Qi Xu was taken aback—a pet? He hadn’t seen any around.
After forcibly prying open the car door, Qi Xu finally boarded the "Heroic True Colors" RV. The driver's cabin was cramped, reeking of thick cigarette smoke and the stench of urine, making him nauseous.
The back of the vehicle was no better—filthy, chaotic, and foul, with the bed in complete disarray.
After searching the entire place without spotting any sign of a pet, Qi Xu was puzzled until he heard Little Seven barking outside. He then brought Sweet Girl along and stepped out of the vehicle.
Luo Xinpan was holding Little Seven in her arms, and the dog stretched its neck, barking frantically toward the roof of the "Heroic True Colors" RV.
Only then did Qi Xu realize the pet was on the roof. Climbing up, he found a rabbit. Since it wasn’t bound and didn’t qualify as a monster, he couldn’t check its specific stats.
However... it seemed to be barely breathing. The rabbit had a thick rope tightly wound around its neck, tied to the rearview mirror at the front of the vehicle.
Likely due to the high-speed chase earlier, the rope had been pulled taut, leaving the little rabbit unconscious.
Though Qi Xu enjoyed spicy rabbit heads, he only ate cooked food. Seeing this fluffy little creature in such a state, he couldn’t bring himself to do anything cruel.
At the very least, he felt this small life was more valuable than "Heroic True Colors."
Without hesitation, he cut the rope and carried the rabbit down from the vehicle.
Luo Xinpan naturally took it from him.
"How is there a rabbit here?"
Despite the swollen, red ring around its neck, it was still breathing.
Qi Xu glanced at Bian’s expression and, sensing an opportunity, replied, "Probably 'Heroic True Colors' pet. It was tied up on the roof, abused to the brink of death. That guy was truly despicable."
When Qi Xu had picked up the rabbit, he’d received a prompt on his screen asking if he wanted to bind it.
He wasn’t keen on the idea—he didn’t need too many pets. With Little Seven and Sweet Girl already working well together, his current setup was nearly perfect.
After all, energy stones were always in short supply, and Qi Xu didn’t want to stretch himself too thin. The tense state he’d been in during the last round of the game was something he never wanted to relive.
Luo Xinpan, however, seemed intrigued.
"Boss, do you want this bunny?"
Qi Xu shook his head slightly. "You know my favorite food is..."
Luo Xinpan tightened her grip around the rabbit. "Then... can I keep it? It’s had such a hard time—born into this world but never treated right..."
This was exactly what Qi Xu had been waiting for. She didn’t lack resources; what she lacked was companionship. And her words tugged at his heartstrings.
Without thinking, he patted Bian’s shoulder.
"Sure. But we don’t know this rabbit’s level. If it’s just a basic pet, its growth will be limited. Plus, given its abusive past, raising its affinity will be tough."
"That’s okay. I’ll take care of it."
The rabbit’s eyes were half-lidded, unclear if it was conscious. But the moment Luo Xinpan said, "I’ll take care of it," its eyes welled up with tears.
Little Seven immediately licked its face...
Qi Xu grabbed the pup by the scruff and pulled it back. This was a crucial bonding moment—why did it have to stick its tongue in?
Just then, the sound of approaching vehicles came from behind. Luo Xinpan, still holding the rabbit, quickly boarded their own car.
Qi Xu stood his ground, gripping his chainsaw as he faced the incoming vehicles, ready for a fight.
The first car that passed didn’t even brake—it sped away in a panic...
Six or seven more followed. Some had their hands up in surrender, windows rolled down, greeting him politely. Others, like the first car, fled without a word...
Qi Xu sighed. Today just wasn’t his lucky day.
The "Heroic True Colors" RV sold for 1,386 survival coins. Though it was a decent sum, Qi Xu felt strangely indifferent.
After some half-hearted haggling with Qiuqiu, he accepted the deal without much fuss.
Many had noticed "Heroic True Colors" avatar going dark—after all, he’d been extremely active lately, flooding the chat with recruitment messages for his "Hero Alliance."
The sudden silence was almost unsettling.
Until...
I’m the Blade Dancer: "Hahaha, that player ‘Heroic True Colors’ is grayed out! Who’s the kind soul that took out the trash? Couldn’t stand him—always trying to drag others into his mess."
Heartbroken Kitten: "No wonder it’s so quiet. So he’s dead."
Panda Panda: "Not surprising. He was way too arrogant, daring to... heh, you know."
Fortune God’s Only Daughter, never one to miss stirring the pot, chimed in: "Daring to what? Piss off the Invincible Black Whirlwind and get whacked? Not bad, Whirlwind—I thought you’d be too soft to kill. Finally acting like a real player."
Suddenly... the chat fell silent. No one dared to respond. When Fortune God’s Only Daughter started attacking, she spared no one...
Qi Xu also felt somewhat helpless, guessing that she might have secrets and wanting to try to engage in a friendly, deeper conversation with her.
But he truly wasn’t good at dealing with this kind of person.
Face-to-face communication was manageable, but the moment a screen stood between them, it was as if she became entirely prickly.
He had thought they’d gotten along fairly well in the dungeon and could continue building on that outside, but it turned out the girl acted like she didn’t know him once they left.
She went back to treating everyone with equal hostility...
Negative Times Negative, Big Boss, and Don’t Bow Your Head the Crown Will Fall were all swallowing hard in fear...
Thankfully, it was already nine o’clock—otherwise, he’d really be worried about Invincible Black Whirlwind coming after them. They shouldn’t have believed Heroic True Colors’ bragging...
Talk about punching Black Whirlwind and kicking Old White Dragon—only to be wiped out in a single encounter. And yet, he still had the nerve to call for backup. Luckily, everyone was smart enough to pretend they were just passing by... and didn’t recklessly charge in.
If Whirlwind Big Boss had really wanted to root them out, they’d all be done for.
Qi Xu simply couldn’t be bothered with the hassle.
Anyone who hung around Heroic True Colors was definitely involved with gambling or loot boxes.
No need to deal with them—they’d bring about their own destruction. The only thing that puzzled him was... why Heroic True Colors was so weak yet so confident.
It almost felt like he had someone backing him.
But Bian’s investigation hadn’t turned up anything. The people he contacted most were just those loudmouths in the group chat...
Could it really just be overthinking?
Unconsciously, Qi Xu raised his guard and decided to keep a closer eye on things.
With some free time, Qi Xu checked Heroic True Colors’ inventory and found three items that caught his interest.
The first was Pet Advancement Candy.
Exactly what it sounded like. Little Seven was currently Level 5, and Sweet Girl was Level 3—both steadily growing and progressing. Advancement wasn’t too difficult yet, so Qi Xu didn’t plan to let the two use it now.
He’d save it for when they hit a bottleneck and leveling up became much harder.
..........
