Starting With a Reef [Global Survival]

Yun Luohe closed her eyes, focusing, shifting the direction of [Scanning Eye] from horizontal to vertical—straight down.
In her awareness, the desert’s sandy surface turned transparent. Everything hidden beneath came into view.
Finally, three meters beneath the array node, she saw a massive shape.
A giant lizard.
Its body was ten times larger than the three lizards she had just slain.
Yun Luohe’s eyes snapped open. That thing was enormous.
Definitely a boss-tier creature.
But why hadn’t it come out?
By logic, the moment she approached the array node, it should have surfaced.
Now she had already built the teleportation array, even killed three mutant lizards, making plenty of noise.
She observed the giant lizard more closely.
Then she realized—
It was laying eggs. Steam rose from its body.
Through [Scanning Eye], Yun Luohe saw dozens of lizard eggs.
Next to them was even a newborn lizard, freshly birthed.
This species could lay eggs and give live birth at the same time.
She counted—twenty-eight eggs.
The eggs glowed red-hot, steaming under the heat.
The giant lizard suddenly shifted its body, curling protectively over the clutch.
So that was why it hadn’t moved against her.
But in shifting, it exposed a dark hole behind it.
A half-meter wide tunnel.
[Scanning Eye] couldn’t penetrate further, but Yun Luohe didn’t need to—there had to be something valuable inside.
So she really would have to go down.
But would that make the giant lizard think she was after its young?
If so, it might attack.
But giving up wasn’t an option.
Without further hesitation, Yun Luohe drew her tools and began to dig.
Three meters wasn’t deep. Soon she tunneled into the lizard’s chamber.
A wave of stench hit her.
The creature’s back was lined with bony spikes, its purple-crested head marking it as no ordinary beast.
Yun Luohe didn’t want a fight. Her goal was the tunnel behind it.
If it gave her passage, she had no intention of striking it.
So she tried communication.
She activated her [Beast Speech] taming skill, making gestures and murmuring to show she meant no harm, that she only wanted to pass.
Of course, it might be guarding the tunnel. If it refused, she would have to fight.
Yun Luohe fixed her gaze on it, ready to draw the Thunder Vortex Trident at the first sign of aggression.
But the lizard seemed to understand. «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» It gave her a long look, shifted its bulk, moved the newborn aside, and uncovered part of the tunnel mouth. Then it turned its head and closed its eyes.
So it wouldn’t interfere.
Yun Luohe exhaled in relief.
Good.
She crept into the tunnel.
Darkness pressed in. She pulled out her Fluorite Lantern, glowing brighter the deeper the dark.
As she stepped inside, the floor suddenly gave way. She instinctively leapt, plunging a dagger into the wall to hold herself. When she looked up, her face went grim.
Another lizard.
Even larger.
If the female was outside, this must be the male. Its eyes glared with cold hostility, fangs bared.
Yun Luohe’s grip on the dagger whitened her knuckles.
The cavern shook as rubble fell. The beast’s massive bulk filled the tunnel, dark-green scales shimmering under lantern-light, its throat rumbling a growl. The stench was suffocating.
Trouble.
Now she understood why the female let her pass so easily.
It was a trap. The female was laying eggs, leaving the guarding duty to the male.
And she had thought it was kindness.
But…
“Killing you should be worth a lot of points.”
At her whisper, the male lunged.
Jaws wide, it came straight for her.
Yun Luohe reacted instantly, kicking off the wall like a loosed arrow, retreating.
At the same time, a blast of lightning erupted from her trident, striking the beast head-on.

[Skill—Vortex Pierce!]
The lizard shrieked, writhing in pain.
…Strange. The damage was amplified.
The Thunder Vortex Trident normally dealt bonus damage to aquatic creatures, with a chance to stun.
But this wasn’t a sea beast—so why was it stunned?
Could it be related to marine species?
She thought of sea iguanas. Even mosasaurs—distant relatives.
Maybe this was a desert strain with aquatic ancestry.
While her thoughts raced, the lizard recovered, eyes blazing.
Its tail lashed out like a steel whip.
Yun Luohe vaulted along the walls, dodging the sweeping strikes.
She tried several times to strike, but it was cautious, using its tail to block.
The trident drained stamina heavily. She needed to end this fast.
So she scanned again, eyes narrowing—its underbelly.
Weaker scales.
“Now.”
As it lunged, Yun Luohe sprang upward, driving her trident into its stomach.
Another [Vortex Pierce] triggered.
Blood spurted as the beast wailed, thrashing madly.
Yun Luohe clung tight, stabbing again and again.
The cave trembled as the lizard rammed the walls, trying to dislodge her. Stones rained down.
Her head spun, but she refused to let go.
Finally, from blood loss, the giant collapsed.
Yun Luohe dropped down, gasping, legs trembling.
“Damn thing… tough as hell.”
Then the corpse glowed.
[Boss slain: Giant Lizard. Rewards: Sapphire×1, Blue Lizard Hide×1, Seafloor Ruins Teleportation Array Blueprint×1]
A clicking echoed deeper inside—like a triggered mechanism.
She rose cautiously and followed. Turning a bend, she found a stone pedestal studded with crystals. Upon it rested a leather tome, its cover marked with the same symbols as the stone tablets.
Yun Luohe opened it carefully. The script was blurred but legible.
It recorded the desert’s ancient history.
“This desert… was once a vast ocean…” she read aloud, eyes widening.
It spoke of the mysterious Merman race, dwelling beneath the sea, wielding great magic, crafting wonders.
They had built teleportation arrays to escape catastrophe. These giant lizards were left as guardians.
The Mermen perished, their civilization lost—but the lizards remained, protecting the array.
