"Watch out!"

With lightning-fast reflexes, Qin Xuan slapped the crab's massive maw, sending the heavy creature—which weighed over a hundred pounds and felt like it was forged from iron—flying more than ten meters across the sea.

With a loud splash, the crab vanished into the churning waves.

"Sister Qing! Su Zhiyun!"

"It's coming! Get back!"

Qin Xuan subconsciously extended his Divine Sense and instantly detected a faint aura rapidly approaching the raft from beneath the waves.

*Swoosh...*

The Mutant Iron Armor Crab leaped out of the water, brandishing its menacing iron pincers as it snapped at Qin Xuan's head.

Unarmed, Qin Xuan grabbed a wooden crate and swung it. With a loud thud, he smashed the crab down onto the raft.

"Die!"

Qin Xuan raised the crate and smashed it against the crab's hard shell again and again. He only stopped when the crate in his hands had shattered and the crab on the raft lay motionless.

[Killed [Mutant Iron Armor Crab]. Obtained: F-Grade Refined Iron x5, Fresh Large Crab Pincer x1, Ocean Coins x5]

Note: Ocean Coins can be used in the [Auction House] and [Trading Post] to purchase supplies from other [Survivors]. They can also be used to upgrade vessels, craft equipment, chat in channels, etc.

As Qin Xuan stared in confusion, a golden light flashed before him. The slain [Mutant Iron Armor Crab] had transformed into blocks of iron, a crab pincer, and Ocean Coins.

*Shhh...*

As Qin Xuan picked up the items from the raft, intending to store them in his system inventory, the Ocean Coins and iron blocks flashed with light and vanished, leaving only a large, twenty-centimeter-long crab pincer in his hand.

"Fuck!"

"Where'd my stuff go?"

Qin Xuan used his Divine Sense to carefully search the empty inventory space, but he found nothing.

"Sister Qing, Su Zhiyun! We don't have a fire, but you can eat this for now to tide you over."

Search "pawread.com" for the original.

After cracking the pincer's shell, Qin Xuan handed it to Su Qing.

"Qin Xuan, you're our main strength now. You should eat first. We can only survive if you have enough energy."

They had been starving for most of the day, and the crab meat was so fresh. Even eaten raw, it was bound to be delicious.

But now that Mutant Sea Monsters could even appear in supply crates, she knew she had to let Qin Xuan eat his fill. Only if he had enough strength could she and her daughter be safe.

"Take it!" Qin Xuan thrust the pincer into Su Qing's hands, strode to the mast, and began to climb.

A moment ago, he had been too distracted by the sight of Su Qing and Su Zhiyun's graceful, supple bodies to even consider that they were out of food.

From the top of the mast, his superior vantage point and vision would surely make him more efficient at spotting crates than Su Qing and her daughter.

"Fuck!"

The idea was great, but reality was a bitch. Half an hour later, Qin Xuan climbed down from the mast, cursing under his breath.

"Don't worry!"

"Take your time. You're already doing better than most. At least we've already had some delicious seafood."

"I bet when the [Chat System] opens up after 24 hours, a lot of people will still be starving."

Seeing Qin Xuan walk gloomily to the bow and scan the sea, Su Qing took half of the crab pincer and walked to his side, comforting him softly.

"Have some. Zhiyun said it's delicious, just not very filling."

Su Qing's slender fingers gracefully picked away the broken shell, and she held the crab meat out to Qin Xuan.

Qin Xuan didn't take it. He glanced over at Su Zhiyun, who had eaten a little and was now sleeping on the raft, exhausted from hunger.

He lowered his head and took a bite of the crab meat from her hand, then, in a deliberately provocative move, gently bit her two slender fingers and refused to let go.

His fiery gaze was fixed on her, lingering on the snowy white cleavage squeezed out from behind the sexy black lace that was so close he could almost touch it. He found it impossible to look away.

"Don't mess around!"

"If you keep this up, I'm going to get angry."

Su Qing's pretty face flushed. Her first instinct wasn't to pull her fingers away, but to glance over at Su Zhiyun sleeping on the raft.

The warmth of his tongue on her fingertips, combined with his burning gaze on her nearly naked body, gave Su Qing a complex mix of emotions. She felt a sense of shameful impropriety due to their large age gap, yet she also thoroughly enjoyed being teased by this younger man.

"Sister Qing!"

"We're definitely not going back to our old lives. As a man, I swear I'll do everything in my power to protect you and Su Zhiyun."

"But... could you maybe show me a little more affection, too?"

Qin Xuan wrapped his arm around her firm, slender waist—toned from regular exercise and free of any fat—and pulled her against him, pressing her two heavy, full mounds against his broad chest.

"You little rascal!"

"Don't I dote on you enough already? I was starving, but I still saved this delicious crab meat for you, didn't I?"

Su Qing leaned obediently against Qin Xuan's strong, masculine chest. She lightly pounded his chest with her delicate fists and shot him a coquettish glare, her tone full of playful resentment.

Although it had only been half a day, after the incidents with Zhang Chao and the mutant crab, she had slowly begun to accept this young man, who was more than ten years her junior.

He stood in front of her and Zhiyun in times of danger, and he gave them food first.

His lecherous, fiery gaze looked as if it wanted to devour them whole, and if he decided to force himself on them, she and Zhiyun would be powerless to resist. Yet, he still maintained a basic level of decency.

They were strangers, yet he treated her and her daughter so well. How could she not be captivated by this tall, handsome rascal?

"Hehe..."

Su Qing's shy, lover-like words delighted Qin Xuan. He lowered his head, moving slowly toward her tender, alluring lips.

Whether Su Qing's words were sincere or not, the unchangeable fact was that the three of them could never go back.

If the mother and daughter stayed with him, at least he was a known quantity, and their safety would be guaranteed. He believed Su Qing knew what the right choice was.

*Shhh...*

Just as his lips were centimeters away from hers—which she made no move to avoid—and he could smell the warm, fragrant breath from her delicate nose, the iron ring of a large crate bobbing on the distant waves flashed in the sunlight, catching their attention.

"Xuan!"

"It's a supply crate! Quick!"

Seeing the wooden crate drifting toward them on the waves, an undeniable flash of excitement appeared in Su Qing's eyes.

"A supply crate? Where?"

Thirsty, hungry, and sleeping groggily, Su Zhiyun's eyes snapped open at the mention of a supply crate, and she scrambled to her feet.

"Sister Qing! You watch the crate and give me directions. I'll adjust the sail."

Seeing the supply crate, Qin Xuan's eyes also lit up, and he strode quickly toward the mast.

They had all been transported here before they'd had a chance to eat, so they were already hungry to begin with. After drifting at sea for most of the day, it would be a miracle if they weren't starving.

His body, tempered by the system, could endure the hunger. But for the mother and daughter with their more delicate physiques, going any longer without food and water would be unbearable.