Chen Du spotted a new business opportunity in the chat channel.
The current survivors were all suffering from the scorching weather.
Since he had a refrigerator, he realized he could make popsicles himself and then resell them to the other survivors for profit!
He wasn't worried at all about whether the popsicles would sell.
With so many survivors around, there were bound to be people desperate enough to buy popsicles just to relieve the heat.
Chen Du immediately called over Xie Li, shared his idea with her, and began enthusiastically preparing to mass-produce simple popsicles.
He poured cola or other drinks into homemade box molds, inserted wooden sticks randomly, and set the refrigerator to its lowest temperature.
It didn't take long before an entire box of popsicles was ready.
Chen Du opened the chat channel.
ID 1945: "Hey guys, do you want some popsicles? (Attached a picture of popsicles.)"
ID 348458: "Come on, man, this is ridiculous! You're stirring up trouble again, aren't you, 1945?!"
ID 834674: "I absolutely love eating popsicles in the summer! Please, 1945, send me one! May good karma bless you forever!!"
…
ID 1945: "Cut the nonsense. I've put them up on the trading platform. Buy them if you want."
Some survivors even sent private messages to Chen Du.
ID 34543: "Handsome, let me show you something nice, and you can give me two popsicles in return…"
Shortly after, Chen Du received a photo from that survivor.
It was highly suggestive.
Unfortunately, Chen Du remained completely unmoved.
He even let out a sneer filled with disdain.
Did they think he was still the same naive Chen Du who used to exchange jokes with group members just to get a mysterious link?
Did they really believe a few photos could sway him?
With a teasing tone, Chen Du replied: "Is this supposed to impress me? Where's the sincerity?"
To his astonishment, the female survivor actually sent more photos—just for a couple of popsicles.
Clearly, she was no amateur; this wasn't her first time pulling such stunts.
Had she been hesitant, it might have hinted at some shred of innocence, but there was none.
Not long afterward, she even sent a short video.
Looking at her utterly plain appearance, Chen Du felt nothing—not even a flicker of interest. He almost closed the message without another thought.
But remembering his product promotion, he added sarcastically: "Haha, is this all you've got? If you really want popsicles, trade with supplies. Considering how hard you're trying, I'll give you a discount."
ID 34543: "Ugh! Why didn't you say so earlier?! What a waste of my time!"
Chen Du simply replied with a smiley face and said nothing more.
He wasn't angry, though—it was more like a mix of amusement and slight reflection.
This was the first time he'd encountered something like this, and it left him with an odd feeling he couldn't quite shake off.
But in this world, morality was subjective. Everyone survived differently, and it was pointless to judge.
…
After the extreme heatwave passed, Chen Du and Xie Li threw themselves back into the intense task of gathering supplies.
As more and more survivors began arriving in the villa area where they stayed, Chen Du developed a growing sense of crisis.
He knew that once the number of survivors increased, sooner or later, he would become a target.
With his abundance of resources, he was like a boss monster in a game that required players to team up and defeat.
If they succeeded, all his supplies would drop as loot: the fortress wall, the M9 pistol, the gasoline generator, even Xie Li herself—all would belong to others.
This was an outcome Chen Du couldn't accept.
Thus, he became even more frantic and urgent than before, determined to gather more, better, and more useful supplies.
Only by doing so could he protect himself when danger inevitably came knocking.
Out in the wild, a few zombies were lured by Xie Li's crossbow bolts but suddenly collapsed.
Blood trickled from the backs of their heads.
Chen Du emerged from behind the zombies.
Ever since Chen Du mastered the Concealment skill, Xie Li had taken on the role of drawing small groups of zombies' attention while Chen Du approached to either shoot or stab them at close range.
Thanks to the proximity, Chen Du's accuracy had soared, significantly boosting their efficiency in hunting zombies.
Xie Li walked over and asked, "Chen Du, should we keep going?"
Chen Du checked the time and shook his head.
"No, let's head back. It's almost noon, and we need to replenish our lunch supplies. Let's return to the villa and rest properly."
On the drive back, Xie Li glanced at the chat channel and teased, "Looks like the infamous 1945 has fallen out of favor. These past few days, no one's been talking about you, unlike before when everyone was cursing you. How annoying."
Chen Du, holding the steering wheel, replied casually, "It's better this way. Less attention means we can focus on gathering more supplies quietly."
"But I'm still curious," Xie Li continued, "Is that guy called the Sheriff really that impressive?"