"The people from Peach Blossom Base are way too cautious! But three hours is nothing to me!"
The survivor clinging to the bottom of the speedboat let go with one hand and stretched it out.
The speedboat had been accelerating constantly, forcing him to desperately grip the handhold. Luckily, he had wrapped his fingers in cloth, but even so, he felt like they were about to break.
Once the speedboat reached its maximum velocity and began moving at a constant speed, he could finally relax a little.
’I’d better not follow them all the way to Peach Blossom Base this time!’
The survivor under the speedboat made his decision. He was worried that if the cautious people from Peach Blossom Base decided to check the bottom of their boat, he’d be in danger.
He wasn’t confident enough to take on an entire base by himself, especially one as mysterious as Peach Blossom Base.
Almost every survivor considered Peach Blossom Base to be both mysterious and powerful.
No other base would be willing to trade fresh Cherry Tomatoes for all sorts of inedible plants.
As the survivor kept pace with the speedboat, the water resistance seemed to have little effect on him. His mouth opened and closed in a steady rhythm, and on both sides of his neck, two rows of gill covers did the same.
He actually had gills just like a fish! The constant opening and closing of the gill covers on his neck was an incredibly bizarre sight.
These strange changes to his body could be traced back to a month ago.
Perhaps because he’d been caught in the rain for too long, he came down with a fever that lasted for three days and three nights. He was in absolute agony, his entire body feeling like it was about to burst apart.
In the moment before he passed out, he thought he saw his great-grandmother. Unexpectedly, he miraculously woke up three days later.
After waking up, he discovered that his body had undergone strange changes, the most obvious of which was the two rows of gill covers that had appeared on the sides of his neck.
On his boat, these gill covers remained shut tight. But as soon as he entered the water, they would start to move, just like a fish’s, allowing him to breathe underwater.
He didn’t know what had happened to him, but for now, this change had greatly increased his chances of survival.
Aboard the speedboat, Qin Haonan was completely unaware of the situation beneath his boat. He posted another message in the regional channel.
"I just completed another trade, but the other party attempted to defraud me. He only gave me half of the ginger we’d agreed upon. When I pointed it out, he showed no remorse and instead jumped off his boat and fled. I have confiscated his small boat! Let this be a warning to everyone!"
"I’m reminding all survivors: you’d better not try any funny business during trades. Otherwise, the automatic rifle in my hands might just ’go off’!"
Seeing the message Qin Haonan posted, some survivors immediately began to condemn him.
"You took the guy’s boat just because he shorted you half a piece of ginger? Isn’t that a complete disregard for human life?"
"Exactly! And you say he jumped off his boat and fled? I bet you forced him to jump at gunpoint!"
"This is a blatant threat! I suggest no one trades with Peach Blossom Base anymore!"
Qin Haonan was furious when he saw the wild accusations from the other survivors. It wasn’t like he had a camera mounted on his head; there was no video of what just happened, so he had no way to prove he hadn’t forced the man to jump.
"This is the picture of the ginger we agreed on, and this is the piece I just received in the trade. It’s obviously only half!" Qin Haonan was still trying to prove his case.
When Ren Yuanyang saw Qin Haonan’s message, he shook his head slightly.
’When you try to justify yourself in a situation like this, you just give people more openings to attack you!’
’After all, without a video of the entire process, they can just claim you’re lying no matter what you say!’
Although Qin Haonan’s original intention was to make other survivors trade more honestly, in the eyes of the trolls, he had just given them a perfect target to rally against.
"What does that prove? Maybe you just broke it in half and then took the picture?"
"Tsk, tsk. Stealing someone’s supplies and boat, and then having the nerve to righteously condemn them here. Have you no shame?"
Ren Yuanyang immediately spoke up in support: "We at Peach Blossom Base don’t need to prove anything to anyone. We welcome those willing to trade with us in good faith with open arms. As for the survivors who maliciously speculate about us, please present your evidence. If you can’t, then shut your mouths and stop polluting the air in the regional channel!"
Qin Haonan paused for a moment, but he quickly understood the mistake he had just made.
’You can’t prove your own innocence in a situation like this, so you make them provide the proof. That’s how you turn the tables and use their own words to attack them!’
’Besides, they won’t have any evidence. This completely resolves the crisis of having to prove my innocence.’
The trolls still tried to put up a fight.
"We weren’t there. We’re just making logical deductions based on what your base member said. Isn’t it a bit unreasonable to ask us for evidence?"
"If you don’t know anything, then why are you making wild accusations?" Ren Yuanyang retorted with a cold snort.
"It’s called freedom of speech, you get it?"
Seeing them resort to shameless tactics, Ren Yuanyang didn’t engage further. Instead, he posted a new message: "We had originally planned to give a bonus to the first survivor who actively sought us out for a trade in the regional channel. Unexpectedly, that person was dishonest. So, the bonus will be passed on to the next person!"
Hearing there was a bonus, everyone’s attention immediately shifted.
"What kind of bonus are you guys giving out?" a survivor asked curiously.
"In addition to the Cherry Tomatoes for the regular trade, we’ll give an extra pound as a bonus!" Ren Yuanyang replied after a moment’s thought.
"A pound! Is Peach Blossom Base really that generous?"
"Holy shit, for real? Boss, I have some plants! Trade with me first!"
"Don’t even think about it, dude above. The big shots already said they trade based on their own needs and whether it’s on their route. We don’t get to decide if a trade happens!"
"Say no more, I’m going to look for plants!"
"Where are you even going to find plants now?!"
"Go to the edge of the Second-level Wind Sea Region. The stronger the wind in the adjacent region, the more likely stuff is to get blown over. I’ve already found a lot of supplies on the edge!"
"The guy above is a good man! Thanks for the tip, I’m heading to the edge now to check it out!"
At that moment, Qin Haonan sent a private message to Ren Yuanyang: "Boss, do I really have to give the next survivor we trade with a pound of Cherry Tomatoes?"
"Yes. This will make the other survivors think of Peach Blossom Base the moment they find any plants!" Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "You should still have plenty of Cherry Tomatoes over there, right? Let’s give out bonuses for the next three trades, with the amount decreasing each time."
"Okay, Boss!" Qin Haonan replied.
Three hours passed quickly, and Qin Haonan arrived at a Second-level Wind Sea Region where over twenty small boats and other floating objects had gathered.
Sensing the speedboat had stopped, the survivor underneath listened intently for a moment and heard the sounds of human activity not far away.
’Not too many people. Perfect for me to make my move!’
The survivor detached from the bottom of the speedboat and began swimming toward the crowd.
He never broke the surface, so none of the survivors here noticed someone approaching them from underwater!
Meanwhile, Qin Haonan had already started contacting the survivors who wanted to trade with him.
"Come over to this location. I’ve already placed the Cherry Tomatoes on the inflatable raft..."
Following the same procedure as before, he had the other party approach while he watched their direction vigilantly, automatic rifle in hand.

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