Chapter 3 Daily Check-In

As she was deep in thought, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in her mind:

[Ding! The system’s daily check-in feature has been activated. Players, please remember to check in daily to receive various rewards that can help you survive in the survival game. (Note: If players miss the check-in on time, they cannot retroactively check in.)]

Out of curiosity, Lu Chenxi opened the system panel and navigated to the check-in interface.

[Daily Check-In]

[Player, do you confirm check-in?]

Lu Chenxi pressed the [Confirm] button.

With the sound of a successful check-in, a notification appeared:

[Ding! Congratulations to player Lu Chenxi for successfully checking in! You have received a reward: 1 summer quilt.]

Before her eyes, a summer quilt materialized out of thin air.

This was far from what Lu Chenxi had hoped for. She had been wishing for food and water.

Considering how hot the weather was, the summer quilt seemed rather useless. She and her younger sister had been struggling since they woke up, and they hadn’t even had a sip of water yet.

Just as she began worrying about food and water, Lu Chenxi suddenly remembered something—her sister hadn’t checked in yet! She berated herself for not realizing it sooner and could only hope that her sister’s check-in reward would include food and water.

“Chenyue, open your system panel, find the check-in section, and press the confirm button,” she instructed.

Since each player’s system panel was visible only to themselves, Lu Chenxi had no choice but to guide her sister this way.

Thankfully, Lu Chenyue, though only in second grade, could read most of the words. If her sister had been just a toddler, this would have been far more difficult.

Following her sister’s instructions, Chenyue raised her soft, chubby hand and cautiously pressed the check-in button.

To a 7-year-old like Lu Chenyue, the system panel was incredibly fascinating. She had never seen a game this advanced before. Usually, she only played simple games like match-three puzzles on her sister’s phone.

[Ding! Congratulations to player Lu Chenyue for successfully checking in! You have received rewards: 10 bottles of 500ml purified water and 10 pieces of 100g bread.]

A flash of white light appeared, and a pile of water bottles and bread materialized before Chenyue.

Lu Chenxi jumped with joy. She had only hoped for some food and water, but she hadn’t expected her sister to receive such an abundance of supplies. This was enough for both of them to survive for several more days.

As expected, her sister’s luck had improved dramatically ever since she won that lottery prize. Compared to herself, Chenyue seemed to have much better fortune.

Lu Chenxi wasn’t entirely sure if her sister’s lucky reward this time was just a coincidence or if her luck would consistently remain this good.

Out of curiosity, she checked the chat channel and saw that many other players had received items like clothes, socks, or matches—small, non-consumable items. The luckier ones had managed to get a single bottle of water or a piece of bread at most.

As lunchtime approached, Chenyue’s stomach began growling audibly.

“Big Sis, can we eat this bread and drink this water? I’m so hungry and thirsty right now,” Chenyue asked.

Lu Chenxi also felt hungry and parched. She set aside two portions of water and bread, instructing her sister to store the rest in the inventory space.

Handing a portion of bread and water to her sister, Lu Chenxi spoke seriously: “Chenyue, we’re not at home anymore. This world is full of unknowns and challenges. Food and water are extremely important, and since we don’t have an abundance of water for now, we need to conserve it. Understand?”

Although Chenyue was usually more sensible than other children, Lu Chenxi was afraid that the child was too young to understand the situation. She quickly finished the water, worried that if they couldn’t get more water for a few days, they would be in a real pickle.

After all, on Blue Star, although she had taught Chenyue not to waste food, she had also always emphasized the importance of drinking plenty of water every day.

“Hmm, hmm, sister, I know, water is precious now, I will save it,” Chenyue hugged her sister. Although she was a little confused about the current situation, it seemed like a game of pretend to her. But since they had come to this strange place, she would definitely listen to her sister.

The two of them finished their bread, but they didn’t dare to drink much water. They only took a few sips to quench their thirst and then stopped.

Lu Chenxi now had to start thinking about how to upgrade the hut. According to the system, the first three days were a newbie protection period, and all players were safe. But the system didn’t say what dangers they would encounter after three days.

But since the system specifically emphasized this and mentioned unknown creatures, it meant that upgrading the hut was urgent.

Lu Chenxi opened the system panel and clicked on the “House” section:

[House Level: Level 0 (No defense ability after the newbie protection period, please upgrade the hut as soon as possible)

Hut Upgrade Conditions:

Planks x10

Thatch x20

]

Seeing the upgrade conditions for the hut, Lu Chenxi felt speechless. Where on this vast ocean could she find planks and thatch?

Chenyue, seeing her sister’s furrowed brow, also felt troubled. Although she was only 7 years old, she was smart and sensible from a young age. As her sister’s good little sister, she had to help her sister solve her problems. Chenyue silently clenched her small fist.

By now, quite some time had passed. So although the island was moving very slowly, it had already drifted a considerable distance.

Suddenly, Lu Chenxi noticed a red treasure chest floating not far from the island.

Lu Chenxi’s heart leaped with joy. This must be the treasure chest the system mentioned that could obtain supplies.

But the problem was that there wasn’t a suitable tool nearby. How could she get the treasure chest over?

As she was thinking, the island was getting closer and closer to the treasure chest. It was about ten meters away, but the treasure chest was still a little off the direction the island was moving.

Lu Chenxi realized that if this continued, she might have to watch helplessly as the treasure chest drifted away. Thinking about the system’s mention of supplies in the treasure chest, she decided to go into the water and retrieve it.

“Chenyue, stay here and wait for your sister. Sister is going to get that treasure chest. Don’t sneak into the water, you hear me?”

Chenyue was reluctant. This sea looked much more dangerous than a swimming pool. She didn’t want her sister to go into the water, but she was used to listening to her sister, so she didn’t stop her.

Lu Chenxi took off her outer clothes, intending to go into the water in her underwear. After all, there was no one else around.

Besides, she only had this one set of clothes. If they got wet, what would she wear later? If she caught a cold now, there would be no cold medicine.

It was fortunate that Lu Chenxi had learned to swim since she was a child, which allowed her to successfully retrieve the treasure chest. If she had been a landlubber, she would have had to watch helplessly as the treasure chest drifted away.

After retrieving the treasure chest, Lu Chenxi tidied herself up, wiped the water off with her outer clothes, and then turned her attention back to the treasure chest.