Zhou Chen returned to his room. After showering, he browsed the forums and the trading area for a while before going to sleep.
The next day, after dinner, he went to Weijiang Dojo to visit Boss Liu.
The situation here was similar to the last time he came; empty.
When Zhou Chen suggested that he would pay for the training equipment here, Boss Liu readily agreed. He said that he would let Zhou Chen use them for free, but under Zhou Chen's insistence, Boss Liu decided to charge twenty Dragon Country bills a day.
Zhou Chen began his personal training in Boss Liu's Weijiang Dojo, practicing combat arts and iron rod.
Although the area was not large, it was much better than when he exercised in the room. He felt like his proficiency was rising. When Boss Liu realized that he knew combat arts, he kept asking for a spar, making him speechless.
Two days passed like this. On this day, Zhou Chen put on his black half face mask, revealing only his forehead and eyes. He welcomed his third Survival mission in his room.
[Survival mission is about to begin. Please be prepared.]
[Teleportation begins…]
Soon, the surroundings changed from the narrow room to a desert. He and several others stood under the hot sun, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
[Desert Bone Path]
Difficulty: Low Bronze
Mission: Pass through the desert. Follow the bone path to the oasis 50 kilometers away.
[Prompt: There is a chance of obtaining mineral water and equipment by killing monsters here.]
"Desert? Then my face mask is quite suitable. If I had a head scarf as well, I would look more professional."
Zhou Chen was a little regretful that he had just bought enough black cloth to make a mask. Otherwise, he would have definitely wrapped the extra cloth around his head.
"That doesn't seem right. My cloth is black, it will only get hotter when I wear it."
While he was complaining in his heart, he had already scanned the other Survivors in the surroundings and found that besides himself, there were three men and two women; two of the men were white.
"There are foreigners in this Survival mission. The system usually arranges for those of the same country to be together. The chances of meeting foreigners in Survival missions are relatively low."
Zhou Chen had read about this on the forum. For example, the people of Dragon Country would be in Survival missions with other people of Dragon Country. There were Survival missions where there were foreigners as well, but those cases were few.
At this moment, the two white youths - one was dressed in short sleeves and long pants, and the other was dressed in a suit - were standing together and speaking in foreign language. From their expressions and actions, they seemed to be chatting happily. They might even be acquaintances.
Apart from them, the four Dragon Country people, including Zhou Chen, were standing separately and did not communicate much. A middle-aged man from the Dragon Country observed the surroundings and was the first to step out of the group and walk into the desert.
Zhou Chen quickly followed after seeing him leave because he wanted someone to pave the way.
After he set off, the other four also stepped into the desert and followed behind him.
Walking in the desert, other than the hot air and the dazzling sunlight, there was a sense of crisis.
This feeling came partly because he sensed that there were many things nearby, and partly because of the so-called bone path under his feet.
This desert bone path was very unique. It used skeletons as guideposts.
Some of the skeletons here looked to be from camels and other animals. Some of the skeletons looked to be from humans. There were also some skeletons that were taller than a building and had strange shapes; it was obvious that they were not left behind by ordinary creatures.
All the bones were in an incomplete state. Most of the bones still had large numbers of bite marks everywhere on them, making one feel that they had died very miserably.
Zhou Chen walked along the bone path at a moderate pace under the hot sun, paying attention to his surroundings at all times.
The middle-aged man from the Dragon Country walked very quickly, or rather, he was running, getting further and further away from Zhou Chen and the others.
Zhou Chen did not plan to follow after seeing this. He only needed to observe the footprints left behind by this person to determine some information. He walked calmly behind.
After walking in the desert for a while, Zhou Chen felt that he had lost a lot of water content. His skin also showed slight signs of drying up, making him feel uncomfortable.
He took out the bottle of coke from his inventory space, pulled down his mask, and drank a mouthful.
He had drunk less than a third of it when he was doing the Survival mission in the cave. Now, there was about a liter left.
After drinking the cola and putting on the mask, he felt much better. At the same time, he heard footsteps coming from behind him.
"Handsome, can you let me drink your coke?"
A seventeen to eighteen-year-old girl in a light-colored long dress ran to Zhou Chen's side and said to him with a smile.
"No, I don't want to share it."
Zhou Chen immediately shook his head and refused. Then, he quickened his pace.
"Don't be so stingy. I'm really thirsty. Just one sip will do."
The girl caught up to him and continued pestering him.
"If you're really thirsty, don't talk so much. Go and kill the monsters yourself. Maybe mineral water will drop on your first try."
Zhou Chen did not give in at all.
The girl's brows immediately furrowed. She looked at Zhou Chen with disdain and said angrily, "Tsk! It's your good fortune that I'm willing to drink your coke! I didn't expect you to be a miser like your looks!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly overtook Zhou Chen and moved ahead.
Zhou Chen's expression did not change when he heard her words. He continued to advance at his own pace.
However, before long, a woman ran over from behind. She was also from Dragon Country and was several years older than the previous one. She was wearing casual clothes, but she gave off a rather experienced feeling.
"Little brother, are you selling your coke? Let me take a sip. I'll give you 50,000 Dragon Country bills when this Survival mission is over."
This woman launched a money attack on Zhou Chen.
"No, if you want water, go kill the monsters. Mine is not for sale."
Although Zhou Chen lacked money, he knew that things that could replenish water content in the body were very important in this Survival mission. He had to use it to ensure his safety. Moreover, he really hated sharing the same bottle with others, especially with strangers.
"Little brother, your action is not wise. If the two in the back look for you later, I won't help you."
The woman smiled at Zhou Chen.
"Hehe, thanks for the reminder."
Zhou Chen couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this. He still walked forward without worry, not even looking behind.