Jiang Chen stood behind the train window, calmly observing the sudden chaos outside.
The dark red monsters were not large, about the size of a common stray dog, but they were extremely fast, with sharp claws and teeth, and seemed to be fearless of death.
He had previously used a wide-area scan and already knew there were 5 low-threat mutated creatures inside and outside the Supply Station.
Now it seemed the system's definition of 'low threat' might differ slightly from the average person's understanding.
For ordinary survivors who were unarmed or only had crude weapons, these monsters were like reapers of death.
"The system didn't lie to me; there really is unknown danger," Jiang Chen stroked his chin, not a trace of panic in his eyes.
He noticed that not all survivors were so vulnerable.
Several people reacted quickly, rolling on the ground before the monsters pounced, narrowly dodging, and then pulling out weapons from their bodies.
Some had fire axes, some had crowbars, and some even held what looked like homemade spears.
Although their weapons were crude, driven by the will to survive, they unleashed considerable fighting power and began to contend with the monsters.
The 'clanging' of metal and the roars of humans rose and fell.
But overall, the survivors were still at a disadvantage.
After all, the monsters were not only fierce, but their numbers also seemed to be slightly more than he had scanned earlier.
"Were they hidden in deeper buildings, or were they moving when I scanned?" Jiang Chen speculated.
Wide-area scanning was not omnipotent; it could only provide rough intelligence.
At this moment, the regional chat channel was in complete disarray.
"Help! Monsters are biting people to death!"
"Run! Don't go in! It's full of monsters inside!"
"Is anyone teaming up to fight back! There's strength in numbers!"
"I saw someone being dragged in! It's so scary!"
"Damn it, what's the point of this novice protection period! Monsters are still killing people!"
Jiang Chen silently watched these messages, his heart unperturbed.
The novice protection period protected the train itself from attack, but it didn't say it protected the personal safety of survivors after they disembarked.
He was perfectly clear about this little trick.
"It seems it's unlikely to scavenge for supplies peacefully," Jiang Chen's lips curved into an arc.
However, this might not be a bad thing for him.
When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman profits.
Once these people and monsters fought to a mutual defeat, wouldn't it be wonderful for him to go in and pick up the scraps?
The joy of being a 'sixth man' was just that simple and unadorned.
Jiang Chen's gaze once again fell on the scanned map on the control panel.
He clearly remembered the locations of the two unknown metal boxes and the medical first aid kit.
One of the unknown metal boxes and the medical first aid kit were located in a relatively intact small warehouse on the edge of the Supply Station. That location had not yet been affected by monsters, nor had any other survivors approached it.
The other unknown metal box was in the relatively central area of the Supply Station, under the ruins of a half-collapsed office building, which was currently the most intense battleground between monsters and survivors.
"I'll go get the items in that peripheral warehouse first," Jiang Chen quickly decided.
He checked his equipment.
The multi-functional tactical entrenching shovel was in his hand, heavy and full of a sense of security.
His backpack still contained energy spring water and high-energy nutrition bars, ready to replenish his stamina at any time.
"Let's go."
Jiang Chen took a deep breath, no longer hesitating, and reached out to twist open the carriage door.
"Creak—"
The metal door made a slight sound, and a gust of air carrying dust and a faint smell of blood rushed in.
He poked his head out and observed.
His train was parked in a relatively secluded spot, and there were no other survivors around for the time being, nor had any monsters noticed this area.
The shouts and screams from afar were still clearly audible, but they didn't seem to be spreading in his direction.
Jiang Chen nimbly jumped off the train, his feet landing beside the abandoned railway tracks covered in gravel and sand.
He didn't rush towards the warehouse but first crouched down, using a section of abandoned, rusty train car as cover, and observed the situation at the entrance of the Supply Station again.
The battle was still ongoing.
Several more survivors fell under the claws and teeth of the monsters. But some survivors had also organized effective resistance, and some had even successfully killed one or two monsters.
After the dark red monsters were killed, their bodies quickly turned into a puddle of black water, then dissipated into the air, leaving only a small, fingernail-sized crystal shimmering with a faint red light.
"Monsters drop crystals after death?" Jiang Chen's eyes lit up.
He knew this thing must be useful, even without thinking too hard!
However, now was not the time to go pick up bargains.
He withdrew his gaze, hunched over, and moved quickly and silently along the shadows of the abandoned train car towards the small warehouse he remembered.
His movements were light, trying not to make any sound.
As a corporate drone for many years, although he lacked exercise, his physical fitness seemed to have improved somewhat after crossing over, and after drinking the energy spring water, he now felt energetic and much more agile than before.
The small warehouse was not far from his train's parking spot, only about seventy or eighty meters away.
The warehouse walls were made of red bricks, with some plaster peeled off, revealing the bricks underneath. The roof was corrugated iron, rusty and with several holes. The warehouse's iron door was tightly shut, with an equally heavily rusted iron lock hanging on it.
Jiang Chen carefully approached the warehouse, pressing his ear against the cold iron door to listen.
It was quiet inside, without any sound.
He took out the multi-functional tactical entrenching shovel from his backpack.
The amplified entrenching shovel had an extremely sharp edge, making it a piece of cake to pick locks.
