Temporary Scroll
Lu Heng made up his mind to turn the dough into noodles.
He gripped the knife and carefully sliced the noodles. He added water to the pot and brought it to a boil, then added the noodles and some meat from his stash. Fortunately, he had plenty of seasonings and a decent amount of meat.
When a bowl of noodles was placed in front of him, Lu Heng felt a surge of excitement. As a northerner accustomed to eating noodles, he had long relied on prey and wild vegetables to fill his stomach since arriving in this world, and only he knew the bitterness of life without carbohydrates. Looking at the bowl of noodles in front of him, his heart couldn't help but swell with emotion.
After he finished cooking, he realized that there were far more noodles than he had expected. He definitely couldn't finish so many fresh noodles at once, and they would spoil quickly if left at room temperature.
He suddenly remembered his Talent.
Lu Heng spread the excess noodles on a clean, flat surface, channeling his Mental Energy to activate his Talent, aided by the energy of the Geothermal Talisman. He didn't choose a sudden burst of high temperature, but rather gradually and slowly altered the temperature of the area. There was no need to drastically increase the heat; simply maintaining a suitable drying temperature was sufficient.
After a full fifty or sixty minutes, the spread-out noodles were completely dried.
Lu Heng breathed a sigh of relief.
It worked!
But then a wave of exhaustion washed over him. In the past, when he used Temperature Control, it was mostly a momentary burst of Talent. He had never maintained his talent for such a long time and continuously like this. The mental strain was much greater than he had imagined. He sat quietly for a while, slowly adjusting his breathing, waiting for his mental state to recover slightly.
The remaining bowl of noodles in the pot had cooled slightly. Lu Heng prepared the seasoning, mixed it well, and started eating.
The aroma filled his mouth, and the long-awaited carbohydrates brought him immense satisfaction. He chuckled contentedly and patted his stomach gently. After finishing one bowl, still wanting more, he filled another and ate with complete enjoyment.
After eating, Lu Heng found the plastic bag that had contained the snacks and emptied the remaining snacks aside. He then took the bag to the tap and carefully rinsed it clean. He activated his Talent again, using the temperature change to completely dry the plastic bag.
Then pour all the dried noodles into a bag and store them.
If we eat sparingly, this amount of dried noodles is enough for three or four meals.
Lu Heng put the plastic bag containing the dried noodles into the Storage Room.
He had a fairly sufficient stock of building materials, and even if he didn't have enough, he had places to get them. Lying on the bed, his thoughts slowly settled down.
The most difficult challenge was ultimately that Bronze Tier monster.
He recalled the area of that Otherworld; it wasn't particularly large, but it certainly wasn't small either. He had already searched many places one by one, but still hadn't found any trace of the BOSS. The most important thing now was to further expand the scope of exploration. He needed to first find out the route, determine exactly which area the Bronze Tier monster was entrenched in, and learn about its shape and habits. Once he had enough information, he could then plan a complete hunt.
Thinking of this, Lu Heng suddenly felt a sense of relief.
He almost forgot that he still had the Bone Demon in his possession!
The Bone Demon itself possesses genuine Bronze Tier combat power, on par with the final boss of that region.
With such a trump card in hand, he was inexplicably anxious just now, subconsciously ignoring his greatest strength.
Lu Heng shook his head inwardly, a slight chuckle escaping his lips.
He must have been too excited to receive the Base Blueprint, his mind was in disarray, and he was so preoccupied with the demanding construction conditions and the threat of unknown powerful enemies that he completely overlooked his most crucial combat strength.
With the Bone Demon holding them off from the front, he could launch surprise attacks from the flanks and provide additional damage. With this combination, the chances of successfully hunting down Bronze Tier monsters were quite high.
That heavy worry I felt just now was completely unnecessary.
He lay quietly in bed, slowly sorting out his thoughts.
There's no need to rush into war immediately.
Prioritize scouting, gathering intelligence, and figuring out the monsters' strengths and weaknesses; proceed step by step with a steady and methodical approach.
Lu Heng opened the chat channel and scrolled through the messages sent by other people, trying to glean useful information about the environment and supplies.
[Zhang Lei]: Brothers, look what I found! A whole box of instant noodles! I'm practically a chosen one!
[Zhao Kai]: Damn, bro, I'm so envious! I used to never even want to look at this stuff, but now I miss it terribly. Want to trade? Do me the honor, I have some cookies here.
[Zhou Ming]: Yeah, boss, give me a chance, I'll trade you supplies.
