[Forest - Howie Wang: Legend... Legend Smyth, what are you doing? Did you send this to the wrong person?]
Howie Wang didn't immediately accept the trade. Instead, he sent a message to Thomas. Thomas had truly startled him. How many survivors in the entire world channel could assemble such a set of equipment?
Howie could see clearly that the items Thomas offered weren't junk; they were all high-quality weapons and gear.
* AKMN 7.62x39 Assault Rifle
* HK USP Pistol
* Tactical Axe
These three weapons alone showed that Thomas had carefully chosen equipment suitable for a survivor in the wilderness. Not to mention the AKMN was equipped with an XPS3-0 holographic sight. Howie dared to say that there were no more than five people in the entire newbie world who could offer such a set.
Although tempted, he still hesitated to click the "Confirm Trade" button. He was a bit panicked! What was Legend Smyth up to?
Thankfully, Thomas's message arrived.
[City - Thomas Smyth: That's right, it's for you! Use it without worry. Let me know if you run out of ammo. You helped me a lot last night!]
Howie now understood why Thomas was giving him this equipment. He had initially wanted to refuse, as the wooden box hadn't required much effort. However, the words of refusal wouldn't come out, his eyes glued to the equipment.
"Ah... I really want it!!!"
Thomas seemed to see through Howie's thoughts and chuckled inwardly. This guy still clung to the moral standards of the real world even in the apocalypse. It was a miracle he had survived this long.
[City - Thomas Smyth: Stay alive, Howie. Our real Apocalypse Game has just begun! Don't die. If you find anything good, remember me!]
Seeing Thomas's words, Howie instantly snapped to his senses.
Slap!
He gave himself a hard slap.
"At a time like this, what am I being sentimental for? Survival comes first!"
Immediately, he confirmed the trade. Looking at the complete set of equipment in his hands, his face bloomed into a grin. A thought flashed through his mind.
"The blue-staining boletes Cecilia brought yesterday seemed to be something Legend Smyth liked. I'll have her find some more later. A little snow shouldn't keep him indoors! Young people need to be tempered!"
Thomas, seeing Howie accept the equipment, chuckled softly. He suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to tell him about the great flood. He immediately sent Howie the same warning message he had sent to Ben, leaving it to them to understand as much as they could.
Seeing Howie's message of gratitude, Thomas found it amusing. Ben Walker and Howie Wang, these two Wang brothers were quite interesting.
Having dealt with his social interactions, Thomas's face completely fell. Looking at the mountain of supplies in his hideout and his backpack, he had a massive headache!
The equipment from Caban's twenty-odd refugees shouldn't have filled his backpack. But who would have known that the ten-story building at the opera house had a basement? It contained several rooms filled with military supplies, more than three times the amount in Mad Dog's armory.
This had completely stuffed his backpack. He had finally managed to cram everything in only after abandoning some lower-tier supplies found in the rooms.
But now the problem was… how was he going to organize all this? He was probably the only survivor worried about having too many supplies.
Thomas focused on the spoils from the refugee leaders, Ghostface, and the others.
"Hopefully, there are blueprints to increase the hideout's size!"
He first looked at the three blueprints found in the Butcher's massive safe.
[Bullet Processing Workshop Construction Blueprint]
Type: Rare Blueprint
Effect: Allows construction of the special facility [Bullet Processing Workshop] in the hideout.
Construction Requirements: [Hideout Security] Level 2, [Generator] Level 2, [Ventilation] Level 2, [Lighting] Level 2, Lathe x1, Lead Ingot x3, Copper Ingot x5, Steel Ingot x3, Cutting Machine x1, Grinding Machine x1, 150,000 Apocalypse Coins.
Construction Time: 2 hours.
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[Shooting Range Construction Blueprint]
Type: Rare Blueprint
Effect: Allows construction of the special building [Shooting Range] in the hideout. The shooting range is extra space and does not occupy hideout area.