He inserted the flat end of the shovel head into the gap below the keyhole, and with a slight exertion of force from his arm.
"Click!"
With a soft sound, the seemingly sturdy iron lock broke in response.
Jiang Chen's heart filled with joy, and he gently pushed open the iron door.
"Creak—"
The iron door emitted a harsh scraping sound, which was particularly clear in the silent environment.
Jiang Chen immediately became alert, tightened his grip on the entrenching shovel, and slipped sideways into the warehouse.
The interior of the warehouse was dimly lit, filled with a strong smell of mold and dust.
Sunlight struggled to squeeze in through the holes in the roof and the dusty windows, forming beams of light where floating dust could be seen.
The warehouse was stacked with miscellaneous items, mostly old wooden boxes, abandoned tires, and some metal parts whose original form was unrecognizable, all covered in thick dust.
Jiang Chen's gaze quickly swept around the warehouse.
Soon, in a corner of the warehouse, he found his target for this trip.
A waist-high, army-green unknown metal box sat quietly there. The box's surface had some scratches, but overall, it was still intact.
Next to the unknown metal box, there was also a white medical first aid kit with a red cross symbol, which looked old but still maintained its original shape.
"Found it!" Jiang Chen's heart rejoiced.
He quickly walked over and first picked up the medical first aid kit.
【Name: Expired Medical First Aid Kit】
【Type: Consumable】
【Effect: Contains a small amount of basic medical supplies.】
【Note: Better than nothing, but be sure to check the expiration date before use, otherwise consequences are at your own risk.】
"Expired?" Jiang Chen frowned slightly.
This thing, it should be usable after amplification, right?
He activated his talent without hesitation.
"Basic Amplification!"
A faint golden light enveloped the medical first aid kit.
The light dissipated.
【Name: Military-Grade All-Purpose First Aid Kit】
【Type: Consumable】
【Effect: Contains a complete set of first aid supplies, including efficient hemostatic bandages, potent anti-inflammatory drugs, fast-acting pain relievers, medical sutures, and disinfectant alcohol swabs. Can quickly treat various external injuries and significantly accelerate wound healing.】
【Note: A powerful assistant for battlefield first aid, life-saving in critical moments! Absolutely fresh, quality guaranteed!】
"Excellent!" Jiang Chen's face showed a satisfied smile.
From "expired" to "military-grade all-purpose," this improvement was simply a world of difference!
With this first aid kit, his survival guarantee was strengthened.
He put the first aid kit into his backpack, then turned his attention to the army-green unknown metal box.
The box looked heavy, with no lock, only two metal clasps.
Jiang Chen reached out, unfastened the clasps, and forcefully lifted the lid.
"Clang!"
The lid opened, revealing what was inside.
It wasn't gold or silver, nor was it divine weapons.
It was a pile of... black coal?
【Name: Low-Quality Coal】
【Type: Fuel】
【Effect: Can provide a small amount of energy for the train. Low combustion efficiency, produces more smoke and dust.】
【Quantity: 20 units】
【Note: Make do with it; it's better than nothing.】
"Coal?" Jiang Chen was stunned for a moment, then reacted.
His train's energy source was coal! This was a necessity!
Although it was "low-quality coal," having it was better than nothing. His train's energy reserves had already dropped to 93%, and it needed replenishment.
"20 units, I wonder how long it will last."
Jiang Chen didn't hesitate and activated his talent again.
"Basic Amplification!"
A faint golden light enveloped all the coal in the box.
The light dissipated.
【Name: high-energy refined magic crystal coal】
【Type: Fuel】
【Effect: Can provide a large amount of high-efficiency energy for the train. Extremely high combustion efficiency, almost no smoke or dust, and can slowly repair train engine durability.】
【Quantity: 40 units】
【Note: Refined coal containing peculiar energy, the train engine's favorite! Make your journey longer and smoother!】
"Oh my goodness!" Jiang Chen's eyes widened.
Low-quality coal directly transformed into "high-energy refined magic crystal coal"!
The quantity doubled, from 20 units to 40 units!
The effect was even more incredible! Not only was the combustion efficiency extremely high, with almost no smoke or dust, but it could also "slowly repair train engine durability"!
This was simply the perfect fuel tailor-made for his train!
"I'm rich, I'm rich!" Jiang Chen excitedly rubbed his hands.
With these 40 units of high-energy refined magic crystal coal, his train's endurance would be greatly enhanced, and the engine would also be maintained, simply perfect!
He immediately put this box of "high-energy refined magic crystal coal" into his backpack. Although it occupied a slot, it was absolutely worth it.
The first objective was successfully achieved, and Jiang Chen was in a great mood.
He still had 5 basic amplification opportunities left.
He looked at the old wooden boxes and metal parts in the warehouse; most were worthless junk, not worth wasting amplification chances on.
"Time to check the second unknown metal box."
That unknown metal box located in the central area of the Supply Station was the main event of his trip.
However, that was a battlefield right now.
Jiang Chen walked out of the small warehouse and returned behind the abandoned train car, carefully observing the battle situation at the entrance of the Supply Station.
After a period of fighting, the situation seemed to have changed somewhat.