Chapter 10: The First Night

Perhaps due to Ryan's good reputation, Lina promptly paid for the blueprints. 

[Acquired: Medical Disinfection Light Blueprints] 

In the next moment, 

a blueprint appeared in Ryan's hands, and he immediately opened the system panel to check the materials needed for the disinfection light. 

[Medical Disinfection Light Blueprints] 

[Function: Emits ultraviolet light capable of sterilization and disinfection, can be used to create a sterile environment] 

[Required Materials: Metal Materials x3, Glass Materials x4, Electronic Components x1] 

"Wait, does the disinfection light need electronic components too?" Ryan frowned and quietly complained, feeling a bit helpless inside. 

It seemed that there was no way to complete the medical disinfection light before nightfall. 

At first, Ryan thought that the electronic components had a relatively low refresh rate. He figured that once players opened enough boxes, someone would eventually find them. 

But now it was already 4 PM, and there were only two hours left until dark. 

This only left one possibility— 

That is, the electronic components, being a rarer material, simply could not be found in C-grade and B-grade supply boxes. 

Ryan closed the system panel, now he could only hope for some luck at night. 

The "challenge mode" mentioned by the administrators in the chat should refresh rarer materials. 

So, he would just have to wait until nightfall. 

Just as Ryan was about to close the system panel, Lina sent another message. 

[Lina: By the way, can you lend me some meat?] 

[Ryan: What kind of meat?] 

Ryan looked at the message from Lina and couldn't help but smile. 

The only person who knew about him hunting bison was Lucy, it shouldn't have been spread by him. 

Otherwise, many people would have come asking. 

In fact, it's possible to deduce that he had meat. 

After all, if he hadn't been hunting, he wouldn't have so many bones to make goggles. 

But a lot of people wouldn't think of that. 

[Lina: I also bought your goggles, by the way.] 

[Lina: You must have meat, otherwise, where did all the fresh bones come from?] 

[Ryan: Alright, how much do you need?] 

[Lina: Is 5 pieces okay? I'll return them tomorrow. If I can't return the meat, I'll pay you back with something else.] 

[Ryan: OK, I'll send it over.] 

Ryan manipulated the system panel and sent 5 portions of pork. 

He couldn't help but chuckle, Lina was indeed quite clever. 

Free things are often the most expensive. 

For her, she had truly maximized the value of this seemingly useless blueprint. 

After all, Ryan was currently the strongest player in terms of personal strength. 

Lina easily established a cooperative relationship between the two, which meant there would definitely be many opportunities for collaboration in the future. 

... 

The sun was gradually setting on the distant horizon. 

Ryan's small truck continued to move forward, everything in the rearview mirror seemed to be swallowed by darkness. 

He glanced at the time on the system panel. 

[6:34 PM] 

This was the first night Ryan was experiencing since entering the game. 

After the sun set, the temperature began to drop noticeably. 

Due to the temperature difference between inside and outside the vehicle, a layer of mist formed on the windows, and Ryan had to wipe it occasionally with a cloth. 

At that moment, his stomach let out a hungry growl. 

It had been a long time since that lunch. 

"Let's have dinner first." Ryan yawned, he was feeling a bit tired as well. 

He parked the truck safely by the side of the road and pulled up the handbrake. 

He didn't choose to get out of the vehicle, as he wasn't sure if there was danger outside. 

Most of Ryan's food and supplies were stored in the cargo area behind. 

Fortunately, he could access the cargo area by folding down the back seat of the driver's cabin, which opened a partition door directly into the cargo area. 

Ryan hadn't noticed this at first. 

He saw it mentioned in the chat room when someone shared the information. 

Ryan looked towards the back seat, the gray wolf he had taken in was still there. 

It seemed that the wolf's injuries had stabilized. 

Though it was curled up, its breathing appeared much calmer now. 

Sometimes, one can't help but marvel at the incredible will to survive that wild animals possess. 

Ryan picked up the crowbar and gently poked the gray wolf. 

