Road Survival, I Have a Hint System!

 

“Can you add a bit more? I mean, this is a Rolex. All I got in return was a piece of meat; it was too little. People would laugh at me if they knew. Could you throw in a little something extra?” The man’s tone softened when he saw Zhang Tuohai unmoved.

He had been shouting all day and a half, and if he could have traded for something, he would have done it by now. But the reality was that no one was willing to exchange food.

The most anyone was willing to offer were some broken glass, metal scraps, and the like—more greedy than him, the capitalist.

If he could have found people, he would have hung those guys from street lamps long ago.

Now, he finally encountered someone foolish enough to trade food, and he was naturally reluctant to let go.

“At most, I can add 100 milliliters of mineral water. Any further haggling and the deal is off,” Zhang Tuohai said firmly.

He knew that in dealing with this kind of person, you had to be tough at the critical moment, or they would keep pushing their luck and raising their demands.

“Alright, alright, that’s fine. So, 100 units of gasoline plus the Rolex, in exchange for a pound of braised meat and 100 milliliters of water. How do we trade?” the man asked.

“100 units of gasoline? Shouldn’t it be 200 units?” Zhang Tuohai asked coldly.

“It was too cold last night, so I used some gasoline as fuel to keep warm,” the man replied with some grievance.

“You wastrel!” Zhang Tuohai cursed under his breath.

Those 100 units of gasoline could at least fuel 4-5 explorations, potentially yielding many valuable items.

And now this spendthrift had burned it for warmth, almost driving Zhang Tuohai mad.

“What about the ignition device? How did you start the fire?” Zhang Tuohai asked, suppressing his anger.

“I still have a windproof lighter, a Zippo,” the man said.

“Then use the lighter as compensation,” Zhang Tuohai said reluctantly.

“Fine.” The man reluctantly added the lighter to the trade list.

The two completed the transaction on the trading platform.

Looking at the 100 units of gasoline, Zhang Tuohai nodded in satisfaction.

With this, the trade wasn’t a loss.

After securing the gasoline, Zhang Tuohai picked up the Rolex and inspected it closely.

A leather strap, a gold dial—it didn’t seem all that different from an ordinary quartz watch.

“This thing is worth millions?” Zhang Tuohai shook his head and put it on his wrist.

Checking the time, it was now about half-past eleven, half an hour before today’s <Challenge for the Brave>,  just enough time to rest a bit and see if there were any bargains to grab on the regional channel.

However, after browsing the regional channel, he found that most people were as poor as ghosts.

Many had spent the entire morning searching, only to find a few pieces of bread and some basic materials—no blueprints at all.

There were a few blueprints for sale on the trading channel, but they were for ordinary items like chairs, iron pots, and cups, which Zhang Tuohai already had, so he didn’t even bother to take a look.

“Forget it. Let’s check again tonight. Maybe there’ll be some good stuff after the <Challenge for the Brave>.”

Soon, it was 12 o’clock.

The game system’s announcement sounded again.

“Time’s up! Welcome to the second <Challenge for the Brave>. The challenge time remains from 12:00 to 18:00. All players, please keep track of time. Have fun!”

“Hope there’s some good harvest today, too.” Zhang Tuohai adjusted his gear, took his crossbow and crowbar, got out of the car, and stepped into the desert.

【At 12 o'clock direction, 500 meters ahead, a sand scorpion is hiding in a sand pit. Watch out for its tail stinger; it's highly poisonous.】

【At 1 o'clock direction, 200 meters ahead, there's a desert fox. Don't even think about chasing it; you won’t catch it.】

【At 11 o'clock direction, 1000 meters ahead, there's a village ruin with some good stuff, but there are some quicksand pits along the way. Watch your step.】

“Village ruin? Let’s check it out.”

Zhang Tuohai’s interest was piqued.

Since coming to this world, apart from that highway, he hadn’t seen any buildings.

All the creatures he’d seen were various animals, so his understanding of the world was limited.

Now, finding a ruin was a chance to learn more about this world.

With that thought, Zhang Tuohai ventured into the desert.

【50 meters ahead, there’s a pitfall. Move toward the 11 o'clock direction.】

【30 meters ahead, under the sand dune, there’s a desert python. Avoid it carefully; it’s venomous.】

【50 meters ahead, under the sand dune, there’s a desert army ant nest. If you don’t want to end up as a skeleton, steer clear of that dune.】

Following the guidance from the hint system, Zhang Tuohai managed to avoid one trap after another.

Although he passed through this area safely, he was still quite shaken by the endless traps in the desert.

It was only thanks to the hint system that he made it through unscathed.

For an ordinary person, it would be nearly impossible to survive this desert.

This wasn’t a <Challenge for the Brave> more like a Daredevil's Challenge.

After navigating around a sand dune, Zhang Tuohai saw an abandoned village.

The village was built with yellow stones and poplar wood. Perhaps due to prolonged abandonment, many houses had collapsed, leaving only ruins and rubble, proof that people once lived there.

Zhang Tuohai observed the house structures: yellow stone, and small windows, typical of desert dwellings. The doors and windows were gone, and the walls were eroded by wind and sand, leaving no valuable clues.

In the center of the village was a well, but it was filled with yellow sand, with no sign of water.

【You discovered a hidden village ruin in the desert, abandoned long ago. However, some crop seeds remain. Move 200 meters ahead, then turn right, and you’ll find something in the yard behind the house.】

“A yard? Could it be crops? What kind of crops would be in a desert? Wheat, grapes? Grapes would be great, not just to improve my diet, but to make a quick profit.”

Muttering to himself, Zhang Tuohai carefully made his way to the back of the house.

Behind the house was a small yard fenced with poplar branches.

However, due to the long passage of time, the poplar branches had collapsed, and some weedy-looking plants were growing wildly in the yard.

“Weeds? Wait, could it be?”

A thought struck Zhang Tuohai.

【You found wild chives.】

Zhang Tuohai slapped his thigh.

He had actually found chives.

Chives are a good thing—they don’t need much fertilizer, are easy to grow, and once planted, they don’t require much care. You can harvest them periodically.

Plus, there are many ways to cook them: stir-fry with eggs, stir-fry with meat, or grill—they all taste great.

This patch alone was at least over 20 pounds. He struck it rich.