Chapter 4: Treasure Chest, Skill
The ones chasing the family of four were also human, but their condition was clearly abnormal.
“Infected? No, judging by their appearance, they’re not in the final stage. Infected don’t appear under sunlight.”
When the family passed by the house where Su Ning was hiding, she finally got a good look at them.
At the same time, [Scavenger’s Eye] was activated.
The person’s data appeared before her:
[Low-Level Infected]: A native of the instance severely affected by a mysterious virus. Since the infection is still in its early stage, they retain rationality but show a strong violent tendency. They can still walk outside and enjoy the sun one last time.
“Why did I have to get infected? All of you deserve to die!”
Well, hearing the man’s roar, Su Ning understood he was clearly lashing out at society, unable to stand the sight of others being healthy.
“Daddy, I’m scared!” one of the fleeing children cried.
“Quick, hide behind Mommy!”
Two adults, two children. To protect them, the father rushed forward to fight the infected.
But empowered by the unknown virus, the infected man was stronger. The father was soon overwhelmed.
“Husband!”
“Dad!”
The children screamed in fear.
Just when Su Ning thought tragedy was imminent, one of the two children — the older boy — suddenly had flames appear in his hand.
“Father, dodge!”
As soon as he said that, a fireball shot toward the infected.
The father dodged just in time.
The fireball hit the infected directly. Flames engulfed him instantly, and a miserable shriek followed.
Su Ning frowned.
Seeing low-level infected wandering around in daylight made her even more uneasy.
“Surviving even a single day in this instance isn’t going to be easy.”
What’s more, low-level infected still retained intelligence, had enhanced strength, and sometimes exhibited anti-social tendencies.
To Su Ning, such individuals were even more terrifying than mindless infected.
She immediately packed up to leave.
She had no intention of teaming up with the family of four.
While there’s strength in numbers, in the apocalypse, other humans are often the greatest threat.
Especially after experiencing betrayal by someone she considered family, Su Ning understood now that she could only rely on herself.
In just one year of apocalyptic disasters, she had grown rapidly. Anything she didn’t know, she learned.
When pushed to the edge, human potential is limitless.
She cautiously slipped out through the villa’s back door, putting distance between herself and that area.
Now that she knew low-level infected could roam during the day, she had to be even more careful.
Behind the villa was a small forest, and beyond that lay another area.
“There are people over there. To avoid encountering them, I’ll search elsewhere.”
Su Ning’s combat ability was too weak right now. Unless absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to run into others.
Especially after seeing the young boy wield a fireball.
“Looks like talents also include various offensive abilities.”
She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t envious. Su Ning longed for strength — with power, others wouldn’t dare touch her.
Not only could she deter enemies, she could also protect herself.
Strength was the only way to prevent others from exploiting her.
Now that she was in an instance world, it was an opportunity to grow stronger. With that thought, she moved out.
Su Ning decided to head to the area opposite the forest.
Gripping her multipurpose shovel tightly, she stepped cautiously into the woods.
Though called a “small” forest, the surrounding trees were towering.
Leaves rustled in the breeze, creating an eerie sound.
“Huh?”
Just as she was about to exit the woods, a glimmer of light caught her attention.
She looked closer — and gasped in delight.
“A treasure chest!”
That’s right. The source of the glow was a rare treasure chest.
“I can’t believe it appeared just when I needed it most!”
Su Ning was thrilled. It seemed she still had some luck on her side.
She rushed to the chest, alertly scanning her surroundings, then opened it.
[Ding! Congratulations, player has obtained: Night Vision Goggles!]
[Ding! Congratulations, player has obtained: Skill Book – Perfect Aim!]
[Ding! Congratulations, player has obtained: Hot-Cold Conversion Flask!]
[Ding! Congratulations, player has obtained: Temperature-Stabilizing Flower Seeds!]
Four items total, and just from the names, Su Ning knew they were useful.
Scavenger’s Eye began analyzing:
[Night Vision Goggles]: Another pair of eyes in the dark. Never worry about blindness at night again.
A must-have for Su Ning — whether in an instance or in real life. Without electricity or lights, night vision goggles were a survival miracle.
She carefully stored the goggles and looked at the next item.
“A skill book!” Su Ning’s eyes lit up. After seeing the boy conjure fireballs, she had been extremely envious.
Now she had her own.
[Perfect Aim]: A ranged combat skill. Whether slingshots, bows and arrows, darts, or guns — if it’s ranged, you’ll never miss!
Reading the description, Su Ning screamed inside.
“That strong?! Anything I throw will hit?”
Imagining the possibilities, she realized this skill’s full potential was yet to be unlocked.
She then looked at the remaining items.
[Hot-Cold Conversion Flask]: Can turn water into either ice-cold or hot, depending on need.
Highly practical. As long as she had water, she could pour it in and immediately get hot or cold water — essentially a thermos and fridge in one.
Extremely useful in survival situations, especially after enduring extreme temperatures.
Finally, she looked at the last item — a packet of seeds.
[Temperature-Stabilizing Flower Seeds]: A miraculous plant. One flower can maintain a stable temperature within a 10-square-meter radius.
With these, even harsh heat in reality could be mitigated.
“There are ten seeds — enough for personal use. But how to plant them?”
She would still need soil and pots to grow them.
After checking everything, she left to search for what she needed in the next area — and, ideally, a safe place to spend the night.
For the flower, she sourced soil directly on-site.
She also learned Perfect Aim immediately.
Opening her status panel:
[Player: Su Ning]
[Talent: Scavenger]
[Skill: Perfect Aim]
Her first skill appeared in the skill section.
She tested it out by picking up a stone and throwing it at a target.
Perfect Aim lived up to its name — direct hit.
But she also noticed its limits: if the target was too far, even this skill couldn’t reach.
That was when she wasn’t using a weapon. With a proper weapon, things might be different.
While digging soil, she stored it in her Scavenger’s Backpack, which revealed a bug.
The soil only took up one slot — but that slot seemed to have no limit. As long as it was soil, it could be endlessly stored.
Looking at how other items occupied scattered slots, Su Ning realized she was wasting space.
“This is only the first day. Once I get back, I should think about how to maximize the backpack’s potential.”
