Apocalypse: System of lotteries



Drifting on the sea on the first day, Ming sat at the entrance of the cabin, his feet dangling in mid-air. The flying leech's flight was steady, given that it had reached a legendary level.

The distant island, now only its volcanic mouth, was defiantly visible above the water, and it wouldn't be long before it would disappear completely.

Ming chuckled. Initially, he thought the rules were letting him vacation on the island. If he had thought that, the result would be soaking in seawater. Those rules always playing out of the playbook.

Below him, sharks were pulling the 'coconut tree platform,' following the flight path of the leech. Sitting on the side cleaning lobsters, Lorelei saw the boss smile and curiously asked, "Boss, the world will be all water in the future. You seem... quite happy about it~."

"You don't understand. This is finding joy in adversity~"

Ming thought of the hundreds of mud cards he still had and chuckled again. He would find a suitable temperature place to settle down and start farming earthworms. During these days at sea, he could gather more feed for them.

Of course, he still felt somewhat troubled. All his plans had been disrupted. But the journey to S City had its rewards. At least he had prior knowledge of the vast ocean. Mike and the others should be alright, right?

…

Inside the mist, a giant black scorpion entered a decaying forest. A man holding a big knife sat on its back, always on guard. At the slightest sound, he would stand up to check.

Crack~

Mike got up, urging the black scorpion toward the noise source. When he realized it was just a dry branch falling, he returned to his original position and said to the man next to him, "Alan, isn't it strange that we haven't encountered a single creature on this journey?"

Alan settled into a single sofa attached to the back of the scorpion and, with his eyes closed, said, "What's so strange about that? After the Boss explored the 109's sewer, he entered the mist. Remember what happened to the earthworms in the sewer? That's what happened to the creatures in the mist."

"True."

Mike stood up and looked back at the tens of thousands of people following them at a certain distance. After getting the information, the four discussed it and spread the news.

Of course, David was the one who spread the news. He didn't charge much, considering it a favor. The information was true, but whether or not people believed it was up to them.

At the group's rear, David and Hawkins sat in an ox-cart. The ox was a mutated big bull, and the cart was a small car they found by the highway, loaded with supplies.

The entire convoy consisted of mutated creatures, all now burdened with cargo. The group maintained a steady pace, not too fast, and with minimal rest. Their three meals a day had been reduced to one, all to save travel time.

Hawkins sat in the driver's seat, occasionally adjusting the wheel. Despite the vast differences in this world, the steering wheel still has its uses in avoiding road obstacles. He glanced at David, who was brooding beside him, and joked, "What's the matter? You're not acting like your usual scheming merchant self today. Today, you're quiet as a mouse."

David sighed deeply, straightened up, and lit a cigarette. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he said, "The boundaries of the special regions are gone. We might gain something from the normal regions, but you know many disaster zones are still out there."

Hawkins looked ahead, "With Digennaro, Alice, Clos, Christina, and representatives from several other regions, we should be able to face the disasters."

David ashed his cigarette, "But we don't have Gutman among us. So..."

Understanding dawned on Hawkins as he adjusted the steering wheel again. "With this many people, forming a guardian team would be challenging. Balancing the sentiments from various regions and unifying everyone's feelings means their thoughts."

"Yeah..."

David leaned back in his seat, scratching his head. For the first time, he felt overwhelmed. The absence of Gutman was the core of the issue. If Gutman were here, he would anchor everyone's thoughts.

...

On the 3rd day of drifting at sea, the sun shone brightly, the skies were clear, and the sea was calm. The flying leech rested on the coconut tree platform, folding its sail.

Ming was quite satisfied with the journey so far. Fortunately, he had considered the weight of the flying leech. The platform was expansive, and with the storage space freed up, he utilized the excess steel wood and planks for platform repairs.

The platform's size had now reached that of three basketball courts. However, space was still a concern with the flying leech occupying a significant portion. Meanwhile, the great white shark led the mackerel sharks underwater to hunt. The ocean was truly a vast reservoir of food.

On the 6th day of drifting, Ming weathered a torrential downpour and faced massive waves.

The coconut tree platform was tossed about, but there was a silver lining. Napoleon once again managed to control 32 shark puppets. Fortunately, they salvaged most floating coconuts and planks, completing the platform's repairs.

By the 8th day, many zombie hordes had mutated to move in the water. Occasionally, some sank to the ocean floor, disappearing entirely. Perhaps they grew weary of the drifting life. Ming respected their choices.

On the 10th day of drifting, Ming took out a fishing rod, sat in the corner of the platform, and started fishing. This rod was obtained after defeating a zombie who had been an angling enthusiast. It even came with a fishing talent.

[No fish has taken the bait yet. It is recommended to change the bait or continue waiting.]

[Still no fish on the hook. Please change the bait.]

[…]

Ming reeled in the line and summoned Janna from his space. After taking a segment of an earthworm from her, he sent her back, cast the line, and patiently waited. If he could catch a tuna, that would be wonderful.

[Your froglets are bored. Watching your fish seems to be the only source of entertainment for them. However, their interest didn't last long since you kept coming up empty.]

[Your froglets decided to play a game instead, Rock-Paper-Scissors. Just as Foodie croaked, you finally caught a fish! The froglets collectively looked at you. "Don't kill it! Let's make a new friend!"]

[Napoleon eyed the fish and politely asked, "Would you prefer to be steamed or braised?"]

"..."

Ming was thrilled to finally break his unlucky streak. Beside him, the mermaid Lorelei curiously asked, "Boss, if you wanted fish, I could've just dived down and caught some for you. Why go through the trouble of fishing?"

Ming shook his head, "You wouldn't understand. This is about..."

Suddenly, a sharp whizzing sound flew past Ming, bringing a wave of heat that warmed his left cheek.

"!!"

Immediately, Ming grabbed his binoculars and looked in the direction the sound came from.

"A ship!"

"It's actually a ship!"

His excitement is palpable, Ming looked through the binoculars again to confirm. It was indeed a ship; from its appearance, it seemed to be a warship.

"Nice!"

Thrilled, Ming stood up and summoned Raoul. It was time to approach the ship!