Due to his financial struggles, Li Ke had no choice but to sell some of the items he had specifically brought along.
Things like toasters—small, portable items—were among the things he decided to see if the merchant would buy. However, Li Ke was disappointed. The items he brought in were only worth about ten Duke's Casino Tokens, far too little to justify the effort of hauling them.
Unexpectedly, though, stones turned out to be relatively valuable. Ten stones could fetch some money.
"So, this game is like Minecraft, where mining and chopping wood are essential?"
Li Ke nodded. Manual labor? No problem! With the system-provided stone axe, he could mine all day without fear. This wasn't anything he couldn't handle.
"Seems like we can't buy anything right now," Erina Nakiri said as she opened the merchant's inventory before promptly closing it again.
She was well aware that, in their current penniless state, they couldn't afford anything the merchant was selling.
"Looks like we'll need to scavenge hard for supplies," Li Ke agreed, a plan forming in his mind almost immediately.
"Tonight, let's return to set up our base a bit. Tomorrow morning, we'll focus on gathering food. In the afternoon, we'll chop wood and mine stone to stockpile resources and strengthen our defense capabilities."
Li Ke laid out the plan decisively. Erina didn't object. After all, it was already nearing sunset, and once darkness fell, the zombies would become frighteningly agile. While she could now fight zombies, she had no intention of engaging those that could sprint like Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt at night.
However, the thought of returning to their base brought a smile to Erina's face.
"Tonight, I can show you my cooking skills!"
Thinking about the seasonings she had collected, Erina couldn't help but smile. Even though canned luncheon meat wouldn't taste great no matter how it was prepared, they had managed to gather some peas and canned chicken this time. With the addition of seasonings, she was confident she could whip up a decent stew for Li Ke.
At the very least, she could eat something less revolting. After all, honey had become a strategic resource and couldn't be casually consumed anymore.
"Of course! I'm looking forward to your cooking!" Li Ke replied with a smile. Since Erina was a character from a culinary series, he had been eagerly anticipating the chance to taste her food.
Previously, they hadn't been able to cook due to their circumstances and their mutual fear of the zombies.
But now that they had discovered the zombie virus antidote, they could relax a bit.
"Mm! You can count on it!" Erina smiled brightly, and the two began their journey back to the vicinity of their RV.
While taking a detour back, Li Ke came across a gas station.
The gas station had a roof entirely made of steel beams, and the four support pillars were solid iron. As he gazed at the perfectly flat rooftop, Li Ke couldn't help but ponder.
They could climb up there easily by using a wooden frame ladder, then retract the ladder to prevent the zombies from reaching them.
"Would building a defensive stronghold here be safer than staying in the RV?"
Li Ke made a mental note of the idea but didn't voice it immediately. He still felt that a mobile vehicle was a more reliable option.
He surveyed the area and spotted a shop not far from the gas station that was clearly a repair shop. After some thought, he decided that tomorrow, he and Erina would explore the shop to see if they could find wheels suitable for the RV.
Although the system's crafting menu included wheels, Li Ke wasn't sure if the system-made wheels would fit the RV's needs. It was better to have a backup plan.
The two quickly returned to their RV's surroundings. After checking once more to ensure no zombies were nearby, Li Ke and Erina washed their hands with soap and bottled water, then began preparing dinner.
Erina skillfully set up a campfire, assembled a simple workstation, and brought out a kettle from the RV to use as a pot for the stew. They sat by the fire, watching the sunset while the food in the kettle simmered away.
Li Ke had to admit that in Erina's hands, even cheap luncheon meat and long-expired seasonings were transformed into something extraordinary. Through meticulous stewing and seasoning, she managed to remove the unpleasant chemical taste of the processed meat and amplify its genuinely flavorful elements.
In the past, Erina would never have prepared such "commoner's food." Meals like this could never satisfy her God Tongue.
Yet now, as she caught whiffs of lingering chemical smells and the cheap ingredients' aroma, she glanced at Li Ke, who was absorbed in reading the system's crafting menu. A smile crept onto her face, and the food's scent no longer seemed as unbearable.
Her gaze shifted to the distant forest. She had noticed many blueberries and flowers there, and she had even collected some for seasoning and future tea-making.
But her thoughts weren't on that.
"If we could find seeds for potatoes, wheat, and corn, Li Ke and I could plant a large farm here and live without worrying about food."
The fact that there were only two of them, combined with the uncertainty of returning home and her culinary pursuit of quality ingredients, made her think of these possibilities.
Although she still found the food hard to stomach and the smells nauseating due to her overly sensitive palate, she couldn't help but picture this future.
Li Ke, who had saved her that day, was undoubtedly a good person. His attitude was calm and composed, though he wasn't particularly remarkable otherwise. He wasn't exceptionally handsome—just an average guy.
But this ordinary man…
He had pulled her out of a state of fear and despair.
