Half a day of exploration within the safe distance near the spaceship obviously yielded no results.
After confirming the plants near the spaceship, Chen Ming returned to the spaceship early to prepare for the official search tomorrow.
Once he confirmed that he wouldn't suddenly pass out, Chen Ming took a pistol in the storage chamber, selected all six transformation options, and pressed the transformation button.
Some metals in the storage chamber melted into liquid and gathered into Chen Ming's hand.
These metal liquids didn't have the usual cold touch of metals; instead, they gave Chen Ming a warm and comfortable feeling.
This sensation didn't last long, and soon the six transformations of the pistol were completed.
The modified pistol became noticeably larger, and its appearance had significant changes.
Previously, this pistol looked quite ordinary, but now it seemed like a professional pistol that special forces would use.
However, despite the many items displayed on the panel and its appearance, the transformation of the pistol was actually quite small.
The consumption of materials was minimal, mostly involving iron, and it didn't significantly exhaust Chen Ming's mental energy.
So Chen Ming considered a bit and then opened the panel for the protective suit.
[Lightweight Vacuum Environment Protective Suit · Modified]
[Manufacturer: Speed Particle Technology Company]
[Power: 100%]
[Oxygen: 100%]
[Modified components: Self-recovering Oxygen Module, Radiation-resistant Layer, Gas Quality Detector]
[Durability: 96%]
[Executable operations: Repair/Transformation]
The manufacturing company of the protective suit was different from the Sinda Corporation where Chen Ming worked, but this wasn't important.
What mattered was that the protective suit had been modified and could still be further modified.
Chen Ming would need to wear the protective suit while hunting outside.
So he had to enhance the suit's protective ability, particularly against attacks.
For example, adding a bulletproof layer at lethal spots like the chest and neck.
It didn't need to be thick, just enough to fend off attacks from medium-sized beasts.
If a large beast managed to secretly approach Chen Ming, unless he was wearing a full heavy spacesuit, the bulletproof layer might only prolong his suffering.
Moreover, a suit that's too heavy could impede Chen Ming's actions later.
Although he felt he could handle the bulletproof layer modification himself, since his condition was good, Chen Ming opted for a one-click transformation.
Flowing over the suit, the metal liquid slightly thickened at the body's vulnerable spots, with bulletproof plates added inside.
The overall weight increased slightly but was still within Chen Ming's acceptable range.
After the modification of the protective suit, Chen Ming felt slightly dizzy.
So he tidied up a bit, returned to the living chamber, and activated the spaceship's automatic defense system.
It would sound an alarm when attacked and was programmed for quick departure or direct retaliation.
Chen Ming set it to quickly take off and leave if the spaceship was attacked,
as the previous exploding aerial jellyfish had left a deep impression on him, and he didn't want to be bombed again.
Then, Chen Ming pressed the machine gun's transformation option and fell into a coma.
The first night after landing on the planet passed peacefully.
By the time it was dawn the next day, Chen Ming woke up early.
He put on the modified protective suit and took the terminal and advanced plant analyzer — equipment he'd need later, and most importantly, the pistol.
Although Chen Ming felt fairly confident about the upcoming exploration, to be safe, he planned to scout the surroundings first to familiarize himself with the environment before expanding outward.
He could also establish a temporary survival base centered on the spaceship.
While living, he could of course stay directly on the spaceship, but around it, Chen Ming felt it was necessary to set up some simple defensive facilities.
This would make the spaceship his last line of defense, not the foremost or only one.
This way, he'd have some room to maneuver in case of danger.
Additionally, Chen Ming even considered clearing some nearby wasteland for planting.
But this idea wasn't urgent; the seeds weren't available yet, and things had to be taken step by step.
As for today's plan, Chen Ming intended to use the terminal to photograph and automatically record the surrounding terrain to determine the precise landscape around the spaceship's landing point,
getting a detailed map for future tasks.
Actually, he should have done this on the first day when the spaceship hadn't landed.
But as the spaceship approached the surface, the attack from the swarm of frenzied aerial jellyfish disrupted Chen Ming's rhythm, making him forget about this task.
If the spaceship took off again to survey the terrain now, the surrounding animals would definitely be spooked again, significantly reducing the chance of a successful hunt.
Thus, Chen Ming decisively decided to go out and confirm the terrain himself.
After all, he needed to search for suitable plants and find animals that might appear nearby; confirming the terrain along the way wouldn't waste much time.
There shouldn't be any problem handling these three tasks at once.
The only issue to talk about was how to arrange the route.
To find crops for planting, going to the forest would be better.
To find hunting targets, the riverbank was more fitting since no animal could survive without drinking water.
To confirm the surrounding terrain, Chen Ming had to go to higher ground.
These three destinations did conflict a bit, but luckily the nearby terrain was ideal.
The southern side of the small hill Chen Ming was on was a slope without trees, while to the north, there was a relatively higher hill.
The vegetation on the hill was denser compared to around the spaceship, and further north, there was a very dense forest.
And west of the two hills, there was a river.
Moving north then west, the route perfectly met all his needs.
About ten minutes later, Chen Ming climbed from the hill where the spaceship was to the foot of the northern hill.
During the journey, he took some pictures of the surrounding environment, which automatically turned into flat maps on the terminal.
This function didn't seem to be built into the terminal; perhaps the Maintenance Master had considered the possibility of being stranded on the planet when Chen Ming came to work here.
A strange thought flashed in Chen Ming's mind, but he didn't pay it much attention.
Continuing along the easy path up the southern slope of the hill, he reached the top.
Chen Ming heard rustling noises from the nearby bushes, like some small animal, but he saw nothing.
He temporarily ignored it and found a thick, crooked tree, exerting effort to climb up.
He emerged from the canopy formed by similarly crooked purple leaves.