Road Survival, I Have a Hint System!

Bang!

A muffled sound rang out.

The stone knife in the cave ape's hand struck Zhang Tuohai's motorcycle helmet.

The helmet, produced by the system, was of excellent quality. Despite the cave ape's full-force attack, the knife didn’t pierce the helmet. Instead, the tip of the stone knife broke off.

Seeing this, the cave ape was stunned, surprised by how hard Zhang Tuohai’s head seemed, able to withstand a stone knife.

However, the cave ape wasn’t one to overthink. Since it didn’t work the first time, it just kept trying, figuring eventually it would break through.

The cave ape began furiously pounding the helmet with the stone knife.

Zhang Tuohai wasn’t one to back down either. He struggled to pull out his Remington shotgun, hoping to give the cave ape a good shot.

Under the Remington, all creatures are equal.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a warning from the system suddenly sounded.

[Firing here will alert the cave spiders in the neighboring caverns, and a large swarm will come to investigate. That would be a death sentence.]

“Damn!” Zhang Tuohai cursed softly, tossing aside his Remington. Instead, he pulled a dagger from his leg strap.

He had obtained the dagger from another player, liked its feel, and carried it with him.

Now it was coming in handy.

Otherwise, even if he managed to kill the cave ape, he’d be overwhelmed by the swarm of cave spiders that would soon follow.

The cave ape, focused entirely on smashing Zhang Tuohai’s helmet, didn’t notice his subtle movements.

It was still too naive, unaware of how cunning two-legged creatures could be, and how many weapons they carried.

The cave ape paid for its carelessness.

While it was distracted, Zhang Tuohai suddenly thrust the dagger into the cave ape’s kidney.

The once agile creature immediately froze, as if hit by a paralysis spell.

Seizing the moment, Zhang Tuohai stabbed the cave ape seven or eight more times in quick succession.

Blood gushed out, and the cave ape’s body twitched as it fell to the ground.

Zhang Tuohai quickly jumped on top of the fallen creature, plunging the dagger into its heart.

[The cave ape is dead. No immediate danger detected.]

"Phew."

Zhang Tuohai breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving confirmation from the system. His heart was pounding uncontrollably as he sat down.

Though he had been in this world for several days now and had killed some large carnivores and humans, this was his first time in such a close-quarters fight.

The adrenaline rush made his hands shake so much he could barely hold his gun.

He pulled a Snickers bar from his pocket, shakily tore it open, and took a large bite.

The surge of caffeine and sugar quickly restored his energy, and he regained control over his body.

Zhang Tuohai stood up, retrieved his gun and flashlight, and picked up the orange supply box. Stumbling slightly, he began retracing his steps.

With the benefit of experience, the return trip was much faster.

In just 20 minutes, he reached the point with eight branching paths.

Just as he was about to charge forward, a rustling sound came from one of the side passages.

[Your recent movements caused unusual sounds, alerting the cave spiders in the neighboring cavern. They have sent scouts to investigate.]

“Damn it!”

Zhang Tuohai cursed in frustration.

“Is there any way to stop them?”

[You could try shooting them, but the gunfire will attract more cave spiders.]

“Is there a more permanent solution?”

Zhang Tuohai really didn’t want to get into a drawn-out battle with these spiders.

Bullets had to be crafted using supplies, and he couldn’t afford to waste them here.

[Walk 10 meters ahead, then kick the support column on the right. After that, turn and run immediately.]

“That’s it?”

The system’s cryptic instructions left Zhang Tuohai puzzled.

But trusting the system, he walked 10 steps forward.

Sure enough, two wooden support pillars stood in front of him, covered in black coal dust, making it hard to tell their condition.

By now, the rustling in the mine was growing louder.

Zhang Tuohai quickly aimed his flashlight deeper into the mine.

That’s when he saw it—a massive spider, taller than a person, appeared in the beam of light.

The spider was dark gray, with a small body but long, razor-sharp legs. It looked even fiercer than a mutated desert spider.

Upon seeing Zhang Tuohai, the cave spider let out two hissing cries before speeding toward him.

Instinctively, Zhang Tuohai fired back.

Bang, bang, bang!

Several 12-gauge shotgun pellets hit the spider’s body.

The spider only paused briefly before continuing its charge.

“Its resistance is that strong?” Zhang Tuohai was shocked.

It was the first time he’d encountered a creature that could withstand a shotgun blast.

Though he was confident he could bring it down, he had no idea how many bullets it would take.

And Zhang Tuohai’s gunshots had stirred up even more trouble.

From deep within the mine, a chorus of rustling sounds grew louder, followed by the chaotic stomping of many legs.

“Crap, I’ve kicked the hornet’s nest,” Zhang Tuohai realized he had made a mistake.

He quickly kicked the right-hand support column.

With a loud crash, the pillar collapsed.

A cascade of rubble fell from the ceiling, and rocks of all sizes began raining down. At the same time, a deep crack started spreading from above Zhang Tuohai’s head outward.

Seeing this, Zhang Tuohai turned and ran immediately.

Even with his limited geological knowledge, he knew something major was about to happen.

The cave spider behind him, seeing the falling rocks, grew anxious.

It let out a few shrieks before charging even faster at Zhang Tuohai.

Zhang Tuohai fired aimlessly behind him as he ran, just trying to slow the spider down.

But the cave spider didn’t care and kept coming after him.

“System, is there any way to kill it?”

Zhang Tuohai asked as he ran.

[Just keep running.]

“Huh?”

By now, the cave spider was less than five meters away.

It suddenly leaped forward, its front legs extending to stab Zhang Tuohai.

At that moment, a large rock fell from the ceiling, landing squarely on the spider’s body.

Splat!

The cave spider was crushed into a pile of mush, with its twitching legs sticking out.

Zhang Tuohai glanced back at the spider's pathetic state and flipped it off.

“That’s what you get for chasing me.”