Brain deposit area… (You all are very smart, so please do not bring your brains with you!)
…
Jiang Li looked at the cramped, dark little room in front of her, and only then did she finally come back to her senses. She had returned to reality. This was the place her parents had left her after their divorce.
Could it be that dying in the game would send her back to reality?
That was not the same as what was said at the beginning: “Death in the game means death in reality”!
Jiang Li braced herself against the bed and leaned against the headboard with difficulty. In her heart, she felt regret. In the game, she had been far too timid, always avoiding trouble and fearing everything.
So much so that while everyone else had already surged ahead, she was still at the very bottom.
On the seventh day of the game, while opening a crate, she had been smothered to death by a low-level snot monster.
Ever since her parents divorced when she was young, Jiang Li had become sensitive and suspicious, and she was not very good at face-to-face communication.
Her social life consisted only of the auntie next door and a computer. Her work was all kinds of online side jobs, including but not limited to grading homework for students, correcting typos in novels, typing, and boosting orders on Taobao…
Her meager income kept her from going hungry and even let her save a little money. She was truly grateful to the country for giving someone as unnoticed as her the hope of living.
But that hope was shattered again. She had developed a strange illness; her whole body would start hurting for no reason. Even after going to the hospital, they could not find the cause. As the condition worsened, she gradually found it hard even to get up.
Jiang Li curled up against the headboard, and waves of intense pain struck her again and again…
She silently endured it without making a sound. Her tears had dried up long ago, and she kept recalling the scenes from the game, trying to distract herself.
At the very start of the game, some people had drawn RVs, sedans, and even huge garbage trucks and rescue vehicles…
She had at least drawn a bicycle, which was better than a twist car or a rocking car.
Her Unlucky Physique triggered, and it turned out to be a broken bicycle.
Jiang Li silently endured the pain in her body, thinking in despair that if she could get one more chance, she would definitely change herself.
Perhaps because she was thinking about the game, the pain in her body actually disappeared.
『Beep beep beep… Game loading, time remaining: 5 minutes…』
Hearing the familiar voice by her ear, Jiang Li was stunned for only 1 second before her body lurched forward and she rushed quickly toward the wardrobe.
On instinct, she grabbed 3 sweaters and 2 pairs of cotton pants and struggled to put them on, then threw on her thickest padded coat.
『Beep beep beep… Game loading, time remaining: 3 minutes…』
Jiang Li quickly grabbed 3 packs of sanitary pads, stuffed them into the big pockets of her padded coat, turned around, and ran into the kitchen. She grabbed a large plastic bag and tied it tightly around herself.
She packed in everything that was left: 5 bottles of mineral water, 3 big bags of instant noodles (5-pack each), the opened salt and soy sauce, a small cooking pot, and a spatula.
She added another bag of dried noodles, 2 packs of pickled mustard greens, and 1 bottle of chili powder.
Jiang Li looked left and right. The kitchen was empty. She had no food left.
『Beep beep beep… Game loading, time remaining: 10 seconds…』
Jiang Li stamped her feet anxiously, then directly picked up the dish basin in front of her and hugged it tightly to her chest.
A flash of white light later, Jiang Li opened her eyes again and was already in the game.
Blue sky, white clouds, and before her was a road stretching endlessly into the distance. Beech trees were planted every five meters along both sides of the road.
The lush green leaves cast large shadows along the roadside, giving players a moment to catch their breath.
『Welcome all players to Highway Survival! This is Dragon Nation Zone 666, Sector 222. Isn’t it a surprise? There are more surprises waiting for you next!』
A neutral mechanical voice suddenly appeared in every player’s ear.
『Now announcing the game rules! Note that death in the game means true death! Players are advised to take this seriously!』
『Rule One: At the start of the game, each player has the chance to independently choose one vehicle. Please take good care of your vehicle. It will be your most loyal and reliable companion!』
『Rule Two: The Novice Protection Period lasts 7 days. During the protection period, the area within 5 meters of the vehicle is a safe zone. If you go beyond the safe zone, you bear the consequences yourself. Even 0.001 centimeters counts as beyond it!』
『Rule Three: Starting supplies are 1 bottle of 500 ml mineral water and 2 big steamed buns. Love you all!』
『Rule Four: Supply crates appear irregularly along both sides of the road. If you pick one up within the time limit, you have a chance to obtain survival supplies. And considerate little me will definitely also tell you that there are monsters in the crates. There is no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to keep picking things up for nothing forever, keep dreaming!』
『Rule Five: The road is one-way. No reversing, and no turning around to go back! Violators will be eliminated on the spot! Players must complete the required daily mileage; those who fail will be eliminated on the spot! No driving at night!』
『Rule Six: Civilized people must obey traffic rules. Violators will have points deducted and be fined! Initial score: 12 points!
Motor vehicles must travel according to traffic lights, traffic signs, traffic markings, or the direction of traffic police.
On roads without traffic signals, travel must be made under the principle of ensuring safety and smooth flow.
Different road types and sections must be driven at the prescribed speeds. Speeding is not allowed.』
『Rule Seven: Each player exclusively occupies one highway track. Just charge ahead!』
“The next part is the long-awaited vehicle draw. Don’t think about cutting corners. Whatever kind of person you were when you came here, you’ll still be that kind of person here. I’m the fairest little sweetheart on the whole server, la la la~”
Jiang Li pressed her pale lips together. They always said that people were not divided into noble and lowly, so why did she have to be born at the very bottom?
She wanted to curse, but the words stopped at her lips. She was bad with words and did not know how to curse.
Feeling frustrated, Jiang Li raised the light brain on her wrist. She found the personal attributes panel in the lower-right corner with practiced ease, and a draw button had appeared next to her avatar. She clicked it.
“Ding-ding-ding… I am your draw assistant. Please choose your vehicle companion carefully!”
A light screen projected before her eyes, and three vehicles appeared in the air.
Shocking! This time it was actually different from last time. This time, she was actually given a choice!
Jiang Li lowered her head and looked at the basin full of dirty bowls and chopsticks by her feet, then at the thick padded coat on her body, and fell into thought.
She took a deep breath and carefully studied the three vehicles in front of her.
The one on the far left was the bicycle she had before, but it had turned out to be a piece of junk that could not even be repaired. She had finally gathered all the upgrade materials, and then she died.
Jiang Li skipped that unlucky thing entirely and looked at the next one.
In the middle was a crude three-wheeled electric motorcycle, covered in rust all over. The most eye-catching part was the large cargo bed at the back.
The last one was a brand-new pink twist car. Jiang Li rubbed her eyes. It really was a completely useless twist car.
In her previous life, the person who drew this could only rely on walking. Their feet were worn raw, and they still failed to complete the day’s task. In the end, the game mercilessly eliminated them.
Jiang Li had finally been given a chance to start over, and she absolutely did not want to keep barely surviving like this anymore. Well, maybe this time she might not even have the chance to barely survive, after all, no one could guarantee that the bug would appear again.
Jiang Li pressed a hand to her chest, took a soft deep breath, and tapped the screen.
“Choose the three-wheeled electric motorcycle? Confirm or not.”
“Confirm.”
“Unlucky Player Physique detected. The crude three-wheeled electric motorcycle turns into junk… Huh? What is going on? The game is glitching…”