If two more showed up now, Little Seven wouldn’t have the stamina left to help Qi Xu hold off even one.
Since the [Street Sweeper] skill could only be used once a week, Qi Xu wanted to save it as a trump card for emergencies. Using it carelessly would be a huge waste.
So, the plan was to rest and recover, then take down these assassins through normal combat.
Qi Xu glanced back at Little Seven, who was happily munching on three energy stones at a time, crunching away with gusto...
Thank goodness Little Seven had been born into Qi Xu’s wealthy family—otherwise, the little one would never have grown this strong.
Moving his exhausted body, Qi Xu was just about to get into the vehicle to rest when a notification suddenly chimed in his ear.
Congratulations to player Invincible Black Whirlwind for reaching 400,000 bragging points! As a reward, you’ve received a special Obsidian Supply Crate!
Instantly, Qi Xu didn’t feel tired anymore. His back didn’t ache, and his legs didn’t hurt either!
The effect of this morning’s killing spree was immediate! Qi Xu dashed forward in a flash, heart pounding as he eagerly opened the Obsidian Supply Crate!
Inside was just one item—a seemingly ordinary little mirror. A prop? Qi Xu gasped. Why hadn’t he washed his hands or lit some incense before opening it?
The Obsidian Supply Crate was known for its treasures, but it wasn’t foolproof. Survival games played by their own ruthless rules.
But when Qi Xu picked up the mirror and took a closer look, his heart started racing again...
[Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror]: "Hi~ I’m the most beautiful little magic mirror in the world! You can ask me anything, and I’ll answer truthfully—but only three questions, okay?"
Without thinking, Qi Xu blurted out, "Where does the end of this survival highway lead?"
[Little Magic doesn’t understand what you’re saying. Question exceeds answerable scope. Please rephrase.]
Unconsciously, Qi Xu broke into a cold sweat. He had gotten too excited. Instead of rushing into another question, he took Little Seven back to the vehicle first.
After taking off his raincoat, brewing some tea, and sitting quietly on the sofa with the cup in hand, he calmed down and tried again.
"Is the survival game a cruel observational experiment conducted by higher-dimensional beings on lower-dimensional civilizations?"
[Little Magic doesn’t understand what you’re saying. Question exceeds answerable scope. Please rephrase.]
Undeterred, Qi Xu pressed on. "What are the conditions to clear this highway survival game?"
[Little Magic doesn’t understand what you’re saying...]
"Then, if I never die, will I just keep driving on this highway until my life ends?"
[Little Magic doesn’t understand what you’re saying...]
"Is the survival game a virtual projection? Do we need to find an exit to the real world to escape?"
"Are those who die in the survival game truly gone forever?"
"Is the survival game a chaotic zone created by overlapping parallel worlds, where players are actually ‘intruders’ from different dimensions who must find dimensional rifts to return?"
"Is the survival highway like a Möbius strip—an endless loop with no exit?"
"Is the survival highway stuck in an endless cycle?"
"Are the emotions players experience in the survival game—fear, despair, hope—converted into special energy by higher-dimensional beings?"
[Little Magic doesn’t understand what you’re saying...]
......
Qi Xu tried dozens, maybe hundreds, of questions. Many were theories he’d pondered over the years about the survival game’s nature. But any question related to the game’s overarching lore or deeper mechanics went unanswered.
Qi Xu remained calm. He had expected this—but he was still a little disappointed.
"Little Magic Mirror, I asked you 100 questions, and you couldn’t answer a single one. Tsk tsk."
[Apologies for the poor experience. Little Magic is sad too.]
"My heart is fragile, and now it’s pounding uncomfortably. I worked so hard to earn this Obsidian Supply Crate. When I saw you, I was so excited—I felt like I could keep going. But now... I’m so upset I can’t even think straight. So, shouldn’t you compensate me?"
After his dramatic performance, Qi Xu calmly posed the question.
[...Yes?]
The mirror was completely thrown off. It hadn’t anticipated running into such a troublesome human player.
I know so many secrets, yet I couldn’t answer even one of 100 questions—and now I’ve broken a human player. Waaah.
Little Magic Mirror was baffled. Little Magic Mirror didn’t know what to do.
"Then tell me what my compensation is."
[How about... I answer five questions?]
Qi Xu sighed dejectedly. "But you couldn’t answer any of the 100 I just asked."
[But I don’t have permission to answer those! Should I self-destruct? Would that make you feel better?]
"My kind heart won’t allow you to harm yourself. Fine, I’ll ask simpler questions—and I get five of them."
[Okay, kind player.]
Qi Xu smirked. All that ranting for half an hour, throat dry from shouting—it was worth it.
Two extra questions were a win.
While frantically questioning (and borderline losing it), Qi Xu had already decided on his first one.
"The player who issued the Assassin Hall’s kill order on me—the one who controlled player 0229—which district is he from, and who is he?"
Asking questions required strategy to avoid wasting them. If the premise was wrong, Little Magic Mirror wouldn’t answer—a fact Qi Xu had confirmed earlier. That meant the kill order hadn’t come from the mysterious figure.
The mirror didn’t nitpick or say it didn’t know.
Instead, its tone brightened as it replied, "Oh! I know this one! He’s the God of Dark River from District 438 in Zone 08!"
Qi Xu’s eyes lit up. He’d guessed right—it was that bastard!
Just wait. Once the vehicle upgrades were done tomorrow, he’d place a "Are You Dead Yet?" order with the Black Serpent!
This had been gnawing at Qi Xu. Someone clearly marked as an enemy—if they weren’t dead, it’d keep bothering him.
Plus, this mysterious figure knew too much about District 666. Qi Xu wasn’t worried about himself, but what if they targeted Bian, Master Chef, or Magic Sis? That’d be trouble.
And sending assassins for no reason? What a scumbag. This guy always had those master-servant contracts too—danger level max. Better to deal with him sooner rather than later.
Little Magic Mirror chirped again, "Hey, kind player! Ask more! Like before! I know sooo many secrets about the survival highway! Ask, ask!"
Its excitement was practically radiating through its tone.
..........
