Rust is a survival game, where you have to worry about those around you. Anyone can stab you in the back at any given moment and they can loot and take everything that you own.
Nothing of yours is safe. They can loot your base, blow it up and at times they can take it over although it is not easy, it is possible. So be careful of those you meet, they may not be friendly.
If you play on a public server, the best thing to do is stay out of sight and hide unless you have friends and you or they can aim pretty well then don’t worry about it. Just be careful.
Also, the wildlife in this game, be careful of them. The only thing they want is your blood and you dead.
If you happen to die, you can end up loosing your loot so basically this is a challenging game. Just like in any survival game you have to worry about your health, hunger, and thirst and just surviving.