Doomsday Elevator

After prolonged efforts with no success, Ethan Quinn felt genuine disappointment. Suddenly, he remembered that exceptionally skilled craftsman.

Maybe he knows salt production?

With this thought, Ethan decided to try his luck.

Ethan Quinn: "Do you know how to make salt?"

An Lan, who had been promoting bows in the chatroom, immediately clicked into the message.

Salt-making?

He did possess the knowledge, but the harsh conditions here posed serious limitations.

Well, better accept the request first and figure things out later.

An Lan: "Big bro, I have some basic understanding. Can attempt it. Do you have raw materials?"

Ethan never expected an affirmative answer. Thankfully, he'd kept two bottles of seawater as backup after earlier failures.

Ethan Quinn: "I've listed the seawater on the exchange. Trade anything trivial for it."

An Lan: "Got it. Might take a few days."

Ethan Quinn: "Fine."

Ethan Quinn: "You don't have heating equipment, right?"

An Lan: "Correct. But my coat should suffice."

Ethan Quinn: "Take this blanket. Can't have you freezing to death before finishing the salt."

An Lan: "Thanks, big bro!"

.........

With the salt issue potentially resolved, Ethan's mood lifted. This An Lan proved surprisingly versatile—the blanket offered was actually looted from a ghost wedding chamber's matrimonial bed.

Ethan sensed this kid might go far. Maintaining good relations seemed prudent.

After settling matters, Ethan rummaged through his Bovine Hide Satchel and retrieved the berry bushes from the prehistoric world. Recent constipation from poor nutrition needed addressing.

He plucked a purple berry and popped it in.

"Mmm!"

Pure sweetness flooded his taste buds.

"Rawr~"

"You want some? Since when do carnivores..."

Ethan sighed, tossing berries to the curious velociraptor. To his astonishment, the creature kept demanding more after the first serving.

"Wait...are you omnivorous?!"

He handed over another handful, which the raptor devoured eagerly.

After snacking on berries and canned food, Ethan collapsed into bed, exhausted from last night's temperature plunge. The elevator's electromagnetic stove maintained above-zero warmth—a luxury others lacked as they risked hypothermia.

.........

[Ding!] Host approaching Metal Scrapyard level. Contains abundant scrap iron, copper, aluminum. No threats detected.

Groggy Ethan shook off sleep and dressed, reorganizing his Bovine Hide Satchel. Thanks to the storage zone, three empty slots remained—perfect for scavenging. One compartment held dinosaur meat, another mountain goat cuts.

He monitored the bustling chatroom while waiting. Most users prayed for safer floors, unaware of incoming dangers like Ethan's predictive advantage.

[Dude froze all night! Just want somewhere warm, maybe get heating gear.]

[Why not build chimneys? Connect to vents, seal properly. Could make stoves or fireplaces.]

[Stop lecturing—actually build one! I'll buy it!]

[Seriously, billions of us and no one can craft a furnace?]

[No bricks or chimney materials.]

[Use floor resources! Remember the clay in forest levels? Perfect building material.]

[Holy shit! I passed construction sites with cement bags and bricks—totally ignored them!]

[Lucky you. I'd grab everything if my elevator had space.]

[Prioritize elevator upgrades. More space = better survival.]

.........

Ethan pondered these insights. He'd previously overlooked non-essential materials too. The storage zone's efficiency now allowed broader resource collection.

[Ding!] The elevator is ascending. Please hold on securely.

.......

The doors opened to mountainous scrap metal stacks—compressed into neat steel plates. Though labeled safe, Ethan kept his pistol and MP133 Shotgun handy. Other survivors might lurk here.

"Damn! This scrap haul's insane!"

Across the metallic hills, two elevators discharged occupants simultaneously.

"Hey gorgeous! Truce? We'll各自 scavenge separately."

"But these are too heavy...could you help, brother?"

The woman's exaggerated swaying betrayed her act. The man smirked—no need for pretense here.

"Heh. Service me first, then I'll assist."

Their entanglement began at the elevator threshold...

.........

"ARGH! You bitch!"

Mid-coitus, the man shrieked as searing pain erupted below his waist. Collapsing, he watched the woman brandish a dagger for the final strike.