Qi Xu hadn’t eaten such flavorful food in a long, long time.
Before, he had always believed that survival alone was enough. After all, living was already hard enough—fighting bloody battles against monsters, with any free time spent either resting or quietly tending to wounds.
Who had the energy to cook? A single meal with just a steamed bun could fill him up. Qi Xu couldn’t bear to waste resources on stir-frying a dish. Every day, his only thoughts were how to maximize benefits and stretch his supplies as long as possible.
But now, for the first time, Qi Xu felt a glimmer of joy in being alive.
The breakfast was delicate and delicious, warming his stomach. He wiped away his snot and tears with a rough motion.
Without hesitation, he asked Chinese Master Chef, "What do you need to upgrade your vehicle?"
After a long pause, Chinese Master Chef replied, "I’m still two vehicle card fragments short. Upgrading is still a ways off."
Qi Xu immediately sent over his only two vehicle cards.
He swore to himself—this was the most generous he’d been in nearly four years. No contest.
Chinese Master Chef was stunned.
Who had spread the rumors that this big shot was cold, ruthless, killed on sight, and slaughtered monsters without hesitation?
Scared out of his wits, he had even gotten up early to prepare breakfast, afraid that cooking too slowly might anger the big shot. The last thing he wanted was to end up on the server’s most-wanted list. But who knew the big shot would be so generous? Just for a meal, he gave so much...
Still, Chinese Master Chef didn’t want to take advantage. He declined the offer.
"No, no—this is too valuable! Breakfast is nothing. I eat like this myself anyway, so I just made an extra portion for you."
Qi Xu cut straight to the point: "Take it. Check what materials you’re missing for the upgrade. I’ll help you gather them now. Your job is to handle lunch and dinner today!"
Chinese Master Chef blushed, rubbing his hands together and stomping his chubby feet in place. Was this really okay? Only a handful of people in the entire server had managed to upgrade their vehicles to Level 2...
Finally, he steeled himself. "Alright, thank you, big shot! I’ll make sure to cook you something extra delicious."
Chinese Master Chef combined the six fragments, and soon, the vehicle upgrade requirements appeared.
He was short two pieces of glass, two rubber sheets, four iron plates, and ten screws...
Even with his thick skin, he couldn’t bring himself to ask for so many supplies. Hesitantly, he replied, "Can I... slowly gather these myself? I’ll still make you lunch and dinner, promise. It’s just too much to ask for."
"Just send the list," Qi Xu replied.
Chinese Master Chef had no choice but to forward the materials. Qi Xu checked his own stock—he had enough—and sent everything needed to complete the upgrade.
Then he asked, "Judging by the upgrade requirements, your vehicle should be a car. Why is it so slow on the road?"
Chinese Master Chef answered sheepishly, "My vehicle’s a tractor... It can’t go fast. But back then, the other two options were a kid’s balance bike and a bicycle. I had to pick this one—I’m fat and never exercise. If I’d taken the bicycle, I’d have died on the first day!"
Qi Xu laughed. A tractor, huh? No wonder. Even hitting 30 km/h would be a stretch... and the noise must be torture on the ears.
Originally, Qi Xu had planned to skip his workout today. But for some reason, after breakfast, he was in such a good mood that he went ahead and finished his morning exercises anyway!
When he returned, he saw Chinese Master Chef’s message:
"Upgrade successful! Hahaha, my cooking stove is now integrated with the tractor! And the speed’s increased to 50 km/h! Thank you, bro! From now on, I’ll definitely share my best dishes with you!"
"Since you’ve helped me so much, I’ll let you in on a secret. Once, while I was cooking, the smell was so good it attracted a little red-skinned old man, about 1.2 meters tall.
"Seemed like a monster merchant. He insisted on eating my food. I didn’t dare refuse—who knows what he’d do if I pissed him off? So I gave him the meal, and in return, he gave me 10 survival coins!
"Plus, I got a Chef’s License! Every day, I can encounter one ingredient or seasoning I want—straight from a monster-free loot box. Hehe~"
Qi Xu: !!!
So he wasn’t the only one with good luck!
"Big shot, I’ll get to work now. Message me if you need anything—I’ll reply ASAP. And let me know if you’re craving something specific."
Qi Xu simply replied, "Okay."
As for what he wanted to eat... Qi Xu didn’t know. He had already forgotten the vibrant, flavorful world of the past.
All he ate now were random supplies from loot boxes...
Qi Xu watered his orange tree, replaced the batteries, and at exactly 6 a.m., set off on his little tricycle.
Today was Day 6. Only two days remained in the beginner protection period.
Qi Xu vaguely remembered that when it ended last time, nearly 100 out of the server’s 900-plus players died in a single day.
Many of the once-active names in the chat hall had turned into blacked-out profiles.
The comfort of the beginner period was nothing compared to the brutal reality that followed.
Qi Xu only managed to open three loot boxes today—a bottle of mineral water, a sausage, and a nest of rats...
But his mood was still pretty good.
After all, he’d had chicken-wing stuffed rice for lunch and chicken wonton soup for dinner.
Thanks to those two meals, Qi Xu felt unusually energized even late into the night.
Leaning back in his seat, he leisurely scrolled through the holographic screen until something caught his eye.
Chief Beauty Officer: "HELP! Does anyone have fever medicine? I feel like I’m burning up at 80 degrees—I’m about to die! I’ll trade five vehicle upgrade card fragments, a small table, and a pack of compressed biscuits. This is all I have left..."
Qi Xu wanted the vehicle upgrade fragments. He also wanted the small table.
Eating while sitting on a crate and balancing his bowl was getting old. He wanted to live a little more comfortably—to stop forcing himself to endure every little hardship.
Still, trading fever medicine for these items felt like a loss. Medicine was precious, no matter the era.
Qi Xu privately messaged Chief Beauty Officer.
"I have fever medicine. I’ll take your five vehicle upgrade card fragments and the small table. Keep the compressed biscuits. Do you have anything else?"
Chief Beauty Officer: "Wahhh, no... These are the only valuable things I own."
Qi Xu sighed. Whatever. He was in a good mood today—consider it a good deed.
Just as he was about to initiate the trade, Chief Beauty Officer suddenly added:
"Oh! I also have a pink card. No item description, but it might be useful later. Would you take that?"
Qi Xu glanced at the image and thought... Yeah, he actually did want this.
........
