Reconnaissance drone

The matter concerning Song Yunzhong is now completely resolved.

Lu Heng embarked on his journey home.

The Bone Demon silently followed half a step behind him, like a loyal shadow. Occasionally, they could hear the roars of unknown mutated creatures in the distance, but those restless sounds seemed somewhat distant to Lu Heng at this moment.

His steps were steady.

The weight that had been pressing on my heart for so long was finally lifted with each step forward.

Song Yunzhong saved him.

Lu Heng had always remembered this favor, and now he had finally repaid it. He wasn't exactly a good person; having come this far in the apocalypse, the blood on his hands and the choices he had made were enough to teach him one thing—kindness wasn't a guarantee of survival; caution was. But there was one bottom line he never crossed: a life-saving grace couldn't be kept hidden.

Now the debts are settled.

Lu Heng didn't turn around, nor did he think too much about it. At the end of his line of sight, the familiar light barrier had already appeared.

The pale blue light membrane rippled slightly in the air, like an invisible wall of water, isolating it from the sounds of the wind, the smell of blood, and any potentially deadly dangers. Lu Heng stepped forward and passed through the light barrier.

In that instant, a familiar silence enveloped him.

The Shelter remained unchanged, yet it gave him a long-lost sense of relaxation. There were no roars, no stench, no chilling oppression of approaching mutated creatures, only the unique dullness and tranquility of an enclosed space.

Lu Heng stopped and let out a soft breath.

I'm back.

The Bone Demon followed behind, standing quietly by the door as a guard.

Lu Heng didn't rush to rest, but went to the Planting Room first. Pushing open the door, a faint fragrance of grass and trees wafted out. The fruits hung on the branches, glowing with a faint fluorescence.

Collect the Star Tear carefully.

After doing all that, he went to the bedroom.

The room remained exactly as it was before he left; everything was in its original place.

Lu Heng walked to the bedside, and with a thought, took out two Bronze Treasure Chest from his Wristband Space.

"Thump, thump."

Two treasure chests were placed on the table with a dull thud. One came from the snake's nest, and the other from the hospital laboratory.

Two treasure chests lay quietly before him, their surfaces gleaming with a faint Bronze luster, bearing some unidentified scratches. Lu Heng did not rush to open them, but instead walked to the basin of water, carefully washed his hands, and then dried them with a towel.

This is not superstition, but rather a sign of respect for the treasure chest.

These two treasure chests deserve his serious attention.

Bronze-Tier Treasure Chest aren't rare, but each opening can significantly alter your quality of life for a period of time. Equipment, elixirs, materials, mechanical artifacts... if you get just one truly useful item, the rewards will far exceed your expectations.

Lu Heng sat back down at the table, took a deep breath, and first reached out to press his hand on the Bronze Treasure Chest from the snake's nest.

With a thought, the treasure chest opened.

The Bronze light spread out, and the outlines of the three items slowly emerged in the light.

The first item was an ancient scroll.

Lu Heng picked it up and examined it closely; the item's information quickly appeared before his eyes.

[Equipment Modification Scroll (Bronze)]

Finished scroll. Can be used to modify and enhance a piece of Bronze Tier equipment once, improving the equipment's inherent attributes.

Lu Heng's gaze sharpened slightly. He hadn't expected it to actually be opened. That meant the mutated King Snake could be used to modify Combat Suit.

Lu Heng did not use it immediately. He carefully put the scroll aside and looked at the next item.

The second item was a dark red pill with vein-like patterns on its surface.

[Blood Beast Pill | Bronze Tier]

Description: A burst-type pill refined from the heart of Bronze Tier exotic beast. After consumption, adrenaline surges threefold, simultaneously increasing the body's blood reserves. Once the effects wear off, blood must be replenished quickly, otherwise the pill will forcibly draw 30% of the user's blood to replenish the depletion. Essentially, it uses the user's own blood as a reserve energy source to achieve a short-term burst of power.

Thinking of the fact that it was another one, and considering the consequences of this thing, Lu Heng scratched his head. "Keep it safe."

The third item was a kit containing materials that had a faint herbal scent.

[Snake Bone Salve-Making Ingredient Set]

It contains three types of herbs: Nether Snake Grass, Bone-Congealing Flower, and Mudscale Mushroom. These three herbs mostly grow only around the nests of large mutated snakes. Any one of these herbs, combined with snake bones, can be boiled into snake bone ointment. The resulting snake bone ointment, when applied externally, can strengthen bones and relieve physical pain caused by muscle strain and nerve damage.

After reading the message, Lu Heng finally relaxed a bit. It was something good for maintaining his health; after a long battle, this would help his body recover much better, just like Tiger Bone Wine.

