The survival game had a rather bizarre rule.
There was a fixed pet dungeon, and all players with pets were required to sign up compulsorily.
Although Qi Xu had never participated in such a pet dungeon before, he had heard others talk about it in the chat lobby—not only did players have to face monsters, but pets did too.
If you truly treated a pet as just a "pet," it wouldn’t survive for long.
It didn’t take long before the puppy finished the beef jerky and a bowl of goat milk.
Instinctively wobbling over to Qi Xu, it leaned against his feet with a hint of dependence, its curious big eyes meeting Qi Xu’s gaze softly...
Qi Xu gently cradled it in his palms, his throat tightening—from now on, he wouldn’t be alone anymore. He had a companion.
“Should I give you a name?”
“Awoo~”
Qi Xu had always thought puppies barked with a “woof,” but this one seemed to only make sounds like “awoo” or “oo~”
After a moment of thought, Qi Xu said, “How about Little Seven? We share the same pronunciation but different surnames.”
“Woof! Woof!”
Only then did Qi Xu hear a cheerful bark.
Qi Xu took out a thick winter quilt, folded it into a cozy nest, and placed Little Seven’s food and water bowls beside it.
“You can sleep here for now. I’ll get you a proper dog bed when I have the chance.”
Little Seven must have been exhausted—it climbed onto the quilt and fell sound asleep in no time. Qi Xu draped a small towel over it gently.
Finally, he had a chance to check the screen panel.
A new pet module had appeared.
【Combat Hound】
Nickname: Little Seven
Level: Zero (1%)
Combat Power: 3
Special Abilities: None
Only four stats were displayed so far. Though the numbers were pitifully low, Qi Xu was still satisfied. The little one had just arrived—there was no need to rush.
Qi Xu crouched beside Little Seven, watching it sleep for a while before turning to other tasks.
He decided to use the two vehicle expansion cards first. Right now, both the driver’s cabin and the truck bed had more than enough space.
So, Qi Xu planned to add height—extending the truck bed upward by another level, which required exactly two expansion cards.
After using them, the truck bed grew three meters taller, with a new staircase added to the rear. The truck bed was now officially two stories, with the second level featuring a transparent glass roof.
Qi Xu moved the tomato plant, orange tree, and solar charger up there, organizing everything neatly. He then took out four plots of arable land, arranging them in a row beside the tomato and orange trees.
A small pathway was left at the edge for easy watering and fertilizing.
The land was ready, but he didn’t have many seeds yet. Qi Xu browsed the trading hall and came back with banana seeds, strawberry seeds, and two packs of mango seeds.
Since Xiao Dangzi was already growing grains, Qi Xu focused on planting fruits.
He also harvested the ripe tomatoes and oranges from the previous batch and shared some in the group chat.
Retired Magical Boy: “What’s up, Cyclone Boss? Come chat!”
Qi Xu snapped a photo of Little Seven and sent it to the group. “Farming. And babysitting.”
Retired Magical Boy: “Aaaaaah! That’s way too cute! I wanna hug it!”
Old White Dragon in the Waves: “Is this a pet? What rank is it?”
Invincible Black Cyclone: “Came from a high-tier pet egg.”
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "I've got an intermediate pet egg, but I'm torn about whether to hatch it. I kinda want to hold out for a high-tier one."
Retired Magical Boy: "Dragon Bro, if you're selling, think of me first!"
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "Sure, I'll sell it to you. I’d rather save up for a high-tier egg anyway."
Retired Magical Boy: "Deal! I’ll give you a full set of potions, a dungeon death-protection card, three tracking cards, and a triple-stat boost pill. If that’s not enough, I can scrounge up more. I really want it."
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "Nah, that’s plenty. Keep the triple-stat boost pill for yourself—eat it now, or I won’t sell! Hatching a pet also takes 50 energy stones. No need to bankrupt yourself over this."
Unable to argue, Retired Magical Boy handed over everything except the triple-stat pill.
And so began the grueling yet joyful journey of raising a virtual pet... The emotional fulfillment it brought was something even the rarest loot box couldn’t match.
Before joining the game, Magical Boy had kept a dog and three cats. Coming home to them always healed his sadness, often making him feel like he’d never need romance in his life...
The group chatted idly until midnight, when everyone gathered in anticipation—the first monthly leaderboard was about to drop.
Right at 12:00 AM, the system’s cheeky broadcast voice chimed in:
["Hi there, dear noob players! You’ve survived 1 month and 7 days in this death game. The first monthly rankings are live! Top 100 all get rewards—higher ranks mean better loot.
Oh, and a special card is being unlocked: the Plunder Card! It’ll randomly drop to one of the top 100 players.
If you hold the Plunder Card and kill another player, you steal ALL their belongings—vehicles, backpack inventory, everything! One kill could change your fate. Tempting, right? Well, don’t just stand there!
Let’s see... Wow, our server’s got some elite players! Can’t touch Black Whirlwind? Then go for Battle Wolf Old White Dragon! Or heck, even the Fitness Trainer’s fair game!"]
Reading this, Qi Xu felt a swarm of metaphorical sweatdrops forming on his forehead...
The system’s instigation was getting blatant—now it was outright naming names. How shameless.
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "Pwease don’t wobbew me, I’m just a wittle fwagile boy UwU."
Truth was, Old White Dragon was thriving in this survival highway. Growing up, he’d always been the "bad kid"—bad grades, worse attitude, surrounded by troublemakers, never doing anything productive. But he’d also been fearless and tough since childhood. This game? It was his natural habitat.
Getting name-dropped by the system tickled him so much he couldn’t resist trolling. Bring on the challengers—let’s see who’d survive. If he lost, so be it.
Cursed by RNG: "I can vouch for White Dragon Bro being a delicate little flower. He only placed second in the Frozen Fantasy dungeon because I, the mighty carry, was there."
Player 0809: "Cut the act, you elites. Who knows who’ll get the Plunder Card anyway?"
The chat hall was buzzing with lively conversation as everyone eagerly awaited the arrival of the rankings.
Qi Xu was no exception, having uncorked a bottle of red wine for a light sip or two to unwind, ensuring a more comfortable night's sleep.
.......
