Even the avatars of some players with Level 3 vehicles had turned gray.
Qi Xu suddenly noticed... Song Peifeng was still using a Level 3 vehicle, even though he already had all the upgrade cards. Why hadn’t he upgraded yet? Qi Xu deliberately clicked on his avatar to check—thankfully, it was still lit.
But the next second, his avatar started flashing rapidly, indicating an injured or critically wounded state.
Qi Xu immediately asked, "What happened?"
Song Peifeng had just been ambushed by six Flame Wolves. He hadn’t been sleeping deeply, as he’d felt uneasy before bed, so he woke up the moment something felt off.
Even so, he’d nearly died. In the end, he had no choice but to trade injuries for kills, barely managing to take down the last wolf.
But from his neck down to his chest and shoulder, the wolf’s claws had nearly torn straight through him...
Song Peifeng slumped to the ground, too exhausted to even think about trading for medicine.
At this hour, who would even be around? And even if someone was willing to trade, he had nothing valuable left to offer.
He didn’t bother covering his wounds anymore. Instead, he just stared blankly at his personal stats panel, watching his health points plummet as he waited to die.
Then, suddenly, he heard a message notification. Song Peifeng froze—who could be messaging him at this time?
Invincible Black Tornado: "What happened?"
A moment ago, Song Peifeng had faced death with eerie calm, almost detached from the world. But seeing this question, he inexplicably wanted to cry—even felt like dying might be worth it.
Song Peifeng: "Got attacked by monsters. Took some heavy damage by accident."
Without hesitation, Qi Xu sent him an Intermediate Healing Card.
"See if this can fix you up."
He didn’t have many Advanced Healing Cards left—those were for life-or-death emergencies—but he could spare an Intermediate one.
Yet Song Peifeng’s avatar kept flashing even more violently, and he still hadn’t accepted the card.
"I don’t have anything valuable left to trade with you."
Invincible Black Tornado: "Just use it. You can owe me. Next time, I’ll call you for another fight."
Qi Xu knew this guy too well—stubborn as a mule. If he didn’t spell it out, Song Peifeng would probably let himself die out of sheer stubbornness.
Only then did Song Peifeng relax and use the Intermediate Healing Card. Most of his wounds healed, at least enough to ensure survival.
He solemnly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you! I’ll repay this life debt. Whatever you need, just say the word—I’ll kill or burn for you, no questions asked, no matter who it is."
Qi Xu replied with an "Ok" emoji, thinking he seemed less like a mercenary and more like a lone-wolf assassin... then promptly ignored him.
People like Song Peifeng didn’t need to be reminded about debts—they’d remember. The only issue was their stubbornness, which could drive anyone up the wall.
By now, night owls had noticed the mass player deaths.
The chat lobby was buzzing again.
A few lucky survivors, like Song Peifeng, had escaped the monster attacks but were left badly injured and begging for medicine.
Qi Xu decided to list 50 Hemostasis Pills, 20 Basic Healing Cards, and 5 Intermediate Healing Cards in the trading market—all requiring Vehicle Upgrade Card Fragments in exchange.
Then... he went back to sleep.
In a survival game, the ability to fall asleep instantly was a skill.
Qi Xu prided himself on this. The moment he lay down, his eyelids grew heavy, and he was out in under three seconds.
No dreams, just deep sleep until dawn.
Every morning at 5:30, Little Seven would appear faithfully by Qi Xu’s pillow to wake him. Having someone to rouse him made Qi Xu feel like he slept more soundly than before.
Right after waking, he received breakfast from Chinese Master Chef—four cheeseburgers with beef and a cup of creamy corn juice. Simple but delicious.
After breakfast, Qi Xu climbed up to the top of the truck bed as usual to water the little golden seed.
To his surprise, today he could sense its emotions more clearly.
A glance at its growth period confirmed it.
"999,999 days" had become "986,786 days."
Heh.
Qi Xu felt almost delusional.
A six-digit countdown starting with a nine, and yet he caught himself thinking, "That’s not too long..."
Still, seeing even a sliver of progress was enough to keep him going.
Today was the final day of this round of disasters, and Qi Xu’s luck had been solid since morning.
By lunch, he’d already collected six supply crates—one bronze, three silver, and two gold.
Forget quality; just the quantity alone was enough to lift his spirits.
While eating, he idly checked the chat lobby.
"With so many sudden deaths, our server’s down to just over 6,000 players. Are we due for a merge?"
"Probably. Today’s month-end too—last merge happened on month-end."
"Did anyone else see those monsters last night? Three meters tall, punched my truck’s hood flat. How are we supposed to fight something so beyond nature?"
"Same. Those wolves had golden claws, like they’d mutated or something..."
Watch Me Cut You Down: "Hehe, so you’re all volunteering to die again?"
Everyone: "......"
The mood in the chat instantly died.
Seeing this, Qi Xu switched to their private group and asked, "Everyone okay last night?"
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "Fine. Those things couldn’t even scratch my car’s defense. I even rolled down the window and killed a few before realizing there was no reward and went back to sleep."
Watch Me Cut You Down: "I hopped out and played around a bit. They weren’t that tough."
Chinese Master Chef: "I slept like a log. Only noticed the monsters when I got up to cook this morning..."
Warwolf 009: "Master Chef, go buy a high-tier pet egg. I think Lucky Charm’s selling one. You sleep too deeply—a pet could keep watch for you."
Tonsils Never Speak: "I just got a high-tier egg. Master Chef, you take it."
Chinese Master Chef: "Huh? Tonsils, don’t you need it?"
Tonsils Never Speak: "I don’t like pets. Don’t trust myself to raise one well, so why bother?"
Invincible Black Tornado: "With all the good stuff you’ve got, how could you not raise a pet well? They don’t even cost that much."
Retired Magical Boy: "Yeah, just a bit heavy on energy stones. Otherwise, no big deal."
Tonsils Never Speak: "It’s not about resources. It’s about emotional companionship. If I can’t give that, I shouldn’t keep one."
Qi Xu roughly understood—it probably tied back to Tonsils’ upbringing. Despite always appearing sharp and composed, Qi Xu had glimpsed the hidden fragility beneath.
In the end, Chinese Master Chef accepted the pet egg but gave Tonsils a Level 6 Vehicle Upgrade Card in return.
..........
