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

It was pitch dark inside the cabin, so the most urgent thing was to start a fire. Zhang Shi pulled a lighter from his system backpack and, using the flame, used a knife to cut a piece of wood into thin strips, which he then ignited. The wood near Zhang Shi's shelter was very dry, and the small strips caught fire quickly. Zhang Shi cut the wood into smaller pieces suitable for ignition, took out some stones, and surrounded the fire, making a simple campfire.

The bonfire lit up, and the cabin suddenly became bright. With the fire, Zhang Shi felt a sense of security in the dim wilderness. He took out the rabbit meat that had been decomposed by the system and, as usual, secured it with a thin wooden stick and grilled it over the bonfire.

As the bonfire burned, the temperature in the cabin gradually rose, and Zhang Shi felt his body become warm. The firelight reflected on Zhang Shi's focused face, coating his self-proclaimed handsome face with a warm golden hue.

The rabbit meat slowly rotated over the campfire, the fat dripping into the flames, making a sizzling sound, and the enticing aroma filled the entire hut. Zhang Shi occasionally adjusted the position of the rabbit meat to ensure that each side was evenly heated. The golden skin gradually became crispy, while the meat inside remained tender and juicy.

As the rabbit meat gradually cooked through, Zhang Shi carefully removed it from the fire with a wooden stick and placed it in the newly acquired black pot, which served as a rice bowl. Zhang Shi blew gently a few times to dissipate some of the heat, then opened his mouth and bit off a large piece of meat.

"Woo, woo, gu."

Zhang Shi's face was slightly disappointed. Rabbit meat itself was not very greasy, and the lack of seasoning made its taste even more bland. Accustomed to modern technology, Zhang Shi found this meal somewhat bland.

"Hey, it's good to have something to eat. It's better than eating bread."

Zhang Shi took out a bag of bread, cut off a piece of rabbit meat, and sandwiched the meat between the bread.

"Lao Zhang's homemade mini burgers are ready!"

The atmosphere in the cabin grew warm and tranquil. The glow of the campfire and the aroma of the food intertwined to create a heartwarming scene. Zhang Shi sat by the fire, enjoying this rare peace. Even in the real world, his mind had never been so calm.

After enjoying this simple dinner, Zhang Shi did not forget to add new wood to the campfire to ensure that it would continue to burn at night and provide him with light and warmth.

Zhang Shi opened the window and leaned against the bed, gazing at the night sky. It was pitch black, with no stars or moon. Zhang Shi's eyes flushed slightly, and two lines of tears slowly slid down.

"This smoke is so strong, it's almost choking me to death."

……

After eating and drinking, Zhang Shi lay on a simple bed made of wood, with rabbit skin as a pillow, looking at the dancing light and shadow on the ceiling, silently planning his next move in his mind.

I opened my already packed backpack. Right now, I have:

Old Duan (Multicolored) x1, Broken Stone Axe (White) x1, Broken Stone Pickaxe (White) x1, Purified Water 500ml (White) x6, Plastic Water Bottle x1, Bread 500g (White) x6, Windproof Lighter (Blue) x1, Bicycle (White) x1, Rabbit Skin (White) x1, Small Animal Trap (Blue) x1, Wood (White) x105, Stone (White) x6]

This is only the first day of survival in the wilderness, and there are so many resources. I have to say that the so-called invincible golden finger is really useful, and the things it gives are practical and crucial.

Although Zhang Shi had enough food and drink in the short term, he decided to continue searching for water and food for long-term development. Furthermore, since the chat channel mentioned that treasure chests would spawn in the wild, and he had the privilege of doubling the treasure chest resources, he had to continue exploring the wild.

After lying in bed for a long time, he couldn't fall asleep. Zhang Shi opened the system panel and found it was only 8 o'clock. Normally, he would have just gotten off work at this time. With nothing else to do, Zhang Shi checked the material requirements for the next stage of the shelter upgrade.

