Chapter 12: Explore the resource area

[Li Wenxi is initiating a video call with you. Do you accept?]

What video is this little beauty sending in the middle of the day? Didn't we say we'd chat in the evening? Xu Xin wasn't even wearing underwear at the moment, so naturally he couldn't agree and directly rejected the call.

"Why did you hang up on me?" Li Wenxi replied in the chat window.

"I'm doing laundry," Xu Xin responded.

"Oh, okay."

[Li Wenxi is initiating a voice call with you. Do you accept?]

Accept.

"Why are you doing laundry in the middle of the day?" Li Wenxi's voice came through as soon as the call connected.

"It dries faster at noon. I finished it right after eating, so it won't interfere with afternoon activities."

"That makes sense! I usually take a shower in the evening!"

"…Is it appropriate to discuss bathing with someone you've just met?"

"Huh? Oh… Well, it doesn't matter, you can't see me anyway!"

"…So, did you have a reason for this voice call?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask how your morning went. How many trees did you chop down?"

"Enough to trade with you. What about you? You didn't slack off, did you?"

"How could I possibly slack off? The first floor of my treehouse is full of stone materials. I'm not doing any more this afternoon, need to rest well. I'm exhausted."

Li Wenxi's voice had become languid.

"You could go out and explore in the afternoon, head in a direction you haven't been before. Can't waste the last safe afternoon."

"…You're such an evil capitalist!"

"How am I a capitalist? You're not working for me."

"Hmm… Alright, alright. I'll go out for a bit this afternoon. Maybe I'll find some good stuff. Don't forget to look around yourself. We can exchange resources in the evening."

"Okay, okay."

After hanging up the call, his clothes had dried. He put them on, rested for another half hour, then came down from the treehouse and walked in the opposite direction from where he had come.

However, he hadn't gone far before he stopped. Other survivors might not see it, but with his identification ability, he could clearly see the distinct boundary line.

Within the boundary, where he was currently located, it was lush and green, with at least half of the resources being green. Outside the boundary, it was mostly patches of white, with occasional green spots.

He looked back, about a kilometer away from the lakeside. His ability extended about a kilometer, and now he could barely see the green glow emitted by the lake water, indicating he had reached the limit.

Looking at the vast whiteness beyond the boundary line, he hesitated for a moment but decided against leaving this resource area. The distance between resource areas must not be short, and even if he went out, it would be difficult to find the next resource area. He would only waste time in an ocean of low-grade resources. Better to leave that for later.

Besides, he had only circled the lake area before and hadn't explored the entire resource zone. Now seemed like a good time to investigate more thoroughly.

Xu Xin spent the entire afternoon exploring the resource area. True to its name, the resource area was indeed rich in good things. He found another blue-quality orange tree.

[Orange (Blue): An edible fruit that can be consumed directly. It has a sweet and sour taste and possesses an invigorating effect. After consumption, one will feel energetic for 1 hour without side effects.]

Energetic? What use is that? Xu Xin felt a bit disappointed. Similar to adrenaline? Well, perhaps eating one in a dangerous moment could trigger a burst of energy?

Regardless, it was still a blue-quality resource. Xu Xin thought for a moment and decided to pick all the oranges. After all, this place was quite far from his treehouse, and he didn't know if the animals would eat the oranges once the newbie protection period was over. It was better to pick them now.

Moreover, based on his observation, the red berries (large) he had picked hadn't changed much in this hot weather over two days, but the ordinary red berries had already softened and started to spoil. It seemed that blue-quality food items had a longer shelf life.

This orange tree had over a hundred oranges in total. He couldn't take them all back and was afraid they might spoil if he picked them all. So, using the same technique as before, he used his clothes to carry 30 oranges and peeled one to eat.

While eating, he didn't feel any immediate effect, only that this orange tasted better than any he had eaten before. As he finished the last segment, a cool sensation suddenly surged to his brain, making his whole body shiver. The mental fatigue seemed to disappear instantly. Although physical exhaustion remained, he felt it didn't matter. He could keep going!

This… This was the perfect tool for overtime work and all-nighters!

Taking advantage of this burst of energy, Xu Xin quickly brought the remaining oranges back to the treehouse. It was less than a kilometer away, so it only took a few minutes. He placed the oranges on the table on the third floor and came back down to continue searching for resources.

The efficiency in this hour was extraordinarily high. Although he hadn't explored the entire resource area, his harvest was quite bountiful.

[Sour Date (Green): An edible fruit that can be consumed directly. It has a sour taste and can be eaten as a snack!]

[Bayberry (Green): An edible fruit that can be used directly. It has a sour taste and isn't very pleasant to eat, but can be used for brewing wine.]

[King Oyster Mushroom (Green): A wild mushroom with thick, crisp, and tender flesh. Edible and nutritious, recommended to be cooked before consumption.]

[Black Fungus (Green): A wild mushroom that is smooth, tender, and delicious. Edible and nutritious, recommended to be cooked before consumption.]

He didn't find anything particularly special, but he did find a lot of edible ingredients. It made sense; they were still in the protection period, with no land animals around. The things that could be obtained from plants were limited. This period was actually for survivors to choose their treehouse locations. Expecting to obtain many high-grade resources was indeed wishful thinking.

At this point, Xu Xin felt his mental state gradually retreating from its excited state, becoming less energetic. He knew the hour had passed.

Feeling the changes in his body, he was amazed because he still felt more energetic than before eating the orange, as if he had… just woken up from a nap.

This… Could it be that the "no side effects" mentioned in the description of the orange (blue) meant that not only did it invigorate him for an hour, but it also accelerated his mental recovery as if he had been sleeping for that hour?

It was truly a miracle for 996 work schedules, all-nighters, a capitalist's favorite!

Suddenly, Xu Xin no longer thought this item was useless.

He wondered how long it would take for these fruits to grow back after being picked. Judging from the description of the poplar seeds, which could grow into a tree in 10 days, these fruits probably wouldn't take too long either.

After exploring for so long, Xu Xin had a general grasp of the resource area's range. It was roughly a square area with sides about one kilometer long. Don't be fooled by it being just one square kilometer; in square meters, it totaled one million square meters, or 1500 mu of land. The resources on this land would be inexhaustible if they were only supplying Xu Xin.

However, one thing that disappointed yet reassured him was that there didn't seem to be any other survivors' treehouses in the vicinity.

"Huh?" Through the layers of trees, Xu Xin saw flashes of blue light. He quickly walked towards it.

[High-grade White Poplar (Blue): A higher-grade white poplar tree. Chopping it down will yield high-grade wood.]

He had discovered another high-grade white poplar tree.

"Wait!" Xu Xin looked at the ground beneath the white poplar tree and saw that the soil was emitting a blue glow.