Chapter 140
Night fell, and the little straw house grew dim, with only the fireplace burning. The mother and daughter had no other means to keep warm, so they slept near the fireplace, covered with the remaining hay bundles.
Suddenly, there was the sound of the fence gate being violently pushed open.
The mother and daughter woke up almost instantly.
“Mom.” The little girl clutched her mother in fear. She had no memories of the past, only that her arm wounds itched. “Mom, what’s outside?”
The woman said nothing, waiting.
Finally, a strange muffled sound came from outside, followed immediately by an angry roar.
“Mom, what’s that sound?”
The woman told the girl to stay still. She took a burning torch and went outside. Half a minute later, she returned, her head covered in snow, but the torch in her hand was gone.
The orange light cast across the silent snow, and terrifying roars came from outside.
“Mom, I’m so scared.”
A gleam of satisfaction appeared in the woman’s eyes. She covered the child’s ears: “Don’t be afraid. Go back to sleep. A bear fell into a trap. This time, no one will disturb us again.”
Elsewhere, Jiang Jitang, waiting for the final result, heard the completion sound and stood up.
[Task taker has raised and maintained the mother and daughter’s happiness at 200 each. Game completed. The remaining seven players cleared the ‘Hunting’ task.]
[Game over. Outsiders please leave in ten minutes.]
A notification bubble popped up:
[Congratulations to the tasker for completing the ‘Heating the Dilapidated House’ challenge: 400 points, a Wishing Star, and the ‘Safe House’ souvenir.]
[Safe House: A safe house with a fireplace and fish soup. Players may enter; light can enter; enemies cannot. Single-use item, usable only in one instance. Location cannot be moved after use.]
Jiang Jitang received the small Safe House charm. Before he could examine it, seven disheveled players appeared from the other side of the small forest—some shot, some with broken arms or legs. Upon seeing one of them, he froze for two seconds.
They were equally shocked.
The prince, whose crown had long disappeared, dragged a partially disabled leg, astonished to see the person standing there. That was the legendary external aid.
But his surprise was unlike anyone else’s.
Though masked, the clothing, the figure, the eyes… Mr. Jiang?!
Had the external aid appeared only now because he was in a desperate situation?
The prince, imagining this, felt both shocked and moved. He hadn’t expected that spending so little money would bring him the legendary external aid.
Yet he dared not show his excitement, clenching his fists to control his emotions.
Jiang Jitang looked away as well: what a coincidence? Pretend not to know.
The rescued players were excited. The prince being a little more excited wasn’t unusual. They had thought death was inevitable, but now, surprisingly, they could thank the external aid.
Jiang Jitang smiled and responded to their greetings, treating their severe injuries, naturally receiving sincere thanks in return.
Players who recovered looked at the game countdown. Their countdown was a minute ahead of Jiang Jitang’s. With nothing urgent, a few discussed the dungeons they had encountered.
“I know the origin of this dungeon—the infamous bear-murder incident in the Federation. A hunter, under the guise of a killing bear, slaughtered his own wife and children, then attacked traveling couples and small families, injuring them before hunting them…”
“F**, but the hunter isn’t invincible, right? How on earth could you kill it?”
Only a few minutes passed. Soon, the players had to exit, the prince among them. Having navigated complex royal circles, he acted warmly yet unfamiliar, blending seamlessly with the group.
The prince opened his eyes to find the familiar summer-style walls—unchanged from five minutes ago, except one person was missing.
“Your Highness, C-Nation healer actually…” the assistant said angrily, trying to predict possible consequences.
But the prince stopped him with a glance. The assistant sensed his displeasure, lowered his head, and withdrew: was this summer healer so important that they couldn’t report even minor errors?
A minute later, Jiang Jitang appeared.
“I apologize,” he said, acting the full role. “I miscalculated the time. I thought the dungeon would be tomorrow at this time, but it’s today.”
The prince knew Jiang Jitang wanted to keep his ‘external aid’ identity secret. Honestly, the prince didn’t mind either—enjoying such exclusive treatment was sweet. And C-Nation hadn’t publicly revealed anything, so he wouldn’t risk offending them.
“No, I should be the one thanking you. Mr. Jiang’s item saved my life.” The prince touched his long-lost jade bracelet, feeling sentimental.
Without it, the hunter’s gun would have killed him, and the external aid would never have intervened.
