Jiang Li slept until noon the next day.
A strong wave of hunger rose from her stomach. After finishing the remaining half of the dried meat and drinking some water, her problems of hunger and thirst were finally resolved.
First, she cautiously crouched by the wooden door and observed the outside through the small window.
Daytime wasn’t completely safe either.
Disaster beasts still patrolled the wilderness, and if she encountered one, her flesh-and-blood body would become its breakfast.
Only after confirming there was no danger nearby did Jiang Li open the door.
Dim sunlight filtered through thick gray clouds and fell upon the ground.
Everything in sight was tinted a pale gray, as though covered by a thin veil of mist.
She was just about to step out of the cave when something caught her eye.
Two cloth bags had appeared at the entrance.
The bags were patched and worn, their fabric old and faded, lying side by side.
Most importantly, lines of text floated above them.
[Congratulations, Player Jiang Li, for safely surviving your first day. Reward: Cloth Bag (contains a random common item).]
[Congratulations, Player Jiang Li, for surviving harassment from a Tier-2 Evil Wraith (Mimic Wraith). Reward: Green Cloth Bag.]
Jiang Li’s eyes lit up with delight.
She had completely forgotten about these rewards.
Perhaps she had played the game for too long and forgotten what the beginner stage was like.
She carried both bags into the shelter and casually shut the wooden door.
Then she opened them.
[Simple Water Filter]
(Filtered water still needs to be boiled.)
[Fiber Backpack]
[500ml of Crude Water]
(Roughly filtered. Harmless to the body. Barely drinkable.)
[1 Jin of Cockroach Beast Jerky]
(Taken from the back of a Cockroach Beast. Rich in protein.)
[1 Gourd Mushroom Seed]
[1 Eggplant Mushroom Seed]
Jiang Li was overjoyed.
The water filter might be simple, but at least it solved her future drinking-water problem.
The fiber backpack had little storage space, but for her current situation, it was incredibly useful.
As for the food and water…
“Uh…”
Looking at the dried meat, which was identical to what she’d received from the beginner gift pack the previous night, Jiang Li raised an eyebrow.
She hadn’t expected the system’s jerky to be made from disaster beast meat.
That’s right.
The Cockroach Beast was one type of disaster beast and also the most common one encountered by beginners.
It had no intelligence, resembled a giant cockroach, could fly, and could grow over two meters tall—larger than a person.
Normally, disaster beasts couldn’t be eaten directly.
Just like humans, they could contract Gray Mist Disease.
Anyone who ate infected beast meat would also become infected.
To make the meat edible, it had to be treated with a special purification mushroom.
The world’s ecosystem had been devastated after the catastrophe.
All surface plants had gone extinct.
Only mushrooms that grew underground or in caves remained.
They required little sunlight, little water, and grew quickly, making them an essential food source for humanity.
“Gourd Mushroom. Eggplant Mushroom.”
Jiang Li picked up the two mushroom seeds.
They looked similar to ordinary vegetable seeds.
The moment she touched them, descriptions appeared before her eyes.
(Gourd Mushroom: Similar to vegetables such as cucumbers, gourds, and winter melons.)
(Eggplant Mushroom: Similar to vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes.)
They had short growth cycles and were packed with nutrients.
The Eggplant Mushroom, in particular, was filling enough to satisfy hunger.
Carefully, Jiang Li returned the seeds to the cloth bag.
The bags didn’t disappear after being opened.
Although they weren’t as spacious as the backpack, they could still store small items and function as simple storage containers.
She picked up her stone axe, slung the fiber backpack over her shoulders, and left the cave.
There was no lock on her shelter.
However, she couldn’t carry all her supplies with her.
Fortunately, the shelter was hidden inside a cave, making it difficult for anyone to find.
Besides, even if there had been a lock, the crude wooden door wouldn’t have stopped anyone determined enough to use force.
A few hard kicks would break it open.
I need to upgrade the shelter as soon as possible.
Today’s objectives were to locate a water source and scout the surrounding area.
More importantly, she needed to solve the problem of the oil lamp.
The shelter’s beginner protection period only lasted three days.
Once it ended, Gray Mist would seep directly into the shelter.
In the game, the simplest oil lamp was made using the fat of a particular disaster beast.
The fat was rendered like pork lard, and after basic filtering, the resulting oil could be burned to repel Gray Mist.
Even ordinary people could make it.
There was also a superior version.
By adding Sunflower Mushroom powder, the lamp became significantly more effective at dispelling Gray Mist.
However, Sunflower Mushroom seeds were extremely rare.
They were difficult to cultivate and took a long time to grow.
Jiang Li remembered spending a fortune buying them from other players when she played the game.
She glanced at the position of the sun overhead, estimating the time.
Because she’d slept until noon, she only had the afternoon left for exploration.
Her first priority was obtaining materials for an oil lamp.
Worried that villagers might recognize the original owner of this body, Jiang Li tore off a strip of cloth and wrapped it around her face.
She also bound her chest and hid her hair.
In effect, she disguised herself as a man.
After all, unlike in a game, the reality of a post-apocalyptic world was extremely dangerous for women.
Next, she tucked the stone axe into her belt and entered the village.
The village’s buildings were old and dilapidated.
A few scattered figures hurried along the roads.
Their expressions were exhausted.
Their backs were hunched.
At a glance, Jiang Li could tell they were suffering from Gray Mist Disease.
The disease didn’t kill instantly.
Like a chronic illness, it slowly tormented both body and mind.
Their cases weren’t severe, but they weren’t mild either.
Dark, spiderweb-like veins spread across their skin.
Jiang Li didn’t stare.
She lowered her head and continued walking.
Every village had a trading station.
Merchants operated inside, selling necessities.
Food was the most important commodity, followed by daily supplies.
The trading station at the center of the village had been constructed from gray stone bricks.
Faint light seeped through the gloomy sky, illuminating the modest one-story structure.
Jiang Li’s vision had been limited throughout her journey.
The only reason she found the place so easily was because of her knowledge of the game.
Trading stations were always built at the village center.
They were designed to be easy to locate.
As she approached, an angry shout rang out from inside.
“Thief! A filthy thief! Damn you!”
The rough voice was filled with fury.
Moments later, a sturdy middle-aged man, only about five feet tall but powerfully built, emerged from the building.
In his hand, he carried a thin, hunched figure whose gender was impossible to determine.
The man’s strength was astonishing.
He held the person as casually as one might carry a rabbit.
Then he threw them to the ground.
The next moment, he began kicking viciously.
Even after blood appeared, he didn’t stop.
Only when the person stopped breathing did the middle-aged man finally spit on the corpse.
Having just kicked someone to death, there wasn’t the slightest trace of panic in his eyes.
To him, it seemed no different from slaughtering a chicken.
Then he noticed Jiang Li watching.
The man’s fierce eyebrows lifted.
The hostility between them hadn’t faded, but confusion appeared in his eyes.
“You’re an outsider?”
Nobody in the village wrapped their face in coarse cloth like she did.
Jiang Li was still struggling to process what she’d just witnessed.
Forcibly tearing her gaze away from the corpse, she took a deep breath and tried to sound normal.
Ignoring his question, she simply said:
“I’d like to see the goods.”
The middle-aged man was evidently the station master.
He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her carefully.
After a long moment, he finally replied:
“Come in.”