Three More Days
Not long afterward, Rangga returned to his home island. As usual, he chose to unload everything from his boat's inventory.
Light flooded the center of the island. A few moments later, the day's harvest was neatly arranged on the ground.
Rangga smiled with satisfaction.
"Nice..."
He began combining the newly gathered materials with the supplies he already had.
Wood ×84
Stone ×31
Copper Ore ×13
Alloy Plates ×7
Mechanical Radars ×2
Synthetic Fiber ×4
Plant Fiber ×140
Fruit ×37
Wild Boar Meat ×2
Boar Hide ×2
Looking at the steadily growing pile of resources, Rangga nodded in satisfaction.
"Damn... Just a little more."
He opened his island status screen. The wood requirement had already been met long ago. Plant Fiber was almost enough as well. Only Stone remained unfinished.
Rangga looked toward the sky. The sun was already beginning to sink toward the western horizon.
"...Should I head back to the rocky island? Might as well save some time."
He imagined sailing there again, mining under fading daylight, then trying to make it back before nightfall.
A few seconds later, he shook his head.
"Nah... If it gets dark, I won't be able to see anything... Too dangerous."
He abandoned the idea. Instead, Rangga began organizing all of his materials beside the hut once more, keeping everything neat and easy to count.
As he worked, tomorrow's plan was already forming in his mind.
"Tomorrow... I've got to go back to the rocky island... Hopefully it'll show up again."
After arranging everything, Rangga walked over to the Production Table. Without hesitation, he crafted another Stone Axe and Stone Pickaxe.
The required materials glowed before disappearing. A few seconds later, both tools appeared atop the workbench.
Rangga nodded with satisfaction.
"Tomorrow... I'll focus on mining."
Afterward, he headed toward the resource transfer point.
In front of him lay the tropical fruits he had collected today, along with two cuts of wild boar meat.
The familiar blue screen appeared.
Transfer Resources to Earth
0 / 5 kg
Rangga began placing fruit into the transfer window one piece at a time until the gauge was nearly full.
4 / 5 kg
He then picked up one piece of boar meat.
Before placing it into the screen, he glanced at the other piece still lying on the ground.
A mischievous grin spread across his face.
"This one... is mine. I'm eating it."
He looked up at the sky with a smirk.
"Don't take everything this time."
Without hesitation, Rangga placed one cut of boar meat into the transfer window.
The gauge immediately changed.
5 / 5 kg
He pressed Send. Instantly, everything inside the window dissolved into light and disappeared toward Earth.
Back on Earth, the clip of Rangga's comment immediately spread across social media.
Stolen from NovelFire, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Many viewers burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! He finally kept something for himself."
"Good job, bro! Don't send everything!"
"That's more like it. Take care of yourself too."
"He's talking to the sky like the Administrator is willing to negotiate."
Before long, new comments began comparing the Garuda Pioneers.
"Rangga already has a new bow while Dita is still sitting inside her hut."
"Is Dita seriously not leaving her island?"
"I feel bad for her... but if this keeps up, she's in trouble."
"Look at Deri. He's still using a stone spear, but he keeps exploring."
"Deri's clearly focusing on collecting resources for upgrades."
"Rangga and Deri are probably the most consistent so far."
"One excels at exploration."
"The other specializes in strategy."
"I hope everyone starts working together."
"If our Pioneers cooperate, they'll have a much better chance of surviving."
As the comments continued pouring in, comparing the Pioneers gradually became a daily topic of discussion.
Some admired Rangga's rapid progress. Others respected Deri's calm, methodical approach.
And many continued criticizing those they believed had done little to improve their own chances of survival.
Inside the military housing complex, Putri couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"Hehehe... Mas is so funny."
The female officer beside her smiled as well. Seeing Putri finally laugh freely after days of endless tears eased the weight in her heart.
Meanwhile, in another world, Rangga had no idea that his simple joke had brought smiles to countless people back on Earth.
That night, the main conference hall of the Garuda Nation's Presidential Palace was once again filled with ministers, scientists, military officers, and specialists from numerous fields.
Dozens of screens still displayed the live broadcasts of the Pioneers as they entered their fourth night.
President Prabu opened the meeting.
"All right... Let's begin. How are the analyses of all the food sent over the past four days?"
A female researcher stood while carrying a thick report.
"Mr. President... We have completed our examination of every sample received during the past four days."
She opened the first page.
"The results show that every food item sent by the Pioneers is safe for human consumption."
Several people visibly relaxed and the researcher continued.
"The nutritional value is actually quite high."
"However..."
"None of the seeds from any of the plants we've tested have been able to germinate."
"We believe some mechanism prevents resources from that world from reproducing here on Earth."
President Prabu nodded.
"Very well."
"Continue."
A staff member switched the display to a countdown timer. Time Remaining Until First Communication: 3 Days
The room fell silent once more and President Prabu looked around at everyone present.
"In three days... we will have only one opportunity to send a message to every Pioneer. What should we tell them?"
Immediately, suggestions filled the room.
"I think we should give them a list of safe foods."
"Survival information would be better."
"No. Their families are more important."
"If we don't encourage them emotionally, their morale could collapse."
Opinions continued flying back and forth until General Suryo finally raised his hand.
"Mr. President."
The room immediately quieted.
"I propose dividing the message into two parts... The first part should come from each Pioneer’s family. Because that's almost certainly what they'll want to hear most."
"The second part should contain the government's official message."
President Prabu considered it briefly.
"Go on."
General Suryo pointed toward the screen.
"The government's message must be concise... It should contain only the most important information."
He took a breath before continuing.
"My proposal... Request that every Garuda Pioneer cooperate."
"Any information regarding islands, resources, and especially mechanical creatures should be shared through the chat system."
"Coordination should be handled by Major Deri."
Several ministers exchanged glances.
One senior advisor nodded.
"That makes sense."
"This way, information will be organized instead of scattered."
President Prabu approved the proposal.
"Very well."
"That will be our official message."
"Next."
An economist stood from his chair.
"Mr. President..."
"I have another proposal."
"I believe we should ask the Pioneers to prioritize sending Copper Ore."
The room immediately turned toward him.
"If every Pioneer sends copper every day, our nation could accelerate industrial development."
Before he could continue, General Suryo shook his head.
"I disagree."
Every eye shifted toward him.
"We still don't know the actual conditions in that world."
"We don't even know how dangerous it is to obtain Copper Ore."
He pointed toward the screens displaying several Pioneers.
"We must not pressure them into pursuing specific resources."
"If acquiring those resources requires risking their lives..."
"...our message would only place them in greater danger."
Another expert nodded in agreement.
"That's true."
"We only see the final results."
"We have no idea what they have to go through to obtain them."
General Suryo continued.
"Our knowledge of the mechanical creatures is still extremely limited."
"We don't know their behavior."
"Their threat levels."
"Or whether every species possesses different abilities."
"Asking them to collect specific resources before we even understand the basics would be far too risky."
Silence filled the room once again. After several moments, President Prabu made his decision.
"The proposal to request specific resources is rejected."
"Our highest priority is the safety of the Pioneers."
"They will decide for themselves what can be gathered safely."
"Our official message will simply encourage cooperation and information sharing."
"We will not place additional burdens upon them."
"Yes, Mr. President."
Everyone in the room nodded. They all understood.
The hopes of the Garuda Nation now rested upon the shoulders of the eighty-two Pioneers struggling to survive in another world.
And the duty of those remaining on Earth was not to control them but to help them make the best possible decisions with the very limited information available to everyone.