321: Chapter 323 Departure! Leaving the cave and completing the dungeon!

Today is a day worth remembering for Dragon Country.

Because from today onwards, various regions of Dragon Country will no longer be restricted by water resources.

The people have achieved freedom of drinking water.

Of course! It will still take some time to realize the goal of every household having running water at home.

But what does that matter?

Because hope is just ahead.

In the Dragon Country Live Stream Room, some foreign friends sent congratulatory messages.

Mao Xiong: "Congratulations to Dragon Country for completely achieving water resource freedom."

Dog Tycoon: "Elder Li, once Dragon Country stabilizes, sell some water to our country, feel free to name the price."

White Goose: "I haven't seen what clean water looks like for a long time.

Can our Dragon Country friends take a photo for us to see?"

North Korea: "The Dragon Country Masses aren't saying much in the live broadcast room; I guess they've mostly gone out to see the river."

"I really want to go see the river with our Dragon Country friends!"

"Speaking of which, after so many lifespan rewards, the average lifespan in Dragon Country must have exceeded 200 by now, right?"

"It definitely hasn't exceeded 200, but it must be close."

"And with the physical enhancements, isn't the average Dragon Country person a little superman now?"

"I'm really envious!"

"When the world gets better, I want to marry a Dragon Country girl as my wife!!"

"Hahaha! I want to marry a Dragon Country man, they must be very fierce. (Blushes)"

"Forget it, person above, given the current gap between us and Dragon Country people.

I'm afraid by the time we become old, Dragon Country people will still be in their middle age."

"It feels like Dragon Country people are no longer the same race as us."

"Do you think this counts as species evolution on another level?"

"..."

The [National Fortune Announcement] continued, but this time it was exclusive to An Ke alone.

[Dragon Country Player Number One An Ke has obtained 6 'all-purpose upgrade cards' and 5 'Blue Energy Particles'.]

In the live broadcast, the corners of An Ke's mouth curled up uncontrollably.

He could upgrade his abilities again.

Upgrading abilities now didn't just improve An Ke's personal strength, but could enhance the overall strength of the entire team.

After all, An Ke could [Share] his abilities.

Currently, An Ke's [Double Jump: Glide] was at the highest level, Level 3.

Then followed [Spider Foresight] and [Portable Space], both of which were Level 2.

Other abilities, such as [Immunity to All Poisons], [Ocean Affinity Constitution], and so on, were all Level 1.

An Ke didn't start the upgrade process immediately.

Now that he had the sharing function of [Natural Affinity], An Ke had to carefully consider which ability to upgrade to maximize the team's strength enhancement.

An Ke then looked at the [Blue Energy Particles].

He had obtained 1 before, making a total of 6.

According to the description, this thing could be used to upgrade special equipment within the game.

An Ke didn't know what the special equipment in the game was yet, so he could only set them aside for now and explore their function later.

The rewards for this hidden achievement were quite generous, but An Ke felt a slight regret.

Because there was no reward of a revival coin.

For things like revival coins, the more the better.

It was equivalent to having an extra life, increasing one's margin for error.

Moreover, the sharing function of [Natural Affinity] allowed the revival coin to be used on animals.

This raised the value of the revival coin by several levels.

Sigh! What a pity!

Pulling his thoughts back, An Ke stood up and said, "Since the fire is out, let's set off and leave the cave."

"Yay!! Little Mouse, I really miss the sun."

Three Hairs sat on An Ke's head, very excited.

"Old Crocodile, I'm going to have a good sunbathe once I'm out.

It's been so long since I've basked in the sun that moss is starting to grow on my back."

"Hehe! Finally, we can go back to the Bamboo Village and have a good rest."

"..."

The animals and savages hadn't seen the sun for several days and were stifled.

When An Ke said they were leaving the cave, every one of them was extremely excited.

"Barbie, do you want to come with us?"

An Ke looked at the Hippopotamus pack and asked.

Barbie Hippopotamus pondered and didn't answer immediately.

The other hippos didn't answer right away either.

It wasn't that they didn't want to leave with An Ke, but their situation was quite special.

As semi-aquatic animals, their Habitat required a large amount of water resources.

Without water, they would die quickly.

The environment in the cave was very suitable for them.

Not only was there plenty of water, but it also avoided the scorching sun, allowing them to stay on land longer.

If they followed An Ke out of the cave, their current comfortable life would be disrupted.

At that time, not only would they be in trouble, but they would also cause trouble for An Ke.

Besides, the severe winter season was only a month away.

There really was no benefit to going out.

"I know what you're worried about." An Ke saw that the hippos were hesitant and spoke with a smile.

