Chapter 3: You Call This the Perfect Nighttime Driving Remedy?

Lin Mu shook his head in disappointment; there was no reference value to be found here. Everyone was simply setting prices based on their own whims—if anyone managed to sell something under these circumstances, it would be nothing short of miraculous. He closed the panel and focused on driving.

His speed was not fast, only sixty kilometers per hour. In fact, that was the car's top speed. But Lin Mu didn't mind—speed made little difference to him at this point, and chances were, no one else was getting anywhere much quicker either. Just gathering resources was enough to keep them all busy.

The numbers on the odometer ticked steadily upward. Soon Lin Mu had driven ten kilometers, when a box appeared before him, sitting squarely in the middle of the road. He stopped the car four meters away from the box, and with a thought, the collection device extended from the front of the vehicle. Lin Mu guided the ax at the end to strike the box.

A sharp crack sounded, and the box sprang open. Before he could even see what was inside, it was gone.

What? The box was empty already? He didn't even have to get out of the car? Was there really such a convenient way?

He had expected to use the collection device to open the box, and then get out to gather the contents himself. Instead, whatever had been inside had gone straight into his spatial backpack.

Looking at the discarded wooden box on the ground, Lin Mu wondered if it could be stowed away as well, or if it was simply useless. He nudged the box with the collection device, but nothing happened. After a moment's thought, he drove closer, stopping right beside it. Glancing around to ensure his safety, he opened the car door, grabbed the box, and shut the door in one smooth motion.

He tried to put the box into his backpack, but it remained stubbornly in his arms. With a shake of his head, he tossed it onto the passenger seat. He would experiment further later.

Opening the panel, he saw a new entry in the log of his recent actions.

[Congratulations! You have opened a Wooden Resource Box and obtained: 100g Bread x1]

Lin Mu stared at the information. Just one? He glanced at the wooden box beside him. How stingy could it get?

He opened the book and asked in his heart, "How many types of resource boxes are there?"

[There are six types of resource boxes: Wooden, Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. In addition, there is a Blind Box type. The higher the tier, the better the resources inside, but the dangers encountered are also greater. The Blind Box can contain anything.]

So, the lowest-tier box was really this terrible.

He restarted the car and continued onward. Every so often, he would come across a box. Sometimes it was on the road, sometimes to the side, but never too far away. Even if it was a bit distant, he could drive over and use the device to open it.

Since the first box, he'd traveled fifteen kilometers and encountered six boxes in total: four wooden, one black iron, and one silver. Lin Mu's luck held—he hadn't run into any danger. He wondered how others kept encountering trouble; there didn't seem to be any threats here at all.

He checked his backpack: three bottles of 500ml mineral water, two 100g loaves of bread, three iron ingots, five pieces of wood, and one electronic component. Not a bad haul. The boxes on the passenger seat, however, were still a mystery to him. He'd tried using the modification skill on them, but nothing happened. It seemed these resource boxes weren't considered materials.

After traveling a bit further, he spotted a golden box on the right side of the road. He stopped the car, deployed the collector, and swung the ax at the box. Acquiring supplies was as simple and honest as ever—

Suddenly, he blurted out, "Damn! That's a huge tiger!"

A message appeared before his eyes:

[Saber-toothed Tiger]

[Danger Level: A]

[Recommendation: Run!]

A saber-toothed tiger? Was this a joke? Weren't these things extinct...? Well, in this world, maybe anything was possible.

Since the prompt told him to run, he decided to do just that.

"Come on, give me a break! Let me get away, don't come any closer!"

In his panic, Lin Mu clumsily swung the collector and struck the saber-toothed tiger. The ax blade sliced a four or five centimeter gash in its hide, and blood began to flow.

Wait a second! Wasn't this just a collection device? Who would've thought it could actually inflict harm?

Eyeing the sharp ax blade, Lin Mu's lips curled into a sinister grin.

"Heh heh, little tiger, let me play with you for a while."

He shifted into reverse, carefully backing away while keeping the car's front aimed at the tiger. He kept swinging the ax at it, but the tiger was agile and dodged most of the attacks. The wounds he did inflict weren't very serious.

Seeing this, Lin Mu's grin froze on his face.

[Warning! Collection device durability low. Please repair.]

A notification appeared before him, showing the device's durability was below ten. Repair would cost one iron ingot.

Lin Mu's eye twitched. He'd gone to great lengths to collect three iron ingots, and now he'd have to spend one already...

Wait, he had iron ingots—why not use the wireless modification?

Repairs could wait. As he continued to back up, he opened the skills menu and placed two iron ingots into the slots. This time, three options appeared almost instantly.

[Option 1]: Reinforce: Increase durability. Collection range unchanged.

[Option 2]: Range: Extend the connecting arm, collection range up to 10 meters.

[Option 3]: Sharpen: Collection device gains attack properties, sharpness +5, collection range unchanged.

"Three, three, I'll take option three!" Lin Mu said hurriedly. With the tiger so close, the first two options were useless.

Buzz!

Three seconds later, the modification was complete.

The collector's ax blade transformed into an exaggerated, semicircular blade, glinting coldly in the light.

Lin Mu swung the new blade at the tiger. For some reason, the beast didn't dodge this time. The ax bit into the saber-toothed tiger's head, sinking four or five centimeters deep. The tiger struggled briefly, then went limp.

"Wow! Impressive, my friend!"

A moment later, the tiger vanished, replaced by ten pieces of tiger meat, a tiger pelt, four tiger bones, and... a whip? Wait, what on earth was that last thing? Was this some kind of joke? What was he supposed to do with it?

[Tiger Whip: One bite grants three hours of vigor, no side effects. Essential for night driving. (10/10)]

Lin Mu fell silent. No matter how you looked at it, this had nothing to do with driving at night. But, he had to admit, it was a useful item. He supposed he could force himself to try a bite if necessary. Judging by the number at the end, it could only be consumed ten times.

That eliminated any possibility of exploiting a bug.

As for the rest, it was just materials and food.