While Everyone Panicked, I Upgraded My Raft

Chapter 134: Chapter 125: Rowan Rhodes Is the Savior

Rowan Rhodes’s thoughts drifted, and she unwittingly fell asleep. Across her entire raft, air purifiers were placed everywhere, leaving her with no fear of viral invasion. She was also equipped with plenty of Fish Spear Guns that could be replaced at any time, eliminating any worry about attacks from mutated marine creatures. Aside from the first few nights after her rebirth, Rowan Rhodes had slept very soundly every night since. Tonight was no exception.

The next day, Rowan Rhodes woke up at exactly six o’clock, guided by her biological clock shaped by Nature. The first thing she looked at upon rising was the calendar. The description on it had not changed. Her second glance fell upon the District 122 world channel.

[District 122: (95,239 / 100,000)]

The moment she saw the numbers, Rowan Rhodes froze. In just four hours, over two hundred players had died. She scrolled through the world channel and realized that the other players were discussing this exact topic.

”What on earth happened last night?”

”How did so many people die all of a sudden?”

”I scrolled through the chat logs. Not a single player left any last words.”

”What does that mean? It means they died extremely suddenly. They didn’t even have time to react.”

”Fuck, that’s way too terrifying.”

”Was it because of the virus?”

”I saw Celia Lynch’s post yesterday about the changes in virus concentration. As long as you take proper protective measures, the virus shouldn’t be able to enter the room.”

”I suspect the players who died all had the poisoning debuff and didn’t use an Antidote.”

”No way, really?”

”I can’t think of any other possibility.”

”Once you eliminate all other possibilities, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. This is the only explanation for why players died without leaving a single word.”

”But didn’t a lot of people send warnings yesterday? They said the Antidote was crucial, and that if you get poisoned, it’s best to use one.”

”There’s always someone who refuses to believe it until it’s too late.”

”Then they brought it upon themselves.”

”Ahhh! I currently have the poisoning debuff! I’m begging to buy an Antidote!”

”I’m definitely not going outside today.”

”I’m afraid staying inside won’t work either. The number of mutated marine creatures is probably going to increase. When your raft is destroyed and the toxic gas invades, you still won’t be able to escape.”

”Then our only choice is to get more air purification Masks and other protective Masks to reduce the probability of poisoning.”

”The wear and tear on Masks has increased again.”

”Higher-Level Masks have better Durability.”

”There’s also Eira Grass and Eira Grass Seeds. The Antidote is truly a lifesaver!”

”...”

After deducing this conclusion, the players immediately began considering various countermeasures. Once the discussion ended, the chatter on the world channel quieted down, while the trading hall bustled with activity.

Rowan Rhodes paused after reading the chat. In truth, she had already guessed as much. She recalled that during this exact first night in her previous life, thousands of players had perished, all succumbing to the poisoning debuff. She had initially assumed that with all the preliminary groundwork laid, the death toll in District 122 would be negligible. Yet, over two hundred lives were still lost. She could only conclude that she had grown too accustomed to the low mortality rate in District 122; seeing the numbers spike felt a bit jarring. Her expectations had been raised too high.

However, Rowan Rhodes understood perfectly well that many of the deceased players didn’t die from a lack of strength, but rather from a severe lack of necessary vigilance.

Rowan Rhodes turned her gaze to the Sea Survival Shop. At this very moment, the large group chat was just as bustling as District 122.

”Thousands of people died in our sub-district overnight. It’s terrifying.”

”Over two thousand died in ours.”

”Less than a thousand in ours.”

”A lot of people really died this time.”

”Does anyone know the reason?”

”It’s related to the poisoning debuff. A surviving player in our sub-district said that when he woke up, the interface warned him that he had been poisoned for a long time. It told him that if he didn’t detoxify, he would die within one minute. He just happened to wake up and see it, otherwise he really would have died.”

”Holy shit, this poisoning debuff is absurd! It hits you without you even realizing it, and then it gives you a one-minute countdown. During the night, that’s a guaranteed death sentence!”

”It’s impossible to defend against.”

”Thank goodness I used an Antidote before going to sleep last night.”

”...”

In an information hub like the large group chat, the primary cause of the players’ deaths surfaced much faster. Soon, this news spread back to the various sub-districts with lightning Speed. The demand for Eira Grass and Antidotes surged once again.

Previously, people always assumed that if they lost health from poisoning, they could just heal through it. However, reality proved that there were no shortcuts to detoxification. Without an Antidote, they wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly, constantly plagued by the fear of dropping dead without warning. All of a sudden, many players unconsciously began to feel fortunate. Thankfully, the appearance of Eira Grass and Antidotes allowed this virus to be contained.

Especially from yesterday afternoon into the night, the sparse output of Antidotes—previously numbering only in the single digits or dozens—had multiplied by tens, hundreds, or even thousands of times. Even though these quantities were barely a drop in the bucket compared to the massive player base, they provided an immense amount of help. At the very least, many players now held a trump card to save their lives.

And at this very moment, the number of these trump cards was still constantly expanding. After all, the majority of players had long since learned Farming. Even if they couldn’t propagate crops like players with a Farming Skill, they could still secure double harvests. Their fate was in their own hands.

In a flash, the price of Eira Grass Seeds began climbing steadily. At the same time, the player who had supplied a massive amount of Eira Grass Seeds yesterday received immense praise.

Although Rowan Rhodes’s actions had not been explicitly revealed in the large group chat, some members in the associated smaller groups knew about them. These members highly revered Rowan Rhodes, elevating her reputation step by step. Especially in the wake of such a massive number of player deaths, Rowan Rhodes’s sheer brilliance was truly highlighted. It could even be said that she was the savior of the entire Sea Survival Game.

”Thank you, Rowan Rhodes. If she hadn’t released a massive amount of Eira Grass Seeds, the death toll probably would have doubled.”

”I think so too.”

”Eh? Why is it her again? Where are you guys getting your information?”

”From smaller player groups, of course. Rowan Rhodes traded with them privately, and then they dispersed the goods. Now everyone is thanking her.”

”Werent people saying earlier that Rowan Rhodes is a Farming Skill player? After this incident, it’s pretty much confirmed. Only a Farming Skill player could produce so many Eira Grass Seeds.”

”I’m curious about her Level and what her Collection multiplier is.”

”I hope the boss continues to work hard so that the market has even more Antidotes.”

”We should also thank the player who supplied Rowan Rhodes with Eira Grass Seeds.”

”When it comes to life-threatening danger, it really makes you panic.”

”The previous natural disasters were physical attacks, but this disaster is straight-up a chemical attack.”

”The next two days are going to be tough.”

”And there are the mutated marine creatures to worry about too!”

”Work hard! Stay strong and push through it.”

”...”