Scorching sun, sheer cliffs, red stone scorched earth.
A lizard swiftly scuttled through the cracks of the rubble, pausing only for a moment to catch its breath before being snatched by a rough hand.
A man with a dark complexion and deep wrinkles on his face tore the lizard's head apart with his black teeth, sucking the warm blood and viscera. The lizard's dropped tail was picked up by a companion, hurriedly stuffed into his mouth, chewed with skin and bones.
After temporarily quelling his hunger, the man looked at the gasping person on the cart's roof, showing longing.
Injured, Lin Feng lay on the cart, peering through the gap in the burlap curtain, meeting the man's greedy gaze, and raised the only weapon in his hand, glaring back fiercely.
Retracting his gaze, he looked at the object in his hand,
a rusty 05 Revolver:
"Ordinary Revolver Level 0, White Quality"
"Basic Attributes: Damage 1, Effective Range 10 meters, Remaining Bullets 3/6; can consume 1 point of Life Value to upgrade to Level 1, with a certain chance to gain Extra Attributes"
"Evaluation: This revolver, weathered by storms, was nicknamed the 'Gun of Kindness' for its extremely low damage; it can only be used to intimidate and for self-defense, don't expect it to have high lethality"
Consuming 1 point of his own Life Value would be enough for an upgrade.
But Lin Feng glanced again at his own attribute panel:
"Lin Feng, Level 1/9, extremely weak"
"Life Value: 6, Physique: 6, Spirit: 8; each attribute at Level 1 has an upper limit of 10"
"Warning: Weak state, forced upgrade will exacerbate the condition, with a high probability of losing consciousness. Severe injury to the calf, urgently needs nutritional replenishment."
When he was dug out by this group of Deserters from underground, his right calf was grazed by a piece of rubble, and the wound began to fester and become infected a day later.
Now only 60% of Life Value remains. To reduce another 10% for an upgrade poses too high a risk, easily leading to unconsciousness again.
But among this group of gaunt and sinister Deserters, several gazes had already been cast at the top of the cart.
Lin Feng could clearly feel their growing desire for fresh meat.
The upgrade panel for the item before him was his only reliance.
But the 05 Revolver was too weak; Lin Feng vaguely remembered a news report saying six shots couldn't kill a dog.
Though it was a maddened Tibetan mastiff, the performance of the 05 Revolver was considered a disgrace among firearms, with bullet power even lower than a Bow and Arrow.
Just as Lin Feng hesitated over whether to upgrade, a disheveled woman lifted the cloth curtain and crawled into the rooftop.
The woman, with broken round-framed glasses, had dark yellow skin and an expressionless gaze.
"I'm Ding Yi, time to change the dressing."
The woman approached, unwrapping the cloth around Lin Feng's right leg, scraping off the foul-smelling plant residue, and replacing it with new ones.
Lin Feng gripped the Revolver tightly, his face contorted in pain:
"Are you… a doctor?"
"No, I used to be a teacher. The red rocks everywhere were baked into red iron ore, which has a lot of bacteria, but fortunately, the current wound infection is just bacterial, not tetanus…"
"Who are you really, and where am I?"
Ding Yi pushed her glasses up:
"This is a small team escaping the wasteland."
"I woke up just over a month before you, also rescued by Captain Chen from an underground cave."
"As for this desolate wasteland, there are no moonlit nights, only two suns in the sky, so it is always daytime. Behind us is the largest and hottest one, and we must travel twenty kilometers daily to escape the searing heat."
"Legend has it that the Golden Crow was sent by the heavens to purify the earth, and a Savior will emerge from the ground, shoot the sun, and rescue people…"
"But right now, you must save yourself first. Vice Captain Qi Mountain wants to seize the opportunity to sell you to the caravan ahead. To survive, you'll need the support of the captain…"
Before she finished speaking, a quarrel erupted outside the roof.
Ding Yi lifted the burlap curtain.
In front stood a short but strong person, holding a steel rod, confronting the Deserters.
Lin Feng recognized her; it was Chen Shanshan, who saved him, the captain of this Deserter group.
A mysterious woman wearing a gray cloaked coat, with a hood, her face covered by burlap.
