33: Arrival

"Task: Some water and food."

"Reward: One hundred thousand in cash."

Xu Zimo was a bit surprised.

This was actually the first person he encountered on a task, and they had managed to survive for several days by recycling a single bottle of water.

What a determined person!

However, in such an environment, he probably had no other choice.

This task wasn't bad; one hundred thousand yuan was a decent amount.

And it was just some water and food, so there was no need to overthink it.

"You all keep busy; I'm going out to buy some things."

Xu Zimo stood up, hugged Jiang Yuwei again, which drew 'oohs' and 'aahs' from Feng Fangfang and Lin Zhuimiao, and then left the apartment.

On the way.

He took out his phone; Lu Jiaqi had already sent him the villa information last night.

Each house's surrounding conditions, price, and decoration style were all clearly detailed.

"Going to view houses in an hour."

Xu Zimo replied with a message, then found a convenience store.

He picked up some instant noodles, ham sausages, bread, and other items, almost filling the shopping cart.

However, looking at the full shopping cart, he hesitated.

Since tasks could be received repeatedly, that meant as long as this person named Tu Lei still had needs, tasks would be issued.

If he gave too much at once, causing Tu Lei to have no further needs, it would be difficult to receive tasks again.

Xu Zimo wasn't sure if this was the correct logic, but he decided to test it out.

After all, the task content was "some food and water," and it didn't specify a concrete quantity.

So, he bought two tubs of instant noodles, two ham sausages, and two bottles of water.

It was a bit little, but it would ensure Tu Lei wouldn't starve to death, and in such an extreme environment, obtaining these things would make him even more eager to escape.

Next time, he should make more demands; it just depended on what conditions he would offer in return.

Back in the car.

Xu Zimo summoned the system panel.

"System prompt: Detected two tubs of instant noodles, two ham sausages, two bottles of water. Trade?"

"Yes."

Immediately after, the items in Xu Zimo's hand disappeared, and the next moment, a message arrived on his phone.

"China Construction Bank: Your account 8445 received 100,000 yuan at 10:09 on June 3. Available balance: 103,172.15 yuan."

That's really good.

Finally, he had some money in hand.

Although the relocation fund was substantial, it wasn't convenient for him to interact with other "fish"; he still needed money for meals and hotels, right?

At the same time.

Lop Nur.

Although it was still morning, the temperature had already exceeded 40°C. Tu Lei's mouth was dry, but the most pressing issue was hunger. He looked at the shoe beside him.

There were teeth marks on it.

It indicated that he had even tried to eat the shoe due to hunger, but his teeth weren't good enough to bite through it.

He felt that if this continued, he probably wouldn't last another two days.

Suddenly, there was the sound of something dropping, and when he looked at the passenger seat again, he found instant noodles, ham sausages, and mineral water.

"Where did these come from?"

The windows were clearly closed tightly.

Because Tu Lei knew that in the desert, stepping out of the car was suicide, which was why he preferred to hold out in the car rather than leave it.

If he died in the car, at least his remains would be there; if he left the car, it would be hard to say if his remains could even be found.

He tore open the instant noodles; originally, he wanted to use the mineral water to soak them, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

At a time like this, using water to soak instant noodles was simply insane.

Soon, he ate one tub of instant noodles, one ham sausage, and nearly half a bottle of water.

Although he was still very hungry and thirsty, Tu Lei held back.

While he didn't know where these foods came from, if he ate them all now, there might not be any tomorrow.

As someone who had achieved financial freedom through his own entrepreneurship, he quickly planned how to manage the items at hand.

There wasn't much, but with water, it wasn't impossible to last another week.

With his stomach less empty, Tu Lei also began to consider the cause and effect of the situation.

He felt he had been set up.

The main issue was that his car's tire had a problem. Although his friends were each driving a car, there was no reason they wouldn't know he had fallen behind.

Moreover, it had already been the fourth day, and they hadn't even come back to look for him.

If there wasn't a problem with this, even a ghost wouldn't believe it.

Was he going to die here?

Tu Lei thought of his beautiful wife, whom he had only recently married.

He had met his wife through an introduction; she was beautiful and gentle, considerate, and obedient to him. She was, one might say, equally adept in the living room and the kitchen, and she didn't care about his money, not even asking for her name to be added to the property deed.

He couldn't bear to leave her.

However, if he died here, his wife should be able to live comfortably for the rest of her life with the assets he left behind.

Tu Lei felt some comfort, only hoping she wouldn't be too sad.

"Hmm?"

Wait.

After his death, his wife, whom he had only married a little over a month ago, would inherit all his assets.

And the so-called 'friends' who invited him to this uninhabited area for adventure — weren't they introduced through his wife?

Suddenly, Tu Lei felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

He seemed to see his hard-earned assets being swallowed up by others, and he saw those faces mocking him.

No!

He couldn't die here; he had to get out of here alive. He had to make those people pay the price they deserved.

But what could he do now?

Tu Lei thought of the water that appeared at the beginning, which had clearly been drunk from, and the food and water that had just appeared.

Could it be... that as long as he desired it enough, he could obtain it?

So, from that moment on, Tu Lei continuously chanted... I need a satellite phone!

...Xu Zimo returned home, and the food was already prepared.

Although not as lavish as yesterday's takeout, it was just some home-cooked dishes, yet the aroma was enticing.

Could the introverted Jiang Youqi actually have such cooking skills?!

She clearly had a lot of practice.

Jiang Yuwei pulled him to sit beside her, and the two of them finished their meal, doting on each other under the envious gazes of their roommates.

"Weiwei, I have something to take care of during the day, so I need to go out."

Xu Zimo said this after taking a sip of the juice Jiang Yuwei poured for him.

Jiang Yuwei's bright smile faltered for a moment but quickly recovered, and she said understandingly, "Brother, go take care of your business. I'll be fine with Fangfang and the others."

Although she wanted to stick with her brother all the time, she also knew that earning money was a very hard thing.

Xu Zimo hugged her for a while, then thought for a moment and transferred some money to her card, saying, "See if the house is missing anything. Go buy it later. If it's not enough, send me a message again."

"Okay."

Jiang Yuwei obediently agreed.

For the new house, although they had bought many expensive items yesterday, they were all luxuries and jewelry; many household items were indeed missing.

"Then I'm leaving."

Xu Zimo greeted the others and then stood up to leave.

"Brother, go take care of your business~"

As soon as the door closed, Feng Fangfang mimicked Jiang Yuwei's words from earlier, drawing out the sound.

"You're going to kill me."

The girls playfully teased each other.