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

Zhang Shi rubbed his aching shoulders and glanced at the time, surprised to find it was nearly 3 p.m., with the system's sunset countdown only a little over an hour away. Remembering the system's repeated warnings about the dangers of night in the wilderness, Zhang Shi immediately gathered his tools and rode his bike away. Fortunately, Zhang Shi didn't stray far from his shelter, pedaling with all his might, and in about 1 minutes, he returned to his dilapidated thatched hut.

As they approached the shelter, they heard a whistle-like sound nearby. Zhang Shi was startled. A quick glance revealed that the trap he'd casually set when he left that morning had already caught a rabbit. A snow-white rabbit lay on the ground, its leg trapped, unable to move, and only crying helplessly.

Zhang Shi quickly stepped forward and killed the white rabbit with a single blow. My goodness, the rabbit's cry was so piercing. If it attracted a large beast, how could this shabby thatched house be able to stop it?

System prompts, congratulations on obtaining:

[Rabbit Meat (White) 600g: Rich in protein, tender and smooth, it is a meat that is relatively easy to obtain in the wilderness.]

[Rabbit skin (white) x1: dense fur, glossy color, versatile, no tanning required.]

Zhang Shi reset the trap and excitedly returned to the shelter with the rabbit meat.

After taking a long gulp of purified water, the supply was almost empty. Zhang Shi opened the system and planned to trade for some resources in the trading module. He would prioritize upgrading the shelter and then address his food and clothing needs.

Clicking on the trading module, a considerable number of survivors have already posted trading information. The trading items are varied, and the prices of various resources fluctuate greatly.

Seeing this, Zhang Shi decided to observe the market conditions in the regional chat channel first.

Zhu Dachang: Hey everyone, is there anyone selling resources? I'm offering [500 2g white bread] in exchange for 100 units of wood and 30 units of stone. If you're interested, please PM me.

Cheng Xiaobai: Stop it, bro. I've been chopping trees all day. My axe's durability is all gone, my back's almost broken, and I've only managed to collect 20 units of wood. As for hammering rocks, that's even more physically demanding. Who's going to trade with you?

Hou Kun: That’s right. Even if an ordinary person swings his axe until it smokes, he still can’t gather enough resources to upgrade the shelter. You want to exchange it with two pieces of broken bread? What are you daydreaming about?

Ge Dalong: Everyone, I recommend exploring the area around the shelter when you have time. I've noticed treasure chests randomly spawning around the shelter. These chests not only contain basic supplies, but also have a chance to reveal tools. [Refined Iron Axe (Green) x1: A refined iron axe with a sharp blade, perfect for chopping down trees or people with greater efficiency. Durability: 98]

Liu Ruanruan: Wow, brother is so awesome, you must have collected a lot of resources, can you help your sister?

Duan Bi: Wow, brother, you are so awesome. You must have collected a lot of resources. Can you help your younger brother?

Zhu Dachang: Hey, little sister, I have a lot of extra resources. Let’s talk privately about it.

Liu Yu: @Ge Dalong, the above is right. I found a treasure chest near the shelter and got a blue iron pickaxe. I worked hard all day and got a lot of stone. Anyone want to trade? The price is based on the shelter upgrade ratio. 30 stone for 100 wood. If interested, please PM.

Zhu Dachang: @段碧, can you please stop messaging me privately? I’m talking to @刘茹茹. If you bother me again, I’ll block you.

Zhang Shi noticed this man named Liu Yu and looked at the price of stone for wood in the market. Because it was difficult to mine, it was often 1 for 5. After thinking about it, he knew that he had enough wood anyway, so he chatted with Liu Yu privately.

Zhang Shi (VIP): Hello, 100 wood for 30 stone, right? I have extra materials here, click on the trade.

Liu Yu: Holy crap, it's a VIP guy! Can we add each other as friends so we can collaborate more in the future?

After that, he sent a friend invitation.

Zhang Shi thought about it and realized that he was very efficient at chopping wood, and Liu Yu was just a stone breaker. If they worked together, it would greatly improve their resource gathering efficiency, so he agreed to the friend invitation.

Afterwards, the two successfully completed the transaction and politely said goodbye to Liu Yu. Zhang Shi looked at the 35 units of stone in his backpack and excitedly clicked on the construction module to upgrade the shelter.

With a flash of golden light, the thatched hut transformed into a small wooden house. Although it was a bit painful to lose 90 pieces of wood and 27 pieces of stone in his backpack, Zhang Shi still felt it was worth it when he thought that he finally had a foothold in this wilderness.

Zhang Shi surveyed his new shelter. The once drafty shack had been transformed into a roughly 20-square-meter wooden cabin. Constructed entirely of wood, the cracks between them were sealed with moss, making it airtight. The floor was paved with stone slabs, insulating it from surface moisture. Most importantly, the cabin had doors and windows. Despite its somewhat cramped interior, it barely felt like a home.

Use the system to check the cabin.

[Wooden House: A primary shelter that can protect against wind and rain, but it is still very fragile when facing natural disasters and wild beasts.]

Zhang Shi ignored the system's evaluation of the wooden house. Feeling very satisfied, he rolled a few times on the stone floor in excitement.

"I've worked hard all day, but I finally have a decent place to stay."

System prompts, congratulations on successfully upgrading your shelter, unlocking some item manufacturing permissions, and obtaining:

[High-quality treasure chest (blue) x1: A high-quality treasure chest. When opened, you may receive supplies, weapons, props, or mysterious surprises. (Not tradable)]

Zhang Shi's eyes lit up. He was just worried about not finding the treasure chest, but he didn't expect the reward for upgrading the shelter to be a high-level treasure chest. Remembering that he hadn't used his VIP privileges for the day, he immediately opened the treasure chest.

Ding, successfully opened the advanced treasure chest (blue), triggered the VIP privilege, doubled the items, and obtained:

[Black pot (white) x2: Iron pot, because it has been used for too long, the surface is covered with stains.]

[Pure water 500ml (white) x 6]

【500g white bread x6】

【Wood (white) X20】

【Stone (white) x10】

After the treasure chest was opened, it disappeared in a flash of white light. Zhang Shi looked at the extra resources in front of him with some disappointment.

It is obviously a high-level treasure chest, but all the items that came out of it are of white quality, and the quantity is not that large. It seems that whether you can get good things depends on your luck.

Zhang Shi checked the construction interface again and discovered that some furniture and ironware had been unlocked, including an iron axe and pickaxe. However, these items still required a key material—iron. Currently, most players lacked access to iron, leaving these unlocked items unusable.

Just as Zhang Shi was in a state of confusion, the sky outside suddenly darkened. Just a few rays of light shone into the room through the wooden window, but in the blink of an eye, the whole room became pitch black.

Zhang Shi calmed down and checked the system time. Sure enough, it was already 16: PM, the time for sunset. Zhang Shi quickly closed the doors and windows to prevent any wild animals from invading.

Once he calmed down, Zhang Shi felt a pang of hunger rising in his stomach. He then remembered he hadn't eaten all day. Remembering the rabbit meat and cooking utensils he had just found, he decided to prepare a proper dinner in the cabin.