When Ethan Carter woke up, he found himself inside a crude wooden cabin.
Looking through the lone window, all he could see was an endless sea of desert. The sky was stained a deep orange, completely obscured by swirling sandstorms.
The cabin had a wooden door, but it looked so old and weathered that it probably couldn’t even withstand the charge of an ordinary house cat.
Just as Ethan wondered whether this was some kind of elaborate prank, a majestic voice echoed across the sky.
[The Planetary Wasteland Survival Game has officially begun.]
[This is a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Although radiation levels have dropped to a safe range, countless monsters mutated by radiation still roam the land.]
[Besides monsters, you must also survive extreme weather conditions. They are just as deadly.]
[Every player begins with a small wooden cabin.]
[For now, your cabin is the only relatively safe place. If you wish to survive, you must continue upgrading it.]
[Your objective is simple: survive. If you have any questions, focus your thoughts and silently say, "Game Assistant."]
[Finally... good luck.]
As the voice faded away, Ethan finally understood what had happened.
"A planetary wasteland survival game... So I’m not the only one who was transported here? Could there be people from worlds other than Earth as well?"
Unable to make sense of it, he decided not to dwell on the question.
Focusing his thoughts, he silently said, "Game Assistant."
A translucent blue holographic screen immediately appeared before him.
Three options were displayed.
[Universal Crafting Bench] [Chat] [Marketplace]
Opening the Universal Crafting Bench revealed an enormous list of craftable items.
There were weapons and tools such as spears, stone axes, and iron hammers. The construction tab contained structures used to upgrade the cabin, including larger floor plans, defensive fences, and more.
Ethan then opened the Chat menu.
It was divided into three channels:
World, Regional, and Private Messages.
As soon as he entered the Regional Channel, messages streamed past so quickly they were almost impossible to read.
[Regional Chat — Players: 10,000 / 10,000]
"Help! Where am I? I want to go home!"
"Holy shit! I literally won the lottery today! Where the hell did I end up? Is this even Earth?"
"If anyone can get me home, I’ll give them one hundred million dollars!"
"Give it up. We’re probably not even on Earth anymore. Your money’s worthless."
"Can someone handsome come save me? I’m still wearing my school uniform~"
...
Although every player was limited to ten public messages per day, countless terrified people continued desperately asking for help.
Some appeared to have completely lost their minds, posting nothing but random gibberish.
Finding nothing useful, Ethan closed the chat window and looked outside again.
The sky remained a dusty orange, but visibility wasn’t bad. It looked like decent weather for exploring.
After taking a deep breath, he carefully pushed open the cabin door.
Only after confirming there was no immediate danger did he step outside.
The instant his feet touched the sand, a mechanical voice rang out inside his mind.
[Daily Check-In System successfully activated!]
[The Host may check in once per day to receive various rewards.]
[Today’s available rewards are:]
[1. Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow)]
[2. One Legendary-Grade Axe]
[3. Three Genetically Modified Hens]
[Please choose one reward. Rewards cannot be combined. Available rewards reset every day at 12:00 a.m. Remember to claim your reward.]
"A Daily Check-In System? So this is my cheat ability... I wonder if I’m the only one who has one."
Thinking of that, Ethan hurried back inside the cabin, shut the door, and opened the World Chat.
Like the Regional Channel, it was filled with frantic cries for help.
After watching for several minutes, however, he noticed something.
No one mentioned having a System.
Normally, anyone lucky enough to awaken a System would keep it secret as their greatest advantage.
Still, with this many people gathered together, there were bound to be a few fools who couldn’t resist bragging.
Yet there wasn’t a single mention of one.
That meant either he was the only person with a System, or only a tiny handful of people had awakened one—and they were all smart enough to keep quiet.
Either possibility worked in his favor.
With the System’s help, he could quickly establish an overwhelming lead and dramatically improve his chances of surviving this world.
Closing World Chat, Ethan prepared to choose the Legendary Axe.
At the moment, he owned absolutely nothing.
Food and clean water were already pressing concerns.
Forget supporting another survivor—even keeping three hens alive would be difficult.
As for the people joking about cannibalism...
Even ignoring the danger of prion diseases, Ethan couldn’t bring himself to cross that line unless there was absolutely no other choice.
After weighing everything carefully, he decided the Legendary Axe was the most practical reward.
It could chop wood, gather resources, and double as a reliable weapon.
Just as he was about to confirm his choice, another mechanical voice—this time female—echoed through his mind.
[Supreme Leader System activated!]
[For every subordinate recruited, the Host will receive corresponding rewards.]
[As a first-time activation bonus, the Host is awarded one Bound Basic Gene Serum, one Commander Equipment Set, and one Silent Hunter.]
[Basic Gene Serum (Bound): Effective only when consumed by the Host. Permanently increases all of the Host’s base attributes by 100%.]
[Note: This effect can only be applied once. Additional Basic Gene Serums provide no further benefit.]
[Commander Equipment Set: Increases the Host’s overall defensive capability while equipped.]
[Silent Hunter (Legendary): An alloy hand crossbow that fires in complete silence. Comes with twenty recoverable armor-piercing bolts.]
Ethan stared in disbelief.
He had actually awakened a second System.
Surely no one else possessed something like this.
Better yet, it had appeared at exactly the right time.
Not only had it dramatically increased his combat power, but it also made choosing Black Widow far more worthwhile.
Before making his decision, he asked,
"Daily Check-In System... how loyal are recruited characters?"
[Host, every recruited character begins with 100% loyalty. They will never intentionally betray or harm the Host, nor will they even entertain such thoughts.]
[However, they retain their own personalities, preferences, and moral values. If the Host repeatedly forces them to do things they cannot accept, they may choose to leave—or, in extreme cases, take their own lives.]
[If the Host launches an unprovoked lethal attack against a recruited character, they will immediately attempt to escape rather than wait to die. There is also an extremely small chance they may rebel.]
The explanation was well within Ethan’s expectations.
He nodded.
"I choose Black Widow."
The instant the words left his mouth, a sphere of brilliant white light materialized before him.
As the light slowly faded, a beautiful woman wearing a sleek black tactical suit appeared before him.
Natasha Romanoff.
The Black Widow.