The next day, after waking up, Jim freshened up and opened his tablet to check the weather for the day.
[Weather]: 10 degrees Celsius
Low Radiation in early mornings, High radiation from 1 pm.
6 hours of survival time in the outside world, Jim thought to himself, and got ready to hunt some zombies to earn points so he could eat some nice food and expand his shelter by the end of this week.
Jim donned his exoskeleton, took the axe he had crafted the previous day, and stepped outside the shelter.
Upon opening the shelter door, Jim discovered that the cave's oxygen level was significantly below the required standards.
Jim swiftly proceeded to the exit and pushed the door open, allowing fresh air to flow into the cave.
After standing and carefully observing the surroundings from the cave's entrance, Jim determined that there was no immediate threat near his shelter and quietly closed the cave.
It was only upon inspection that Jim noticed the cave door's exceptional camouflage, which rendered it nearly impossible to discern the presence of a cave behind the rock facade.
Jim carefully placed several rocks, which he had collected from the cave entrance, beside the door to ensure he would not lose track of the entrance, as it was perfectly camouflaged when closed.
He proceeded to descend the mountain slope at a pace until he arrived at the mountain base.
Within the next hour, Jim, wielding an axe, efficiently cleared all the tree stumps and other debris within ten meters of the mountain's base.
Although this may allow others to locate a potential shelter near the mountain, he is unwilling to jeopardize his immediate safety due to concerns about potential future issues.
Even if a human happens to come here by chance, it will signify that the place is occupied, and any further trespassing will make them a target of attack, thereby deterring others from approaching the mountain.
Jim then retrieved a wooden container he had crafted for carrying drinking water, which was filled with water, and took a sip to moisten his parched throat during a brief respite.
After finishing his rest, Soon proceeded into the Forest of the Dead, methodically cutting down the tall, dry grass that covered the land, creating a clear path for his progress.
Upon entering the forest, Jim observed that little had changed except for the disappearance of the ten zombies he had initially killed. The trees in the areas where he had slain the zombies appeared rejuvenated, with healthy small sprouts beginning to grow.
Upon closer examination, Jim confirmed that the zombies' bodies disintegrated after the removal of the crystal core, a process caused by the high radiation in the atmosphere, and were subsequently absorbed by the tree as nutrients.
How did Jim arrive at his conclusion merely by observing the rejuvenated tree? Nevertheless, he chose not to dwell on the matter, feeling it was better to forget what he had witnessed, as the thought of the traces he discovered there would prevent him from sleeping.
Soon, Jim started searching the forest for single zombies, which he could hunt for the crystal cores in their heads.
After an intensive search, he found a few lonely zombies attached to the tree, which were far apart from each other.
Jim marked their position in his brain and started hunting them with the same method he used the previous time.
First, he positioned himself at an appropriate distance and began taunting the zombie. As it approached him, he swung the axe with force, successfully severing the head from its body, thereby halting its movement.
Jim then splits open the upper portion of the head and extracts the crystal core contained within.
He then started to hunt all the lonely zombies present in the forest around his base with decapitating them and collecting the crystals present in their heads.
By the afternoon, as the radiation began to intensify, Jim had already eliminated all the lone zombies in one direction. He had hunted a total of 30 zombies today. If he wished to pursue the remaining lone zombies in the same direction, he would need to venture deeper into the forest, which he was reluctant to do due to the increased risk involved.
Jim resolved to eliminate the solitary zombies in the opposite direction over the coming days and then devise a strategy to deal with the other zombies that were gathered in groups.
Jim proceeded to gather the dry tree stumps he had cut and split into logs the previous morning, intending to use them as fuel for burning in the cave.
After several trips, Jim transported all the logs into the cave, ensured nothing was forgotten, and returned to the cave, securely closing the door behind him.
He then removed the exoskeleton Armour on his body and took a brief rest, and made some starch biscuits.
Jimm then eats the biscuits while browsing the regional chat channel, where the survivors discuss the types of monsters they hunted and the methods used for hunting.
Jim also discovered that the survivors shared information indicating they earned points for hunting monsters, with the points awarded based on the strength of the monster.
In contrast to Jim, who is efficiently killing zombies due to their restricted movements and his proper weapon, other survivors are still struggling fiercely against the monsters to accumulate survival points.
While the courageous ones who are actively hunting only made up to 20 to 30 percent in this channel, most of them are still staying in the shelter while waiting for others to come and rescue them.
Jim waited until the evening, when the points for defeating the monsters were allocated, and received 310 points in his account.
He then spent 300 points to increase his shelter size by 3 square meters.
With the additional space in the room, he can now store the exoskeleton indoors after charging it, rather than keeping it outside. The shelter offers superior protection in the unlikely event that someone destroys the mountain and discovers the cave where his shelter resides.