Chapter 46: New Equipment, Combat Power Soars! (Additional Chapter for Deacon "Qi Ling")
"Ah, I'm alive again, finally alive again, with water and food, it's wonderful!"
"Haha, now everyone has water, I wonder if the greedy merchant will still sell water or not!"
"Newbie here, can someone tell me who's the water seller in your group?"
"Haha, in a group of ten thousand people, it's inevitable some don't know the big shots. Let me introduce you, the biggest big shot here is Lin Yue, @Lin Yue."
"Lin Yue? That's hilarious, how many survival points does he have? We have big shots here too, come on Drake, show him how it's done! @Drake."
"1095 points, I don't know how awesome Drake is, but in front of Lin Yue, he's just a nobody."
"What! Impossible! No way! Who can score four digits in survival points? Cheating, huh?"
"Four digits? Are you kidding? Do everyone in this group loves bragging? It's already dark out there. (◔‸◔)"
"I get it, probably there are lots of people inside his shelter? Maybe dozens!"
"The one above, just one person. Are you convinced?"
"Damn, seriously? One person with 1095 points? I don't accept this!"
"Watch out, five days left, I'll show Lin Yue what a real big shot is! He's just lucky."
"I barely got first place in the previous group, and you made me lose so thoroughly, damn it! @Lin Yue."
...
The group chat was bustling with activity, while Lin Yue was eating, he searched through the conversations for useful information, picking the essence and discarding the rest.
But he realized it seemed futile, as those who had things to do didn't like chat groups much, and those who were there were mostly people unwilling to remain lonely.
Moreover, it seemed the elders and children hadn't started adapting to this system, most were the same as before, with only a small portion of student types joining the chat.
Lin Yue also noticed the group chat seemed to have a new function, now you could @ people, which wasn't possible before.
Would it be possible to send pictures or gifs in the future?
On the contrary, Lin Yue saw someone already using emoji symbols, perhaps big facial expression art would appear in the future.
After eating the last bite of meat, Lin Yue opened the crafting panel.
Using the previously acquired designs for the wooden armor and wooden shield, their quality reached 'fine', so Lin Yue decided to craft them first and arm himself.
[You lost 4x Wood, 1x Iron Block, 3 survival points]
[You obtained 1x Fine Wooden Armor]
[You lost 2x Wood, 1x Iron Block, 3 survival points]
[You obtained 1x Fine Wooden Shield]
Indeed, crafting now requires paying survival points, just as the system notification mentioned.
Moreover, other than crafting, Lin Yue also needed to spend survival points for trading.
As for "identification," he hadn't tried it yet.
Could it be a new function?
Looking down, two brand-new pieces of armor were emitting unfamiliar gleams.
The wooden shield evolved from the previous small circular shield of about 40 cm in diameter into a rectangular shield, almost one meter long and half a meter wide, with an inner layer almost completely covered with iron.
The shield was crisscrossed with long iron strips forming a cross, with three sharp studs embedded on the top.
The inside featured two sturdy handles, allowing it to be worn on the arm with convenience.
Though thicker than before, it wasn't as heavy as imagined.
Picking it up, Lin Yue found he could handle it with one arm without much effort.
Looking at his slightly more muscular arms, he felt quite sentimental.
Then he turned his gaze to the wooden armor, similar in design to the wooden shield, with crossed iron strips on the outside and a thin iron plate on the back, fitting well and being much sturdier than before.
Lin Yue decided it wasn't enough, so he immediately crafted an Iron Helmet, which was exchanged for using instant noodle designs.
[You lost 3x Iron Block, 2 survival points]
Never mind, I have plenty of survival points!
Lin Yue placed the helmet, resembling those worn by ancient generals, on his head and found it was a perfect fit.
Fully equipped, Lin Yue held the Fine Iron Spear in his right hand, feeling instantly ready for battle.
"Chirpy! Chirpy chirpy!" Bai dashed over from the other room, circling Lin Yue while chirping, seeming to praise him.
This little guy had already adapted to his new body through constant failure and retries while Lin Yue was eating and monitoring the screen, now able to run vigorously with strong hind legs within the shelter.
Lin Yue also found that the ability mentioned by the system seemed controlled by Bai itself, as he could see the difference between when Bai used or didn't use the ability.
"Haha, looks like you like it too. How about I custom-make a set for you when my crafting skills improve?" Lin Yue patted its little head, now able to do so by slightly bending down instead of squatting.
