After saying that, there was no further reply. Muzi Li discussed it with her sister and ultimately decided to accept it.
To repay a kindness, the most important thing is to survive on this path first.
In the small group chat, everyone was congratulating the trio—what pride! Only three people from the group had signed up for the event, and those three ended up sweeping the top three spots.
Being part of the same small group, the same tight-knit crew, everyone felt a shared sense of glory. The excitement was unbearable, making them fidget and jump around restlessly.
Wave-Riding Old White Dragon: "I think our group needs a name! Otherwise, we won’t even have a banner to rally under when we go out to cause trouble!"
War Wolf 009: "Agreed, agreed! ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ!!"
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "Ugh, I hate naming things the most."
Watch Me Slap You: "Want me to take care of it? How about ‘Invincible Gang’?"
Tonsils Never Speak: "Ahem, so... how were the mission rewards this time? Worth it?"
Cooking Master Boy: "Absolutely amazing! I got a spatial kitchen—I can spend two hours in there every day, but the catch is I have to cook while inside. It’s perfect for me!"
Iron Shirt Golden Bell: "Boss, can your vehicle upgrade now? Let’s pool resources and get you there first."
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "It’s already upgrading!"
Bubbly Girl Pot-de-Gang: "So cool, Boss! We can hear the server-wide announcements again!"
Qi Xu sent another message: "Heads up—when upgrading to a Level 6 vehicle, you’ll need to fuse it with ten weapons, so stock up on those.
Also, hoard metals. You’ll need 66 different types for the upgrade. I’ve got plenty, so just ask me when the time comes."
Wave-Riding Old White Dragon: "Holy smokes, that’s insane! I’ve only saved up 2,000 out of 10,000 vehicle upgrade card fragments, and you’re already moving up again, Boss!"
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "Dungeon luck—the rarest materials finally came together."
Cooking Master Boy: "I have a Level 6 vehicle upgrade card too, but I’m way behind on resources. If anyone’s close, feel free to use it."
Qi Xu returned the vehicle upgrade card to Retired Magical Boy and explained Muzi Li’s situation in detail.
Retired Magical Boy understood—if he’d been in Muzi Li’s shoes, his first instinct would’ve been to repay the favor too.
Now that the Boss had accepted, both sides could rest easy.
Bubbly Girl Pot-de-Gang: "If I hadn’t seen how many players in the main chat are suffering, I’d almost think you guys just ran a welfare dungeon."
War Wolf 009: "It really is brutal. So many people got stripped of every last resource. The intel from Whirlwind Boss was crucial, but Cooking Master and Magic Girl’s skills were just as vital."
Watch Me Slap You: "This game’s just begging to be cursed. Every now and then, it finds a way to kill off a bunch of people. That’s just its nature."
The group just gave a thumbs-up—no one dared say more.
The chats were definitely monitored. Anyone who dared badmouth the game would find their loot boxes cursed beyond belief the next day.
Even Qi Xu avoided outright criticism, at most grumbling internally. The only exception was Dongfang Yuan.
Qi Xu opened the dungeon rewards.
First, the paycheck: 1,379 survival coins. Checking the breakdown, most of it was overtime pay—the base salary was only 600 coins.
The other rewards were: "Red/Blue/Green Crystals × 20" and "Pet Growth Elixir."
Honestly, the rewards were mediocre, but the real gains lay elsewhere.
Without hesitation, Qi Xu fed the Pet Growth Elixir to Little Seven.
The progress bar jumped from Level 3 (19%) to Level 3 (99%).
After drinking it, Little Seven grew drowsy, so Qi Xu tucked it into the pet incubator to sleep.
Watch Me Slap You: "@Invincible Black Whirlwind Sweetie, stop sending red packets in the group. Look how shamelessly those ungrateful leeches are splurging. I’m going to blast them."
Hearing this, Qi Xu checked the main chat.
Dozens of players were spamming "I can’t go on" in a chain.
Many were tagging Invincible Black Whirlwind, begging the Boss to step in and calm the masses.
The comments made Qi Xu furious. Even if they’d lost all their supplies fresh out of the dungeon, anyone with half a brain could’ve scraped together breakfast on the last morning.
How could they already be whining about giving up? Most were just fishing for sympathy, hoping to profit from someone’s kindness.
Now Qi Xu understood why Dongfang Yuan was so angry—these people were a pack of ungrateful wolves!
With the vehicle upgrading and nothing else to do, Qi Xu pulled out a camping chair, sat down, and decided to give them exactly what they wanted—a reply to each and every one.
Squid Pen: "This is madness! By our count, almost 2,000–3,000 players got cleaned out! @Invincible Black Whirlwind, Whirlwind Boss, hand out some first-aid kits! You took first place again... while the rest of us are left with nothing!!!"
Invincible Black Tornado: "@SquidPen Denied, you're not just penniless—your brain's also filled with gold-digging nonsense."
Fierce Tiger Descends: "@Invincible Black Tornado Can you lend a hand? If not, I might as well just die."
Invincible Black Tornado: "@Fierce Tiger Descends Nope, go die then. [Smiley face]."
Surfing Cold Water: "Boss Tornado... my Dao heart is shattered, no will to live anymore. Send a red packet, please? Make it a fat one—life’s too hard. Praying for a world without wealth gaps!"
Invincible Black Tornado: "@Surfing Cold Water Not happening. Maybe after your avatar turns black (RIP)."
Spark of Fire: "Boss Tornado took first place again, with her besties Little Chinese Chef and Retired Magical Boy in second and third. Super sus. Zero intel before the dungeon run. Can’t you at least share some tips? Stop screwing over us mid-to-low-tier players."
Invincible Black Tornado: "@Spark of Fire Am I your dad or mom? Whiny trash like you should’ve blacked out ages ago."
Civilized Self-Discipline Good Baby: "Begging for a red packet, some comfort—I lost everything, everything!"
Invincible Black Tornado: "@Civilized Self-Discipline Good Baby How about you film yourself kowtowing twice first? Let’s see that dedication."
Qi Xu noticed these vocal players were mostly from District 896. The Light God’s oppressive policies were harsh, no doubt.
But in a way, they’d also shepherded these troublemakers this far.
Previously, "Boss Tornado" had always seemed approachable—doling out encouragement or random red packets.
Even in trades, she’d rather take a loss than shortchange others.
So this was Qi Xu’s first glimpse of how a slightly looser grip had spoiled their appetites.
..........
