SWDnovel Chapter 7 Caution and Rewards
Chapter 7 Caution and Rewards
It was another morning. When Lin Mo woke up, Hammer was still unconscious, but his condition had improved a lot and he should be waking up soon.
He glanced at his watch; it was 7 a.m., and his mana had recovered to 50, the maximum.
Lin Mo rummaged through the pile of supplies and found a can of food and a bag of compressed biscuits. After eating them, he began to organize his equipment: AR-15, four magazines, Glock 19, crossbow, tactical flashlight, flint and steel, and first aid kit.
Check everything to make sure nothing is missed.
Just like yesterday, he locked the door and led a large group of ten skeleton soldiers out of the supermarket.
The air outside still carried that smell of ozone mixed with rotting flesh, but Lin Mo had already gotten used to it.
My breathing is no longer rapid, and my limbs are no longer numb.
He took a deep breath to make sure he felt fine, then headed north.
When he found the treasure chest in the supermarket checkout area yesterday, he noticed a building in the distance that was glowing.
It was a special blue light, different from the light of a treasure chest; it looked more like some kind of building had been "marked" by the game world.
Lin Mo had seen this kind of light in his previous life; it was a characteristic of resource buildings.
Lumber mills, quarries, gold mines... these buildings are enveloped in a blue light when the game begins, lasting for about a week. After a week, the light disappears, and the buildings completely merge with the real world.
Lin Mo's target was that glowing building.
Less than 200 meters from the supermarket stood a two-story house. Its exterior walls were red brick, and its roof was covered in gray tiles, making it look no different from the surrounding buildings. However, it was enveloped in a faint blue light, as if it had been "cut" out of the real world by something.
Timber factory.
Lin Mo stopped and did not approach rashly.
He ordered the skeleton soldiers to scatter and approach the houses from three directions, while he hid behind a large tree fifty meters away and observed through binoculars.
There were some strange things around the houses.
White, web-like structures, resembling spider webs but thicker and denser than ordinary spider webs, hung on the walls. Similar web-like structures clung to the branches of the trees, swaying gently in the breeze.
Scattered on the ground were some oval-shaped insect eggs, each about the size of a fist, with black shadows wriggling beneath their translucent shells.
Lin Mo frowned.
Poisonous flies.
Level 2 organism.
Only poisonous flies can produce this web-like structure and its eggs. Poisonous flies are about the size of an adult human, have wings, can fly, and their fangs can bite through a car door. Their venom is extremely potent; a bite can render an ordinary person incapacitated within minutes.
Ten skeletons can barely defeat a single poison fly. But if there are two or more, it will be very dangerous.
Lin Mo did not launch an attack rashly.
He observed for about half an hour and confirmed that there were no signs of poisonous flies around the lumberyard. The flies may have left or were resting somewhere.
He decided to explore other areas first, and then return to occupy the lumber mill once he had a sufficient number of skeletons.
Safety first.
Lin Mo continued walking north along the street.
The streets are lined with various shops and houses, most of which have been damaged.
The glass was shattered, the door was crooked, and there were claw marks and bloodstains on the walls. Occasionally, corpses could be seen; some were already rotting and stinking, while others had been gnawed down to their skeletons.
Lin Mo examined each corpse. If they died within two hours, they would be converted. However, most of the corpses had been dead for more than a day and did not meet the requirements.
He hadn't had a chance to summon spirits today, but he wasn't discouraged; there would always be corpses eventually.
After walking about 500 meters, Lin Mo passed an abandoned gas station.
The glass door of the gas station's convenience store was shattered, and the inside was a mess. Lin Mo was about to leave when he suddenly saw something glowing behind the counter.
The blue light was very faint, but he recognized it at a glance.
Another treasure chest.
Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat.
He immediately ordered the skeleton soldiers to surround the shop, and then led a few skeleton soldiers inside, carrying AR-15s.
Behind the counter, a hexagonal wooden box lay quietly on the ground, emitting a faint blue light, exactly the same as the treasure chest found in the supermarket yesterday.
Next to the treasure chest stood an insectoid.
It was a middle-aged man's insectoid form, dressed in a gas station uniform. His abdomen was swollen beyond recognition, his eyes glowed yellow, and several sharp insect limbs protruded from his mouth, emitting a hissing sound.
His movements were slow, as if he were sleepwalking.
Lin Mo took a step back and ordered the skeleton soldiers to attack.
Ten skeleton soldiers swarmed forward, their iron swords slashing at the insectoid's limbs as easily as cutting melons and vegetables. Black liquid splattered out, and the insectoid only had time to let out a piercing scream before it was instantly killed.
This is the change brought about by the increase in troop strength.
The necromancy was performed, and new skeleton soldiers were born.
Eleven now.
Lin Mo walked up to the treasure chest and reached out to touch it.