He checked the Storage Space again.
After upgrading to a 4 cubic meter Storage Space, the convenience of the 40-slot inventory was greatly reduced.
It could barely hold anything, so Lin Yue tried to reduce water to 4 bottles, and food only consisted of mutant lamb meat.
Even so, there's not much that can be further stuffed inside.
This appeared to be the system seemingly providing convenience to survivors, but it actually imposed significant limitations.
Of course, various materials couldn't be carried either, so Lin Yue piled them up in the Shelter to the brim.
To bring things from the Secret Realm, Lin Yue had to minimize wasted space.
That's right, this time Lin Yue wasn't going out to mess with those mutant creatures, but planned to directly head to the Secret Realm!
Just fighting mutant creatures wasn't wise; finding something advanced from the Secret Realm—some location on Earth that had possibly undergone years to tens of years of changes—to outstrip the current almost primitive society was also a shortcut for him to become stronger!
Especially since having made a generator, he was eager to find a light bulb or something similar to use lamps instead of fire for lighting.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Yue looked at Bai: "Ready, Bai?"
"Chirpy! Chirpy chirpy!" Bai responded energetically and with great excitement.
"Haha, let's see how much stronger you've become later!"
"Chirpy!" Bai suddenly turned its head, rushing towards the Shelter window, calling out with alertness.
However, it was too heavy to climb high enough.
"There's an enemy outside?" Lin Yue walked to the window and looked outside.
Two mutant creatures with tiger-stripe patterns but deer heads somehow had already approached the Shelter.
Moreover, they were only about forty to fifty meters away!
Good gracious, enemies delivered themselves!
Lin Yue recognized them as the mutant "tiger-striped shadow deer" he had once taken down the day before the blizzard!
"Bai, now we can test our combat power. Ready?"
"Chirpy!"
Chapter 47: Combat Live Broadcast! He's Actually So Strong?
The silver-gray spear blade reflected the white light of the sun.
Fully armed, Lin Yue and Bai stood in the grass-filled wasteland, with a gentle breeze blowing.
The wind lifted Lin Yue's hair and the long fur of the two tiger-striped shadow deer not far away, just over forty meters away.
The tiger-striped shadow deer were practically a fusion of a tiger and a deer. Aside from their heads resembling a deer, every other part was like the fiercest big cats on Earth!
They revealed full sets of sharp teeth, giant claws stepping on the slippery ground, gradually approaching the man and his pet, emitting terrifying low growls.
It seemed to highlight their status as rulers of this wasteland!
In the group chat, a separate module suddenly opened, showing a short video.
And this short video was completely different from the previous ones.
Everyone's attention was instantly captured.
"Damn? What's the system doing? Is this the special video for the novice protection period? Teaching us how to fight?"
"The protagonist is Lin Yue!"
"Hmm? What is that creature that looks both like a deer and a tiger?"
"Tiger-striped shadow deer. Last time, ten of us attacked, and we only killed one after one was seriously injured. Is Lin Yue insane for wanting to take on two alone?"
"Haha, waiting for the bloody restricted scenes, will they be censored?"
"Lin? Is that the number one person you mentioned?"
"Wow, so handsome. I hope we don't see a disfigured face later."
"My type, I can't wait to duel with him!"
"Let me see, show me the power of the so-called strongest person in the group!"
"What's that white standing beside him? Wasn't it a much smaller lizard before? How did it become a small dinosaur?"
"Speaking of Lin Yue, his equipment is awesome. That shield and wooden armor, and that spear, all seem way more advanced than mine!"
"New here for the first time, need some snacks or anything. Any big shots willing to sell me some water cheap?"
"That big brother is actually fighting monsters! Charge, Ultraman!"
...
In the ultra-high-definition image, chat messages were flooding in as people discussed the battle!
Originally, they were reuniting with their long-lost families or preparing to start a new day when they suddenly discovered this video playing in the group.
And those who were busy with other things couldn't help but miss it.
However, people in the group also noted that the video seemed to deliberately obscure the background and long shot, hiding the location of Lin Yue's shelter extremely well.
In the footage, Lin Yue slightly bent his knees, shielding his upper body with the shield on his left arm, while holding a sharp spear in his right hand, ready for battle at any moment!
Bai mimicked Lin Yue's actions so vividly it was almost uncanny.
