[Energy Bar, "Satisfy your hunger and be yourself"—although this is just an advertisement slogan, it is not an exaggeration here. Eating it can at least replace half a meal!]
"This slogan... sounds so damn familiar!"
"Bang!"
Li Zheng slammed the "fridge" door shut fiercely and complained, "A fridge with at least a hundred and eighty liters capacity, and there's only this tiny thing in it? Are you kidding me!"
His eyes shifted, and Li Zheng maliciously eyed the "fridge," "I wonder if this thing can be taken away..."
He stroked the surface of the "fridge," silently chanting in his heart: Collect.
[Invalid action.]
"Tch, if you won't let me collect it, fine, I don't care!"
Li Zheng smacked his lips, no longer paying attention to the empty fridge, and turned his gaze to the "computer."
Having just finished a nutrient drink, the sweet taste still lingered, and Li Zheng had no intention of tasting the salty and sweet energy bar, so he casually put it into the capsule.
Arriving in front of the "computer," Li Zheng pressed it eagerly.
"Beep."
With a soft sound, the computer screen awakened, with a blank light blue background, not even a "This computer" or "Recycle Bin."
"Seriously?"
Li Zheng was dumbfounded.
Didn't the system prompt say I could find something?
How come there's not a single icon!?
What the hell?
Unwilling to give up, he frantically pressed everywhere on the screen, not missing a single inch.
Eventually, Li Zheng reluctantly realized that this computer indeed had no hidden software installed.
"... So, is this large room just for storing a single Snickers bar?"
Li Zheng felt disgusted.
Getting pulled into this place for a survival game was already irritating, and now the first room he entered offered nothing but setbacks except for a Snickers bar, finally igniting Li Zheng's small flame of frustration.
"You damn... indeed, it's a scam!"
Feeling annoyed, Li Zheng raised the remaining rock in his hand to vent his frustration and smashed it against the computer screen.
Since he didn't find anything the attributes mentioned and the computer couldn't be taken away, breaking it would at least help him vent the frustration of being caught in this wretched place.
Pop!
The fragile screen shattered, the light blue desktop instantly becoming pixelated.
At the same time, a small object was shaken off the bottom of the computer, landing on the ground with a crisp sound.
"Hmm? This is..."
Li Zheng's eyes widened at the object's familiar design.
It was a U-disk!
Quickly crouching down to pick up the U-disk and raising his head, Li Zheng realized there were two ports below the computer that he had failed to notice before due to the height difference.
"Damn, so the 'pay attention' from the prompt meant this?"
Li Zheng never expected a high-start Matrix Game to employ such a low-level trick.
Tired of complaining further, Li Zheng looked at the U-disk in his hand, or rather the "blueprint."
[Small Water Purifier Blueprint, Black Iron Level, Learnable.]
[The Small Water Purifier can convert sewage into drinkable purified water.]
[Materials required for crafting: Components*1, Iron Ingot*3, Copper Ingot*1]
Unlike one-time use blueprints like the "Ordinary Detector," learnable blueprints require learning before crafting a product.
Li Zheng played with the U-disk in his hand for a moment, pondering a question.
"How do I learn this thing? It can't be..."
Looking up at the now completely defunct computer, Li Zheng felt troubled, "It can't be learned through this scam computer, right?"
Holding the U-disk, he silently chanted "Learn," decisively receiving a system prompt.
[Please use the Scientific Data Station to learn the blueprint.]
Damn!
He had guessed right!
"Just have to try then..."
With anticipation, Li Zheng got up to fiddle with the broken computer, finally concluding...
This damn thing was genuinely completely broken!
"Damn! Such a fragile object, breaks with a touch? What's the point of you!?"
Fuming, Li Zheng grabbed a rock intending to smash it again...
"Wait... better try to repair it first."
Putting down the rock, Li Zheng started attempting.
"Repair!"
No response.
"System, repair it for me!"
Still no response...
"..."
In the following minutes, Li Zheng tried multiple ways to repair the computer, all fruitless, finally growing furious.
"Damn, what kind of lousy game is this? Can't repair broken equipment?"
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Since it was broken and can't be brought along anyway, better use it to release some anger and vent some frustration.
"Huh?" Li Zheng suddenly stopped his actions, looking at the already ruined computer.
Not because the computer couldn't take more smashing.
But rather, a prompt appeared suddenly before him.
[Would you like to decompose the damaged Scientific Data Station?]
"Oh, there's an unexpected gain!"
Li Zheng raised his eyebrows decisively giving the order to decompose.
[Decomposing the damaged Scientific Data Station yields: Technology Core*1, Iron Ingot*1, Copper Ingot*1, Damaged Power Core Type I*1.]
Technology Core!
Though the decomposed items weren't numerous, this one instantly caught Li Zheng's attention.
"Upgrading the Ordinary Detector requires one Technology Core, didn't expect to get it in the first room."
"Not bad."
Li Zheng smiled contentedly, glancing at the materials storage tank beside him, his smile growing crafty.
Touching the fridge, Li Zheng silently chanted: Decompose!
[Invalid action.]
Li Zheng: "..."
So it means, unless it's turned into a damaged state, it can't be decomposed?
There's nothing to say, let's roll up the sleeves and get to work!
"Bang bang bang..."
Another round of pounding and smashing, the rock in his hand shattered multiple times until only a quarter of its original size remained, the prompt finally appeared.
[Would you like to decompose the damaged materials storage tank?]
"Decompose!"
Li Zheng shook his aching right arm, casually discarding the remaining rock.
[Decomposing the damaged materials storage tank yields: Iron Ingot*10, Copper Ingot*5, Components*5, Damaged Temperature Controller*1, Damaged Power Core Type III*1, B25 Grade Manganese Steel 100g.]
"Quite a lot of stuff, seems size does have its advantages."
Li Zheng assessed the loot, realizing that this one haul directly filled half the materials needed for the Ordinary Detector upgrade!
"I wonder if the damaged Power Core can be repaired; if it can, just need to break two more fridges to upgrade the detector."
All items acquired post-decomposition were directly accessible in the capsule residence; Li Zheng took out a "Glass Bead" the size of a baby's fist from it.
The "Glass Bead" was the "Damaged Power Core Type III" just harvested, its surface webbed with dense cracks indicating its damaged state.
Weighing it, Li Zheng put it back into the capsule residence, turning his attention to five doors in the room.
"Time to explore the next room, the green safe room is fully explored, this time let's go to the blue one."
Besides the door Li Zheng initially entered through, two of the remaining five doors showed "empty," overhead and below, saving Li Zheng some decision-making.
There were also two red dangerous rooms to the left and right of the initial entry door.
The remaining one facing directly was the blue safe room!
"Beep"
The card reading sound rang out, Li Zheng glanced back at the scattered remains he couldn't decompose, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Feeling refreshed."
The grudge of being suddenly captured here was vented during the previous "exercise," leaving Li Zheng invigorated.
Stepping up, he crossed the membrane in a stride.