Chapter 21: Level Three Treasure Chest

"How is the injury on my leg?" Liang Yi did not want to dwell on other matters with the game assistant, so she asked about the wound on her leg.

[After my meticulous examination, I have found that your leg injury is not serious, Player Liang Yi. Please do not be afraid.]

Liang Yi felt somewhat relieved. Checking the time, it was only a little past 3:00 AM; there were still several hours until dawn. Liang Yi had no desire to sleep, so she leaned against the wall of her vehicle, closed her eyes to rest, and took the opportunity to browse the player chat in the [Channel].

[Sunflower v2.0: Holy crap, someone was knocking on my vehicle window tonight. It scared the hell out of me.]

[Player 3695: That’s nothing. Someone was calling my name in the middle of the night. I almost answered, but at that moment, I remembered the game rules from the first day: if you hear someone calling your name at night, you must never answer.]

[Player 13659: Did you tell someone your name?]

[Player 3695: How did you know?]

[I Want To Drink Cola: Me too. I answered, and then a tentacle grabbed my ankle and dragged me straight out of the vehicle. Thankfully, I had the butcher knife I’d looted earlier; I hacked it off in one stroke, struggled, and scrambled back inside. Mom, I want to go home.]

[Player 6398: Wuwuwu, do you guys have it as bad as I do? I was sleeping on my scooter and got dragged along the ground for several kilometers. The monster kept calling my name, and I had to hold onto my scooter for dear life, not daring to let go. Wuwuwu, I just escaped the trap. Do you guys even know? Wuwuwu, you don't know.]

[Player 3695: Sigh, why didn't I run into anything?]

[Only Love MZY: I didn't run into anything like that, but sleeping while hugging a bicycle in the middle of the night is truly miserable. Is there anyone willing to sell a vehicle? I’m willing to give up all the supplies I have.]

...

Liang Yi scrolled through the chat history, finding that her experience was similar to theirs. The only stroke of luck was that she had woken up relatively early, so no serious consequences had occurred. As she read, the scrolling text flashed before her eyes, seemingly turning into a hypnotic tool. Her eyelids grew heavier, and her head gradually became groggy. Combined with the excessive exercise during the day, Liang Yi’s eyes slowly closed, and she drifted back to sleep.

I don't know how much time passed before Liang Yi finally opened her eyes. She checked the time and saw it was already past 7:00 AM. She stretched, yawned, and flexed her ankle. After a night's rest, the pain had subsided significantly.

Opening the vehicle door, the morning forest still carried a hint of chill, making Liang Yi shiver. She extended her foot out of the vehicle to inspect it carefully. Fortunately, it was just a superficial wound with no other serious issues, which set her mind at ease. Liang Yi took a piece of bread from her backpack and ate a few bites for breakfast. Once her hunger was satisfied, she didn't stop to rest but immediately began her workout. The hour of exercise was painful, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.

After finishing, Liang Yi started the vehicle and continued driving forward. Lacking a clear route or tools like a compass, she could only choose a direction at random. Unexpectedly, as she drove on, she found herself back at the swamp she had encountered the day before. By the roadside, she spotted a corpse covered in blood and strips of flesh. Observing the pelvis, Liang Yi determined it was a male skeleton. On the ring finger of the right hand, there was a ring that looked identical to the one worn by the man she had lured into the swamp the previous day. Not far away lay the man’s backpack.

Liang Yi raised an eyebrow. It seemed the man hadn't suffocated in the swamp; instead, some beast had dragged him out and consumed his flesh. In a good mood, Liang Yi collected the corpse into the [Points] section. To her surprise, the body earned her ten points. When she asked the game assistant, it was vague and didn't understand the reason either. Liang Yi could only guess that it might have something to do with whether she had personally obtained the body. It seemed that, according to her previous strategy, there was no issue with walking behind others and scavenging corpses. She now had fifteen points in total, enough to exchange for quite a few supplies for her family.

Liang Yi thought for a moment and decided to wait until nightfall to make the exchange, then continued on her way. Not long after, she spotted a Tier 3 treasure chest on the side of the road. Remembering the cosmetic powder she’d opened last time, she was much more cautious this time. She picked up a long stick and prodded the chest open from a distance. After waiting two minutes to ensure nothing strange emerged, she approached. Inside was a dagger and something resembling a blueprint.

Seeing the blueprint, Liang Yi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately reached out to grab it.

[Careful.]

The game assistant spoke up the moment she reached out. Liang Yi pulled her hand back immediately. "What's wrong?"

[Player Liang Yi, please understand the nature of the dagger in front of you before reaching out.]

Liang Yi looked at the dagger as instructed. She studied it for a moment but saw nothing wrong. The handle was gold with black patterns, and the blade was curved. It didn't look any different from an ordinary dagger.

"This dagger? There's nothing strange about it!"

[Player Liang Yi, please stare at the dagger for five seconds.]

Liang Yi stared at the dagger without blinking. After five seconds, a line of text suddenly appeared above it:

[Dagger of Lethal Poison: Once it cuts a wound, the enemy will be poisoned and die. Limited to three uses.]

Liang Yi blinked. In the past, she had always been too eager to grab items and never observed them in detail; she hadn't realized there could be such effects. She then turned her attention to the blueprint.

[Water Kettle Blueprint: To craft a water kettle, you need the blueprint, PP material, and stainless steel ×2.]

"Why couldn't I see this before?" Liang Yi asked curiously, wondering if it was a reward from the game for surviving the night.

[It was always there. It’s just that you always grab supplies too quickly and never stare for more than five seconds, so you missed it.]

If it weren't for the fact that the dagger was poisonous and she might die if poisoned, leading to the destruction of the test subject, the game assistant wouldn't have bothered to remind her.