[Wu Tao]: Add one, bro, let's switch, I have a drink here.
Lu Heng watched the series of conversations quietly.
A box of instant noodles is a rare commodity, and many people in the channel immediately considered trading it. He didn't intend to participate in the trade; he simply kept the message in mind.
The fact that they were able to find a whole box of fast food suggests that the area they were exploring was a relatively well-preserved shop. However, based on just these few words, they still couldn't determine the other person's exact location, nor could they obtain any clues about the Otherworld or high-level alien beasts.
Within the channel, most survivors are still at the stage of searching for ordinary food and exchanging basic supplies. The scope of exploration for most survivors is still limited, and the threats they encounter are basically just ordinary Zombie and wild beasts. Very few people have actually stepped into deeper areas and come into contact with Bronze Tier monsters and eerie forbidden zones.
He scrolled through the page, continuing to read the remaining comments.
Lu Heng continued scrolling down the chat channel, and a newly posted message immediately caught his eye.
[Sun Qiang]: Forget about snacks for now, I have some latest intelligence here, pay attention. The first Black Iron-Level Treasure Chest you obtain in the Adventure World can yield Base Blueprint. Note that this base is the main storyline for development in the Adventure World, you absolutely need it, otherwise you can't develop in that world.
Following that comment, the person immediately sent the complete Base Blueprint to the channel.
The channel instantly exploded with replies.
[Ma Hao]: Holy crap, boss, I didn't expect you to get the Black Iron-Level Treasure Chest so quickly.
[Liu Bin]: Damn, we still need to build a base and kill that Bronze Tier monster. My God, is this really that difficult? We need to team up.
[Wang Peng]: Holy crap, guys, anyone want to team up? Anyone want to team up? Let's team up!
[Chen Feng]: Damn it, upstairs, stop yelling. Have you met anyone else? Besides your family at the beginning, have you seen any other survivors? What's the point of just shouting for a team here?
[Wang Peng]: Damn, you think you're so smart. Look what this is!
The message was accompanied by a Temporary Teaming Scroll.
Description: Temporary squads can be formed, valid for seven days, after which they will automatically disband. During the seven-day period, squad members cannot harm each other, but can support each other. The distribution of resources must be negotiated and finalized before signing the contract.
Lu Heng stared quietly at the lines of text on the screen.
The moment this information was released, the entire channel's atmosphere shifted dramatically. Previously, everyone was scrambling to trade a box of instant noodles, but in the blink of an eye, everyone's attention was drawn to the blueprint for the Adventure World's Base Blueprint.
Many people began to be tempted. The threshold of Bronze Tier monsters was there, and most survivors did not feel confident relying on their own strength. Naturally, forming a team became the first thought that came to many people's minds.
But Lu Heng had no intention of getting involved.
The temporary squad is bound by the rule that they cannot harm each other, but seven days is too short, and people's hearts are unpredictable. The distribution of supplies is the biggest hidden danger. Even if it is agreed upon before signing the contract, when it comes to actually hunting the BOSS and getting rich rewards, no one can guarantee that everyone will behave themselves.
Lu Heng's gaze fell on the temporary team-up invitation, and he pondered to himself.
Now that these scrolls for temporary team formation have appeared before everyone, more similar scrolls will inevitably fall into the hands of survivors in the future.
It seems that the way everyone ventures into the Adventure World to survive may soon change.
Before this, most survivors had to venture out alone, or at most with a few close family members. There was no reliable way to explore together and hunt powerful beasts; people were full of suspicion and no one dared to easily trust a stranger.
Now, with these contract-like scrolls as constraints, the situation is different.
Even complete strangers can form a short-term, reliable partnership based on the rules of the scrolls. Many survivors who are unable to face high-level monsters alone will likely start looking for partners and team up to venture into areas that one person would not dare to enter alone.
However, forming a group does not necessarily guarantee safety.
The scroll merely establishes a mandatory rule prohibiting mutual harm, but it cannot change people's hearts. Conflicts regarding resource allocation, routes of action, and who will stand in front of them when danger arises remain buried within the team. Once the seven-day deadline is over and the contractual constraints disappear, all the conflicts that were temporarily suppressed may erupt at once.
Lu Heng was not in a hurry to make a choice.
He already possessed the Bone Demon, a Bronze Tier trump card, and his current priority was still to explore alone and find out the whereabouts of that regional boss. Teaming up was only an alternative, and he didn't intend to easily team up with strangers unless absolutely necessary.
He scrolled through the page, continuing to browse the messages that kept refreshing in the channel.