"Grrroaaarrr!!" The two beasts, now less than ten meters away, let out a deafening roar and suddenly dashed towards them!
They were not far from each other and had clear targets, working in highly synchronized cooperation.
As top predators of the desert, they possessed not only sharp claws and teeth but also intelligence beyond human understanding.
"Bai!"
"Chirp!"
Bai stood in front of Lin Yue, suddenly taking a deep breath, its small back straightening.
At the same time, the two tiger-striped shadow deer leaped into the air only five or six meters away!
A dense, cold fog suddenly spread over the original position where Lin Yue and Bai had stood, and once the two beasts landed, they were immediately enveloped in the fog!
There were sudden screeches followed by the sound of blades piercing flesh twice!
After that, there was no sound.
"Damn? What happened? What kind of tactic is this?"
"What exactly is that creature called Bai? It seems to understand Lin Yue's words?"
"Wait, who's alive now? Why is there no sound? And why is the screen all white?"
"I don't know. It's my first time watching. Will there really be bloody scenes?"
However, as everyone chatted, the ice fog gradually dissipated.
On the screen, the two beasts were now in a pit, pierced by several fang-like spikes through their bodies, with their head and neck seemingly severed by some sharp blade, only skin connecting them to their bodies.
Their eyes were wide open, no sound or sign of life left, as if their previous ferocity and terror had been mere illusions.
At this moment, the group chat fell silent.
No one wrote anything, as if everyone had been simultaneously muted.
However, when the camera focused again on Lin Yue, who was extracting and dissecting materials, everyone came back to their senses.
"This move... this tactic! Damn, let me gather my thoughts..."
"Mom asked why I was kneeling to watch the video, and now she and Dad are both kneeling to watch it too."
"Indeed, that's genius, really understanding the system mechanics thoroughly."
"Huh? What did you all see? I didn't catch it."
"Didn't see it upstairs? How did they survive..."
"Seriously, didn't see it? Someone explain to him what happened. Just a simple evasive roll, what's the big fuss?"
"Although I don't know how powerful Lin Yue is, these tiger-striped shadow deer are tough to deal with. Not only fierce, but they usually come in pairs, have excellent jumping, and coordinate. How did they end up like little bugs here, getting killed so easily?"
"Alright, I've organized my words. Lin Yue's move was brilliant. He probably prepared the trap immediately upon discovering the two tiger-striped shadow deer, and it was a more sophisticated trap. When they charged and jumped at him, his pet blew out the ice fog to block vision, and at this moment, Lin Yue quickly set up the trap and hid in a pre-determined safe spot. Then..."
"Then waited for the monsters to fall into the trap and finished them with an iron spear! Wow, amazing reaction speed, or was it all calculated? By the way, did he get any loot boxes? If so, it would be perfect."
"Didn't see any on camera, so probably didn't get any. Current drop rates are too pathetic. Lin Yue's luck isn't great either, but I've something to say about the system, damn, this is 'beginner combat training'? It's a joke, right?"
"That big brother truly is Ultraman!"
Group chat messages continued one after another, while the video ended as Lin Yue finished extracting everything.
The video vanished, leaving no trace behind.
The group was full of people praising Lin Yue profusely.
After all, at least from Lin Yue's combat prowess showcased in this short video, he wasn't an average person.
Moreover, to cooperate with that white lizard so seamlessly was unheard of!
Except, Lin Yue had no idea what had happened.
Chapter 48: Re-entering the Secret Realm, Surprising Discovery!
The dark green vines twisted and entwined, crisscrossing to heavily conceal the moss-covered, slimy bricks.
The double wooden doors wrapped by these dilapidated bricks were as ancient as before.
However, Lin Yue did not see the mist that once enveloped the Ancient Secret Realm Gate, as if it had never existed.
He gently touched the ancient gate, but Lin Yue did not enter immediately.
The recent battle, although not prolonged, was not easy for Lin Yue.
Before leaving, he had already drafted his strategy.
The tiger-striped shadow deer were adept at leaping, a fact he learned from his previous encounter with them; he had indeed assumed that they would leap and pounce when approaching him and thus devised this final strategy.
Bai's ability allowed it to exhale an icy mist, even freezing the enemies for over ten seconds, something he read about in the system's description.
Thus, Lin Yue had prepared the traps in his inventory in advance and positioned himself in front of the traps he had previously set around the shelter.
