[Zhang Zhiyuan: Did you see that? The system prompts a map refresh, and the difficulty is about to increase!]
[Li Zhengxuan: Oh my god, they're increasing the difficulty. Don't they want me to live? I'll die right now!]
[Anonymous Player: I don't know what this map refresh means. Is it going to spawn monsters?]
Chen Yi noticed that the chat channel had a new feature called "Anonymous Speech" today.
Players can hide their names.
The channel has seen a surge in anonymous comments.
This feature is very useful when discussing sensitive issues.
Google search for TWKAN.
Although no one knows the true identity behind each death, Chen Yi is certain that players will eventually cross paths.
Many people have been transported to this world, and many of them are intelligent.
A heated discussion ensued in the channel, with many expressing their opinions. Some of the comments made Chen Yi nod in agreement.
[Yang Guanghua: I believe that the map refresh, combined with the increased danger, will likely involve several aspects. First, there will be changes in wild life, with the emergence of more ferocious and aggressive beasts. Second, there will be changes in the landscape, with the potential for floods or other geological disasters. Anonymous player: Risks and opportunities coexist .
As monsters become stronger, the treasure chests you receive from killing them will also be of higher quality!
The items dropped from high-quality treasure chests are more sought after, such as manufacturing blueprints, which are the most sought-after items.
There are still 12 days left,
Shen Yi thought silently.
He also believed that the map refresh would not only change the types of beasts that roam nearby, but also the climate and topography.
A previously stable climate could turn into heavy rain, snow, hail, or even typhoons. It
's also possible that a safe house could be flooded by a river overnight.
This is not a good thing.
The many unknowns brought about by the map refresh mean that extensive preparation is required.
Every aspect must be taken into consideration.
However, Shen Yi did not feel pressured. His base was developing vigorously, and he was sure to build a safe house as impregnable as possible before danger arrived!
After browsing the chat channel, Shen Yi opened the trading market and quickly browsed.
There were thousands of items for sale in the market, countless.
If he looked through them one by one, it would take him more than a day.
The system thoughtfully incorporated a filtering function, allowing not only quick elimination of low-value items but also filtering by category.
For example, the manufacturing blueprints, which Shen Yi focused on daily,
remained expensive, but sales were also extremely rare. After all, even "wealthy" players like Shen Yi, earning hundreds of Wasteland Points daily, couldn't afford them, let alone the average person.
Of course, Shen Yi knew that even with Apollos around, he wasn't necessarily the best player.
As the saying goes, heroes emerge from the times, and with so many players, there were bound to be some exceptionally talented individuals.
While Shen Yi had seen a few blueprints before, with traps still hanging from them, they had tempted him, but compared to another blueprint, they were completely unattractive.
Placing the cursor over this blueprint, detailed information about it popped up.
[Common Machine Tool Manufacturing Blueprint]
[Quality: Bronze]
[Requires 10 Cast Iron, 5 Stainless Steel, 2 Aluminum Alloy, 1 Copper, 1 Rubber]
[As the "Mother of Machinery," possessing this blueprint gives you the ultimate in industry.]
When Shen Yi saw this blueprint, his heartbeat quickened slightly.
This was... a machine tool!
As a science and engineering student, Shen Yi, even though he had never operated one, understood its importance. It was the foundation of
modern industry, and the manufacture of everything from cars and airplanes to guns and artillery was inseparable from machine tools.
After exploring this world for a few days, Shen Yi had gained a certain understanding of it. While it possessed some extraordinary powers, it also adhered to logic.
For example, Shen Yi could use the wood he had cut in the crafting panel to create a wooden bed, but he would never use wood to create an iron bed.
Furthermore, Shen Yi predicted that as crafting became more complex, more and more requirements would be required.
For example... a machine tool.
He didn't believe that a car could be built with just a blueprint and the raw materials.
Seeing that the blueprint cost only 700 Wasteland Points, Shen Yi chose without hesitation: buy it!
In theory, a machine tool's value was far greater than traps and bicycles, but it also had its drawbacks.
The construction of a machine tool required a vast amount of resources, making it unaffordable for the average person.
