Zhang Shi carefully packed the pile of stones into his backpack, afraid of making the slightest sound.

Pipi sniffed around the cave entrance and wagged its tail to indicate that there was no danger.

Zhang Shi then picked up the oil lamp, lifted Lao Duan, and carefully walked into the mine.

Inside the hall, two mining machines lay overturned on the pitted ground, surrounded by piles of mined ore.

Zhang Shi went up to check the condition of the mining machine and found that there were some dents and scratches on the surface of the machine, and the connection between the machine and the pickaxe was broken, with obvious bite marks left on it.

Pipi stepped forward and sniffed, recognizing the scent left by the destroyer. It lowered its tail, revealing a ferocious face, and even howled vividly at the sky wolf a few times.

Zhang Shi sneered, already guessing the identity of the culprit: the Gray Wolf King who had escaped that day.

After glancing at the quantity of ore, Zhang Shi deduced that the gray wolf must have broken in and destroyed the mining machine the day after he placed it there.

Zhang Shi regretted not setting up some traps near the mine. Even if he couldn't stop the wolf king, he could at least make him pay a price.

Right now, the wilderness was a vast expanse of white, and finding the wolf king for revenge was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Zhang Shi could only suppress his anger for the time being, remembering that the purpose of his trip was to explore the surrounding area and find a water source.

After putting the mining machine and ore into his backpack, Zhang Shi walked to the other side of the hall.

There were many cave entrances scattered throughout the area. Zhang Shi, worried about wild animals getting in, had blocked all the entrances with stones when he left last time.

Right now, the mine is covered in snow. The mountain roads are difficult to traverse, so Zhang Shi decided to find a path that could pass through the interior of the mine.

Zhang Shi collected the stones from one cave entrance to another, then stood in front of the entrance, feeling the airflow.

Zhang Shi marked all the cave entrances that might connect to the outside world, and after being fully armed, he began to explore them one by one.

The cave was pitch black. By the light of the oil lamp, Zhang Shi slowly walked in. Before long, he reached the end and saw what was inside. He couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.

What comes into view is a space that resembles a stone chamber, with the surrounding rock walls sharp and angular as if they had been carved by a knife and axe.

Above the stone chamber is a large hole that seems to connect to the outside world, from which cold air flows into the mine.

Looking at the structure of the stone chamber, Zhang Shi couldn't help but think of the tomb raiders' tunnels in the real world, and an absurd idea rose in his mind.

"Could this mine be a large tomb?"

——

This path was blocked, so Zhang Shi returned the way he came, marked the spot, and then found another cave entrance to enter.

This time, Zhang Shi was lucky. There were no forks in the cave, and after walking in for a short while, he saw the light.

Following the light, Zhang Shi suddenly found himself at the foot of a mine, surrounded by a vast expanse of white snow.

At the edge of the snowfield lies a pine forest. Even in the frigid climate, the green pine needles remain, adding a touch of color to the boundless white expanse.

Zhang Shi's eyes lit up, and he took out his snowmobile and sped off.

Not long after starting to ride, a sudden resistance came from below the motorcycle, and the entire vehicle flipped over.

Zhang Shi was also thrown off balance by the high-speed inertia, his body plunging sideways into the snow beside him.

Fortunately, the snow was thick enough that Zhang Shi was not injured.

Pipi crawled out of the snowdrift first, then grabbed Zhang Shi's trouser leg, trying to drag him out.

After a struggle, Zhang Shi laboriously climbed out of the snow, shook off the snow from his body, and turned to check the condition of the motorcycle.

The high-quality motorcycle is of excellent quality; it only has some scratches on the sleds and no deformation.

Zhang Shi looked down to examine the culprit and discovered that it was actually a metal treasure chest.

The treasure chest was half-buried in the snow when Zhang Shi bumped into it, and that's how it was brought back to light.

"Haha, this can be considered a blessing in disguise."

Zhang Shi laughed heartily, never expecting that the treasure chest was of such a high level.

Without hesitation, I used my privilege to open the treasure chest.

Ding! Successfully opened the premium treasure chest (blue), triggering VIP privileges. Items doubled. Obtained:

[Basement (Blue) x2: Can be used within the shelter area to generate one basement.]

Zhang Shi accepted the props with satisfaction, thinking that he could store some items that were not easy to store in the basement, which would be just right to deal with the upcoming extreme heat disaster.

The item was collected, and the treasure chest disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Zhang Shi glanced around and discovered an unexpected delight.

Within the snow, ice crystals exist, reflecting rays of light when illuminated by the sun.

Zhang Shi hurriedly took out a shovel and dug along the gap where the treasure chest was located. Before long, a frozen river appeared in front of Zhang Shi.

The ice was thick and as hard as a rock. Zhang Shi took out the old Duan sword and cut into it. The blade easily sank into the ice, but even when it was stopped by the hilt, it still couldn't penetrate the ice.

Zhang Shi estimated that the ice layer was probably a meter thick.

Zhang Shi built a conspicuous mark on the spot with a pile of stones, and then lit a campfire to prepare lunch.

Having achieved his goal, there was no need to risk going any further. Zhang Shi decided to take a break and patrol the area.

This place is backed by a mine and has a river running through it. If there is no danger, Zhang Shi plans to move the entire shelter here once the severe cold has passed.

Sitting by the campfire, brewing a cup of hot tea, the flames dispel the chill of the wilderness.

Zhang Shi opened the construction interface, trying to find a way to repair the mining machine, but found that the mining machine was not built by the system and there was no relevant repair formula.

"Damn it, this is a high-quality tool. How did this beast destroy it?"

Zhang Shi grew angrier the more he thought about it, wishing he could find the wolf king right now and skin it alive.

With a sigh, Zhang Shi opened the regional chat channel, wondering whether he should look for professional survivors there.

But he discovered that everyone in the chat channel was tagging Sheng Mu. Curious, Zhang Shi scrolled up through the chat history and discovered something extraordinary.

It turns out that although Sheng Mu had a conflict with Zhang Shi and used moral blackmail against others, she was actually a true saint at heart.

When many survivors who couldn't survive asked for help in the chat channel, she would provide them with some supplies, more or less.

This morning, she received a message from a survivor requesting the coordinates of her shelter.

I don't know if Sheng Mu lost his mind, but he actually agreed to the other party's application.

According to Sheng Mu herself in the chat channel, she saw a flash of white light. The survivor was then teleported into her shelter.

Sheng Mu hadn't seen any other living people in a long time, so she immediately offered him food. However, she didn't expect to be subdued by the other party, and only had time to send a message for help in the chat channel before being controlled.

Zhang Shi glanced at it and found that Sheng Mu's profile picture was still lit up. This meant that she was not in immediate danger, but it was hard to say what would happen if this continued for too long.

The chat channel was flooded with news about Sheng Mu, and many survivors were discussing her situation.

Cheng Xiaobai: I really can't understand Sheng Mu's thought process. He actually went so far as to sell himself.

Zhu Dachang: The most important thing is the teleportation method, which allows people to travel back and forth between survivor shelters, reducing many restrictions.

Hou Kun: Is this for real? How come teleportation has appeared? Will magic or battle aura appear in the future?

Tang An: To be honest, I once got a skill from a treasure chest. It works just like magic, and it can generate flames out of thin air.

Zhang Shi had already experienced teleportation once in a dungeon and was familiar with such things, knowing full well that magic definitely existed in the Wilderness World. However, as Zhu Dachang had said, he was deeply curious about the mysterious survivor's teleportation method, his eyes glued to the chat channel, catching any new information.