Looking at the treasure chest in front of him, Lin Yue was filled with excitement.
He could now confirm that after crossing over to this Otherworld, he had gained a cheat ability.
100% chance to get a treasure chest!
Slaying three small lizards all at once had produced three treasure chests at the same time, which couldn't just be explained away as mere good luck.
Not only that.
Lin Yue opened the four treasure chests he had accumulated in total.
[You received a 600ML bottle of Wahaha Pure Water!]
[You received a 500g loaf of bread!]
[You received a 600ml bottle of Hot Spring Mineral Water!]
[You received a 500g loaf of bread!]
The rewards were still the most scarce resources—water and food—that were crucial for everyone.
He opened the group chat and silently observed for a while, seeing that many people were still complaining about the low probability of treasure chest drops.
It seems he's the only one with this cheat ability.
Lin Yue also noticed that the vast majority of people, due to the lack of water and food, were forced to attack mutant creatures, hoping to obtain treasure chests.
Drinking water and food are essentials for survival.
Lin Yue read reports stating that in extreme situations, a person could survive for two months without eating, or even slightly longer.
For the average person, it might be a week or two.
But without drinking water, one would die in just three days.
Water is undeniably the most basic prerequisite for sustaining life.
The manual mentioned that after overcoming the first disaster, groups like the elderly and children would be teleported with three days of food and water per person.
But the first disaster happens seven days later. Who can hold out until seven days without water? Not to mention, the term "overcome the disaster" was used.
No telling how many days it would take to overcome the disaster.
Having grown up in an orphanage and with no kin or ties, even when that time comes, such supplies wouldn't arrive for Lin Yue.
Blocked from this route, Lin Yue could only rely on himself.
However, with the addition of the first treasure chest he opened, he already had three bottles of water, each containing six hundred milliliters.
In theory, to maintain the best physical condition, one needs to drink two liters of water a day.
But in this world where everyone is fighting for survival, that's too idealistic.
Lin Yue looked at the water he could luxuriously use for a day, and felt slightly relieved.
At least, for now, he wouldn't need to worry about water.
As for food, stretching it to last for two days wouldn't be a problem.
Moreover, with the cheat ability ensuring treasure chest drops, these supplies should be as abundant as he wants them to be.
After lugging these items back to his shabby grass hut, Lin Yue stumbled over the broken door, which made him realize that solving the water and food problem wasn't solving everything.
He twisted open a bottle of water, took a big gulp, then focused and opened the game panel again.
Upon opening it, he suddenly noticed that the total number of people displayed in the upper right corner of the group had changed to 9996.
Another minute or so later, it turned to 9991!
Wait, what's going on? Does this mean the number of people decreased?
If there's a decrease, it implies...
"Death!?"
A chill enveloped Lin Yue instantly.
This game was undoubtedly real, so the decrease in numbers meant that people had truly died!
Lin Yue searched carefully and indeed found that the profile pictures of nine people had turned grey.
This included the person who previously mentioned their house collapsed.
Death...
In this world, if you're dead, you're really dead.
Lin Yue felt another wave of crisis.
Water and food could prevent death from thirst and hunger, but when it came to safety, how far off was he from the person whose house collapsed?
With a hint of worry, he looked directly at "Shelter Related," and a screen quickly appeared.
Shelter: Grass Hut
Area: 40㎡
Durability: 2/10
Evaluation: You know what? A big bad wolf's breath could blow it down; better run and find a pig who can make wooden houses.
Shelter Points: 0
Goodness, does this durability mean it could collapse at any moment?
This game even adds taunts, doesn't it?
However, it's true.
Forget whether this shabby grass hut can withstand random disasters; it wouldn't stand a chance against a major mutant creature at night.
Especially since the survival manual mentions that mutant creatures are more active at night; if luck runs out, it could mean curtains at night.
Lin Yue went outside again and gazed into the distance.
Among the far-off grassy patches, there were obvious black dots moving around.
