Today's mission was simple: gather enough food to survive the winter.
The loot boxes outside were all random, scarce, and difficult to locate.
If you opened something useless, you'd likely be left starving.
Whoever was unlucky enough to open a loot box for the first time and encounter disaster must've had horrible luck.
The safest way was to dig for "treasures" with a hoe.
With a perfect-grade hoe in hand, Su Chen felt invincible!
Compared to other wooden hoes, this one was leaps and bounds ahead.
He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of bringing Er Bao along earlier.
With his keen sense of smell, he could definitely lead him to a hidden paradise.
Squatting down, Su Chen looked at Er Bao. "Little one, we got to work hard for our survival."
"Do you know where there might be some good stuff? Can you take me there?"
Although Er Bao was just a small dog, he could understand Su Chen's words.
He immediately nodded, sniffed the ground, and started moving.
His movements were remarkably professional, like a highly trained police dog.
After veering off the main road and searching for about ten minutes, they arrived at an endless stretch of farmland.
The soil in the field looked incredibly rich and fertile.
It seemed like there might be a lot of treasures buried here.
Er Bao stopped at the edge of the field and turned to look at Su Chen.
"Master, after my tireless efforts, I've finally found a suitable spot," its expression seemed to say.
Su Chen glanced at the field, then at Er Bao.
Seeing its proud look, he knew this spot probably held many treasures.
Taking off his shoes, he carefully stepped into the field.
Without removing them, his shoes would've been ruined in the thick mud.
He told Er Bao to stay on the narrow dirt path and wait for him, warning it not to come down into the field.
If he got dirty, giving it a bath would be a major hassle.
Although Su Chen didn't mind bathing him, being a rough-around-the-edges young man, he might not do a great job.
Digging was hard labor, but as a proud and capable man, it was his responsibility.
Swinging the hoe, Su Chen was immediately impressed by how smooth it felt in his hands. The grip was perfect, and the balance was flawless.
Er Bao stood above him, wagging its tail enthusiastically as if cheering him on.
Watching its cute little tail wag, Su Chen felt reinvigorated.
What an adorable and lovable little dog!
"Er Bao, stay up there and behave, okay? Daddy will cook you some meat later," Su Chen promised, his resolve strengthened.
After a short period of effort, the rewards began to pour in.
This hoe was simply amazing.
Ordinary hoes usually required a lot of strength to wield, and it took great care to control the force. A slight mistake could even lead to injuring yourself.
Blindly digging everywhere could result in finding nothing at all while exhausting yourself unnecessarily.
That's why aimlessly digging with a hoe was such a foolish method.
But Su Chen was different. Not only did he have the system's assistance, but his luck was also ridiculously good.
The first loot box he opened contained food, which gave him a solid foundation for his future endeavors.
Moreover, this perfect-grade hoe was in a league of its own.
It could sense the weight of buried objects and detect the location of wooden boxes hidden underground.
An ordinary wooden hoe would require random digging, wasting time and effort without knowing where resources were.
This hoe solved all those problems. It could autonomously locate wooden boxes.
As Su Chen moved around the field, the hoe explored alongside him.
If a wooden box was buried in the area, the hoe would light up with a red signal to alert him.
At that point, Su Chen would begin digging.
The hoe also adjusted its force automatically, ensuring it wouldn't damage the wooden boxes by hitting too hard, nor waste energy by being too gentle.
Usually, three strikes were enough to uncover a box.
Of course, it wasn't a divine artifact that required no effort to use.
After working hard for a long time, Su Chen unearthed several boxes.
There were mostly brown wooden boxes, followed by green crates, and finally, a single iron box.
The one unique box piqued Su Chen's curiosity.
Sweat poured down his forehead as he gasped for breath from the intense labor.
He walked over to the edge of the dirt path to take a short break.
Seeing how exhausted he was, Er Bao quickly ran over and snuggled into his arms, rubbing its head against his affectionately.
Although he was tired, having this little companion care about him made everything feel worthwhile.
"Er Bao, look!"
"The place you brought me to is full of boxes. It's such a fruitful haul."
Hearing the praise, Er Bao became a little shy, burying its face in Su Chen's arms and refusing to get up.
When Su Chen tried to pet his head, he adorably dodged away in embarrassment.
[Ding! Congratulations on completing a task with your dog. Intimacy level has increased.]
The system prompt added, [Your dog loves being praised by you. For it, this is the happiest thing today.]
"So it turns out that praising it during daily life can also increase our intimacy," Su Chen realized.
After resting for a while, it was finally time for the most exciting part—opening the boxes!
Placing Er Bao to the side, Su Chen returned to the field.
Counting them carefully, there were a total of four brown wooden boxes, two green crates, and one iron box.
Judging by their appearances, it was easy to distinguish between the valuable and the ordinary.
Su Chen got to work, starting with the wooden boxes.
Opening these didn't have the same emotional rollercoaster as loot boxes.
They always contained something, so the process was purely enjoyable.
What would he find?
Opening the first box, Su Chen initially couldn't see clearly. A large pile of silver-colored items appeared.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was... a women's wig?
"Damn it, what is this nonsense?"
It looked like something for cosplay.
Feeling speechless, Su Chen tossed it aside and moved on.
After opening all four wooden boxes, he discovered they contained a complete set:
A silver wig, a puffy skirt, a short women's blouse, and white… stockings?
"This must be for women, right? There's no way any guy would actually wear this, right?"
Just imagining it sent shivers down his spine.
Suddenly, Su Chen remembered he did know a few female friends.
So, he decided to keep the outfit for later.
Moving on, he opened the green crates.
Inside were a lightweight cotton jacket, a dozen cans of cola, and a skewer of roasted meat.
These finds made Su Chen very happy, prompting him to activate the system's enhancement function.
[Ding! Enhancement successful. The lightweight cotton jacket has been upgraded to two windproof, heavy-duty winter coats.]
[Ding! Enhancement successful. The dozen cans of cola have been upgraded to 20 liters of soda.]
[Ding! Enhancement successful. The skewer of roasted meat has been upgraded to 20 packs of preserved barbecue meat.]
It was thrilling!
These supplies could temporarily solve his immediate needs.
Finally, the moment of truth arrived—the iron box.
Opening it revealed… a small barbecue grill?
"So, I can make barbecue now?" Su Chen's excitement grew at the thought.
"Enhance!"
[Ding! Enhancement successful. The small barbecue grill has been upgraded to a deluxe barbecue station.]
.....
A/N: please don't forget to give power stones, that's give me a lots of motivation. Thank you