137: Chapter 137 Taking advantage of a crisis, paying a tip?

"Who gave you the authority to decide for her?"

This sentence carried an unquestionable tone.

The Mermaid Princess is equivalent to a mobile resource store.

But with Lin Xiao around, even if everyone has fish, they cannot exchange for resources with the Princess.

Such an overbearing rule, no one would agree to it.

The people present looked at each other, all waiting for the "hero" to step out.

Yet, everyone dared to be angry but not speak, only grumbling in their hearts.

There was no choice; Lin Xiao is the top supporter big shot, wearing level 4 gear all over.

The best they have now is level 3, and they aren't even fully geared, just wearing pieced-together spare parts.

Such a huge gap in combat power is enough to smooth out all dissatisfaction and doubt.

Lin Xiao scanned the crowd, sneering inwardly.

Fear, unwillingness, anger—those emotions were clearly visible in those people, but no one dared to step forward.

Pei Qingzhao stood in the crowd.

The instantly extinguished public opinion surprised her.

It shouldn't be like this; shouldn't these people fight for their interests?

She gripped her red-tasseled spear, her fingers tightening on the shaft.

No!

Absolutely not!

It was so hard to gather a group of like-minded friends to establish an all-female compartment, relying on each other in the apocalypse.

But the resource shortage is getting worse, and most people can't even eat enough.

If this continues, a crisis will break out inside the compartment due to hunger.

As a vulnerable group, not all girls are as good at fighting as she is.

And today's broadcast notification of the 【Fish Tide Surge】 is a god-given opportunity for the all-female compartment.

Everyone doesn't need to fight to the death with terrifying Calamity Creaturess; they just need to fish to exchange for various resources.

Therefore, they must not miss this opportunity!

After thinking for a moment, Pei Qingzhao took a deep breath, gripped her red-tasseled spear, and stepped forward.

"Then what about the resource exchange?" Her voice was cold, piercing the stifling air. "Does what this Mermaid Princess promised everyone still count?"

Lin Xiao didn't answer directly but turned to look beside him.

Princess Xiyao had been standing next to him.

Although the confrontation didn't escalate into a multi-party melee, the murderous aura filling the air still made her a bit scared.

But hearing Pei Qingzhao's questioning, she still straightened her body and said with a firm gaze:

"It counts!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.

However, when she spoke, she unconsciously shrank behind Lin Xiao again.

The crowd stirred, and some people's faces showed joy again.

Pei Qingzhao didn't pay attention to Princess Xiyao's response but flashed a hint of provocation in her eyes when looking at Lin Xiao.

Just as she was about to speak, she saw Lin Xiao raise his left hand, pressing his palm down.

The action looked simple, but the dining car instantly quieted down.

"The Mermaid Princess agreed to the exchange, but I didn't!"

Hearing Lin Xiao's words, everyone was stunned.

What does that mean?

Lin Xiao faced those stunned gazes and continued: "Of course, I am not a villain who does all kinds of evil; I don't want to watch everyone suffer."

He paused, a mocking arc curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Except for my brothers and passengers who have paid the seat fee, everyone else who wants to exchange for resources must pay a service fee."

Princess Xiyao and The three women: "..."

Fan Sinian and the others: "!!!"

Pei Qingzhao and the onlookers: "???"

"Every exchange must pay 50 stardust, but don't worry, I don't want much..." Lin Xiao raised his hand, his five fingers clearly visible, "Only 50 stardust!"

The crowd instantly boiled over.

"50 stardust? Why doesn't he go rob someone!"

"I'd say, this is even more ruthless than robbery!"

"Lin Xiao, you are too much; you really aren't leaving us a way to live!"

Public indignation was high, but strangely, no one dared to take a step forward.

Lin Xiao stood there, ignoring the noise around him.

His heavy battle axe pointed diagonally at the ground, a faint smile on his lips.

No matter how much this group resisted, as long as no one dared to make a move, it meant the rules were established.

After all, those few provocateurs from earlier had been swallowed by the train floor, not even a hair left.

This scene was enough to make everyone remember the price of resistance!

A new passenger leaned over to an old bird and whispered: "Buddy, how did you guys survive the first stage?"

The old bird smiled bitterly: "Survive? It all relied on Brother Lin carrying us, but carrying is one thing, and collecting money is another. Sigh, just get used to it!"

