First long-distance exploration

The vast wasteland held countless secrets. Liam was still in the dark about the underground ruins and the surrounding landscape. "I'll bring a bottle of mineral water, a bottle of M-energy water, all fifty crossbow bolts, the hardwood spear, the mace... and, well, I'll bring that too," Liam said as he packed his supplies.

Exploring was no laughing matter. He had to be fully equipped to show respect for the dangers of this world.

After packing everything, Liam opened the shelter door. It was noon, and the sun blazed overhead, casting a golden light across the land.

However, the rain had not yet evaporated, leaving puddles and pools of water everywhere.

"I wonder if any mutated beasts survived this," Liam thought, his expression turning serious.

He recalled the black dog he had encountered in the Liangfang Town ruins. If the mutated creatures in the wasteland had become like that, they would be an even greater threat to humanity than the coming cold.

Either the mutated beasts were like humans, dying from contact with the rainwater, or... Liam hoped it was the former.

After checking the surroundings and confirming there were no immediate threats, Liam returned to the shelter and took out plant fibers to weave a raincoat for Oreo.

The ground was covered in puddles, and any contact with the skin was dangerous. Liam needed Oreo's scouting and early warning abilities for his exploration.

It didn't take long to weave a simple raincoat. After placing it in the wardrobe and using ten survival points, a brand new dog raincoat was produced.

Oreo, who had been cooped up in the shelter for two days, was overjoyed at the sight of his new coat. He jumped around excitedly and then dashed out of the shelter, sniffing around the area.

Liam closed the shelter door, double-checked that he had everything, and headed towards the second tunnel.

The current shelter door design was foolish; it could only be opened and closed from the inside. Thankfully, he had the second tunnel, otherwise, he would risk his home being robbed while he was away.

Liam climbed out of the second tunnel, opened the stone door covered with a layer of soil, and emerged behind the hill.

The Acid Rain Lake shimmered under the sunlight. After checking that there were no abnormalities at the burial site from the previous night, Liam closed the small door, covered it with soil, and turned back towards the main entrance.

The underground ruin was three and a half kilometers away from the shelter in a straight line. Without detours, he could reach it in half an hour.

"I'll explore quickly while it's still daylight and make sure to return before sunset," Liam thought as he walked briskly forward.

Despite the puddles on the ground, the terrain was familiar and easy to navigate. Oreo stayed about 200 meters away from Liam, patrolling and scouting for mutated creatures.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

After walking for over seven hundred meters, Oreo suddenly barked, startling Liam.

"Is there a monster?" Liam asked.

"Woof!" Oreo confirmed.

Liam didn't hesitate. He activated the monster identification scan.

"[Detected six Single-horned Sand Wolves 331 meters from the player. Danger level: 48. Please proceed with caution.]

[Today's uses: 2/3]"

Liam froze.

"Single-horned Sand Wolves? And six of them together?"

He opened the monster encyclopedia and quickly skimmed through the information, understanding the characteristics of these creatures.

The mutated beast meat sold most frequently in the trading market came from these Sand Wolves. They were pack animals with relatively low combat strength.

A normal adult male with a weapon could easily defeat two Sand Wolves. Moreover, Sand Wolves offered high returns, providing meat, fur, blood, and even treasure chests.

Liam licked his lips, suppressing his excitement. He took out his crossbow from his inventory.

Upon encountering enemies, Oreo immediately switched to combat mode. He lowered his body, sniffing the air and twitching his ears, listening intently. Liam and Oreo moved slowly and cautiously.

Soon, Liam spotted the Single-horned Sand Wolves about a hundred meters away, huddled under a large rock, seeking shelter from the aftermath of the disaster.

"So, these animals also have survival instincts," Liam thought.

Thanks to his good eyesight, he saw four wolves lying on the ground resting, while the other two remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings.

Seeing Liam in the distance, the wolves froze for a moment before letting out frantic barks.

Swoosh!

A crossbow bolt flew through the air, piercing the throat of a howling wolf.

Liam quickly reloaded his crossbow while observing the remaining five wolves. They had all risen to their feet, growling and barking in his direction. They tried to appear intimidating, relying on their numbers to bluff.

Unfortunately for them, the wolves were clearly aware of the danger posed by the acid rain. The puddles on the ground prevented them from charging, leaving them to rage helplessly in place.

"Perfect opportunity."

Liam took aim and fired another bolt, taking down another wolf.

The remaining four wolves panicked. One even tried to flee, but as soon as its paw touched the still-wet ground, it recoiled as if burned, quickly retracting its paw.

Liam raised an eyebrow at the wolves' behavior. "The first time I used the crossbow, I had full map perspective. The second time, the enemy couldn't even move. What luck!"

He didn't know whether to praise the wolves for their intelligence or criticize them for their stupidity. They couldn't understand why the human figure in the distance could shoot arrows one after another. Under the threat of Oreo from the side, all the wolves could do was stand there as targets.

"Die!"

Without much effort, Liam eliminated the entire pack of wolves with just six crossbow bolts.

In the distance, two treasure chests, one wooden and one iron, appeared where the wolves had fallen. Even if he couldn't enter the underground ruins, this trip had already been fruitful.

Liam approached the wolves, first retrieving all the crossbow bolts stuck in their bodies, then storing the carcasses in his inventory.

Oreo trotted over to Liam, wagging his tail proudly. Liam patted his head and chuckled. "We'll take care of this meat when we get back, it's all yours. Don't worry, I won't steal any!"

"Woof! Woof! Woof!" Oreo barked excitedly, rubbing his head against Liam's hand.

[Record]: You have opened a wooden treasure chest.

[Record]: You have obtained Fanta *1.

[Record]: You have obtained Master Kong instant noodles *1."

As the wooden chest's glow faded, a bottle of Fanta and a bucket of instant noodles appeared on the ground.

"Whoa..." Liam's mouth watered at the sight of the instant noodles, his taste buds tingling as if he could already savor the rich broth.

He reluctantly stored the two items in his inventory, his anticipation growing for the iron treasure chest.

[Record]: You have opened an iron treasure chest.

[Record]: You have obtained Workbench Blueprint *1.

[Record]: You have obtained Simple Pliers *1.

[Record]: You have obtained Beaker *1."

A series of notifications popped up. A blue blueprint, a pair of pliers about the length of his forearm, and a glass beaker materialized on the ground.

"A workbench blueprint? Not very useful right now, but I'll learn it anyway." Liam picked up the blueprint, memorized its contents, and then stored the items in his inventory.

"It's a shame I didn't craft the ranged weapon earlier," Liam thought. "But I was lucky today. If those six wolves had been moving quickly, it would have been a real headache."

He straightened up and continued his journey. The entire encounter with the wolves, including collecting the loot, had taken only ten minutes. With the favorable weather and terrain, Liam felt confident as he pressed on towards the ruin.

He consulted the map as he walked. This time, he covered two kilometers without encountering any mutated beasts.

"Maybe John and his group cleared out all the mutated beasts along the way. Those wolves were unlucky, probably just seeking shelter from the rain when I stumbled upon them," Liam thought, finally relaxing a little.

In the distance, he could see the landmark marked on the map.