After receiving an iron block from the trade, Su Mo did not bother stowing it away.

He pulled up the creation page and used one unit of iron block to create an iron axe—the tree cutting efficiency increased dramatically.

"The Doomsday Survival System assesses the survival points I can get every day based on my survival conditions."

"If that's the case, I have to do all I can to make my shelter even more comfortable and habitable, or perhaps… more secure." 

"And that will start a positive cycle…"

Su Mo pondered whilst chopping trees with his iron axe.

The shelter's condition was simply horrible at the moment.

Aside from the main door, there was neither ventilation nor light. There was also nothing on the bare floorboards. Apart from a well that could barely win some points, everything else just made the place look like a grave.

Su Mo continued chopping until the sun went down and his stomach sent hunger signals. Then he returned to the shelter back the way he came from.

At this point, the quantity of wood in the inventory had increased to 20 units and plant fiber 8 units.

The quantity cap for the same type of item was currently unknown, but 20 units in the inventory were most certainly enough for Su Mo.

After eyeing the pitch-black shelter that was so dark it was impossible to even make out the stairs, Su Mo had no choice but to pull up the creation page.

[Torch (Normal)]: wood 0/1, plant fiber 0/2

[Record]: wood -1, plant fiber -2

[Record]: Torch +1

Torch (Normal): A brand new torch that can burn for 12 hours after being lit.

Fortunately, the survival game had taken into account the fact that fire was the most essential thing for human beings and did not increase the difficulty level in this respect. Instead, it offered a certain degree of advantageous treatment.

Su Mo groped his way along the stairs to the shelter's large flat floor and pulled out the lighter from his inventory and lit up the torch.

Poof!

The torch burned brightly, lighting up the dark shelter at once.

Su Mo tried to make a second well but unfortunately, the system did not respond this time. Su Mo had no choice but to stick a wooden stick next to the well and use hemp rope to bind the torch to the stick, forming a simple lighting device.

He returned to the wooden door and, after shutting the main door with a strong latch, he was engulfed by a great sense of security.

He had obtained an underground shelter on the first day of doomsday.

He had a steady supply of water, enough food for two meals, and light.

All of this offered a great sense of comfort to Su Mo who had been working hard all day.

Su Mo sat on the bottom steps and pulled up the creation panel. With the materials he had in his inventory, he created a small bed made of wood and covered it with thatch extravagantly.

He also made a roughly crafted chair, a wooden cup, and a small wooden round table large enough to seat three people.

When he was done making these items, his wood count dropped to 8, and his plant fiber was completely exhausted.

Despite that, Su Mo did not feel disappointed, but rather his excitement doubled.

He moved his bed deeper inside the cave and moved the wooden table and chair closer to the entrance.

After depositing 150ml of well water he collected into the wooden bucket, Su Mo took out the wooden cup, filled it to the brim, and placed it on the table. He then retrieved bread and beef jerky and placed them beside the cup.

"What a luxurious dinner."

After tearing the bread and sandwiching some beef jerky inside it, he took a bite and drank a mouthful of water.

When fresh food made its way into his starving stomach, it was like an oasis in a desert, and the bliss it brought was more pleasurable than anything he ever felt.

"I wonder how my family is doing. I gotta build a shelter that can fit my entire family before they arrive!"

While eating the beef jerky sandwich in his hands, Su Mo's thoughts ran wild.

The survival game did not tell him when his family members would be sent in. This lingering threat made him feel as flustered as if the Sword of Damocles was hanging over his head.

After finishing his dinner, Su Mo pulled up the chat panel while he digested all the food.

After taking a look at the World Channel, he realized that everyone was still searching for food and water.

Close to eight hours had passed since everyone abruptly arrived in this world.

Su Mo's underground shelter looked rather more habitable now, but the majority of people had only an empty shell, forced to sleep on the ground with an empty stomach and parched throat.

Some were injured, though many were lucky enough to gain some good stuff after finding treasure chests.

On the other hand, there were also people who had already lost their lives in this short half-day period.

The small groups in the Regional Channel started with 1000 people.

When Su Mo entered at this moment to take a look, the number of people in the lower right corner had changed abruptly to 988.

