Chapter 52: Chapter 4: Seizing Power
Opening his eyes, Chen Wen found himself face to face with a hermit crab inside his coconut shell.
This little thing wasn’t something you commonly saw on the ship, and it was the first time he had eaten one.
He put the small hermit crab directly into his mouth and chewed.
Crunch, crunch...
"How does it taste?"
Du Feng asked eagerly.
Chen Wen gave him a thumbs up, "Crispy! Tastes like chicken! The protein is several times that of beef!"
"Wow, you’re making rhymes like a pro. Are you preparing for grad school?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Zhi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Everyone laughed, and Chen Wen took the opportunity to glance at the entries provided by the hermit crab.
[Targeting natural creation - Hermit Crab, plundering!]
[Plundering in progress... Plundering complete!]
[Please choose one of the three entries below]
[Withdrawal (Green): When facing danger, you will instinctively curl up and look for gaps to hide]
[Note: Survival is the ultimate truth! - Hermit Crab]
[House Slave (Blue): You prefer living in a safe shelter and excel at finding and building shelter materials. If you can’t live in a shelter, your spirit will be gradually drained.]
[Note: A hermit crab’s life is a process from one house to another - Hermit Crab]
[Mutualism (Blue): In nature, you prefer to coexist with other living beings. Survival ability increases when there is a symbiotic partner.]
[Note: Are you really good at fighting? Well, it’s useless! You need a network and backing to thrive, got it? You little punk! - Hermit Crab]
[Please make a choice or forfeit within a minute! If overdue, the first entry will be automatically selected!]
The hermit crab’s entries left Chen Wen a bit disappointed.
Though two of them were blue entries on the surface, they felt less valuable than the green one to Chen Wen.
The limitations were too large!
[House Slave] would cause negative effects if living conditions aren’t met.
[Mutualism] requires a symbiotic partner to enhance abilities.
After hesitating for a moment, Chen Wen finally chose [House Slave].
Currently, he doesn’t need to cohabit with other creatures.
Plus, a shelter is his weak point.
This choice strengthens his weak point.
Chen Wen shook his head.
Just as Chen Wen was about to grab a piece of shark meat.
A sudden short argument erupted across from him.
Chen Wen was startled, but then saw Gan Tieshan, who had usually been silent, stand up and leave the campfire.
On the other side, Lu Heng looked upset, kicking the coconut shell in front of him in frustration.
What happened?
Chen Wen showed a questioning look toward Yan Bian.
Yan Bian shook his head slightly, indicating he wasn’t quite sure either.
He wasn’t very involved in camp affairs, especially matters of interpersonal relationships.
On the other side, Wang Zhi stood up with a dark expression and quickly walked over to Lu Heng to inquire about something.
It seems there are also plenty of hidden conflicts in the men’s group.
Cocking his head thoughtfully while chewing a piece of shark meat, Chen Wen mused: To complete the tasks given by the show and earn more money.
I can’t do it alone.
The men’s group must become an asset in my survival, not a burden.
Looks like to create some entertainment, I first have to resolve these various characters in the men’s group.
As of now, Yan Bian and Wang Zhi as leaders are relatively easy to talk to.
Zhuo Hongnian and Zhang Hu seem to just go with the flow, those two are easy to deal with.
Du Feng is pretty lazy, recognized by both Yan Bian and Wang Zhi.
He’s only active when it comes to cooking.
Lv Guocheng is older, doesn’t vie for power, and holds a respected position.
Gan Tieshan, Bai Yachuan, and Lu Heng are all strong-willed individuals.
The current conflicts in the men’s group probably lie with these three.
But it’s still too early to consider these things now; getting the entries is the main task.
Chen Wen squinted his eyes and began selecting entries from the Bull Shark.
[Targeting natural creation - Bull Shark, plundering!]
[Plundering in progress... Plundering complete!]
[Please choose one of the three entries below]
[Rampage (Purple): You are more prone to rampage; when in a rage state, rationality greatly decreases, increasing the probability of attacking surrounding creatures]
[Note: You’ve really never seen the mafia, have you? - Bull Shark]
[Water Perception (Purple): In the water, you can perceive more things]
[Note: Humph! Trying to escape? - Bull Shark]
[Serration (Purple): When activated, your teeth temporarily turn serrated, enhancing biting ability. Biting causes continuous bleeding in the target. ps: Active entry, activation consumes energy, each activation requires eight hours of recovery]
[Note: When my teeth pierce your body, you’d better watch out! - Bull Shark]
[Please make a choice or forfeit within a minute! If overdue, the first entry will be automatically selected!]
Still a series of raging entries, and highly rated ones too.
Chen Wen felt like he figured out the pattern of the entries.
The higher up the food chain the predator is, the higher the quality of their entries, and they’re more aggressive too.
Conversely, the lower entities in the food chain have entries that may not necessarily be lower quality, but are certainly not as good as the predators’.
Moreover, they’re more function-oriented, not combat-focused.
After some thought, Chen Wen chose [Water Perception].
[Serration] isn’t really suitable for humans.
After all, humans rarely use their teeth when attacking other creatures.
The start of this survival journey was a pretty good one.
Aside from choosing the opening entry.
In just one welcome dinner, four high-quality entries were plundered.
And Chen Wen hadn’t even expended much effort.
The dinner ended amidst some discordant little episodes.
Seeing everyone conscientiously organize their waste and throw it into the nearby woods afterward.
Chen Wen willingly joined in.
Seeing this, many developed a slight fondness for Chen Wen.
After all, no one wants to clean up extra trash.
As the area around the campfire cleared up.
The men’s group gathered back around the campfire, and the atmosphere turned somewhat heavy.
"Meeting time."
Yan Bian stood up, motioning for Chen Wen to sit next to him.
Just as Yan Bian was about to speak.
Du Feng, who had been grinning throughout the dinner, suddenly spoke up.
"Brothers, before the meeting, I have a few things to say."
Upon hearing this, several faces turned serious at once.
Of course, there were also the unperturbed college students, Zhuo Hongnian and Zhang Hu.
These two evidently didn’t feel the gravity of the situation.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Du Feng continued, "With newcomers arriving, we ought to establish clear leadership."
"In the past few days, even though we’ve persisted, the quality of living hasn’t been high, and everyone’s not doing well, am I right?"
A number of people nodded as they listened to Du Feng.
Yet, Wang Zhi, who was about to be stripped of his authority, didn’t look too pleased.
"After thinking it over, I see a few reasons for this."
Du Feng continued, "Firstly, the indoor team leader, Wang Zhi, is too aggressive. Just as we were getting accustomed to the island, he proposed rapid development, causing us to advance without a solid foundation. As a result, food consumption skyrocketed, and there’s barely any food left now."
"Secondly, the outdoor team leader, Yan Bian, didn’t contribute anything. In these days, aside from leading people to fetch water, he accomplished nothing, leading to wasted manpower."
"Thirdly, food is becoming scarce while our labor only increases, leaving many people physically exhausted."
Hearing this, even more people agreed.
"Therefore, I believe we need a change."