Radio

[Cross Necklace]

[Increases perception when worn]

[Note: Long-term wear will cause irreversible damage to the brain]

[Red Coin]

[A form of currency]

[Note: A universal currency accepted in many areas]

[Tier 1 Creature's Active Eyeball]

[A fine piece of work, suitable for transplantation]

[Note: After transplantation, there is a chance of being able to use the eyeball's original ability]

[Splicing Figure]

[A nearly perfect work of art]

[Note: Perhaps you can learn the arts of Cutting and Splicing from it]

[Abyssal Egg]

[An egg-shaped object produced in the Abyss, now rendered harmless; can be hatched]

[Note: I bet there's an Abyss Worm inside. What do you think?]

[Red Blade]

[A tier 1 bladed weapon produced in the Red Maze]

[Note: Infuse it with psionic energy to easily cut through the flesh of Tier 1 Creatures]

[Impure Energy Crystal]

[Edible; provides energy]

[Note: Tastes average]

[Psychic Ring]

[Rapidly absorbs psionic energy from the surroundings to strengthen the wearer's body]

[Note: A fine low-tier item]

[Red Key]

[A key that opens the Red Room]

[Note: Can only open ordinary rooms]

[Damaged Mutation Organ]

[Edible; provides certain special substances]

[Note: Material for upgrading the Shelter]

[K1 Pistol]

[A low-end gunpowder weapon mass-produced by the organization, now used only by rank-and-file members]

[Note: Balances power and recoil; an excellent gunpowder weapon]

[Energy Bar]

[A high-calorie food mass-produced by the organization; one bar can meet a normal adult male's nutritional needs for an entire day]

[Note: Disregards flavor and texture. I suppose that's efficiency]

Lin Ye took some time to examine every item, learning a great deal he hadn't known before.

(992643/1000000)

He opened the chat group. There were definitely more people entering the Red Maze this time than last time, yet fewer than two thousand had died. That counted as progress.

Without the information and Mutation Cards Lin Ye had provided, many people would have died this time.

The group was bustling. Everyone was showing off their haul, and there were all sorts of item trade listings.

Lin Ye said nothing. He simply took pictures of the hot shower, the running tap, and water being heated, then posted them to the group.

"?"

"Huh?"

"Holy shit?"

"Goose Leg Bro's got something new again?"

"Wait, why isn't there any water coming out of my tap?"

"Bro! Spare some water! I'm dying of thirst here!"

"Is this what upgrading the Shelter does?"

"What? I've only gotten one Mutation Organ, and I almost died in the maze."

"I haven't even found a Shelter upgrade blueprint yet!"

Lin Ye: Water from the Shelter can't be traded through the system. Hold on, everyone. I've got some new information for you.

Lin Ye posted information on common items and the upgraded Shelter's new functions to the group. Only after he finished did another round of discussion begin.

"Buying Mutation Organs!"

"Get lost. You need ten Mutation Organs to upgrade the Shelter. Who knows what'll happen if we can't upgrade within seven days? What are you buying them with? Your life?"

"Selling a Mutation Organ for two arm Mutation Cards and two leg Mutation Cards."

"Are you nuts? You've got some nerve asking that much."

"If I had that many Mutation Cards, I'd use them to kill Blood Corpses myself, okay?"

"I wandered around all fucking night and only ran into one Blood Corpse. Where did Goose Leg Bro get so many Mutation Organs?"

"He probably traded uses of his innate ability for them."

"Shit, are all your innate abilities that powerful?"

"Hard to say. I feel like my innate ability is pretty strong too, but it's just so-so in practice."

"Trash!"

"?"

Lin Ye received many private messages with pictures attached, all from survivors hoping to trade with him.

He picked a few suitable offers and completed the trades. The survivors didn't have many good things right now, but they weren't entirely empty-handed either.

Some design blueprints, for instance. Although each could only be used to craft something once and required materials, the things they produced were all quite good.

[Tier 1 Psionic Energy Crystal Maker Blueprint]

[Materials required: Tier 1 Mutation Organ (0/10)]

[Note: Energy is the real hard currency]

Lin Ye had traded two copies of Card No. 10, one Card No. 9, and three bottles of Nutrient Solution for this blueprint. If its material requirements hadn't made even him dizzy, the other party would never have offered it for trade.

According to the seller, he had found the blueprint in an Item Room.

Few people currently had the resources and willingness to trade for a blueprint they couldn't use yet. Lin Ye was the best-known among them, so the seller had approached him first.

"Ten tier 1 organs. That should be enough to upgrade the Shelter to the next stage."

Lin Ye used the blueprint, and another blueprint task appeared on the system interface.

After completing a few more trades of cards for Red Coins, Lin Ye received a private message from Zhang Liang.

Zhang Liang: Boss, are you there?

Lin Ye: Here.

Zhang Liang: Do you have any spare Mutation Organs?

Lin Ye: Two.

Zhang Liang: Please take a look at this card. It should be one you don't have, but I don't know whether it's No. 1 or No. 3.

Zhang Liang traded the Mutation Card straight to Lin Ye, not at all afraid he would pocket it.

After receiving the card, Lin Ye scanned it with the system.

[Mutation Cards No. 3]

[Apply to the surface of a creature's body to cause mutation]

[Note: Collect all cards numbered 1-10 for a special surprise]

Lin Ye sent the information and the card back to Zhang Liang, but Zhang Liang didn't accept the card.

Zhang Liang: Boss, I'd like to trade this card for a Mutation Organ and a little extra.

Lin Ye: I'll give you one each of cards No. 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Zhang Liang: Okay. Boss, once you've combined them, could you tell me what combining them does?

Lin Ye: Sure. If there's no problem, I'll tell the group, but I don't know when I'll find Card No. 1.

Zhang Liang: No rush. Thank you.

After completing the trade, Lin Ye made a few more trades through private messages. He now had over twenty people on his friends list, all survivors doing well in the region.

With the trades done, Lin Ye poured a little hot water over the Abyssal Egg, then went up to the Splicing Figure mural and began studying the arts of Cutting and Splicing mentioned in its note.

[Please draw today's card]

"My turn! I draw!"

The card he drew this time had a radio pictured on it.

Lin Ye: ?

An old-fashioned radio appeared in the center of the Shelter.

[Radio]

[This is a card]

[Note: One of the cards from the Abyss Relic card box]

Lin Ye picked up the radio and pressed its buttons at random, but it didn't respond.

After examining it without success, Lin Ye set it beside his pillow. The radio suddenly began playing lilting music.

"Welcome to City Voice Broadcast. I'm everyone's favorite announcer, Mr. X."

"The city remains in turmoil. Mutated Creatures have occupied every corner of the city. The most powerful among them have carved up the entire city, each claiming a territory of their own. Once the Initial Stage ends, they can feast on those delicious survivors."

Mr. X's delivery was clear and rhythmic, his voice pleasant to the ear, yet it had an inhuman, mechanical quality, as though constantly reminding listeners that it wasn't human.