◎ Mysterious Fragment ◎
Waking up early had become a habit. Yan Lan got up on time and swiftly completed her entire routine: check-in, exercise, wash up, eat breakfast.
The check-in tasks over the past few days had been very simple, but the rewards were also ordinary. Sometimes, she actually missed the strange and bizarre tasks the system used to give, at least the rewards had been generous.
Today was Day 9 of the Icy Snowfield map. The temperature had dropped to -30°C, and the snow on the road was already up to her knees. Walking on it made her look like she had shrunk, both ridiculous and amusing.
The effects of the sustained low temperatures were also becoming obvious: difficult driving, fewer treasure chests, a shortage of charcoal, and casualties.
After yesterday’s hailstorm attack, the players had suffered heavy losses. Overnight, Zone H-38 had lost another several dozen people, leaving only 9,600 players.
The group chat was active again. Every time the player count dropped significantly, some players would spontaneously organize discussions to share lessons learned.
Yan Lan didn’t join in. She had something more important to do, upgrade.
Yes, after six days of hard work, she could finally upgrade again!
【Consume Glass×1000, Metal×1000, Rubber×1000, Electronic Components×200 to upgrade? Yes/No.】
【Yes】
After the familiar flash of white light, the RV beneath her feet transformed.
【Current Level: Medium RV Lv5
Next Level Upgrade Requirements: Glass×5000, Metal×5000, Rubber×5000, Electronic Components×2000.】
What delighted her most was the RV’s size. Before, it had only been 1.7m x 5m, quite small. Now it had expanded several times over, to roughly 3m x 10m.
This highway had 50 lanes. Based on roughly 3.5 meters per lane, it was about 175 meters wide. While her RV was much larger than a real-life one, this was a game world, this width was nothing worth mentioning.
The driver’s seat had been upgraded from a two-seater to a four-seater. Lifting the curtain from the driver’s seat led directly into the main living area.
The bed in the overhead cab was still there, but a sunroof had been added. If the weather was clear at night, she might even be able to see the stars.
The interior layout remained the same, but a bedroom had been added.
The bedroom was located past the bathroom, spanning 8 square meters. Inside was a large 2m x 2.2m bed. When she didn’t feel like climbing up into the cab bed, she could rest here instead.
In addition, the RV’s performance had improved. The windows were noticeably thicker, and the wheels had increased from four to six.
Yan Lan looked around, very satisfied. With more living space inside the RV, life wouldn’t feel so cramped.
The news of her upgrade spread quickly through the main group chat. After more than ten days together, everyone had grown accustomed to using her as a benchmark.
“Boss Yan, how many materials are needed for the next upgrade?”
Yan Lan told them honestly.
“Holy crap, that many? One backpack slot can only hold 1,000. I can’t even fit 5,000 of each material. I’d rather just lie down and be a salted fish!”
“Do you have any ambition? You can save up over time.”
“Easy for you to say. I spent 100 on car repairs yesterday and another 30 on snow chains. I can’t save anything.”
“That’s true. Money goes fast, but earning it is hard.”
After the attack yesterday, supplies had suddenly dropped, and the demand drove up everyone’s enthusiasm for searching treasure chests. Sales of snow chains, awnings, and sunglasses also rose.
Producing one snow chain required 10 metal. She sold them at twice their practical value. They could be used long-term, and when no longer needed, they could be disassembled back into metal. At that price, it wasn’t a bad deal.
The upgraded RV drove differently than before. Xueqiu was full of energy and excitement.
It was round and plump, and there were no sunglasses that fit it, so Yan Lan made two strips of cloth and tied them around its head to protect its eyes from the harsh glare.
Meanwhile, she busied herself producing supplies inside the RV.
Charcoal remained her main product. For other items, she would list a few dozen at a time and restock after they sold out.
When there were no customers, she would browse other players’ trading posts to see if there was anything she needed. Recently, a number of players in Zone H-38 had obtained professions, making it possible to find quite a few interesting things.
Xie Yuan was one of them, but his profession was a bit useless: Librarian.
Others were nutritionists, pharmacists, or even housewives, but he was stuck with a useless librarian.
In the real world, being a librarian was a stable job. But in this inhumane survival game, it was practically worthless.
Every day, he had a 50% chance of obtaining a book. On the first day, he got a magazine. On the second day, nothing. On the third day, a comic book. Today, a chemistry textbook.
A magazine and a comic book were at least somewhat entertaining. But a chemistry textbook? What was he supposed to do with that? It was absurd!
Since he had no use for them himself, he simply listed them on the trading post, hoping someone would buy them so he could at least trade them for some supplies.
But after all these days, all he had gotten were a couple of “heh heh” comments. Nothing else.
Today, however, he received a private message.
Xie Yuan assumed it was just another casual inquiry and didn’t get his hopes up. He replied listlessly: “Please take a look if you’re interested.”
“I’ll take all four. What’s the price?”
Xie Yuan’s half-closed eyes snapped open. Staring at the familiar name, he asked, “You really want all four?”
“Yes. What’s the price?”
Xie Yuan: “Just… charcoal. Whatever you think is fair.”
He knew that Yan Lan had more charcoal than anything else.
Yan Lan looked at his reply and fell into thought. “Whatever you think is fair”, if she offered too little, it would be unfair; if she offered too much, she’d lose out. What a test.
“How about 15 pieces of charcoal?”
