The 10,000 survival coins were refunded without a second’s delay, and the black gambling box in front of him suddenly began smoking.
"Qiuqiu, care to explain?"
"Wuwuwu... My dear ancestor, even if you kill Qiuqiu, I don’t have enough energy to arrange such a reward for you. This is beyond my authority."
Qi Xu had roughly anticipated this outcome, but... he couldn’t just accept it.
"So... I wasted a gambling supply box for nothing?"
"Compensation has been issued. Congratulations to player Invincible Black Whirlwind for receiving 10 Vehicle Upgrade Cards."
"You think I’m a beggar?"
"Compensation has been issued. Congratulations to player Invincible Black Whirlwind for receiving 100 Vehicle Upgrade Cards."
Qi Xu knew when to stop, afraid of pushing Qiuqiu too far and ending up with a less cooperative version.
"Qiuqiu, are you hungry? Here’s 10 survival coins—go treat yourself to a good meal. Consider it my treat for the end of the month."
Qiuqiu’s voice trembled with gratitude.
"Thank you, my dear ancestor! Qiuqiu loves you the most!"
Ignoring Qiuqiu’s attempts at cuteness, Qi Xu kicked the now-smoking, ruined gambling box into the black fog by the roadside and opened another one.
After the first gambling box appeared, the drop rate was supposed to be high, but... Qi Xu wouldn’t encounter another. Qiuqiu wouldn’t dare arrange it.
Several monsters appeared, the strongest being a Violent Bear.
Its roar alone made the highway tremble. Qi Xu and Little Seven split left and right, taking turns to attack while Sweet Girl lurked nearby, waiting for Qi Xu’s signal to strike.
In the end, they took it down without a scratch!
For this fight, Qi Xu didn’t even use his pistol—it was pure close combat training.
"Little Seven and Sweet Girl are getting stronger. I’ll treat you both to extra food later."
Little Seven immediately leaped into the air, and Sweet Girl bounced excitedly alongside him—only to remember, I’m a snake, not a dog... She quickly composed herself, embarrassed, and slithered up Qi Xu’s wrist.
Qi Xu tactfully pretended not to notice her awkwardness.
He checked the chat lobby, scrolling through the messages, and suddenly had a hunch—this month’s leaderboard might turn out very differently than expected.
The sudden appearance of gambling boxes tonight had thrown everything into chaos.
Many players, like Qi Xu, had chosen to go all-in.
The reason? A player named "Heroic True Colors" had bet everything he could.
Injured and unable to afford healing items, he staked his life, vehicle, and all his possessions.
And he won.
He received a whopping 5,000 Vehicle Upgrade Card fragments, a mid-tier Healing Card, plus assorted daily necessities and supplies—completely turning his fortunes around.
As for his original stakes? Just as the gambling box’s description promised, everything was returned, proving it wasn’t exaggerating.
Heroic True Colors was now riding high.
"I knew it—my fate isn’t to die here! This is a total comeback! We’re in this world now—what’s the point of living timidly?"
He then began aggressively promoting the gambling boxes.
Heroic True Colors: "If you see a black box, don’t hesitate! Don’t give up! This is our last hope for survival as low-tier players. Be bold—bet your life!
If you’re meant to die, no amount of struggling will save you. But if you win, you’ll rise like I did!"
Cursed by Misfortune: "I won too, but I didn’t bet my life. Gambling’s fine in moderation, but overdoing it ruins you. Think carefully about whether you can handle losing."
Max Level Fruit Fan: "Agreed. Impulse is the devil. I won this time, but I’m never touching it again."
Heroic True Colors: "You’re both overthinking it. Life and death are predetermined from birth. We shouldn’t worry about when we’ll die—just focus on living better!"
Player 1030: "Hero’s right. I’d rather gamble than drag myself through this half-dead existence."
Reading this, Qi Xu guessed Heroic True Colors must have a related title—the more players opened gambling boxes, the happier he’d be, and the greater his rewards.
Otherwise, why would he be so eager to persuade others? Every irrational human action has its logic.
Some sharp players might’ve noticed—after all, the Blue Little Flower incident wasn’t long ago. But since gambling boxes didn’t necessarily lead to bad outcomes, resistance was lower.
Blue Little Flower had been purely destructive, manipulating people in the dark. Heroic True Colors was just persuading—the final choice still lay with each player.
And with a chance to turn their lives around, many low-tier players were willing to gamble.
The chat lobby buzzed with excitement. Qi Xu didn’t chime in or warn anyone. Everyone walks their own path, and they all know the risks of gambling.
But if someone who’s already benefited starts lecturing others, it just leaves a bad taste.
Qi Xu wasn’t interested in stirring trouble. A harsh truth remained: the 666th zone still had too many players. Various challenges would quickly thin the herd.
As Qi Xu kept opening boxes, he frowned. Normally, the last day’s boxes would hint at the next disaster type—especially when luck was decent.
But...
After nearly 20 boxes, he found nothing related to any upcoming disaster.
That told him everything.
The next disaster wouldn’t be simple weather changes. The survival game was upping the difficulty.
"Qiuqiu, is the disaster type the same for every zone?"
Qiuqiu stayed silent, but Qi Xu had his answer—it definitely wasn’t. Otherwise, Qiuqiu wouldn’t dare avoid the question.
He guessed the reason: the 666th zone still had too many survivors, exceeding Qiuqiu’s—or the game’s—expected numbers or progress.
With absolute confidence, Qi Xu wasn’t worried. Whatever disaster came next, his stockpile and strength would handle it effortlessly.
Bring it on.
.........
