Chapter 44: It Feels Like I’ve Been Cheated, Yet Also Like I’ve Gained

“Sis, will they agree to the trade?” Shu Xin looked at the chat window, worry etched on her face.

“Of course they will. This is a cheap deal, you know.”

“But you need four A-level blueprints to make it permanent…”

“That’s exactly why I asked for three days’ worth of food for two people. If one blueprint could be made permanent, I’d have asked for half a month’s worth.”

Shu Xin nodded—there was certainly logic to that.

On the other side, Lin Mu glanced at his backpack. He was well-stocked with food.

“Three days is no problem. Eighteen loaves of bread, nine liters of water.”

“Dude, are you kidding me? Each loaf is just a hundred grams. That’s not even enough for a meal! No, you need to add more. And the water, too—add more. I only prioritized this deal with you because we’re on good terms. Otherwise, I’d have listed it on the market and gotten a much higher price.”

Lin Mu opened the trading market. The blueprints on sale were all useless—he felt no urge to buy any of them.

He couldn’t help but wonder, if this item appeared on the market, would he buy it? Most likely, yes.

He thought for a moment. “Add five hundred grams of pork and two liters of water. If that’s good, we’ll trade. If not, forget it.”

A moment later: “Deal. But add two universal meds.”

“No problem.”

Now that he had a few more teammates, he had over fifty universal meds on hand—giving away two was nothing to him.

After the trade, Lin Mu hurried to his workbench.

There was no need to wait to make this blueprint permanent—he’d craft it right away…

Unable to craft???

Four glaring words appeared on the workbench.

He looked closely. It displayed 1/4.

Lin Mu quickly checked his other blueprints.

The ones he’d already made permanent hadn’t changed. But everything acquired later showed the same situation.

[Surveillance Camera Blueprint (A)]: 4/4

[Shotgun Universal Ammo Blueprint (A)]: 4/4

Damn!

This was a rip-off.

So they’d changed the rules again?

He immediately converted two blueprints to permanent, and sure enough, he could craft them.

“Damn! What a scam!”

It used to take just two blueprints to make something permanent, but now it took so many.

No wonder there were so few blueprints for sale these days. So that was the reason.

Lin Mu had been so focused on gathering supplies that he hadn’t noticed these changes.

“Never mind, I’ll study it later.”

As for the person who traded with him, it wasn’t really a scam.

Lin Mu couldn’t be bothered to argue about such things.

He checked the time and decided to head to the next town first, grabbing the loot before anything else.

Nighttime loot was always richer than daytime.

...

At nine thirty in the evening, Lin Mu gathered twenty crates and shut down the vehicle to rest.

“001, alert me if any other vehicles appear.”

“Yes, Master.”

With three pairs of eyes watching him, Lin Mu headed upstairs.

He lay on the soft bed and slowly drifted into sleep.

Jiang Ying sighed softly. “When will I ever get a good night’s sleep again?”

She shifted uncomfortably. The iron chain was truly unpleasant, and lying on the floor was painful—she could only lean against the wall.

“It seems impossible.”

In fact, Lin Mu had considered locking them on the third floor and making four single rooms—it wasn’t out of the question. But with no bathroom up there, it wasn’t convenient. So he dropped the idea.

The next morning.

The three of them were still groggy when the vehicle started moving.

“So early today?” Jiang Ying glanced outside. The sky was just brightening—it must have been just past six.

“He seems to get up early every day,” Gu Wanqing said.

“Ugh, I used to get up after nine and only started scavenging at ten. No wonder he’s so strong—turns out I was just lazy.”

Gu Wanqing’s lips twitched. That was indeed a bit late.

This small town was easy to clear—few buildings, all single-story.

It took less than three hours to finish up.

Lin Mu glanced at his 400-slot backpack. Only eighty slots remained.

“Not enough space.”

Whether it was materials or food, Lin Mu felt he’d never use it all.

But that was fine—he wouldn’t need to scavenge trash at the next place.

At least until he could expand his backpack, he had no way to gather more materials.

“Um, can I use the bathroom?”

“Go, go, quickly.”

The bathroom issue was getting urgent.

While they went, Lin Mu activated his modification skill.

“Install a bathroom.”

[Unable to Modify]

Lin Mu tossed a toilet into the upgrade slot.

“Make me a bathroom.”

[Option 1]: Simple Bathroom: Wood x20, Stone x5.

He decided to go with it for now.

A bathroom appeared at the back.

“...Dude, don’t you think putting the bathroom where people eat and sleep is a bad idea?”

But the modification skill was just a skill—it couldn’t understand Lin Mu’s comments.

He had to adjust things himself.

In the end, he moved the bathroom to the third floor.

“When they come back, have them wait here. Prepare some food for them too.”

“Yes, Master.”

Lin Mu went up to the third floor. The room was pitch dark.

He quickly used his modification skill to install a few lights.

Then he opened the bathroom door.

The space was tiny, about four square meters—enough only for its intended purpose.

“Sigh, it’s been more than half a month since I had a proper shower. My hands are so grimy.”

He wished he could turn the bathroom into a shower room, but even with all his water, it wouldn’t be enough for bathing.

He remodeled the bathroom again. Now it had a mirror and lighting.

That was it—no major change.

After breakfast, Lin Mu opened his backpack and looked at the pickup truck that had reached level four.

He threw it into the skill slot.

[Ding! Level 4 vehicle detected. Use to strengthen your vehicle?]

“Strengthen.”

As expected—only high-level vehicles were useful for upgrades.

It had been a long time since he’d seen this prompt.

[Generating plan…]

[Option]: Body Reinforcement, Iron Ingot x200, Mustard Stone x2

Only one option?

Then strengthen it.

The vehicle began to vibrate and glow.

The three in the back stared in horror.

“Lin Mu, is the car about to explode? Maybe we should get out!” the chubby one shouted from the corner.

Lin Mu rolled his eyes. As if his car would explode.

When the light faded, the view from inside the vehicle was noticeably higher.

Lin Mu stepped out to take a look.

The tires were bigger, the body longer, and the frame more solid.

Four new lights adorned the roof.

This was quite an impressive upgrade, though he wasn’t sure about the specs yet.