"As for the Habitat, you don't need to worry; I'll help you solve it."

"As for the upcoming winter, I'll also find a way to get through it."

"..."

An Ke planned to establish the Bamboo Village as his base.

Next, he had to consider farming, and this group of hippos, "walking manure-making" machines—to put it another way, the best "walking organic fertilizer."

He could have them take care of the crops.

This was why An Ke invited the hippo group.

"Boss, if we follow you, will we really not cause you any trouble?"

"No!" An Ke waved his hand.

"Wahahaha!" Barbie Hippopotamus burst into a hearty laugh.

"Then we will follow you to see the world outside!"

"Hahaha! It's been a long time since I've seen the scenery outside; I wonder what the world has become now."

"I'm really looking forward to it!"

"..."

With An Ke's assurance, the hippos all responded positively to An Ke's invitation.

At this moment, "L-Lord..."

"W-We don't like sunlight, can we stay here?"

The voice came from the Giant Centipedes, which were tied up like large mantis shrimps.

"Yes! Lord, please let us go."

"We promise to rot in this cave for the rest of our lives and never cause you any trouble."

"Just treat us like a fart and let us go."

"..."

The Giant Centipedes weren't joking; as long as An Ke was willing to let them go.

They would absolutely never go out again.

An Ke's group was truly terrifying, like a bunch of malevolent stars.

"No!" An Ke smiled.

The Giant Centipedes' unique burrowing ability had many uses.

For example, An Ke's initial idea of plowing fields, and the upcoming water diversion project.

In short, with this group of professional "burrowers," An Ke's future development of the Camp would be twice as effective with half the effort.

So An Ke couldn't possibly let them go.

The Giant Centipedes were dejected, seemingly envisioning their future as "labor monkeys."

Finally, there were the Golden Silk Spiders, scientific name Nephila pilipes.

They didn't even need An Ke to speak; they had already decided to follow him.

Thus, An Ke's team expanded once again.

"Set off! Leave the cave and welcome the sun!"

...

...

Led by the Silly Husky and the Wolf Pack, An Ke's group set off for the exit.

Because of the fire, the ground along the way was charred black, and charred trees could be seen everywhere.

On the way, An Ke came across the Pelican Spiders that had been consumed by the fire.

They were all charred black by the fire, having died a miserable death.

Some seemed to be fighting each other before they died, their corpses clumped together.

Just as An Ke was about to sigh with emotion, he saw the Old Crocodile Couple excitedly wiggling their bodies toward them.

"Wahahaha! It didn't take any effort at all. dear one, let Old Crocodile try the taste for you first."

"You old rascal, This mother sees that you just want to taste it first."

"I'm being wronged, dear one, I really wanted to test for poison for you."

"..."

An Ke not only did not stop them, he even joined in himself, tasting the meat of the Pelican Spider.

Outside, in the live broadcast room.

"What the?! What is Boss An doing?"

"Could it be that he wants to eat spiders?"

"Will this kind of thing taste good? I think it's a bit disgusting."

"It makes me frown just watching."

"..."

The viewers watched in the live broadcast room as An Ke pulled off a spider leg and then used his hand to dig out the meat inside and put it into his mouth.

They all felt terrified and a bit nauseous.

Old Crocodile and the others are animals; eating spiders is acceptable.

But is it necessary for An Ke to eat spider meat?

He still has plenty of food reserves, right?

Most of the viewers didn't understand.

In the program, Kang Hui, Sa Beining, and Liu Yifei were also watching with furrowed brows.

But seeing An Ke eating with a greasy face and great relish in the broadcast, they couldn't help but be a bit curious.

They couldn't help but look at experts like Coach Zhao, Professor Wu, and Professor Qin.

"This question should be answered by Xiao Liang; the biological field he previously focused on was entomology."

"@Professor Xiao Liang, can you tell us, is spider meat really delicious?"

In the high-level conference room, Xiao Liang sent a bullet comment:

"According to records from the old era, spiders and Crabs have a certain close relationship.

They both belong to the phylum Arthropoda; Crabs belong to the class Crustacea, while spiders belong to the class Arachnida.

Records of research suggest their common ancestor might have been a creature similar to a Velvet Worm.

Velvet Worms are also called Onychophora. By studying their brains, scientists found that their brains have striking similarities to those of spiders, and by studying their DNA, they found that they are not only close relatives of spiders but also close relatives of Crabs..."

The tagged Xiao Liang directly sent a long string of hardcore science popularization in the bullet comment.

And this science popularization stunned many people.

"Are you serious? Spiders and Crabs Share the same ancestor?"

