The Sensual Mother Cockroach in Black Stockings: Shubao, I might be logging off soon!! This cavern is impossible to dig through, and I’m almost out of mineral crystals—woe is me!! I finally managed to bind my teammate card, and then it inexplicably failed!!

Su Bai’s private message was a barrage of frantic complaints.

Ye Shu’s head throbbed from the onslaught, so she sent over a few high-grade mineral crystals.

That should keep her quiet for now!

The Sensual Mother Cockroach: Shushu, how do you have so many mineral crystals? And all of them high-grade?? I know the bonds between sisters run deep, but you don’t have to go this far… Though I am grateful…

Su Bai rattled off a rapid-fire string of messages, clutching the crystals tightly, almost as if she’d send them straight back.

Over a dozen… Surely this isn’t Ye Shu’s entire fortune, is it?! Heavens, after days of grueling mining, she couldn’t even scrape together a tenth of this!

Wasn’t that ugly brat saying things weren’t looking good for Ye Shu this round? Seems the little clownfish’s luck-measuring ability must be on the fritz.

To be able to hand out over a dozen mineral crystals—she’s clearly made of money!

Maybe she ought to latch on to Ye Shu for good?

I Am Your Dad: Don’t overthink it—these crystals aren’t from my own dig. I ran into a warm-hearted young man, snagged his leftovers. Go ahead and use them, I still have a few high-grade ones spare.

On the other end, Su Bai paused in surprise.

A warm-hearted young man…

All the players in this survival game are cutthroat. Would anyone just hand out gear without a catch? That person must have an angle…

Wait. The person Ye Shu’s talking about—could it be Fu Jingchuan?!

If that’s the case, he probably would do something like this.

Old man Fu Jingchuan had spied on Ye Shu more than once.

Soon enough, Su Bai was pestering Ye Shu for any news she could get, making Ye Shu’s head pound.

Ye Shu typed out a response, then immediately shut off the light screen.

It was nearly time to exchange supplies.

She waited, but the system’s familiar prompt didn’t come.

Over an hour passed before the mechanical chime finally sounded.

Ding-dong! The supply exchange point is about to open. Players, please proceed within the next five hours.

Five hours—shortened by an hour.

She’d almost forgotten, the system had mentioned it earlier.

"Jie… Are you going?"

Ye Shu looked up to see Lin Qing staring up at her, face innocent and questioning. Without thinking, she nodded.

Unlike Lin Qing, she didn’t have the ability to create isolation barriers. Sometimes, a lantern was a vital life-saving tool.

"Then, hurry back, Jie. I’ll wait right here for you!"

Surprisingly, Lin Qing didn’t insist on tagging along.

These past few days, wherever she went, that kid followed—clingier than Su Bai.

Ye Shu hesitated only a moment, then hurried off.

She was quick, but the other players were even quicker. By the time Ye Shu reached the nearest supply exchange, the place was packed.

Resigned, Ye Shu took her place in line.

"White lanterns, only eleven mineral crystals. Just a small fee for the hassle!"

"Eleven crystals for a standard lantern, fixed price."

"Yellow lanterns, just eleven low-grade crystals! No line, first come, first served. Guaranteed quality!"

"Blue lanterns, twelve mid-grade crystals."

Several players had taken advantage of the area, setting up a small-scale scalper business.

But the majority still chose to queue up, begrudgingly.

A difference of one mineral crystal was just too steep a price.

Maybe yesterday, someone would’ve caved, but now, the caves were as unyielding as iron walls. Without tools, you couldn’t make a dent. Newcomers could bleed their hands raw, and only scratch a layer of dirt.

After two hours in line, Ye Shu finally made it to the front—just as the supplies ran out.

The most popular item in this underworld was black bread: earthy, tough, but cheap. One ordinary mineral crystal could get you a huge chunk—enough to last two full days.

If you craved something better, instant noodles, cakes, boxed meals were available too—but cost several times more.

Ye Shu’s storage space still had plenty, but she bought a few chunks of black bread for appearance’s sake.

There were barely any white lanterns left. Each purchase whittled away what remained.

Behind her, players eyed Ye Shu with predatory hunger.

The ghostly attendant behind the counter, seeing the tension, hastily grabbed the last white lantern within reach, its murky eyes flashing with malice.

"I’ll take a blue lantern," Ye Shu said, her voice steady.

"Here are the crystals."

The ghost stared at the ten crystals on the table, its hostility noticeably diminishing as it gazed at Ye Shu.

The anxious players behind her quieted, too.

In all the time they’d struggled in these caverns, it was rare to see anyone trade for a blue lantern.

If they could team up with her… Now that would be something!

This young woman must be an elite player, even at her age.

From the shadows, a resentful gaze bored into Ye Shu, wishing to devour her flesh and drink her blood.

Ye Shu, ever attuned, glanced toward the southeast corner, senses pricked.

As she was leaving, she ran into a familiar face.

Lin Shuya stared at Ye Shu with a chilling gaze, her tone laden with meaning: "You seem to be enjoying yourself in this game world. But don’t think for a minute the Qin family will ever acknowledge you. Impossible—Wanwan is the only daughter they’ll ever recognize."

Ye Shu frowned, looking at Lin Shuya as though she were deranged.

In the original host’s memories, hadn’t Mother Ye always been the clever, stoic sort?

What was this, coming all this way just to sling a few insults—and to brag about how much the Qins spoiled their so-called real daughter? Clearly, something wasn’t right.

Could the survival game have finally broken Lin Shuya’s composure?

Besides, who the Qin couple spoiled was no concern of hers. She wasn’t the original host, and she certainly didn’t need this kind of cheap kinship.

"Ugh… This old hag sure talks a lot! Can I eat her?"

Da Piaoliang had long since been fed up with Lin Shuya. The creature bared its sharp fangs, green eyes appraising the flesh exposed at her neck.

Old humans, rotten meat. Not appealing.

The uncanny had a sensitive palate for human flesh and blood.

Ever since tasting Ye Shu’s blood, Da Piaoliang had lost its appetite for anyone else.

"Next time. Too many people here," Ye Shu whispered in Da Piaoliang’s ear, giving the elegant woman opposite her a meaningful glance.

Lin Shuya, suddenly drenched in cold sweat, glared nervously and barked back, "What are you looking at? Don’t think you’re anyone special just because you have a few trinkets. Wanwan has everything she needs… Don’t get smug too soon!"

"Get lost… Before I slap you."

Her words harmless, Ye Shu acted as if Lin Shuya didn’t exist. When the coast was clear, she’d let Da Piaoliang have its meal.

"Tsk. Ye Shu, we’ll see about that! My Wanwan is destined to stand at the peak of this game," Lin Shuya jeered, elbowing Ye Shu in a mock show of arrogance as she left.

"Pathetic," Ye Shu said under her breath.

What was Lin Shuya playing at, acting so out of character for someone of her standing? Was she here purely to provoke?

Maybe things had not gone well for her in the survival game, sparking a fit of jealousy from watching Ye Shu trade so freely for goods.

Or… was it because of Ye Wanwan?

Could it really be that simple?

Something here didn’t add up. There was a nagging sense she’d missed something crucial.