, deserted Island.
The Island was surrounded by a gray-white mist.
After the initial panic like every other Survivor, a wild grin spread across his face.
He was someone born to accomplish great things.
Back in the real world, to realize his dream of becoming an underground emperor, he'd racked his brains, opening offshore compounds abroad dedicated to scamming his fellow Blue Planet citizens, raking in a fortune every single day!
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last; before he could stockpile enough capital, the scheme was exposed, he was extradited back home and locked up.
At first, he thought his life was over.
Who could've guessed that after one sleep he'd wake in a place of absolute freedom!
He had been given a second life!
"Hahaha! Heaven really doesn't seal off all exits! This time I'll definitely build a mighty empire!"
He threw his head back and laughed, as if he could already see himself standing at the pinnacle of life, a mighty Island lord worshipped by countless Survivors.
He opened the Newbie Gift Pack.
Luck wasn't bad: he got a common-grade water collector that automatically condensed vapor and filtered purified water—one thousand milliliters a day.
Besides that, the pack yielded a pistol, a full magazine of bullets, and a hardwood-boat blueprint.
Apart from food, his haul absolutely beat ninety-nine point nine percent of the rest.
He checked the magazine with practiced ease—eighteen 6 mm bullets, enough to last a while.
He opened the public chat channel and saw many people trading food for wood and primal stones. He sneered; in his mind he'd already labeled the guy named Beiming a complete moron.
In Island Survival, food and water are the most critical; this idiot was putting food up for trade—what else could it be but brain damage?
"But… he seems to have an awful lot of supplies."
Turkey-Flavored Potba's brows knitted as he glanced at his own meager belongings; urgency surged inside him.
"He must know some secret. I've got a gun; if I can kill him or make him my piggy, I could have a steady stream of food and water!"
"When that happens, with my methods, I can easily dominate the whole ocean! Heh, how does that line go? I'm gonna be the man who becomes the Pirate King!"
He turned his gaze to the hardwood-boat blueprint.
It was a Fine-grade design; the description said the vessel had ample capacity, was very sturdy, and could resist seawater corrosion for a long time.
He wiped the pistol, eyes glinting as a plan formed.
"Back then offshore I crewed on ships for years; I know every seagoing trick there is. Add this gun, and if I play it right I can sail out and loot even more resources from neighbor Survivors!"
"As the old saying goes: neighbor stockpiles grain, I stockpile guns—neighbor becomes my granary!"
"But a Fine hardwood boat needs tons of hardwood, and I don't have any—what to do?"
He opened the Survivor Bracelet interface; when he reached the Island-construction tab and scrolled to the bottom, he actually found 'Recycle' and 'Deconstruct' functions.
Recycle could store a building back into the construction interface's space.
Deconstruct, on the other hand, could break down every structure on the Island to obtain a certain amount of resources.
He tried deconstructing his own Island.
The result was delightful.
The Island really could be deconstructed!
After deconstruction, though, he'd be drifting alone on the sea.
But… he had a hardwood boat and his ambitions.
So drifting on the ocean was nothing to him!
Thus, hugging a thick log, he started deconstructing the Island.
In no time he obtained twenty-five primal stones.
An instant later he plunged into the water, still hugging the log.
He didn't care in the least.
Instead, he hurried to acquire enough hardwood through the Trading Hall and, following his plan, built the Fine-grade hardwood boat.
Then he installed the water collector at the stern and began drifting on the sea.
The weather was scorching, but fortunately he used other Survivors as middlemen, spending a lot of primal stones to get enough ice cubes from that guy named Beiming to cool down.
He stored the ice in the trading warehouse, taking it whenever he needed.
"Damn that Beiming; I only said a few things about him and he blacklisted me, forcing me to pay double through others to get the ice! Bastard!"
"Still, that punk has plenty of good stuff! Hmph, enjoy your little victory while it lasts. In a couple of days, Grandpa himself will pay your Island a visit and finish you off—then every last thing will be mine!"
Turkey-Flavored Potba's eyes gleamed with greed and cruelty; he already saw Beiming as a lamb waiting for the slaughter.
And so he drifted on through the fog.
Midway he met a shark, killed it with his pistol, hauled it aboard, and filleted the meat for rations.
At the same time he gained 1,000 survival experience, leaped straight to level 5, and saw his Combat Power jump from 4 to 9.
At that moment, strength surged through his body!
Besides, while sailing through the fog he salvaged quite a few supply treasure chests!
It filled him with pride and gave his confidence another boost!
"Haha, looks like I really am the Chosen One!"
"Sit around fishing for supplies on some barren Island like those idiots? You'd wait till the Year of the Monkey to get this many decent chests."
"Pirate King? I'm damn well claiming that title!"
In high Spirits, Turkey-Flavored Potba kept sailing through the mist.
When night finally came, he spotted another shark circling near an Island.
Bang-bang-bang—
A quick burst of shots and the shark was dead.
At the same time he noticed other Survivors also under assault from Marine Creatures. An idea struck him: study the paths of the fish below and simply follow their movements, letting the sea life guide his boat.
In three hours he found three unlucky Survivors.
By the time he reached them they were already battered and gasping for breath.
So without firing a single bullet, relying on his 9 Combat Power, he effortlessly subdued these trash and dispatched them without mercy.
Right then he also discovered the benefits of killing fellow Survivors.
His own Combat Power had actually risen again!
Only by 3 points, but he could clearly feel himself getting stronger.
"Sure enough, the path I chose is the one true road to power!"
"Island Survival? Just a façade."
Next he copied the tactic, dismantling all three Islands and reaping a huge haul of primal stones.
To be safe, he kept buying materials, stocked up on hardwood, and queued three hardwood boats inside the crafting interface's temporary slots.
That way, if his current wooden boat ever sank he could instantly deploy a new one and stay safe.
Later, while other Survivors desperately needed primal stones to repair their shattered Islands, he traded those stones for a mountain of resources.
By now the food and water piled on his boat could keep him comfortable for at least a month.
He tasted the salty breeze, a smile tugging at his lips.
When the invasion ended he received an "elite" rating, pocketed a heap of experience, rose to level 8, and gained another 3 Combat Power—bringing his terrifying total to 15.
On top of that he obtained a Fine-grade invigorating cigarettes blueprint.
He casually spent some materials to craft a few, then lit one with an inferior lighter taken from a victim's stash and took a long drag.
"Ahh… bliss!!!"
"Now this is the leisurely life an emperor of the sea deserves!"
One invigorating cigarette and all fatigue vanished; his mind felt razor-sharp.
He kept sailing through the night.
Before he knew it, a new day dawned.
Once again he received the previous day's survival bonus: another level-up plus a single-use locator.
[Single-Use Random Locator]
Quality: Fine
Level: 5
Use to randomly pinpoint, within a 100 km radius, the Island of the richest Survivor; the coordinates appear on your map for 24 h.
Durability: 1
Turkey-Flavored Potba's eyes sparkled; he activated the locator at once.
The next second he grinned, excitement and cruelty flashing across his gaze.
"Hahaha! Who'd have thought it? Beiming, this time you're finally falling into my hands!"
Turkey-Flavored Potba threw his head back and laughed wildly.
The Island shown on the locator was none other than the one where "Beiming" was located!
And it lay less than fifty kilometers away.
At the speed of a hardwood boat he could strike before dawn, storm the Island, and take his target down easily.
"Kid, I'll teach you what it means to settle a score overnight!"
"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh——"
Under the shroud of night, the hardwood boat echoed with a mad, eerie laughter.