Chapter 17: Mist? Let Me Modify It First

[Congratulations to the anonymous player for activating the Global Mist for 12 hours. During the mist, you may encounter beast attacks and unknown disasters. Please proceed with caution.]

The voice from the sky was the same as at the very beginning.

But this announcement brought troubling news.

Mist?

Lin Mu was puzzled. What exactly was happening? Could such a thing really be triggered by a player?

He watched as the outside world was suddenly engulfed by thick fog, without the slightest warning—it simply appeared.

The only fortunate thing was that his car remained clear of the mist for about seven or eight meters in every direction.

When he switched on the headlights, the beam parted the fog further in front of the car, pushing it back another several meters—now he could see about ten meters ahead.

“Turning on the lights dispels the mist even more? But there doesn’t seem to be any difference between using low and high beams.”

Click, click, click...

He flicked the switch back and forth several times, but nothing changed.

Lin Mu pulled up his control panel and asked directly, “What determines how much mist gets dispersed?”

[Each vehicle level dispels one meter. Each core level dispels two meters. Basic headlights dispel five meters.]

Lin Mu rubbed his chin, thinking it over.

So, the base distance was three meters, since the earliest cars didn’t have headlights at all.

Not much, but some vehicles did come with headlights.

So, it was either three or eight meters.

But to the rear and sides, it was always three meters.

For him, it was eight meters—thirteen meters ahead with the headlights.

It seemed acceptable... Acceptable, my foot.

Lin Mu hurriedly opened the modification skill page to see if he could upgrade just the headlights.

Before, he’d always upgraded the entire vehicle, or sometimes just the weapons or harvesting tools.

He’d never tried modifying a single car part, and wasn’t sure if it was possible.

As Lin Mu prayed for luck, he found that the headlights were indeed selectable!

“Damn! Why didn’t I think of this before?”

If only he’d known he could strengthen individual car parts earlier... Wait, didn’t he upgrade the car seat once?

He smacked his forehead. “Ugh, I was stuck in a mental rut, thinking I could only upgrade things by dismantling them. What a waste of time.”

Without further ado, he began trying out all sorts of materials.

Iron ingots, copper ingots, wood—none worked.

He tried adding a silver ingot.

[Option 1]: Slightly increases illumination distance, disperses an additional three meters of mist.

[Option 2]: Slightly increases brightness, resulting in clearer visibility.

Of course he picked Option 1; what was there to think about?

He kept experimenting. Electronic components also increased the mist-dispersal by three meters. That was a must-upgrade.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Mu added an iron ingot.

[Option 1]: Installs an iron mesh in front of the headlights, increasing their defense.

[Option 2]: Adds two electrodes in front of the headlights that can emit electric currents, consuming a certain amount of gasoline each time.

He installed the iron mesh without hesitation. As for the electrodes, he wasn’t interested in those for now.

Once the modifications were complete, Lin Mu looked ahead. The headlights now dispersed the mist for a full nineteen meters.

Not a huge increase, but compared to others, it was already a significant advantage.

Boom! Boom!

Heavy footsteps echoed from the side, and a shadow over three meters tall loomed in the mist.

Lin Mu froze, then in one smooth motion started the engine, shifted gears, and floored the accelerator.

Fight it? With that size? Even with his vehicle’s high level, he wasn’t foolish enough to try. If the creature’s strength was overwhelming, he’d be signing his own death warrant.

Due to the fog, Lin Mu kept his speed low, under forty kilometers per hour.

At this rate, he’d be lucky to reach the second supply crate by eight o’clock, and he didn’t dare stop for a second.

At first, he’d thought the beast attacks and unknown disasters mentioned by the voice would happen when opening the supply crates.

But after seeing that shadow, he realized the dangers were lurking in the mist itself!

It seemed he’d have to make quick work of the supply crates tonight and avoid stopping altogether until the mist lifted.

[Ding~ Recycled mineral water bottle x1, gained plastic x1.]

[Ding~ Recycled wooden supply crate x1, gained wood x5.]

[Ding~ Recycled miscellaneous items, gained gasoline 11.8L.]

[…]

Lin Mu chuckled gleefully. Another haul of materials—this was fantastic.

He drove at a leisurely pace, while from the mist came intermittent footsteps, roars, and the sounds of fighting.

But none of it concerned Lin Mu.

He opened the regional channel, curious to see how things were faring today.

The numbers stunned him!

Eighty-five thousand, one hundred twelve.

More than four thousand deaths just this morning!

Clearly, many people had fallen for yesterday’s misinformation.

Given the beasts he’d encountered today, any lone survivor would have faced certain death.

“Good thing I was smart and didn’t rush to open crates, or I’d probably be dead by now.”

“What about those who were so vocal yesterday? Didn’t they say the first wave was safe? See how many more have died?”

As Lin Mu watched the chat, the number of survivors ticked down by another dozen or so—people were dying every second.

“Not all of them died today. Many were injured before and died from untreated wounds. So, it’s best to know your limits.”

“I agree with that. Like yesterday, I lost an arm and now my face is pale. Probably won’t last past tomorrow.”

“You’re a badass.”

As the discussion continued, someone posted a screenshot of their inventory.

It was stocked with food and supplies, including plenty of meat.

“I believe we’re all compatriots here, so let’s help each other. Here’s an effective method: Park your car near a supply crate, but don’t get out. Use an axe to open the crate from inside. If a beast appears, just shut the door immediately.
That’s how I managed to gather so many supplies. If I get the chance, I’ll set up a guild and welcome any like-minded survivors. I’ll share more strategies—good luck to us all.”

The moment the screenshot appeared, the chat exploded.

“Why didn’t I think of that? Nobody ever said you had to get out of the car!”

“Damn, I feel so stupid.”

“If you had this trick, why didn’t you share it sooner? Probably wouldn’t have helped much anyway.”

[…]

Lin Mu stroked his chin, comparing their inventory to his own. They had plenty, but he still had far more.

Still, that person’s method was effective. Staying in the car was undoubtedly safer.

However, this tactic had its drawbacks—like much less meat to collect.

Fighting from inside a car was a challenge, and everyone’s vehicle was different.

It suited some but not others—such was life.

Lin Mu shook his head. That player clearly had ulterior motives.

The last line was the real point. But what was this “guild”? Had he overlooked something?

He closed the regional channel and checked his control panel.