Chapter 7 Scavenging (Part 1)

Shadow Survivor Base was officially established. To celebrate the base's creation, the system gifted two everlasting wall-hanging candles to each room for basic lighting needs and bestowed a bonfire iron barrel in the backyard. Moreover, a wireless radio station was added at the second-floor stairway landing. Stone guided everyone into the base's building mode.

The base was a micro-sized one, providing four building units, with over a hundred different construction options available, varying widely in nature.

Stone said, "First, we need a place to sleep. Everyone must have a bed, or fatigue will continuously increase. Sacrificing one building unit to construct beds will give us two beds, and each bed can be upgraded once to become a bunk bed, adding an extra sleeping spot. Currently, we have four people, so we need nine units of building materials. After each construction material pack is stored, it can produce 3-6 building materials, so we need at least two packs of construction materials."

Stone continued, "Next is the infirmary. Apart from treating infections, it can also be used to produce bandages, antibiotics, and other materials, although basic medical knowledge is required. Everyone, first store your base packs in the warehouse."

After Lin Wu's medical pack was stored, it generated four units of medical supplies. Little Knife's ammunition pack produced four units of ammunition, Daiyu's food pack yielded four units of food, and Stone's construction material pack produced four units of building materials.

The base had five basic resources: medical supplies, food, ammunition, gasoline, and building materials, mainly sourced from basic resource packs. Shadow Base's resources were now as follows: medical 4, food 4, ammunition 4, gasoline 0, building materials 4.

Stone explained, "To build an infirmary, we need five building materials and three medical supplies, with a daily maintenance cost of one medical supply. Hence, we are currently short of three packs of building materials."

Daiyu added, "Everyone is in good spirits right now, and we don't need to rest immediately, so we can delay building the beds. Seeing as Lin Wu is already infected, we should prioritize constructing the infirmary."

Stone nodded, "Then we're short of one pack of building materials... No, that's not right. Why do four people consume five units of food each day?"

Little Knife raised her hand, "It's because of the Big Stomach King contestant. With a 30% increase in strength, my daily food consumption is 200% of the normal amount." Just like Lin Wu, who had been a marathon contestant, Little Knife had participated in the Big Stomach King contest organized by the larger region and had secured seventh place.

Stone grimaced, clearly distressed by this problem, and said, "We still need to get a food pack before 8 a.m. tomorrow. Lin Wu, focus on the basic packs we currently need: construction material pack and food pack. Little Knife, you'll go with Lin Wu, and your task is to draw a map. Make sure to note down all the locations of shops and houses in the town center, and keep an eye out for the positions of the cars there too."

Stone instructed, "Daiyu has a high level of infection; stay indoors for now and work on the radio. Set up our base channel, listen to, and record other channels. We might need to deal with other people in the future."

Daiyu asked, "What about you?"

"I need to thoroughly study the operation of the base. We have a little over an hour to establish the infirmary, which gives us plenty of time," Stone replied before stopping Lin Wu who was about to leave, "Lin Wu, the food is tallied at eight in the morning tomorrow; the construction material pack is still the most critical."

"Understood," replied Lin Wu, who only half comprehended the situation, sensing that Stone had other plans regarding the food issue.

Stone reminded, "Guns, a lot of guns, the more the better. We lack defensive firepower." Stone believed that he was among the first to reach North Town, when supplies were most abundant there. As a leader, he couldn't just think about one or two days of living; he had to consider the future.

Radio communication crackled through, "Wanderer calling, Wanderer calling."

Stone took over the radio and responded, "Wanderer, this is Shadow."

"Alive here." The other party was clearly excited, continuing, "Hello, brother, we are in North Down Town of Right County, North City."

Stone replied, "Hello, brother. We are in North Town of Left County. Please note our channel." He prayed inwardly that North Town wouldn't have neighbors too soon.

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North Town's commercial district had a significantly higher number of zombies than the residential areas, but fortunately, the commercial area was large, with zombies dispersed in every direction. As long as one carefully observed their behaviors and didn't provoke them, it was possible to move through with ease. North Town's commercial district also had a T-junction, with not only shops but also some residences and warehouses. The first shop was a clinic, and if one were to walk straight down the steep slope from the back door of Shadow Base, it would only be about 50 meters away.

Lin Wu looked up at Shadow Base, noting that its boundary line was green, signifying the safe zone within the base.

"Got it," Little Knife said as he put away his paper and pen.

Beside the clinic was a truck, and past the truck was a gas station. Little Knife asked, "Does the gas station have any building materials?"

"It probably doesn't," Lin Wu replied as he squatted in the middle of the road, pointing to a house 20 meters opposite the clinic, "It looks like a warehouse."

The two proceeded in single file and quickly arrived at the warehouse's metal door. Little Knife tugged at the door, finding it locked: "Kick it down?"

"No," Lin Wu replied, taking his backpack and rummaging through it before pulling out a lock-picking device.

This was a disposable lock picker, and with the guidance of the system, Lin Wu held the hook in his left hand and the needle in his right, inserting them into the keyhole. Thanks to Lin Wu's agility attribute, the difficulty of lock picking decreased, and in less than five seconds with a click, he had the lock open.

Beside the metal door was a tool table with poor lighting. Lin Wu slowly opened the drawers and rummaged inside, retrieving a screwdriver, pliers, and a set of small tools, eventually pulling out a flashlight. This was no ordinary flashlight; it was a rechargeable one with a charging device that could be clipped onto clothing. The item description even specifically noted: The flashlight's beam would not attract any zombies.

With the flashlight on, the world lit up instantly. Well, not that brightly, but it was enough for Lin Wu to see two zombies lying on the ground, playing dead.

Lin Wu pointed to a row of wooden crates on the left and drew his steak knife, approaching the two zombies. Whether Little Knife was smart or not was unknown, but he was obedient, crouching down near the wooden crates to search, hoping to find something useful. After Lin Wu dealt with the zombies inside the warehouse, they would pry open the crates with the Nail-Pulling Hammer.

All four zombies inside the warehouse became Lin Wu's victims in their sleep. Lin Wu shone his flashlight towards Little Knife to signal it was safe. Little Knife motioned for Lin Wu to go out and keep watch, for if there was no threat inside the warehouse, then it could only come from outside.

Removing the first nail made a loud noise, and Little Knife bit his lip, closing his eyes in wait for a moment. Hearing nothing, he proceeded to remove the second and third nails, quickly dismantling one of the crates. To his disappointment, inside was a bundle of rope, weighing five kilograms, which could be exchanged for 0.5 units of building materials at the base.

There were three metal doors in the warehouse. Little Knife was prying open a second crate near the south door when suddenly, loud banging noises came from outside the south metal door. The sound was loud, and Little Knife subconsciously thought it was Lin Wu, so he stood up, pressed down on the door latch, and pushed forward—huh? No one was there. He stuck his head out for a while but still saw no one.

Could it be an illusion?

Little Knife closed the door, ready to remove the lid of the crate when the banging sounded again. He opened the door once more, still seeing no one. The closest visible zombie was a middle-aged woman wandering on the highway twenty meters away.

Could it be Ghost? Zombie Ghost?

Little Knife shut the door, his hand resting on the door handle, waiting silently. As soon as the banging began, he immediately pushed the door open. This time, opening the door sent chills down his spine; still, there was nothing.

"Lin Wu! Where are you?" Little Knife called out in a trembling whisper, but there was no response, leaving him no choice but to close the door again.

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