Chapter 257: I Just Wanted You to Fix the Boat

This is hilarious! Look at that Hans Cat Country guy’s face. He must be questioning every decision he’s ever made!

Klaus, did I just almost die at sea?

General Pei, who had been smiling, couldn’t help laughing.

Zhang Guangwei took a long moment before finally speaking.

"This kid really is considerate."

Professor Li Shu held her forehead, both amused and exasperated.

She was beginning to understand why Shen Yu could remain so relaxed in such a dangerous environment.

His mental state was truly far ahead of everyone else’s.

"You mean you can repair wooden objects?"

Shen Yu fiddled with the small magnesium rod he had scavenged from Klaus’s bag, confirming the information with him.

Klaus had finally recovered from the shock. His professional instincts kicked in, and he began inspecting the boat.

"Yes. As an LV0 Blacksmith, I can identify and repair basic wooden structures, provided there’s enough material."

He stroked the coffin lid beneath him and knocked on the crooked railing.

"Is this bone? Human bones?"

"That’s right."

Shen Yu casually slipped the magnesium rod into his pocket.

He had discovered that only decomposed items could be stored in the system warehouse.

"The raw materials came from my former teammate."

Klaus’s gray eyes widened. He instinctively shifted his backside away.

"Former teammate?"

Shen Yu nodded solemnly.

"Hmm. A very reliable partner. Tough and quiet. He even saved my life when I encountered a Sakura Nation contestant."

For a moment, Klaus couldn’t tell whether Shen Yu was joking or casually telling a ghost story.

But somehow, he could imagine this man doing something like that.

"You... you..."

He wanted to ask whether Shen Yu had decomposed his former teammate.

"It’s a choice you sometimes have to make to survive."

Shen Yu’s expression grew nostalgic, and his tone turned melancholy.

"And it was his final wish. He said that instead of sinking into the cold seabed, he would rather become part of a small boat, grow into an aircraft carrier, and conquer the oceans alongside me."

Shen Yu’s description immediately conjured up images of crime movies in Klaus’s mind.

In those films, serial killers often had charming appearances, elegant speech, and respectable professions. They turned their victims’ bones into works of art, while their skin became lampshades or canvases.

As Shen Yu’s current teammate, Klaus couldn’t help wondering whether the young man would eventually skin him to make a sail, then reinforce the coffin with his own bones.

A shiver ran down his spine.

He was suddenly afraid that even the slightest movement might be interpreted as his final wish.

Dragon Nation’s live chat was already laughing so hard that people could barely breathe.

Hahahahaha! Look at his face! He’s gone pale!

Hehehe! He actually believed it! He really believes it!

Klaus, please let me die quickly. I can’t take this anymore!

I feel like Klaus is already wondering which part of his body would make the best boat paddle.

Shen Yu had no idea what was going on in Klaus’s complicated mind. He only thought the big man’s expression looked a little strange.

"By the way, there’s something urgent I need you to do."

Klaus jolted.

However, the expected scene of Shen Yu suddenly drawing a weapon and going on a rampage never happened.

Instead, Shen Yu simply waved his hand.

With a flash of blue light, a pile of materials appeared out of thin air.

Wood ×5

Hemp Rope ×2

"Fix the boat."

Shen Yu pointed toward the broken railings and cracked bow.

"Fix the boat? That’s all?"

For some reason, Klaus felt an overwhelming sense of relief, as though he had just escaped another disaster.

Clearly, becoming a boat builder had much better prospects than becoming part of the boat.

He took a deep breath, accepted his fate, and picked up the materials.

Shen Yu was a little confused by how obedient this Hans Cat Country guy had suddenly become.

Did I scare him? That shouldn’t be possible.

I was quite friendly just now. I even told a few jokes to lighten the mood.

Clearly, Klaus didn’t need any further reassurance.

The moment he entered work mode, his entire aura changed.

After walking around the tiny coffin-shaped raft and carefully inspecting it, Klaus reached a conclusion.

"No. I can’t completely repair it."

He shook his head.

