Striking Gold

After sprinting all the way back to the Stone Cave Shelter, Lu Heng slammed the stone-and-wood door shut behind him and firmly secured the bolt. He then moved over the heavy dry timber stacked nearby, wedging it diagonally against the back of the door to brace it tight and completely seal the entrance. Only after finishing all this did his rigid back finally relax.

He slowly shuffled over to the campfire and slumped onto the thick animal hide, letting its warmth envelop his chilled body. He took deep breaths to steady his ragged breathing, his chest still heaving.

He had originally gone out merely to gather stone nearby and look for meat along the way. It should have been nothing more than an ordinary outing to gather supplies, yet he had encountered an entire pack of Blue-Backed Jackals intent on killing him. Trapped in an old tree with no way forward or back, he had nearly lost his life.

Fortunately, the creatures surrounding him had been canine Blue-Backed Jackals.

Canine beasts were terrible climbers. Unable to scale the thick, three-meter-tall tree, they could only wait below and keep him surrounded. But had they been feline predators like leopards, agile and adept at climbing and leaping, they would never have given him the chance to use the tree to hold them off and counterattack with poison. He would have been pounced on and killed in the tree, with no possibility of survival.

Still filled with lingering fear, he picked up his stone cup and gulped down some sweet wild fruit juice to calm his nerves. The tight dryness in his throat eased a little.

As his lingering fear faded, irrepressible joy slowly welled up in his heart.

Wiping out the jackal pack had brought enormous gains. The ample jackal meat stored in his storage space would sustain him for a long time, sparing him the risk of going out to forage and hunt and completely resolving his meat shortage. What thrilled him even more was the bronze treasure chest he had obtained. Even black iron treasure chests were hard to come by, while bronze-grade chests were exceedingly rare rewards on the outskirts of the Frost Forest.

Suppressing his excitement, Lu Heng activated his bracelet's storage interface and took out the ancient-looking, heavy bronze treasure chest. He washed the beast blood off his hands beside the campfire, then placed his fingertips on the chest's clasp and opened it.

A faint glow spread from the chest, and five items appeared neatly before him.

First item: Dimensional Bedroom Blueprint

[Description] Upon use, creates an exclusive, independent dimensional bedroom within the bound Shelter. Comes with a finished bed and an enclosed indoor bathroom connected to a natural underground water source, providing an automatic water supply around the clock. The water is clean and ready for direct use. The space is independent and sealed, unaffected by the Shelter's main space.

Second item: Basic Breath Cultivation Method

[Description] A passive cultivation method. Breathing according to its rhythm over an extended period slowly tempers the body's tissues, steadily and permanently improving constitution and stamina. No side effects. Suitable for all survivors.

Third item: Bronze Hunting Blade

Grade: Bronze

[Description] A one-handed short blade forged from bronze. Its blade contains a faint Spirit-Breaking aura, and its sharpness when cutting flesh far surpasses black iron weapons. Comes with the Spirit-Breaking trait, dealing additional true damage to supernatural monsters.

Fourth item: Resilient Spirit-Protective Cloth Outfit

Grade: Bronze

[Description] A complete set of close-fitting cloth clothing. Its fabric is cold-resistant and hard-wearing, keeping out the forest chill. Infused with trace amounts of spirit matter, the fabric provides slight resistance against corrosive attacks from supernatural creatures.

Fifth item: Basic Energy Storage Unit

[Description] An energy device exclusive to Shelters. Can be bound by placing it against a Shelter wall. Feed it energy materials such as mutant beast crystal cores and special ores to continuously produce stable energy, supplying power for the Shelter's water supply, lighting, and facilities installed later.

All five items entered the bracelet's Storage Slots. The empty bronze treasure chest flashed faintly, automatically breaking down into five units of bronze material, which were stored in the materials tab.

A moment later, the bracelet interface automatically displayed a new entry, unlocking an explanation for the new material.

[Material unlocked: Bronze]

[Notes] Its basic physical hardness and forging properties are equal to those of black iron, with no additional physical enhancement. The material possesses an inherent, constant Spirit-Breaking property. Tools and weapons forged from it can all deal counteracting damage to supernatural creatures. Its value far exceeds that of black iron-grade materials.

