Global Fog Survival

Chapter 7: If You Really Can’t Hold It

?Stiff Black Bread2 + Lightly Rotten Venison1 + Grade 3 Water = Sweet Venison Porridge*1 (a potful, great for replenishing energy and vitality!)?

“As expected, black bread needs to be used on the crafting table to be edible. Even without the venison, it can be made into porridge, which is far better than bread alone. Otherwise, I might end up starving in my own house…”

Colin muttered to himself, aware that many people’s fates might have already been sealed on the first day.

Without overthinking, he looked at his two subordinates, whose eyes were practically glowing with hunger. He served each of them a bowl first.

“Fifteen minutes to eat, then we will continue exploring.” The two servants burst into tears as they held the steaming, fragrant venison porridge served by their lord.

In their blurry memories, as slaves, they had to work all day to earn a morsel of barely edible food, often receiving moldy, sour, and dirt-ridden bread in return.

Before this, the two servants had expected Colin to give them the stiff black bread. Even though it was as hard as a rock, it was still a rare delicacy to them because it wasn’t moldy or foul-smelling and possibly even free of sand and dirt.

To their surprise, Colin gave them porridge instead of a bowl of “rice porridge” with barely any grains. Moreover, it contained meat!

Sipping the sweet meat porridge, the aroma and vitality filled their hearts instantly, making them appreciate the beauty of life for the first time. As they drank, their eyes reddened and moistened, and they felt an urge to cry.

Their hearts were filled with gratitude and emotion.

…After about three minutes, Colin observed their personal information, ensuring there were no adverse effects like ?Poisoned? or ?Unconscious?, before he felt safe to drink the thick porridge himself.

He couldn’t understand why a “Penitent Priest – Suffering Citizen” would drop venison, but it didn’t stop him from eating it. He just had to be cautious.

At this moment, the two servants spoke hoarsely, “My lord, you are truly a good man.”

Their words came from the heart and were unrelated to the system.

“Is that so…” Colin, feeling a bit guilty, looked at the remaining porridge in the pot.

After each of them had a bowl, there was about half a bowl left in the pot. Colin remembered something and looked at the second servant, noticing a hand-length, one-centimeter-deep wound on his arm:

“You were injured for me. Since there’s only half a bowl left, you should have it all to heal faster.”

Earlier, when Colin had fallen into a “state of mental confusion,” the “Mutant” had attacked him, but the second servant had blocked the attacks. Though Colin had done most of the killing later, without the servant’s protection, he might have been seriously injured.

As a result, the second servant’s arm sustained some injuries.

Colin believed in fair reward and punishment, so he didn’t hesitate to be generous.

“My lord, how can this be? Fighting and dying for you is a servant’s duty. The priority should be your strength…”

The second servant tried to refuse but, under Colin’s stern gaze, tearfully ate the “three” bowls.

“I wonder how the other survivors are doing now.”

Colin wasn’t used to eating without something to look at, so he took out a leather scroll of unknown origin and started browsing the regional chat channel while enjoying his delicious venison porridge.

“I’m so hungry, my throat is parched. I’m begging for food. I’ll do anything for something to eat. Sob, sob…”

“Sorry, I can’t help. Nobody knows how to light a lamp, so we can’t explore outside, let alone share food.”

“Sigh, even if someone knew, they wouldn’t say it. This is a survival game with a thousand people per region. No one is that kind-hearted.”

“If you really can’t hold it, you can eat your servants. They won’t resist…”

“They’re living beings! How can you eat them? What if… what if…”

“What if you get infected with the virus?”

“Just don’t eat the brains…”

“But, are your servants female? It sounds like you’re a girl, or you wouldn’t have female servants… Sigh, more useless knowledge.”

“Girls, huh? Not interested.”

“Eat them. Don’t hesitate. If you don’t, you’ll starve like someone in the world chat who died of hunger. Survive one more day, everyone. Good luck…”

“Stop bluffing and encouraging cannibalism! First-day hunger won’t kill you. Everyone’s stamina is the same. It’s after tonight that starvation could happen…”

“I want black bread. I want water…”

“…Shut up.”

…

Talking about cannibalism again… Colin’s stomach churned.

Who started this trend? The chat channel was a mess.

However, Colin knew most people were just bragging. If they stayed indoors, their stamina wouldn’t deplete severely. Surviving until the evening shouldn’t be a problem. Therefore, most people wouldn’t resort to such extremes. As for the minority who might, Colin had no idea.

“Speaking of which, since this is a global game, even if only a tiny fraction of the billions of people figure out how to light lamps, there should be at least over ten thousand who know. Out of those, is there really no one willing to share the method? Or would they face warnings or… erasure if they did?”

Colin furrowed his brows, deep in thought, but he couldn’t find any answers without hints.

Never mind, he decided to drink his porridge to calm himself.

After finishing his porridge in one gulp, Colin opened his ?inventory? to check his latest haul.

He could have reviewed his loot while eating porridge, but considering it might contain human flesh, he avoided doing so. After all, he wasn’t a med student with a strong stomach capable of dissecting while eating.

Normally, Colin might not even dare to kill a chicken.

Unexpectedly, the chat channel wasn’t much better than the backpack.

“‘Foul Bones’ and ‘Rotten Meat Chunks’ are almost useless…”

Colin noted that these items, unlike the venison, came from the “Penitent Priest.” The hints suggested that the bones could be ground into fertilizer and the meat chunks, when cooked, could be eaten like venison, though they might cause stomach discomfort…

The problem was that the “Penitent Priest” had clearly been human. How could he eat that?

Using human bone meal as fertilizer was even more extreme than using manure.

Still, Colin didn’t discard them. If he ever reached a desperate situation…