Below the sturdy wooden table, there was an opening roughly one meter wide and long.
Lin Yue placed the wooden table into the inventory, simultaneously stepping onto the staircase that stretched downward.
On his shoulder, Bai had already jumped over; it seemed quite intrigued by the suddenly emerging underground space.
The staircase was somewhat steep, and Lin Yue cautiously descended step by step, holding a torch.
After ten steps, there was a very small platform, then, after turning a corner, he descended another ten steps to finally reach a flat surface.
He held up the torch and observed carefully.
Square-shaped, and completely identical to the shelter above. However, this place was relatively cooler and drier, and the sealing was excellent.
Bai chirped happily, seeming to like the environment here.
"Haha, feels a bit like entering a coffin. The air here seems a bit lacking too." Lin Yue checked the environment and quickly identified its drawbacks.
But still, it's far better than the other two options.
If it doesn't work as a shelter, then it could simply serve as a warehouse.
[Detected entry into undergound shelter. Due to the lack of foundation in the upper layer, the upper structure might collapse. Would you like to spend 10 stones to lay the foundation?]
The system suddenly issued a prompt at this time.
Goodness, a whole set of problems, having to lay a foundation?
Although Lin Yue grumbled, he still quickly confirmed the foundation construction.
The structure above was stone-built. If it collapsed and he was right inside, that would be quite a dramatic scene.
Soon, as a white light beamed above the basement, it seemed that the foundation was completed.
Lin Yue returned to the upper level with the torch, putting heavier and space-occupying items temporarily unused, such as engines and batteries extracted from the Secret Realm, into the inventory before transporting them to the basement.
After bustling around for a while, everything was finally sorted out.
Having done all this, the shelter above was restored to cleanliness and order, and the space was spacious again.
With his mood lifted by this, Lin Yue left with Bai to step outside.
With all that set, the next thing he needed to do was to think about how to withstand the global disaster—snowstorm two days later.
Wearing wooden armor, with a small round shield in his left hand and an iron spear in his right, Lin Yue was fully armed.
This set of equipment, coupled with the helpful presence of Bai—a small companion creature already looking quite capable—made it utterly straightforward to deal with those pesky mutated insects and creatures around.
His gaze landed on the places where he buried the mutant sheep carcasses the previous day and the day before, and there he saw many beetles and other bugs currently excavating the soil, revealing the skeletons and viscera of the buried mutant sheep for a feast.
Their numbers were much greater than before.
Lin Yue suddenly had an idea.
This… seemed like a bait trap.
Initially, finding such small mutated creatures required substantial effort and time, only to locate a few across the desert.
Now, thanks to these carcasses, he could easily spot them.
These scavengers had weak attack power and wouldn't attack unless provoked.
These bugs were precisely the main source of supplies for Lin Yue, acquiring food and water from Wooden Treasure Chests.
Over the past days, he'd been continuously taking down mutant sheep, extracting enough materials, and burying them. By the next day, he would see a substantial number of these mutated insects…
As long as he eliminated the insects and small lizards and such, Wooden Treasure Chests with food and water would appear.
If he continually buried these large mutated creatures here, these bugs would keep coming back.
Seems like a virtuous cycle?
Lin Yue contemplated as he kept harvesting the large beetles and small lizards with his iron spear.
Before long, the number of Wooden Treasure Chests in his inventory shot up to a high of 30!
"Chirp, chirp!" Bai on his shoulder kept chirping, apparently eager to join the fight.
"Thirty is enough, Bai. I'll leave the remaining few to you."
Lin Yue sensed Bai's desire to battle.
This little one seemed quite combative, perfect for some training exercises.
Previously in the Secret Realm, during the battle with the giant rat, its contribution was limited to a single strike.
If faced with stronger foes, Bai's current power was still lacking.
It's necessary to train it well to make it an even more important ally.
Plus, Bai needed growth. The little creature was still in its juvenile phase according to the system yesterday.
Would it become stronger once grown?
Lin Yue watched as Bai charged at a large beetle.
The beetle was engrossed in munching the foul-smelling viscera of the mutant sheep, paying little heed to its surroundings, thus quickly met its demise!
As Bai spewed white mist, the green beetle was instantly coated in white frost!
The black joints of the beetle froze, ceasing movement, and Bai swiftly crushed its head with its jaws!
The set of actions flowed seamlessly; Bai seemed like a born hunter, completing a kill with rapid combat execution!
Afterward, Bai, still eager, locked onto the remaining few.
Double kill, triple kill, quadra kill, penta kill, rampage!
Dominating the field, unstoppable!
That white figure swiftly turned into the grim reaper of the desert!
Wow!
Lin Yue was somewhat surprised.
Unexpectedly, this little fellow was so fierce!
[You have obtained a special treasure chest]
After defeating the last beetle, the system voice suddenly chimed in.
Hmm? Although Bai killed the bug, the treasure chest was awarded to him?
Also, what is this special treasure chest?
Lin Yue peered at the special treasure chest.
Generally similar to the original Wooden Treasure Chest, but had a yellow five-pointed star on it.
What's the meaning?
He opened it.
[You obtained an Elemental Necklace X1]
Hmm? Another item that didn't belong to the normal range appeared.
[Elemental Necklace, once worn by mutated creatures, boosts their elemental attack power]
Damn.
Is this even a proper wasteland survival scenario?
Lin Yue pulled out the necklace adorned with a pale yellow star from the chest and looked at Bai.
The little one seemed very interested in the necklace in his hand, staring intently.
"Like it that much? But it seems a bit too big for you." The necklace was indeed large enough that even a big dog could wear it.
However, as Lin Yue pretended to fit it around Bai's neck, the necklace miraculously shrank to a perfectly snug size!
Clearly, some things in this world cannot be explained by common sense.
Ask and you shall know game high technology.
Bai donned the necklace without discomfort, and Lin Yue gently tugged it, finding it simple to remove.
Yet… according to the description, it could enhance elemental attack power…
"Bai, use Frost Breath on that bug again."
"Chirp!" Bai seemed to understand, quickly blanketing a bug in white mist.
This mist was now twice the range as before, covering not only the bug's corpse but also nearby vegetation under a thick layer of frost!
"Is this… upgrading from an air conditioner to a refrigerator?" Lin Yue exclaimed.
…
Thanks to 08a for the 100 currency tip! Thanks to Dongpork Meatmo for the 100 currency tip!
Newbie seeks comments, feedback, and chapter reads~