Chapter 3: Eating Excrement

Ning Yun had previously speculated that perhaps her talent was much more powerful than she had imagined.

But she truly didn't dare to think that she could actually get double the rewards just from opening treasure chests!

"Sigh, what a pity. If I could contact Xiao Qichen, he would definitely know something."

Once again, Ning Yun wanted to curse the wicked system. It claimed to be a survival game, yet it didn't allow players to communicate or trade with one another.

Players couldn't even use names, only numerical codenames, making it impossible to know who was who.

Perhaps it was because the game was still in its beta testing phase.

She stowed her items into her backpack, intending to take the treasure chest back with her as well.

Unfortunately, the chest vanished rapidly, giving her no chance to scavenge any extra benefits.

She was someone who had read many novels; in some, protagonists could obtain materials by decomposing empty chests.

Dammit, the system she encountered wouldn't allow her to exploit any loopholes!

Ning Yun frowned deeply, wanting to burst out in a profanity-laced rant, but she held it back.

When you are under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. She endured!

The shoes she was currently wearing were thin-soled; once she switched into sneakers, her feet felt much more comfortable immediately.

Continuing her wanderings, Ning Yun picked up a tree branch from the ground, using it to poke through the surrounding bushes as she walked.

She walked very slowly, keeping her eyes on the ground, striving not to miss a single treasure chest.

After walking for nearly half an hour, she hadn't found any chests, but she did discover raspberries and mulberries, which she began to forage immediately.

These were small in size but quite numerous.

If she were frugal, they could completely sustain her for a day.

If she weren't so preoccupied with finding chests, she might have even stripped all the visible grass bare!

Unknowingly, Ning Yun noticed her surroundings becoming blurry; it turned out to be fog.

It seemed she was approaching the mist zone.

She walked a bit further, and the fog grew thicker. Eventually, she couldn't even see a meter ahead of her.

From the outside, faint roars could be heard. The sound wasn't particularly close, yet it still exerted an intense sense of pressure.

Ning Yun stopped in her tracks and did not continue walking out. The system, however, provided no prompts.

As she suspected.

During this half-day, she had encountered almost no animals—at most, a few birds, which posed no threat to her safety.

This wasn't because the survival game was easy, but because the true dangers were hidden beyond the mist.

This fog not only restricted the players' range of movement but also served as a form of novice protection.

At the very least, for the first three days, they wouldn't have to worry about being attacked by fierce beasts.

Ning Yun decisively turned around and changed direction to head home.

This time, she finally had a harvest. Under an unremarkable tree, she spotted another chest.

Ning Yun hurried over, knelt down, and opened it, triggering her critical hit talent once again!

But this chest only yielded two red bean breads.

Ning Yun truly didn't like eating bread, yet it was always this specific thing that she pulled out.

Seeing that it was almost noon, Ning Yun found a tree that wasn't too tall and had many branches, climbed up, and sat on a limb.

She held the freshly opened bread in her hand. There was no packaging, so she didn't have to worry about where to throw the wrappers.

Taking advantage of her lunchtime, she began checking the messages in the chat channel.

At this moment, it was filled with nothing but player complaints.

[What the hell, are there actually treasure chests in this game? I've been looking all morning and only found one!]

[Finding one is pretty good. I found nothing; I'm just planning to lie down and wait for death now.]

[Come on, brother, are you giving up this early? At least struggle a little, try to make a comeback.]

[Ah, I've found two ordinary chests! I got water and bread, hahaha. Does that count as being lucky?]

[Get out of here, you flexer!!!]

[I was originally working overtime and hadn't eaten. Now I'm so hungry I can barely walk. I beg the big shots to help me; if I find a chest, I'll give it back to you.]

[Stop begging the big shots. I've tried; you can't private message, nor can you give items to others. Before you starve to death, hurry up and find some chests.]

[Actually, the chests are quite obvious. If you wander around the area more, you'll find them. Just be careful when opening them; there might be snakes. I got bitten once. Luckily it wasn't venomous, but it hurt a bit.]

Player 356's message caught Ning Yun's attention. You could actually get a snake from a chest?

Her confusion was shared by other players.

[Good grief, I thought I was miserable enough because I couldn't find any chests, but I didn't expect someone to actually pull a snake. Brother, you've had it rough.]

[True.]

[As long as it's not venomous, a bite won't kill you.]

Soon, Player 356 replied to everyone's concern.

[Thanks for the concern, everyone. I found another chest and pulled a self-heating hot pot. I'm done talking; I have to keep looking after I finish eating.]

Now, no one cared about him anymore.

Hah, just another flexer finding creative ways to show off his luck.

After Ning Yun finished her last sip of water, the bottle immediately vanished.

Sigh, her idea of going to the river to collect water and store it in a bottle was also ruined.

Next time she could try leaving a little water in the bottle before going to the river to refill it, to see if that would work.

After lunch and replenishing her strength, she was about to climb down.

But with the sun shining directly overhead, Ning Yun noticed something reflecting light on a tree not far from her.

She memorized the location and rushed to the base of that tree. Looking up, there was indeed something in the branches that looked very much like a treasure chest.

Without hesitation, Ning Yun climbed up.

This tree was slightly thicker, making it a bit difficult to climb, but fortunately, it wasn't particularly tall.

Soon, Ning Yun reached the chest.

She didn't open it while still in the tree; instead, she stowed it in her backpack first.

This chest was no longer of ordinary quality; the system prompted her that this was a [Bronze Treasure Chest].

Only after returning to the ground did she take the chest out and place it on the earth.

She hadn't encountered creatures like snakes during her first two lucky pulls, but that didn't mean her luck would last forever.

The bronze chest was not locked. She gripped her axe, ready to protect herself at any moment.

With her left hand grasping the lid, she opened it gently. She then quickly retreated, holding the axe in front of her chest.

However, the chest before her remained silent; nothing happened.

Ning Yun breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed her luck was still quite good.

Several items lay quietly inside the chest, and the system prompt arrived.

[Ding! Congratulations, you have triggered your 100% Critical Hit talent!]

[Congratulations! You have obtained: 2 pairs of Goggles, 2 Bandages, 2 Steamed Buns.]

Steamed buns! Her favorite.

Most importantly, they were very filling.

She had found three chests in one morning, plus the novice gift pack.

For the first three days, she probably wouldn't have to worry about food.

This would allow her more time to collect wood and stones to upgrade her thatched hut.

For the entire afternoon, Ning Yun practically scoured the area between the thatched hut and the thick mist.

She found two more ordinary chests, obtaining four rice balls and two daggers, leaving her 20-slot backpack with only 5 slots remaining.

There were 20 minutes left before sunset. The sun gradually turned orange, hanging precariously in the sky.

Ning Yun returned to the vicinity of the thatched hut ahead of time, but she didn't enter the house immediately. Taking this opportunity, she chopped down two more trees.

Her talent triggered again, yielding 6 pieces of wood.

She was one step closer to her goal of upgrading the thatched hut.