Wasteland: My items are infinitely upgraded

Scorching sun, sheer cliffs, red stone, and parched earth.

A lizard scurried through the cracks between the rocks, but after only a moment's pause to catch its breath, it was caught in a rough hand.

The man, dark-skinned and with deep lines on his face, tore off the lizard's head with his black teeth and sucked the warm blood and organs with gusto. The severed lizard tail was picked up by a companion, who hurriedly stuffed it into his mouth, chewing skin and bones.

Having temporarily staved off hunger, the man looked towards the dying person under the tarpaulin of the flatbed cart, a look of longing in his eyes.

The injured Lin Feng lay on the cart, peering through the gaps in the burlap curtain, his eyes met the man's, and he saw the greed in them. He raised his only weapon and glared back fiercely.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at the object in his hand.

A rusty Type 05 police revolver:

"Inferior Revolver lv0, White Quality"

"Base Attributes: Damage 1, Effective Range 10 meters, Remaining Bullets 3/6; Can consume 1 point of health to upgrade to lv1, with a certain chance to upgrade with additional attributes."

"Evaluation: This is a weathered revolver, once nicknamed the 'Gun of Kindness' due to its extremely low damage. It can only be used for deterrence and self-defense. Don't expect it to have too much killing power."

It could be upgraded by consuming 1 point of his own health.

But Lin Feng looked at his own attribute panel:

"Lin Feng, lv1/9, Extremely Weak"

"Health: 6, Constitution: 6, Spirit: 8; lv1 Attribute Upper Limit 10"

"Warning: Weakened state. Forcibly upgrading will worsen the condition, with a high probability of losing consciousness. Severe injury to the calf, urgently needs nutritional supplements."

When he was dug out from the underground cave by this group of wastelanders, his right calf was cut by a piece of gravel, and the wound gradually festered and became infected a day later.

Now he only had 60% health left. Reducing it by another 10% to upgrade was too risky and could easily lead to another coma.

But at this moment, among this group of gaunt and sinister wastelanders, several pairs of eyes were already fixed on the top of the flatbed cart.

Lin Feng could clearly feel the desire for fresh meat in their eyes growing stronger.

The item upgrade panel in front of him was his only reliance.

But the Type 05 police revolver was too weak. Lin Feng vaguely remembered news reports that six shots couldn't kill a dog.

"My name is Ding Yi, it's time to change your dressing."

The woman leaned forward, unwrapped the cloth around Lin Feng's right leg, scraped off the foul-smelling plant debris, and replaced it with fresh ones.

Lin Feng gripped the revolver tightly, his face contorted in pain:

"Are… are you a doctor?"

"No, I used to be a teacher. The red rocks everywhere are hematite baked out, with a large number of bacteria. Fortunately, the wound is only infected with bacteria, not tetanus…"

"Who exactly are you people, and where am I?"

Ding Yi pushed up her glasses:

"This is an exodus squad."

"I woke up a little over a month earlier than you. Captain Chen also rescued me from the underground cave."

"As for this barren wasteland, there is no moon at night, and two suns have appeared in the sky, so there is only daylight forever. The largest and hottest one is behind us, and we have to travel twenty kilometers every day to escape the scorching heat."

"Legend has it that those are golden crows sent by heaven to purify the world, and a savior will emerge from the earth to shoot the sun and save the people…"

"But now you have to save yourself first. Vice-Captain Qi Shan wants to sell you to the front convoy while you're still warm. To survive, you have to rely on the captain…"

Before she could finish speaking, a burst of argument sounded outside the shed.

Ding Yi lifted the burlap curtain.

A short but strong person was holding a steel bar, blocking the flatbed cart, facing a group of wastelanders.

Lin Feng knew her, Chen Shanshan, who had rescued him, and was also the captain of this wasteland team.

A mysterious woman wearing a gray cloak and windbreaker, with a hood on her head and a burlap covering her face.

The Type 05 revolver in her hand was what she had left for him to defend himself.

At this moment, Chen Shanshan was somewhat angry, her voice hoarse:

"He's not dead yet. We agreed before that we absolutely can't sell living people!"

