"Found it, just as expected."

Inside Room 408 of Wutong Apartments.

Yu Yuan lifted the aluminum ceiling panel in the bathroom, and a backpack dropped down.

As he opened it to check the contents, he could feel his heartbeat accelerating.

There was an alloy folding hand crossbow, along with a specialized arrow storage bag containing 10 intact alloy bolts.

Canned beef ×5

Bottled water ×3

Golden Fleece cigarettes ×2

Chocolate bars ×4

"I finally have a ranged weapon!"

Though he desperately wanted to load the crossbow immediately, Yu Yuan had never used a hand crossbow before, so he ultimately put everything back into the backpack.

When you have options, it's best to avoid using unfamiliar weapons.

Yu Yuan understood this principle very well.

With the supplies secured, Room 408 had lost its value.

He stuffed the items he'd previously scavenged from other packs into the backpack, then replenished some food and water, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

Since entering the wasteland game, he hadn't consumed a single drop of water and had been starving for a while. He'd been enduring only because he had no supplies until now.

With his stomach full, he'd have the physical strength to handle any unexpected situations that might arise.

Checking the time, it was already 9:10 PM. The longer he stayed here, the greater the chance of encountering scavengers.

No more dawdling. He slung the backpack over his shoulders, gripped the kukri tightly in one hand while holding the headlamp to illuminate the ground with the other, then left the room.

Having made gains, Yu Yuan became even more cautious and careful, moving with suppressed footsteps as he reached the fifth floor.

Aside from a corpse near the stairwell, there weren't many signs of combat here.

Originally, Yu Yuan hadn't held much hope for this corpse.

But the results far exceeded his expectations.

In the pockets on both sides of the thighs, he actually found a screwdriver and a ziplock bag.

The ziplock bag contained over twenty nails of different specifications, including both screws and long nails. Yu Yuan was overjoyed.

The shelter door construction just needed a screwdriver and screws - now he had everything he needed.

He stored all the items in his backpack, growing increasingly excited about the two remaining supply rooms.

Just like on the fourth floor, he placed glass shards, soda cans, and other noise-making items near the fifth-floor stairwell.

Following the room numbers, he arrived at Room 503.

To Yu Yuan's surprise, the room was actually locked. Trying to turn the handle proved completely useless.

"Should I try breaking the door down?" The moment this thought appeared, Yu Yuan dismissed it.

What a joke - these apartments all had anti-theft doors. He'd exhaust himself to death before he could break one open.

Plus, with scavengers arriving soon, the noise from breaking down a door would be tantamount to suicide.

Reluctantly abandoning Room 503, he moved to Room 506. This one wasn't locked, but the interior was as messy as Room 408, with supplies already looted long ago.

However, in the bathroom corner, Yu Yuan spotted a bottle of toilet cleaner - material needed for building the shelter's bathroom, which he naturally stored in his backpack.

Drawing from his experience in Room 408, Yu Yuan smoothly located the hidden supplies this time.

Inside the toilet tank, he found a tightly wrapped package secured with black tape. The package was only about the size of a cup, making its contents impossible to identify.

Yu Yuan directly stored it in his backpack, planning to examine it after returning to the shelter.

Only then did he realize that after adding this package, the backpack was completely full.

The problem was that he'd discovered four packs of Camel cigarettes, over a dozen instant noodle packets, five or six cans of food, three bottles of water, two large packs of chocolate (net weight 1.47KG), and a tactical axe in the ceiling space.

There was considerable dust on the ceiling panels, clearly indicating these supplies had been hidden here for some time.

But now the problem was - he simply couldn't carry this much stuff.

His backpack and pockets were already full, and the surrounding rooms didn't even have bedsheets, let alone additional backpacks. Taking everything was impossible.

Yu Yuan planned to evacuate immediately, return to empty his backpack, then come back to retrieve the remaining supplies. He couldn't abandon this many resources.

In the end, he could only attach the tactical axe to the outside of his backpack, stuff two cigarette packs in the front and two in the back of his pants, and carry one large pack of chocolate in his hand.

Only then did he quickly reattach the aluminum panels, wipe clean any fingerprints, ensure no signs of searching remained, and retrace his route back.

He remained cautious on the return journey, but until he reached the vicinity of the Dental Clinic, he didn't notice anything unusual.

Swiftly slipping into the sewer, with his headlamp at maximum brightness and following the familiar route, he returned to the shelter in less than twenty minutes.

Yu Yuan didn't rush inside immediately. Instead, he carefully observed the surroundings of the shelter, checking the alert traps he'd set before leaving.

Only after inspecting all the traps did the tension that had gripped him since departure finally ease, a smile appearing on his face.

"Finally, I'm back!"

Although this operation had detailed intelligence support, Yu Yuan had felt uncertain before setting out.

He wasn't sure if he could accurately locate Wutong Apartments, avoid potential dangers on the road, search for supplies before the scavengers arrived, or safely return to the shelter with the supplies.

Venturing out risked not only danger but also the possibility of returning empty-handed. The pressure throughout the journey had been unprecedented.

But Yu Yuan understood that tonight he absolutely had to find Wutong Apartments, and even if it meant risking his life, he had to bring back supplies.

If he failed to bring back supplies today, his survival probability in the wasteland world would drastically decrease.

He had no choice.

Fortunately, although the process had its twists and turns, the outcome was successful.

He had returned, carrying a backpack full of supplies.

And this was just the beginning - there were still supplies at Wutong Apartments waiting for him to bring back to the shelter, all happening tonight.

But just as he pushed open the shelter's wooden door with a cheerful mood and stepped inside carrying his backpack...

[Ding!]

A mechanical prompt sound exploded in Yu Yuan's ears, making his soul shudder.

[Hidden conditions triggered: ① Brought back supplies worth ≥10,000 survival points on first day in wasteland; ② Weapons ≥ 2; ③ Injuries < Minor; ④ Shelter located in underground building. Conditions met. Unlocking 'City Shadows' title route. Reward: Survival Points +1000]

[Title obtained: Neighborhood Rat (Excellent)]

[Achievement unlocked: Path to Rise! (Rare)]

[Achievement points obtained: 100 points]

[Yu Yuan's shelter leaderboard information has changed.... Initiating comprehensive assessment: Initial supplies, number of shelter facilities, regional influence, risk resistance coefficient, development potential, achievement bonuses, title rarity....]

[Current shelter ranking has been updated: 9,859th place]

"Hidden conditions triggered!"

Yu Yuan's eyes lit up. Opening the virtual screen, he saw his ranking on the leaderboard skyrocketing like a rocket, climbing from last place to his current position of 9,859th.

He felt as if an electric current had passed through his entire body, raising goosebumps all over...

"It's rising, the ranking rose by 141 spots!"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com