In only half a day, 12 had died. This undoubtedly gave a massive feeling of pressure to those who were still alive.

Explore with caution and act according to your ability. Otherwise, you could easily die!

Some people were so pleased with themselves after finding a treasure chest that they forgot all about the mutant creatures lying in wait next to them, resulting in them being killed in a sneak attack.

Others rashly challenged unknown mutant creatures and were killed within seconds.

The ones who died on the first day shared a similar trait—they had a death wish.

"There are both benefits and risks in challenging mutant creatures. Most of those who died must have treated this world like it's just a game. How foolish."

"My progress is decent enough, but starting tomorrow, I'm going to try and train myself or my fate won't be in my own hands when I encounter a mutant creature."

"As for the acid rain… I need a complete ventilation and drainage system. Hopefully, I can stockpile more than three days of food in time for the disaster!"

Su Mo was somewhat deep in thought.

He would face mutated creatures sooner or later if he was to keep living in this world.

He could probably still manage it in the novice stage as the mutant creatures were estimated to be slightly weaker.

At least from how the game judged it, adults armed with weapons could certainly defeat them…

If he chose to delay confronting this gruesome inevitability right now, there would be no time for him to hone his guts and temperament once the novice stage was over.

After exiting the chat channel, he entered the trading platform.

Just like in the afternoon, everyone was still exchanging supplies for food and water.

After all, survival supplies would always be the scarcest and the most sought after in the first few days.

"Someone actually traded unique items."

Flipping through the page, Su Mo saw a transaction message marked with a unique item.

[Seller: Chen Pingan]

[Trade item: Elementary-level Monster Illustration Handbook (disappears after use)]

[Required Item: 1L water]

[Remark: I only want water, WATER! For those who ask to trade this with other items, I'll hang your mother on a tree.]

"Whoa, this is one cranky old fella."

Su Mo raised his eyebrows slightly as he read the comments below.

After clicking into individual trading items, he realized that the page somewhat resembled Xianyu secondhand goods exchange platform. At the moment, countless people were hurling abuse.

"Is he really trying to exchange a monster illustration handbook for water? Has he lost his mind craving water? He should ask himself if he even deserves it."

"We all know that monster illustration handbooks will always be available. However, if you don't have water, you will die tomorrow. So what's it going to be? I'll exchange 200ml of child urine with you. That's a good deal for you, right?"

"Hey man, I have 500ml wolf blood. Do you want it? It will be enough to last you a night."

…

More and more comments started dominating the trading platform like locusts. It was impossible to tell whether the seller Chen Pingan was agitated…

Soon, a new item was listed on his personal page.

[Seller: Chen Pingan]

[Trade item: Pear *10]

[Required item: 100ml of water per unit]

[Remark: Those who are trying to get a cheap deal can leave. I can survive one night without water. Anyone trying to get a bargain with your meager offerings can get lost.]

This new showing of goods triggered even more people. The tirades of abuse did not reduce, but instead intensified.

Su Mo, who initially intended to contact the seller to negotiate, had no choice but to give up on that thought.

He needed a monster illustration handbook, and 1L was not that much either, but right now, his water storage device did not have enough stored, hence he had no choice but to wait until tomorrow.

After doing some brief stretches, he used another 2 units of wood to craft a wooden spear and placed it next to his bed. Lying on the thatched bedding, Su Mo extinguished the torch.

There was no ventilation in the shelter yet, hence the burning torch in the shelter could easily deplete the oxygen in the underground base.

Gradually, he started to drift into sleep's embrace.

Su Mo clutched the wooden spear in his arms and fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he dreamed that he had built a fully automated super luxury shelter by the time his family members arrived in this world.

Not even a meteorite crash or absolute zero weather could leave a dent on the shelter.

His little sister's blissful smile and his parents' approving gazes…

What the sleeping Su Mo did not know, however, was that nearly 10 million humans died silently on this day.

Adequate food and water managed to help Su Mo get through the damp and cold night.

Others, however, were not so lucky.

Thirst, hunger, and the appearance of mutant creatures had their nerves tautly strung.

At this moment, the benefits of choosing underground shelters were evident. At least in the early stages, the survivors did not need to worry about beast attacks at night.