Qi Xu approached the silver supply crate.
"Congratulations, player! You've obtained abundant supplies: Cotton ×10, 10 lbs of flour, 10 lbs of Wuchang rice, wire ×10, fabric ×1, sugar ×6, smoke grenades ×2, bulletproof vest ×1, eight-treasure porridge ×10, and anti-fatigue sunglasses ×1."
Qi Xu grinned. "Cool, a huge haul."
With cotton now in hand, his luck was truly incredible!
Without hesitation, Qi Xu first crafted sanitary pads.
Each pack required cotton ×1, fabric ×1, and toilet paper ×1, yielding 12 pads per pack.
He made three packs for now, mainly because he only had three pieces of fabric, but that would suffice for the time being. There was no rush for the rest.
Suddenly, he remembered he hadn’t set up the water condenser earlier—too distracted by the excitement over the sanitary pads.
[Primary Automatic Water Condenser: Produces 500ml of drinking water and 1000ml of non-potable water daily.]
Though the output was modest, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about sudden water shortages.
His Level 2 vehicle could reach speeds of 70 km/h.
The daily distance requirements weren’t excessive, but rankings factored in mileage. Survival coins didn’t drop from crates; the only ways to earn them were through leaderboards and dungeons.
There was likely a dungeon during this beginner protection period. Since it was already the fifth day, it should arrive soon.
After organizing his supplies, Qi Xu received the menu from Chinese Master Chef.
"Pork and cabbage stew with vermicelli, honey-glazed roast meat, stir-fried pork with potato slices, crispy fried pork belly, crackling pork belly, and pork and cabbage dumplings.
All dishes will be served in large portions—three plates each. Extra pork and cabbage dumplings for you, 100 in total! How’s that?
If I can find sugar, I’ll also make sweet and sour pork or cherry meat for you.
Don’t think trading such a huge wild boar for just this little food is unfair. It takes me days to clean, prepare, and cook everything. Mincing the filling alone is backbreaking work.
But rest assured, my food never disappoints. Many ingredients are hard to come by, and my stock is limited, so this deal is more than fair."
Qi Xu agreed without hesitation. Chinese Master Chef’s skills alone made it worth it. Most importantly, Qi Xu craved good food but lacked the time to cook—focusing on boosting his strength was the priority now.
"Black Tornado: Sounds good. As for the dishes you mentioned, do you need sugar or flour?"
"Yes! With sugar, I can make sweet and sour pork and cherry meat! I won’t skim off your supplies. More flour means more dumplings—or do you prefer noodles? I can whip up hand-pulled noodles with minced meat sauce too."
"Deal."
Qi Xu immediately sent over six bags of sugar, 10 lbs of flour, and the wild boar carcass lying nearby. This was also a test to see if Chinese Master Chef could become a long-term partner. The chef was stunned by the generosity, feeling deeply trusted. "Forget 100 dumplings—I’ll make you 1,000!"
From Qi Xu’s perspective, the trade wasn’t a loss. Without culinary skills, proper seasonings, or time, the flour and sugar were useless in his hands. After wrapping up, he began his training routine: running, warm-ups, then practicing slashes, chops, and thrusts with his knife. By midnight, he was in bed—sleep was non-negotiable.
Just as he closed his eyes, a notification flashed on the screen.
"Tired of the monotonous road life? Our game has you covered! Tomorrow marks the first dungeon challenge.
Succeed, and the rewards are lavish. Fail, and you’ll lose five random resources—note, five types, not five items.
But no lives are at stake. Such a golden opportunity—why wait? Brave players, click the button below to sign up! Cowards, go ahead and sleep. Once the beginner protection period ends, dungeon failures could be deadly!"
"Dungeon Details:
Speed and Fury (1-Star Dungeon):
Players are randomly grouped into teams of 20. A 50 km race where the five lowest-scoring players lose.
First place earns 100 points, second earns 95, and so on. The bottom five get zero. Defeating green-haired monsters along the way grants 20 points each. Final rankings depend on total score."
So far, the game’s announcements and mechanics felt player-friendly, which dulled everyone’s sense of crisis—along with their urgency.
The moment the notice went live, the chat exploded with 9999+ messages debating whether to join the dungeon.
Sweet Donut: "Green-haired monsters? Ugh, sounds disgusting. Do we really have to compete like this? Why not all just chill and take it easy?"
Light Fills the World: "I agree. Let’s work together to simplify the game—just race and ignore the monsters. They’re living beings too."
Negative Times Negative: "You two sound like idiots."
Player 1111: "This is the beginner protection period—no life-threatening risks. If we don’t train now, we’ll be dead meat once it ends."
Fatty Feng chimed in: "Exactly! That’s the logical take. The other two are clearly trying to mislead everyone. What’s their agenda?"
Player 1002: "So, are you all joining? I’d rather not. My supplies are enough—why risk losing them?"
Light Fills the World: "I meant well. Never mind. Just be careful tomorrow—watch out for both the monsters and potential backstabbers."
After skimming the chat, Qi Xu closed it and went to sleep. He’d already signed up the second he read the notice.
His electric tricycle might not be fast, but he could rack up points by hunting green-haired monsters—the weakest early-game foes, standing about a meter tall, chubby, and strong but sluggish.
Even if things went south, running away was always an option.
Defeating them also randomly dropped "green fur," an excellent insulating material. When combined with green fabric, it triggered a special effect, allowing the crafting of a green set with exceptional cold resistance.
Qi Xu’s eyes lit up. After the dungeon, he planned to stockpile green fur. Once he reached a fabric factory, he’d buy green cloth in bulk to craft insulated sets. When temperatures plummeted, he’d be sitting on a goldmine.
So tomorrow, his strategy was simple: hunt relentlessly. The more monsters he killed, the higher his score. Plus, this dungeon had a loophole—players could farm monsters indefinitely if they chose to.
Lost in thought, Qi Xu eventually drifted off to sleep. He had overeaten the night before, so much so that he still didn’t feel hungry by morning. He settled for just a boiled egg, paired with sesame-dressed vegetarian tripe and a can of eight-treasure porridge.
After his workout, Qi Xu checked today’s travel distance—still 60 kilometers—and hurriedly set off. He put on his anti-fatigue sunglasses, which proved quite effective, shielding him from the wind and harsh glare.
........
