Retired Magical Boy sent a picture of a pale pink magic wand (electric-vehicle-only). The item description read: “Pitch-Black Magic, Make You Pretty!”
Qi Xu immediately sent over another two units of gasoline. “If you want to trade, just hit agree.”
This thing was actually quite practical. Beyond the beautifying effect, it had a hidden function too, and it would still be useful even after the vehicle was upgraded.
Magical Boy agreed immediately. Was there even anything to think about? It was exclusively for electric vehicles, so he had no use for it, and besides… they were trying to survive here—what the heck was the point of looking pretty? Run out of gasoline, and you were really done for.
After getting the magic wand and reading the incantation, Qi Xu felt her face flush for some reason.
Once she was sure no one was around, she cleared her throat, raised her hand to draw a circle in the air, and called out loudly, “La-la-ha woo-woo, gaba-gaba, transform!”
Qi Xu’s little blue electric tricycle instantly transformed into… a mix of pink and rose-red, with lace trim lining the edges all the way around.
The center of the handlebars was encrusted with crushed diamonds, and both the grips and the seat had turned fluffy.
Qi Xu’s mouth twitched again and again. Even though it… really did look pretty good, wasn’t it way too eye-catching?
“Congratulations! You’ve discovered a hidden vehicle item! Not only has our little ride gotten prettier, it will also clean itself automatically every time you recite the incantation. You really are one lucky little thing.”
What Qi Xu wanted was precisely this auto-cleaning function for her vehicle.
Qi Xu got back on the tricycle and set off, feeling as if she herself had turned pink and cute.
Although the grips and seat were fluffy, they automatically adjusted to the temperature most comfortable for her. Getting this for two units of gasoline was an absolute steal.
It was only because the game had just started and people hadn’t adapted to the rules yet. Otherwise, no one would ever let such a good item go for dirt cheap.
Adding Retired Magical Boy as a friend really had been the right call.
On the flat highway, the electric tricycle could be throttled all the way up to 50, so her pace wasn’t slow at all.
Qi Xu returned to the [chat lobby] page, hoping to see if she could run into another adorable player like Retired Magical Boy.
Player 0803: “Ziwei, are you there? I’m Dongdong20020803. Ziwei, Ziwei! My Ziwei, where are you!”
Wild Giant: “Person above, shouldn’t you be Erkang?”
Player 1206: “Who has food? I’m never dieting again! I was right in the middle of a light fast when I suddenly got pulled into this—I’m starving to death!”
Little Tadpole Looking for Mama: “I’m so thirsty. Could some kind soul spare me a sip of water!”
Player 1030: “Why are internet beggars everywhere?”
Possessed by Lady Luck: “I’m only speaking up to express that I’m doing very well, though I don’t want to brag too bluntly. All in all, as long as you all know I’m doing well, that’s enough. Instant noodles are tasty and all, just way too unhealthy~”
The Universe’s Number One Handsome Guy: “The person above is disgusting. Isn’t this pure psychological warfare? Get lost!”
Player 0803: “Ziwei, Ziwei! My Ziwei, where are you!”
Among the stream of messages, Qi Xu suddenly spotted someone very important.
“War Wolf 009: Be careful not to step into the black areas on either side of the highway—you’ll die instantly. Be cautious when opening crates, too. Monsters are very likely to jump out, so make sure you’re ready to attack in advance.”
Just from the handle, you could roughly tell this War Wolf 009 was with the authorities—and in her previous life, the number-one player in Region 88, Subdivision 666. A decent person; they had traded a few times and teamed up to clear instances.
Still, even though Qi Xu didn’t plan to go the lone-wolf route, she had no intention of joining the authorities either. Those people were too saintly. Qi Xu considered herself a selfish person; she admired them, but she couldn’t share their mindset.
By noon, Qi Xu had already finished today’s 50-kilometer driving task. Not only did she have 5 batteries, her battery level had only dropped to 74%, so she didn’t stop and kept driving forward.
After the 7-day beginner protection period ended, the first leaderboard ranking would appear, determined by a combined score of distance traveled and resources held.
The rewards for the top 10 were said to be awesome.
Qi Xu had never gotten them herself, but she’d seen people talk about them in the chat lobby—there was plenty of good stuff.
She had only run into a single wooden supply crate all morning. Qi Xu felt she… probably wouldn’t have much of an edge in the resource rankings, so she might as well just keep pushing forward. There was no helping it—crates really were scarce during the beginner protection period.
In the afternoon, she opened two more wooden supply crates and got a bottle of mineral water, a loaf of whole-wheat bread, and 10 nails.
Qi Xu didn’t even stop the tricycle for dinner that evening; she just gnawed on the bread and washed it down with mineral water until she was full.
She kept driving until 9 p.m. before pulling over to rest. The tricycle’s battery happened to run out right then too, so she swapped in a fresh one and stored the dead battery in her inventory backpack.
If she could get her hands on a universal charger later on, all these batteries could be recharged and reused repeatedly.
Qi Xu checked the system panel. She had traveled 162 kilometers today. That couldn’t compare to cars or new-energy electric vehicles, but not everyone had the option of a car or an electric vehicle.
Plenty of people had even drawn supermarket shopping carts, baby strollers, bicycles, and the like. Compared to them, Qi Xu figured she was already plenty lucky.
Qi Xu stood up, gave a big stretch, and loosened up her stiff limbs. Her butt felt practically numb from sitting.
Her Health had dropped by five points and currently sat at 64, while her Fatigue had already reached 76—a fairly dangerous state.
After dark, the faint roars and cries of monsters began drifting over from both sides of the road. Some monsters would even crawl onto the highway and circle around vehicles specifically to lure players out.
It did sound pretty scary, but Qi Xu was already used to it…
She even thought their howling lacked energy. The last time she was in the game, Qi Xu had been afraid, so she had stayed hidden inside her vehicle without daring to step out.
Now it didn’t matter to her. Her physical fitness was way too poor, and while plenty of items could improve it, her own training and steady buildup were just as important.
So Qi Xu decided to get moving—first a set of aerobics to warm up, and then some upper-body and leg strength training!
Anywhere within an 8-meter radius of the vehicle was safe.
Mid-routine, Qi Xu suddenly felt like something was staring at her. She turned around and saw a huge black-faced, fanged wolfdog with its tail sticking high in the air.
The moment their eyes met, the big wolfdog bared its fangs ferociously. Qi Xu didn’t even miss a beat in her jumping. “Hey, friend, come jump along! Move to my rhythm!”
The big wolfdog froze in confusion, then bared its teeth again, drool dripping from its jaws as a foul, fishy stench wafted over.
Qi Xu wasn’t scared, just grossed out.
“Scram, scram, scram. If you’re not doing aerobics, get out of here.”