The core items required to upgrade the vehicle to level 6 are "100 Weapon Upgrade Cards and 66 types of metal." The Weapon Upgrade Cards weren’t an issue—Qi Xu had already set aside a portion, and the missing ones could be easily replenished. But out of the 66 metals, she currently had only a little over a dozen. She needed to figure something out.
Today was the final day of the extreme heatwave, and the supply boxes on the road had noticeably increased again. Yet, Qi Xu managed to pull yet another cooling spray from one of them. A sudden suspicion crossed her mind—could the next disaster cycle also be scorching heat?
Little Seven, curled up in her arms, had grown listless from not being able to get out to relieve himself. For days, except when munching on chilled watermelon or soaking in cool baths, he had been sprawled under the air conditioner or inside the pet nutrition pod, desperately gulping water...
Qi Xu wanted to get him a temperature-regulating pet suit, but they were impossible to find. Instead, she amplified the energy output of the blue ice-type crystal to ease his discomfort.
She immediately produced another 30,000 bottles of cooling spray, planning to list them the moment everyone reached their breaking point. She even slightly raised the price—each bottle now cost "1 basic material" and "1 vehicle upgrade card fragment."
No one was buying yet, of course. Some players had even begun questioning the logic: "It’s the last day, and you’re raising prices?!"
If not for the sheer number of water condensers Qi Xu had sold, everyone would’ve collapsed long ago.
By the afternoon, Qi Xu was receiving supply boxes almost every half hour. And just then—she stumbled upon a station!
After a brief hesitation, she decided to stop and check it out. Supply boxes were steady income, but stations often held rare rewards. She was willing to gamble.
"Little Seven, guard the house. Don’t wander off—I’ve left food and water for you."
"Woof woof woof!"
Little Seven hugged her with a look of utter dependence before watching her leave. He needed to grow up fast—his owner was working too hard hunting alone.
But when Qi Xu pushed open the station door, she was baffled.
"A... school?"
She’d never been to this station before, though she’d heard rumors—it was said only those with high intelligence could reap benefits here.
After a moment’s hesitation, she charged in. "I’m not dumb, right?"
Upon closer inspection, there were no monster staff collecting fees. The moment she stepped inside, her clothes transformed into a red-and-blue long-sleeved school uniform. Gradually, students dressed identically appeared around her.
"Quite the production..."
Qi Xu stayed cautious, avoiding conversation and silently blending into the "crowd." Along the way, she spotted a few equally confused players. They were easy to pick out—they’d already begun clustering together, grumbling amongst themselves.
Teamwork was essential on the Survival Highway, but not like this. They were practically begging for an early grave.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before a middle-aged, balding man who looked every bit the Head Teacher appeared before them.
A single roar later, blood began trickling from the players’ mouths, noses, and ears...
The Head Teacher kicked each of them out. Qi Xu didn’t dare look back, but she knew—without high-grade healing potions, those players were doomed. A fitting price for stupidity.
Helping them was impossible. Having witnessed similar scenes countless times, Qi Xu wasn’t about to expose herself.
Still... the monster staff here seemed unusually aggressive.
Soon, she arrived at a classroom. The only seat left was in the front row, right beside the aisle.
After sitting down, Qi Xu noticed all the students were busy copying passages from textbooks. Though puzzled, she instinctively pulled out a book from the desk and started copying too, her mind racing.
What kind of twisted rule was this?
But... if she was playing a student, focusing on studies couldn’t hurt, right?
At first, she felt restless, but gradually, a strange sense of comfort and nostalgia washed over her. After so many years away from school, she was oddly slipping back into the rhythm. She steadied her thoughts, writing neatly and underlining key phrases out of old habit.
Before she knew it, an hour had passed. She decided to finish copying this classical essay before leaving.
The whole thing felt ridiculous—what sane person would visit a station just to copy textbooks?
But after being severed from normal life for so long, even this fabricated version felt... nice.
Qi Xu set down her pen and glanced around. Some students were studying, others reading novels or chatting. A few were sneaking snacks, even playfully flirting. The scene was replicated with eerie realism.
She couldn’t help but smile. Fake or not, the sight was touching, dredging up memories of her own school days.
Just as she stood up, the sharp click of heels echoed from the doorway.
Her heart instantly hammered against her ribs.
Damn it. No matter how many years had passed, in this setting, wearing this uniform, the fear of teachers was as potent as ever.
She instinctively held her breath, flipping her book open and gripping her pen, not daring to look up.
From the corner of her eye, she spotted a pair of old-fashioned black leather shoes stopping in front of her desk. The next second, her notebook was yanked into the air.
Qi Xu looked up, bewildered.
The notebook blocked the teacher’s face, hiding her expression. But the sound of nails scraping against paper sent shivers down Qi Xu’s spine.
"Very good. You’ve been studying diligently. As a reward, here’s a little red flower. Keep it up, dear. Don’t disappoint me."
A small red sticker was pressed onto Qi Xu’s forehead. She forced a polite, frozen smile, barely twitching the corners of her lips. If she recalled correctly, the textbook she’d been copying was high school level.
Since when did high school teachers hand out red flowers?
Dazed, Qi Xu took back her notebook, wondering how to make her exit—
Then the previously gentle teacher whirled toward a boy nearby who’d been chatting nonstop. Her face morphed into a red, fire-breathing wolf’s visage as she roared:
"Speak! What have you been doing all morning?! What are you here for?! Will studying properly kill you?! Talk! Weren’t you so chatty earlier?! Say something! SAY IT!!"
Her hands twisted into monstrous claws, joints bulging, nails elongating. She plunged them into the boy’s mouth and—
Ripped it apart.
Qi Xu sucked in a sharp breath, clamping her lips shut.
With teachers like this, who in their right mind would dare slack off in self-study or half-ass their homework?!
.........