Even if they did not leap to attack and instead charged directly, they would fall into the pre-set traps, an occurrence Lin Yue felt confident about.
When the time came, he only needed to retreat into the shelter, and to some extent, he could climb onto the roof to execute his well-versed high vantage strategy.
In dealing with the tiger-striped shadow deer, he had several methods, and the opponent had indeed given him a straightforward solution by directly jumping into the trap he and Bai had set this time.
As Bai spewed out the icy mist, Lin Yue's traps were also in place, and he quickly moved to the side.
With almost a large area being traps, unless these creatures could fly, there was no escaping.
After finally slaying them with the Iron Spear, all Lin Yue had to do was reap the rewards.
"Two Silver Treasure Chests... feels like there's no breakthrough."
Lin Yue felt that the Silver Treasure Chests were somewhat unsatisfying for him.
He also wondered what the Golden Treasure Chest above the Silver Treasure Chest looked like, and whether there would be rarer chests above the Golden Treasure Chest.
Not opening the two chests immediately, he tossed them into the shelter along with the skin of the tiger-striped shadow deer, only carrying 20kg of the poisonous deer meat.
Although the deer meat was toxic and entirely unusable, it didn't mean it was entirely useless.
He recalled the previous encounter in the Secret Realm with creatures resembling winged dragons but with antennas, and if he encountered them again on this Secret Realm journey, perhaps this deer meat would come in handy.
"Bai, you did well just now; want to try something nice?"
Lin Yue pulled out a Snickers bar, which he had exchanged for water a long time ago and hadn't eaten, considering Bai had just used up some energy spraying the icy mist, it was a good opportunity to give it a boost.
"Puchi~" Bai was quite excited, thrilled to have been able to assist Lin Yue in its first battle after growing up, and now even more delighted to be fed by him.
Bai almost swallowed half of the Snickers bar whole, still seemingly unsatisfied, eyeing the remaining half in Lin Yue's hand.
"Don't stare, you little glutton, I'll give you more when we return from the Secret Realm."
Saying so, Lin Yue used the wooden shield on his left arm to push open the wooden door in front of him.
Strangely, there was no mist outside the door, nor even inside the door.
It seemed completely different from the Secret Realm he visited last time.
Lin Yue continued pushing the door with the Iron Spear, cautiously stepping inside.
As he stepped onto the damp soil of the Secret Realm, a familiar, rich, peculiar smell wafted into his nostrils.
Wait, this strong seafood smell, it also seems to be the scent produced by some special liquid...
"Oh my, there's a heather tree right by the doorway, how convenient."
At first, Lin Yue thought he had reached some seaside area, but upon seeing a tree right by the door, blooming with numerous white flower clusters, he understood instantly.
Taking out a ball of yarn, he tied it around the trunk of this tree, despite the strong odor, and turned to look at Bai, finding the little creature had also walked a bit ahead, seemingly unable to bear the smell.
Lin Yue looked around, realizing he seemed to be in a forest this time, surrounded by towering trees.
"The forest... seems even more dangerous than the city, and there's nothing worthwhile to collect either."
Lin Yue immediately considered turning back.
However, since he was here, he figured he might as well look around; you never know.
After the system update, each Secret Realm opens only for two days, and it reminded that if one stayed past the second day, they might never return to the Otherworld, remaining in this place that seems like Earth but perhaps Earth several decades later.
Remaining vigilant, Lin Yue continued forward, soon catching up with Bai.
Bai still exhibited no signs of alertness to nearby enemies, which reassured Lin Yue somewhat.
After all, comparing himself to the keen Bai, he, despite having become much stronger and learning many combat skills, still fell short of this mutated creature's survival instincts.
Continuing forward, Lin Yue suddenly noticed something unusual.
"Is this... a streetlamp?"
[Would you like to spend 1 Survival Point to identify?]
The system suddenly prompted in a voice that made Lin Yue's eyelids twitch.
Good heavens, if only this voice was audible to him, otherwise in this quiet jungle, something might be drawn out.
Naturally, Lin Yue chose no, as it looked unmistakably like a toppled streetlamp.
The not-so-tall streetlamp pole had already fallen to the ground, and the lamp cover was shattered, with broken LED bulbs inside.
"It's actually an LED bulb, which means it shouldn't be a main road, but even main roads shouldn't be this desolate after decades."
Lin Yue muttered to himself, pondering where exactly this place was.
