Chapter 3 – Information and building the water collector
After securing the third batch of supplies, Zhang Tuohai returned to his car.
This time he didn't start driving right away.
Driving for two hours continuously, plus searching for supplies, had exhausted his energy, and now he needed to rest for a moment.
Taking advantage of this time, Zhang Tuohai closed his eyes and opened the game interface, preparing to check how the half-filled bottle of mineral water he put up for sale was doing.
After summoning the game interface, Zhang Tuohai was startled, hundreds of people were trying to communicate with him.
The number of private messages had already reached 99+.
"Expert, where did you get the mineral water?"
"I'm so thirsty I could die. Can you give me a bottle of water? I can be cool and mature, or cute and sweet, I can be salty or sweet."
"Give me the water, I'll transfer 1 million to you when you leave."
Zhang Tuohai looked through it and found that most of the private messages contained this kind of worthless information and deleted them directly.
There are also a small number of people who have obtained some resources and want Zhang Tuohai to lower the price.
However, the resources they have are really too few.
It is inconsistent with the price Zhang Tuohai's has in mind.
Fortunately, Zhang Tuohai is not worried that his water will go unsold.
On this road with deserts on both sides, water is the most precious resource. No one would be displeased with having too much water.
At worst, we can wait until the evening. Someone will eventually gather enough resources.
Just when Zhang Tuohai was about to close the game panel and continue looking for supplies, a new private message was suddenly sent.
"Hello, I have the relevant resources, but the quantity is not quite enough. However, there are other things that can be used to make up the difference. Can we discuss this in detail?"
"How many relevant resources are there?"
Zhang Tuohai replied to the private message.
"5 units of glass fragments, 6 units of metal fragments, and only 3 units of metal parts."
The other party responded to the message quickly.
Fortunately, it is enough to build the water collector.
Zhang Tuohai let out a sigh of relief.
Now that the basic goal has been achieved, Zhang Tuohai has made up his mind on finalizing the deal.
The only thing that needs to be seen now is how much more the other party is prepared to pay to make up the difference.
"What are you going to do to fill the gap?"
Zhang Tuohai rubbed his hands and asked.
The other party sent a screenshot.
[Lightweight tire manufacturing blueprint: Level 1 tire manufacturing blueprint.]
[Requirements: 20 units of low-grade rubber, 20 units of metal fragments, and 16 units of metal parts.]
[Effect: Reduce fuel consumption by 30%.]
Seeing this blueprint, Zhang Tuohai's eyes suddenly lit up.
Lightweight tires don't appear to be a survival resource, of little use to everyone's current situation.
But in the long run, this is definitely a game-changer.
You should know, at the beginning, each of them only had 200 units of gasoline.
How long will these 200 units of gasoline last?
Calculating at a cruising speed of 30 miles per hour, you can only drive for about seven hours.
If new gasoline cannot be obtained to replenish within these seven hours, the car will be unable to move.
In this kind of place, being unable to move is equivalent to a slow death.
A 30% reduction in fuel consumption is equivalent to more than two hours of exploration time compared to others.
A box of supplies could mean the difference between life and death, let alone two hours.
It can be said that the earlier you use this kind of thing, the greater the benefit.
It's a surefire deal where you can't lose money.
"Okay." Zhang Tuohai suppressed the joy in his heart and replied to the message.
"You should know the value of this blueprint. If it weren't for my sister being injured, I would absolutely not have brought out this blueprint. You must include medical resources for treating external injuries, otherwise, I cannot agree to this deal."
They quickly replied with a long string of messages.
Seeing the reply from the other party, Zhang Tuohai lightly tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, calculating the pros and cons of the transaction.
He has the medical resources to treat external injuries.
Moreover, with the aid of the hint system, he can easily avoid those risks and is unlikely to get injured.
In this case, this roll of bandages will most likely be gathering dust in his hands.
It's very cost-effective for trading.
However, there was a piece of information in the other party's reply that interested him.
"You just mentioned your sister. How did you get in touch with her? Are you with her? Are you in the same car or different cars? How was she injured? If you can tell me these things, we can make a deal."
In order to enhance the persuasiveness of his words, Zhang Tuohai also took a picture of the homeostatic bandage and sent it to them.
[Homeostatic bandage: Used to bandage wounds. The bandage is coated with chemicals that can reduce inflammation, sterilization and promote wound healing.]
After the message was sent, there was silence on the other side.
However, Zhang Tuohai was not worried that the transaction would be affected.
Because medical resources are the third most important resource after food and water.
Except for myself, who has a hint system to avoid risks, no one can guarantee that they will not be injured.
A medical resource is like an amulet; it can save your life in critical moments.
Zhang Tuohai believes that, at least at this stage, no one would put it up for sale.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Tuohai looked at the name of the person who sent him the message.
It was a girl named Su Mu, who looked quite young.
Sure enough, as Zhang Tuohai had expected, the other party sent a reply three minutes later.
"Actually, it's not a big deal to tell you this. My younger sister and I were both selected to enter the game at the same time. Luckily, we weren't far from each other and managed to meet up successfully. These supplies were gathered by the both of us. My sister got injured by an explosive inside a supply box while opening it. The blueprint for these lightweight tires came from that box."
"It was actually an explosion." Zhang Tuohai was also shocked when he heard Su Mu's explanation.
He originally thought the danger in the supply box would just be something like a mad dog or a big rat, but he didn't expect there would actually be an explosion.
If one isn't careful, wouldn't it directly cost someone's life?
At the same time, Zhang Tuohai deeply felt his own luck. If he hadn't bound the hint system, he probably would have failed in front of the box with the big rat.
"Can I ask what color the box was?" Zhang Tuohai asked.
"Level 2 supply box, blue." Su Mu replied.
"The higher the level of the supply box, the greater the danger it contains?" Zhang Tuohai noted down this speculation, then proceeded to trade with Su Mu.
He used a half-filled bottle of water and a roll of homeostatic bandage in exchange for the resources to make a water collector and the manufacturing blueprint to make lightweight tires.
After the transaction was completed, Zhang Tuohai immediately went to the manufacturing page.
[Blueprint detected: Level 1 water collector, lightweight tires.]
[The manufacturing materials for the level 1 water collector are complete. Do you want to manufacture it?]
"manufacture!"
With a buzzing sound, the blueprint and resources turned into a puddle of liquid and disappeared. A moment later, something resembling a water bottle appeared in Zhang Tuohai's hand.
[Level 1 water collector: Can collect 1-2 liters of clean water every 24 hours. May vary depending on external conditions. Activates when placed inside a vehicle. Upgradable.】
[Upgrade materials: a level 2 water collector production blueprint, 8 units of metal ingots, 4 units of metal parts, and 4 units of glass.]