"An LV0 Blacksmith can only fully repair and reinforce wooden structures."

His fingers traced the crack in the bow.

"The bones and wood in this boat aren’t simply joined together. They’ve been fused. I can temporarily fill in the damaged sections, but I can’t restore its durability completely."

Klaus thought for a moment before explaining further.

"It’s like replacing a car’s bumper when the engine is damaged. I can fix the exterior, but I can’t repair the internal damage. To repair a mixed structure like this, my level would need to reach at least LV1."

Shen Yu wasn’t disappointed.

Klaus’s value was far greater than he had initially imagined.

"What do you need to level up?"

"Proficiency and ten Evolution Points."

"Ten Evolution Points..."

Shen Yu fell into thought.

A Toothfish Monster was worth one Evolution Point, but the problem was that those fish weren’t easy to find.

The last time they had managed to kill so many was thanks to the selfless sacrifice of a Sakura Nation contestant.

Where were they supposed to find another ten Evolution Points now?

Shen Yu’s gaze subconsciously drifted toward the surface of the sea, which had been churning violently not long ago.

The giant serpent they had both seriously injured was probably still nearby.

It should be worth quite a few Evolution Points, right?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Shen Yu quickly suppressed it.

His little boat had only fifteen durability points left. Going head-to-head with that giant creature now would be no different from asking for death.

The immediate priority was to solve a more pressing problem: fresh water.

Unfortunately, the feathers he had spread out to collect dew earlier had all disappeared in the collision.

"How did you manage your food and fresh water before?" Shen Yu asked.

Klaus immediately looked relieved.

"I found a supply crate. It was a basic material crate randomly dropped by the game. I was lucky enough to find a food crate containing purified water and compressed biscuits."

He sighed.

"But I thought I was going to die earlier. When I set the boat on fire, I didn’t think about the supplies. They probably burned up or fell into the sea."

Shen Yu nodded.

"All that effort, wasted. Forget it. Let’s deal with what we can first."

He handed Klaus the iron nails he had dismantled from the wreckage.

"Bend these into fishhooks."

Klaus immediately understood what Shen Yu wanted.

"These are too rusty. It’ll affect the finished product."

He complained as he pulled a small hammer from his toolbox.

He had an almost obsessive pride in his craftsmanship. Even when working with scrap materials, he wanted to produce something as close to perfect as possible.

Shen Yu, however, had more important things to do.

He took dry wood, grease, and cloth from the system warehouse.

Using the sharp tip of the bird’s beak, he skillfully scraped out some wood shavings and gathered them into a small pile in the gaps between the wooden planks. He then mixed in tiny strips of cloth coated with grease.

Once everything was prepared, he pressed one end of the magnesium rod against the wood shavings and scraped hard with the sharp tip of the beak.

Tss!

A dazzling white spark appeared, landing precisely among the wood shavings.

A faint trail of blue smoke rose.

Then, a cluster of orange-yellow flames sprang to life.

Shen Yu immediately placed the prepared dry sticks over the kindling. He carefully shielded the fire with his body, protecting it from the wind until the flames stabilized.

Warm firelight spread across the little boat, driving away the surrounding darkness and cold.

Dragon Nation’s live chat erupted.

Fire! It’s fire!

The fire of civilization!

Wuwuwu! The boss finally doesn’t have to eat raw meat anymore!

Amazing! This is what a tough man looks like!

He even used a magnesium rod to make fire. That’s basically rubbing sticks together!

To the person above, is that how you round numbers where you live?

Zhang Guangwei finally let out a long breath. A sincere smile appeared on his face.

"With fire, his chances of survival have increased considerably."

Professor Li Shu nodded.

"Fire represents humanity’s ability to use tools to change its environment. It’s one of the foundations of civilization."

She paused thoughtfully.

"Perhaps this is the difference between the humanities and the sciences."

But at that moment, Shen Yu wasn’t thinking about civilization or its foundations.

He was thinking about practical uses.

Good. Fire can be used to distill fresh water. It can kill parasites and bacteria. It can also produce charcoal for simple water filters and help with treating wounds.