There were no buildings around, only trees in his line of sight.
Could this be a place like a park originally?
Crouching down, he prodded the ground with the spear tip, finding it not a hard asphalt road, and after some searching, he finally poked a slab about ten centimeters buried.
Further exploration revealed more slabs, a considerable number, extending in one direction.
Darn, it's really a park.
Following after Bai, who continued to walk ahead, Lin Yue soon found a second and third fallen streetlamp.
Fortunately, he also found an intact LED bulb. Spending 1 Survival Point to identify, he discovered it wasn't broken.
"Puchi!" After walking another few dozen meters, Bai suddenly bolted forward as if it had discovered something.
Lin Yue quickly followed it in a sprint.
Outside the forest ahead, he saw something too!
It was a concrete structure!
After reaching that place, before Lin Yue could inspect it, his eyes caught sight of something else in another direction.
He couldn't help but gasp!
The towering, red and white striped iron tower told Lin Yue exactly what this place was!
Chapter 49: A Wasted World, Discovering New Hard Currency!
The towering iron structure, hundreds of meters tall, in red and white, took up the entire view, causing Lin Yue's scalp to tingle instantly.
If he had been in that Secret Realm earlier, he would have been uncertain about the exact nature of the place, but now he was certain: this was Earth.
Leaning against the wall of a concrete building nearby, he called Bai over, taking a deep breath.
Knee-high weeds, trees growing askew, cracked asphalt roads, buildings covered in moss and overrun by ivy, and the skewed, tadpole-like characters confirmed for Lin Yue that this was Tokyo.
Just like in that Secret Realm from before, without people, this place too was gradually being reclaimed by nature as time flowed by.
Even the towering red and white structure showed clear signs of peeling paint upon scrutiny, the tower's body unnaturally tilting to one side.
Perhaps in a few decades, it too would completely collapse.
Lin Yue surveyed the surroundings.
Now was not the time for reflection; time was pressing. It was better to gather as many items as possible and hurry back to the Shelter.
So far, Bai hadn't shown any signs of caution, suggesting the area seemed quite safe.
"Bai, let me know if there's anything unusual."
"Puchi!" Bai responded, as if it had understood.
Bai was quite intelligent and perceptive; Lin Yue noticed that it could understand some simple commands as they interacted.
Looking at the building beside him, where most of the glass was broken and the wooden doors were decayed, Lin Yue peered inside and quickly realized it was a public restroom.
Initially considering bypassing it, he noticed a closed small door inside, prompting him to enter. After all, it wouldn't take much effort.
Dust stirred as Lin Yue stepped into a cramped small room, unexpectedly discovering it was a small storage area.
Brooms, rags, and a variety of items were stacked inside, and upon opening a metal cabinet, Lin Yue was surprised to find rolls of toilet paper and wet wipes piled like a small hill!
They were all encased in thick plastic bags, and protected by the metal cabinet, most of them remained intact apart from the ones slightly affected at the top.
"Goodness," Lin Yue couldn't help but exclaim.
The preservation was impressive, likely due to the dryness and sealing of the space, along with the protective metal cabinet, and the additional plastic bag wrapping.
Otherwise, items like paper would have certainly deteriorated.
However...
The value of these items wasn't far less than that of water.
The use and presence of toilet paper signified a major improvement in living standards.
Previously, he had acquired only a roll from the Iron Treasure Chest, and even now, across the whole group, no one had mentioned toilet paper.
It seemed as though everyone implicitly assumed they had some.
Lin Yue was curious about how people dealt with this issue. Were they using sticks or leaves, or perhaps...their hands?
[You've obtained 32 packs of toilet paper]
[You've obtained 45 packs of disinfectant wet wipes]
Lin Yue felt he might have discovered another valuable currency.
Although water seemed abundant for now, how many modern humans could truly do without paper?
He was convinced these items would cause a sensation in the marketplace!
Lin Yue rummaged through the remaining items, but none were as well-preserved. They crumbled upon touch, like a box of tissues, revealing moldy insides unusable.
As he emerged from the storage, Bai yawned at the doorway, indicating the area was remarkably peaceful.
Yet, Lin Yue felt something was amiss.
Such a vast area, and not even birds or insects were visible—the entire park eerie in its silence, as though all living things had vanished.
Though only humans seemed to have been sent to the Otherworld.