Construction Requirements: [Lighting] Level 2, [Bullet Processing Workshop] or [Weapon Modification Workshop] Level 1, Pile of Metal Parts x5, Nuts x5, Bolts x5, Tape Measure x3, Wire x1, Motor x1, Tool Set x1, Energy-Saving Light Bulbs x5, 200,000 Apocalypse Coins.
Construction Time: 3 hours
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[Calamity Coin Mine Construction Blueprint]
Type: Rare Blueprint
Effect: Allows construction of the special building [Calamity Coin Mine] in the hideout.
Construction Requirements: [Generator] Level 3, [Ventilation] Level 3, [Intelligence Center] or [Information Network Station] Level 1, CPU Fan x15, Power Cord x10, Power Supply Unit x10, Circuit Board x5, Socket x5, 900,000 Apocalypse Coins.
Construction Time: 36 hours.
Note: After constructing the [Calamity Coin Mine], you need a [Graphics Card] to activate the facility. The upper limit for [Graphics Cards] is ten.
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Thomas, seeing these blueprints for the first time, was stunned. Each one was amazing. The [Calamity Coin Mine] confirmed his suspicions about the secret Ben had told him regarding graphics cards and Calamity Coins. As he suspected, Calamity Coins were similar to Bitcoin, obtained through mining.
However, a new question arose. If Calamity Coins were mined, how did the physical Calamity Coins he already possessed come into being? This question would have to wait for a later answer.
Clearly, the Butcher's blueprints wouldn't solve his space problem. While the [Shooting Range] helped, it was a drop in the bucket.
Thomas took out all the dropped items from Ghostface, Mad Dog, Caban, and the two cultists, including Mad Dog's small safe. The key was on Mad Dog, so Thomas easily retrieved the contents. He hadn't expected that, although small, the safe contained high-quality items.
First, there were 3 [Calamity Coins]. Then, a map and two rare blueprints. One of them, as Thomas had hoped, was a hideout upgrade blueprint—or rather, an advanced version.
[Hideout Upgrade Blueprint - Expanded Escape Tunnel]
Type: Rare Blueprint
Effect 1: Upon use, expands the hideout based on its type, increasing the area threefold. Choose between a single-story or multi-story structure. After the upgrade, you have one opportunity to rearrange hideout facilities.
Effect 2: Adds an extra escape tunnel leading to the outside. The survivor can choose the exit location.
Upgrade Requirements: [Hideout], Stone x500, Wood x200, Sand x100, Steel x300, Emulsion Paint x20, Energy-Saving Light Bulbs x20, Wire x30, Expanding Foam x40, Sockets x15, 600,000 Apocalypse Coins.
Upgrade Time: 10 seconds.
-----------------------------
Thomas was very satisfied with this blueprint. Mad Dog, as one of the three refugee leaders in the newbie area, indeed had good stuff. Although its functionality might not compare to the Butcher's blueprints, this was exactly what Thomas needed.
He checked the upgrade materials. Stone, wood, sand, and steel all needed to be traded. He had the rest. Some were from previous trades, others collected last night.
Soon, a message appeared on the [World Channel].
[City - Thomas Smyth: Buying: Stone x500, Wood x200, Sand x100, Steel x300. Can trade [Nourishing Mutton Stew], various weapons, armor, medical supplies, food, and drinks. Serious offers only, message me with your price. No time-wasters!]
This message was like a thunderbolt. The materials Thomas sought were abundant in other regions, indicating he was building or upgrading hideout facilities, and on a large scale, judging by the quantities.
More importantly, he offered to trade weapons, armor, medical supplies, food, and drinks! Who else among the survivors could make such an offer? Speculation about Thomas arose again among the survivors.
It was then that Thomas noticed the number of survivors in the regional channel had dropped to 298. He fell silent. Last night, there had been nearly four hundred. The blizzard had claimed nearly a hundred lives. This was just the newbie stage, and the death toll was already at seventy percent.
"No, my current strength isn't enough. I need to process these spoils quickly, upgrade the hideout facilities, and prepare new trump cards."