“I’m glad I could help. I have another one, meant for personal protection. Consider it compensation for today.”
“Compensation from Mr. Jiang? No, I’ll give you an extra thirty million dollars as thanks.”
The assistant’s eyes nearly popped. The prince, known for a bad temper, wasn’t angry; instead, he offered thirty million dollars? Truly incomprehensible.
Even more strangely, after leaving, the prince returned home immediately, actively promoting ongoing bilateral projects on desertification and desert cultivation, behaving as if half a citizen of C-Nation.
Some neutral or pro-Federation royal members said nothing.
Only C-Nation knew—they not only didn’t oppose it but wanted to leverage it for deeper cooperation, enjoying exclusive treatment from the prince.
After all, their top ten heirs were on the ‘500,000 players’ leaderboard.
C-Nation explained: exclusive treatment is rare. The external aid cannot choose whom to save; the prince was simply lucky.
The royal family could only express regret privately, giving gifts anyway—mainly gold.
Leaving a good impression might ensure their turn for ‘luck’ in the future.
C-Nation was confused. Isn’t selecting dungeons and rescue targets forbidden? How coincidental.
“I’m not sure. Perhaps mini-games are influenced by my emotions, like prioritizing those nearby?” Jiang Jitang guessed, when headquarters asked.
He had asked the system. It said the prince was only a minor factor; mainly, the update allowed choosing rescue targets.
But because it defied the Cube World’s rules, such ‘targeted rescue’ was rare and random.
So the prince was genuinely lucky.
“He remembers kindness. Next time he’s in trouble, help him.” Jiang Jitang nodded quietly, seeing two billion in the account (thirty million plus previous gifts).
Because of his guess, headquarters debated sending top city players to Jin City. But since they couldn’t predict external aid’s appearance and changing the environment recklessly would be unfair, they decided to leave things as they were.
The external aid symbolized hope; official players still had to act steadily, not rely on a superhero.
Jiang Jitang hung up. Fifteen days had passed, and new tasks awaited. He looked forward to surprises from this resource-rich world.
Task 1: Please escort ‘Lan’ out of the Lion Tribe. Payment: 180 yuan, or a beast-bone necklace. Note: some food is preferred. (Difficulty: ???, Countdown: 126:23:56)
Task 2: Please prepare winter supplies for ‘Yue.’ Payment: 700 yuan, or half a mammoth tusk. Note: warm clothing and long-lasting food required. (Difficulty: ??, Countdown: 321:27:43)”
Task 3: Please help ‘Tuo’ fulfill their last wish. Payment: 20 yuan, or a wild wheat stalk. Note: bring a tooth token. (Difficulty: ??, Countdown: 166:32:34)”
“Is this wild wheat an original strain? Useful for research?” Jiang Jitang immediately noticed the shopping money. Other items were inert, maybe decorative, but the wild wheat from a primitive civilization was more valuable.
He recalled the excitement of experts collecting the small-tailed sheep and nanmu trees. Seventy or eighty-year-olds, just as thrilled as young boys and girls, speaking terminology he couldn’t understand.
“What could her last wish be?” Jiang Jitang opened the task details.
He saw a female warrior lying on the ground, already dead, with snakebite marks on her exposed thigh. The wound was black and the surrounding area bruised.
He noticed she clutched a dead snake. Even with her strength, she couldn’t withstand the venom, yet she took its life in the end.
“Her last wish… to return her body? Did ancient people also have the concept of returning home?” he wondered, reading further.
“Kind-hearted person, please take the fruits and tooth token in my pocket back to the tribe. Tell them these fruits are edible, with thick skin, and can be stored for a long time.
“There are many fallen fruits here. Collect them before birds and beasts take them. Store enough food before winter.
“As thanks, dear kind-hearted person, the wild wheat in the jar is my gift.
“Don’t despise the small gift. When the ice melts, scatter it on wet soil; when the leaves turn yellow, you can harvest abundantly.
“There are colorful poisonous snakes here; I’ve killed them. Don’t be afraid. Remind my people to be careful when collecting fruits—death and harvest coexist.
“Tell my child, ‘Xi,’ there will be plenty of food this winter, but don’t eat it all at once. Count two hands’ worth each day, and return the rest. Salt is in the innermost jar. Don’t go out in the rain, don’t touch fire. Remember all this. I cannot return.
“This brave warrior is returning to the sacred land. Farewell, everyone.”