The leader was the man who had eaten the lizard raw and looked at Lin Feng greedily, Vice-Captain Qi Shan:

"Captain, everyone hasn't tasted oil and water for several days. The biggest harvest from going underground this time is this guy…"

"He's too badly injured, and without medicine, he'll die sooner or later. It's better to sell him while he's alive and get a good price. A tender and healthy blood slave like this can be exchanged for a week's worth of food for everyone!"

The other wastelanders immediately echoed in agreement.

Chen Shanshan waved the steel bar, pointing the tip at the man, and said in a cold voice:

"Qi Shan, if you want to rebel, feel free to try!"

The sallow and emaciated wastelanders looked at the strongest late-stage enhanced human captain in front of them, and a look of fear appeared on their faces.

Qi Shan's eyes were gloomy, he sniffed with his nose, pointed to the top of the flatbed cart, and frowned slightly:

"His leg is already rotten and stinking. Even if we don't sell him, it will attract those carnivorous beasts!"

"We are already starving, and we still have to carry this burden. Is the captain trying to kill everyone?"

Chen Shanshan's expression was solemn. Seeing the worried expressions on her team members' faces, she tried to persuade them:

"We collected a lot of sea buckthorn roots this time. As long as we speed up and catch up with the main force, we can exchange them for enough water and jerky!"

Qi Shan raised his head, squinted, and saw black spots circling in the sky, then sneered:

"There are still more than twenty kilometers to go…"

"The vultures have already smelled the scent of death. They will attract hordes of beasts nearby. Everyone only has two legs and has to take turns pulling the cart. Can we outrun four legs?"

Chen Shanshan was speechless, but still refused to give in.

Qi Shan stared at the flatbed cart piled with supplies behind the captain, his eyes full of greed:

"Since we can't reach an agreement, then let's just break up!"

After saying that, another woman in the team, Tian Wanrong, followed up with a strange tone:

"According to the agreement, the harvest from going underground should also be divided equally. Since Captain Chen is reluctant to part with this dying person, then the rest of the food belongs to everyone!"

After exchanging a glance with Qi Shan, Tian Wanrong mustered her courage and walked forward, coming to the flatbed cart and taking a bundle of fresh sea buckthorn roots.

The remaining team members watched, some itching to act, but were held back by Captain Chen's authority, and dared not step forward.

At this moment, Qi Shan took out a small bag of white, glittering stuff and shouted loudly to the crowd:

"In the convoy ahead, several Evolvers have recently emerged! I heard they are recruiting people to form a new Wasteland Hunter team, and they are in dire need of manpower."

"Evolvers are equipped with RVs! Even if you're just doing odd jobs, you can sleep in the shade under the vehicle, and there's even unpolluted wastewater, with food and lodging provided!"

"When I went to exchange for supplies, I befriended many of the Evolvers' servants. I have some connections and can help with introductions..."

"This bag of refined salt is what I exchanged from them!"

Clean, fine salt is a rare commodity in the wasteland, only obtainable from the higher-ups by Evolvers.

As soon as these words came out, the crowd, who had been hesitant and watching, revealed their desire, made their decisions, and stepped forward.

From taking the remaining supplies on the cart one after another to finally scrambling and dividing them up.

Ding Yi wanted to dissuade them, but seeing Captain Chen Shanshan's silence, she held back, took a bundle of grass roots, scoffed, and watched coldly.

In the end, except for Ding Yi and the captain, all the other team members followed behind Qi Shan, and almost snatched all the supplies.

"Carrying such a burden, I wonder how far the kind-hearted Captain Chen can go? If you're going to eat him, remember to do it early. If you drag it out until the meat rots, it'll be worthless!"

Before leaving, Qi Shan didn't forget to turn around and sneer, and also made a throat-slitting gesture towards Lin Feng on the cart.

After the former teammates parted ways, Ding Yi looked at the departing figures and cursed:

"A bunch of ungrateful wretches! If Captain Chen hadn't saved them, they would have died on the road long ago!"

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes, enduring the scorching sun above. He was only wearing a pair of shorts and thin linen clothes.

The tattered linen cloth that was originally covering the cart was also taken down and taken away by several wastelanders.

