Steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers is fine, it's a gold entry for every level.

With a thought, a semi-transparent light screen immediately appeared before his eyes.

The interface design is simple and clear, with category navigation on the left: materials, food, vehicle parts, modification blueprints, experience cards, and miscellaneous items.

The right side displays ongoing transaction information, which is constantly being updated in real time.

At the top is a search box, with the thoughtful label: Smart matching, search as needed.

"That's quite humane," Shen Wen muttered, casually typing "steel" into the search box.

Swah——

Dozens of messages popped up instantly:

[Selling 120 catties of steel; also looking to buy food or rubber. Location: nearby; face-to-face transaction preferred.]

Looking to buy 200 catties of steel; gasoline can be used in exchange. Gasoline truck owners preferred. Location: Southeast.

[Selling 50 catties of steel; also looking to buy warm clothing or blankets. I almost froze to death last night!]

【...】

Shen Wen flipped through the list and found that the transaction information was all over the place, including those who wanted to buy, those who were selling, those who were legitimate transactions, and those who were taking advantage of the situation to get freebies.

For example, there is one:

[For Sale: I am male, body temperature 36.5℃, and can provide close-fitting warmth. Price negotiable. Ladies preferred, no big guys please.]

Shen Wen: "..."

Is this a survival guide or a dating website?

He ignored the messy information and began to seriously study the trading rules.

He soon discovered a crucial problem—

No price listed.

The system only provides information posting and matching functions, but does not offer any pricing references. Prices need to be negotiated between the buyer and seller; if they can reach an agreement, the transaction is complete; if not, the deal is off.

"That's interesting." Shen Wen stroked his chin. "In the era of barter, prices were all negotiated."

"If you meet an honest person, it's not impossible to exchange a compressed biscuit for a hundred pounds of steel."

"If you encounter a shrewd person, they won't even trade a hundred pounds of steel for a bottle of water."

"This isn't an exchange; it's a testing ground for human nature."

Shen Wen shook his head, about to close the interface, when he suddenly saw a system notification pinned to the top:

[Friendly Reminder: Exercise caution in transactions and beware of scams. Our system does not intervene in disputes and is not responsible for any losses incurred.]

Shen Wen: "..."

Goodness, they've even come up with anti-fraud tips. Looks like the planner of this survival journey is quite knowledgeable.

He exited the trading interface and his gaze fell on the white BMW X5 outside the window.

A thick layer of frost covered the car, making it look like a giant freezer. The inside of the windows was also covered in frost, obscuring the view inside.

Shen Wen frowned.

Is that woman still alive?

As he was thinking, the door of the BMW X5 suddenly opened.

Liu Min stumbled out of the car, curled up in a ball, her arms crossed over her chest, and the sound of her teeth chattering could be heard even by Shen Wen.

Her face was deathly pale, her lips were purple, and tiny ice crystals even clung to her eyelashes.

But she is still alive.

Shen Wen watched as she staggered to the roadside, squatted down, grabbed a handful of snow, and rubbed it on her face.

After rubbing, he jumped and bounced around, making all sorts of strange movements, clearly trying to warm up his body.

"They're quite resilient," Shen Wen muttered to himself.

He turned his gaze away and began to think about more important questions.

helper.

Judging from yesterday's situation, the monster density in the industrial zone far exceeded his expectations.

The three predatory zombie dogs had him in a panic. If it weren't for Liu Min's collision, he might have really had to use space jump to escape.

Around that blue treasure chest, there were thirty or forty zombies guarding it.

Even if he can lure them out wave by wave and clear them out slowly, someone still needs to help him collect the treasure chests, keep an eye on the rear, and just in case.

One person simply cannot handle it all.

And what about the future?

As the struggle for survival continues, the number of things to deal with will only increase.

Observing road conditions, searching for supplies, guarding against monsters, picking up treasure chests... if he had to do all these trivial tasks himself, he would be exhausted sooner or later.

But here is the problem.

Where will the helpers come from?

Looking for other survivors to team up with?

The risk is too great.

Who knows who the other party is? What if they stab us in the back at a crucial moment? What if they steal the supplies and run away?

Moreover, each additional vehicle means more energy consumption.

His own chopped chili fish head has the shape of a golden roc and its energy consumption is so low that it can be ignored, but what about other people's cars?

With the current extreme cold of the nightmare, turning on the heating at night consumes several units of energy.

He has enough energy on his own, but having another car means an extra burden.

unless......

Shen Wen's gaze fell on the BMW X5 encased in ice not far away.

Last night, someone discussed the permissions of "free agents" on the regional channel.

He quickly scrolled through the channel history and found the message:

[Brothers, I took in a free agent and discovered something—the free agent's privileges are incredibly low! He can't open the car doors, can't move supplies, everything requires the car owner's permission. Most importantly, the system rules state that free agents cannot harm the car owner. That's absolute loyalty!]

Shen Wen narrowed his eyes.

Free spirits.

A person who abandons their vehicle.

They cannot survive independently and must join other survivors' vehicles within 24 hours to become "passengers".

Passengers' privileges are strictly limited.

You cannot open the car door, handle supplies, or do anything without the owner's permission.

The most crucial point is that the car owner must not be harmed.

These are system rules, absolute and inviolable rules.

In other words, if Liu Min becomes his passenger, she is unlikely to betray him.

Absolute loyalty.

Shen Wen's gaze fell on the window again.

Liu Min had finished a strange set of warm-up exercises and was now huddled by the door of the BMW X5, hugging her knees and trembling.

She looked pitiful, like an abandoned stray cat.

But Shen Wen saw everything she did last night.

Offering to help the dog that ran over the corpse—though it may have been a momentary impulse, this "kindness" is genuine.

Turning off the heater decisively saves fuel—it shows she's not stupid and knows how to weigh the pros and cons.

Enduring a whole night in a car at minus ten degrees Celsius—that kind of willpower is at least better than those who cry out for help at the slightest difficulty.

Moreover, she recognized him.

Shen Wen actually noticed the change in Liu Min's expression when she saw the car logo last night.

But she didn't make a fuss, didn't come knocking on the window to bother her again, and didn't say anything inappropriate on the channel.

Knowing how to maintain appropriate boundaries.

That's quite rare.

Shen Wen tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, his mind racing.

Take her in?

There are definitely risks involved.

But what about the returns?

A helper can handle many miscellaneous tasks for him. Picking up treasure chests, organizing supplies, observing road conditions, standing guard... these tasks are not difficult, but they are very energy-consuming.

If a trustworthy person does it, he can free up his hands to do more important things.

Moreover, if Liu Min truly has ulterior motives...

He has complete control over the vehicle; he can revoke all permissions at any time, or even kick the other party out directly.

If she can't find a new vehicle within 24 hours, she's doomed.

What's this called?

This is called absolute control.