29: Chapter 29 Rising Hope

The moment the push notification was completed, Yang Hang clearly felt a fine ripple spread across the silent lake of energy in the Karmic Star Sea—the faint fluctuations of consciousness from 1.4 billion people receiving the notification simultaneously gathered together, unexpectedly creating a slight resonance.

He didn't rush to check the feedback, instead stretching his stiff fingers first.

A sense of hunger welled up at an inopportune moment.

He glanced at the bionic maid beside him, who immediately brought over the steak and drink that had already been prepared.

Meanwhile.

Across the Magic Sea, countless survivors stopped what they were doing at almost the exact same second.

Some were butchering fish, their knives suspended in mid-air.

Some were rowing, their oars stuck in the water, forgotten.

Some were crouching at the bow pulling in fishing nets, the ropes slipping right out of their hands.

Everyone's attention was pinned to that pop-up window.

"magic sea compass?"

"Four major modules?"

"One point per day?"

"Weather warning, advanced features also one point a day?"

The hesitation lasted only half a second.

People who had been drifting on the Magic Sea for three days knew all too well what "not knowing what is around you" meant.

It meant potentially crashing into a shark school the next second, it meant there was fresh water three nautical miles away while you were dying of thirst, it meant you might be drying fish on deck when a storm hit, it meant hunting a sea beast you thought was low-risk, when it was highly likely a high-Rank sea beast.

Especially on the eve of the unknown, terrifying sea beast tide that all survivors were about to face.

One karmic point didn't buy a scan; it bought a life.

As for the advanced weather warning feature that required additional karma points, that could wait until there was a concrete need.

The survivors clicked open the magic sea compass one after another.

In the top right corner of the Fate Platform interface, a compass icon had appeared, with a deep blue background and tiny, glowing specks slowly rotating on its surface.

Clicking into it, it was so concise that it didn't seem like something that belonged in an apocalyptic survival setting.

The home page featured four module entrances.

Resource Map: A radar chart centered on oneself unfolded.

Green dots represented resources—shipwrecks, driftwood, drifting supply crates—labeled with their general category and distance.

Selecting a dot allowed one to see more detailed information: [Shipwreck wreckage (wood), suspected to contain metal containers inside, recommended to bring tools for salvage].

Sea Area Scan: Red dots represented sea beasts, varying in size, with movement trajectories marked by light red dashed lines.

Small dots represented common sea beasts, larger ones represented dangerous species, and clusters of red dots meant schools of fish.

Hovering the cursor over them displayed: [Serrated Fish school, quantity approximately 30, moderate aggression, recommended to detour].

Weather Warning: Blue patches represented areas of weather changes, with the depth of color representing wind force Rank.

The edges noted the estimated time of arrival: [Level 7 storm, arriving in two hours, please reinforce the Houseboat in advance].

The three functions were clear at a glance, but what truly stunned everyone was the fourth one.

Personal Information Panel.

Someone clicked it instinctively.

The interface expanded.

[Name: Zhang Weiguo]

[Age: 34]

[Talent: Primary Shipbuilding (can repair, modify, and build low-Rank Houseboat)]

[Vigor: 7/10 (Stamina value, affects activity efficiency)]

[Qi: 5/10 (Blood Qi value, falling below 3 will result in weakness)]

[Spirit: 6/10 (Mental value, falling below 2 will make it impossible to concentrate)]

[Health: 78/100 (Comprehensive status, reaching zero means elimination)]

[Status: Mild dehydration (needs fresh water supplement), mild hunger (eating recommended)]

[Estimated Lifespan: 82 years (based on current status)]

[Item List: Rotten Wood-Rank Houseboat × 1, Salted Fish × 3, Fresh Water × 500ml, Broken Fishing Net × 1, Stone Dagger × 1]

Zhang Weiguo stared at this string of numbers, frozen in place.

It wasn't that he hadn't felt it—he was thirsty, hungry, his body felt a bit weak; he knew that.

But exactly how weak? He didn't know.

How long could he hold out? He didn't know.

How many days could that jug of fresh water last if he rationed it? Still didn't know.

Now he knew everything.

Clearly and distinctly.

He clicked open his item list and saw a note next to the three salted fish: [Cured, can be stored for 7 days].

Next to that jug of fresh water was a note: [Recommended to boil before drinking, can reduce the risk of bacterial infection].

—

The World Echo had completely exploded.

"Th-this, why do I feel like we have a hope of surviving as I look at this?"

"There's a rule in the Beast Tide announcement that you can run if you can't win. With this, can we avoid the Beast Tide gathering spots in advance and plan a safe route to fight a guerrilla war? Is it real? I want to activate it, I want to activate it!!!"

"Holy crap!!! What kind of god-tier feature is this panel!!!"

An ID named "Salted Fish Drifting at Sea" was spamming the chat: "I clicked in and it directly displayed my current physical condition, and even told me how to fix it. Is that lifespan for real?"

"Wait, can we also see other people's panels?" someone asked.

"Yes, I tried it. I clicked on a stranger's ID, and a pop-up said it requires 5 points to view basic information, and it also requires the other party's consent."

"Isn't that just being redundant and a money grab?"

"Money grab my ass! Are you willing to let people see your assets whenever they want?"

"...I guess that's true."

"Look at the Weather Warning quickly!!!" another voice chimed in, "Large blue patches in the southwest direction, Level 7 winds, estimated to arrive in two hours!!! Brothers rowing, find a place to take cover immediately!!!"

"Same here!!! Clusters of red dots in the southeast direction!!! It's a Bloodthirsty Shark school!!! There are over twenty of them!!!"

"Night navigation is saved, waaaaah!!!"

The survivors in that sea area were instantly in a chaotic scramble, but they were also simultaneously excited.

Someone roared in the regional echo: "Run!!! Run, damn it!!! There's a school of Bloodthirsty Sharks in the southeast!!! They're coming our way!!!"

Three minutes later, the school of sharks swam past the position they had just occupied, kicking up a spray of bloody waves.

Someone collapsed at the bow, gasping for air, then roared at the Fate Platform: "compass!!! You saved my life!!! Save my life again tonight, and from now on, you're my dad."

Meanwhile, the Resource Map was also frantically creating surprises.

"Guys, who is in the northern region of the Magic Sea? I followed a green dot and found a shipwreck!!! Three crates of fresh water, two bags of biscuits, and a speargun!!!"

"??? Lucky bastard!!! Give me a share!!!"

"Get lost!!!"

"I found a pile of driftwood here too!!! Just in time to repair the boat!!!"

"That red dot in the northwest is moving!!!" a trembling voice came through, "It's such a large area!!! Three times bigger than the shark school from earlier!!! What the hell is that???"

"Bloodthirsty Whale school." someone replied calmly, "My compass shows it's a whale school, detour around it, don't provoke it."

"Could it be that the big shot Yang Hang has responded to our summon?"

"Thank you, compass!!!"

"Thank you, Fate Platform!!!"

But the most heated discussions were still focused on the Personal Information Panel.