◎ Dropped Supplies ◎
After resting for a while, Yan Lan got out of the RV. When the hail mini-monsters had been shattered, she had vaguely noticed some supplies dropping.
Xueqiu followed closely behind, its fluffy body bouncing up and down on the snow like a white yo-yo. As a spirit born from the icy wilderness, it was naturally drawn to the snow.
Although the mini-monsters had been reduced to puddles of water, their clawed traces still remained on the snow. The RV had stayed in the same spot the whole time, so the dropped supplies were concentrated nearby, making them easy to find.
Sure enough, after just a few steps, she spotted a black object lying on the snow ahead. Before she could even get close, sharp-eyed Xueqiu dashed forward and retrieved it for her.
Seeing that her arm was injured, Xueqiu had become much more well-behaved and thoughtful, taking the initiative to do many things. Its hurried, eager manner made her smile, could it be that the little spirit was afraid she wouldn’t be able to cook for it if her hand got worse?
Yan Lan unwrapped the black plastic packaging and found a pair of black leather gloves. The inside was lined with fuzz, making them very warm to wear.
She took a photo and sent it to the group chat: “Defeating hail mini-monsters drops supplies. Remember to collect them.”
Having just gone through that sudden attack, the players were all huddled in their vehicles, trembling with fear, not daring to go out and investigate. But after seeing Yan Lan’s message, their chilled spirits slowly began to warm.
Player 1: “Really? I remember killing several of them. I need to go check it out quickly, before the snow buries everything.”
Player 2: “Ah! I stayed hidden in my car the whole time and didn’t dare fight. I got nothing. What a shame.”
Player 3: “That’s on you. Didn’t the big shot tell us to prepare for battle in advance? I was fully prepared. I figured hail is afraid of fire, so I made a fire stick. They didn’t dare come near me, and I even managed to kill a few! Anyway, I need to go find out what supplies dropped.”
Player 4: “Damn, that’s so smart!”
Player 3: “Well, I only managed to drive them away and keep them from getting close. Not like the big shot, she probably killed a ton of them.”
Player 4: “Now I regret it. I should have fought the hail too.”
Player 1 soon returned with good news: “Haha! Supplies really did drop, 5 units of gasoline. Thanks for the reminder, Boss Yan!”
“Same here, I got a steamed bun. It’s a bit cold from sitting in the snow too long.”
“If you don’t want it, give it to me. I don’t mind.”
“You wish!”
Seeing that the players had received the information, Yan Lan turned her attention to thoroughly searching for supplies.
While other players avoided the hail mini-monsters whenever possible, she had actively engaged them. Combined with Xueqiu’s formidable combat power, they had defeated countless mini-monsters.
She carried a large pile of supplies back to the RV and set them on the table. Freeing up her hands, she took off her gloves and warmed them over the charcoal fire. Once her palms were toasty, she began sorting through the loot.
Metal, rubber, and glass were common. She even obtained 10 electronic components alone.
Among the food items, steamed buns and bread were the most numerous, with occasional small snacks like sunflower seeds, peanuts, and spicy strips. She arranged them in a wooden rattan basket and placed them on the dining table.
Worth special mention: she had obtained 10 Vehicle Repair Cards.
The hail mini-monsters had specifically targeted vehicles, leaving most players’ cars battered and broken. Defeating the monsters and getting repair cards in return felt like a small compensation.
The Vehicle Repair Card required materials to use. Her windshield had a large crack, the body had several dents, and the tires seemed a bit flat. But compared to other players, the damage was relatively minor, so she only needed to spend 20 metal and 10 glass.
She clicked “Use” on the item card. The entire RV was enveloped in a warm white light. When the light faded, the RV looked brand new, not only was the cracked glass repaired, but the tires were also fully inflated.
Just then, a friend message alert came through.
After everything that had just happened, she took every message alert very seriously. She opened her friend interface immediately.
Both Shi Yuanyuan and Yuan Zhou had sent messages, both asking the same question.
Shi Yuanyuan: “Yan Lan, do you have any styptic medicine? I got hurt fighting the monsters and the bleeding won’t stop.”
Yuan Zhou: “Yan Lan, do you have any styptic medicine? An old wound of mine reopened and it won’t stop bleeding.”
Yan Lan didn’t dare be careless. She quickly created a small group chat with the few of them and added Luo Wen.
“@Luo Wen, do you have any styptic medicine? Two of my friends are injured and bleeding won’t stop. Could you please help?”
The Chinese herbal medicine Luo Wen had given her during the instance dungeon had been very effective. Aside from being a Traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in real life, she had also recently obtained the Pharmacist profession in the game, so she likely had quite a few medicines on hand.
The other woman replied quickly, sending two styptic medicines to the group chat without hesitation: “Yes, I do. Everyone, use it right away. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, please let me know.”
Half a minute later, both Shi Yuanyuan and Yuan Zhou sent their thanks: “Thank you. This ointment is very good. The bleeding has stopped. How much does it cost?”
“No, no, no. There’s no need for payment. Since you’re friends of Yan Lan, you’re my friends too. Helping each other is only natural.”
Shi Yuanyuan, always quick to warm up to people, said, “Oh, that’s so kind of you, haha~”
Yuan Zhou, being very earnest, directly gifted a package to Luo Wen in the group chat: “Thank you. Please accept this, or I’ll feel bad.”
Seeing this, Shi Yuanyuan also sent a gift of equal value.
Luo Wen genuinely wanted to help them. These medicines were made from herbs she had gathered herself. Aside from the time spent, they weren’t worth much. More importantly, they were Yan Lan’s friends.