The 05 Revolver in Lin Feng's hand was left by her for his self-defense.
At this moment, Chen Shanshan seemed a bit angry, her voice hoarse:
"He's not dead yet; we agreed before that we must never sell a living person!"
The leader, the man who earlier ate the lizard raw and looked greedily at Lin Feng - Vice Captain Qi Mountain:
"Captain, everyone hasn't had a taste of fat for days; this guy is the biggest find in our dig…"
"He's too badly injured; without medicine, he'll die sooner or later. Better to sell him alive while he can still fetch a good price. A fresh and healthy blood slave like him could feed us all for a week!"
The other Deserters echoed in agreement.
Chen Shanshan waved the steel rod, pointing its tip at the man, speaking coldly:
"Qi Mountain, you want to rebel, go ahead and try!"
The gaunt and weary Deserters, facing their strongest Late-stage Enhanced People team leader, showed fear.
Qi Mountain's gaze turned dark; he sniffed with his nose, pointing at the cart's roof, his brow furrowed:
"His leg is already festering and reeking; even if not sold, like this, it'll attract those carnivorous Desolate Beasts!"
"We're already starved as it is, yet carry this burden; is the captain intending to doom us all?"
Chen Shanshan's expression was grave; seeing the worried faces of her team, she tried to comfort them:
"We collected a lot of Sea Buckthorn Grass this time; if we quicken our pace and catch up with the main force, we'll exchange plenty of water and jerky!"
Qi Mountain squinted upwards, spotting circling black dots on the horizon, and then sneered:
"Still over twenty kilometers to go…"
"Scavenger Vultures have already smelled death; they will attract nearby herds of beasts. We're on two legs, still need to take turns pulling the cart; care to race four legs?"
Chen Shanshan was speechless but still refused to give in.
Qi Mountain eyed the carts of supplies behind the captain, his gaze full of greed:
"Since we can't agree, then let's dissolve the team!"
As he finished, another woman, Tian Wanrong, spoke in a sinister tone:
"According to the agreement, the underground harvest should be shared equally; Captain Chen, if you're unwilling to give up on this dying man, then the rest of the food belongs to us all!"
Exchanging a glance with Qi Mountain, Tian Wanrong, emboldened, stepped forward to the cart and took a bundle of fresh Sandalwood Grass Roots.
Several followers of Qi Mountain followed suit one by one.
The other team members saw this, a bit tempted, but restrained by Captain Chen's prestige, dared not step forward.
At this moment, Qi Mountain took out a small bag of sparkling white stuff and shouted to everyone:
"In the convoy up ahead, several Evolvers have recently emerged. I heard they are recruiting people to form a new Desert Hunting Team, and they are in urgent need of manpower now."
"Evolvers are equipped with RVs, and even if you just run errands, you can sleep under the cool truck and have unpolluted waste water, with food and shelter provided!"
"When I went to exchange for supplies, I befriended quite a few Evolvers' servants. I have some connections and can help introduce you..."
"This bag of refined salt was exchanged from them!"
Pure fine salt is a rare commodity in the Wasteland, only available to Evolvers who can obtain it from above.
Upon these words, those who were hesitating and observing showed longing and made their decision, stepping forward.
From gradually taking the remaining supplies on the cart to scrambling, seizing, and dividing.
Ding Yi, who initially wanted to dissuade, stayed silent when she saw Chen Shanshan, the captain, remained mute. She took a bundle of grass roots, clicked her tongue, and watched coldly.
In the end, except for Ding Yi and the captain, the rest of the team followed Qi Mountain and took away almost all the supplies.
"Carrying such a burden, one wonders how far the kind-hearted Captain Chen can go? If you're going to feast, better do it early, when the meat's rotten, it's worthless!"
Before leaving, Qi Mountain didn't forget to look back and sneer, making a throat-slitting gesture towards Lin Feng on the cart.
As the former teammates parted ways, Ding Yi watched their distant backs and cursed:
"A bunch of ingrates. If it weren't for Captain Chen saving them, they'd be dead on the road!"
Lin Feng squinted, enduring the scorching sun overhead, wearing only shorts and a thin linen shirt.
The ragged linen canopy that once covered the cart had been taken by a few deserters.
