“That’s an incredible talent.
Looks like our lives are definitely going to get better from now on!” Marikawa Shizuka looked genuinely happy.
As Shiro’s teammate, she seemed even more delighted than he was after learning about the effects of his talent.
After all, she was not only airheaded, but her mentality was also surprisingly strong.
The fact that she could adjust herself so quickly after learning she had been thrown into an unknown world made that clear enough.
“All right, let’s check what’s special about this RV first.” Shiro got up and looked under the bed.
Some RV beds had storage space beneath them, so there might be something hidden there.
Just as Shiro expected, there were two boxes placed under the bed.
He pulled both boxes out and opened the first one.
Inside were some repair tools, a baseball bat, and an entrenching shovel.
They seemed to have been prepared for self-defense and exploration.
There was even a fishing rod, though there was no bait.
As for the second box, it contained seven bottles of mineral water and twenty pieces of dry bread.
It looked like these were their rations for the next seven days.
Skipping past the bed and the toilet, Shiro walked toward the front of the vehicle.
This was also the only area whose full layout he had not checked yet.
The front of the RV was just as plain.
The driver’s seat looked as simple as the seats from an old bus in the eighties, the kind that would definitely be uncomfortable after sitting in it for too long.
However, in front of the seat, around the vehicle’s dashboard, there were quite a few unusual things.
The common buttons for things like air conditioning were still there, but beside the passenger seat was a row of small white slots.
They were completely empty, with only USB-like ports exposed one after another.
Above that row of ports was a display screen, though it was currently turned off.
On the passenger seat, there was also an instruction manual.
“Let’s figure out what all these buttons do first.” Shiro sat in the passenger seat, picked up the manual, and slowly began reading through it.
Shizuka, who had followed him over, saw him quietly reading and did not disturb him.
Instead, she sat down in the driver’s seat and read along with him.
The driver’s seat and passenger seat were quite close together.
Since the two of them were also reading the same manual, their bodies ended up extremely close.
However, both of them were focused on the instructions and did not notice it.
After a while, Shiro finally put down the manual in his hand.
When he raised his head, only then did he realize that Shizuka, who had been sitting on the bed earlier, had somehow come to his side.
After putting the manual away, Shiro looked toward the row of USB-like ports beside the passenger seat.
These were the slots used to install plug-ins.
The RV’s upgrades basically depended on these plug-ins.
For example, if Shiro wanted to upgrade the RV, he first had to obtain an RV upgrade module through exploration.
Only then could he use the corresponding materials to upgrade and expand it.
The RV’s weapon system and defense system worked the same way.
Even the kitchen system inside the RV needed a plug-in to unlock.
Fortunately, the RV came with a built-in shower area.
Otherwise, who knew how long it would take just to gather all these plug-ins?
The system had made it clear from the very beginning that this RV would be their shelter from now on.
That meant upgrading it had to be their top priority.
However, upgrades required going into resource zones and trying their luck.
This completely cut off the thoughts of anyone hoping to coast along without venturing deep into the resource zones.
These plug-ins definitely would not be easy to obtain.
Next was the issue of gasoline and water inside the RV.
Every resource zone would have a gas station.
At the gas stations inside resource zones, they could spend survival points to replenish gasoline and water.
At the same time, the RV would also be automatically cleaned by the system, allowing players to focus on exploration without worry.
Once they entered a resource zone, the RVs in parking lots and gas stations would be locked by the system.
Players could not attack other players’ RVs, nor could they enter someone else’s RV without being invited by the owner.
There were only two ways to enter another person’s RV.
The first was encountering other players on the road.
At that point, they could choose to attack them and seize the resources inside their RV.
The second was when players exploring a resource zone died.
Their RV would automatically become ownerless, and its doors would open on their own, allowing anyone to enter and leave freely.
In short, this system was clearly encouraging them to explore resource zones more often in order to obtain the survival resources they needed, as well as materials for upgrading the RV.
As for the resource zones themselves, they contained steel, wires, and other materials needed to upgrade the RV.
Wood for upgrading the bed and other similar materials could also be obtained there.
The same went for players’ food.
Of course, for Shiro, there was another type of resource inside those zones: monsters.
His Monster Codex still required him to kill a corresponding number of monsters before the entries could be unlocked.
That meant resource zones were dangerous places for every player.
They could choose to stay inside the gas station or parking lot without entering the resource zone, but then they would not be able to obtain survival points to refuel, refill water, or clean the RV.
The system only prepared seven days’ worth of food and water for every vehicle, and they could only enter a resource zone once every seven days.
Without food, without water, and eventually without fuel, the consequences were obvious.
Any RV stranded on the road would become nothing more than a coward’s coffin.
“Looks like we’ll need to properly plan how we explore the resource zones.” The two looked at each other, and both saw the gravity in the other’s eyes.
For now, they had no idea what the inside of a resource zone looked like.
The only thing they could be certain of was that resource zones were the most important supply points, and they could not afford to miss a single stop.
Each time they stopped, they could stay for up to one month.
During that time, they had to collect as many upgrade materials, food supplies, and other necessities as possible.
“Eh?
We’re out of the mist.” Just as Shiro was still thinking, Shizuka let out a cry of surprise beside him.
Shiro pulled himself out of his thoughts and raised his head to look outside the window.
The mist from earlier had already been left behind by the vehicle.
Gentle sunlight filtered through the trees and spilled across the road ahead.
The trees on both sides cast patches of shade beneath the sun, and mottled light scattered over the pavement.
Looking toward the distant horizon, the entire road seemed quiet and peaceful, showing no sign at all that this world was filled with danger.
If they had not learned from the system’s explanation that this place was dangerous, the two of them would have looked no different from ordinary travelers on a road trip.
“It’s really beautiful.
It would’ve been nice if this weren’t some dangerous world.” Shiro sighed softly.
Beside him, Shizuka had already pressed herself against the window, happily taking in the scenery outside.