Yan Lan knew Luo Wen’s kind nature, but she also understood Yuan Zhou and Shi Yuanyuan’s characters. She helped persuade Luo Wen: “Just accept it. We might need your help again later.”
Luo Wen reluctantly agreed: “Alright then. Thank you, everyone.”
Yan Lan: “I still have 9 Vehicle Repair Cards left. Does anyone need them?”
“Not needed. I got several from defeating hail mini-monsters.”
“I just traded with another player using ointment to get one. But thank you, Yan Lan.”
Yan Lan nodded. “If no one needs them, I’ll list them on the trading post then~”
“Mm-hmm.”
Shi Yuanyuan was bandaging his bleeding arm. Thinking back on the sudden turn of events, he was still doubtful and couldn’t help asking,
“Yan Lan, how did you know there would be danger today?”
Yan Lan blinked, replying without a change in expression or a hint of guilt: “Someone told me.”
Shi Yuanyuan: “I see. When you sent that message in the main group chat, I was really startled. I thought maybe you’d made a mistake. But then my cousin sent the exact same message, and he never exaggerates or lies. So that’s when I became convinced.”
Yan Lan: “What a coincidence. A friend I met earlier told me.”
Yuan Zhou: “Either way, everyone prepared in advance and no one lost their life.”
Shi Yuanyuan: “No one lost their life, sure, but all my windows are shattered! All of them! The only small consolation is that killing those hail mini-monsters dropped supplies, which is kind of like compensation. But repairing the car cost me so many materials. Upgrading is going to have to wait again.”
Yuan Zhou simply started chatting with him.
“Upgrading to which level?”
“Small RV Level 4.”
Yuan Zhou let out a snort of laughter, his sarcastic side beginning to surface:
“Oh↗ You’re still at Off-Road Vehicle Level 3? And here I thought you’d already upgraded to RV Level 4~”
“Are you being passive-aggressive?”
“Who, me? You’re being paranoid.”
Shi Yuanyuan frowned. He knew he couldn’t be mistaken.
“I’m being paranoid? You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you! Pi!”
“Hehe, Dung Beetle~”
Shi Yuanyuan shot back defiantly, “Manly girl!”
What had started as a friendly healing group suddenly took a turn. The two injured players began bickering and even resorted to personal attacks.
Luo Wen didn’t know what to do. Flustered, she tried to mediate: “Everyone, stop fighting! We’re all friends. Peace brings wealth, peace brings wealth!”
Yuan Zhou and Shi Yuanyuan said in unison: “Who’s friends with him!”
While the small group was bickering and arguing, Yan Lan, the culprit who had brought the two quarrels together, was chatting with someone else.
“Hello, I really want to thank you today. If you hadn’t warned me in time, I would have lost so many supplies.”
Ji Zhou: “It’s nothing.”
Yan Lan asked casually, “By the way, how did you know danger was coming?”
“Precognition. I happened to obtain a danger precognition skill.”
Yan Lan was stunned. A skill that powerful existed?
Everyone else was either getting skill cards or obtaining professions. If she didn’t have the check-in system to help her, she probably would have faded into obscurity by now.
A strong sense of crisis welled up inside her. She immediately stood up from her seat and began doing horse stance squats.
Xueqiu had been quietly eating its dinner when the figure across from it suddenly stood up, nearly startling it. Seeing that its little owner was just doing squats in place, it waved a paw, picked up its large bowl, and continued eating.
Yan Lan listed 4 Vehicle Repair Cards on the trading post. The moment they went up, a player contacted her.
Wang Da couldn’t remember how many times he had visited Yan Lan’s trading page. He had suffered from chronic rhinitis since childhood and had a delicate constitution. The charcoal and toilet paper he used had to be the best quality. Since he didn’t have many supplies, he couldn’t stock up all at once, he had to ration carefully and grab them right on time.
This time, he wasn’t there to trade for charcoal or toilet paper. He wanted a Vehicle Repair Card.
Like most players, his combat ability was poor. When the hail mini-monsters attacked, he had hidden in his car the whole time. Although he wasn’t injured, his vehicle was nearly totaled.
He had blocked the windows with cloth, but it still couldn’t keep out the fierce wind and extreme cold. Shivering violently, he finally steeled himself and contacted Yan Lan.
Fortunately for him, Yan Lan still had one last Vehicle Repair Card left.
He couldn’t help but eagerly send a message: “Hello, how much for the Vehicle Repair Card?”
Yan Lan: “20 electronic components.”
Electronic components, and 20 of them!
Wang Da’s first instinct was to refuse. Electronic components were the scarcest resource. If he gave them away, who knew how many years it would take him to upgrade? But if he didn’t upgrade, his life might be in danger.
Torn with indecision, he secretly hoped for an alternative: “Can I trade something else?”
The other party was extremely cold: “Such as?”
Wang Da thought for a moment and listed a few things that might interest her: “A box of chocolates, a box of face cream.”
Chocolate filled the stomach, and face cream protected the face from frostbite in winter. Both were very appealing to a woman. But in the end, he was disappointed, Yan Lan rejected them without a second thought.
His spirits sank. He realized that while these supplies were precious to ordinary players, they were nothing to a big shot like her.
With no other choice, he handed over 20 electronic components. After using the repair card, he still had to spend more materials to fix his car. His backpack was empty once again.
He took one last look at the group chat. Everyone was struggling, drafty windows, shredded tires, all kinds of bizarre malfunctions.
He let out a long sigh. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.