In addition, even if the machine tool is built, it will take a long time to realize the cash.
Moreover...
even if you get the machine tool, it may not be able to produce what you need.
Considering various factors, it may be more realistic to sell the machine tool blueprint and convert it into wasteland points that can be used to purchase weapons, food and water.
In addition, the price of the animal trap blueprint has dropped by 200 points compared to the previous day.
The points instantly returned to zero...
causing a little anxiety in Shen Yi's heart.
The demand for wasteland points is really too great. Even if he has a variety of resources to sell, it is still stretched.
After getting up, Shen Yi took a look at the dried meat. Perhaps because the temperature here is relatively low and the surrounding environment is relatively dry, there is no peculiar smell or signs of corruption. Shen Yi felt relieved.
Nearly a hundred pounds of meat, worth several hundred Wasteland Points.
Apollos was assigned by Shen Yi to mine stone and cut wood.
These two essential building materials are in high demand and are selling well. Shen Yi planned to mine as much as possible before the map refresh, stockpiling some for emergencies.
Apollos's stone and wood collection seemed a bit overkill, so Shen Yi planned to try to find more valuable minerals next.
Shen Yi first checked the charcoal kiln; the wood was still smoldering smoothly, and everything was fine. In three or four days, Shen Yi would have a large supply of charcoal.
After checking the kiln, Shen Yi went to his well and began drawing water.
With the first bucket of water, Shen Yi washed thoroughly.
Life without cleanser, shampoo, and toothpaste was a bit unpleasant, and the washing effect was not ideal.
Shen Yi had to draw water from the well bucket by bucket, which was very laborious.
After seeing Shen Yi selling well water on the trading channel, the man named Abin drastically reduced his price, so that 5 Wasteland Points could buy 3 units of water.
Faced with such competition, Shen Yi was forced to lower his prices.
This meant he needed to work even harder to recoup his original profits.
It was incredibly tiring!
But for the sake of Wasteland Points, Shen Yi had no choice but to endure it.
After spending over two hours, Shen Yi collected nearly a hundred barrels and listed them for sale on the trading channel.
The news of a map refresh instilled a sense of urgency in Shen Yi.
This likely signaled the end of his novice period.
He planned to explore further before the environment became dangerous.
His food supplies were running low.
In just this morning alone, Shen Yi had already sold five containers of well water, three containers of barbecue, and two containers each of stone and wood.
By the third day, the players' food and water supplies were running low.
However, before he could even warm up his Wasteland Points, Shen Yi spent them without hesitation: purchasing a bear trap.
He retrieved the trap from the [Warehouse]—an iron, clamp-style trap.
To use, he opened it and laid it flat on a path frequented by prey.
Bait is placed, and when prey passes by, they are attracted and drawn closer. When the trap is triggered, the spring-loaded clamps snap open, clamping the prey's legs firmly, effectively capturing it.
Eighty Wasteland Points was a considerable sum, but Shen Yi once again chose to purchase it without hesitation.
His Wasteland Points were once again reset to zero!
Shen Yi had originally wanted to purchase a piece of armor, but compared to weapons like the Bone Cutter, armor was time-consuming and labor-intensive to craft, and also more expensive. Unfortunately,
no one was selling it at the market, so Shen
Yi had to abandon the purchase.
Without armor,
exploring the wilderness required greater caution. This time, Shen Yi and Apollus took a different direction! They headed west.
On their first exploration of the wilderness, Shen Yi had felt it was too empty.
Now it seemed this was specifically designed to help players acclimate.
Walking with Apollus, feeling the vastness of the wilderness, Shen Yi felt a sense of loneliness.
This time, to maximize their travels, Shen Yi sat in Apollus's cargo hold.
Apollos's top speed of 50 kilometers per hour far exceeded Shen Yi's walking speed.
Furthermore, hiding in the cargo hold provided greater safety and security.
Desolation and loneliness dominated the wilderness.
Shen Yi's mind raced, memories of the past flashing through his mind.
"Sometimes I envy you, Apollos."
Being carefree—what a joy!
