23: Chapter 23 It's better to offer help in times of need than to add to someone's success.

This ocean is fraught with crises; although he is currently Far Ahead, there's no guarantee he won't encounter some tough opponents in the future.

Fighting alone is not a long-term solution; he must cultivate his own team.

Although The girls' Talent is heaven-defying, one is focused on logistics, one on support, and one is still in the growth phase.

If they really went to the battlefield and he relied on them to charge and fight, it would be no different from sending a cat to fight a tiger.

He must equip them with weapons for self-defense.

Firearms are undoubtedly the most cost-effective choice in the early stages.

As soon as this thought arose, a name naturally surfaced in Li Taiping's mind.

Li Jun.

That man from a military background, straightforward and magnanimous.

Li Taiping pondered for a moment, opened the survival manual, and found the avatar of his only friend.

The chat history was simple, with only two messages.

"Brother, awesome! rank one!"

"Holy crap! You got rank one again? Ten Thousand Generations Monarch? That's badass!"

There were no more messages after that.

Looking at these two messages, Li Taiping's mouth curled up slightly.

This guy is interesting.

There was no excessive flattery, nor any intention to ask for anything; it was just pure admiration.

Li Taiping had a very good impression of him.

When trading the release order, Li Jun was willing to take a loss to ensure the trade went through; that kind of decisiveness is not something an ordinary person possesses.

Afterwards, he didn't hesitate to give him the [comfortable double bed] with hidden attributes as a bonus.

That wasn't just an ordinary bed.

[Hidden Attribute: Continuously restores sanity and health values.]

Although it's unclear what specific use these two attributes have right now, the four words "Hidden Attribute" alone are enough to prove its value.

And Li Jun gave it away so generously, just to repay his trust, which wasn't even really a favor.

This kind of person is worth befriending deeply.

Furthermore, Li Jun chose the legendary golden-tier [warship], following a path of pure firepower coverage.

Li Jun must be having a hard time right now.

His golden [warship] had a pitiful initial speed of only 3 knots.

The black tide's pursuit speed is 5 knots.

He must be driving that first-rank [warship], fleeing for his life on the sea, feeling as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Li Taiping opened the regional chat channel again; it was filled with lamentations, all complaining that the materials required to upgrade to a second-rank ship were too massive.

"Are you kidding me! Upgrading to second-rank requires 150 planks, 50 vines, and 50 shells? Is the system crazy?"

"Don't even mention it, I haven't even gathered the materials for the first-rank, and the black tide is coming tomorrow. I feel like I'm done for."

"Are there any big shots selling materials at a low price? Can I trade my butt for them?"

Looking at these messages, Li Taiping's train of thought became clearer.

The novice Treasure Chest Sea, although having a very low danger level, also has relatively scarce resources.

The vast majority of people are stuck, unable to move, due to the massive material requirements for upgrading to the second-rank.

And what about him?

Scanning the Far Ahead information on both leaderboards.

He has both strength and resources.

Infinite ordinary materials are just a pile of numbers to him.

But for Li Jun, that batch of sulfur he desperately needs is a life-saving straw.

Using ordinary materials he doesn't care about at all to exchange for the other party's future arms production capacity, and then using these arms to arm The girls, giving them the ability to protect themselves.

This deal is a huge profit no matter how you calculate it!

A helping hand in times of need will always win hearts better than adding flowers to brocade.

Even without talking about friendship, simply treating Li Jun as a long-term arms supplier is a safe and profitable investment.

Of course, Li Taiping is not naive enough to completely trust Li Jun.

In this world where human life is as cheap as grass, one must always be on guard.

But judging by Li Jun's previous magnanimous and straightforward behavior, this person is worth a gamble.

If he wins the bet, he gains a staunch ally driving a [warship].

If he loses the bet... he won't feel any pain over that bit of sulfur.

Thinking of this, Li Taiping no longer hesitated.

He clicked on Li Jun's avatar and entered a number in the gift column.

[sulfur (Ordinary) x200]

Two hundred units!

This is a huge sum that almost any Survivor would not dare to imagine.

Li Taiping's finger paused on the "Confirm Gift" button, his eyes deep.

"Li Jun, I hope you don't disappoint me."

He silently recited this in his heart, then pressed it heavily.

...

Somewhere in the vast ocean.

A single-layered warship, entirely black and full of metallic texture, was moving through the waves at a leisurely speed.

This is Li Jun's [First-rank · warship].

At this moment, Li Jun was pacing back and forth on the deck anxiously, muttering continuously.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

He punched the cold ship railing, making a dull "thud" sound.

"I changed an engine, and the speed only increased from 3 knots to 4 knots! The black tide's speed is 5 knots! If this continues, I'll be caught sooner or later!"

He looked up at what was behind him.

Although he couldn't see that darkness that devours everything yet, the feeling of crisis, like needles on his back, had never disappeared for a moment.

"Upgrading to a second-rank [warship] requires 150 units of ordinary sulfur, plus a bunch of messy materials... where am I supposed to gather that!"

He leaned against the cabin wall helplessly, looking up at the starry sky, his face full of bitterness and regret.

"I've let my comrades down... it's all my fault, all my fault!"

He slapped himself hard.

