"Of course. Borrowing books from the second floor of the library costs Trade Points. As long as you have enough Trade Points, you can access the second floor. However, to get to the third floor, you need to borrow a certain number of books from the second floor first."

The front desk lady replied with a smile.

"Alright. Then I'll take a look at the second floor first."

Lin Ye walked straight toward the stairs leading to the second floor. Beside the stairs, there was a device that allowed payment of Trade Points through the system. Going upstairs only cost one Trade Point. After paying the fee, Lin Ye ascended to the second floor, where he found quite a few books that piqued his interest.

The borrowing costs for these books varied, but most were within 10 Trade Points per hour. Lin Ye didn't borrow a large number of books this time. He planned to start with a trial run first.

In just half an hour, Lin Ye finished reading a book titled "The Mental World and Mental Creations." This book contained a lot of fascinating knowledge. After finishing it, Lin Ye gained a clearer understanding of the mental world and the process of creating things with mental energy.

After paying the Trade Points required for reading the book, Lin Ye left the library and took the bus that happened to be stopped right at the library entrance back to the Apartment Building.

During the return trip, Lin Ye sent the information about the library to the Group Chat.

"As expected, it's a library? I knew the big shot was a top student."

"I really want to borrow books from the library, but it's a shame we still haven't figured out the rules for the floors."

"I figured it out, but I don't have enough red coins. Is anyone collecting resources? I only accept red coins."

"Unless it's something extremely rare, no one will trade red coins at a time like this. After all, we still haven't found a way to go outside."

"I never thought red coins would appreciate in value. If I'd known, I wouldn't have hoarded resources and kept more red coins instead."

"There will definitely be ways to get red coins in the future. The system can't just keep taking red coins back forever; that wouldn't make any sense. It's a shame I don't have any red coins right now. If I did, I could trade them for a huge pile of resources."

"You're right, but you're forgetting about the Shelter Upgrade Blueprint. We need to get that blueprint before this weekend, or we'll all end up like Yu Feng. So, the value of red coins will only keep rising this week."

"...Is there a chance I'm just messing with the idiots?"

"You're really a piece of work."

"Are there still any idiots left in the group?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"There are no idiots, of course, but self-righteous 'smart people' never seem to run out."

"You're spot on. I almost got convinced by what he said just now."

...

Lin Ye returned to the Shelter safely. As the master of the Shelter, he could control the opening and closing of its doors.

[Survivor has completed the first City District Exploration]

[Unlocked Shelter Device - Card Reading Device]

[From now on, every time a survivor conducts a City District Exploration, they will receive Exploration Cards]

[Obtained Exploration Card Pack]

"Huh?"

Lin Ye noticed a small device on the wall of the bedroom that could accept cards.

[Card Reading Device]

[System Facility. Survivors can insert Exploration Cards to participate in various system Exploration Missions.]

[Note: From this moment on, you can decide for yourself when to participate in system activities.]

Lin Ye opened the Exploration Card Pack. Inside, there were three cards of different colors.

The red card was a Maze Exploration Card. Inserting it would allow entry into the Red Maze.

The blue card was a Station Mission Card. Inserting it would allow participation in one Station Mission.

The remaining card was a white Exploration Mission Card.

[Exploration Mission Card]

[Insert this card into the Card Reading Device to participate in one Exploration Mission.]

[Note: The Exploration Mission Card is related to City District Exploration. It contains various forms of exploration tasks. Please use it carefully.]

'So that's it. The system has delegated the authority to participate in activities. From now on, survivors can decide for themselves when to take part in various events.'

Lin Ye immediately understood how the Card Reading Device and the various cards worked. He organized the relevant information and sent it to the Group Chat.

"So that's how it is. Explore the city district, get Exploration Cards, go out and participate in various exploration missions..."

"Thanks for the info, big shot! You're a legend!"

"This is awesome! I can finally go out and scavenge again!"

"Does that mean red coins aren't that valuable anymore?"

"That's right. Are you selling? What resources do you need? I have everything here."

"Until most survivors get the Shelter Upgrade Blueprint, the value of red coins will only keep rising."

"That's right. We all know the price of red coins is bound to drop, but that time isn't now."

"How much do you need to explore the city district to unlock the device and get the card pack?"

"Based on the big shot's experience, I think you need to at least enter a facility and spend something."

"I'll give it a try. I'm willing to take a lap downstairs for everyone's sake. Can someone lend me some red coins?"

"I'm willing to go down too, as long as someone provides the red coins."

"Don't bother. No one's going to hand out precious red coins for free right now."

"I just went downstairs to test it out. When I came back, I didn't get any system message. It looks like you at least have to take a walk on the street."

"Thanks for the info, big shot."

"So it might take a lot of red coins just to complete one City District Exploration."

"The scary part is if you run out of red coins halfway through. That would be a disaster."

"We can figure out the minimum number of red coins needed for one City District Exploration through trial and error."

"That's right. But the number might not be the same for different areas. We can test it zone by zone."

Lin Ye: The information I provided is for reference only. I'm much stronger than you all, and my system evaluation is higher. Your experience when going out may not be as smooth as mine.

"You're right. Even the bus fare is different. There are probably other problems popping up in other places."

"Reality is harsh."

...

Lin Ye closed the Group Chat. He spent some red coins in the Trading Area to buy a few materials he needed. Meanwhile, some other survivors exchanged some precious items with him for red coins.

"I never thought red coins would appreciate in value. This is really..."

Before this, Lin Ye hadn't even considered that possibility. Mainly, he had already stopped caring about red coins.

After spending a large sum of red coins, Lin Ye went to the Game Room to complete his daily routine.

Returning to the Shelter, Lin Ye first spent some time tending to the plants and animals, then ate dinner, organized the equipment on him, and finally took out the Exploration Mission Card and inserted it into the Card Reading Device.

He wanted to test the difficulty of the Exploration Mission. After all, he needed a channel to acquire various resources.

The note on the Exploration Mission Card stated that it was related to City District Exploration, which meant there were two possibilities for this mission.

One possibility was that it was related to the library. The other was that it was related to the mental world and mental creations.

Lin Ye happened to lack a sufficient understanding of the mental world. This might be a good opportunity to study it.