"Really? You guys have it really tough!" Waldo followed up with the question, "So, why did you come to me? There are so many people on the chat channel wanting to exchange super Source Stones with you. Why not find them instead? I don’t have much food either!"

The other party received the message and responded promptly without hesitation, "Good brother, the main reason we reached out to you is that you are the closest to us! To be honest, trading on the system’s platform is a bit unreliable. You see, the trading platform we’re currently using, the system doesn’t protect the interests of us challengers."

"If we trade on it and I give the super Source Stones to the other party but don’t get any food in return, wouldn’t I be at a huge loss? Therefore, the few of us unanimously decided to trade in the real world! I saw your message on the chat channel earlier and noticed that the actual distance between us is not far, only about ten or twenty kilometers. That’s why I reached out to you! Real-world trading gives me peace of mind!"

Upon hearing this, Waldo was momentarily taken aback. So close to me?

He then glanced at the specific information provided by the other party. Apparently, the system could display the distance between two individuals. He had overlooked this critical piece of information while engrossed in the chat.

Despite this revelation, Waldo still couldn’t bring himself to believe the other party’s story. He had a vague idea of why the other party sought him out. It dawned on him that Alfred might have targeted him shortly after he discussed super Source Stones with others on the chat channel.

Alfred’s objective was the super Source Stones in Waldo’s possession. Given Alfred’s request for real-world trading, his intentions became quite clear.

"Just wanted to lay hands on me during the trade, kill me, and snatch the super Source Stones from my hands!" Waldo estimated that his speculation was most likely correct. In fact, it was close to being entirely accurate!

With this realization, Waldo couldn’t help but smirk, and a surge of murderous intent boiled within him. At this moment, he was infuriated and amused at the same time.

It had been quite some time since anyone dared to plot against him. Over the extended period in the trial grounds, those with ill intentions toward him ultimately met a gruesome end. Now, in the dark realm, someone dared to target him?

Even if he changed locations and no one recognized him, it didn’t matter. Soon, everyone would get to know him. Those who dared to harm him would pay the price! As for the super Source Stones in their possession, Waldo had already claimed dibs!

Suppressing the urge to kill that surged within him, Waldo remained composed. Currently, he wasn’t aware of the exact location of the other party.

"Hey, do you want to trade or not, good brother? We can’t hold on much longer. If you want it, make a decision quickly. Honestly, these three super Source Stones could easily fetch us several hundred kilograms of food. However, for prudence and safety, we sought you out. If you miss this opportunity, you won’t have such good luck again!" The other party seemed a bit impatient, repeatedly urging Waldo.

However, despite their verbal encouragement, Waldo sensed their anxiety. He coldly chuckled.

"Alright! I’ll trade with you!"

Meanwhile, not too far from Waldo’s safe house, on another desolate stretch of the wasteland, stood a lone house amidst overgrown grass. The walls of the safe house were already weathered, with large chunks peeling off to reveal an unsightly, pockmarked surface.

This safe house is only one story high, with a footprint of no more than fifty or sixty square meters. It appears to be an ordinary cottage. However, undeniably, it is the safest place on the wasteland.

It can resist the invasion of the world’s monsters and fend off the encroachment of the indigenous people. It is the safe zone where the trial participants rely on for survival.

"Great! The fish has finally taken the bait! Hahaha! Hurry, tell him to come for the trade as soon as possible. The sooner, the better!"

"Wait, we can’t appear too eager. Otherwise, he might see through something!"

At this moment, within the safe house, there was an outbreak of excited and thrilled voices. Inside the house, five trial participants exchanged glances, all seeing the excitement in each other’s eyes. They couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Unlike Waldo, they found themselves in the same safe house upon arriving in the dark realm. After meeting, they quickly realized the extreme danger of this world and immediately shared their backgrounds, forming an alliance. They united their strengths into a formidable force.

Indeed, the power of unity was evident. In three days, they cleared the nearby area of monsters without encountering much difficulty. The monsters they faced were not particularly formidable, and the process was relatively smooth. In these three days, they accumulated three super Source Stones.

However, if they wanted more super Source Stones, they had to venture away from the safe house into more dangerous areas.

Yet, creatures in other locations were too perilous, posing a high risk given their current strength. Unless they could upgrade all their abilities, exploring these areas remained challenging.

As a result, the allocation of the three super Source Stones became the primary concern for the group. They had three stones but five people!

So, how should they distribute the super Source Stones?

This was a significant problem!

After all, their cooperation time was limited.

Moreover, none of them considered themselves inferior to the others. Each was proud and confident, a chosen one from their respective trial grounds, unwilling to acknowledge superiority in others. This attitude made it easy for conflicts to arise, potentially jeopardizing the unity of their alliance. This was detrimental to all of them.

Fortunately, just as they were entangled in their internal conflicts, the system opened the chat channel. When they saw another trial participant not far away discussing super Source Stones with someone else, a plan gradually formed in their minds.

"If we can obtain the super Source Stones in the hands of the other participant, wouldn’t that mean our current problem is solved?"

After a thorough discussion, they devised a series of actions for their next steps. Now, they successfully gained the trust of the other participant.

"Great! Hahaha, not all trial participants are so clever. There are still fools among them!"

"Hmph, in a large forest, there are all kinds of birds. Besides, this Waldo guy might just be a brute with brawn and no brains. Nothing surprising!"

"Hehe, he might really be a big fool! A big fool is good; otherwise, how could we have tricked him so easily?"

The group expressed their satisfaction with the progress, confident in the success of their plan.