Apollos walked steadily through the wilderness, and Shen Yi carefully observed his surroundings along the way.
The attack by the wasteland lizards had left a lasting impression on Shen Yi, but the lizard skin and meat had brought him many benefits.
Shen Yi wouldn't mind finding another lizard to kill. Ever
since leaving the house, Shen Yi had been clutching his bone-chopping knife, rehearsing the scene of himself slaying the beast in his mind.
The sight of the wasteland lizards fleeing in panic the first time he encountered them had left him disheartened. This time, he, Shen, was determined to teach those abominable beasts a lesson!
The journey was uneventful.
Half an hour later, Shen Yi and Apollos encountered their first wave of beasts: a herd of black wild goats.
"That doesn't seem like a good sign..." Shen Yi shook his head. In the West, black goats are considered symbols of evil and are highly taboo.
But in Shen Yi's opinion...
they are a source of high-quality protein!
Shen Yi said to Apollos, "Go ahead, Apollos, we're having goat meat tonight!"
With a command, Apollos suddenly accelerated and rushed towards the goats.
As he accelerated, the air currents made Shen Yi's hair flutter in the wind.
"It's like riding in a car! Apollos, you really are an all-powerful robot," Shen Yi exclaimed.
Apollos had already rushed to the front of the flock.
Apollos could dig wells, mine, cut wood, and hunt.
Seeing such a burly robot charging towards them, the sheep immediately bleated and fled.
Dozens of sheep were running at a rapid speed.
Shen Yi suddenly thought of the idiom: a tiger among sheep.
But… after a moment, his laughter faltered.
This herd of sheep, despite their unintelligent appearance, were incredibly fast, each one outrunning a rabbit.
They turned and spun with incredible fluidity. While Apollos was agile, his size and weight meant his footing often sunk deep, significantly slowing his running.
After twenty minutes, Shen Yi reluctantly gave up on the idea of hunting the black goats.
He was still dizzy from being tossed around in the cargo hold, and he hadn't even touched a goat's fur.
Damn them…
Shen Yi glared at them fiercely.
Since he couldn't catch them, he had to resort to some trickery.
He opened the trap and placed it next to a patch of grass. He then pulled some grass and placed it on top of the trap, roughly memorizing the location, and left with Apollos.
The trap had no bait to attract goats, so whether they could catch them was up to chance.
Shen Yi hoped for a willing goat…
Leaving the flock, Shen Yi and Apollos continued their journey westward.
Perhaps it was bad luck this time, as Chen Yi and Apollos continued westward for over half an hour, still finding nothing.
Judging by their speed, they were about 40 kilometers from the camp.
What a desolate wilderness! Chen
Yi sighed. He had originally hoped to try his luck, hoping to stumble upon a river, lake, or other mineral deposits, but he hadn't expected the goats he'd seen earlier to be the most valuable item.
After walking so far, and still being in the wilderness...
Chen Yi half considered returning to camp.
However, thinking of the map refresh in a dozen days, he decided to continue on.
Faced with the unknown dangers ahead, Chen Yi wanted to improve his strength as quickly as possible.
Just as he had traveled nearly ten kilometers, a camp suddenly appeared ahead.
It was a clearing carved out from the thorns and dense undergrowth, with huts, tents, and caves crammed together in a chaotic pattern, forming a residential area.
Within the camp, tiny green-skinned figures moved about.
They were thin, with large heads.
When their eyes caught sight of the camp from afar, Chen Yi was stunned.
He couldn't believe such creatures could actually exist.
[Discovered: Goblin Camp]
[Goblins are brutal and ferocious humanoids. They are filthy, evil, greedy, and cunning. Favorability: Hostile.]
Shen Yi's eyelids jumped at the system prompt.
This wasn't from a novel or movie.
Goblins were intelligent, aggressive, and aggressive creatures!
Crucially, they hated him.
Shen Yi had no doubt they would kill him if they spotted him.
He quickly had the massive Apollos lie down to avoid being seen while he observed the goblin camp from a distance.
The most common structure in the camp was a shack.