【石屋（未解锁）：中级庇护所，能够遮风挡雨，即使是面对天灾和野兽，也有一定的防御能力，自带的壁炉能够有效的抵御严寒气候。升级条件：木材105/300石头6/500泥浆0/50石屋设计图0/1】

The next phase of the shelter upgrade requires more resources. There's no rush for mud and blueprints; they'll likely appear on the market in a few days. They'll be easily available with a few resources. Just 500 units of stone is a significant expense for anyone, and I'm not sure if the trade with Liu Yu alone will satisfy the demand.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shi decisively opened the trading module and took a quick look. In the current trading market, the price of basic resources has stabilized, and the ratio of wood to stone is roughly 4 to 1.

Zhang Shi summarized the reasons:

First, although you can pick up scattered stones in the wild, you still need to mine them to get enough to upgrade your shelter. Mining consumes much more energy and time than chopping trees, which leads to more survivors preferring to chop trees.

Second, many top survivors have upgraded their wooden houses, unlocking the need for the next stage of stone house upgrades, and have begun to purchase stones in large quantities in the trading market, causing the already high price of stones to soar.

Zhang Shi looked at the other trades and didn't find anything new. Most of the trades involved basic resources like food and water. Perhaps it was because of the newbie gift packs, and since it was only the first day, everyone was frugal with food and drink, so the prices for food and resources weren't too high.

Zhang Shi decided to let the bullets fly for a while and temporarily gave up the idea of ​​exchanging food for resources. After placing twenty trades of 4 wood for 1 stone, Zhang Shi clicked on the regional chat channel to see what everyone was doing.

Duan Bi: Woohoo, this world is so dark, I'm so scared, is there any big brother with abs who can make a video call to comfort me?

Chen Beipan: If anyone has successfully started a fire, please give me some of the fire and I can trade it for water.

Tang An: Is there anyone selling lighters and matches? I opened a treasure chest and got a piece of raw meat, but I can only stare at it helplessly. I'm so greedy.

Zhao Weiwei: This thatched hut is leaking everywhere. Is there anyone selling a fire source? If the price is right, please message me privately.

Zhang Shi's eyes lit up, spotting a business opportunity. He quickly stood up, took a burning log from the fire, and placed it on the trading interface.

System prompts, successfully put on the shelf [Wood (white) X1]

Zhang Shi was stunned, and took the wood off the shelf again, only to find that the flame on it had gone out, leaving only a charred piece.

"I took the test, and I was so happy for nothing."

Zhang Shi casually tossed the wood into the campfire and was about to close the trading interface when he glanced at it and noticed a rental section. Clicking on it, he discovered that the system allows the rental of tools. The survivor can set a time or durability limit for the rental, and once the conditions are met, the rental item will be immediately returned.

Zhang Shi's eyes lit up again, and he tried renting out the lighter. Since it had no durability, Zhang Shi didn't know how long it would last, so he set a three-minute limit per person, and each rental cost three units of wood.

Ding, your [Windproof Lighter (Blue) X1] has been successfully rented by "AAA Building Materials King Brother" and you have received [Wood (White) X1]

"Haha, it's done!"

Zhang Shi was overjoyed. He had a steady income from wood again. It wasn't much, but it was a good amount. In the early stages of the game, only a few people could actually start a fire. Lighter rentals were a lucrative business, and most people weren't shy about exchanging three units of wood for a fire source. After all, three units of wood only took half an hour to generate, and even professionals couldn't guarantee a fire would start within that time. This business was incredibly profitable.

Sure enough, just as the previous tenant returned the lighter, the next order was placed. Under Zhang Shi's rental list, there were many survivors leaving messages:

Mad Blade of the Bloodthirsty Demon Realm: Boss, you are awesome. Where did you get the blue quality lighter? Can you help me get rich together?

Pure Man: Boss, can you lend me your lighter? I was only wearing a pair of underwear when I crossed over. Now it’s getting dark and the temperature has dropped. It’s freezing cold and I’m going to freeze to death. Wuuwuwu…

Prometheus: Did you get kicked in the head by a donkey? You're selling something as important as fire for a bargain price. I'm telling you, don't let me catch you, or you'll be in big trouble.

Humanoid Teddy Bear: @增振男人雄风, boss, your ID is not a lie, right? Can you please let me talk for a moment?