5 Graded Apples

[Water Purifier Blueprint - Grade: B-level]

[An mid-tier water filtration and purification system that can purify seawater into Grade C pure water for human consumption at a rate of 40ml of pure water per hour. The machine has a maximum capacity of 1L. Seawater must be replenished daily.]

[Materials Required: Glass Pane x8, Linen x8, Charcoal x8, Metal Sheet x8]

Instead of completing the already posted transactions in [Trading], Liu Xue decided to set up a trade himself with the five pieces of grilled fish for the glass, linen and other resources for the water purifier with his own terms.

[Grilled Pollock x1] —> [Linen x4 / Glass Pane / Metal Sheet x2 / Metal Powder x2kg]

[Remarks: If you have anything else you think is valuable, please private message.]

Liu Xue then moved to the [Public Channel] to advertise, but much to his surprise, he found no need to. People went crazy for his trades.

[Something is trading grilled fish for resources!]

[Grilled fish? Food?]

[Master, please take me in, I haven't even gotten a material box yet!]

[Begging, begging, begging!]

Seeing these messages, Liu Xue did not bother to turn a blind eye. He was never a sentimental person to begin with; he knew how to fool around and have fun, but much rather be the lone wolf. In these circumstances, giving food away as a kind gesture of heart and human unity was self-sabotage.

"Calling others cold-hearted is simply hypocritical. Second uncle always said my aloofness would never serve me any purpose in a changing world where connections and network matters most, but now where everyone is stranded at sea, maybe it's an advantage," he reflected. "Some people, even with lots of resources available, will probably not survive in these conditions, simply because their mental fortitude in times of loneliness are not strong enough."

Liu Xue glanced at the activity in [Public Channel] and believed it proved his point.

The channel served as the social connection for the sociable species that humans were. If it were not for this bridge between everyone, assuredly, most people would not be laughing, feeling hopeful, or being motivated to see the sun rise again.

"What would I do if someone were to show up at the island and ask for cooperation?" Liu Xue's brows further ruffled. "I went through through school and tried to make a living for myself in the big city. My group-mates and co-workers were just not reliable."

He shook his head and adjusted his mentality.

"Since we're in the jungle, then surely the law of the jungle would apply. It's every man for himself. Duly noted."

Before he exited the system interface, he grabbed an apple and decided to try it for himself before trading it.

A prompt that appeared quickly changed his mind.

[Apples - Grade: C-level]

[Common apple fruit, grown in C-grade conditions. Much sweeter and delicious than normal. Provides extra nutritional health benefits and builds physique.]

Liu Xue's eyes widened as big as the apples.

"These apples have grades too? No wonder they're so red. They builds physique which is my number one concern right now. Those loot crates were simply a treasure trove!"

He took a crunch of the apple and immediately brightened up more. After breathing the saline ocean air, the scent of the apple was much more fragrant to his nose. Coupled with the crunch and the lingering sweetness and sensations on the tongue, he did not doubt the system's grading.

"I can't sell this. This kind of refreshness needs to be savored. Alone."

He carried on to finish the apple and when he did, he noticed a warmth from his stomach that carried on to flow all throughout the body.

"This should be the physique strengthening thing the system mentioned? It's quite comfortable," Liu Xue said, letting out a quiet moan.

He felt he was not as tired as earlier; on the contrary, he felt full of energy. He dropped down to do a few push-ups and jumping jacks and truly felt a lightness in his body he had not felt since childhood.

"The apples were only C-grade. What other stupid benefits could B or A or S-grade apples bring him? With some exercise in the coming days and these graded foods, one day, I won't be so afraid to challenge the jungle."

Liu Xue looked forward to eating higher-grade foods. He sat down, waiting for another material box to spawn offshore, and overall, tried to enjoy the cool, ocean breeze and the view.

"A moment of relaxation wouldn't hurt, considering today's emotional trainwreck of ups and downs and lots of stress."

The scene was beautiful and picturesque; he finally saw the reason for the flourishing tourism industry and the reason why people would save their hard-earned pennies for vacations. The sunlight made the blue sea shimmer and reflect like sparkling gems. The sky was a clear and ever-lasting light blue that as he stared onwards, happy memories of his mother and childhood stared right back. Beneath it, golden rays of sunlight shone on the golden sandy beach like a beacon of hope, an epiphany.

Thoughts of his bedridden mother, his selfish second uncle, and his dead father flickered in Liu Xue's mind. Death had never been a complicated topic for him, until his father's passing hit the family like a catharsis in a tragedy.

"Ma, you fell into an accident after father passed away. Second uncle dared to sell the house, leaving nothing but your medical bill. Do you still remember? You're probably still bedridden and amnesic, but granny and gramps are taking good care of you."

Another breeze blew by and brought the foreboding color of his words to the skies. He moved quietly to tap the interface and take a soft crunch of another apple.

"Ma. Gramps. Granny. Haven't seen you in years but as always, and especially right now, hope you're all okay. I'm stranded on an island now. Yeah, the world has changed. Gone out of whack. Dunno where you are in this world or if you're alive anymore, but know this—I will live and survive until I will make my second uncle repent for everything he's done."

Live. Survive. The words hung on his tongue. He said and thought it three times over, but it still left an undisputed bitterness behind.

Liu Xue raised the bitten apple in front of his glasses, letting it block the sun. Those were the words his nine-year-old self would tell his comatose mother every night, as he completed his math homework with IV drips and electrocardiograms.

The bitterness grew unbearable. He took another bite of the apple, laid down, and placed it on his chest. He had failed to make it big in the city. His Ma and Granny and Gramps had suffered for longer. Now, they were probably gone.

In the direction of the lush, green jungle, Liu Xue rubbed his eyes.

"Second uncle, you better live and survive until I find you. I will capsize your island and feed you to the sharks personally."

He sat up and finished the apple in silence. The sun shone even brighter than earlier and directly onto him. He felt he was being made a mocking of. If even the universe was criticizing his negative thoughts, he should certainly try and think with greater optimism.

Liu Xue again turned to the jungle. The vines that hung from the trees looked like little smile ... which were kind of cute? He had to chuckle. The dark shadows behind the trees served only like a poorly-designed backdrop for a rather photogenic landscape, he noted, silently pointing and drawing in the air.

He took off his wet socks and sneakers and continued basking in the sun. This time, he slid himself further down, and let his toes dip into the cold and wet sea. With his hands under his head, he peered at the direction of the jungle again, trying to find more details worth appreciation for. Many of the trees were easily taller than some skyscrapers in the cities on Earth. Lying down, he noticed the canopy of such trees rose higher the farther they were from him.

"Could there also be a mountain on this island?"

Liu Xue shook his head. There was no need to mull over the possibility of an actual mountain when the mountain of difficulties in his first week of survival were stumping him.

He moved his eyes around to the far-reaching edges of the island when an orange blur dart across. As he flinched, the woods rustled along with him. Disturbed birds flapped their wings away and into the skies.

Liu Xue sat up immediately, scared sh*tless. He pushed himself backwards, away from the island, and fumbled around for the shovel.

"Jungle and orange."

The only thing that came into his mind was tiger, followed by pure utter panic.

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