Now they only had an old wooden cart left, and a bundle of sea buckthorn roots in Ding Yi's hand.

"Thirsty..."

Lin Feng licked his chapped lips and croaked weakly with a burning throat.

Captain Chen put away the steel rod, took off the waterskin from her waist, walked forward, and gave Lin Feng a small sip:

"Only half a bag left. Your fate depends on what happens next."

Less than half a mouthful of water greatly relieved the pain in his throat, and also slightly improved Lin Feng's condition.

Ding Yi handed over a section of grass root about a dozen centimeters long:

"This is a mutated sea buckthorn grass. The swollen root tubers contain starch and sugars, which can be eaten directly and are good for your injury recovery."

Lin Feng took the grass root, hesitated for a moment, and put it in his mouth.

As the rolling heat wave hit, Chen Shanshan walked to the front of the cart, pressed her hands on the left and right support poles of the cart head, and pulled the old wooden cart.

With her back to the two, she said in a low voice:

"It's getting late, we should set off."

The team of only three people continued to travel along the countless wheel tracks on the barren wasteland.

Lin Feng chewed on the sea buckthorn root. The sour juice stimulated saliva secretion, relieving the dryness of his mouth and throat.

The tuber fibers were rough, like eating mud.

After eating one, his health points recovered from 6 to 7. It seemed to be useful.

"Sorry, I've implicated you..."

After his condition improved, Lin Feng chose to upgrade his pistol and slowly opened his mouth.

Witnessing the team's infighting, provocation, and split, he knew that Chen Shanshan's character and principles were not suitable for being a captain.

But without her persistence, he would have probably ended up in someone's stomach long ago.

"It doesn't have much to do with you. That Qi Shan had been planning this for a long time. Even without you, he would have found other faults to force the captain away."

"Those idiots, they really think it's so easy to join the Wasteland Hunter team. When they are sold by Qi Shan, they will still help him count the money!"

Ding Yi cursed, walking behind to help push the cart.

"Save your strength. They won't let it go. After walking twenty kilometers, I need you two to be on guard."

Chen Shanshan said in a deep voice, tore off a piece of linen from her body and threw it to Lin Feng, covering his head to prevent sunburn.

After eating the second sea buckthorn root, the weak and exhausted Lin Feng's eyelids drooped, and he fell into a coma again.

When he woke up again, the cart had stopped, the captain was resting in the shade of the rock, Ding Yi was sitting on it as a lookout, with half a sea buckthorn root in her mouth.

And the revolver in his hand was also upgraded:

"[Ordinary Revolver Pistol lv1, White Quality]"

"[Basic Attributes: Damage 2, Effective Range 20 meters, Remaining Bullets 6/6; Upgraded to Host's Level Cap]"

"[Activate Additional Attribute: Bullet Recovery 1/1h]"

"[Evaluation: After optimization, the doubled damage of the revolver is finally a bit lethal, but it is not enough to kill with one blow. Perhaps using it to shoot birds is a good choice.]"

Holding the black revolver without any rust, Lin Feng was secretly delighted. It seemed that the item upgrade was closely related to his strength level.

With the current damage and effective range of the revolver, it at least had initial lethality.

It also upgraded the bullet automatic recovery attribute.

For the time being, there was no need to worry about ammunition issues.

But soon Lin Feng discovered that the sea buckthorn root could only restore his health to seven points at most, and the repair of the wound on his right leg was also extremely limited.

The wound was still festering and suppurating...

He knew that this was due to his weak physique and poor resistance. Simply ingesting carbohydrates was far from enough.

To heal himself, he had to eat meat!

Replenish protein and fat!

But in the wasteland, meat was an extremely valuable resource.

Lin Feng raised his head and looked at the black spots circling in the sky.

"Those birds..."

Ding Yi lowered her head and collected the spat-out grass roots to weave them into ropes:

"Those are death vultures, wasteland reapers, who will target weak and dying animals, follow them all the way until the prey dies, and then feast on them."

"They have been following us now. Qi Shan was right. They were attracted by the stench of the wound on your right leg."

Lin Feng gripped the revolver in his hand, narrowed his eyes, and swallowed a mouthful of saliva:

"That death vulture..."

"Can it be eaten?"