Qi Xu looked at the golden-edged "Invincible Black Tornado" nickname and suddenly thought it looked pretty cool...
The mute function was actually quite useful—if someone said something unpleasant, just mute them. One's own emotions were what mattered most.
The small group chat was already buzzing with excitement, everyone celebrating with virtual flowers.
Messages poured in rapidly, with each person chiming in, flooding the chat with hundreds of texts in just a few minutes.
Tonsils Never Speak: "This kind of chatting is boring. Let’s meet up! I got a KTV voucher—two hours of singing anytime, anywhere. Just input the nickname, and it’s ready to use!
Last time, we didn’t get to hear Brother Sunshine sing. Today’s the perfect chance!"
Sunshine Girl Pot Breaker: "Haha, sure! Later, I’ll sing my best love ballad for you!"
Qi Xu had already typed out "Sounds good, let’s meet!" but suddenly felt an inexplicable resistance—the send button just wouldn’t budge...
Dragon in the Waves: "Meeting up is fine, but maybe skip the singing. It’s rare for us to gather—let’s just exchange some info."
Little Master Chef: "Yeah, yeah! How about we grab some food instead? I just fried up some pork and radish meatballs."
Wolf Warrior 009: "Or we could all sing 'Unity is Strength' together..."
Luo Xinyuan was sharp—she could tell Sunshine Girl Pot Breaker’s singing was probably... not great. But! Since everyone else had heard it except her, curiosity was killing her!
Seeing no objections, she immediately wrote everyone’s names on the karaoke voucher.
Soon, Qi Xu received a notification:
[Player Tonsils Never Speak has invited you to a two-hour karaoke session. Confirm attendance?]
Qi Xu hugged Xiao Qi and Sweetie before tapping "Yes."
Sure enough, upon arrival, Little Master Chef was cradling a turtle, Magic Sister had a colorful-winged butterfly perched on her shoulder, and Old White Dragon had a new pet too—a small leopard-like creature with dotted fur.
The little leopard seemed shy, curling up behind Old White Dragon and burying its face in his lap.
At this rate, the pets could form their own table.
Xiao Qi, a chatterbox of a dog with a sunny personality, plopped Sweetie on his head and eagerly called the other pets over to chat.
Soon, the pets were making more noise than the humans—chirping, barking, and chattering away.
Qi Xu nudged Little Master Chef: "What’s your pet’s ability?"
Little Master Chef puffed out his chest proudly. "Defense! It can add an extra layer to my shield! So cool!"
Qi Xu could tell he was thrilled.
Initially, he’d thought Little Master Chef would suit an offensive pet... but now it made sense—maxing out defense was its own kind of strength!
If nothing could break your shield, you were practically invincible.
Wolf Warrior 009, noticing Brother Sunshine reaching for the mic, cut in: "Anyone get weird stuff from their loot boxes today? Any clues about the next disaster?"
Qi Xu shook his head. "I doubt it’s just temperature-related. Might be something tougher."
Iron Shirt Golden Bell: "It’s 'Chaos of a Hundred Ghosts.' I got the info from a site called Buddha’s Light Temple during the day."
Qi Xu was surprised—this early in the third month, and they were already facing something like this. "Whoa. This’ll be fun."
"What do you mean, boss?"
"'Chaos of a Hundred Ghosts' means monsters come ashore. Since we’re all Level 5 vehicles, if you don’t want to fight, just stop the car, crouch, and stay inside—don’t let them see you."
Sister Slayer asked earnestly: "What if we want to fight?"
Qi Xu poked Sister Slayer’s cheek—so soft!—before answering: "Then get out and fight. Each wave lasts about an hour. Win or lose, they’ll disperse after that. But there might be exceptions, so finish your mileage ASAP."
Sunshine Girl Pot Breaker spotted a loophole: "Why stop the car? Can’t we just run them over?"
Qi Xu hesitated. "Level 6 vehicles can. Level 5 might take serious damage, so keep repair cards handy."
"Got it. Sounds risky this time."
Meanwhile, Wolf Warrior 007 and the other ten newcomers had their own lively group chat.
Wintergreen: "So cool! District 666 is insane—only 007 and Lala made the top 20!"
Lala the Beauty: "Yeah! I used to be top 10, but now I’m only 19th!"
Melon Lover: "But the vibe here is great. Fewer troublemakers—aside from Hero True Colors being a bit unhinged, everyone’s pretty normal. And that Lucky Charm girl loves trading—she’s got tons of good stuff!"
Wolf Warrior 007: "Yeah, I love it here too. Old Nine and I go way back—just had a long chat. Boss Tornado is amazing, and he’s thinking of forming a team.
Let’s work hard and cling to that leg!"
The others chimed in: "Roger that!"
Sahara the Fair: "No one open gamble loot boxes. They’re just trouble."
Unanimous reply: "Absolutely."
Little Master Chef had already laid out the meatballs and other dishes. "If it’s dangerous, play it safe. No need to be reckless—safety first. Don’t just talk, eat! We’ve only got an hour left—chat while you munch."
Little Master Chef hated seeing anyone go hungry. "If even one person leaves unsatisfied, I’ll be heartbroken, okay?"
He even prepared a full spread for the pets.
Xiao Qi, ever the charmer, wagged his tail and barked sweetly, coaxing Little Master Chef into laughter—and eventually, a hug.
There wasn’t any big agenda for the meetup—just hanging out, chatting, and unwinding.
After long stretches of solitude, gatherings like this left every hair on your head tingling with joy.
Plus, with the rankings finalized and rewards handed out, spirits were high. Old White Dragon even brought two bottles of wine.
Low alcohol content, so everyone except underage A Bian had a glass or two.
Life is full of meetings and partings—so cherish the joy while you can.
It had only been two months since they’d met, yet they were already this close—like old friends. Even Qi Xu found it a little surreal...
