Volume 1, Chapter 66: Push For One More Breakthrough!
"Huh? How did he suddenly vanish?"
Lin Yifan stared at the transparent figure that had just disappeared, his brow furrowing deeply, his face a mask of confusion.
This person was simply too bizarre. Appearing out of nowhere, vanishing just as suddenly, and completely transparent to boot.
Was this really a human being?
Acting like a wandering specter—could it be some kind of ghost?
Yet, would a ghost care about eating meat?
Besides, the sudden appearance and disappearance of the transparent figure aside, where had that chunk of crocodile meat gone?
Such a massive piece of meat!
Vanishing into thin air like that was genuinely eerie.
Furthermore, crafting a weapon actually required paying a separate forging fee?
Could it be that the transparent person was a blacksmith of the Survival Realm?
If that were truly the case, the secrets of this world were likely far greater than he had imagined.
However, now was not the time to dwell on such matters!
For Lin Yifan, the absolute priority right now was to ensure that the survivors in his district ranked among the top one hundred in survival count.
Otherwise, the [Survival Store] would remain locked, rendering the supplies he had donated completely wasted!
Of course, even if the [Survival Store] could not be opened this time, Lin Yifan believed there would be ways to unlock it later.
Time was money, however. Though the contribution points required for certain items in the [Survival Store] were exorbitant, they could save a tremendous amount of searching time and rapidly boost one's strength, making them well worth it.
Not to mention, Lin Yifan had actually caught sight of attribute fruits within the [Survival Store].
It was just that a single attribute fruit cost a staggering 5,000 contribution points—a price so steep it was somewhat difficult for him to accept.
Yet, currently, he had no leads whatsoever on where to find attribute fruits on his own. No matter how many contribution points were demanded, it still represented a viable path to increasing his strength.
Therefore, the most urgent task right now was to quickly hunt down basic resources and accumulate contribution points for himself.
Recalling his thoughts, Lin Yifan lowered his gaze to the blade in his hands!
This turned out to be a two-handed cleaver!
The blade alone measured 1.2 meters in length, with a width of twenty-odd centimeters. One side was edged while the other formed a thick spine, and the cutting edge gleamed with a deep, chilling light—at a single glance, one could tell it was exceptionally sharp.
Examining the weapon closely, Lin Yifan suddenly realized this was no ordinary chopper at all!
This was actually a Mo Dao!
A legendary Mo Dao, of which it was said: "When the Mo Dao appears, both men and horses are shattered to pieces!"
Lin Yifan hoisted the Mo Dao; its heavy weight felt to be around ten-plus pounds.
Had it not been for the recent enhancement of his physical condition, he might have been able to lift it, but wielding and using it effectively would have been out of the question.
Right now, however, this weight was just right for him!
Because space inside the shelter was limited, testing the blade out was out of the question. He could only give it a few light swings to get a feel for it, yet he was already thoroughly satisfied!
He believed that with this blade in hand, whether he was felling trees or facing fierce beasts, his chances of victory would increase significantly.
Not to mention, he also possessed the Bronze-grade [Wind-Chasing Cloud-Breaking Bow].
With both close-combat and long-range weapons at his disposal, he was fully armed for any situation.
The only pity was that he had yet to find any bird feathers, leaving him unable to craft new arrows.
As for the twenty arrows provided with the [Wind-Chasing Cloud-Breaking Bow], two or three had already been expended. Although he had repaired them to some extent, he always felt their accuracy would be somewhat compromised.
He still needed to figure out a way to get some bird feathers and craft a new batch of arrows.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Yifan posted a listing on the trading platform to purchase bird feathers, using crocodile meat as payment once again.
Even after various expenditures, he still had three to four hundred pounds of crocodile meat left. Fortunately, the recent weather was cold, meaning the meat wouldn't spoil quickly even without special preservation.
Still, leaving it sitting there indefinitely wasn't a solution. After thinking it over, Lin Yifan sent a message to Hong Shaoqiang:
"Brother Hong, do you know how to make cured meat?"
Hong Shaoqiang had just coaxed his daughter to sleep and was planning to get up to take stock of his supplies, as well as prepare the gear needed for scavenging expeditions tomorrow.
Seeing the message from Lin Yifan, he hurriedly replied:
"I do know how, but gloomy, rainy weather like this isn't very suitable for making cured meat; it spoils easily unless it's roasted into jerky."
Lin Yifan considered this; roasting it into jerky would work just as well, as long as nothing went to waste.
Without hesitation, he initiated a trade with Hong Shaoqiang, transferring the remaining crocodile meat over, and sent a message:
"Then I'll trouble you to turn all this crocodile meat into jerky! When the time comes, I'll give you a third of it as payment."
Lin Yifan had always been generous with his own people, and Hong Shaoqiang, having interacted with him for some time, understood his character well and raised no objections.
With the crocodile meat no longer taking up space, Lin Yifan's spatial ring finally had some breathing room again.
Even so, he still chose to leave a large quantity of temporarily unused supplies stored inside the shelter.
Then, carrying the [Radiant Stone] and [Qingling Herb], he stepped out of the shelter!
The moment he walked into the darkness, the Radiant Stone immediately emitted a white glow. The brightness, comparable to a fifty- or sixty-watt incandescent bulb, illuminated a radius of two meters around him.
As he entered the dark expanse, although the eerie, murmuring whispers could still be heard at the edge of his perception, the unsettling sense of rising agitation had diminished significantly.
Though listening to it for too long still brought a trace of irritation, it was now subject to his conscious control, preventing him from losing his composure.
Lin Yifan surveyed his surroundings roughly and ultimately decided to head toward the mountain forest on the left.
The forest on the left was relatively free of thickets and thorny vines; since he urgently needed to fell trees, he had no time to waste clearing a path.
While he was hurrying toward the forest, Chen Yunuo sent him a message:
"Yifan, everyone in our district who was willing to donate supplies has already done so. We've also transferred the supplies to those in need according to requirements. However, everyone's supplies were simply too scarce; we could only enable one-third of the people whose shelters hadn't reached Level 2 to upgrade them. For the remaining people, there is truly nothing more we can do!"
Lin Yifan spared a glance at the message while on the move and replied directly:
"How many people still haven't upgraded their shelters to Level 2?"
Chen Yunuo: "Around 4,000 people."
"Alright, I understand!" Lin Yifan paused to think before sending another message:
"For now, find a way to distribute a portion of the [Potent Mosquito Killer] to those who haven't upgraded their shelters, ensuring they won't die within the next three hours."
"I will find a batch of new basic resources within three hours so they can upgrade their shelters!"
After sending this message, he ignored Chen Yunuo further, not caring whether she could pull it off or not.
If you employ someone, do not doubt them; if you doubt them, do not employ them.
Chen Yunuo's managerial competence was something Lin Yifan had witnessed firsthand; he believed his former classmate could pull it off.
And what he needed to do was simple.
He was going to chop trees!
He was going to smash rocks!
He was going to dig clay!