Compared to the ghostly shadows he had passed through earlier, this place felt like a whole different world—bright lights, bustling crowds. The street wasn't large, but it was the only commercial avenue within dozens of miles. To the left lay the slave district, and to the right, the slums. Compared to the slaves who had nothing, the purchasing power of the impoverished was at least a tier higher.
A commercial street could only exist where there was purchasing power.
Biscuits, canned food, steamed buns, meat rolls, sausages—these used to be snacks in the days before the Cataclysm. Now, they were staple foods—and even considered luxury items. Due to radiation, Mars had almost no arable land or space for animal husbandry. All food was now cultivated in greenhouses or produced in controlled indoor environments. Anything edible—even a single peanut—had become a rarity.
Liu Weian had always lived below the poverty line. Today, however, by sheer luck, he had managed to acquire 255 copper coins. Adding the 6 he had previously saved, he now held a grand total of 261 coins—the most wealth he'd had in the past three months. Still, it was nowhere near enough to spend recklessly.
Ten copper for a bun—Liu Weian bought ten without hesitation. Eight copper for a compressed biscuit—he took ten of those as well. The remaining coins went toward energy tubes at five copper each. He bought sixteen and walked home with only one copper coin left in his pocket.
He had 'Plunder' to thank for that. The currency in the game was fully interchangeable with that in the real world. It's worth noting that the financial crisis had played a major role in triggering the Cataclysm. After the rise of the three great empires, a unified currency system had replaced credit-based paper money. The current economy operated on just three types of coins: gold, silver, and copper. But gold was rare. Most transactions were conducted in silver and copper.
He walked through dim streets. The slave district was even worse off than the slums. Although most people went into hibernation after dark due to the cold, there were always the desperate. Every night, crimes were committed in the shadows. A man like Liu Weian—without even an identification card—wouldn't get a second glance if something happened to him.
Despite the advancements in technology and civilization, this place felt like the chaotic ancient times. Fortunately, nothing happened on his walk home. Liu Weian figured it was still early; after ten o'clock, anyone still outside was likely courting trouble.
As expected, the lights in the basement room were off. Liu Weian flipped the switch, and Zhao Xin immediately spotted the food he carried. The buns were still steaming. Her eyes lit up.
"Go ahead," Liu Weian said, grabbing a bun for himself and taking a big bite. The familiar taste—it wasn't as good as food on Earth, but after three months of living on nothing but energy tubes, it was heavenly.
Zhao Nannan didn't move. She understood perfectly well the difference between a steamed bun and an energy tube. But she couldn't bear to dampen the hope in her daughter's eyes. Her heart ached. Silently, she reached for a bun.
Zhao Xin let out a little cheer and quickly grabbed one, biting into it with a joy that lit up her entire face.
Energy tubes contained just enough nutrients to keep a person alive. They lacked the essential trace elements a human body needed. As the saying went, price determines quality. Long-term reliance on energy tubes would ruin a person's health. Real food was a necessary supplement.
Zhao Nannan stopped after eating just one. Zhao Xin noticed and stopped as well. Liu Weian had already finished his second bun. He glanced at Zhao Nannan and said softly, "Eat. I've found my path in the game now. We won't go hungry anymore."
Zhao Nannan hesitated for a moment, then picked up another bun. She knew her daughter too well. If she didn't eat, Zhao Xin wouldn't either. Her heart swelled with gratitude and sorrow. She lowered her head, hiding her reddened eyes. Zhao Xin giggled and grabbed another bun.
After finishing his third bun, Liu Weian lay on the bed, deep in thought. Then he picked up the helmet and entered Plunder. Zhao Nannan glanced at him in surprise but said nothing. Normally, he would've collapsed into sleep by this hour. Tonight, he was different.
The bed was an old metal bunk. Liu Weian slept on the lower bunk; Zhao Nannan and her daughter shared the upper. The narrow 1.2-meter bed was tight for two, but Zhao Nannan felt an unfamiliar warmth.
Inside the game, it was nighttime as well. Time in the World of Beasts moved in sync with the real world. There was a sun during the day, and each day lasted twenty-four hours. The only difference was the moon—it glowed red at night, casting a strange and eerie light.
Due to his physical condition, Liu Weian usually only logged in during the day. His stamina could support six hours of gameplay at best—seven at the limit. This was his first time playing at night.
Stone City was much quieter at night. The crowds were more than halved, and many shops were closed. Some people moved about carrying torches, either entering or leaving the city. Liu Weian paid them little attention. He had more important things to do. He hurried through the gates, following the familiar path toward the cemetery. The moonlight was dim, but just bright enough to make out the road. He had walked this route many times—there was no risk of getting lost.
The farther he got from the city, the fewer people he saw. After ten kilometers, the road was completely deserted. The wilderness was pitch black. Trees cast flickering shadows, and insects chirped merrily in the grass. Occasionally, the screech of a bird startled him.
He paused near a grove of iron poplars—about a hundred trees in total. Iron poplar was tough and elastic, perfect for making bows.
Ancient texts spoke of the six materials for bowmaking: wood, horn, sinew, glue, silk, and lacquer. Wood provided range; horn added speed; sinew gave penetration; glue ensured cohesion; silk held it all together; lacquer protected it from moisture.
Ideal wood came from mulberry or elm; horn from well-formed oxen. Sinew, from animal tendons, strengthened the bow's power. The best glue was made from fish or deer, boiled down into a strong adhesive. Silk threads were used to bind the layers tightly. Lacquer prevented damage from frost or humidity.
But crafting such a bow required immense time and effort—luxuries Liu Weian didn't have. His method was much simpler: cut iron poplar with a torch, bend it into shape with heat, and bind it with ox tendon. Done.
This was his second attempt. It only took him an hour, unlike the first time, which had taken two whole days. With the bow done, it was time to make arrows.
Crafting a good arrow was just as difficult as making a bow. But Liu Weian only needed disposable ones—precision wasn't the priority.
Even so, he wouldn't compromise on materials. Bamboo would've been ideal, but none grew nearby. He settled for wood.
Iron poplar was hard enough, but its elasticity compromised accuracy. Liu Weian walked about three li northeast to a dense forest. The place was eerily dark. If he hadn't visited before, he wouldn't have dared enter alone.
He scanned the area, then brightened. He stepped forward and began cutting. Soon he had five or six saplings, each about the width of a finger. He grabbed them and ran. The fluttering wings of startled birds seemed to chase him from behind. He didn't stop until he reached the road again, gasping for air before starting to work.
The saplings were from iron birch—hard as iron and straight as spears. They were slow-growing and rare. Without a sharp dagger, they would've been hard to cut. Each sapling could be cut into four arrow shafts—twenty-four in total. He peeled and polished them, clearing all imperfections. For the arrowheads, he used nail clippers looted from corrupted corpses.
Twenty arrows were tipped with corpse fingernails. One used beast bone. Three had no tips; Qin Zhou had simply sharpened them to points. The feathers from the flower-crested pheasant he had hunted earlier were just enough to finish all twenty-four arrows.
With his bow and arrows complete, it was time to hunt.
Liu Weian hesitated, then turned toward the cemetery. Heading there alone in the dead of night gave him chills.
The monsters were clearly more numerous at night—raccoons, lynxes, wild dogs, shadow wolves. Liu Weian wasn't confident in hitting them, so he carefully avoided each one. After about an hour and forty minutes, he reached the cemetery.
The moonlight here seemed even gloomier. All was silent.
Perhaps due to the stench of death, no other creatures lived here. No monsters roamed, no insects chirped.
The silence was unsettling.
Liu Weian gritted his teeth and stepped forward.