For Lu Heng, this kind of stable income is more reliable than a one-off burst of wealth.

The loot from the Snake Nest Treasure Chest has been tallied: Equipment Modification Scroll, Blood Beast Pill, and Snake Bone Ointment Material Set. None of the three items are useless.

Lu Heng shifted his gaze to the second Bronze Treasure Chest —the one from the hospital laboratory.

He reached out and opened it.

A faint glow emanated from the Bronze.

Three finished props appeared.

The first item was a pair of black combat boots.

The boots were forged from some kind of shell material, with a hard, cold texture on the surface, and the soles were covered with fine, hard barbs. As soon as Lu Heng picked them up, he felt a distinct grip on the ground, as if the soles were born to cling to the rock face.

[Spider-Shadow Climbing Boots (Bronze Tier)]

Forged from the exoskeleton of a mutated giant spider, the boot soles are covered with fine, hard barbs, providing excellent grip and enabling the host to climb near-vertical walls and cliffs.

Limitations: Climbing performance is significantly reduced when carrying excessive weight or when physically exhausted. Forcing a climb may result in a fall. Users must assess their own capabilities before attempting the climb.

Lu Heng glanced down at his old shoes. He'd had these shoes for quite some time; the soles were still intact, and the protective material hadn't worn off much. They were perfectly adequate for everyday wear.

Unfortunately, I have someone better.

Lu Heng didn't hesitate for long. He took off his old shoes and neatly placed them aside. He slipped on the Spider-Shadow Climbing Boots, which fit his feet almost like they were made to order. The boots were tight, and the barbs gripped the ground. Lu Heng only stepped on them lightly, but he felt a clear gripping sensation under his feet. It wasn't the anti-slip of ordinary shoes, but rather as if the soles of the boots were naturally trying to bite into something.

Lu Heng straightened up and moved his ankles. There was no hesitation or foreign body sensation; in fact, they felt more stable than his old shoes.

The second prop is a black sphere about the size of a fist.

The sphere's surface was covered with fine, carapace-like patterns, and a dark red crystal lens was embedded at the top, resembling the compound eye of some insect. Lu Heng picked it up; it was lighter than he had expected. The outer shell was hard, yet it carried the coldness characteristic of precision machinery.

With a slight thought, information about the item appeared on the surface of the sphere.

[Spider Reconnaissance Drone (Bronze Tier)]

It is forged from the fusion of a spider's body and mechanical parts.

Once released, it can hover, stealthily move, and scout; its field of vision can be remotely shared with the user's Wristband terminal.

Battery life is affected by the user's mental state.

Limitation: Energy Core is required.

Lu Heng's eyes lit up slightly.

In the post-apocalyptic world, reconnaissance items can sometimes be more valuable than offensive equipment.

The distribution of mutated creatures' nests, whether there are lurking threats nearby, and whether the retreat route is safe—this information is crucial in the wild. Previously, he could only rely on the Bone Demon to scout ahead and on his own eyes to make judgments, which was extremely risky.

Now, he has something better to gain a broader perspective.

Lu Heng didn't rush to release the reconnaissance aircraft. He wanted to test it out later, preparing for its future use in situations where intelligence was truly needed—before the next exploration expedition or entry into unknown territories.

He carefully put away the Shadow Spider Reconnaissance Drone and placed it next to the Equipment Modification Scroll.

The third item was another Blood Beast Pill.

Unexpectedly, one of the two Bronze Treasure Chest contained a life-saving potion, and the other also contained a life-saving potion.

I wouldn't say I'm disappointed, but I feel like my luck was a bit unbalanced.

But then I thought about it again, and you can never have too many Blood Beast Pill when it comes to life and death. One pill can only last once, but two pills mean two lives.

He put the two Blood Beast Pill together and stored them in his Wristband Space.

At this point, both Bronze Treasure Chest have been completely inventoried.

One Equipment Modification Scroll, two Blood Beast Pill, one Snake Bone Salve-Making Ingredient Set, one pair of Spider-Shadow Climbing Boots, and one Shadow Spider Reconnaissance Drone.

All six props were useful, and none of them were useless.

Lu Heng leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the haul on the table.

Save the Equipment Modification Scroll for the equipment that needs them most. Snake Bone Ointment and other materials can be brewed by finding snake bones. The Shadow Spider Reconnaissance Drone is the intelligence trump card for the next expedition. Blood Beast Pill are the last resort for survival.

And the Spider-Shadow Climbing Boots were already on her feet.

He looked down at the fine barbs on the sole of his boot and gently moved his ankle.

Then he looked up and his gaze fell on the wall on the side of the bedroom.

But as Lu Heng looked at it, only one thought occupied his mind.

Should we give it a try?