Opening the Chests
Lu Heng continued walking, heading straight away from the Inner Region the swamp.
Beneath my feet lay the dry, decaying woodland soil, far removed from the oppressive area saturated with mud and blood. Scenes of the standoff, the game of wits, and the deal in the swamp flashed rapidly through my mind. There was no dramatic, violent battle to end it, but rather an extreme caution as I walked on the edge of a knife.
From drawing his bow to snipe the Black-Winged Kite, to wielding a gun to subdue the two races' overlords, to hand-to-hand combat and exchanging corpses for treasure, there was no absolute chance of victory. If any step in the process was misjudged, he would either be counterattacked and killed by the Black-Winged Kite, or be surrounded and ambushed by the two races, ending up with a loss that outweighed any gains.
Only when he was completely out of the swamp and could see the familiar outline of the mountains and forests did the tension that had been building up in Lu Heng's heart finally dissipate.
A profound sense of relief, mixed with the genuine joy of a successful achievement, slowly washed over me.
This emotion was not restless, but a sense of grounded peace after surviving a desperate situation. Precisely because he carried this rich reward in his heart, his steps were exceptionally light, and the originally tedious and long journey home came to an end before he even realized it.
Upon arriving at the entrance to the Stone Cave Fortress, he skillfully inspected the outer protective structure, confirming there were no signs of any strange beasts intruding. He then raised his hand, tightened the heavy stone door, and locked the latch.
The enclosed space isolated the area from all outside noise, completely keeping the dangers of the wilderness at bay.
He walked to the window and looked around at the Bloodthirsty Vine surrounding the Shelter.
The vines planted earlier have long since survived the most vulnerable seedling stage. Dense vines spread and grow wildly along the stone wall fence, intertwining and entwining, with fine, hard thorns growing on their surface, firmly covering the entire protected area. They are growing extremely vigorously, and their vitality is visible to the naked eye.
With continued resource input, it will be fully formed and ready to reach the Black Iron grade. Once completed, this artificially constructed vine protection will become the Shelter's most solid first line of defense.
After confirming that everything was safe outside, Lu Heng turned and went inside.
His clothes, stained with swamp mud and dried blood, clung stickily to his skin, carrying a mixed, putrid odor. He quickly washed himself clean, changed out of his filthy clothes, and put on dry ones.
After everything was tidied up, the room was clean and spacious, just the right time to take stock of all the spoils from this trip.
With a thought, Lu Heng felt a faint light flash in the Wristband Space, and a pile of treasure chests of different sizes and textures neatly landed on the ground.
The quantities are clearly distinguishable: two Bronze Treasure Chest with deep patterns, five heavy-looking Black Iron Chest, and seven simple Wooden Treasure Chest.
This was all the resources he had obtained by risking his life, and all the hidden supplies that the two major local ethnic groups had handed over after searching the entire region.
Lu Heng didn't rush to open the high-quality treasure chests. Instead, he opened all the Wooden Treasure Chest first, starting with the simplest ones.
The wooden crate has simple latches that can be easily opened with a gentle pry.
There were no surprises inside, just the most basic and essential supplies for daily survival. Bags of vacuum-sealed compressed biscuits and boxes of sealed bottled water were stacked neatly. In addition, there were two complete sewing sets and a pair of small hand scissors.
They are all inconspicuous odds and ends, without any special effects to enhance combat power or rare cultivation resources, but they are the most essential little things for living alone in the wilderness.
Needles and thread can mend torn clothes, scissors can handle small pieces of material, and sufficient water and food can reliably guarantee his basic survival for the next period of time.
Lu Heng casually sorted and put away the supplies, his gaze falling on the five Black Iron Chest.
Compared to the unremarkable Wooden Treasure Chest, the Black Iron Chest has a noticeably heavy and cold feel. The surface of the chest has a faint matte metallic texture, and the locks are tight, concealing a value far exceeding basic supplies.
He opened them one by one.
Upon opening the first box, one finds neatly arranged medical supplies: several sealed packs of vitamin C tablets, a well-sealed bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and a small bottle of pale yellow mosquito repellent.
In the damp, insect-infested wilderness with extreme temperature differences between day and night, injuries, illnesses, and insect infestations are all invisible but deadly threats. These things are not miraculous, but they can greatly reduce the wear and tear on daily survival and prevent minor injuries and illnesses from developing into fatal crises.
Then I kept driving, and in the end, I found three frosted blueprint cards lying there quietly.
These are blueprints for the wooden bed, the chair, and the translucent glass.
Lu Heng ran his fingertips over the surface of the card, feeling quite at ease.
