'Would other things besides coconuts have text descriptions too?'
Bai Mu grabbed a hermit crab from the sandy beach. The startled crab shrank back into its shell. As Bai Mu observed it closely, text popped up again.
[Name: Hermit Crab]
[Type: Arthropod]
[Quality: Common]
[Remark: It is known that this hermit crab is grayish-white, and its left claw is slightly larger than its right. Please determine the species and geographical location of this hermit crab based on the given conditions. No prize for the correct answer.]
The text disappeared when he shifted his gaze elsewhere. He set the hermit crab down and picked up a stone by the shore.
[Name: Stone]
[Type: Item]
[Quality: Common]
[Remark: An unremarkable stone. If it were a bit larger, it would be perfect for weighing down a pickle jar.]
...
Taking a few minutes, Bai Mu ran a few tests.
He believed this was a unique ability belonging exclusively to the group known as Players.
As long as he held an item and focused his attention, he could see a similar introduction.
He felt he completely understood. As a survivor who had endured ten years in the apocalypse, his adaptability was exceptionally strong. A crucial factor in his survival was that he rarely asked why; instead, he spent more time thinking about what to do.
Carrying the freshly picked green coconut to a shaded corner, Bai Mu forcefully smashed it against a rock twice. Then, following the cracks, he pried the coconut open with his bare hands.
Gulping down the clear, sweet coconut water, he dug out the coconut meat to eat while watching the ocean and listening to the crashing waves.
The refreshing juice moistened his throat, and the natural plant essence made him feel a boundless vitality.
After enjoying the natural green coconut, Bai Mu stood up, stretched lazily, and did some warm-up exercises.
Facing the ocean, he gazed out toward the edge of the horizon.
Being from inland, he never had the chance to visit the seaside. His family was poor, and he relied on state loans to attend college, but before he could finish his degree, the apocalypse arrived.
"This has to be the first time in my life seeing the ocean with my own eyes," he murmured.
His exposed arms and thighs did not have particularly defined muscle lines, but his body was incredibly sturdy because he worked and trained every single day.
When it came to pure strength, he was confident he would not lose to any of those gym rats built like bullfrogs.
Fighting against Zombies and Mutants required more than just guns and machetes; the key was having a sufficiently tough body.
After a brief warm-up, Bai Mu suddenly wondered if he could use that special ability to observe himself.
"Let's give it a try," Bai Mu muttered, looking at his hands and focusing his mind.
A status panel genuinely appeared before his eyes:
[Player Name: Bai Mu]
[Sequence: K8107]
[Grade: F]
[Title: None]
[Profession: None]
[Bloodline: None]
[Points: 0]
[Health: 100%]
[Stamina: 99%]
[Strength: 16]
[Spirit: 20]
[Agility: 14]
[Passive Skills: Automobile Repair Mastery, Firearms Mastery, Unarmed Combat Mastery, Incendiary Crafting Mastery, Explosives Crafting Mastery...]
[Active Skills: None]
This was the first time Bai Mu had intuitively seen his own stats, and the feeling was quite novel. There were over a dozen entries under passive skills, but he did not click them open one by one.
He knew exactly what abilities he possessed. During his ten years of solo survival in the apocalypse, he had faced all sorts of emergencies. Whenever he was alone, aside from working, he spent his time reading and studying.
He had dabbled in a chaotic mix of books, studying subjects ranging from medicine and agriculture to electrical and automotive repair.
He had not expected to have mastered so many skills through slow accumulation.
If the apocalypse had never happened, what kind of person would he have become?
Bai Mu deeply missed the pre-apocalyptic world. Speaking of which, he remembered telling his grandmother when he was little that he wanted to be a police officer when he grew up.
After a brief moment of nostalgia, he closed the panel and looked up at the sky.
Judging by the position of the sun, it was roughly noon. He had about six hours before it got dark.
'With coconut trees around, there is no immediate rush for drinking water at least.'
'This island's ecosystem looks rich, so there shouldn't be a shortage of food. Worst case scenario, I can go fishing in the ocean.'
'The most pressing concern should be the other animals on the island.'
'I wonder if there are any primitive tribes or fierce beasts.'
'First, I need to find a good vantage point to observe this island. Then I have to find a place to sleep and rest before dark. It would be best to craft some tools and weapons, too.'
With a plan in mind, Bai Mu headed for higher ground.
He rubbed a handful of sand on his palms for grip and began free-climbing straight up the rocks.
This was not difficult for him. In order to kill a Mutant near his village, he had once free-climbed an unfinished twenty-story building at a construction site, finally blowing its head off with a single shot from its blind spot.
More than ten minutes later, he reached the highest point of the island.
The view was entirely unobstructed. It was a very small island, floating all alone on the surface of the sea like a fallen leaf.
Bai Mu had excellent eyesight and could see far into the distance. Beneath a cloudless night sky, he could normally spot many stars that eluded ordinary people.
The vegetation on the island was fairly lush, but there were no towering trees or dense jungles. Aside from the coconut trees, it was mostly low shrubs, leaving very little cover.
He found no signs of human activity, nor any tracks of large beasts.
Islands generally lacked apex predators like tigers or leopards, as a small island simply did not have enough resources to sustain such beasts.
He only spotted a bird resembling a wild pheasant to his front right. Other than that, there were only unidentified insects and the hermit crabs crawling along the sandy beach.
He remembered that the unfamiliar voice had rated the danger level of this Script as F. It had specifically emphasized that this was a novice Script. Assuming the danger scale went from high to low as A, B, C, D, E, and F, then F was the lowest of the six ranks.
In other words, baby mode.
'Just in case, I should still stay on high alert.'
Having observed the general layout of the island, Bai Mu quickly solidified his objectives.
He headed west and broke off branches from a type of shrub. Using sharp stone fragments, he stripped off strips of flexible bark, crafting three simple stone spears and two compact stone daggers.
[Name: Handcrafted Stone Spear]
[Type: Item]
[Quality: Common]
[Remark: The first step to becoming a caveman is entering the Stone Age.]
...
[Name: Handcrafted Stone Knife]
[Type: Item]
[Quality: Common]
[Remark: According to archaeological excavations, the exact manufacturing date of this stone knife can be traced back to three minutes ago.]
Bai Mu used the tree bark to tie the three stone spears to his left waist and tucked the two small stone daggers into the pockets of his shorts. With silent footsteps, he quietly made his way toward the southern part of the island.
Not a single trace of him could be found in the brush, as if he had completely vanished into the island.