95: Everyone stand up! Drink this cup of bathwater!

On the deck, the clanging of metal echoed all afternoon.

Xia Lai wore her signature racerback tank top, the neckline low, her whole body exuding a wild energy.

Her recovered mechanical right arm, "thug no. 1", was spraying blue welding light, sparks flying.

Sweat slid down her tight abdominal muscles, disappearing into her waistband.

One had to admit, this kind of tech-savvy, violent female rogue indeed possessed a wild beauty that made men unable to look away.

On the other side.

Chen Du wasn't idle either.

Leaning against the table, he was tirelessly scrolling through the [regional chat channel].

On the screen.

The text scrolled so fast it looked like gibberish, every line oozing despair.

[Anonymous Player]: Help! Who has water? I'm dying of thirst! I've been drinking my own urine for two days, and now I don't even have urine left!

[Pirate King Luffy]: Just saw a cruise ship sink, full of corpses... There's something in the water! Whatever you do, don't go in the water!!

[Pure Love Battle God]: Begging for a bottle of mineral water! I'm willing to trade my wife! She has a great body, is a dance teacher, and can do all sorts of high-difficulty poses! Only 500ml!

[I Am Big Muscle Tyrant]: You animal upstairs! ...But, got photos? I have half a bottle of yellowed rainwater, want to trade?

So tragic.

Purgatory on earth was nothing more than this.

Chen Du watched the wailing on the screen, his eyes showing no ripple of emotion.

He pulled up the ship's surveillance and casually took a screenshot of Lin Keke holding a water cup with a satisfied, silly smile.

Clicked send.

[No. 0819 God Du]: Freshly filtered recycled ice drink, tastes alright. Anyone want to trade materials for blueprints? Limited to the first three.

Message sent.

The regional channel went still for a second.

Then it exploded.

[F*ck! It's No. 0819 again! Hasn't been online for days, and the moment he shows up, he's messing with our heads?!]

[The Versailles flex is late but here! I curse you to choke on your water! Drink yourself to death!]

[Does the big boss need a leg ornament? I can warm the bed, fold quilts, and switch between loli and mature voices at will!]

[Ice drink? Are you f*cking surviving or on vacation?! My mental state is collapsing!]

After harvesting a wave of 999+ hatred points, Chen Du closed the system contentedly.

This was the joy of the apocalypse! Simple, unadorned, and boring.

He turned around.

Behind him, an oddly shaped machine, a full two meters tall, stood in the center of the deck.

Complex brass pipes, transparent glass tanks, and a bubbling reactor... it was practically a steampunk version of a giant coffee machine.

"Done and dusted!"

Xia Lai patted the machine's casing with a proud look, "No. 0819 Liquid Recycler. For this thing, I sacrificed a whole half-day of slacking off."

At this time, the core team had been called to the deck.

Everyone looked at the machine with complex expressions.

In the glass tank.

Clear, translucent liquid was slowly dripping, gathering in the drip tray at the bottom.

The liquid was crystal clear, emitting wisps of cold air.

It looked thirst-quenching.

Of course, provided one didn't think about its source being bathwater... or even that other stuff.

"Come on, everyone."

Chen Du stepped forward, elegantly picked up a goblet, and filled it halfway.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he gently swirled the glass.

He brought it to his nose and sniffed.

"Hmm... no weird smell, instead there's a faint... milky scent?"

Chen Du glanced at An Nuonuo with a half-smile, "Seems someone used quite a bit of milk body wash; it's marinated into the flavor."

An Nuonuo's face immediately turned red, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

Does... does this count as indirect that-thing?

*Gulp.*

Under the terrified, nauseated, yet slightly curious gazes of the girls.

Chen Du downed it in one go.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

"Ha..."

He licked his lips and gave his review: "nongfu spring, a bit sweet!"

"Cap... Captain... is it really drinkable?"

Xiao Ai swallowed hard.

Though psychologically repulsed, physiologically her throat was parched and burning.

"Nonsense."

Chen Du filled another cup and handed it to An Nuonuo.

"As the life commissioner, you have an obligation to taste it for everyone."

"Drink it."

His tone brooked no argument.

An Nuonuo looked at the cup of water, looking as aggrieved as a little rabbit.

This was practically a public execution!

Under the gaze of Chen Du's golden pupils, she didn't dare disobey.

She could only close her eyes and take a sudden, sharp gulp!

Do or die!

At that moment.

Her furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.

She blinked, her large watery eyes full of surprise.

"Eh?"

She had been prepared to vomit, but after the liquid entered her mouth, there was none of the fishy or pungent smell she expected.

"No taste? There's really no taste!" An Nuonuo opened her eyes in surprise.

Xia Lai tossed a half-bottle of concentrate in her hand, saying proudly: "Nonsense, I added menthol extract to mask the smell."

"Even if it were a pile of sh*t, I could make you taste toothpaste!"

"Really?"

Ye Qiu looked suspicious, "Nuonuo, you guys aren't just acting to please the Captain, are you?"

"Really!"

An Nuonuo drank the cup dry and licked her lips, "If you don't believe me, try it! It's the absolute best!"

With the first person to take the plunge, the others' psychological defenses crumbled.

Soon, the scene changed drastically.

"Whoa! It really is sweet!"

"Is this the power of technology? Sob, sob, I'm revived! Another cup!"

"Hey you, don't take mine! I want ice! I want ice cubes!"

Watching the girls who had been ready to die rather than comply a moment ago now crowding around the "urine machine" and fighting over it.

Chen Du lit a cigarette, hiding his contribution and fame.

This was the apocalypse.

Things like bottom lines are like water in a sponge.

Give it a squeeze, and it's gone.

And he was the one constantly testing and reshaping their bottom lines.

"Eaten and drunk, time for business."

Chen Du blew out a smoke ring, his gaze shifting to the bottom of the cabin.

Since the water problem was solved, the meat reserves had to keep up next.

Using the large amount of materials seized from the God-Forsaken Land and the ferry system's modification modules,

He had Xia Lai carve out a ten-cubic-meter freezer in the bilge.

When the first wisp of cold air leaked from the freezer door crack.

The girls let out cheers even more high-pitched than when they drank the bathwater, as if it were New Year's.

"Ice! It's really ice!"

"Does this mean we can drink iced Coke in the future?!"

Chen Du smiled, but his eyes looked toward the distant, pitch-black sea.

"Iced Coke?"

"Small thinking."

"In the future, even if we catch a sea monster, we'll be able to have a fresh sashimi feast."

While the girls were cheering for the ice cubes and imagining a beautiful future.

No one noticed.

Outside the railing, the dead-silent Sea of Despair suddenly rippled.

Layers of waves stopped eerily, replaced by giant bubbles constantly rising to the surface.

Something massive was breathing under the sea... and then.

Smash!

Li Yaozhi's expression suddenly changed drastically, her water cup falling to the ground and shattering.

An Nuonuo also turned pale, devoid of color.

The ahoge on her head trembled violently; it was a signal that she sensed extreme danger.

"Cap... Captain!!"

An Nuonuo pointed at the deck beneath her feet: "Below! There's a big guy under the water... rushing up!!"