Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180 The Ash Serpent

Chapter 180 The Ash Serpent

The sweet aroma instantly filled the hollow.

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The monkeys, who had been shivering in fear moments ago, suddenly exploded into a frenzy. They scrambled forward, clutching whatever “treasures” they had gathered during the day.

“Screech! (Gimme!)”

“Screech! (This is mine!)”

“Line up! Everyone in line! If you cut, you get nothing!” TartKing waved her staff to maintain order.

Honestly, this business might look like entertaining children, but the profit was insane.

“Is that a… Hardened Lumber Bundle?”

Riley watched a small ape toss a package to TartKing. It was a system–packaged resource item; opening it gave 20 units of refined wood, used for high–end furniture and buildings. The monkeys had no use for it; to them, it was just a hard block, far less valuable than a cream puff.

“And here’s a Whetstone Blueprint.”

PineappleBeer laughed, picking up a vellum sheet from the floor. “Probably dropped by some poor soul who got eliminated. The monkeys just scavenged it.”

Friendship?

The bond between the apes and Tartking was solid, alright. But it came with a condition–the snacks couldn’t stop.

Riley and PineappleBeer didn’t join the crowd, instead finding a quiet, sheltered corner near the entrance.

Riley pulled out two pieces of bread and a bottle of water, handing half to PineappleBeer. A small ape that hadn’t managed to trade for a cake crouched pitifully at Riley’s feet, its big eyes locked onto her bread.

Riley let out a small sigh, broke off a piece, and handed it over.

“Screech!” The little guy took it happily, munching away at her side like she was its second–in–command. Ľ

“You’ve got a way with animals,” PineappleBeer said around a mouthful of biscuit.

Riley stared out at the pitch–black sky. “Is this ‘Long Night…, common?”

“No.”

PineappleBeer shook her head, her expression darkening. “In my memory, extreme events like this are rare, especially during a second instance, When the Long Night falls, it’s usually for one purpose: to cull the player population.”

“Cull them?”

“Yeah. There are too many players, and resource production can’t keep up with consumption. The system triggers these culls.” PineappleBeer pointed to the darkness outside. “We’re safe because of the apes‘ territory and these crystals. Outside… it’s probably literal hell right now.”

1/3

12:25 pm P ppp.

Chapter 180 The Ash Serpent

As if to prove Pineapple Beer’s point, Riley’s system panel began to vibrate violently.

Notifications from the Region Channel were flooding in.

“Region Channel (Population: 9)”

“BigMountain: Anyone nearby?!/Please help! I’ll pay anything!”

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“ToxicReaper: To the other three survivors–how are you holding up? There are six of us here, and we’re barely holding on. Maybe we can group up?”

BigMountain? ToxicReaper?

Those were familiar names. Since they were on the Region Channel, they had to be close. Without coordinates, meeting up in this instance was nearly impossible, but BigMountain had a magic map.

Riley quickly typed out a message.

“SpicyBurger: Deadwood Grove boundary. Head toward the light. Make as much noise as possible while you run. We’ll cover you.”

“ToxicReaper: Wait? SpicyBurger? Boss? Is that you?!”

“Nobody: Boss! We’re coming right now!”

The three girls quickly walked out of the hollow, standing at the edge where the light began to fade into the black fog.

Until they could confirm the location of the others, they couldn’t risk entering the mist. Danger was one thing, but they also didn’t want to miss them in the dark.

Riley could only provide support; the rest was up to them.

“Roar!”

Suddenly, a dark shadow burst from the mist, leaping into the illuminated area.

Riley immediately crossed her axes, activating “Power Strike.”

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