In any case, the hyena couldn't enter the train's safe zone.
Bai Cheng didn't rush. Instead, she leisurely sat down and picked up the small uncommon treasure chest in front of her, examining it closely.
The chest wasn't very heavy. She picked it up and shook it, but there was no sound of items clattering inside.
"Sounds like an empty box?" Bai Cheng frowned.
If it was empty, then getting targeted by a hyena for it would be a total rip-off.
But Bai Cheng was more inclined to believe that it was a Schrödinger's box.
"I should be the protagonist, right?"
She pouted and muttered, "No, everyone is the protagonist of their own life."
Drawing from her experience with survival novels, Bai Cheng's eyes suddenly gleamed with certainty.
"I bet there's a water filter inside, plus something that can deal with the current danger."
She nodded, pinching her chin. "Mhm, preferably a crossbow or a pistol."
Filled with anticipation, she immediately opened the chest.
[Opened Uncommon Treasure Chest: Obtained Odometer (Guaranteed) ×1, Lubricating Cleaner ×1, Pulley Transmission
System (Blueprint) ×1, Super Tasty™ Chocolate ×1, Scrap Iron ×2.]
"???"
"Wait, where's my gun? Where's my water filter?!"
Bai Cheng was dumbfounded. Why did an uncommon treasure chest give her a pile of junk?
Forget a crossbow or pistol, there wasn't even a decent tool inside!
Her face immediately fell, her disappointment plain to see.
She picked up the guaranteed odometer, a small device resembling a vehicle mileage tracker. Its tiny, finger-width screen displayed a single line of information:
[Distance to next station: 488 km]
"Only 12 km after all this time?!" Bai Cheng's eyes widened.
She felt like she had used every ounce of her strength to push the cart. Although she couldn't track time precisely, she estimated that she had spent over two hours on it.
Yet, the first station was still this far away.
"At least this little thing is useful. I can see how far I've gone." She sighed and set it aside.
She glanced at the hyena not far away. Since the rail cart had stopped, it was now resting on the ground. She stuck out her tongue at it before checking the other items.
[Lubricating Cleaner: After use, your train will look brand new and gain improved lubrication.]
[Would you like to use it on your hand-powered rail cart? (Estimated speed boost: 50%)]
"Oh? This is actually useful too!"
Her eyes lit up, and she immediately clicked to use it.
The next second, a flash of light swept over the rail cart beneath her feet. When she looked again, all the rust had vanished, leaving the cart looking brand new.
Bai Cheng gripped the lever and immediately noticed how much smoother it was.
With a 50% speed boost, the cart's top speed now reached 15 km/h.
[Name: Pulley Transmission System (Blueprint)]
[Materials Required: Scrap Iron ×4, Leather ×2]
[Description: Upgrades the rail cart's basic lever-driven mechanism to a more efficient pulley lever system, significantly increasing speed.]
[Note: Using this blueprint will automatically unlock this structure, but blueprint-based structures cannot be traded.]
"Another good item!"
Bai Cheng knew that this damn system wouldn't let them keep using the same shabby rail cart forever.
Although she couldn't upgrade it yet, there were still ways to improve its speed.
"Still need two more scrap iron and two leather."
Without hesitation, she used the blueprint. She had no intention of trading it away.
As for the box of chocolate, there was no need to inspect it. It contained six bars, with the words 'Super Tasty' printed in large letters on the packaging.
She then transferred the last two pieces of scrap iron into her inventory. Now, the chest was just an empty shell, its once-glowing green aura completely gone.
Worse, the empty chest couldn't even be dismantled. It seemed to only serve as decoration.
Bai Cheng looked at the chest in her hand, then at the hyena that was still lying in the distance.
With all her strength, she hurled the chest at the beast.
Thud!
The chest landed a meter short, missing the hyena entirely. The startled hyena bared its teeth at her.
Sensing the object before it, the hyena approached and sniffed the treasure chest cautiously.
But that was all it did.
It didn't back off just because its property had been returned, as if it knew that the chest was empty.
"You're forcing my hand!" Bai Cheng bit her lip, glaring at the hyena.
The chest hadn't given her a weapon, and even with the newly polished rail cart, she couldn't outrun the hyena.
Rather than hoping for the beast's mercy, she recalled how the safe zone had repelled it earlier, and her mind formed a plan to kill it.
"The safety period's protection likely creates an invisible barrier around the train. If I can figure out the range and use it…"
Her gaze darkened. It was possible to exploit the rules to kill the hyena.
She just had to hope that the creature wasn't too smart.
Her only weapons were the stone spear and the dagger from the starter pack.
The spear's advantage was obvious. It was longer and more powerful. Although it wasn't very sharp, it was safer to use.
Bai Cheng picked up the spear, its meter-long wooden shaft gave her more room for error.
The ten-second countdown was almost up. She couldn't afford to hesitate.
She quickly boarded the cart, grabbed the dagger, and slashed a piece of wood with it.
[Dull Dagger: 1/20]
A few seconds later, the dagger flashed green.
[Tetanus Blade: 0/60]
[Evaluation: Looks deadly, but not ideal for hunting.]
Ignoring the description, Bai Cheng kept slashing.
Marking the wood was quick and effortless.
She planned to upgrade this dagger all the way to its highest tier.
Soon, the dagger flashed blue.
[Razor-Sharp Dagger: 0/200]
[Evaluation: A reliable weapon!]
Ten minutes later, it upgraded again.
[Demon-Slaying Dagger: 0/1000]
[Evaluation: A blade capable of harming demons!]
This time, the 1,000 slashes took over an hour. Even alternating her arms left them aching.
The sun had shifted westward, its harsh glare softening into an orange glow. The surroundings were eerily silent.
Perhaps staying in one place for too long would attract other beasts.
But Bai Cheng didn't mind. In fact, she was almost looking forward to it.
If another predator showed up, it might scare off the hyena, saving her the trouble.
By the time the final slash fell, the piece of wood was barely recognizable. A golden flash appeared, and the dagger reached its final form!
[Top-grade: Fatal Edge (Unbound)!]
[Quality: Legendary]
[Effect: A single cut ensures death. Any creature wounded by it will be afflicted with a lethal curse, except its wielder.]
[Evaluation: Simply Invincible!]
[You have gained 1 distributable attribute point!]