The CommNet for Genesis Outpost #7 was practically vibrating with speculation.
Ryan had just listed multiple Reinforced Utility Knives for trade. This was a big deal. Most people were still stuck with the basic, flimsy knives their pods had dispensed.
BigTony77: Woah! Ryan Stone is like, a knife factory! How is he making so many good ones?!
PrincessFluffybutt: Maybe he has a 'Super Speedy Sharpening' Aptitude! Or perhaps tiny, helpful knife-making elves live in his pockets!
ConfusedCarl: My elbows are telling me he's got some kind of Crafting skill. That's super rare! And super useful! I'd trade my left elbow [the slightly less tough one] for a good knife!
SmartyPants2000: The logistical implications of one individual possessing a repeatable method for Tier E weapon fabrication are significant for our Outpost's overall combat readiness! In layman's terms: Yay, better stabby things!
Ryan chuckled as he read the messages.
Let them think he was a master craftsman. It was better than them knowing he was just really good at taking apart old knives and sticking them back together with bits of magical vine.
His SSS-Tier "Ultimate Infinite Extraction System" was his secret weapon, and he planned to keep it that way.
He decided to expand his trade offer slightly, casting a wider net for useful materials.
He posted on the Barter System:
Ryan Stone: Still have a few Reinforced Utility Knives [Tier E] available! Also accepting 'Corrupted Anomaly Cores' [any level, any type!] or 'Untainted Fauna Hearts [Level 3 or higher creatures only, please!]' as trade. Let's make a deal!
Almost instantly, a new trade offer pinged. It was Scarlett "Red" Viper again. She was clearly a serious player and understood the value of good gear.
Trade Offer Received:
From: Scarlett "Red" Viper
Offering: 1x Precursor Power Cell [Depleted, Tier D Artifact Component]
For: 1x Reinforced Utility Knife [Tier E]
Accept / Decline?
Ryan's eyes widened. A Depleted Precursor Power Cell! That sounded incredibly useful, even if it was out of juice. He hit "Accept" so fast he almost sprained his mental finger.
The small, cylindrical power cell appeared in his inventory. It was made of a smooth, dark metal and felt oddly heavy for its size. He immediately used his SSS-Tier system on it.
Target: Precursor Power Cell [Depleted, Tier D Artifact Component]
Initiating Extraction Protocol: Residual Energy Signature Analysis
Extraction Complete!
Acquired: Trace Energy Signature [Precursor – Type Gamma-7].
System Note: This little battery is all out of oomph, but it still remembers what kind of oomph it used to have! The system has logged its energy type.
It could potentially be recharged if you find the right kind of Precursor charging station, or maybe used as a component in a bigger, better battery if you get some more bits and pieces.
Ryan grinned.
This was great! He now had a Phase Gauntlet [for blinking], a Cloak of Shifting Umbra [for sneaking], and now a Depleted Precursor Power Cell [for… well, for eventually powering something cool, hopefully].
He was like a walking collection of half-finished sci-fi gadgets.
He was just about to list another knife when his god Interface suddenly flashed bright red, and a loud, insistent chime echoed in his head much more urgent than the usual gentle pings.
Priority God Alert!
Attention All Arrivals In Sector Gamma-7!
Genesis Outpost #12 [Faction Designation: "Crimson Banner"] Has Activated A Cross-Outpost Challenge Beacon!
Forcibly Linking With: Genesis Outpost #7 [Faction Designation: "Blue Falcon"].
Event Initiated: "Resource Scramble – The Forgotten Overgrowth"!
Ryan stared at the flashing red message, his heart suddenly thumping a nervous rhythm against his ribs.
"Cross-Outpost Challenge Beacon? Crimson Banner? Blue Falcon? What in the seven shades of beige goo is going on now?!"
The God Warden's calm, slightly smug voice filled his mind, and presumably the minds of everyone in both Outposts.
God Warden: Greetings, Blue Falcons of Outpost #7 and Crimson Banners of Outpost #12.
A formal Challenge has been issued and accepted by the god Verse. This is a 'Resource Scramble' event.
The stakes are as follows:
God Warden: The Losing Outpost will have all currently held 'Unstable Genesis Shards' and 'Precursor Artifacts' [Tier E and above] in their collective inventories HALVED. These halved resources will be automatically transferred to the winning Outpost.
God Warden: Additionally, all members of the Losing Outpost will suffer a -10% debuff to all god Point [NP] gains for a duration of 24 standard cycles.
God Warden: The Winning Outpost will have their current collective holdings of 'Unstable Genesis Shards' and 'Precursor Artifacts' [Tier E and above] doubled.
Furthermore, all members of the Winning Outpost will receive a +10% bonus to all god Point [NP] gains for 24 standard cycles.
Ryan's jaw dropped. Halved resources? Doubled resources? NP bonuses and penalties? This wasn't just a friendly competition; this was serious! This could make or break an entire Outpost!
The God Warden wasn't finished.
God Warden: The Competition: The first Outpost to successfully locate, secure, and extract data from three 'Precursor Data Vaults' hidden within a newly revealed neutral territory. 'The Forgotten Overgrowth' will be declared the winner.
God Warden: An additional reward will be granted to the individual Arrival who personally secures and extracts data from the most Vaults for the winning team. This individual will receive a 'Prime Genesis Cache.'
God Warden: For the duration of this event, the CommNet channels of Genesis Outpost #7 [Blue Falcon] and Genesis Outpost #12 [Crimson Banner] will be temporarily merged to facilitate spirited inter-Outpost communication.
Good luck to both factions. May the odds be ever so slightly in someone's favor.
The moment the Warden finished speaking, the CommNet for Outpost #7 exploded. But it wasn't just their usual chatter anymore.
New names, new voices, all with a slightly reddish tint to their text [the Crimson Banner, presumably], started flooding the channel.
And the Blue Falcons of Outpost #7? They were, to put it mildly, panicking. Hard.
Halved resources? An NP debuff? Against another, unknown Outpost? They were looking to their highest-ranked players. Scarlett, Emma, Jennifer, and now, with a new sense of desperate hope, even Ryan for some kind of miracle.
Ryan looked at the flashing red alerts on his Interface. A "Prime Genesis Cache" for the top contributor on the winning team? That sounded extremely tempting.
But first, they had to not lose everything they'd worked for. This "Resource Scramble" was about to get intense. And probably very, very messy.