The remaining mutated creatures, whether insects or beasts, didn't resemble Earth's original fauna, but rather appeared as enlarged hybrid creations...
Wait, hybrid?
Lin Yue remembered the Mutant Sheep, which had the appearance of a regular sheep yet bore wolf-like fangs and behaviors.
The Tiger-striped Shadow Deer also resembled a blend of deer and tiger...
A frightening possibility dawned on him!
Cold sweat broke out!
No, no.
He looked at Bai.
This little fellow was definitely not a product of fusion. Earth couldn't possibly have creatures that emitted icy mist, let alone evolve over a few days!
And those strange large rats and winged dragon-like things in this world, seemed increasingly unlikely to have evolved on Earth over just decades.
There were simply too many mysteries.
Dismissed the thought, Lin Yue called Bai, exited the restroom, and continued ahead.
He walked along the path overtaken by wild grass, moving forward.
The abundance of trees, many with thick, straight trunks, filled the area.
The environment felt entirely different from the city within the Secret Realm.
The air was damp...though the scent of photinia flowers was still quite pungent.
Looking up, between the gaps in the forest, a towering building appeared with edges jutting out.
Lin Yue hastened toward it, venturing through the thicket, arriving upon a pitted staircase.
He realized he had used up all the yarn balls completely.
This outing had truly covered quite a distance.
Gazing at the nearly three-story ivy-covered six-story building, he saw an almost completely faded dark yellow English sign on the top wall.
"H, TE? Hotel?" Lin Yue scrutinized the mostly glassless hotel, reluctant to enter.
Yet, the remaining few pieces of glass at the entrance looked intact.
Approaching, he touched a relatively whole piece, and soon the system prompted him.
[You've obtained thick organic glass X1]
Thick? Not bad.
"Bai, anything?"
"Puchi~" Bai responded by snuggling against Lin Yue's thigh.
Oh, it's hungry.
Lin Yue understood immediately, retrieved a lamb skewer from the inventory, handed it to Bai, waited for it to finish, before entering through the main door.
Inside lay a thick layer of dust, the floor mostly corroded away, and some places had mushrooms sprouting.
Entering the hotel, he noticed some corroded vending machines and a similarly deteriorated reception area.
The area bore marks of severe water damage, remnants scattered everywhere.
Tables and chairs appeared deliberately wrecked, reduced to fragments.
Carrying a torch, Lin Yue surveyed the place, discovering nothing but dust.
"Let's go, Bai, there's probably nothing here...wait, what's this?"
Lin Yue opened a room, and the sight instantly gave him goosebumps!
Chapter 50: Great Harvest! Crisis Emerges?
Initially, when he saw the strange, heavy door not far behind the front desk, he didn't think much of it.
But after pushing it open, discovering the downward staircase, and going all the way down, what Lin Yue saw in the torchlight was not only shocking but brought more joy to him.
"It's actually... a wine cellar? Goodness, a red wine cellar!"
The dusty wine racks nearly filled this space of about four to five hundred square meters, and on the racks, there were countless bottles of red wine.
Even more astonishing was the number of oak barrels piled up in the corner!
Lin Yue smelled the faint scent of wine in the air and immediately extinguished his torch.
If a lot of wine had broken, he could easily have been finished here.
However, who would have thought there would be such a large wine cellar in the basement, not far behind the front desk?
Lin Yue groped along the walls in the wine cellar for half a circle and found a room with the door open, from which a faint light was emanating.
As he continued inside, he quickly discovered a sturdy ladder. He climbed up and pushed open the light-emitting panel above to find himself in the hotel's back kitchen.
The kitchen had a strange stench, with nothing left behind. Upon pushing open the back kitchen door again, he found himself behind the hotel.
Tall weeds, as high as a person, completely obscured his vision. Bai did not react; it seemed there was no danger here.
Understanding the layout, Lin Yue realized why, even with leaking red wine in the cellar, there wasn't much of a wine scent.
If not for this, the last thing he would have seen with the torch in hand might well have been a burst of flame.
Lin Yue once again confirmed his need for a flashlight, but all he had were plans for a flashlight that required many materials to make, and an almost completely unusable one.
On his way back, he would see if he could gather some materials for this task, which was urgently needed.
He returned to the wine cellar and, under the faint light, approached the wine rack closest to him.
He picked up a bottle of wine, feeling the weight of the bottle, his excitement undiminished.