"Since the two sides are closely related, doesn't that mean spider meat is similar to crab meat?"

"Holy crap! Put like that, I'm starting to crave it."

"Oversized 'crab' meat, I really want to taste it."

"Spider: Family, who understands? I tried my best to grow into something that looks inedible."

"As long as it's protein, anything can be eaten."

"I have an idea. Didn't a bunch of Golden Silk Spiders manifest earlier?

We could achieve spider meat freedom through large-scale farming."

Dragon Country General: "I think it's a capital idea!"

"Whoa! The General has spoken."

"Forget it, better drop that idea."

"..."

Right now, the spider silk of the Golden Silk Spider is an important material for Dragon Country's revival and rise.

It absolutely cannot be released into the market; otherwise, if it falls into the hands of other countries, that would be bad.

Therefore, the Golden Silk Spiders cannot be sold and must be strictly controlled by the authorities.

In the broadcast.

An Ke's group finished eating all the Pelican Spiders.

Although there were over 170 Pelican Spider corpses, most had been burnt to charcoal by the fire and were inedible.

Only a few were edible, so there wasn't nearly enough to go around.

"These things are fierce, but the meat is delicious." Leopard Mom said, still wanting more.

"Yeah, it's a pity most of them are inedible now."

Tiger Mom said regretfully.

"Aren't there some ready-made ones right here?" Jingang fluttered into the air and said to the other animals.

He was referring exactly to the Golden Silk Spiders following behind them.

The Old Crocodile Couple, Huahua, A Giao, and other animals, as well as the savages, all looked toward the Golden Silk Spiders.

Oh right! Aren't there ready-made ones here?

They're all spiders; the taste shouldn't be too different.

The Golden Silk Spiders felt a chill down their spines being stared at by the animals and savages.

They didn't have enough to eat; they wouldn't eat them too, would they?

Of course! With An Ke there, such a thing couldn't happen.

After all, the value of a living Golden Silk Spider was higher than a roasted one.

After eating and drinking their fill, An Ke's group continued on their way.

Although An Ke felt that the Pelican Spiders were likely the final "level" in the dungeon, he still remained vigilant for any sudden changes that might occur at any time.

However, until the very end, no more creatures appeared.

"That's sunlight!! Old Crocodile said excitedly.

"We've finally reached the cave entrance!" Savage Yi was also jubilant, quickening his pace.

Sunlight is indispensable to every life; not having seen the sun for days, all the animals felt excitement from the bottom of their hearts.

An Ke was no exception.

After spending several days in a lightless environment, seeing the sun again gave him a long-lost sense of sudden enlightenment and openness.

But what made An Ke's heart pound the most was the reward for completing the dungeon, as well as the milestone reward for reaching 10% exploration progress.

He wondered what he would get.

And what kind of challenges would the second stage of the game bring?

All the unknowns made An Ke quite excited.

Amidst a thousand thoughts, An Ke stepped out of the shadows in the cave.

The dazzling sunlight immediately made An Ke's eyes squint slightly.

The long-lost warmth enveloped An Ke's body, driving away the cold within him.

As humans are warm-blooded animals, the feeling wasn't actually that obvious.

But for cold-blooded animals like the Old Crocodile Couple and Aman, their experience was different.

"Ah!!"

Old Crocodile let out a comfortable shout: "It's so warm!"

"So comfortable!"

"Ah~~~!" Sister-in-law Crocodile also shouted out in comfort.

She said to Old Crocodile with a smile:

"You old rascal, even the sun isn't as comfortable as you."

Old Crocodile's heart immediately took a critical hit.

The other animals and savages also pleasantly allowed the sunlight to shine on them, enjoying it leisurely.

And just as An Ke closed his eyes to enjoy the warmth, the announcement of the [National Fortune Game] sounded:

[Dragon Country Player Number One An Ke has completed the S-rank difficulty dungeon.

The first stage dungeon has ended; contestants still in the dungeon will automatically leave the dungeon in 2 minutes...]

This announcement sounded in the global live broadcast rooms and also notified all the National Destiny Bearers.

On the island, the surviving National Destiny Bearers from various places reacted differently.

The Samba Country National Destiny Bearer shook her head helplessly and said with a lost smile:

"As expected, Dragon Country's An Ke was the first to complete the dungeon."

She wasn't too disappointed because she had already been mentally prepared.

"I really want to see for myself what kind of man the Dragon Country Contestant is, to have such great strength."

...

Over on the Kimchi Country Contestant's side.

"sibal! Just a little bit more, and first place would have been mine!!"

..."}],