Chapter 5: Treasure Land
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Gu Su led seven Skeletons, walking over the weed-choked road to a car that had been abandoned for many years.
The moment his gaze swept over the car’s body, he completely understood why these cars were abandoned here, reduced to garbage no one cared about. Time had long since gnawed away all their value.
The car’s body was completely encased in a thick layer of rust. The original paint had long since mottled and peeled off, leaving not a trace of its base color. All that remained was a dull, brownish-red that was rough and gritty to the touch.
The once-sturdy sheet metal had been eroded by years of wind, rain, and sun, becoming as thin as a cicada’s wing. Gu Su poked it gently with his finger, and with a RIP, he made a small hole. His fingertip was coated with fine rust powder.
The rubber of the four tires had long since aged and melted away, turning into dark, sticky puddles that glued the car’s body firmly to the ground. No amount of wind or rain could budge it an inch.
Unruly weeds sprouted wildly from the crevices of the hood and the window frames. Their thick roots had not only burst through the car’s body in several places, leaving behind grotesque cracks, but had also worked their way inside, corroding the once-precise components beyond recognition. All that was left was a pile of rust-caked scrap metal.
’This isn’t a car anymore. It’s just a pile of rotten junk with no recycling value, not even as good as gray-quality trash.’
A mindless beast passing by wouldn’t even give it a second glance.
Even a cunning Low Tier monster like a goblin would find a sharp rock on the ground more useful than this piece of junk.
It couldn’t be used as a weapon, nor could it provide shelter from the elements. It just took up space.
It was precisely because they were so useless that these abandoned cars had been left to lie here quietly for so many years. They hadn’t been dismantled for scrap or cleared away as clutter. Amidst the wild grass and rust, they had slowly rotted and become a part of the ruins.
"Garbage."
Gu Su stared at the rust-eaten remains of the car and scoffed, his tone filled with disdain.
But as soon as the word left his lips, he couldn’t help but give a self-deprecating smirk.
’In my current sorry state, I’m not even as good as this garbage in front of me.’
He glanced at the Skeletons lined up beside him. The Beast Bone Sticks, withered branches, and sharpened stones clutched in their Bone Claws were so pitiful it was hard to look at them.
’This level of combat power is probably worse than primitive humans. If we really run into that Goblin Leader who knows the Resurrection Technique, we won’t even be enough for a snack.’
"No matter how trashy something is, if you rummage around, you can always find something useful," Gu Su muttered to himself.
He wasn’t hoping to dig up some legendary weapon. As long as this junk was even a tiny bit better than the Beast Bone Sticks in the Skeletons’ hands, it wouldn’t be a waste of effort.
He immediately waved his hand at the Skeletons and issued a command: "Get moving! Search every one of these wrecked cars. Don’t miss a single nook or cranny!"
The seven Skeletons sprang into action. Their Bone Claws landed on the rusty car bodies with a harsh, grating SCRAPE.
Some worked together to flip over an overturned car, some crawled into the hole-ridden passenger compartments to feel around, and others squatted on the ground, digging through the gravel and weeds under the cars.
Gu Su didn’t stay idle either. He joined in, smashing a car door open with a rock and reaching under the moldy seats to search.
After all that effort, he actually managed to scavenge quite a few treasures.
A few screws, rusted black but still sharp, were pried out one by one and hammered into thick branches, creating crude Wolf-toothed Sticks that whistled through the air when swung.
He took strips of rotten leather torn from under the car seats and bound them with copper wire stripped of its rubber coating, managing to fashion a few chest and arm guards. Although their Defense was better than nothing, they could at least block a goblin’s claws.
There was also a discarded exhaust pipe, which he sharpened against a rock until it was incredibly sharp, turning it into a crude dagger. It felt heavy in his hand, much sturdier than any Beast Bone.
These items couldn’t be considered proper equipment. The system didn’t even bother to list any Attributes for them; they were worse than gray-quality trash.
But Gu Su was already quite satisfied.
He distributed the Wolf-toothed Sticks and the dagger to the Skeletons with the sturdiest frames, then draped the tattered pieces of Leather Armor over them.
Once armed, the previously pathetic skeletons now faintly exuded a decent murderous aura. They were no longer a bunch of weaklings that could be crushed with a single grab.
Gu Su wasn’t in a hurry to deal with the remaining abandoned cars. He was well aware of his priorities.
Taking out the goblin nest and dealing with the Goblin Leader who could resurrect its kin was the most important matter for his survival.
The recent scavenging had already yielded all the usable sharp parts, durable materials, and Metal pipes.
What was left was either sheet metal so rotten it would crumble at a touch or worthless decayed scraps. No one would covet them even if they were left right there.
After all, in these ruins, not even goblins would look twice at this junk.
Once the goblin problem was dealt with, he would have plenty of time to come back and completely dismantle these vehicles to collect more useful materials.
Compared to the time- and energy-consuming tasks of cutting down trees and quarrying stone, these cars—rotten but still possessing Metal frames—were undoubtedly the most convenient and efficient source of materials.
Whether it was the hard materials needed to repair the Rotten Fence or parts for a future attempt at assembling an Earth-Binding Vein power system, everything could be scavenged from the wreckage of these cars.
At this thought, Gu Su glanced at the seven Skeletons beside him.
They remained in formation, ethereal flames flickering in their empty eye sockets. Their bony hands firmly gripped the newly crafted, crude weapons as they stood motionless, guarding him.
They were completely unaware that Gu Su had already added "dismantle wrecked cars and haul materials" to their future task list.
Gu Su took one last look at the wrecked cars lying amidst the wild grass.
In his eyes, these future "material caches" had already become treasures waiting to be mined.
Without further delay, he turned and set foot back on the narrow, trodden path.
The marching formation had already been adjusted—a stable 4-3 battle line, with four in front and three in the back.
Four Skeletons equipped with Wolf-toothed Sticks and Leather Armor walked at the very front. They gripped their weapons in their Bone Claws, steadily pushing aside the vines and weeds blocking the path, acting as vanguards.
The other three Skeletons flanked Gu Su from behind, their bony eyes warily scanning the surrounding shadows for any potential ambush.
Unlike his previous tension, Gu Su felt much more confident now.
The Skeleton Squad’s equipment had been upgraded, at least. They were no longer bare-handed skeletons. Even if they encountered the Goblin Leader, they might actually stand a fighting chance.
With his newfound confidence, he even had the leisure to observe the scenery along the way.
The trees on both sides of the road blotted out the sky. Thick roots buckled the ground, and verdant vines climbed up the trunks, tightly entwining the distant buildings.
Through the gaps in the leaves, Gu Su could see a few half-collapsed buildings, their outer walls peeled away to reveal mottled steel and concrete underneath.
Various signs still hung on the buildings’ exterior walls, but after years of exposure to the elements, the words were long faded and illegible. He could only vaguely make out a few fragmented outlines, some resembling a supermarket logo, others a restaurant sign.
Most of the buildings’ main doors were wide open, with shattered glass covering the ground. Inside, the floors were overgrown with waist-high weeds, clearly having been abandoned for countless years.
But when Gu Su’s gaze fell upon those dilapidated buildings, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
’A supermarket means supplies, a restaurant might have cooking utensils or even fuel, and even an ordinary residence could yield some usable Metal products. All these places will be key targets for me to scavenge later.’
’Of course, that’s all for after I’ve dealt with the immediate problem.’