Chapter Sixty-Three: Imprint Skills

To prevent the two dodo birds from escaping, Qin Fei crafted a wooden cage to confine them. Outside the cave, the heavy rain had long since ceased.

Qin Fei left the cave’s entrance behind. Today, he intended to head near the Red Tower to collect an Imprint Skill.

In fact, Qin Fei’s current position was roughly equidistant from both the Red Ark and the Green Ark. Yet, in terms of danger, the Red Ark on the coast was far safer than the Green Ark further inland.

He rode Big Nose the whole way. Though the creature looked plump, its running speed was anything but slow. Even a bull-dinosaur Qin Fei encountered along the way could not keep up with Big Nose.

Before long, Qin Fei arrived near the Red Ark. However, he did not approach immediately. To guard against any ambushes nearby, he hid in the surrounding grass for a full hour, observing carefully.

No one appeared. This was understandable—there were fewer than eighteen survivors left on the island, yet three arks dotted the land. Considering the island’s vast expanse, even if a survivor lay in wait near an ark all day, they might not encounter another soul.

Moreover, even if someone did manage to ambush another survivor, they would only gain the initiative; there was no guarantee they could actually win the fight. Therefore, staking out an ark for an ambush was far less practical than seeking out survival resources scattered across the island.

Once convinced no one was around, Qin Fei ascended the high platform where the Red Ark stood. The platform was surrounded by water on all sides, and its elevation was considerable. Only two narrow paths led to the top.

A survivor standing here would be a sitting duck if attacked—nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

To be safe, Qin Fei donned the military armor stored in his backpack.

At the center of the platform stood a circular operations terminal. Qin Fei placed his hand upon it.

A stream of information composed of zeroes and ones flowed from the Red Ark’s terminal, piercing into the diamond-shaped crystal embedded in Qin Fei’s wrist.

[Red Ark Terminal Data Downloading…]

[Random Imprint Skill Acquired: ‘Mastery of Stone Construction’!]

[Fixed Imprint Skill Acquired: ‘Basic Constitution Enhancement’!]

He had gained two new skills in total.

According to the system’s interface, ‘Mastery of Stone Construction’ was a random skill, likely unique to him alone.

As for the fixed skill, ‘Basic Constitution Enhancement’—

Qin Fei surmised that every survivor who came to collect a skill at the Ark would receive this one.

[Mastery of Stone Construction: Allows the user to gradually transform stone materials in their backpack into a stone building. The size of the structure is controlled by the user.]

[Basic Constitution Enhancement: Passive effect. Doubles the survivor’s strength, physique, reaction speed, and other physical attributes compared to an average person! This skill’s effects do not stack.]

Once the skills were obtained, a warm current surged from the crystal on Qin Fei’s wrist, flowing throughout his body.

He could clearly feel his physique strengthening under the influence of this warmth. Suddenly, everything around him seemed sharper, more vivid—the roar of waves crashing on the distant beach, the faint rustling of grass in the breeze, every subtle change in his environment stood out with newfound clarity.

Qin Fei surmised that the enhancement did more than boost strength and speed; it likely heightened the five senses as well.

If every survivor on the island could acquire this constitution-boosting skill, the effectiveness of crossbows and shotguns in future battles would be greatly diminished. With their improved attributes, survivors could now just barely react to and even evade such weapons.

Once he finished receiving his skills, Qin Fei mounted Big Nose and started back the way he had come.

In the short time he had spent at the Red Ark, he noticed the sandy beach by the sea had vanished. More precisely, the rising tide had submerged all the surrounding sand.

As the sea level climbed, the habitable area of the island was steadily shrinking.

At present, Qin Fei’s temporary shelter was the cave where the Hunter’s Artifact lay—a spot perilously close to the shore. If the water continued to rise, the cave would soon be underwater. He needed to quickly find a new, hidden place to live.

On the way, Qin Fei spotted a green pillar of light in the distant sky.

A green airdrop?

Since he’d come across it, Qin Fei wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass. He gave Big Nose a pat, and the beast carried him swiftly toward the green beam.

As they neared the light, Qin Fei signaled Big Nose to stop.

Beneath the pillar, a man and a woman faced off, guns in hand.

The man seemed to be wielding a light submachine gun, while the woman held a sniper rifle without a scope. Both aimed at each other, lips moving—evidently in conversation.

Qin Fei kept his distance, afraid of being noticed, and couldn’t make out what they were saying.

After a while, the diamond-shaped crate within the green light slowly descended to the ground.

As the airdrop landed, anxiety clouded the man’s face. He said a few more words to the woman.

They seemed to reach some sort of agreement. Both crouched slowly, each placing their weapon on the ground.

Qin Fei felt a twinge of disappointment. He had hoped the two would fight, leaving both sides wounded so he could swoop in and claim the prize.

It seemed they intended to split the contents of the airdrop.

After laying down their guns, the two slowly raised their hands and stood.

Something felt off.

Sure enough, once the woman stood, a mocking smile curled at her lips.

In an instant, a handgun appeared in her hand.

Quickly drawing a weapon from one’s backpack for a surprise attack was basic protocol among survivors.

She flicked off the safety, aimed, and fired—a fluid motion. The bullet struck the man squarely in the chest.

His eyes widened in shock. Kneeling, clutching his chest, he gasped for breath, seemingly wanting to speak. But the bullet had likely punctured his lung—he could utter no words.

Qin Fei shook his head. The man had been too trusting, deceived so easily.

Most of the island’s survivors were veterans who had completed at least two missions. Yet, for many, this was their first experience with a PVP scenario, and their vigilance was lacking.

As the woman’s sneer deepened, she fired several more shots at the man.

At last, he collapsed, unable to hold himself up any longer.

Blood pooled beneath his body.

With his death, a heap of supplies materialized beside the corpse.