The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

You don't need to scout every single monster; just entering an area will automatically provide the overall monster distribution and level assessment. Furthermore, the "Unknown Creature" marker clearly indicates the highest level monster in the vicinity.

The only drawback is that we can't know the exact location of the monster.

shook his head.

He pulled his attention away from his senses and began to observe the situation inside the hotel.

There was a rusty, half-open iron door on the roof leading downstairs. Su Mu tiptoed over and gently pushed the door open with the muzzle of his gun.

Behind the door was a stairwell that stretched downwards and disappeared into the darkness. There was no sound, no movement.

Su Mu took out a flashlight from his backpack, turned it on, and shone it down the stairs, one step at a time.

The hotel was quieter than he had expected.

The corridor was empty, the carpet was covered in dust, and the yellowed decorative paintings on the walls were crooked. He walked past several guest rooms, some doors were open and some were closed, but he did not see any trace of the monster.

Until he reached the third floor.

The door to the stairwell was ajar, and a faint, rotten smell wafted from the crack. Su Mu stopped and listened intently... There was a sound, very faint, like something slowly being dragged.

He gently pushed open the door, and the beam of his flashlight swept across the corridor.

At the end of the corridor, two zombies were crawling on the ground. Their legs seemed to be broken, and they could only drag themselves forward with their arms, leaving dark red streaks of blood on the carpet. They were not high-level, one level one and the other level two.

Su Mu lifted the M500 and installed the muffler.

"Pfft, pfft."

Two zombies were shot in the head, twitched twice, and then went still.

[Killed a Lv1 Corrupted Student, EXP +0.02.]

[Killed a Lv2 Corrupted Student, EXP +0.05.]

Su Mu glanced at the changes in experience points and shook his head.

Once you reach a higher level, the rewards from killing low-level monsters become almost negligible. However, every little bit helps, and small gains add up.

He continued searching.

The hotel wasn't big, just over ten floors, and he walked through every single one. Most of the rooms were empty, with only a few scattered zombies, all below level two, easily taken down with a single shot, posing no threat whatsoever.

He did not find the treasure chest.

Su Mu stood in the lobby on the first floor and glanced around. There was no reception desk, lounge area, restaurant, elevator... Just as he was about to give up, he caught a glimpse of a small room behind the reception desk, with a sign on the door that read "Manager's Office".

He walked over and pushed open the door.

The room was small, containing a desk, a chair, a filing cabinet, and several certificates of merit hanging on the wall. In the corner, a bronze box lay quietly on the floor.

Bronze treasure chest.

Su Mu's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over, squatted down, and opened it.

Two beams of light simultaneously came into view.

The first item was a skill book. It had a pale white cover with a picture of a toolbox on it.

[Vocational Skills Book - Junior Repairman (White)]

[Type: Life Skills]

[Effect: After use, you can change your job to "Junior Repairman (White)," gaining basic abilities to repair buildings and equipment.]

[Job change requirement: Level 3 required.]

Su Mu raised an eyebrow slightly.

His occupation... Repairman. Not the combat profession he wanted, but not bad either.

Repairing buildings and equipment is an extremely useful skill for long-term survival. He also remembered Chen Guoliang saying that his profession was in repair, and that he could create general-purpose repair devices.

This skill book should be worth quite a bit if you trade it.

The second item is a scroll.

[Level 2 Cable Car Upgrade Blueprint (White)]

[Type: Cable car upgrade blueprints]

[Effect: Upgrades the Lv1 cable car to Lv2, with the upgrade direction fixed as "Balanced".]

[Required materials: 7 iron ingots, 3 high-strength glass essences.]

Su Mu looked at the blueprint, lost in thought.

The bronze chest he opened in Peace Town before gave him a white bulletproof vest and some basic supplies. But this bronze chest gave him a profession manual and a cable car upgrade blueprint... the value is completely different.

After entering the city, the value of the treasure chests increased.

Or rather, the more dangerous the place, the richer the reward from the treasure chest.

Su Mu put the two items into his backpack and stood up.

The value of a gold chest is two levels higher than that of a bronze chest. If a bronze chest can yield a profession manual, what can a gold chest contain?

He walked out of the hotel, stood at the door, and glanced in the direction of Ash University.

The school isn't far from here, only a ten-minute walk away. But the monster density along the way is quite high, and that level eight monster is right in the student dormitory area.

Su Mu gripped the M500 tightly and stepped into the street.

I hadn't gone far when a sharp hissing sound came from above.

He looked up sharply.

Several flying creatures darted out from the gaps between the buildings and swooped down towards him. They were not large, about the size of pigeons, their bodies engulfed in dark red flames, and their tails had long, thin spikes with a scorching red tip.

【Flame Stinger Bee (Lv3)】

[Race: Insect/Fire]

【Strength: 18】

[Physical Fitness: 22]

[Agility: 35]

【Spirit: 5】

[Skills: Flame Impact (Releases flames upon impact, causing area-of-effect burning damage), Poisonous Sting (Spiked attack, dealing piercing damage and applying a fire damage over time)]

[Note: This is a social creature, typically found in groups of 5-10. Flames have a strong affinity for organic matter.]

Five, a group.

Su Mu remained calm. He raised the M500 and aimed at the one in front.

"puff."

The bullet struck the Flame Stinger Bee precisely in the head. The flames on its body flickered violently before going out, and its corpse fell from the sky.

[Slaying a Lv3 Flame Stinger Bee grants +0.5 experience points.]

"Puff, puff, puff."

Three more shots were fired, and three Flame Stinger Bees fell to the ground. The last one rushed to within two meters of him, but Su Mu dodged to the side and simultaneously summoned a spear from the void, thrusting it out.

The spear tip pierced the body of the Flame Stinger Bee, and flames spread across the shaft for a moment before extinguishing.

[Slaying a Lv3 Flame Stinger Bee grants +0.5 experience points.]

Five, all taken care of in less than five seconds.

These things don't produce much food, but they do produce ingredients: the flame glands of flame bees.

Because of the role the cat demon teeth played in the cable car's evolution, he naturally collected these items.

Then, Su Mu sheathed his spear, shook off the remaining embers of flame on the tip, and continued walking forward.

These little creatures weren't difficult to deal with, but they served as a reminder. (City)

The monsters inside are far more diverse than those in the wild, and their abilities are incredibly varied. A direct hit from a Flame Stinger Bee's fire attack could set his clothes and backpack ablaze. While not life-threatening, it would be a troublesome situation to deal with.

We must be more careful.

Su Mu quickened his pace and headed towards Ash University.