He had gained quite a lot on this trip.
This substance was just a drinkable liquid.
Yet, after decades of fermentation, it possessed some luxury attributes.
In the resource-scarce Otherworld, this should be as good a hard currency as paper was, right?
[You have obtained Wine X1]
[You have obtained ...]
Lin Yue decided to first transport some back, then come and move a little more over the next couple of days.
Unfortunately, the storage space was only 4 cubic meters, so even if Lin Yue wanted to take more, there wasn't much he could do.
If this were the previous inventory, Lin Yue was almost a hundred percent sure he could empty this place all at once!
"Squeak!" At this moment, Bai suddenly let out an alert noise, and as he was checking the big hole, he immediately stopped his actions.
"Squeak!" Bai lightly called out, seemingly reminding Lin Yue to remain silent.
He immediately crouched down, touched Bai, and then picked up the Iron Spear with his right hand again.
In the near-complete darkness and silence, Lin Yue suddenly heard something.
The noise was mixed, with multiple things colliding, but he still picked out the sound of people talking!
The wine cellar door was open, and the echoes from not far from the front hall were transmitted over here.
Lin Yue took a deep breath, recognizing that this sound was likely still quite some distance away.
Someone is coming?
Moreover, from the sound of it, it seemed to be a group!
Someone ended up here? What are the odds, how can someone still bump into each other in this Secret Realm? It's absurd.
What should be done next?
Come out straightforwardly and say hello to this group, saying "Hi, isn't the weather nice today, sunny and pleasant?"
hhhhhc.
It would take a really foolish person to do such a thing.
After everyone globally was transported to the Otherworld, there was simply no concept of "law" or restraint by "humanity". The reason nothing horrific or bloody has been heard of so far is due to the system grouping everyone into clusters of ten thousand people each.
The news within groups was vastly limited, to the point where no one knew how the person whose avatar had just grayed out actually died.
Without videos or images, and lacking sound in the group, many things had become opaque.
No one knows what the people with real avatars in the group originally did or what kind of person they were.
Let alone those who appeared normal on Earth but have unleashed their inner darkness in this world, there's no telling how many there are.
Growing up in an orphanage, Lin Yue encountered many people and saw many things.
He experienced firsthand how ugly human nature could become when not restrained by law.
That's why he hasn't added any friends in this so-called "survival game" since he harbors mistrust towards everyone.
The apocalypse drives people mad!
Who knows what these people would do upon seeing him alone?
Holding Bai, Lin Yue moved quietly.
The sounds hadn't seemed to enter the hotel yet. Those people seemed to still be outside the door.
He stood up stealthily and finally reached the side of the ladder.
Bai showed no reaction, suggesting there was no enemy here.
He took a deep breath, climbed the ladder, and quickly made his way to the door.
Bai remained unresponsive.
The back door seemed fine.
Setting Bai down, he held his shield with his left hand and the Iron Spear with his right, and after nudging the door open, he went outside.
And immediately, he heard clearly the sound of people talking.
The direction seemed to be the hotel's front entrance!
Bai opened its mouth, making a soft "squeak," understanding too that it couldn't make noise, but its posture already signaled a state of readiness for battle.
Lin Yue entered the tall grass, finding the ground relatively dry. He tried not to make any noise as he moved sideways towards the building.
With his movement, the voices became even clearer.
"Didn't you see the thread disappear here? The person must have entered the hotel!" a rough voice shouted.
"Liu Fei, how are you so sure? What if they went back?" This was a woman's voice.
"If they went back, there's no way they'd escape. Rick and Sun Yu have already gone back along the thread to check the Shelter's door. I've told them, if they find the person there, just cut off one leg. This isn't the first time we've done it, they know what to do." This was a young man's voice.
"So what now? Go inside? Regardless, the person must have been inside, otherwise, that glass wouldn't be missing a chunk... Wait, I think I smell wine?" Liu Fei's voice was filled with surprise and excitement.
"A wine cellar? Boss, what do we do, should we go in, or wait?" the woman asked.
"They might be in there, might not. If we're ambushed and someone gets hurt, that wouldn't be good. Let's wait for Rick and Liu Yu to come back..."
Lin Yue, hidden in the tall grass, heard everything clearly.
Goodness, there were actually three people at the door?
And two others had already followed the thread back to the Shelter?
A big bold "danger" word hung in Lin Yue's mind!