Now, they were left with only a broken wooden cart and a bundle of sandalwood grass roots in Ding Yi's hand.
"Thirsty..."
Lin Feng licked his chapped lips and weakly called out with a burning throat.
Captain Chen put away her steel rod, took a leather water bag from her waist, and gave Lin Feng a small sip:
"This is all we have left, half a bag. The rest depends on your fortune."
The less-than-half-mouthful of water greatly eased his throat pain, slightly improving Lin Feng's condition.
Ding Yi handed over a ten-centimeter-long grass root:
"This is a mutated sea buckthorn grass. The swollen root tubers contain starchy sugars that can be eaten directly; it's good for your wound recovery."
Lin Feng hesitated for a moment before putting the grass root into his mouth.
The scorching heat waves rolled in as Chen Shanshan moved to the front of the cart, placing her hands on each side of the handle, pulling the worn wooden cart.
With her back to the two of them, she said in a low tone:
"It's getting late, we should set off."
Only the three-member team continued on the barren wasteland, following the numerous tire tracks on the ground.
Lin Feng chewed on the sandalwood grass root, the sour juice stimulated saliva production, relieving the dryness of his mouth and throat.
The tuber fibers were rough, like a piece of bread dough.
After eating one root, his Life Value recovered from 6 points to 7 points, showing it had some effect.
"Sorry, I dragged you all into this..."
After his condition improved, Lin Feng chose to upgrade his revolver while slowly opening up.
Having witnessed the team's infighting, incitement, and division, he knew that Chen Shanshan, with her personality and principles, wasn't suited to be a captain.
But without her persistence, he might have ended up in different sets of stomachs long ago.
"It wasn't much about you, Qi Mountain had a premeditated plan. Even without you, he would have found other excuses to drive the captain away."
"Those idiots really think it's easy to join the Desert Hunting Team. When Qi Mountain sells them, they'll probably even help him count the money!"
Ding Yi cursed while pushing the cart from behind.
"Save your strength. They won't let it go easily. After we walk twenty kilometers, you two need to stand guard."
Chen Shanshan spoke in a deep voice, tearing off a piece of burlap from herself and throwing it to Lin Feng, covering his head to prevent sunburn.
After eating the second piece of sandalwood grass, the weak and exhausted Lin Feng's eyelids grew heavy, and he fell back into unconsciousness.
When he woke again, the cart had stopped. The captain was resting under the shade of a rock, while Ding Yi kept watch above, with half a piece of sandalwood grass root in her mouth.
And in his hand, the revolver had been upgraded:
"Ordinary Revolver Level 1, White Quality"
"Basic Attributes: Damage 2, Effective Range 20 meters, Remaining Bullets 6/6; upgraded to Host Level Limit"
"Activated Extra Attribute: Bullet Recovery 1/1h"
"Evaluation: Optimized Revolver with doubled damage, has some stopping power now, but still not enough for a one-shot kill. Perhaps it's a good choice for shooting birds."
Holding the spotless black revolver, Lin Feng felt a surge of joy. It seemed item upgrades were closely tied to his power level.
The damage and effective range of the revolver now at least provided an initial level of lethality.
And it had upgraded to include an automatic bullet recovery attribute.
No need to worry about ammunition for now.
But soon, Lin Feng realized the sea buckthorn grass root could only restore his Life Value to a maximum of seven points, and its effect on healing his right leg injury was very limited.
The wound was still festering, suppurating...
He understood this was due to his weak Physique, the poor resistance, mere carbohydrate intake was far from enough.
To heal on his own, he needed to eat meat!
Replenish protein and fat!
But in the Wasteland, meat was an extremely precious resource.
Lin Feng looked up at the black dots swirling in the sky.
"Those birds..."
Ding Yi looked down, collecting the spat-out grass root to weave into hemp rope:
"Those are Scavenger Vultures, the Wasteland's harbingers of death, they target weak and dying animals, trailing them until they're dead before feasting."
"They're following us now. What Qi Mountain said is true, attracted by the stench from your right leg wound."
Lin Feng clenched the revolver in his hand, squinting as he swallowed hard:
"Those Scavenger Vultures..."
"Are they edible?"