These were low, dingy structures constructed of wood, stone, mud, animal skins, and looted canvas. They were often decorated with bones or tattered totems.
Shen Yi roughly counted and found around thirty of these small shacks throughout the camp.
According to Shen Yi's estimate, each shack housed at least four or five goblins, and the entire camp was home to hundreds of goblins!-+ Although these goblins stood only 1.34 meters tall and weighed less than 100 kilograms,
they were no simple critters. They were humanoids with intelligence comparable to that of humans, organized, disciplined, and capable of cunning schemes!
They could wield weapons and launch surprise attacks, making them a formidable opponent.
Especially given their sheer numbers
, he couldn't help but feel fortunate he'd spotted them first. Otherwise, a late-night raid on his camp would have been disastrous.
This goblin camp was like a ticking time bomb.
He observed it carefully.
It was crudely built, its environment harsh. In the center stood a larger hut, its wood and hides clearly superior to the others.
Several relatively strong goblin guards stood at the entrance.
This must be the leader's residence, Shen Yi reasoned.
The goblins were all armed, primarily axes, knives, and spears, with a few even carrying bows and arrows. It
was indeed a difficult situation...
Shen Yi observed the situation for a while, feeling a sense of daunting difficulty.
We must be well prepared, take a long-term view, and when we take action, we must kill them with a thunderbolt.
Shen Yi made up his mind.
When dealing with these little monsters, we must not be complacent.
Shen Yi told Apollos to retreat together.
At this moment, a burly goblin seemed to sense something and looked over here.
Shen Yi lowered his head suddenly.
He narrowly avoided the goblin's sight.
The goblin's eyes showed confusion. He glanced at the location of Shen Yi and Apollos for a moment before turning his head.
Shen Yi broke out in a cold sweat.
He really didn't have the confidence to deal with the hundreds of goblins in this camp now.
They were ferocious, agile, and flexible, and they were not easy to deal with.
Shen Yi knew that he couldn't stay here any longer, otherwise he might be discovered, so he told Apollos to run away.
One man and one robot, careful not to make any sound, Apollos walked hunched over at Shen Yi's request.
After all, Apollos was just an industrial mech, lacking in combat skills. He couldn't be expected to do everything; he needed to develop a stronger armed force.
Shen Yi and Apollos first turned south, walked over ten kilometers, and then returned, their route forming a triangle.
This exploration yielded crucial intelligence: the discovery of a goblin camp. This provided early warning, and if they could destroy it, they would likely receive a generous reward.
Shen Yi faced two challenges: how to kill these hundreds of goblins and how to achieve victory without taking any casualties.
If he were killed or seriously injured, killing hundreds of goblins would be meaningless. Victory
without taking any casualties was a challenge far from simple.
In Apollos's warehouse,
Shen Yi pondered this deeply. This encounter had instilled in him a deep fear of this world.
He had already encountered such a formidable enemy before the map refreshed. What dangers awaited him twelve days from now?
His sense of urgency grew stronger.
As Shen Yi and his mech were returning, a building suddenly appeared before him.
Its brown walls made it inconspicuous against the black wilderness. More importantly, the building was half-buried in the earth, covered in a blanket of black soil. Without a closer look, it could easily be mistaken for a small mound.
He and Apollos approached cautiously, realizing that this exotic-looking structure wasn't some player's safehouse, but a long-abandoned house.
"This is..." Shen Yi's expression fluttered, his heartbeat quickening.
[Discovery: Ruins]
[A mysterious structure, whose origin is unknown. Ruins Level: 1]
As expected!
Shen Yi's eyes lit up: Ruins!
He'd seen someone mention ruins in the chat channel, though the details weren't clear, but it was certain they often contained valuable items.
Could there be any useful supplies here?
Shen Yi's heart suddenly burned with excitement.
This house was the first product of human civilization he had encountered since arriving in this world.
Shen Yi's base was short on supplies, lacking everything. Even finding a pillow here was a huge win.
He suppressed his excitement and took a quick look around to make sure there was no danger.
"Apollos, clear this out," Shen Yi ordered.
70-80% of the building was buried underground, with only the roof and a section of wall exposed. The doors and windows were buried in the soil.