These were definitely not the kind of mutant creatures you could easily deal with like the pesky bugs.
He felt it necessary to solve this problem before the night came.
Lin Yue looked directly at "Craft."
Two subcategories popped out, one being "Shelter Related" and the other "Survival Related."
The shelter-related category splits into doors, walls, floors, roofs, etc.
Lin Yue glanced at the collapsed grass door.
This seemed to be the most urgent issue to resolve.
[Grass Door: Fodder X3]
[Wood Door: Timber X2]
[Stone Door: Stone X4]
Quickly, three options appeared on the screen.
But Lin Yue didn't even have to think before dismissing the grass door option.
That thing might as well be nonexistent.
At best, it could block some bugs, but restored to its original state, it would still be made of grass.
As for the stone door, Lin Yue thought this shabby grass hut probably couldn't withstand the weight of a stone door.
So there's only one choice left.
But to collect timber, wouldn't looking for trees be the solution? Lin Yu had sort of figured out a development route.
He stepped outside, looking around.
Barren land, grass patches.
Trees? There seemed to be a small grove several hundred meters away.
Steeling himself, he headed in that direction, noticing that even the thinnest trees there were at least about ten centimeters thick.
This... isn't doable.
Simply put, he had no tools.
Opening the craft page, within the survival-related list, there indeed was an option.
[Stone Axe: Timber X1, Stone X1]
Oh, great.
If I could find timber, would I even need an axe?
After searching for a while, there weren't even any dry branches nearby, as for stones, those were nowhere to be found.
Hit a dead end?
In plain sight, besides this area, there was nowhere else connected to "trees."
After another careful search, not even a small stone existed.
Good grief, just how barren is my shelter?
On the way back to the grass hut, Lin Yue unexpectedly found that he hadn't encountered any mutant creatures along the long distance.
Not even small lizards or purple grasshoppers were seen.
Have they hidden?
Lin Yue pondered for a while, returned to the grass hut, opened the game panel again, and looked at "Trade Mall."
The screen flashed; there wasn't much information.
[Seller: Old Puller in Island City]
[Trade Item: Special Mini Burger]
[Required: 1L of any liquid]
[Seller's Notes: Buckle up, go for it, brothers!]
...
[Seller: Belger]
[Trade Item: Mutant Creature Meat]
[Required: Iron Block X2]
[Seller's Notes: Rich in protein, tastes like chicken, crunchy]
...
[Seller: Zhang Lei]
[Trade Item: Timber X2]
[Required: 500ML Drinking Water]
[Seller's Notes: Chopped trees all day to get this, water please!]
...
Upon a rough browse, Lin Yue noticed that not only were there direct barter transactions, but there was also an auction bidding function.
Although there was quite a bit of useless clutter, it was evident that most people were looking for the same thing.
Water!
Water, as a trade item, seemed to have already become a hard currency.
Indeed, wanting to survive, one can't do without water.
Without the concept of money, bartering has become the only mainstream method.
Moreover, it wasn't just simple buying and selling; there were auctions and other various methods.
He searched again to see if there was anyone selling water, but found nothing.
It seems maybe there aren't many people with treasure chest drops.
Looking again at the water beside him, Lin Yue had an idea.
Opening the item inventory, Lin Yue noticed that it displayed a total of ten slots, and items of the same category could be stacked in one slot.
He took out a bottle for individual consumption and left the remaining two bottles of water in the inventory. Soon it showed "Drinking Water X2."
Three bottles of water totaling 1.8L, which isn't exactly a large amount.
Now it was time to decide how to exchange it.
Lin Yue looked around at the sellers seeking water; although there were many, their demands were extremely unreasonable.
Rather than accepting others' pricing, he decided to set his own!
Auction!
[Seller: Lin Yue]
[Auction Item: 200ml Pure Water]
[Required: Timber]
[Seller's Notes: Highest bidder wins]
And just as Lin Yue put the water up, the chat record in the group instantly exploded!