Xie Yuan could hardly believe it. Something that no one had wanted for days had just sold for 15 pieces of charcoal, and charcoal was a rare resource that people scrambled to get.
The 15 pieces of charcoal were quickly transferred over. Xie Yuan grinned from ear to ear, revealing eight teeth, and confirmed the transaction as fast as if his eyebrows were on fire.
Haha! It seemed his profession wasn’t entirely useless after all!
Yan Lan received the chemistry textbook, flipped through it, and then forwarded it to Shi Yuanyuan.
“You mentioned before that you wanted someone to analyze the cigarettes Sha Renfan sells. I don’t know if this will help.”
Shi Yuanyuan: “I don’t know much about this area, but it should be relevant. I’ll pass it along to him.”
Yan Lan: “Mm, okay. Thanks for your help.”
Shi Yuanyuan: “Don’t mention it. I can’t stand that Sha guy either.”
Then he sent another message: “I upgraded today too! A small RV, just like you had before. It’s still a far cry from my real-life mansion, but there’s a different feeling when you get something through your own effort.”
Yan Lan smiled, full of respect. He had gone from being a spoiled rich second-generation kid to a struggling survivor who had to do everything himself. That kind of gap wasn’t something everyone could handle.
But he had made it through, not only survived but was doing well.
She had once offered to lend him materials to upgrade, but he had refused.
He felt that an off-road vehicle was enough to live in, and that once you started troubling others, you’d develop a habit. His cousin had taught him that if you could do something yourself, you must give it your all.
Speaking of his cousin, Shi Yuanyuan launched into another round of effusive praise.
“My cousin is really handsome. Are you sure you don’t want to see a photo?”
Yan Lan didn’t know how to respond for a moment, so she made up an excuse and slipped away.
She had just upgraded, and the system had given her a Diamond Treasure Chest.
Based on current knowledge, there were four levels of treasure chests: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Diamond was the highest level she had ever obtained. Whether there were any levels above that remained unknown.
The last time she had obtained a Diamond Treasure Chest, she had gotten the magical flowerpot that bore fruit every day. She had no idea what treasure this one held.
She opened it with reverence and care. Inside was a fan-shaped fragment, about the size of a palm, made of metal, with a wavy line on it.
She turned it over and over but couldn’t figure out what it was. So she took a photo and sent it to the small group chat she had created yesterday, which Shi Yuanyuan had named “Let’s Get Rich Together.”
“I got this as a reward from upgrading. Does anyone know what it is?”
Yuan Zhou: “No idea.”
Luo Wen: “Can’t tell.”
Shi Yuanyuan: “If it’s a game reward, it must be something good!”
Yuan Zhou: “No kidding!”
If he could send emojis, Yuan Zhou would have rolled his eyes.
Shi Yuanyuan: “Hey, did I offend you again?”
“—But, I have a way.”
Yan Lan’s eyes lit up: “What way?”
Shi Yuanyuan didn’t reply, but more than ten seconds later, a system notification appeared in the group: Ji Zhou has been added to the group chat by Shi Yuanyuan.
The corner of Yan Lan’s mouth twitched. So this was his “way.”
Shi Yuanyuan took the initiative to introduce him: “This is my cousin. Everyone can call him Ji Zhou. He’s also received the Leading Vehicle Owner title several times. Cousin, do you know what this fragment is?”
Yan Lan stared intently at the screen. For some reason, she had the illusion that he would definitely know.
Ji Zhou: “No idea.”
Yan Lan felt a pang in her chest. Talk about a letdown.
But then he added: “But I have an identical one. These two fragments can be joined together. Once we collect the remaining fragments, the result will reveal itself naturally.”
Yan Lan immediately perked up. She opened the photo Ji Zhou had sent, zoomed in, and confirmed that it was indeed identical to her own fragment.
She placed her fragment over the picture. They matched perfectly, even the wavy lines aligned just right.
Her fragment and Ji Zhou’s formed a larger fan shape, making up two-fifths of a full circle. That meant once they collected the remaining three fragments, they would finally know what this thing was.
She began to look forward to it.
Yan Lan put the fragment away and went to the balcony to pick fruit.
After the upgrade, the balcony was 3 meters long and 2 meters wide. Even with the flowerpots and water collector, there was still plenty of room. The balcony also had a protective mesh screen to prevent outside objects from entering the RV. The mesh could be raised or lowered as needed, just press a button on the balcony. Very convenient.
The flowerpots now held three types of plants: oranges, apples, and mushrooms. She actually still had durian seeds, but the pots were too small to plant anything else.
With a sigh, Yan Lan began harvesting. This was the most bountiful harvest yet, 12 oranges, 15 apples, and even a full basket of mushrooms.
Adding these to her previous harvests, there was no way she and Xueqiu could finish everything by themselves. So she decided to give some away.
She sent Shi Yuanyuan, Yuan Zhou, and Luo Wen 4 pieces of fruit and 10 mushrooms each. Since Ji Zhou had helped her a few days ago, she gave him double that amount.
Soon, Ji Zhou sent a thank-you message: “Thank you for the fruit and mushrooms. Is there any supply you want in return?”
Yan Lan thought for a moment. She didn’t lack anything at the moment: “Not right now.”
“Alright then. If you ever want something, just tell me. I’ll make sure to get it for you.”
Yan Lan’s face grew warm. For a moment, she didn’t know how to reply.
Just as she was lost in thought, a sharp pain suddenly struck her abdomen. Cold sweat began to bead on her forehead.