Double-Shot Hand Crossbow!

"The inner core heats up? Doesn't that mean it can make hot water?"

Su Ye's eyes lit up. A thermos that could produce hot water was practically a god-tier item in the early stages.

"No more soaking instant noodles in cold water."

Su Ye picked up the thermos and poured in a bottle of mineral water, filling it right to the top.

In just over ten seconds, Su Ye saw steam rising from the water inside. It heated up incredibly fast.

Then Su Ye returned to the car, took out a packet of instant noodles, and used the packet itself as a bowl to soak them.

A few minutes later, the rich aroma of instant noodles filled the car. Su Ye, who hadn't eaten for more than half a day, swallowed hungrily.

He first savored a mouthful of broth, then dug in with the stainless steel chopsticks he had traded a piece of moldy bread for on the trading interface.

"Nothing beats that aged pickled mustard flavor."

Su Ye sounded satisfied.

After finishing, Su Ye looked at the little bit of broth left in the packet and refused to waste it. He added some more water from the thermos, then listed it on the trading interface.

Su Ye had thought no one would buy it, but in less than a minute, someone traded a slice of bread for it.

"Looks like they have plenty of food. Well, you might come out ahead, but I definitely won't lose."

As Su Ye thought this, he started the car again and drove onward along the highway.

Another two hours passed, bringing it to noon. Along the way, Su Ye encountered three more monsters, none of them human.

An ordinary player would only need to drive straight past them. Naturally, Su Ye did no such thing. He got out and killed all three monsters, but unfortunately, they only dropped a hair tie.

"The drop rate really is too low. Even when something drops, it's nothing good."

"And the land around this highway is so empty. Driving for too long gets boring and makes you sleepy. Good thing I have the chat interface to keep me awake."

As Su Ye drove, he also watched the chat interface, which was still bustling.

Some people talked about their gains, excitedly showing off a machete they had just found in a roadside supply crate.

Others talked about how terrifying the monsters they encountered were, describing how a two-headed mutant dog had rammed their car and how they had narrowly escaped death.

Still others were recruiting people, trying to form guilds for mutual support. They shouted grand slogans, and quite a few players actually responded.

Su Ye was engrossed in reading when he suddenly saw a message from a player named Mo Yu.

"Does any expert know how to use blueprints? The prompt says I need a workbench, but I don't have one."

The moment he read that, Su Ye's grip tightened on the steering wheel, and he immediately braked to a stop.

Blueprints?

He happened to have a workbench.

He hadn't used it since obtaining it, because without any blueprints registered, it couldn't produce anything.

He had even specifically searched the trading interface and found no one trading blueprints. He hadn't expected someone to bring one out now.

If he could trade for this blueprint, his workbench would finally be useful.

If the items it produced were good, he could trade them to other players and make a fortune.

At that moment, quite a few players in the chat interface were answering Mo Yu's question.

"A workbench? Those probably aren't easy to get. I got a dagger blueprint too, but I couldn't use it at all, so I traded it to another expert for ten units of fuel."

"Holy shit, there are blueprints too? I didn't even know those existed. You're seriously lucky. How did you get yours?"

"Want to trade that blueprint? I'm offering a hundred units of fuel. If you accept, pretend I never said anything."

Quite a few people in the channel were discussing blueprints, while others threw out random offers.

After a moment's thought, Su Ye clicked on Mo Yu's avatar and sent a private message.

"What blueprint did you get? Are you willing to trade it?"

The other player didn't reply immediately after the message went through. Su Ye wasn't in a hurry either, lightly tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

After a minute's wait, a reply finally flashed up.

"Fuel Gauge Boss? It's really you! Please carry me, boss!"

Su Ye wasn't surprised by the excitement in the reply.

When he had completed the initial trial earlier, it had triggered a server-wide announcement. In every player's eyes, his username, "Never Check the Fuel Gauge," belonged to a genuine top player.

Reputation was often the strongest guarantee of credibility.

Su Ye was about to reply when Mo Yu directly shared a blueprint with him.

Su Ye opened it, and his eyes immediately lit up.

[Simple Double-Shot Hand Crossbow Blueprint]: Tier 0. Can be registered at a workbench. Once registered, basic materials can be consumed to craft Double-Shot Hand Crossbows and matching simple crossbow bolts. The hand crossbow can fire two shots in succession, making it a rare and valuable weapon for self-defense in the early stages.]

A ranged weapon!

Although he currently had the devastating Desert Eagle, it only had seven bullets. Every shot meant one less round, so until he found more ammunition, it could only serve as a last resort to save his life.

Although this hand crossbow was only Tier 0, it was a standard ranged weapon that could be mass-produced.

In these early stages, when encountering a monster meant either ramming it with a car or getting out to fight it up close, the value of a ranged weapon was immeasurable.

Most importantly, he had a workbench and could make hand crossbows in bulk.

When he put them up for trade, whether for food, water, or rare materials, it would be an absolute seller's market.

Mo Yu's next message arrived right afterward.

"Gauge Bro, you must have gotten a workbench, right? I can trade you the blueprint, but I want one hand crossbow and thirty bolts, plus thirty units of fuel."

Su Ye raised an eyebrow at the asking price.

It wasn't a high price. After all, this was a goose that laid golden eggs. At least during the beginner phase, demand for hand crossbows would definitely outstrip supply.

Still, although Su Ye could afford those things, he would save wherever he could.

"The hand crossbow and bolts are no problem, but I don't have much fuel to spare either. I can give you ten units at most," Su Ye replied.

Mo Yu went silent for a few seconds, evidently weighing the offer.

"Gauge Bro, ten units is too little. My fuel gauge is practically at zero. Another ten kilometers and I'll have to stop. Could you do twenty?"

"Ten units, no more. But I can give you fifty bolts. That'll be enough to deal with the monsters you encounter on the road. Holding on to the blueprint won't magically produce anything. Better to turn it into real fighting power than let it rot in your hands."

Those words hit the crucial point. No matter how good a blueprint was, without a workbench, it was just wastepaper. There were already quite a few blueprints around; other players simply couldn't bear to sell them. But Su Ye was definitely the only person with a workbench.

In the end, Mo Yu agreed: one blueprint in exchange for one Double-Shot Hand Crossbow, fifty crossbow bolts, and ten units of fuel.

The two then traded the fuel for the blueprint.