Xu Xin listened intently to the mysterious voice, more seriously than when playing in a championship match.
When it comes to one's own life, who wouldn't take it seriously?
Hearing that the last 50 people would be eliminated, Xu Xin's eye twitched.
The brutal elimination at the end, he knew this mysterious voice wouldn't be so kind. Even if it's a reward event, 50 people in each region will die, and who knows how many will face danger during exploration.
Though 50 people among more than 8000 in their region don't seem much, only accounting for 0.6%, this is the first event after the novice protection period. Who knows how many so-called "events" await them in the future.
Xu Xin began analyzing the rules given by the mysterious voice.
Because of the position of the keys, the treasure chests must be opened in sequence: bronze, silver, gold. Only then can all three be opened. Can their positions be moved? If so, putting the found chest in the backpack would make the task easier.
Will there be beasts guarding around the chests? The worst possibility is beasts he cannot possibly defeat.
Are there any striking signs around the chest? Xu Xin felt there should be.
A radius of three kilometers is definitely not a small area, comparable to the urban district of a small city. Within two days, even with night vision and no need to sleep at night, it's impossible to search such a large area by just walking.
If it's solely based on luck, it would be so uninteresting.
Thinking it over, Li Wenxi contacted him via video call, and Xu Xin answered.
The little lady's expression was quite serious, and she said directly: "I want to trade green wood with you, I'm running low on green wood here, still haven't made many tools."
Xu Xin also lacked stones (green), so he naturally agreed, and they quickly completed the trade.
Li Wenxi suddenly smiled and said, "If I survive this, you'd better let me see your little panda."
Xu Xin patted the little guy's head, thinking he should help this newly acquainted young lady. Before he finds an iron ore, she's his source of minerals. Besides, he is comfortable being around her.
He put two oranges on the trading platform: "These two are for you. Check the situation tonight, don't go out if it's dangerous. If it's safe, you can use them."
The blue-grade fruits are far less precious than blue-grade mineral rocks and wood resources. A single tree can bear hundreds of fruits, and their effects last for only a few hours at most. They can't compare with mineral wood resources that directly enhance tool functions and efficiency, akin to the difference between potions and equipment of the same level.
Giving her the two oranges was like an investment for Xu Xin.
The little lady was about to refuse, but seeing the effect of the oranges, she closed her already open mouth that intended to reject Xu Xin and obediently clicked the trade agreement button.
"I... I'll pay you back after this event!" Li Wenxi knew she was taking advantage. The fruit's function perfectly matched with red berries, basically turning night into day. If she could better utilize the night, her chances of not being in the last 50 greatly increased.
"Oh, also, you can gather some resources before searching for the chest. The voice mentioned 'survivors based on resource value', not just chest or limited resources. So even obtaining a blue-grade resource means you won't be among the last 50, because not everyone will get blue-grade resources." Xu Xin shared his thoughts with Li Wenxi.
Upon hearing Xu Xin's words, Li Wenxi's eyes gradually widened, and she began pondering: "What you said seems reasonable? Did that voice really say that? I didn't remember clearly..."
This elimination worried Li Wenxi, fearing she couldn't find the chest and become one of the last, but hearing Xu Xin, if true, she seemed relieved, at least she won't be the last eliminated.
"That's what it said, but just as a safeguard. It's possible that the bronze chest is easy to find with resources valued more than blue-grade. Finding the chest should be the priority."
Of course, this possibility is very low. Some people don't even have green resources. If a bronze chest's value exceeds blue-grade, then gold and silver chests would be unstoppable.
So what he told Li Wenxi was what he intended to do. The orange tree still had seventy or eighty oranges left. If he picked them all, he probably wouldn't face elimination.
The little lady nodded, feeling she had found a valuable ally: "I'll follow your lead!"
"Come back at seven tonight if you can, so we can exchange information."
"Haha, sure, you just don't forget!" Xu Xin's method reassured the little lady, bringing a smile back to her face.
After hanging up, Xu Xin checked the region channel again, and it was clearly chaotic.
"Oh my God! The last 50 will die!"
"Isn't this a reward event? Why are people dying!"
"I need to find the chest quickly, good luck everyone!"
"Why! So many people died last night, is today starting again..."
"Can the chest be traded? Whoever gets it, trade with me, I'll give you all my belongings when I return!"
"My dad is XXX, someone please help me, there will be great rewards in the future!"
A group of people, no older than 30, were completely panicking, filling the region channel with meaningless chatter, no useful clues at all.
No one mentioned his method in the region channel, and even the prominent Ji Chaoyang, who often helped there, was silent. If this method was exposed, it would lose its effectiveness as everyone would do it, rendering it useless.
There will always be a last 50, but nobody wants to be one. When the last 50 are eliminated, perhaps the weaker ones feel not sympathy, but relief.
Luckily, it's not me.
This is the cruelty of the elimination for the weak.
Xu Xin gathered his tools — stone axe, stone pickaxe, stone spear, slung his backpack, and set off.
The first task was what he had mentioned earlier, picking those oranges no matter their use, it gave him peace of mind.
Picking the oranges, Xu Xin handed one to Keke on his shoulder, who peeled the orange like a human and ate delightfully, small face in a blissful expression.
After gathering the oranges, Xu Xin opened the map to check for red dots nearby. If beasts guard around the chest, red dots should be near the chest.
However, to his disappointment, besides many red dots swimming in the lake's center, there wasn't a single red dot in his resource area, more concentrated in that area to the northwest.
That area is hilly terrain, visible from his treehouse. But it's far and certainly beyond three kilometers, so the chest won't be there.
"So, where could it be?" Xu Xin pondered.
"No more thinking, let's act. Maybe my item identification skill will spot it directly." Xu Xin wasn't too anxious now. The orange tree was about a kilometer from his treehouse, and he planned to start by exploring the outer perimeter of that three-kilometer radius.
The entire resource area has a diameter of two kilometers, with an approximate one-kilometer small radius, and Xu Xin's treehouse is at the very edge, meaning the exploration area includes the whole resource region plus a large ordinary area.
"Let's check places I haven't visited first."