"I've dreamed of being in the navy and driving a [warship] since I was a kid! When I saw that golden [warship] option, I chose it without thinking! And what happened? I dragged everyone into this!"

"What should I do now!"

Just when he was disheartened and almost in despair, the survival manual on his wrist suddenly vibrated.

He lifted his hand listlessly, intending to continue trying his luck at the trading post and chat channel, to see if he could receive even a single unit of sulfur.

As a result—

A system notification exploded before his eyes like a thunderclap.

Ding—

[Player "Li Taiping" gifted you: sulfur (Ordinary) × 200]

Li Jun's eyes widened instantly, and he froze in place.

He rubbed his eyes hard, thinking it was a hallucination caused by too much pressure.

But that golden system notification was still clearly floating before his eyes.

Gift...

sulfur...

Two hundred units?!

"How... how much?"

Li Jun's voice was trembling; he could hardly believe his eyes.

Two hundred?!

Although he knew Li Taiping was the big shot at rank one on both leaderboards,

although he knew he had been frantically buying fishing rod before,

although according to the speculations of other Survivor, he was highly likely to be a resource-rich farming ship...

but to send two hundred units of sulfur in one go?

This is too outrageous, right?!

And... this is gifted to him?!

Why?

Just because he gave him an extra bed during the previous trade?

Li Jun's hands trembled violently.

This sudden, heaven-sent kindness left him, a tough man with iron bones, instantly at a loss.

He is not a pretentious person; in the army, if you receive a favor, you keep it in your heart and pay it back when you find an opportunity.

But at this moment, his heart was trembling wildly.

It was an indescribable excitement and emotion, like a warm current, instantly dispersing all the gloom and despair in his heart.

In this dark, cold survival world where everyone is looking out for themselves, there was actually someone willing to reach out without asking for anything in return when he was in the most dire straits!

Li Jun took a deep breath, and something hot was swirling in his red eyes.

He did not reply with any words of gratitude.

Because he knew that any words in the face of such a favor, heavy as Mount Tai, would appear too pale and powerless.

A great favor needs no thanks!

He gritted his teeth and chose "Receive"!

Immediately after, without any hesitation, he opened the ship upgrade panel.

"Upgrade! Second-rank [warship]!"

Rumble—!

The black [warship] shone brightly, the hull began to expand crazily, and the second floor of the building rose from the ground!

After just over ten seconds, a brand new, double-layered warship full of murderous aura appeared on the sea!

[Second-rank · warship, upgrade successful!]

[Speed increased to: 5+1 knots!]

[Reward obtained: Randomly rescue an initial crew member!]

"Good! Good! Good!" Li Jun roared three times in excitement, the ecstasy in his heart almost overflowing.

A speed of 6 knots!

Now, he doesn't have to worry about being caught by the black tide anymore!

He immediately chose "Rescue crew member".

A flash of light passed, and a sturdy young man, also wearing camouflage training clothes, appeared on the deck.

"Brother Jun?!" The young man looked at Li Jun and this huge warship in front of him, looking confused.

"Monkey!" Li Jun rushed up and gave his comrade a bear hug, "You brat, you're finally awake!"

After the joy of their reunion, Li Jun immediately explained the current situation concisely.

When hearing the origin of those 200 units of sulfur, the young man named "Monkey" was also shocked and speechless.

"Brother Jun, is... is this Li Taiping a living Bodhisattva?"

"He is not a Bodhisattva." Li Jun patted Monkey's shoulder, his eyes firmer than ever, "He is my brother! My brother for life!"

Just then, the system notification sounded again.

[Congratulations on unlocking the arms blueprint: Police .357 Revolver (Ordinary)!]

Li Jun looked at the blueprint, then at the 60 or so units of sulfur in the warehouse, and had already made a decision in his heart.

He turned to Monkey and said: "You wait here, I'll be right back!"

After speaking, he rushed into the cabin and began to manufacture crazily.

...

On the other side, on the "Many Children, Many Blessings".

About ten minutes had passed since Li Taiping gifted the sulfur.

During this time, he was blowing the sea breeze on the deck, his fishing rod constantly casting and reeling.

But his thoughts were not on it.

He was waiting.

Waiting for a result.

Suddenly, the friend list flickered.

It was not a message, but a trade request.

[Friend "Li Jun" gifted you: Police .357 Revolver (Ordinary) x5]

[Friend "Li Jun" gifted you: .357 Magnum Ammo (Ordinary) x300]

Immediately after, a message popped up.

"Brother! A great favor needs no thanks! In the future, if there is anything I, Li Jun, can do for you, even if it's going up a mountain of blades or down into a sea of fire, I will do it for you even if I have to risk my head!

Take these few broken guns to defend yourself first; if the ammo isn't enough, just say the word, I can manufacture them here!"

Li Taiping looked at this message full of brotherhood atmosphere and shook his head with a smile.

This guy, sure enough, did not disappoint him.

As expected of someone from the military, this straightforwardness really suits his temperament.

He readily accepted the guns and ammunition.

Five silver-black revolvers lay quietly in the warehouse, flashing with a bright metallic luster.

"The girls, come out and get your equipment!"

Li Taiping turned around and shouted towards the cabin.

He was already a bit impatient, wanting to see how powerful this gift from his "arms dealer ally" really was.