Erina was surprised by how much she had changed. Just yesterday, she had been consumed by terror and running for her life. Today, she had already decapitated over a dozen zombies herself.
"Maybe it's because he's so ordinary? Watching someone so unremarkable manage to survive makes me, someone who considers herself exceptional…"
She realized that the most critical factor was Li Ke's steady and calm demeanor, which had grounded her.
"Living every day to the fullest? Honestly, what a tired old mantra. It's been said to death and is entirely useless!"
Frustrated, Erina stirred the pot twice with a little more force, but the noise didn't distract Li Ke.
He was engrossed in studying the system's crafting list.
"It can even craft drills, airplanes, and cars. But this workstation…"
Li Ke frowned as he examined the materials needed to craft the workstation.
Their survival in this world depended heavily on the system. However, without a workstation, it seemed like they couldn't get any real projects done.
With the current crafting system, Li Ke could only make basic tools and items—like fiber clothes, grass shoes, stone tools, and simple weapons such as stone spears. Anything more advanced required a crafting bench or even a furnace, where materials like iron ingots could be processed.
But there was a problem. Both the crafting bench and the furnace were locked behind certain prerequisites.
The crafting bench could only be unlocked through one of two conditions: achieving the status of a "Senior Engineer" or acquiring its blueprint. Whether both were necessary or just one, Li Ke wasn't sure. But with no skill system currently available, neither seemed attainable.
"Does this mean I have to rely solely on the pipe gun?" he muttered.
He frowned. The skill system seemed tied to zombie kills, but engaging in melee combat was too risky. Guns, while useful, would become a liability once ammo ran out—especially since manufacturing more bullets required a functioning furnace.
As he scrolled through the crafting menu, something caught his eye.
"Gunpowder…"
Gunpowder could be crafted in multiple ways. Using a chemistry station, it required one coal powder and one nitrate powder. However, crafting it by hand demanded double the materials.
"So, I can craft gunpowder even without a workbench?"
A crooked grin spread across Li Ke's face as an idea took root.
"If I can't make bullets, why not improvise? Homemade landmines and Molotov cocktails should do the trick."
Molotovs, in particular, seemed simple enough—just flammable liquids in a throwable container. While gasoline wasn't ideal for sustained burns, it was still effective against zombies, who wouldn't exactly stop, drop, and roll.
But there was one glaring issue.
"My own safety."
If a horde appeared, he and Erina would have to retreat to the gas station for shelter. But using fire near a gas station? That was beyond risky. A single spark in the wrong place could spell disaster.
Shaking his head, Li Ke sighed. "This is getting too crazy..."
By the time his thoughts returned to the present, Erina had already finished preparing dinner. She placed the pot of stew on the grass and started heating water in a metal canister for tea.
"Dinner's ready! Time to taste my handiwork!" she announced proudly.
Li Ke eagerly grabbed his share and dug in. The moment the stew touched his tongue, he was stunned by how delicious it was. He'd eaten plenty of canned luncheon meat before, but this was on another level.
"This is incredible, Erina! Your cooking is amazing!" he exclaimed.
Erina raised her chin with a satisfied smile. "Hmph, of course! But don't get too impressed—this is just basic stuff. Once we get back home, I'll show you what real cooking looks like, using proper ingredients!"
She wasn't trying to belittle him, but her disdain for low-quality ingredients was genuine. Luncheon meat, with its mix of starches and additives masking subpar cuts of meat, was an insult to her refined palate.
Still, she'd managed to transform those ingredients into something palatable.
Li Ke, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying the meal. The warmth spread through his body, making him feel oddly relaxed. A sense of comfort filled him as if he'd been transported to a cozy farmhouse.
In his mind, he imagined a picturesque scene: returning home after a day of work in the fields, greeted by his beautiful wife's smile and a hearty meal. The warmth of the food and her tender care made everything perfect.
Then the vision shattered. He blinked back to reality, finding his bowl empty.
"...That was something else," he muttered, setting the bowl down with a flushed face.
---
Across from him, Erina was struggling to finish her portion. Her hyper-sensitive palate made even the most refined flavors overwhelming. Eating something as crude as luncheon meat required sheer willpower.
Seeing her discomfort, Li Ke took out a bottle of honey and handed it to her.
"Here, this might help," he offered with a smile.
Erina glared at him. "Do you have any idea how valuable honey is? This is a strategic resource!"
Still, her body craved the sweetness to balance the flavors. After a moment of hesitation, she snatched the honey and stuffed it into her inventory without opening it.
"I'm not as wasteful as you!" she huffed, turning away.
Li Ke chuckled but didn't argue. He wasn't bothered about the honey—it was replaceable. Supplies could always be scavenged or bought.
But his focus faltered as his eyes wandered to Erina's legs and chest. An uncomfortable warmth returned, accompanied by a sudden, painful collision with the table.
He grimaced, ashamed of his wandering thoughts. "Focus, Li Ke. Just focus…"