The end of first day

Having obtained the iron ingot, Liam didn't hesitate. He summoned the crafting menu and used the iron ingot to craft an iron axe, which greatly increased his woodcutting efficiency.

"The Survival System evaluates the Survival Points I can earn daily based on my living environment," Liam mused. "So I need to make the shelter as comfortable and livable as possible, or rather... safer. This way, I can create a positive feedback loop."

He continued to chop wood with the iron axe, contemplating his next steps.

The current state of the shelter was abysmal. Apart from the door, there were no vents, no light, and the bare floor was empty. Aside from the well, which barely added any points, it looked more like a tomb than a shelter.

Liam continued chopping until the sun had completely set, and feeling the hunger pangs in his stomach, he returned to the shelter.

His inventory now held 20 units of wood and 8 units of plant fiber. The stacking limit for the same item was still unknown, but 20 inventory slots were definitely enough for now.

Looking at the pitch-black shelter where even the stairs were barely visible, Liam summoned the crafting menu.

[Torch (Normal)]: Wood 0/1, Plant Fiber 0/2

[Record]: Wood -1, Plant Fiber -2

[Record]: Torch +1

Torch (Normal): A brand new torch that can burn continuously for 12 hours after being lit. 

Fortunately, the survival game fully considered the importance of fire to humans and didn't make it difficult to obtain, providing a certain degree of leniency.

Following the stairs, Liam reached the main level of the shelter and took out the lighter from the cabinet to light the torch.

The torch burned efficiently, illuminating the dark shelter.

Spending another unit of wood and plant fiber to craft a wooden stick and hemp rope, Liam stuck the stick beside the well and tied the torch to it with the rope, creating a simple lighting device.

Returning to the wooden door, he secured it with a sturdy latch, and a long-lost sense of security washed over him.

The first day in the apocalypse, with an underground shelter, a continuous source of water, enough food for two meals, and light. This was the best comfort for Liam after a long day.

Sitting on the last step of the stairs, Liam summoned the crafting menu and, with the materials in his inventory, crafted a small bed made of wood and covered with thatch.

A crudely made chair, a small wooden cup, and a small wooden round table large enough for three people.

After crafting these items, his wood was reduced to 8 units, and all the plant fibers were used up.

However, Liam didn't feel disappointed but rather invigorated.

He placed the bed near the inner part of the shelter, and the wooden table and chairs closer to the entrance.

After collecting another 150ml of water from the well into the storage bucket, Liam filled the small wooden cup with water and placed it on the table, along with the bread and beef jerky.

"What a feast," he thought.

He broke the bread, added some beef jerky, took a delightful bite, and then gulped down a large mouthful of water.

The fresh food entering his hungry and thirsty stomach was like an oasis in the desert, bringing a sense of happiness that was even more satisfying than certain indescribable few seconds.

"I wonder how my family is doing now. I must create a shelter big enough for the whole family before they arrive!" Liam thought while eating his makeshift sandwich.

The survival game didn't specify when his family would arrive, and this threat hung over his head like the sword of Damocles, making him anxious.

After finishing his meal, Liam opened the chat panel to digest his food.

He browsed the world chat and found that everyone was still begging for food and water.

Nearly 8 hours had passed since everyone suddenly arrived in this world.

Liam's underground shelter had begun to take shape, but most others only had empty shells, and they had to sleep on the floor with empty stomachs and parched throats.

Some were injured, and many were lucky enough to find treasure chests with good items.

Similarly, some had already lost their lives in this short half-day.

The regional chat group initially had 1,000 people.

Now, when Liam checked again, the number in the bottom right corner had dropped to 988.

In half a day, 12 people had already died, which was undoubtedly a huge pressure on the survivors.

Prudent exploration and acting within one's capabilities were crucial, otherwise, people would really die!

Some people, upon finding treasure chests, became complacent and ignored the mutated creatures guarding them, only to be ambushed and killed.

Others rashly challenged unknown mutated creatures and were instantly killed.

These people who died on the first day undoubtedly shared one characteristic: they courted death.

"Challenging mutated creatures has both risks and rewards. These people who died mostly treated this world as a game world, how foolish," Liam thought.

"My progress is relatively fast, but starting tomorrow, I also need to start training. Otherwise, if I encounter mutated creatures, I'll be helpless," he pondered.

"As for the acid rain... I need a complete ventilation and drainage system, and it's best to store enough food for more than three days before the disaster strikes!"

Liam was deep in thought.

Living in this world, he would have to face mutated creatures sooner or later.

The novice stage was still manageable, and the mutated creatures shouldn't be too strong.

At least in the judgment of the survival game, an adult with a weapon could definitely handle them.

If he chose to avoid this bloody reality now, he might not have the time to hone his courage and mentality once the novice stage was over.

Exiting the chat channel, he entered the trading platform.

Just like in the afternoon, everyone was basically still trading resources for water and food.

After all, survival supplies were the most scarce and important in the first few days.

"Someone is actually trading special items," Liam noticed.

Flipping through the pages, he saw a trading post marked as a special item.

[Seller: Ping Chen]

[Trading Item: Beginner's Monster Guide (Disappears after use)]

[Required Item: 1L Water]

[Comment: Only water, only water, those who try to trade with other things, your mother will surely be hanged on the second tree tonight]

"Oh, what a grumpy fellow," Liam thought, raising an eyebrow with interest as he looked at the comments below.

Clicking on the personal trading item, the page looked a bit like the Xianyu trading platform, and countless people were currently cursing.

"You want to trade a monster guide for water? Are you crazy for water? Ask yourself if you're even worthy."

"As everyone knows, guides will eventually be available, but without water, you'll die tomorrow. How about I trade you 200ml of virgin boy urine? Not a bad deal, right?"

"Little brother, I have 500ml of wolf blood, do you want it? It should be enough to get you through tonight."

More and more comments flooded the trading area like locusts, and it was unclear whether the seller, Ping Chen, was irritated or what.

After a while, he listed a new item on his personal page.

[Seller: Ping Chen]

[Trading Item: 10 Water Pears]

[Required Item: 100ml Water per pear]

[Comment: Don't come here trying to get a bargain, your grandpa won't die tonight without water, those who want to freeload can scram]

This display of wealth immediately broke the defenses of even more people, and the countless insults intensified.

Liam, who had originally wanted to contact the seller to negotiate, had to give up.

He really needed the monster guide, and 1L of water wasn't much, but his water storage device didn't have enough water yet, so he could only wait until tomorrow to see.

After some simple exercise, he spent another 2 units of wood to craft a wooden spear and placed it by the bed. Then, he lay down on the thatch bed and extinguished the torch.

The shelter didn't have adequate ventilation yet, and burning the torch could easily deplete the oxygen in the underground base.

Gradually, sleepiness crept in.

Liam hugged the wooden spear and fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he saw that when his family arrived in this world, he had already built a fully automated, super luxurious shelter.

No matter if it was a meteorite impact or absolute zero, the shelter remained safe and sound.

His sister laughed happily, and his parents looked at him with approval.

However, Liam, lost in his dreams, had no idea that nearly 10 million people had died silently on this day.

Sufficient food and water allowed Liam to have enough energy to resist the night's dampness and cold.

But others were not so lucky.

Thirst, hunger, and the looming presence of mutated creatures constantly challenged their nerves.

At this moment, the advantages of choosing an underground shelter were obvious. At least in the initial stage, survivors didn't have to worry about being attacked by wild beasts at night.

The sun rose and the moon set.