He quietly added more dry wood to the flames.

After a while, the clanging sounds stopped.

Klaus held up his finished product.

"The rust has weakened its toughness. If you catch something too large, it might break."

Shen Yu examined the fishhook.

Although it had been made from scrap metal, its curve and shape were remarkably standard.

Good craftsmanship.

Klaus said nothing. He simply pulled a cloth from his toolbox and carefully wiped his hammer.

No way. He’s definitely obsessed with cleanliness.

Shen Yu tied the fishhook securely to a hemp rope, tore off a small piece of raw meat, attached it to the hook, and cast the line into the sea.

"That monster is still alive. Will the bait attract it?" Klaus asked uneasily.

"Probably not."

Shen Yu calmly added another piece of wood to the fire.

"You poked out so many of its eyes. It should be more afraid of light and fire for a while."

Then his tone suddenly became excited.

"Of course, this isn’t Blue Star, so the usual rules don’t necessarily apply. If it really comes back, a creature that big should be worth quite a few Evolution Points, right?"

Dragon Nation’s viewers felt as though their emotions were riding a roller coaster.

You nearly scared me to death! And now the boss is thinking about Evolution Points again?

Don’t say things like that!

Maybe we can get its skin, meat, and bones too!

I actually feel a little excited. What’s happening to me?

Come back, Green Sea Serpent! Give Coffin Bro a warm welcome!

Meanwhile, the Sakura Nation commentator sneered disdainfully.

"How shameless. They barely escaped once, and now they think they can hunt a monster of that level? Ignorant Dragon Nation people!"

Klaus watched the young man from Dragon Nation fishing calmly, his expression complicated.

Everything Shen Yu did seemed like something a madman would attempt.

His way of thinking defied conventional logic, and his courage was astonishing.

If it weren’t for Shen Yu, Klaus would probably be nothing more than a pile of bones by now.

Lena, if you saw your brother in this pathetic state, you’d definitely mock me without mercy.

Klaus silently stood up, picked up several wet pieces of wood, and began inspecting the damage to the boat.

Shen Yu glanced at him briefly, feeling rather pleased with how well this Hans Cat Country fellow understood the situation.

It was late into the night.

Klaus wiped his hands and walked around the little boat once more, inspecting his repairs.

"This is the best I can do for now."

Shen Yu looked up.

The broken railing had been reattached, and the cracks in the bow had been patched with wooden pieces. Although the repairs were somewhat rough, the boat looked much sturdier.

Small Bone-and-Wood Coffin LV1

Durability: 35/50

To his surprise, the durability had increased from 15 to 35.

"This will do."

Shen Yu was quite satisfied with the result.

Klaus moved the wooden plank supporting the fire to the middle of the coffin. Then he silently tied another fishhook to a rope and tossed it into the sea.

One fishing line for each of them.

One had a calm expression, while the other looked utterly exhausted.

Why does this scene give me such a peaceful feeling?

In the middle of the night, sitting on a coffin and fishing. It’s actually quite relaxing.

Isn’t this just me and my friend fishing at midnight?

Klaus: I was terrified the entire time, but I couldn’t say a word.

Before long, Shen Yu’s hemp rope suddenly sank sharply.

He gave it a few tugs. When he felt the fish’s struggle weakening, he quickly began reeling it in.

A strange, flat fish nearly a meter long was dragged out of the water.

Its body resembled a silver whip, and it slapped against the coffin lid with a loud smack.

Apart from a row of shark-like teeth inside its mouth and a dorsal fin resembling a hedgehog’s spines, its overall shape was unmistakable.

"Damn! Isn’t that a ribbonfish?"

Holy crap! The ribbonfish has turned into a monster!

It looks so fierce!

Big shot, hurry up and cook it! Steamed or braised?

"Why does this fish look so familiar?" Shen Yu muttered.

He picked up a wooden plank that had temporarily been used as an oar and brought it down hard on the fish’s head.

Bang!

The world fell silent.