Apollos's robotic arm immediately began clearing away the stone and soil, digging along the wall.
Ten minutes later, a pit about ten meters deep was dug along the wall.
A shattered stone door appeared before Shen Yi's eyes.
The side Apollos was digging happened to be the side where the main door was located.
The stone doors were over three meters high. One was completely shattered, and the back was pitch black. The other door was mostly intact, with intricate patterns painted on it.
Is there any danger down there?
The deep, dark space gave rise to unsettling thoughts.
He took a deep breath, lit a simple torch, and went down with Apollos one after the other.
In addition to providing illumination, the torch could also measure the oxygen concentration in the air.
Once inside the pit, Shen Yi could finally see the tiny inscriptions carved into the stone door.
Unfortunately, these inscriptions were completely different from anything Shen Yi had seen before, bearing only a passing resemblance to inscriptions on bronze artifacts.
Shen Yi and Apollos entered the ruins through the damaged stone door.
The torches burned normally, and the air flow inside was quite good.
Reassured, Shen Yi ordered Apollos to keep watch.
He himself held his bone-chopping knife on guard.
Torch in one hand, bone-chopping knife in the other.
Apollos's own flashlight was incredibly bright, illuminating the interior of the ruins like daylight.
Inside, a strong smell of decay mingled with the scent of dust filled the space.
The interior was vast, and what he had seen from the outside was only a small fraction of it.
"Who lived here?" Shen Yi surveyed his surroundings in amazement.
The building was primarily stone, with walls and floors made of solid stone. Even after all these years, the interior had retained a remarkable degree of integrity.
He was struck by the unique interior design.
The room took on a smooth, oval or cocoon-like shape, with almost no right angles. Strangely, the walls felt soft to the touch, resembling fine Hetian jade, not ordinary stone. Rather,
they seemed made of some kind of ceramic or highly polished organic polymer. The floor was soft and flexible, feeling like dense moss underfoot, and walking on it was silent.
Beyond anything else, the comfort alone was already top-notch…
Shen Yi could sense that the civilization in this ruin wasn't technologically advanced, but the materials used were exquisite, and the craftsmanship was excellent.
Shen Yi noticed no obvious lighting.
Strangely, the walls glowed faintly.
This material…
Shen Yi marveled at it.
Even in the absence of light, the luminescence from the walls allowed for easy movement at night.
What amazed Shen Yi most was the roof of the ruins!
It resembled a slowly shifting, liquid galaxy, the nebula spreading like the expanding universe.
After expanding to a certain extent, the nebula will condense and contract, repeating this cycle, symbolizing the expansion and collapse of the universe. It's truly beautiful... The individual
rooms may not appear large, but they give off a strange sense of spaciousness, perhaps due to the use of curves and the visual extension created by the light.
"Amazing!" Shen Yi couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Different civilizations possess different heritages. "If only I could move my own safe house here..." Shen Yi said with a touch of envy. The building materials and comfort here completely surpassed his own cabin. The only problem was that when compared to other buildings, Shen Yi's cabin, when placed next to this ruin, looked, frankly, like a hut. Shen Yi admired the details of the ruins with admiration, slowly making his way inside. He hadn't forgotten his purpose: he wasn't here for sightseeing. Unfortunately, despite its well-preserved state, it lacked any furniture or appliances. The humans who had lived here were vastly different from those on Earth. Their lives were likely more simple and primitive. Shen Yi and Apollos explored three houses but found nothing useful. Not even a single piece of decent furniture. This is a bit awkward… Shen Yi sighed softly. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared from nowhere and slammed into Shen Yi. "Ah!" Shen Yi screamed, falling backward. "Apollos!" He rolled twice on the ground, shouting Apollos' name. This time, Shen Yi's performance was much better than his previous encounter with the Wasteland Lizard. He didn't panic. He remained calm and kept his distance. He felt a sharp pain from the previous blow. His only consolation was that the blow hadn't hit his internal organs, but instead had hit his left shoulder and left collarbone. After rolling twice, he endured the pain and quickly stood up, throwing the torch in his left hand at the other party. Apollos's flashlight also shone on the black shadow in time. "Ghost!" Shen Yi's previously calm heart couldn't help but tremble. It was a humanoid creature about 1.8 meters tall. Its body shape was similar to that of a human: a head, torso, and limbs. The difference is that its head is very pointed, its arms are very long, and its upper body is much larger than its lower body. In terms of body proportions, it is more like a humanoid mantis. In addition to this weird body, what makes Shen Yi a little scared is its face. A gray face, four parallel holes, arranged in a row vertically. Below these four holes, there is a horizontally growing hole. Shen Yi guessed that these four holes might be its visual organs, which originally had eyeballs in them, and the hole should be its mouthparts if nothing unexpected happens... What kind of monster is this? Shen Yi gasped heavily, a little scared by the ugly face of this monster. Apollos appeared in front of Shen Yi in time to block its attack. This monster's movements are not fast, but rather a bit clumsy. It moves slowly, but it is very strong and its body is very hard.
