85: Top equipment

After setting up the coordinates, Shi Li and Zhong Xin left the mining valley.

From the moment they left the valley, the frequency of encountering monsters began to noticeably increase.

This indicated that they had moved from a relatively "barren" area of this Foreign Land to a relatively "developed" area.

The monsters defeated along the way did not drop any valuable materials.

However, Shi Li discovered strange plants in certain nooks and crannies, harvesting two two-star material cards.

According to Zhong Xin, these two material cards were quite valuable, estimated to sell for about 5,000 cubic coins combined.

It's worth noting that Shi Li usually only earned about 15,000 cubic coins a week hunting those low-grade material cards in the training grounds.

The Foreign Land was indeed a good place to make money.

This Foreign Land also had sunrises and sunsets, but the daylight hours were much shorter than in Durian City, lasting only about seven hours.

When night fell, Zhong Xin led Shi Li to a rock shelter to rest.

It wasn't that the two were tired; with a Card Master's physique, walking for three days and three nights was no problem.

It was simply that visibility was obstructed at night, making it unsafe.

Considering the possible presence of foreign races, it was safer to set up camp for security reasons.

"This is a specialized alert device. It can monitor a 50-meter radius in real-time from all aspects, including sound waves, wind direction, scent, and thermal imaging.

It's an essential tool for us when undertaking exploration missions in the Foreign Land."

Zhong Xin pulled out a fist-sized, four-cornered instrument that looked a bit like a level.

"Alright, this way we can rest assured and don't need to stand guard."

He smiled and jumped onto a large rock, placing the device flat on top.

[Beep beep beep beep!]

After the alert device emitted a starting sound, Shi Li felt an indescribable ripple touch his skin.

However, that strange sensation disappeared instantly, as if nothing had happened.

"Don't let its small size fool you; this thing is highly advanced technologically, so it's not cheap.

It sells for nearly 20,000 cubic coins outside, and it might not even be available on the market."

Zhong Xin believed Shi Li had never seen such a thing.

So, the two ate a simple field ration and, after a brief chat, prepared to rest.

The night hours here were also very short, about seven hours.

Therefore, they had to quickly get some rest.

"The school's outdoor practical lessons should have taught you how to pitch a tent, right?"

"Yes, I'll do it."

Shi Li initially thought he was being asked to do it himself, but he was stopped.

"It's not suitable for pitching a tent here tonight; a sleeping bag will do."

Saying this, Zhong Xin took a fist-sized box from his backpack.

He placed the box on the ground and pressed a switch.

Pshhh...

With a sucking sound, a cloth-like object quickly emerged from the box.

And it rapidly expanded, forming a full, warm sleeping bag.

"Extreme compression sleeping bag, ever seen one?"

Zhong Xin asked with a smile.

"Never seen one."

Shi Li shook his head honestly.

"This sleeping bag is small in volume, making it convenient for carrying, storing, and deploying.

Like this, and the alert device just now, they are all provided to us free of charge by the Card Hall."

Zhong Xin's meaning was clear: Look how good the benefits are at our Li Card Hall.

In reality, he was being a bit sly; the "us" here did not refer to ordinary Pioneer Team members, but to captain-level Pioneer Team members.

"It's really convenient. Is this also a type of capsule technology?"

"Haha, I suppose so."

Zhong Xin chuckled.

Extreme compression technology, to put it plainly, still belonged to the realm of basic physics technology, and compared to space capsules, it was miles behind in terms of technological content.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than he saw Shi Li pull out a capsule.

Before, there were too many people, and Shi Li felt that pulling out a capsule item abruptly would make him seem a bit special.

But now, hearing Zhong Xin say this, he felt relieved.

Bang!

After a puff of white smoke dissipated, his exclusive cubic cabin appeared.

"Capsule cubic cabin?! Is this yours?"

Zhong Xin's expression froze.

"Yes."

Shi Li nodded.

Zhong Xin walked over and examined it, his face gradually turning grim.

Because this was the latest and highest-spec capsule cubic cabin on the market.

Not only was the outer shell extremely sturdy, but the interior was also very spacious and comfortable.

Sleeping in this was hundreds of times better than sleeping in a sleeping bag.

Moreover, the cabin's functions were quite rich and complete.

The developers even considered its practicality in the wild, equipping it with an alert function.

Its alert range was several times that of his own alert device.

Damn!

I even want such a top-notch item!

His boasting instantly turned into a face-slapping scene.

"If I had known you had something like this, I wouldn't have bothered taking out the alert device."

In the end, Zhong Xin still hid his envy, forcing a smile.

After preparing for rest, the two quickly entered a state of repose.

However, lying next to the cubic cabin made Zhong Xin feel that his sleeping bag was so pathetic.

The next day, at dawn, the two set off again.

"Zhong Captain, did you not sleep well last night?"

Seeing Zhong Xin yawning repeatedly, Shi Li expressed concern.

"It's nothing, today we'll slightly adjust our direction of travel."

Zhong Xin changed the subject.

Yesterday, the two had explored the vicinity and found a river about two kilometers from their Station.

Instrumental tests showed that the river's water quality was fine and met the needs for biological consumption.

So, based on experience, he speculated that by following the river's direction, there would be a greater possibility of encountering foreign races.

Although encountering foreign races carried risks, Zhong Xin himself was very eager to trigger an Event.

Especially if it was a Core Event, that would be even better.

However, after walking along the river for a full three days, the two had basically found nothing.

Besides the monsters that came to drink water or lived directly by the river, they hadn't even encountered a shadow of a foreign race.

As for the strength of the monsters, most were two-star.

A small number of three-star monsters appeared, but none could compare to the giant centipedes and the armored rhinoceros beasts from the mine before.

"We'll walk for one more day, then we'll head back."

Zhong Xin's tone carried a hint of disappointment.

This exploration mission had not yielded much.

The value of that mine was currently inestimable, but they were merely discoverers, not exploiters.

So, even if materials worth ten million were eventually developed, the two would only get 50,000 each after splitting it, and it was unknown when they would receive it.

As for the exploration bonus subsidy, based on the distance and area they had covered these days, each person would likely receive between 10,000 and 20,000 cubic coins.

This meager gain was not considered a large sum for Zhong Xin.

"Zhong Captain, what's that over there?"

However, at that moment, Shi Li seemed to have discovered something unusual.

...

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