Chapter 3: The Hunt

As the foundation stone upgraded, the territory expanded by an additional three square meters.
Chen Zhuo chose to extend the land further into the mountain—this time, not just expanding outward, but pushing deeper into the wilderness.

Unlike last time, when the entire wooden cabin had grown along with the territory, this upgrade only increased the area. The rocks and soil inside the mountain didn’t vanish—they were simply *contained* within the new boundary.

That left Chen Zhuo a little frustrated. “So I really have to dig through the mountain myself if I want to build a shelter here?”

Then it hit him: *I haven’t checked the Survival Platform’s chat channel yet.*

Mouth full of the last bite of bread and half a bottle of water, he opened the world chat.

No surprise—most messages were curses.

“Where the hell are we? Did everyone get dragged here the same way?”
“F***ing kidding me? I was in the shower when I got yanked into this post-apocalyptic nightmare! Whoever did this—I’ll make them regret it for the rest of their lives.”
“Has anyone seen my kid? Six years old, girl, round face, pink dress, single ponytail… please, someone help me find her!”
“Who’s got water? I’m stranded in a desert, dying of thirst! I’ll trade my stone pick for a single drop!”
“Where the hell did you all end up? I woke up floating on the ocean—someone save me!”
“Damn it, why only three loaves of bread? That’s barely enough for one meal. You think I’m weak because I’m big?”

Chen Zhuo chewed quickly, the dry crumb sticking in his throat. The chat flooded with voices—rage, panic, despair. Some screamed at lost friends. Others begged for basic survival supplies. A few cried out in fear of the unknown.

Each message weighed heavier on his chest.

He thought back to his own experience—so far, it felt like a game. But others were already dying.

All he could do was survive. Stay alive. That was the only mission now.

He pushed down the rising anxiety. In this world, calmness wasn’t just a virtue—it was a lifeline.

At the bottom-right corner, the online count read 8 billion.

*Everyone from Earth. All of them. Here.*

【Happiness Points +0.5】
【Happiness Points +0.5】

The system pinged as food hit his stomach. Only then did Chen Zhuo snap back to reality.

He switched to the Trading Market. Already, people were listing absurd trades: sand for water, dirt for food—clear attempts to scam the desperate.

Some might be in life-or-death situations, with nothing valuable to barter. But that wasn’t Chen Zhuo’s problem. He hadn’t even eaten enough to feel full. No room for charity.

He closed the platform and rubbed his chin, staring into space.

“This disaster hasn’t even started yet, and already chaos is breaking out. How many will be left after the acid rain?”

With a mix of dread and faint hope for tomorrow, his eyelids grew heavy. His thoughts blurred. Slowly, he let go—and drifted into sleep.

*Cluck, cluck, cluck...*

The sound of a wild chicken roused him. He groaned, pushing himself up from the bed, clutching his lower back.

“Sleeping on this thing was torture. Forgot to upgrade it yesterday. Fell asleep halfway through the night—woke up feeling like someone kicked me from all sides.”

Then he remembered: *Wasn’t there some noise around midnight? Probably happiness points hitting my account.*

He opened the system.

24 Happiness Points.

The top-right corner of the Survival Platform showed: December 3rd, 6:30 AM. Temperature: 26°C.

On Earth, this was winter—the coldest month. Yet here, it was still warm. He shrugged. *This is a post-apocalyptic world. Weather’s probably gone mad too.*

First thing: upgrade the bed.

A flash of white light. The last ten wood planks in his pack vanished.

【Rough Wooden Bed → Solid Oak Bed】

“Still looks like a bed, but wow—smooth surface. No more lumps and bumps.”

He grabbed his axe and stepped outside.

Above, the sky was choked with dust—thick clouds swirling like ash.

“The dust is getting denser,” he muttered.

Recalling the mysterious voice from earlier—its warning about the first disaster—he couldn’t help but wonder: *Is the coming acid rain caused by this dust?*

But none of that mattered right now.

Survival came first.

Yesterday, he’d cut trees close to the shelter. Too close. If he kept doing that, anyone nearby would spot the cleared patch.

From now on, he’d go farther. Even if it took longer.

Only two days until the acid rain began.

His tiny wooden cabin wouldn’t survive that.

“At minimum, I need to upgrade the shelter to stone before then.”

An hour passed. Then another.

Finally—

“I’ve got enough stones for the upgrade.”

He looked down at his backpack: 80 stones, 80 wood planks. A small smile tugged at his lips.

Back at the shelter, a thought struck him.

If the acid rain hits, no one can go outside. Not without proper gear.

Which meant: *I need to stockpile food for at least seven days.*

After subtracting today’s half loaf and half bottle of water, even with strict rationing—eating just once a day—his remaining food would last less than a day.

His eyes flicked to the chicken lazily pecking at the ground near his feet.

The bird froze. A chill ran down its spine. It fluffed up instantly, backing away fast.

*Cluck-cluck-cluck!*

“Hmm. Gotta figure out dinner soon. With this iron sword, hunting animals should be easy.”

He ate the last half of his bread and drank the rest of the water. Then, sword in hand, he stepped out into the wild.

Half an hour of walking around the familiar woods brought nothing.

Time to go farther.

He turned toward the east—since the sun was directly behind him at noon, the direction he’d come from must’ve been west.

After over an hour of hiking, he finally saw movement.

Endless plains stretched under a wide blue sky. Grasslands like a vast green carpet unfurled in every direction. Distant trees stood alone, scattered like sentinels.

But Chen Zhuo wasn’t here to admire the view.

There, near a lone tree, something darted through knee-high grass—too fast, too erratic.

His gaze locked onto it.

Slowly, he crept forward.

And then—there it was.

A wild boar. Black hide, thick bristles on its head, long tusks jutting from its mouth. It was bent low, rooting through the soil.

He activated the system.

【Wild Black Boar: (Green-tier)
Due to constant rubbing against bark and mud, its hide has developed strong natural defense. Long tusks capable of piercing through enemies.】

“Damn,” Chen Zhuo whispered, crouched behind a tree. “First hunt, and I run into a rare boar.”