Chapter 008: First Update
Day broke.
Yan Cang rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up.
He had stayed up too late lurking in the class group chat last night, eventually falling asleep while holding onto the Fate Net—there was no helping it; his classmates had a way with words that he really liked.
He was still a bit dazed upon waking, instinctively thinking he should get up and study.
It took him a few seconds to snap back to reality: Oh, the college entrance exam was over, and he had already been transported to another world.
He rubbed his face vigorously with both hands.
Then, he picked up the stone basin beside him and took a few sips of the cold boiled water left over from last night.
After that, he walked out of the wooden hut.
Bright sunlight spilled down, making him stretch involuntarily.
Given the current primitive conditions, washing up can be skipped for now.
But eating was non-negotiable.
He was starving.
Yan Cang patted his flat stomach and immediately activated the "Great Fate Art."
Guided by fate, he found a few low shrubs laden with fruit.
The fruits were perfectly round, with pitch-black skins, about the size of cherries.
After staring at them for a few seconds, the feedback indicated that these wild berries were not only non-toxic but also very sweet.
Only then did Yan Cang feel at ease, picking them all clean on the spot.
He ate most of them right there, barely filling his stomach, then wrapped the remaining fruit in leaves and brought them back to the wooden hut.
Next, he sank his consciousness into the Fate Net.
He was ready to complete the "version update" he had conceived last night.
This operation wasn't difficult.
As the creator of the Fate Net, it was merely a matter of a single thought.
With his will, the layout of the entire Fate Star Sea underwent a slight change.
And in the eyes of all online users, the change was even more apparent.
Several prompts appeared:
[The Fate Net has opened the Donation Function. You can gift your surplus Fate Points to others.]
[The Public Forum has opened new sections: Guide Zone, Help Zone, Bounty Zone, Casual Chat Zone.]
[The Chat Room feature is now online, containing the World Channel and Regional Channel. Original group chats and private messages have also been integrated here.]
[Added Coordinate Positioning Function. You can share your real-time location in the forum or chat room.]
In the very first moment, all online users received the update announcement.
In fact, very few people chose to go offline—after all, no one wanted to miss messages from friends and family.
Besides, the "Internet Fee" wasn't too expensive.
Last night, many people had taken advantage of their rest time to top up several Fate Points at once.
How to put it? The sleep aid effect was remarkable.
On top of that, the number of Fate Net users had quietly surpassed the 1.3 billion mark.
By now, the "Energy Pool" under Yan Cang's control was so vast it was hard to fathom.
He couldn't spend it all—absolutely couldn't spend it all!
Of course, that was just a joke. He was still far from the point where he could turn the script he had fabricated into reality.
Let's just say, he had plenty to spare for small tricks.
But if he wanted to make a big splash, it was still too little.
So, he had to rely on time to slowly accumulate it. For now, he didn't pay much attention to it.
Yan Cang turned his gaze to the Chat Room interface and clicked on the freshly minted [World Channel].
The channel went from quiet to bustling in less than ten seconds:
"Hey hey hey, anyone there?"
"I'm here, I'm here!"
"I'm here!"
"Don't you read the rules? Each person only gets one message per day, and you're just wasting it like this?"
"One per day? Then if I don't say anything, I'm losing out!"
"To be fair, that's true."
"Then I'll chime in too."
"Just clocking in and signing my presence."
"The location function is here, nice!"
"Don't get too excited. If your family and friends are far away, this feature is useless."
"I just tried it out, and I found out my girlfriend is over twenty thousand kilometers away—literally half the globe apart."
"That far? Dump her, bro!"
"Long-distance relationships never work out. Listen to me, let her go."
"Don't listen to them. This trial only lasts a hundred days. Your love should at least survive three months of testing... right?"
"You guys do realize this is a trial, don't you? Is the location function only for this?"
"Exactly, what a waste."
"Location + Regional Channel = Big Killer! The smart ones are already making moves."
"What do you mean?"
"Good morning, everyone. Have you all eaten?"
"I'm so thirsty. Is there any water?"
"There's so much chatter here, it's a mess. My eyes can't keep up. I'm out."
"I'm out too. Heading to the regional channel."
...
The World Channel, connecting everyone, was instantly flooded with a sea of information.
Normal communication was impossible.
Yan Cang wasn't surprised by this.
But once the initial hype died down, it would naturally improve.
Besides, this place wasn't designed for chatting anyway, so Yan Cang didn't bother intervening.
Still, he had just noticed that line: "Location + Regional Channel = Big Killer."
"...Isn't the location just for finding people?"
"How does that make it a Big Killer?"
He was a bit puzzled. Had he missed something without realizing it?
Yan Cang couldn't help but open his own [Regional Channel].
The tone here was completely different:
"Any lone beauties want to team up for survival? I've got good stamina and can take care of you."
"You've got faction contribution, and you still want both money and women? Too greedy!"
"I'm speechless. In this kind of environment, you're still thinking about that? You're just using your lower brain."
"Disgusting!"
"Sisters, be careful. There's no legal protection here, and some men are danger zones themselves."
"The sister's right. We women should stick together."
"...I think, in this wilderness survival scenario, most situations still rely on men's physical advantages."
"And if there's real danger, you can just abandon the trial."
"No, no, you women are so noble, you have to be independent!"
"Exactly, women can just rely on supply boxes every day to eat and drink well. Why do they need men?"
"What are you all arguing about?!"
"Have you forgotten where you are? Have you forgotten the situation right now?"
"One side is full of perverted thoughts, the other is here spouting nonsense!"
"Damn it, how can we build a good nation with you bunch of insects? How can Huaxia stand out?"
"Uh, big shot, do you have any brilliant ideas?"
"Since someone asked, I'll be straightforward..."
"I've found a valley that can serve as a natural camp, so I plan to form a large team."
"Anyone is welcome—no rejections!"
"As for the team, my idea is this: adult men form hunting squads to handle food sources, while women, the elderly, and the weak take care of logistics."
"Don't talk to me about fairness—those who put in more effort will earn more Faction Contribution!"
"I'm laying my cards on the table: it's for Faction Contribution, and for Huaxia to win."
"Day-to-day camp affairs can be discussed among everyone. If someone has the ability, I'll hand over command to them."
"That's my word—everyone is welcome to oversee."
"Oh, and before you leave, don't forget to bring your Supply Box! Only you can touch it, so no need to worry about it being stolen."
"Finally, welcome all Huaxia compatriots to join, help each other, and get through this together!"
[Attached: Photo of the valley environment]
[Attached: Coordinates 67 kilometers from you]
After reading the "big show" on the Regional Channel, Yan Cang finally understood.
So that's what the "Big Killer" meant!
Using the Regional Channel to gather people, then relying on the Location Function to guide the way, quickly forming an organized survival force while efficiently earning Faction Contribution.
But that made sense—the Regional Chat plus Location Function really did clear the obstacles for forming teams.
And since he wasn't short on Faction Contribution, it hadn't occurred to him right away.
Let it be clear: this definitely wasn't because he was stupid!
Yan Cang nodded seriously.
As for the "Assembly Order" issued in the Regional Chat, Yan Cang had no intention of getting involved.
He could survive just fine on his own, so naturally, there was no need to spend days traveling a long distance.
Staying behind the scenes, quietly observing the big picture...
That was clearly more suited to him.