Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

Zhang Shi opened his mouth in surprise, speechless. It was not until it was completely dark that he came to his senses.

"Awesome! I got so many rewards just by upgrading one shelter. I'm going to be so excited!"

Glancing at the next level of the shelter, Zhang Shi realized even the construction requirements hadn't been unlocked yet. He stopped dwelling on it and put the treasure chest into his backpack, ready to maximize its benefits and wait until tomorrow when the privileges refreshed before opening it again. For now, Zhang Shi planned to use up all the placement resources first.

With the protection of the wall, Zhang Shi grew bolder. Carrying an oil lamp, he braved the night and set up a well in the courtyard. He pulled up the well's own bucket, which was filled with clear, cold water. Zhang Shi used his Dingzhen drill to take a look.

"Ding, it's confirmed at a glance: well water."

[Well Water (Blue) 15L x 1: After consuming a certain amount, increases energy recovery speed by 10%. High-quality well water, cool and sweet, can be consumed directly.]

Zhang Shi's expression lit up with delight. He hadn't expected this well to produce such high-quality water. He took a sip and it was indeed icy cool, with a hint of sweetness. Zhang Shi was even happier. He finally had a stable water supply. Combined with the 20% energy recovery from the luxurious bed, he would become a tireless plowing ox. If he found a field to plow, he would work it diligently.

After transferring 40L of well water into his backpack, Zhang Shi felt a slight chill coming from all around him.

"Is autumn coming to this wilderness? Why is the weather getting colder?"

Back in the stone house, Zhang Shi quickly lit the fireplace. The flames illuminated the living room, rapidly warming the entire stone house. Zhang Shi felt a surge of warmth both physically and mentally. As soon as he was free, he suddenly felt a pang of hunger. Another day had passed; it was time to treat himself.

Zhang Shi stretched his arms, preparing to make himself a pot of chicken soup. The convenience of having the system-processed chicken eliminates the need for preparation and blanching. Zhang Shi generously poured some high-quality well water into the black pot, added the Kun chicken and the wild vegetables and onions he'd gathered that day, and ritualistically sprinkled some salt. Zhang Shi then placed the black pot on the stove and left it alone.

Zhang Shi got up and went to the bathroom, shaking his head with emotion.

“People only appreciate things when they lose them.”

For the past few days, Zhang Shi had been defecating in the bushes, constantly surrounded by mosquitoes. His delicate bottom had been bitten countless times. At that moment, looking at the ceramic toilet that stood out against the surrounding stone walls, Zhang Shi felt a pang of grievance. He boldly filled the water tank with river water, and the toilet began to function normally.

"Wow~"

After draining the water smoothly, Zhang Shi skillfully wiped it clean with a blade. After washing his hands for the first time in a long time, Zhang Shi felt relieved and lit the small stove under the water tank before leaving.

"Take a bath tonight and have a good sleep."

Sitting down by the fireplace, Zhang Shi opened the construction module. A wide variety of items were unlocked as the shelter upgraded, including tools, weapons, and furniture. Now that the shelter had expanded, it felt a bit empty. Zhang Shi looked at the furniture section and decided to make some.

Dining Table (White): Ordinary wooden furniture, bringing a touch of life to the otherwise dull wilderness. Construction Requirements: 1154g/8g of wood, 0/10g of nails.

Zhang Shi clicked on the sub-page for iron nails, which showed that they were made of pig iron. Looking at the pig iron in his backpack, Zhang Shi didn't hesitate and decisively chose to make it.

Ding, congratulations on getting:

[Iron Nails (White) x10: Iron materials are essential resources for survivors' development and manufacturing.]

Seeing that the construction conditions were met, Zhang Shi decisively made the dining table and placed it in the center of the living room.

"Now that we have a table, we need a chair."

Chair (White): Ordinary wooden furniture, bringing a touch of life to the otherwise dull wilderness. Construction Requirements: 1146g of wood, 4 tungsten nails, 0/5 tungsten nails.

Zhang Shi is now very arrogant and directly bought several pieces of iron ore in the trading market.

"It's a good opportunity to try this smelting furnace."

Zhang Shi placed the smelting furnace by the window, added five units of wood, and poured all the iron ore into it. After about three minutes, the system prompt sounded.

Ding, congratulations on getting:

【Refined Iron (Blue) X1】

"Hey! There's an unexpected bonus."

Refined iron was a hot commodity on the market, commanding a high price. Zhang Shi put it in his backpack and patiently waited for the rest of the iron ore to be refined.

Ding, congratulations on getting:

【Pig iron (white) x1】

"Sure enough, the smelting furnace doesn't always produce high-quality metal."

Zhang Shi worked on it, made the chairs, and placed them in front of the dining table. The table and chairs were ready, only the tableware was missing.

The system wasn't yet capable of producing this, so Zhang Shi had to find a set of wooden tableware at the market, which was quite affordable. Seeing everything ready, the chicken soup simmered on the stove. Zhang Shi lifted the lid, and a rich, meaty aroma filled his nostrils, whetting his appetite.

Zhang Shi poured the chicken soup into his bowl and took a sip. The aroma of the meat mixed with the freshness of the wild vegetables created an indescribable deliciousness. Most importantly, it was salty.

Clicking on Zhao Feng's profile picture, Zhang Shi sent him a video call, intending to tease him, but Zhao Feng hadn't responded yet. Zhang Shi felt a little worried, so he left him a message, asking him to reply when he was free.

While enjoying his meal, he clicked on the chat channel. Watching these survivors gossiping and chatting with each other was a great way to kill time. It had become a regular part of Zhang Shi's routine to help him sleep and enjoy his meals.

Sure enough, those familiar IDs were chatting enthusiastically.

Qian Duo: How's everyone's harvest today? Let me throw in some bricks. [Fine Iron Spear (Blue) x1: When attacking, has a chance to cause armor penetration, very effective against thick-skinned beasts. This high-quality weapon, forged from fine iron, can cause piercing damage to enemies.]

Wang Wu: Brother, can you rent this thing to me tomorrow? I found a nest of wild boars today, but I don't have any suitable weapons. With your weapon, I'm confident I can wipe them out.

Ge Dalong: Brother Wang, don't get carried away. The old folks have a saying: "One pig, two bears, three tigers." Wild boars can be quite frightening when they get angry. If you get hurt in this wilderness, it'll be a disaster. It's not worth it.

Many people in the chatroom immediately began to dissuade Wang Wu from risking such a huge risk by confronting the wild boar. However, Wang Wu seemed determined to confront the wild boar head-on. Seeing his resolve, everyone guessed he was either confident or simply a fool, and that persuasion was useless. They each offered to lend him some resources they could use.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the chat channel was lively, Zhang Shi showed off the Wilderness Hunter suit and said that he could lend it to Wang Wu.

Seeing that everyone was helping him, Wang Wu felt warm in his heart and immediately promised that if he successfully captured the wild boar family, he would give a portion of wild boar meat to each family member who rented supplies to him.