[Treasure Chest Discovered]
[After opening, you can choose one of the following rewards:]
1. Gold Coins x 1000
【2. Hero's Blessing (Random Level: Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced)】
【3. Random Treasures】
Lin Mo was about to habitually choose the gold coin option when he suddenly noticed the third option.
Random treasure?
Wow, what a stroke of luck!
Lin Mo's pupils contracted.
The probability of getting a treasure from a treasure chest is very low, only about five percent. In his previous life, he opened hundreds of treasure chests and only got three treasures. But now, he actually found one on his second treasure chest.
Without hesitation, he chose "random treasure".
The treasure chest vibrated, then slowly opened.
Golden light surged from within, coalescing into a small ring that floated in mid-air. The ring was silver-white, its surface engraved with intricate runes, emitting a pale blue glow.
Lin Mo reached out and took the ring.
[Magic Ring (Level 1 Treasure)]
[Effect: Increases mana regeneration speed by 20%, and increases maximum mana by 10]
[Description: This ring contains pure magical energy, allowing the wearer to recover magic more quickly and have a greater magical reserve.]
Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't suppress a smile.
Increases mana regeneration speed by 20% and increases maximum mana by 10.
This means his mana increased from 50 to 60, allowing him to summon one more skeleton soldier per day. The 20% increase in mana regeneration means he can also recover an additional 10 mana points per day; combined, this is equivalent to summoning two more skeleton soldiers daily.
Originally, it was five a day; now it's seven.
Lin Mo put the magic ring on the ring finger of his right hand. The ring automatically adjusted its size to fit his finger perfectly. He felt a warm energy flow into his body from the ring, and his maximum mana jumped from 50 to 60.
[Mana Points: 60/60]
Ten skeleton soldiers stood behind him, their will-o'-the-wisps flickering in the sunlight.
Lin Mo estimated that, based on the current recovery rate, he could recover an additional 10 points of mana tonight, and by tomorrow morning his mana would be restored to 60. In addition, he could summon five skeletons today, so if everything went smoothly by tomorrow, his number of skeletons could break through to twenty-four.
That's pretty good!
Even Lin Mo was so excited that his scalp tingled.
The next moment, he glanced at the houses in the distance, and the lumber mill shrouded in blue light.
Poisonous flies.
Level 2 organism.
Twenty-four skeleton soldiers are more than enough to deal with a single poison fly, and even if there are two, he can still win with his tactical deployment.
He suppressed his excitement and continued exploring, but he didn't stray too far from the supermarket, staying within a kilometer radius at most. As dusk approached, he returned to the supermarket without hesitation with the fifteen skeleton soldiers he had recruited.
Because he encountered some survivors who had been found by the monsters, these unfortunate souls were killed while unconscious before they could even adjust to the air. Then Lin Mo killed those monsters, which finally gave him enough corpses to perform the soul-summoning spell.
Three moons peeked out from behind the clouds, while a purple nebula slowly rotated.
Lin Mo touched the necromantic amulet on his chest, then the magic ring on his right ring finger, and the fifteen skeleton soldiers beside him...
This start was even better than he had expected.
Back in the supermarket manager's office, Hammer was already awake.
He leaned back on the sofa, his face still pale, but his eyes were clearer than yesterday. Seeing Lin Mo enter, he struggled to sit up: "You went out?"
The next moment he saw a large group of skeleton soldiers walk in, and he was completely dumbfounded. His eyes widened and his mouth was so big that two eggs could fit inside.
Lin Mo tossed him a bottle of water: "I've been searching the area these past couple of days."
Hammer took the water, unscrewed the cap, and sipped it slowly. After finishing half the bottle, he cautiously asked, "What did you find?"
"Poisonous spiders, insectoids, treasure chests... and a lumber mill."
Hammer didn't quite understand and paused for a moment: "A lumber mill?"
"Resource building." Lin Mo intends to train Hammer, so there are some things he definitely needs to tell him. Not only does he need to tell him, but he also needs to teach him step by step.
He sat at his desk, opening a can of food: "Occupying resource buildings grants access to wood resources, which I need to build my cemetery."
"So, have you occupied it?"
"No." Lin Mo swallowed a mouthful of canned food. "There are poisonous flies around the lumber mill, level two creatures. We can't defeat them now. We'll go after we have enough skeleton soldiers."
Hammer fell silent, slowly processing the information.
After finishing the canned food, Lin Mo wiped his mouth and looked at Hammer: "How is your recovery going?"
"Not yet." Hammer smiled wryly. "My limbs are still weak, and it's difficult to even stand up."
"That's normal. You need at least another day to rest."
Lin Mo stood up and walked to the window.
Fifteen skeleton soldiers stood behind him, their will-o'-the-wisps flickering in the darkness.
Lin Mo looked at the northern sky, where he could vaguely see the blue glow of the lumber mill.
Let's wait one more day.
Once you have enough skeletons, go and capture it.