It had been a very, very long time since Qi Xu had eaten food with real “flavor.”
In the past, her only rule had been that staying alive was enough. Surviving alone was already brutally hard—fighting all kinds of monsters until she was battered and bleeding, and whenever she had a spare moment, all she wanted to do was lie down and rest, or tend to her wounds in silence.
Who felt like cooking? A single steamed bun was enough to fill her stomach for a meal. Qi Xu could never bring herself to stir-fry a plate of vegetables. Every day, all she thought about was how to maximize her gains and stretch her supplies a little longer.
Only now did Qi Xu feel a tiny bit of the joy of being alive.
The breakfast was exquisite and delicious. With a warm feeling in her stomach, Qi Xu wiped hard at her snot and tears.
She messaged China’s Little Master Chef directly: “What are you missing for your vehicle upgrade?”
China’s Little Master Chef took quite a while to reply: “I’m still two Vehicle Upgrade Card Fragments short, so I’m nowhere near upgrading.”
Qi Xu immediately sent over the only two Vehicle Upgrade Card Fragments she had.
She swore this was the most generous she had been in nearly four years, bar none.
China’s Little Master Chef was stunned.
Who the hell started the rumor that the big shot was cold-blooded, impossibly vicious, killed people on sight, and slaughtered every monster in his path?
It had scared him so badly that he got up early just to make breakfast and send it over, terrified that cooking too slowly would piss the big shot off. Ending up on a zone-wide wanted list would be a nightmare. Yet the big shot turned out to be so generous! Over just one breakfast, he gave out all this…
Still, China’s Little Master Chef really didn’t want to take advantage of him, so he clicked reject.
China’s Little Master Chef: “No need, this is way too valuable! One breakfast is nothing. I eat like this anyway, I just made an extra portion for you.”
Qi Xu replied directly: “Take them. Check what upgrade materials the card says you’re missing, and I’ll put them together for you now. Let’s get your vehicle upgraded first. Today’s lunch and dinner are on you too!”
Blushing, China’s Little Master Chef rubbed his hands together and shuffled his chubby feet in place. Was this really okay? How many people in the entire zone could even upgrade to a Level 2 vehicle right now…
Finally, steeling himself, he replied, “Alright, thanks a ton, big shot. I’ll definitely make you plenty of good food.”
China’s Little Master Chef combined the 6 fragments, and the vehicle upgrade requirements quickly popped up.
He was short two pieces of glass, two pieces of rubber, 4 iron sheets, and 10 screws…
No matter how thick-skinned he was, China’s Little Master Chef didn’t dare ask someone for that many supplies. He replied hesitantly, “Could I… save up for the rest slowly? It won’t get in the way of making your lunch and dinner. I’m just missing way too much.” The source of this chapter is novelping . com.
Invincible Black Whirlwind: “Just send the list.”
Left with no choice, China’s Little Master Chef sent it over. Seeing that she had enough on hand, Qi Xu covered all the supplies he was missing.
Then she asked, “Going by what you need for the upgrade, yours should be a car, right? Why is it so slow on the road every day?”
China’s Little Master Chef answered aggrievedly, “My vehicle is a tractor… It doesn’t go fast. But my other two choices back then were a kids’ balance bike and a bicycle, so I had no choice. I’m fat and I don’t work out. If I’d picked the bicycle, I would’ve died on day one!”
Qi Xu laughed. If it was a tractor… then yeah, hitting 30 kilometers an hour was already pretty impressive… and his ears probably took quite a beating.
Qi Xu had originally planned to slack off and skip her workout today, but for some reason, she was in a fantastic mood after breakfast, so she got up and finished her morning exercise routine anyway!
When she got back, she saw messages from China’s Little Master Chef.
“Upgrade succeeded! Hahaha, my cooking stove and the tractor are fused into one now! And my speed went up to 50 kilometers per hour! Hahaha, thanks, big bro! From now on, whenever I make something good, I’ll definitely send you a portion!”
“Since you’ve helped me out so much, I’ll tell you a secret too. Once when I was cooking, the food smelled so good that it drew over an old man who was completely red and only 1.2 meters tall! He seemed to be a monster merchant. He insisted on eating my food. I didn’t dare say no, since I was scared he’d off me, so I gave him what I’d cooked, and he gave me 10 Survival Coins! And then I also got a Chef Work Permit! Every day I can come across one ingredient or seasoning I want, in the kind of crate with no monsters inside! Hehe~”
Qi Xu: !!!
Sure enough, she wasn’t the only lucky one out there!
“Big shot, I’m gonna get back to work now. Leave me a message if you need anything, I’ll reply the second I see it! Let me know whatever you feel like eating, too.”
Qi Xu quietly replied with an “Okay.”
As for what she wanted to eat… Qi Xu didn’t know. She had already forgotten what kinds of delicious food existed back in that vibrant, colorful world.
Everything she ate had been random supplies pulled from crates…
Qi Xu watered the orange tree, swapped out the battery, and at 6 a.m. on the dot, rode off on her little tricycle.
Qi Xu vaguely remembered that on the very first day after it ended, out of more than 900 people in the zone, nearly 100 died in a single day.
Many of the people who had been regulars in the chat lobby turned into darkened avatars.
As comfortable as the beginner protection period was, the blow when it ended was just as brutal.
Qi Xu only opened three crates the entire day: a bottle of mineral water, a ham sausage, and a nest of rats…
Still, she was in a pretty good mood.
Because she had chicken wings stuffed with rice for lunch, and mini wontons in chicken broth for dinner.
Those two meals alone kept Qi Xu feeling thrilled well into the night.
Leaning against the backrest of her seat, Qi Xu leisurely scrolled through her light screen.
Before long, something caught her eye.
Chief Beauty Officer: “Help! Does anyone have fever medicine? I feel like I’m burning up to 80 degrees and about to die. Who has fever medicine… I’m willing to trade 5 Vehicle Upgrade Card Fragments, a small table, and a compressed biscuit. That’s everything valuable I have.”
Qi Xu wanted the Vehicle Upgrade Card Fragments, and she wanted the small table too.
Whenever she ate, she always had to sit on a crate and hold her food in her hands. Qi Xu wanted to try living a little more happily and comfortably, instead of shortchanging herself on everything.
It was just that trading fever medicine for those things was a bit of a loss. Medicine was the most precious resource in any era.
Qi Xu sent Chief Beauty Officer a private message.
“I have fever medicine. I’ll take your 5 Vehicle Upgrade Card Fragments and the small table. Keep the compressed biscuit. Do you have anything else?”
Chief Beauty Officer: “Wuwuwu, nothing left. Those three things are the most valuable stuff I have.”
Qi Xu sighed. Forget it, she was in a good mood today, so she’d just count it as her good deed for the day.
Right as she was about to send the trade request, Chief Beauty Officer suddenly added: “Oh right, I also have a pink card. It doesn’t have an item description, but maybe it’ll be something good later on. Do you think you can use it?”
Qi Xu glanced at the image, and only had one thought… she really did want this thing.