It remained quiet, showing no signs of aggression, so Ryan moved the wolf to the passenger seat. 

Then he lowered the back seat and opened the partition door. 

Once inside the cargo area, Ryan went to the workbench first, he planned to finish processing the hunting knives. 

Soon, dozens of hunting knives were completed. 

After sending the items through the trading post, Ryan began to prepare dinner. 

"Let's have beef tonight..." Ryan crouched down and looked at the supply box filled with beef, casually taking a piece. 

The beef was cut into uniform large chunks, enough for two people to have a meal. 

"But how should I cook this meat?" Ryan found himself in a bit of a dilemma. 

It was already dark outside, and things were getting dangerous, it was better to stay inside the vehicle as much as possible. 

But that meant he couldn't use an open flame. 

The smoke produced by burning wood would be hard to disperse inside the vehicle, and inhaling it would be harmful. 

Ryan thought for a moment, then opened the system panel and entered the trading post. 

He wanted to see if there were any supplies that could solve his problem. 

As long as there was no smoke, Ryan quickly found a substitute for a fire source—candles. 

The trading post had plenty of candles available, as consumables, they weren't rare, so the prices were relatively cheap. Ryan traded some bread and exchanged for 20 candles. 

Now the issue of a fire source was resolved. 

With so many candles, the heat produced would be enough to cook the steak. 

"I should make a frying pan too..." Ryan went to the workbench and took out some metal materials. 

He remembered that a frying pan could be crafted from metal materials. 

[Required Materials for Frying Pan: Metal Materials x4, Wood x1] 

For an average player, these materials might indeed be somewhat extravagant, as one more piece of wood could make two hunting knives. 

But Ryan didn't need to consider the cost-effectiveness at all now. 

What he lacked the least right now was materials, using them to improve his quality of life was completely reasonable. 

Ryan didn't hesitate and directly chose to craft. 

[Obtained Frying Pan x1] 

A few minutes later, 

Ryan made a series of items including forks, grilling racks, and more, finally lighting the candle. 

He placed the frying pan on the grill, and the candles below began to heat up. 

"Ah, too bad there's no seasoning..." Ryan hesitated for a moment but still brought out the last can of chicken. 

After all, he couldn't trade for electronic components at the moment. 

Moreover, some players had started finding canned chicken, so it wasn't as precious as it once was. 

Everyone isn't foolish, they all understand the principle of supply and demand. 

So now, trying to trade a can of chicken for an electronic component was a bit tricky. 

Ryan poured the canned chicken into the frying pan as well. 

The fat and seasoning from the can coated the beef with flavor. 

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—" 

The sound of frying beef, combined with the rich aroma of the two meats, grew stronger in the cargo area. 

Ryan couldn't help but swallow hard: "Smells amazing..." 

After a dozen minutes had passed, 

The broth in the pan had evaporated, and the steak looked golden and crispy. 

Although Ryan preferred his steak medium rare, this was bison meat, who knew if it might have parasites, so it was better to cook it well. 

Ryan blew out the candle and picked up the knife and fork to cut a piece of beef. 

He couldn't wait to start tasting it. 

The well-cooked steak, rich in meaty aroma, spread across Ryan's mouth, continually stimulating his taste buds. 

"Ah, after a hard day's work, enjoying a steak I made myself feels absolutely amazing." Ryan couldn't help but exclaim. "It would be perfect if I had some wine to go with it." 

Suddenly, Ryan heard a rustling sound coming from the driver's cabin. 

At the same time, he felt the predatory gaze fixated on him. 

Ryan turned his head and, through the partition door, saw the gray wolf he had taken in, watching him warily. 

The gray wolf had almost fully recovered. 

Its stomach growled as it caught the scent of the meat and couldn't resist any longer. 

"Are you hungry?" Ryan took out the hunting knife and cut off a small piece of fresh beef, tossing it towards the gray wolf. 

The piece of beef landed in front of the partition door, but the gray wolf did not approach. 

It seemed to be a bit cautious of Ryan. 

After all, they were two different species, and establishing trust between them was quite difficult.