【Highway Survival Game loading, current progress 82%, please wait patiently!】
When Qi Xu heard this familiar voice in her mind again, she didn’t hesitate for even a second. She immediately lunged toward the kitchen, grabbed a cooking pot, and frantically stuffed it with instant noodles and eggs before tossing in a packet of salt.
She then snatched up an entire case of bottled water from the floor and bolted for the bathroom. Unfortunately, just as she was about to grab the sanitary pads, darkness swallowed her vision...
When the darkness lifted, Qi Xu found herself standing on an endless stretch of highway.
【Welcome to Highway Survival. This is Hua Nation’s 88th Major Zone, 666th Subzone (9999+). Below, please carefully read the game rules.】
【1. Each player can choose an initial vehicle as their starting means of transportation. Choose wisely—this decision will significantly impact your future mobility.】
【2. To obtain resources for survival, keep driving forward along the highway. Supply crates will appear along the way.】
【3. Supply crates don’t just contain survival goods—they may also hold unknown dangers. So, use your brain when opening them.】
【4. The highway cannot be driven in reverse, and you cannot backtrack. You must cover a set distance each day. Normally, only one player occupies a single highway, but parallel highways may occasionally intersect, giving you a chance to encounter other players. Sometimes, your fellow humans are more dangerous than monsters.】
【5. Follow traffic rules: stop at red lights, go at green lights. If you come across service stations of varying natures, you may choose whether or not to enter.】
【6. Daytime lasts from 6 AM to 9 PM. Drivers cannot operate while fatigued. If your health drops below 10 or fatigue exceeds 90, you’ll be barred from driving.】
【7. When resting at night, do not wander more than 8 meters from your vehicle, or you might run into something… unpleasant.】
【8. Silently call up the game panel in your mind to access more information and select your initial vehicle. The first 7 days are a beginner protection period—no monsters will attack you proactively.】
【Death in the game means real death. Don’t take chances. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. May you turn adversity into prosperity. Begin your journey now. (^_-)】
After listening carefully, Qi Xu let out a deep sigh. She never thought she’d get a second chance.
Looking down at the pot in her arms, she felt a wave of relief. At least she’d brought the pot—even if her luck was terrible, she wouldn’t starve too badly in the early days.
Soon, she noticed some crushed jade fragments in the pot. She quickly crouched down to pick them up. It was the Heart of Jade?
This was a reward from a dungeon game she’d participated in—one so difficult that fewer than one in ten players survived. Qi Xu had been lucky enough to take first place.
She’d expected a massive haul of supplies, but… all she got was the Heart of Jade.
She’d never figured out its purpose, and even the game’s interface couldn’t scan it. Now, recalling the green light that had enveloped her body just before death, she finally understood—it had reloaded the game for her.
Qi Xu stared at the pot in her arms, then shook her head. Whatever the case, surviving was already a blessing.
Last time she’d entered the game, she’d been typing at her computer, so she’d brought along a disconnected keyboard.
As a web novelist, hearing that first prompt and failing to act immediately was, in her eyes, the greatest humiliation of her life—an absolute disgrace!
She wrote survival-themed stories! She might not have lived it, but she’d written about it! Yet she’d stood there like an idiot, frozen, doing nothing. The moment she entered the game, she’d slapped herself three times across the face.
Qi Xu specialized in writing about the darkness and betrayal of human nature. All her novels were supernatural horror.
Plus, she was naturally reclusive—not exactly socially anxious, just too lazy to make friends. It felt exhausting. She’d rather be alone.
So, in her last playthrough, she’d chosen the lone wolf approach. Early on, it worked well—she consistently ranked in the top 100 on the leaderboard and avoided many traps and conflicts.
But by the end of the first year, faction gameplay suddenly emerged, and her ranking plummeted.
By the end of the third year, nation-based team battles were introduced. Lone wolves like her were clearly no longer viable. But joining a team so late in the game made trust nearly impossible. Qi Xu refused to grovel or bend to others.
Facing elimination, she’d taken a desperate gamble—attempting the Seven-Star Dungeon, a challenge no one had ever cleared. But… she’d failed.
Thankfully, the Heart of Jade had given her a second chance.
Qi Xu took a deep breath. There was no way she’d do worse this time. The hardest part, though, might be changing her playstyle.
She opened her player panel, and three cartoonish vehicles popped up.
"Please make your selection!"
Last time, she’d picked the off-road vehicle on the far right—but it was secondhand, the AC was broken, and it guzzled fuel.
Worst of all, it kept breaking down. She’d wasted precious early-game food resources trading for repair kits and gasoline. The weight loss she’d failed to achieve for years? She managed it in a month thanks to this game.
So this time, she wanted a different choice.
The middle option was a massive truck. That was an instant no.
No matter how powerful it seemed, the fuel consumption would drive players to suicide. The first wave who chose trucks thought they were the chosen ones—only to realize it was a trap.
Most bankrupted themselves buying fuel, and it still wasn’t enough...
That left only the option on the far left.
A rugged, blue, open-air electric tricycle—the kind used in farming. It looked sturdy and reliable.
Batteries were far easier to obtain than gasoline, and much cheaper to trade for. Once upgraded to a new energy vehicle, its speed wouldn’t lag behind ordinary cars.
After making her decision, Qi Xu reached out and tapped the electric tricycle.
Suddenly, a surprise egg appeared and burst open with a "pop!"
"Congratulations, Player Qi Xu, for earning the title [Stubborn Mule]!"
"As the first player to trigger a title, of course you get a reward!"
A silver supply crate dropped from the sky right in front of her.
Qi Xu: !!!
From what she knew, silver supply crates didn’t appear until after the beginner protection period ended. Yet here she was, getting one right at the start!
The title wasn’t exactly flattering… but that didn’t matter at all!
.........
