[Ordinary Lighter: 0/50]
"So that's how it is." Bai Cheng curled her lips into a wicked smile.
Compared to matches, a lighter could be operated with just one hand, making it far more convenient.
Besides, she had just practiced her hand speed before transmigrating. Upgrading the lighter would be a piece of cake.
Click!
The lighter's flame flickered to life as Bai Cheng pressed the ignition rapidly with one hand.
At the same time, she reopened the chat channel, but unfortunately, no one seemed to have any information about talents.
"Well, even if someone did have a talent, they probably won't announce it."
Now that she had a basic understanding of the situation, it was time to leave the starting station.
Since the hand-powered rail cart had no floor, Bai Cheng flipped the table over and placed it on the cart, then set her backpack on top.
With one hand still pressing the lighter, she approached the levers.
She gripped the brake lever with one hand and pushed, but… it didn't budge at all!?
"Huh?" She gritted her teeth and applied more force, yet it remained immobile. "Is it really this stiff?"
Taking a step back, she delivered a sharp kick to the lever.
Clank!
The brake lever finally shifted into place.
"But if I'm upgrading the lighter, I'll only have one free hand…" Bai Cheng frowned slightly, quickly abandoning the idea.
She needed both hands to operate the hand-powered lever in front of her.
This time, she braced herself, gripping the lever with both hands and putting her full strength into it, even using her body weight to press down.
Screeeech—
The rusted metal joint let out an ear-piercing groan.
It finally moved!
The next second, the massive triangular screen in front of her disintegrated into ashes, followed by a blinding white light that forced Bai Cheng to squint.
By the time her eyes adjusted, the surroundings had completely changed.
A stretch of railway appeared ahead, carrying the hand-powered rail cart forward at a slow pace.
All around her was a lush green field dotted with trees. The sky was clear, the sun bright, and the distant chirping of birds and insects filled the air.
A gentle breeze brushed past, lifting a strand of white hair by her ear as she stared blankly at the scenery.
"This view… is quite nice?"
No matter how she looked, there didn't seem to be any danger nearby.
After the initial push, operating the lever became much easier. Even so, after moving the cart for a while, fine beads of sweat formed on Bai Cheng's forehead.
She was struggling.
Only now did she realize that it wasn't that pushing the rail cart was too difficult, but that her physical strength was just too weak!
"Damn it, being a girl in a survival game is a natural disadvantage!"
Not to mention, the rusted rail cart was absurdly slow. She estimated that it barely reached 10 km/h.
All that effort, and it wasn't even as fast as her jogging speed.
In five days, forget about traveling 500 kilometers to the first station, she'd probably collapse from exhaustion before then.
After gritting her teeth for another twenty minutes, Bai Cheng finally couldn't take it anymore.
Gasping for breath, she plopped down onto the overturned table, letting the rail cart gradually slow to a stop.
"Ugh, is this really my body's limit?"
As she sat there, she absentmindedly continued upgrading the lighter.
After all, mashing the lighter with one hand wouldn't interfere with her rest.
Within minutes, a flash of white light transformed the lighter in her hand into a windproof lighter.
[Windproof Lighter: 0/100]
Bai Cheng wasn't surprised. Upgrading the lighter was effortless, and she was curious to see what it would eventually become.
But after a short break, she didn't dare to idle any longer.
Relying on this scrap-metal rail cart to cover 500 kilometers in five days was nothing short of a fantasy.
Clearly, the priority during this five-day safe period was to develop as much as possible.
By now, the rail cart had nearly stopped, and Bai Cheng hopped off.
The moment her feet touched the soft earth, a strange sense of surrealism washed over her.
She could now see a faint white glow around nearby collectible items.
Must be some kind of system assist.
Turning back to the stationary rail cart, she noticed new lines of text on the screen:
[Your safe activity range is within three meters from the edges of the train. Within this range, you can inspect any item at any time!]
[All items and equipment are categorized into six tiers: Common (White), Fine (Green), Superior (Blue), Epic (Purple), Legendary (Gold), and Eternal (Red).]
[It is recommended to not remain in one location for too long!]
"So, as long as I stay within three meters, I'm safe?" Bai Cheng nodded in understanding.
Factoring in the cart's size, the actual safe area wasn't small.
It also means that the actual safety area was not a standard circle.
It's not that she was being overly cautious. With her current physical condition, any real danger would snap her like a twig.
She glanced at the lighter in her hand. As expected, it's a white-tier item.
Without stopping her upgrade, she began gathering resources.
Although the six-meter diameter didn't offer much, it was enough for the early stage.
Bai Cheng had no intention of taking risks. Once she looted the area, she could push the cart forward, resetting the timer while maintaining a safe cycle.
"What survival game doesn't start with scavenging junk?" she muttered, picking up a tree branch from the ground.
[Wood +1]
Text appeared in midair, sparing her the need to check the screen.
However, the rail cart only displayed information. There was no auto-collect function.
So, Bai Cheng had to shuttle back and forth, hauling items onto the cart.
When she tossed the branch onto the cart, it automatically transformed into a neatly cut wooden log, and another notification appeared:
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the Workbench: Wood ×10]
"With a workbench, I should be able to craft tools."
Her gaze sharpened as she scanned the area, searching for more branches under the scattered trees.
Suddenly, a white light flashed in her hand, and the windproof lighter now felt heavier.
[Upgraded Windproof Lighter: 0/200]
[Your lighter will no longer break due to external factors!]
Bai Cheng blinked.
This counts as an upgrade?
It's clearly just a metal casing!
Clicking the lighter a few times, she continued to gather branches.
"Wait!" A realization struck her. "Upgrading the rail cart requires fine wood, but what I'm collecting is just wood…"
A sinking feeling settled in her gut. It felt like a trap waiting for her.
"Whatever, I'll figure it out later."
But these branches weren't exactly abundant. At best, she might find one or two under a tree; at worst, she wouldn't find anything.
With sparse trees around, gathering ten branches took nearly twenty minutes.
Along the way, she also picked up two stones, which the system neatly converted into stone blocks.
Staring at the pile of wooden logs on the cart, Bai Cheng opened the [My Train] menu, ready to craft a workbench.
But the next prompt left her speechless.
[You cannot place the Workbench!]
[Please install flooring on your train first!]
"…" She checked the item index. One wooden plank required one wood, and covering the entire cart would take six planks.
"More branch collecting." She scowled, but there weren't many branches left around her.
She decided to push the cart forward, refreshing her staying time in the process.
Just as she was about to set the lighter aside—
Another white flash erupted in her hand.
[Top-grade: Windproof Lighter with Infinite Fuel!]
[You have gained 1 distributable attribute point!]