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

He could see its value, and the other party certainly could too. So why would Shen Qingwan trade it for a level two breakthrough talisman? It seemed like a win-win situation for him.

"Are you sure you want to trade this?" Su Mu asked.

The other end replied quickly, with a hint of a smile in their tone:

"You really saw the value in this thing. That's right, I'll exchange it for a level two breakthrough talisman."

Su Mu did not reply immediately.

The other party sent another message:

"Also, here's another piece of information for you... Our Vice President Zhao Hongyuan has teamed up with a few others to target you. Be careful."

Su Mu frowned.

Zhao Hongyuan. It's him again.

Just because he didn't reply to her message, she's going to team up with people to target him? That's incredibly petty.

But why did Shen Qingwan tell him this?

She's clearly a member of the Talented Individuals Guild, and Zhao Hongyuan is her vice president. Isn't she afraid of being retaliated against for tipping her off?

Su Mu thought for a moment and replied, "What do you want?"

The other side remained silent for a few seconds.

"There's nothing I particularly want," Shen Qingwan said. "Just give me priority when you have good stuff in the future."

Su Mu stared at the line of text for a few seconds and then understood.

This isn't a transaction; it's an investment. She's using this blueprint and some intelligence to buy his "right of first refusal." Or, to put it another way, she's buying an opportunity to build a long-term relationship with him.

This woman is no ordinary person.

"Sure," Su Mu replied, "but I have to ask, where did you get this from? Did you get it from a monster?"

"It didn't explode during the day," Shen Qingwan said. "It happened at night. I was lucky the night before last; I caught a monstrous bat in a trap, and it exploded."

Su Mu seemed to be deep in thought.

Monsters during the day drop daytime supplies... food, water, iron ingots, glass essence, breakthrough runes, and job books. Monsters at night drop nighttime supplies... ghost crystals, nutrients, ghost fire, fog lamps, and other items related to the "ghost" race.

The two systems do not interfere with each other, but are equally important.

"Understood," Su Mu said. "Let's make a deal."

The two confirmed. They exchanged a Level 2 Breakthrough Talisman for a Ghostly Fire blueprint, plus a piece of intelligence.

The transaction is complete.

Su Mu carefully put away the blueprints for the Strange Fire, not in a hurry to use them. He didn't need them right now... he was already in the cable car and didn't need to spend the night in the wild. But keeping them might come in handy sometime in the future.

......

Meanwhile, in another cable car.

Shen Qingwan closed the chat window, leaned against the wall, and let out a long breath.

There were many supplies piled up around her, neatly organized. A handwritten schedule was posted on the wall... what time to get up, what time to eat, what time to watch TV, what time to rest... written in neat handwriting, like a project schedule.

"The first step in building rapport is complete."

She muttered to herself, picked up a notebook from the table, turned to a new page, and wrote a few lines on it:

"Target: Su Mu. Level 3, suspected of possessing multiple rule-based talents. Extremely strong, cautious, and does not easily trust others."

"Today's progress: Successfully established a transaction relationship and obtained a 'priority transaction right' commitment. A bonus intelligence report has been received by the other party."

"Next steps: Find suitable items to trade and maintain infrequent but high-quality contact. Avoid being overly enthusiastic and causing resentment."

She paused, thought for a moment, and then added a line below:

"We need to continue monitoring Zhao Hongyuan. His plans might become an opportunity to establish a deeper connection with Su Mu."

After finishing writing, she closed her notebook, leaned against the wall, and stared at the ceiling for a while.

I got lucky the night before last and caught a monster bat with a bear trap, which dropped the Monster Fire blueprint.

At the time, she thought this thing was useless... a five-meter range, and it consumed monster crystals; it would be better to hang a few more oil lamps. It wasn't until she met Su Mu at the foot of the mountain today that she suddenly realized that the true value of this thing was not in itself, but in the fact that it could become the first transaction between her and Su Mu.

A strong person doesn't care about ordinary exchanges of goods.

But "ghost fire" is different... It's a product of the night, and one of the very few things on the market that can provide shelter in the wild. This scarcity is the key to attracting the strong.

And she made the right bet. Su Mu recognized the value of the Ghost Fire at a glance and completed the transaction without hesitation.

Shen Qingwan's lips curled up slightly.

However, this is only the first step. How to maintain contact with him and how to gain his trust will require a gradual approach.

At least now he remembers her name.

......

Su Mu had no idea what notes Shen Qingwan had written. After closing the chat window, he returned his attention to the cable car.

It was completely dark. Thick fog billowed, and the lights outside the window blurred into indistinct patches of light. The lights on that parallel cable in the distance seemed closer than they had been the night before.

Su Mu did not light a kerosene lamp.

He wanted to test whether the strange bats would be attracted if the lights weren't turned on.

There are now over four hundred arrows in the quiver, piled up in a corner of the cable car. It's time to use them. Rather than letting those arrows gather dust, we'd better use them to gain experience and nighttime supplies.

Moreover, he does need more material for the night.

Ghost crystals, nutrients, and special items that only drop at night... For example, Shen Qingwan's Ghost Fire blueprint was dropped from a Ghost Bat.

Of course, what we lack most right now is the Mystic Crystal. Without it, many blueprints cannot be made.

Su Mu walked to the control panel and checked the condition of the arrow casket.

Small Arrow Box (Lv1 White)

Ammunition: 400/100 (300 rounds overflowed, automatically stored in the reserve magazine)

[Attack range: 100 meters x 100 meters]

Base firepower: 15

Current status: Standby

He looked up at the window. In the thick fog, something was moving... not the kind of small thing that "slaps" against the glass, but a larger, more indistinct outline, moving slowly in the fog, like some huge creature swimming in the night sky.

Su Mu stared at the outlines for a few seconds before looking away.

He can ignore them; the quiver will handle it automatically. All he has to do is wait to gain experience.

He was about to close his eyes and rest for a while when suddenly...

The cable car swayed slightly backward.

It wasn't the slight swaying caused by the wind; rather, the entire carriage felt as if it had been pushed from behind by something, jerked abruptly, and then came to a complete stop.