"Damn, this necklace packs too much of a punch!"

Lin Ye collapsed weakly onto the ground, staring at the dark red ceiling as occasional flashes of static and stars danced across his vision.

After lying there for over ten minutes, the aftereffects of the Cross Necklace finally subsided completely. Lin Ye got up from the floor and approached the corpse to begin processing it.

This monster was different from the previous blood-corpse - the two weren't even on the same level of existence. The corpse held significant value.

............

It took Lin Ye half an hour to completely dissect the mass of flesh and blood, extracting six mutation organs from within.

Examining these mutation organs revealed complex yet chaotic internal structures, showing extremely high mutation rates and poor stability.

'No wonder this monster was so... so... messy.'

Lin Ye struggled to find the right word to describe the creature.

Continuing the dissection, Lin Ye documented the structures of these mutation organs and eventually discovered some irregular dark red crystals within two major organs.

'Gallstones? No, probably energy crystals. Otherwise these organs couldn't have generated such tremendous energy during movement.'

Lin Ye collected the crystals in a small pouch, deeply intrigued by them.

He submitted four mutation organs to complete his mission while keeping the crystals and remaining organs.

After eating something, Lin Ye returned to the open room where he found a mutation card he didn't own yet. Storing the card, he continued exploring down the corridor.

His current condition was mediocre, and with his bullets exhausted, encountering another monster would be troublesome.

Fortunately, the area was vast and sparsely populated with monsters - one could walk for ages before encountering anything.

With just 15 minutes remaining on the countdown, Lin Ye came across another red hallway devoid of rooms.

He quickly ran to the end and pushed open the red double doors, finding himself in the same familiar hall: red double doors opposite, a red wooden door to the left, but this time a locked pale yellow room on the right.

'? Quite the variety.'

Lin Ye knocked on the door first. Hearing no response, he tried the red key unsuccessfully before using the special metal key for unique rooms. The metal key disappeared after opening the door.

Inside was a standard pale yellow room containing two machines whose functions Lin Ye understood at a glance.

Their design was painfully obvious - the creator clearly intended these to be idiot-proof machines.

The left one was a vending machine, the right a collection machine.

Red coins served as currency, with merchandise displayed in glass cases.

Though there were no product descriptions, Lin Ye recognized some items.

Red liquid: 1 red coin per bottle.

Certain mutation cards: 10 red coins each.

Other mutation cards: 5 red coins each.

Another type of mutation card: 3 red coins each.

These four were the only familiar items to Lin Ye. There were several of the 3-coin cards, two of the 5-coin variety, and just one 10-coin card.

Beyond these, the machine contained more expensive, darker-hued red liquids and other items of unknown function. The priciest was a blood-colored bone knife priced at 100 red coins, its effects unknown.

Lin Ye only carried 47 red coins, mostly obtained through trades.

"So poor I can't afford anything."

He wanted to purchase a magical item like the Cross Necklace rather than consumables like cards or nutrient solutions.

Not that the cards and solutions were useless - they just weren't practical for his current needs compared to straightforward items.

But even the cheapest item cost 50 red coins - just beyond his means.

After some thought, Lin Ye took out his pouch from the backpack and placed the smallest crystal into the collection machine.

Coins clattered out from the machine's left slot - 10 red coins in total.

He still had five larger crystals. Selling another yielded 15 red coins.

Lin Ye decided against selling more, uncertain of their true value and wary of getting ripped off by the machine.

He spent 50 coins on a ring-shaped artifact and 20 more to buy the three most expensive mutation cards before leaving the pale yellow store room.

He didn't attempt to vandalize the vending machine - this was likely system equipment. It wouldn't surprise him if the machine transformed into a monster when attacked.

Perhaps it had no defenses, but one should maintain proper respect for the unknown.

Lin Ye had no intention of dying here over attempted vending machine robbery.

When the countdown ended, Lin Ye returned to the Shelter.

...............

[Shelter Upgrade Task Completed. Upgrade Shelter Level?]

"Yes."

This prompt greeted Lin Ye upon returning, yet despite his hopeful gaze, the Shelter showed no visible changes.

"Huh?"

[Upgrade Complete]

Lin Ye hurriedly checked the Shelter information and indeed found updates.

[Shelter Information]

[Level: Tier 1]

[New Features: Basic Facilities, Basic Information Detection]

[Status: Absolutely Safe (14 days)]

[Note: Please upgrade your Shelter level within 14 days]

After some study, Lin Ye understood the new functions.

First were the basic facilities - the Shelter now had running water, electricity, and gas, though Lin Ye currently lacked appliances to utilize the latter two.

With lights at night, he could do more than just browse chat groups or sleep.

Delighted, Lin Ye took a shower and boiled some water. Since the Shelter was absolutely safe, he didn't question the water quality - if the system wanted him dead, it had easier methods.

Unfortunately, Shelter water couldn't be traded, or Lin Ye could have made a fortune selling drinking water.

The Basic Information Detection function met Lin Ye's need for item identification. He could now check item information through the system.

For example:

The red liquid was nutrient solution.

[Nutrient Solution]

[Edible. Can replenish special energies and nutrients]

[Note: Consume in moderation or face consequences]

[Mutation Card No. 2]

[Apply to biological surfaces to induce mutation]

[Note: Collect cards 1-10 for a special surprise]

[Mutation Card No. 4]

[Apply to biological surfaces to induce mutation]

[Note: Collect cards 1-10 for a special surprise]

Apart from Nos. 1 and 3, Lin Ye had collected the other eight mutation cards - No. 2 from the monster room, No. 4 from Zhang Liang, Nos. 5 and 6 purchased from the store, and the rest previously obtained.

Card No. 10 mutated arms, No. 9 mutated legs, and No. 8 randomly mutated an abdominal organ. The effects of other cards remained untested.