The discussion continued.

Except for a very few who wanted to resist, the vast majority started considering how to exchange the most supplies with the least stardust.

"Brother Lin Xiao!"

Princess Xiyao suddenly tugged at Lin Xiao's sleeve, stood on tiptoe, and leaned into his ear:

"Actually, the fish they give are of no use to me."

"I only said I wanted to exchange for supplies to express my gratitude."

Her warm breath brushed past; her voice was very soft. "If Brother Lin Xiao wants fish, I can give them all to you!"

"Hmm?" Lin Xiao turned his head in surprise, thinking he had misheard. "You don't need them?"

Princess Xiyao nodded and continued: "What's truly useful to us merfolk are things from the deep sea that you can't fish up!"

Saying this, a flash of cunning crossed her golden eyes: "After all, you humans don't have gills and can't breathe underwater, so naturally, you can't stay in the deep sea for long."

"So..."

She stepped back half a step, looking up at Lin Xiao. "If Brother Lin Xiao wants anything, you can tell me directly; no need to exchange!"

Lin Xiao lowered his head and met her eyes.

A replica of the 【heart of the ocean】 could be exchanged for so many hidden resources; it was an absolute steal!

He remained calm on the surface, but a monstrous wave had already risen in his heart. "Is that really okay?"

Princess Xiyao's mouth curved, returning to that innocent smile: "If you think it's inappropriate, then give me some food."

She turned to look at Jiang Wanwan. "The roasted coconut crisps and maple roasted corn made by this sister are super, super delicious!"

Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment.

Then, he couldn't help but laugh.

Behind the mask, no one could see his smile.

Jiang Wanwan had already wrapped her arm around Princess Xiyao: "Okay, eat as much as you want; if there's a chance in the future, sister will make them for you every day!"

Wen Yiran came over: "Princess, Princess, what about me? Was the story I told you not good?"

Tian Xiwei also squeezed over and asked in a low voice: "Sister Princess Xiyao, how do you merfolk sing? Can you teach me?"

Several girls instantly surrounded Princess Xiyao, chattering and asking questions non-stop.

Lin Xiao looked at this scene, his eyes softening a bit.

But unlike the ease and comfort here, the atmosphere in the dining car was about to freeze.

"Lin Xiao!"

After intense discussion, the crowd still hadn't reached a better result.

But dragging it on wasn't a solution, so the Resident of Compartment 11-05, Wang Yan, stood out.

He was an old-timer on this train, having watched Lin Xiao fight his way to the top of the leaderboard since the first stage.

By rights, he shouldn't be the one to step out.

But there was really no other way.

He had a few brothers behind him, all waiting to trade fish for supplies to survive.

"You are opportunistic!" Wang Yan roared.

Lin Xiao turned his head to look at the person speaking.

Wang Yan instantly felt a chill down his spine, his legs going soft.

But he gritted his teeth and didn't retreat.

"You say I am... opportunistic?" Lin Xiao spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

"If I hadn't caught that monster fish and pulled the Mermaid Princess from its belly," he took a step forward, his voice cold, "you wouldn't even have the chance to exchange for resources right now!"

Wang Yan opened his mouth, unable to speak.

This was a fact.

An undeniable fact.

"So," Lin Xiao raised his battle axe, the red light on the blade flashing, "those who want to exchange for resources, line up honestly and pay the stardust one by one."

His gaze swept across the crowd.

"For those who want to cause trouble or don't follow the rules..."

The battle axe swung down, cutting a crack in the floor, sparks flying everywhere.

"I'm ready anytime!"

The crowd was silent for a few seconds.

Then, the first passenger stepped forward, carefully placing the fish in his hand in front of Princess Xiyao.

"U-um, I want to exchange for a skill books!"

He secretly glanced at Lin Xiao, then quickly lowered his head. After choosing the skill books, he immediately turned and left without lingering at all.

Then came the second, the third...

Fang Yuan and Xu Shan immediately stepped forward to maintain order.

Wen Yiran took Zhou Jun and set up a simple table nearby, starting to collect stardust.

"Line up! Don't crowd!"

"Pay stardust first, then exchange!"

Fan Sinian stood by Princess Xiyao's side with his shield, glaring fiercely at the crowd like a security guard.

Order, unexpectedly, was established just like that.