Qi Xu added the goblin as a friend, then left several cups of milk tea for him before politely saying goodbye.
When she first entered, the goblin had cleared the path, making all the purple-heart grass part to the sides, so Qi Xu had walked straight through without issue.
Now, as she tried to leave, she realized there was no clear path. Not wanting to go back and bother the goblin over such a trivial matter—lest she appear weak or foolish—she decided to figure it out herself.
After a moment of thought, Qi Xu switched into the multi-functional combat boots she had just acquired at the auction. She took a few steps back, then leaped forward with a powerful jump.
Just as the orange-and-yellow twin-tailed fox had described, the boots provided a noticeable lift, increasing her jump height and even allowing for a brief glide mid-air.
However, her lack of familiarity with the boots caused her to lose balance upon landing. Her knees buckled, and she nearly face-planted—but that was no big deal. Practice would fix it!
Worth every penny, these boots!
When Qi Xu turned around, she saw the goblin staring wide-eyed at her, utterly shocked by the sight of her rudely hiking up her skirt to adjust the combat boots. She must have witnessed that embarrassing stumble.
Forcing composure, Qi Xu cleared her throat, smoothed her skirt back down, and elegantly waved goodbye to the little goblin.
The goblin rubbed its eyes. "Oh, heavens, I must be hallucinating."
Back in her vehicle, Qi Xu quickly changed out of the skirt—it was definitely hindering her performance. If not for that stupid skirt, she wouldn’t have fallen. Clearly the skirt’s fault, not hers.
Now dressed in her multi-functional combat suit and boots, she detached the "Advanced Space Stone" sewn into her old temperature-regulating outfit and reattached it to her new combat gear.
After checking herself in the mirror, she grinned. Damn, I look good.
Just then, a private message chimed.
Qi Xu opened the holographic screen to see a message from "Tonsils Never Speak."
"How many upgrade cards do you still need to level up?"
Qi Xu checked and replied, "2,456."
The next second, Luo Xinpan sent over exactly 2,456 vehicle upgrade cards.
[Congratulations, player Invincible Black Whirlwind, for reaching the required number of upgrade cards for a Level 7 vehicle! Please gather the necessary materials and upgrade as soon as possible! Friendly reminder: Two other players on the server have already collected enough Level 7 vehicle upgrade cards!]
Qi Xu took a deep breath. She had thought she was moving fast enough!
She had barely rested these past few days, spending every spare moment grinding dungeons—yet two others were ahead of her?
Immediately, she began self-reflecting. Though she had formed a team, she hadn’t utilized them to their full potential. That was her own shortcoming.
Subconsciously, Qi Xu had hesitated to take full advantage, worried about appearing greedy. Because of that, she hadn’t prioritized collecting upgrade cards fast enough, falling behind as a result.
If not for Luo Xinpan sending those missing cards, she wouldn’t even have known.
Qi Xu slapped herself hard across the face—so hard her cheek reddened. The pride from earning server-wide announcements in dungeons, the warmth of making close friends, the satisfaction of impressing the Weapons Master with her cleverness—all of it evaporated in an instant.
She had to take this seriously. The more beautiful something was, the more fragile. As the leader everyone called "Whirlwind Boss," she had to live up to that responsibility. No more hesitating, no more holding back out of misplaced politeness.
Otherwise, the ending might be even worse than in her last playthrough.
After watching teammate after teammate sacrifice themselves in the flames of the dungeon, Qi Xu never wanted to feel that kind of heartbreak again.
She needed to act decisively.
Pulling out a small whiteboard, she wrote in bold letters: "YOU ARE THE BOSS!"
She hung it right above the vehicle’s display screen, ensuring she’d see it every day—whether eating, resting, or planning.
Another deep breath. It was okay to have made mistakes. What mattered was adjusting now. Stay driven, but not frantic. Keep a clear head and push forward!
Next, Qi Xu reviewed the materials needed to upgrade to a Level 7 vehicle:
"Basic Materials ×30,000, Energy Stones ×5,000, Tri-Colored Crystals ×900, Weapon Upgrade Cards ×200, Rare Metals ×66, Weapon ×1 (Level 10+), Universal Axis ×1, Extraterrestrial Meteorite ×1 (3kg), Vehicle Core ×1."
At first glance, the list didn’t seem too long...
But seeing the actual quantities made even Qi Xu—who was far from poor—gasp.
She was short 6,600 Basic Materials, 1,721 Energy Stones, and 17 Tri-Colored Crystals. On top of that, she still needed the Extraterrestrial Meteorite and the Vehicle Core.
The missing materials weren’t a problem—she could just ask her team. That much confidence, she had. As for the meteorite, she could buy it from the goblins. A chunk that big would surely have leftovers after crafting weapons. Three kilograms? Easy to spare.
The real headache was the "Vehicle Core." Qi Xu had never even heard of it.
Then again, in her last playthrough, she’d died too early to learn much.
So she messaged Zhu Fu directly:
"Where do I get a Vehicle Core?"
Zhu Fu, the Heiress of the God of Wealth: "Holy—you’ve already saved up enough upgrade cards?!"
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "Should I screenshot this and send it to your sister?"
Zhu Fu withdrew the message.
"Ahem, that was just a slip of the finger. I never curse—you know that. You’re a leader now; stop acting like a kid running to tattle.
A Vehicle Core, huh? That thing’s hard to get. Win 10 straight matches in the Team Challenge, and Qiuqiu might reward you with one."
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "How do I join the Team Challenge?"
"Should be soon. In past games, once Group Challenge Cards start circulating, the Team Challenge usually follows. All players with a Group Challenge Card get pulled into a special chat. Just follow the rules and participate when it starts."
Qi Xu understood now. She remembered Qiuqiu mentioning during the auction that players with Group Challenge Cards would get special opportunities. That was why Bian had bid so high to secure one for her.
If that was the case, then all she had to do was wait. As long as the Team Challenge hadn’t started yet, no one could possibly reach Level 7. The race for first place was still on.
For now, her priority was gathering the remaining materials in advance, ensuring she could upgrade immediately when the time came—no more delays.
Once decided, Qi Xu had Qiuqiu buy up all the Basic Materials in the trading hall. Most players still selling those were barely scraping by, so they usually traded for food.
Luckily, Qi Xu had plenty of food—though the gourmet dishes from Little Chef were too precious to trade. The supplies from loot boxes would suffice.
..........
