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

【Architectural Upgrade Scroll (White)】

[Type: Consumable]

[Effect: Upgrades non-base structures on the cable car that are below level 2 by one level.]

[Requirement: 20 Mysterious Stones]

[Note: This only applies to structures attached to the cable car, not to the cable car itself, and cannot be used on buildings of blue quality or higher.]

Su Mu's gaze fell on the words "non-core building".

The structures on the cable car... arrow towers, animal traps, granaries, wooden platforms... these are all considered "non-core structures." In other words, this scroll can upgrade them to level two.

His small quiver is currently at level one, with a base firepower of 15. How much will the firepower increase if he upgrades to level two? Will the range increase? Will the reload speed increase?

I don't know. But it's definitely better than it is now.

Su Mu did not hesitate.

"I want all three," he replied. "Name your price."

Zhou Zhenguo quickly replied: "Three blueprints in exchange for three level-two breakthrough talismans you have."

Su Mu thought for a moment: three for three sets of blueprints... one of which is a scroll, much more valuable than ordinary blueprints. This deal is a good one.

"make a deal."

The transaction was complete. Three blueprints and scrolls appeared in Su Mu's hands, while three breakthrough talismans were exchanged for the other party's.

Just as Su Mu was about to close the chat window, Zhou Zhenguo sent another message:

"Thanks."

Su Mu was taken aback.

What are you thanking me for? Isn't this a normal transaction?

But he quickly realized what was going on. What Zhou Zhenguo needed most right now was a breakthrough talisman... He needed to fight that "door-knocking ghost," and his men had to level up as quickly as possible. The drop rate of level 2 breakthrough talismans was outrageously low; if they relied on themselves to farm them, who knew how long it would take.

These three breakthrough runes can at least allow the three of them to advance to level two. For Zhou Zhenguo, this was not an ordinary transaction, but a timely help in need.

"You're welcome, it's just a transaction," Su Mu replied.

He paused, then asked again, "Have you thought of a way to deal with that thing?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"Let's take it one step at a time." Zhou Zhenguo's message carried a heavy weariness. "But tonight, I'll have most people pair up and stay together using the dormitory feature, back to back. That should prevent them from being ambushed."

Su Mu raised an eyebrow slightly.

The shared accommodation feature... This was a feature he only unlocked after upgrading to a level three cable car. He hadn't expected Zhou Zhenguo to already be using it, and so thoroughly at that. Two people in a cable car, back to back, one facing the door and the other the window, so no matter which direction that thing came from, someone could see it.

This method is indeed reliable.

"And what about you?" Su Mu asked. "Are you alone?"

"I found a like-minded friend," Zhou Zhenguo said. "Tonight, the two of us are in a cable car, facing the same direction... waiting for it to come."

Su Mu remained silent for a few seconds.

Facing the same direction. Not back to back, but together facing the door. This means they are not passively defending, but actively waiting for that thing to come to them.

They are going to have a final battle.

"That level two breakthrough talisman..." Zhou Zhenguo sent another message, "is very important to me. Thank you."

Su Mu didn't respond to that. He thought for a moment, then typed a line:

I wish you success.

The other party did not reply.

Su Mu closed the chat window, leaned against the wall, and stared at the lights that were faintly visible through the thick fog outside the window, remaining silent for a long time.

What exactly is that thing?

According to Zhou Zhenguo's description, it was an old man, dressed in dusty gray clothes, standing in the ruins after the explosion, watching them through the firelight. His face wore an expression of "seeing something interesting." It neither attacked nor chased them; it just stood there, watching.

But it kills. It knocks every half hour, with clockwork precision. The person who hears the knocking, if their back is to the door, will die.

Zhou Zhenguo said that only those who have "seen" it will be targeted by it. And the way of "seeing" it doesn't necessarily mean seeing it with your own eyes... describing it verbally also counts.

Su Mu touched the pistol at his waist.

He had "seen" that thing. Zhou Zhenguo told him.

So it will come looking for him sooner or later.

But he doesn't intend to wait for it to come to him like Zhou Zhenguo did.

He has his own rhythm and his own plan. When the time is right, it will come naturally. Until then, all he needs to do is keep getting stronger, strong enough that whatever comes his way, he can take it down with a single shot.

Su Mu snapped out of his thoughts and was about to close the chat window when another message popped up.

Sender: Shen Qingwan.

Su Mu glanced at the name, and the round-faced girl he had met at the foot of the mountain earlier that day flashed into his mind... with a ponytail, fair skin, and bright, albeit small, eyes. A member of the Talented Ones Guild's third team.

He opened the message.

[Shen Qingwan: Su Mu, are you there? There's a deal to be made.]

Su Mu frowned.

A trade? Someone from the Gifted Ones Guild wants to trade with him?

He thought for a moment and replied, "What kind of deal?"

Without any further ado, the other party handed over a blueprint.

【Strange Fire (White)】

[Type: Building/Trap]

[Effect: When ignited, it creates a safe zone within a 5-meter radius, which can repel low-level monsters. Consumes 1 Monster Crystal every 12 hours.]

Placement location: Any (ground, wall, cable car, etc.)

[Note: The flames are ghostly blue and have no effect on ordinary creatures; they only have a dispelling effect on monsters.]

Looking at the blueprint, Su Mu's first reaction was... white quality, exchanged for a level 2 breakthrough talisman? That's giving them way too much credit!

He has the blueprints for a fog lamp that can illuminate a radius of ten meters without consuming any ghost crystals. This ghost fire only has a five-meter range and requires burning one ghost crystal every 12 hours; it's clearly inferior to the fog lamp.

But the next second, he saw the words: "Can be placed anywhere."

Any location.

In other words, this thing can not only be placed on cable cars, but also on the ground... in the wild, at evacuation points, or anywhere temporary camping is needed.

Su Mu's pupils contracted slightly.

He had been thinking about a question: the strange creatures only appear at night, so what if he couldn't get back to the cable car before dark?

The answer is... there's no way. We can only tough it out, or wait to die.

But with a ghost fire, the situation is completely different. Lighting a ghost fire in the wild can disperse low-level ghosts within a five-meter radius, at least giving him temporary shelter so he can survive until dawn.

The value of this thing far exceeds what can be measured by its white color.

Especially in the early stages, when most people were still worried about nighttime attacks, having the ability to spend the night in the wild was almost like having an extra life.

Su Mu took a deep breath and re-examined the blueprint.