The tome also said Merman ruins held treasures of great value.
And this cave was one of the key entryways.
At the back was a map, marking teleportation nodes—six in all: the four seasonal islands, the seabed, and the desert.
(Excluding the Reef array Yun Luohe herself had built.)
Her heart raced. This was a priceless discovery.
On the last page, a sketch of a volcano, with towering monstrous figures.
She didn’t understand it, but kept it. Alongside the Seafloor Ruins Teleportation Array Blueprint.
So even the desert was tied to the Mermen.
The world was larger than she imagined.
She checked her score.
+200 points.
Still second place.
But District 1’s squad’s score had frozen—they must have left the desert already.
If she could push another 500, she’d take first.
She glanced at the female lizard outside.
But… it hadn’t harmed her. Unlike the male.
She thought of the risk, her drained stamina, and shook her head. No.
She left the cave. The female eyed her warily, then relaxed, seeing she bore no threat to the eggs.
Smart. Smarter than the male.
And dangerous to provoke.
Yun Luohe turned away.
Only half an hour remained.
Her teammates hadn’t replied—likely grinding hard.
She dug nearby instead, unearthing electronic scraps, metal shards, bronze gears. Minor points.
The array’s timer ticked down. Ten minutes.
Thunder rolled.
Lightning storms raged across the desert, sky gone black.
The air sweltered, suffocating, alive with electricity.
“First time seeing a storm this violent…” she muttered.
The Reef would be the same.
Ten seconds.
She sighed, stowing her shovel, pocketing her finds.
“Teleportation Array constructed successfully!”
[Global Announcement: Player Yun Luohe has activated the Desert Teleportation Array!]
[Global Announcement: Player Yun Luohe has activated the Desert Teleportation Array!]
[Global Announcement: Player Yun Luohe has activated the Desert Teleportation Array!]
Her team gained 2,000 points.
In the final second, they surged to first place.
——
Back on the Reef.
Waves hissed into steam against burning stone.
The air reeked of salt and heat.
Yun Luohe, exhausted but elated, opened the leaderboard.
First place.
But now everyone knew she had built the array.
Good or bad, who could say.
The desert event would settle at 8 p.m. tonight. Rewards would follow.
For now, she lay down to rest, thunder rolling outside.
Summer was over.
Autumn’s trials loomed.
She decided to open her Luxury Reward Package first, then pearls, then organize her gear, then cook from the Dark Cuisine Recipe.
The package—prize for District 2’s top rank—was lavish.
[Opened Luxury Package: Obtained Random High-Grade Equipment Blueprint×1, High-Grade Designated Island Token×1, Clear-Mind Mint Balm Recipe×1, Reef Upgrade Set×1, Random Top-Grade Furniture Blueprint×1, Mutant Resin Recipe×1]
[Clear-Mind Mint Balm: A refreshing balm. Instant clarity! Cool and icy! Restores +2 Sanity/sec, +1 Stamina/sec for 30 sec.
Ingredients: Mutant Mint×1, Moon Lotus Dew×1, Beeswax×1, Mugwort×1]
The Reef Upgrade Set contained: Automatic Irrigation System×1 and Geothermal Heating Core×1.
The first would channel purified seawater through the Reef for crops.
The second, a lava crystal, could convert underground heat into warmth and power—though it needed an installation device she didn’t have yet.
[Mutant Resin: Rare material. Made by combining agarwood resin and dragon’s blood resin, fused with symbiotic crystal shards, fermented under high heat.]
She’d finally learned how to make it.
But where to find those trees? Another problem.
Next, the High-Grade Designated Island Token.
She could choose any seasonal island—ignoring season locks. Even winter’s.
Incredible.
She opened her random blueprint.
[Tide Core Pendant (Deep Sea Set): Grants a water-shield, +30 Defense, 40% chance to evade sea monsters. With 3 pieces, activates “Tidal Force”—attacks gain water-shockwave, chance to knockback.]
Materials: Sapphire×1, Abyssal Iron×1, Merman Tear Crystal×3, Blue Lizard Hide×1.
She already had several. This was doable.
She couldn’t hide her grin.
The top-tier furniture blueprint gave her: Star-Sea Observatory.
Materials: Meteoric Iron×8, Crystal×15, Steel Gears×20, Hardwood×100, Copper Ingot×10, Iron Ingot×10.
Once built, it could forecast weather up to 24 hours ahead—storms, meteor showers, lightning.
Useful, but less game-changing than the pendant.
Then she cracked her pearls.
Three today—two white, one gray. Nothing special inside, just household scraps.
But compared to her earlier jackpot, she wasn’t disappointed.
She recycled her trash, hitting the 50-mark for a lottery pull.
[Loot Draw: Obtained Sawmill Blueprint×1]
[Sawmill: Automatically converts logs into planks.]
[Materials: Iron Ingot×5, Deep-Sea Flint×10, Refined Steel×2, Obsidian×5]
Perfect. A huge time-saver.
After tidying up her haul, Yun Luohe checked her messages.
“Yun-jie, amazing! I thought we’d be stuck at second!”
“Luohe, all thanks to you!”
“Sell us that teleportation array info, name your price!”
“Luohe, you’re famous now!”
Her inbox was flooded.
Even the chat channels were buzzing with her name.
Yun Luohe only skimmed them, unfazed. Fame was a double-edged sword.
[System: Desert Event ended. Rewards delivered tomorrow at 8 a.m. Autumn begins tomorrow. Zone merge incoming. Forums will merge tomorrow, trading halls in 10 days.
Thunderstorm will persist until 8 a.m. tomorrow. Survivors will receive Survival Packages.]