Lu Heng stared at the bracelet's entry, his fingertips brushing the Bronze Hunting Blade in his storage tab, the delight in his eyes growing stronger.

That near-fatal ordeal of holding out against the siege beneath the tree 336 had ultimately earned him a fortune.

Unable to contain his anticipation, he first opened the Dimensional Bedroom Blueprint and tapped to confirm its use.

A pale golden glow spread from the blueprint, enveloping half the Stone Cave Shelter. The space before him wavered and distorted slightly, and his surroundings changed in an instant. An independent, enclosed modern bedroom appeared out of thin air in the inner part of the cave. Its walls were smooth and clean, its floor laid with matte, nonslip tiles, and its layout orderly and spacious. It had everything: a standard single bed, an integrated bathroom, and a separate storage cabinet. Underground water pipes connected to the bathroom faucet, leaving the facilities fully equipped. Only the bedding was missing, with nothing but a cool, clean bedboard.

Lu Heng strode into the bedroom, his eyes full of wonder and novelty as the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously. He took the thick animal hide he usually used to keep warm out of his bracelet, shook it out, and spread it flat over the bedboard. It was neither too soft nor too firm and kept out the cold. He lay down to try it, finding it steady and comfortable-a world apart from sleeping on the cave floor.

After setting up the bedroom, he left the room and continued checking the remaining rewards.

He opened [Basic Breath Cultivation Method], and a stream of information instantly poured into his mind, taking root along the pathways of his memory. A gentle, drawn-out breathing rhythm suited to his current constitution became etched into his consciousness. Lu Heng closed his eyes and tried regulating his breathing, following the method with every inhale and exhale. He could clearly sense the thin chill around him and tiny fragments of energy from the world being drawn into his body, slowly nourishing his limbs, muscles, and bones. His brow relaxed, his expression assured. With this method, he could steadily grow stronger without going out to fight for his life.

Next, he took out the Bronze Hunting Blade and weighed it in his palm. The entire blade had a matte, bronze-green sheen. It was light, thin, and comfortable to hold, its edge sharp and cold. A light touch of his fingertip revealed a faint, unusual aura; its Spirit-Breaking quality was distinctly perceptible. At last, he had a dedicated weapon to counter any supernatural monsters he encountered in the future. His gaze steady, Lu Heng tucked the short blade at his waist. It fit just right.

He then took out the complete Resilient Spirit-Protective Cloth Outfit. The fabric was soft and tightly woven, blocking wind and cold without feeling bulky against the body, and it could also resist supernatural corrosion. He folded it and placed it in the bedroom wardrobe for later use, his smile growing wider.

Finally, only the Basic Energy Storage Unit's Energy Core remained.

It was a palm-sized, square energy device that glowed faintly pale blue all over. It required no embedding in a wall, operating entirely through its link with the bracelet. Lu Heng picked up the Energy Core and held it against the bracelet on his wrist. A Shelter energy-binding window immediately appeared. He tapped to confirm, directly completing the Energy Core's full binding with the entire Shelter and the dimensional bedroom.

A minimalist ceiling light was recessed into the dimensional bedroom's ceiling and had remained silently on standby. Brimming with anticipation, Lu Heng hurried into the bedroom and pressed the switch on the wall.

His heart was full of anticipation. After enduring so long with only the campfire's faint glow for light day and night, its smoke stinging his eyes and its flames flickering, he finally had electric lighting. He would no longer have to put up with dim firelight and smoke.

But when he pressed the switch, the ceiling light did not respond. It remained dark.

The next instant, a notification appeared on his bracelet: [Energy Core bound to all areas. No energy materials loaded into the device. Power supply interrupted. Unable to activate lighting.]

Lu Heng froze for a moment, then let out an amused laugh and a sigh of relief, feeling completely reassured instead.

Thankfully, neither the light nor the facilities were broken. It was simply out of energy.

The chest had conveniently provided a dedicated energy storage device. Later, he could feed it mutant beast crystal cores or special ores to store energy and supply power. Everything fit together perfectly, so the bedroom's accompanying facilities had not gone to waste. Now, he only needed to collect energy materials on future outings, and this bedroom would become fully functional, with constant-temperature water and permanent electric lighting. Life in the Shelter would be much more secure from then on.