Apollos's mechanical arm swung its hammer, striking the creature, but surprisingly, it didn't send it flying.
"Bang!" The heavy blow only knocked it back two steps. Apollos stepped forward and struck again.
At that moment, Shen Yi sensed something and turned to see another monster appear before him, its face riddled with four black holes, barely a meter away. Shen
Yi gasped.
But he was no longer the same person he had been before. He grabbed the bone-chopping knife and slashed at the creature's head.
Another muffled sound.
Shen Yi felt a tingling in his right hand.
What kind of steel and iron is this?! Shen Yi
had personally tested the sharpness of this bone-chopping knife, but even with this blow, it didn't even sever its head!
It only made a dent.
And the monster lunged at Shen Yi again.
This time, Shen Yi's ferocity was aroused. Instead of running away, he used his agility to sidestep, avoiding the monster's blow. At the same time, grasping the bone-chopping knife with both hands, he slashed fiercely from the side!
The blow was delivered with full force, and unlike the previous chop to the head, it struck directly at the neck.
"Nothing more!" Shen Yi sneered, sinking the bone-chopping knife deep into the creature's neck.
The blow dealt a
heavy blow. The monster struggled, trying to strike Shen Yi again.
Shen Yi drew out the bone-chopping knife and, without stopping, struck the creature's neck again.
It was in almost the same spot.
A bloodthirsty glint flashed in Shen Yi's eyes.
He somewhat enjoyed the feeling...
three consecutive strikes.
The blow to the neck disrupted the monster's balance, preventing it from mounting an effective counterattack.
With the final blow, Shen Yi delivered a brutal severance of the monster's neck.
With the crisp sound of broken bones, the monster fell to the ground, motionless.
Shen Yi, breathing heavily, looked at Apollus. Apollus
had just finished his fight, sawing the monster that had attacked Shen Yi into several pieces.
"Apollus, are you a chainsaw man?" Shen Yi laughed. Apollus's fighting style was reassuring.
After the battle, his shoulder ached terribly.
The significance of Shen Yi's constant eagerness to improve his martial prowess was also evident at this moment.
Apollos couldn't protect himself constantly; he needed to be able to face powerful enemies alone.
This battle was just a test run.
[You killed a Zeta zombie]
[Received 1 Black Iron Treasure Chest]
Bronze Treasure Chest!
Shen Yi was delighted, but then the system prompt sounded again.
[Your industrial mech killed a Zeta zombie]
[Received 1 Black Iron Treasure Chest]
Zombies?
Shen Yi frowned.
Receiving two treasure chests made Shen Yi smile brightly, and the pain in his body seemed to ease considerably.
Not bad, two bronze treasure chests had already exceeded the mission.
Shen Yi checked his injury. His shoulder was swollen and painful, but fortunately, it was bone-related and should be fine.
Then, he and Apollos continued their exploration of the ruins.
They arrived at a large hall.
In the center of the room stood a strange device—a cluster of crystalline, coral-like structures, from which a clear liquid slowly seeped, dripping into a small pool at its base.
"What is this? It looks very high-end..." Shen Yi was very interested.