Chapter 50: You Call This a Minor Surgery? (Happy New Year)

Of course, only Jiang Ying and the other two had access—there was no need for the remaining pair to even think about it.

On this final day, Lin Mu was in no rush. He drove leisurely, arriving at the small town at a relaxed pace, without a trace of urgency. Meanwhile, the other vehicles were racing against time, desperately searching for supply crates. After all, unlike Lin Mu, they didn’t have an auxiliary robot like 001 to help them hunt for treasure chests.

Thud—

[Congratulations! You have opened a Silver Supply Crate and received: [Sun Protection Suit Blueprint (A)] x6, Mithril Ingots x18, Energy Drinks x30.]

Lin Mu raised his eyebrows—once again, it was a batch of strange supplies. He could understand the sun protection suit; at this stage, it was likely meant to allow people to open crates outside. But what was this mithril ingot? In his mind, wasn’t that something straight out of a fantasy novel? He tapped on the mithril.

[Mithril Ingot (A)]: As light as a feather, as tough as dragon scales, has special effects on certain creatures.

Special creatures? Did that mean he’d encounter creatures in the coming week that required mithril? Since the system said as much, it was time to start upgrading.

The first thing he did was modify his vehicle using the mithril ingots.

[Reinforced Anti-Magic Chassis]
[Requirement]: Mithril Ingots x10.

Naturally, he upgraded it. He also enhanced his longsword, which now gleamed with a silvery light. As for the actual effects, he would have to wait and see in combat.

“These are rather scarce,” he mused. After a little use, only seven were left. And in the next few chests, Lin Mu didn’t find a single one.

His eyes flickered as he opened the trading center.

[100g Fresh Pork]: Exchange for Mithril Ingot x1
[500ml Chilled Cola]: Exchange for Mithril Ingots x3
[500ml Chilled Mineral Water]: Exchange for Mithril Ingots x2

Water was something almost everyone had, but chilled water—perhaps not. Lin Mu wasn’t greedy; if he could trade for ten more ingots, he’d be satisfied.

Next, he opened the workbench and turned the sun protection suit blueprint into a permanent item. He worried that the system might pull another trick later, which would be a costly mistake.

[Sun Protection Suit (A)]: Fabric x7, Mithril Ingot x1

???

Wait, why did a suit need a mithril ingot? Lin Mu was baffled—how could clothing require metal? Though puzzled, he still crafted a set.

Examining the suit in his hands, he found it included a shirt, trousers, hat, face mask, and even a pair of gloves as thin as cicada’s wings—covering nearly every inch of skin. On the fabric, he could see silvery threads, presumably woven from mithril.

Lin Mu headed upstairs to change. The moment he put it on, he felt much cooler. Even with the car’s air conditioning off, it didn’t feel hot inside. Lin Mu opened the car door, and a wave of heat swept in, yet he felt nothing. Glancing at the asphalt outside, he quickly abandoned the idea of stepping out—after all, the suit didn’t come with shoes. His sneakers would probably be ruined in an instant.

Satisfied with his test, he was ready to set off. As for selling the suit, Lin Mu had no plans for now, though there were certainly other items worth recycling. He drove off, reopening the trading center. Five of the items he’d listed earlier had already sold—there was clearly a market. He thought for a moment.

[Ice Cubes 100g]: Exchange for any cotton-padded jacket x1

He’d made a tidy profit with jackets before—here was another opportunity to cash in. “001, have all the ice machines working and keep an eye on the marketplace. If anything sells out, keep listing according to my instructions,” he ordered. “And remember, just the jackets—nothing else.”

Lin Mu couldn’t help but remind 001. The robot was smart, sure, but sometimes it could be surprisingly rigid—completely lacking in flexibility.

“Yes, Master,” 001 replied.

At ten o’clock that night, with only two hours left in the week, Lin Mu swept through the last town. He glanced at Zhang Qian and the other two in the back seat—their faces had grown pale.

“001, watch them closely. Don’t let them die.”

“Yes, Master.”

001 paused for a moment. “Master, I can perform a minor surgery. Would you like me to open a hole in their stomachs and pour food and water directly in?” As it spoke, one of its fingers morphed into a scalpel.

Lin Mu’s mouth twitched. That’s what you call a minor surgery? Opening a hole in someone’s stomach? You’re even more ruthless than I am.

Jiang Ying and her companions stared at 001 in horror—this robot seemed a bit unhinged. They were grateful they’d behaved themselves; who knew what weird ideas 001 might come up with otherwise?

Lin Mu quickly waved his hands. “No need for that, as long as they’re not dead.”

“Yes, Master.”

Lin Mu studied 001 carefully—this was definitely a robot, but its way of thinking was truly bizarre. Shaking his head, he opened the regional channel.

With only two hours left, it was time to see what everyone else was up to. Midnight would mark a new beginning.

“Bro, where did you guys get your cores? I just need one more Lv2 core to reach level four.”

“Stop yelling—just find a few more vehicles.”

“Find vehicles? I nearly died out there. A whole convoy, and I still can’t figure out how those teams survive.”

“There are so many supplies now. As long as a team is careful with their food, they’ll be fine.”

“My car is roasting. If I turn on the AC, fuel consumption goes through the roof. It’s not a fixed rate—the hotter it gets outside, the more it burns.”

“...”

Lin Mu was startled by this message and immediately checked his vehicle’s information. At the bottom, under notes, he found the AC consumption line. It was exactly as he’d thought: 10 kilometers per 1 liter of fuel—not much at all.

He sent the information to the channel.

“Hey, try tapping on the word ‘air conditioning.’”

Huh? That’s clickable? Lin Mu tried it, and a pop-up appeared with something like a comment.

[Air Conditioning]: Ranges from -30°C to +30°C; base consumption is 1L/10km. For every 10°C difference from baseline, consumption increases by 0.5L. (Current: 2L/10km)

Lin Mu’s mouth twitched. It didn’t seem like much, but he’d driven almost 1,700 kilometers today. That meant the AC alone had burned 340 liters, while driving used only 170 liters. In total, he’d used 510 liters of gasoline in a single day.

However...

He glanced at the 8,000 liters of gasoline stashed in his backpack—maybe it wasn’t such a big deal after all. Each time he found gasoline, he got 600 liters at once, and he reclaimed about 500 liters a day from recycling—not something he could run out of any time soon.

As for the others, perhaps they weren’t as fortunate. But as long as they didn’t use the AC, it wasn’t a major issue. In the chat, many people had already chosen to go without air conditioning. As long as the car was moving, it wasn’t unbearably hot—they could manage.

But after midnight, that might change.

With that thought, Lin Mu eyed the electric fans. Wasn’t this a golden opportunity to profit from materials?

[Standing Fan]: Exchange for Mithril Ingots x5 plus Electronic Components x10
[Standing Fan]: Exchange for any junk x40
[Standing Fan]: Exchange for Vehicle Core Lv1 x1

Whether they would sell or not was another matter—first, he’d list them and see.

(Wishing everyone a happy Spring Festival, good health, success in all things, abundant wealth, and good luck in the Year of the Dragon! May the new year bring new blessings and prosperity to all!)