27: Fruit of Wisdom

The Natural Selection's massive hull arced gracefully through the sky, turning around and flying at high speed towards the green resource point.

It flew for less than five minutes.

Ahead, the sea was covered with countless floating objects.

It was a large cluster of supply crates, dozens of old wooden and iron boxes, bobbing up and down with the waves.

Around the cluster of crates, a scene reminiscent of a doomsday ukiyo-e was unfolding.

Several rickety rafts, cobbled together from planks and plastic barrels, not even qualifying as D-class, were frantically using hooks, and even bare hands, to retrieve supplies.

Further away, there were a few slightly better C-class fishing boats, their occupants watching each other warily, salvaging items while guarding against a potential sneak attack from behind.

The air was thick with tension and greed.

When the enormous, sky-darkening shadow of the Natural Selection loomed over them, all the frantic scrambling ceased abruptly.

A dead silence fell over the sea.

Everyone looked up, staring blankly at the colossal steel beast that descended from the sky, like a creation of the gods.

The next second, panic erupted.

"Wh-what the hell is that thing!"

"Run! Run!"

Terrified screams rose and fell, and the players who had just been fighting to the death over a box of biscuits now wished their parents had given them two more legs, paddling their makeshift boats desperately, scrambling to escape in all directions.

In the chaos, only one boat remained still.

It was an A-class white sailboat, with sleek lines and a towering mast, looking particularly striking amidst the surrounding wreckage.

Although the several people on board were pale and their hands trembled as they clutched their weapons, they forcibly suppressed the urge to flee, simply staring intently at the Natural Selection descending from the sky.

Lin Mo couldn't be bothered with these ants.

He piloted the Natural Selection, slowly descending onto the sea, its massive hull stirring up rings of white spray.

"Come on, let's go down and see what we've salvaged."

He called out, taking the lead towards the deck.

Gu Nianqiu, already excited, quickly followed. Gu Zhixia, carrying her spear, gave a wary glance at the sailboat that hadn't left, then also followed.

Lin Mo stood on the deck, and with a thought, the ship's grappling hook module immediately activated.

The thick alloy grappling hooks, like predatory raptors, precisely extended into the sea, capable of retrieving three or four supply crates at once, with astonishing efficiency.

Soon, a small mountain of crates piled up on the deck.

The three began to sort them.

[Compressed Biscuits * 50]

[Bottled Fresh Water * 30]

[Fresh Vegetables * 30kg]

[Fresh Meat * 10kg]

[Metal Blocks * 55]

[Wood * 80]

[Gunpowder * 40]

Most of them were basic supplies. While not precious to them, they were perfect for replenishing their inventory.

Just then, the A-class sailboat, which had been lingering in the distance, finally couldn't hold back and slowly, cautiously, approached.

A tall man stood at the bow, shouting at Lin Mo with all his might from dozens of meters away.

"Boss! Hello, boss! We mean no harm!"

Lin Mo didn't even lift his head, continuing to organize the supplies, completely ignoring him.

Seeing this, the man gritted his teeth and shouted again: "Boss! We are the 'Koi' team! We are willing to follow you! We only ask for your protection!"

"Not interested in taking on a few good-for-nothings."

Lin Mo finally spoke, his voice not loud, but it carried clearly.

It was cold and devoid of any emotion.

The words "good-for-nothings" felt like two resounding slaps across the faces of everyone in the "Seahorse" team.

The tall man's face instantly turned a liver-like purple, a mixture of humiliation, anger, and unwillingness etched upon it, but he clenched his fists tightly, not daring to utter a single word of rebuttal.

Because what the other party said was true.

In front of this god-tier warship, their A-class sailboat, which they were so proud of, was indeed no different from trash.

Seeing that Lin Mo was about to lead his people back into the cabin, the tall man grew anxious. As if making a major decision, he pulled out a few items from his embrace and held them high.

"Boss! Please wait! We are willing to trade!"

"We have this!"

Lin Mo's footsteps halted.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on the man's hand.

They were three fist-sized fruits, a dreamy pale purple color throughout, with peculiar spiral patterns on their surface, emitting a faint glow.

Most importantly, Lin Mo saw the system annotation floating above the fruits.

[Special Grade Ingredient]

Lin Mo's pupils slightly contracted.

Beside him, Gu Nianqiu let out a gasp, her large eyes fixed on the fruits, almost drooling.

"Brother Mo... it's... it's a Special Grade Ingredient!"

The Little Girl's voice trembled.

In her hands, this item could be used to create dishes that permanently increased attributes!

Lin Mo's gaze became playful.

He looked at the man opposite him, his voice still calm.

"State your conditions."

Seeing a chance, the tall man's face instantly lit up with wild joy, and he quickly said, "We don't want anything else! We only ask that you, boss, can give us some compressed biscuits and water!"

He pointed to his crew, a hint of pleading in his voice.

"We... we haven't had a good meal in two days."

Trading Special Grade Ingredients that permanently increase attributes for the most basic food and water.

This deal sounded absurd, but in this apocalypse, it was incredibly real.

Survival always came first.

"Alright."

Lin Mo nodded.

"But I want all three of these fruits."

"Also, I need to know which island these were found on. Give me the coordinates."

"No problem! Absolutely no problem!"

The tall man agreed without a second thought.

For them, although that island had treasures, it was also full of unknown dangers. They dared not explore it deeply, and exchanging these few fruits for life-saving supplies was already a huge profit.

Lin Mo stopped wasting words and added the other party as a friend.

He casually took 20 packs of compressed biscuits and 10 bottles of mineral water from the recently opened supply crates and sent them directly through the trading system.

Almost at the same time, the transaction was completed.

Three fruits emitting a faint purple glow appeared in Lin Mo's system backpack.

At the same time, the tall man sent the specific coordinates of the island, which was about 150km from their current location.

[Name: fruit of wisdom (Special Grade Ingredient)]

[Effect: When consumed directly, permanently increases 1 point of spiritual power.]

[Note: Can achieve maximum efficacy when cooked by a Master Chef.]