His current Shelter is nothing more than a bare stone wall with no decent furniture and empty windows. With these three blueprints, he will be able to make proper furniture, seal the windows, build a light-transmitting structure, and slowly transform the cold stone cave into a truly long-term dwelling.
The third treasure chest contained two tool blueprints and two rare materials.
The blueprints for the Iron Axe and the mining pickaxe are paired with two pieces of solid, Gloomwood and a piece of Water Brocade Steel with a pale blue sheen.
His previous simple tools were worn out and barely enough to get by. The new blueprints for standardized tools, combined with rare metals and woods, meant he could create specialized tools suitable for wilderness mining, logging, and hunting, doubling his efficiency.
The supplies in the fourth treasure chest brought a hint of surprise to Lu Heng's eyes.
A well-packaged gift box of prepared foods is a welcome change from the usual processed foods. In a world where we eat coarse grains and fast food every day, such ready-made, refined prepared foods are a rare treat.
Next to the gift box, there was also a small bag of well-sealed seeds.
The seeds are plump, dry, and free of mold, and belong to two categories: Cucumber seeds and eggplant seeds.
There was some flat, unused land outside the Shelter that had been lying idle. The arrival of these vegetable seeds meant that he could start growing his own food, break free from the passive situation of relying entirely on foraging in the wild, and gradually achieve food self-sufficiency.
The last Black Iron Chest contains the most unique items.
Two hardcover Bestiary books, a thin skills book, and two practical kitchen utensils.
The kitchen utensils consist of a small rice cooker and a sharpened kitchen knife.
Rice cookers have solved the shortcomings of cooked food processing, eliminating the need to rely solely on open flames for cooking. Sharp kitchen knives can also replace rough stone knives for finely processing ingredients.
Lu Heng picked up the first Bestiary; the cover had clear lettering—"Frost Forest Mushroom Identification Guide."
The wilderness and forests are teeming with all kinds of wild mushrooms, some delicious and edible, others deadly and poisonous. The inability to distinguish them is the biggest danger. This Bestiary will allow him to accurately avoid these pitfalls during his explorations and also to collect edible mushrooms to supplement his food supplies.
The second Bestiary, "Herbal Processing Guide," is even more valuable.
Wilderness is full of vegetation, and most people can't distinguish between weeds and herbs. Even if they happen to encounter rare medicinal materials, they can only miss them. This Bestiary not only includes methods for identifying herbs, but also provides techniques for processing, storing, and simple medicinal applications, essentially giving him a basic system of wilderness medicine.
Finally, he picked up the thin skill book with the four characters on the cover: "Butcher Ding Dissects the Ox".
The moment my fingertips touched the pages, a subtle stream of information slowly flowed into my mind, instantly becoming etched into my consciousness.
Having mastered this skill, he can accurately discern the body structure of all wild and exotic beasts, clearly seeing their skeletal structure, fascia texture, and fat distribution. When cutting ingredients, he can maximize the separation of meat, fur, bones, and fascia, achieving zero waste and avoiding brute force that could damage precious materials.
This is a highly practical skill that is perfect for wilderness survival. It doesn't increase combat power, but it maximizes the benefits of each hunt.
Lu Heng stood amidst the supplies scattered on the ground, quietly surveying everything before him.
From basic food rations and daily tools to furniture and architectural blueprints, specialized mining tools, medical supplies, planting seeds, map Bestiary, food processing skills, and complete sets of kitchen utensils.
The five small Black Iron Chest almost made up for all his current survival shortcomings.
The previous hardship of living alone in the wilderness, the cramped conditions due to lack of supplies, and the anxiety of exploring the unknown have all dissipated with the addition of these resources.
He showed no elation or loss of composure, only a settled calm and certainty.
All the adventures, confrontations, and games of strategy along the way have yielded corresponding rewards.
Lu Heng bent down and patiently categorized all the supplies one by one. Food was placed in the storage area, medical supplies were stored separately, blueprints and books were neatly put away, seeds were properly sealed to prevent moisture, and kitchen utensils were wiped clean and put away properly.
After everything was tidied up, the supplies inside the house looked brand new.
Having solved all his basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, planting, medicinal herbs, food processing, and wilderness identification, his survival in the wilderness was no longer just about barely surviving, but he had the confidence to steadily develop and continuously grow stronger.
Only two of the most valuable Bronze Treasure Chest remained, standing quietly in the corner, waiting to be opened later.
This moment of peace confirmed to him that the seemingly risky act of exchanging a corpse for treasure was the wisest decision he had made since entering this wilderness.