Urgency welled up in Thomas's heart.
Just then, Howie Wang sent a trade request and a private message.
[Forest - Howie Wang: Legend Smyth, are you being too formal with me? If you need wood, just tell me! No need to go to the world channel. I've sent the trade. Accept it!]
Thomas suddenly realized his oversight. He had been so busy that he had completely forgotten about Howie!
[City - Thomas Smyth: Thanks, Howie. I was preoccupied. Let me know if you need anything.]
[Forest - Howie Wang: Need anything? It was just a few swings of the axe. Use it without worry, Legend Smyth. Let me know if you need more.]
Thomas didn't put on airs and accepted the trade.
For the next half hour, Thomas was busy trading. The other survivors seemed to deliberately avoid trading for [Nourishing Mutton Stew]. As Thomas had expected, no survivor was foolish.
He didn't mind. He had already acquired the key materials yesterday. These trades were mainly for weapons and medical supplies. By now, the survivors knew that after the first disaster, they would be merged into the real Apocalypse Game. The true test had just begun, and everyone was striving to improve their means of self-preservation.
Once all the upgrade materials were gathered, Thomas went outside his hideout to begin the upgrade.
"Hideout type is - Underground Bunker. Survivor, please select the hideout expansion structure."
A mechanical prompt sounded. A virtual panel appeared before Thomas, displaying several expansion templates for underground bunkers. There were single-story structures, long and narrow tunnel-like structures, U-shaped, and Z-shaped ones.
After reviewing them, Thomas chose a three-story structure. The template he liked had upper, middle, and lower levels, each 200 square meters. The entire hideout remained underground, the security door unchanged. A staircase in the upper left corner of the first floor connected to the second and third floors.
Next was the escape tunnel. Thomas didn't think he would use it, but as a precaution, he placed it on the third floor, connected to a sewer manhole cover on the surface.
After selecting the template, the hideout began to upgrade. Ten seconds passed quickly.
Standing outside, Thomas looked at the hideout's security door. It remained unchanged, perfectly blending with the surrounding walls thanks to the [Camouflage Coating Sticker]. Even the frost formed by the frigid air was automatically camouflaged and repaired.
Entering the hideout, Thomas opened the hideout panel. A 3D model of the three-story structure appeared. The previously fixed facilities now had draggable icons.
Thomas considered the layout. He moved the resting area and water collector to the bottom floor, designating it the [Living Area]. The generator, intelligence center, medical station, bathroom, kitchen, warehouse, and the planned [Calamity Coin Mine] were moved to the second floor, the [Functional Area].
He planned to place the future bullet processing workshop, shooting range, and explosive crafting station on the top floor, his [Weapons Lab].
After rearranging the facilities, the hideout felt much more spacious. The [Lighting], [Ventilation], and [Hideout Walls] had also been optimized and adjusted by the upgrade, perfectly covering all three floors.
Thomas toured the hideout. The bright, spacious area lifted the weight of the massive amount of supplies from his mind.
"No wonder rich people like big houses. There's a reason!"
With the upgrade complete, Thomas began organizing his loot. He had to sort everything out today.
He went to the top floor—the Weapons Lab—and used the [Bullet Processing Workshop Construction Blueprint]. He met the facility requirements, and he had brought all the necessary materials from the Butcher's workshop.
As the [Bullet Processing Workshop] began construction, he went to the second floor and started building the [Calamity Coin Mine] next to the intelligence center. Thanks to the vast amount of Apocalypse Coins from the Butcher, he wouldn't have to worry about them for a while. He realized that the rarer the facility, the more Apocalypse Coins it required.
Then, Thomas began to inventory his gains.
First were the Calamity Coins. Including the three from Mad Dog, he now had nine. One from Black Dog, five from the Butcher, and three from Mad Dog. This was an incredible number for someone still in the newbie stage.
Next came the main event: the rare books he had collected. Yes, [books]… plural.