The next morning when Qi Xu woke up, he felt utterly refreshed from head to toe.
He first opened the chat lobby and scrolled up to find the video Bian had recorded. Yesterday, right after the killings, he’d been slightly unsettled and hadn’t even glanced at the other players’ comments, let alone watched the video.
Now, with his mood fully restored, he enjoyed replaying it several times, even spotting one or two more efficient ways to dispatch those enemies.
Inspired, he suited up in his raincoat and, taking advantage of the time before 6 a.m., dashed outside the protective barrier to toy with a few monsters.
Only after slaughtering until exhaustion, drenched in blood, did he reluctantly return. The thrill of constant improvement was intoxicating!
But today, boredom crept in again. The vehicle upgrade wouldn’t finish until 10, and with no more targets left after yesterday’s killings, he had nothing else to do.
Might as well use that monster summoning card he’d been holding onto.
His twin cherry blossom blades grew more fluid with each use, but mastery demanded practice. With rare downtime to hone his skills, he wasn’t about to waste it.
The summoning card was surprisingly high-tier, allowing him to customize the number of monsters—capped at 50. He set them to appear in groups of five, one wave after another.
Qi Xu kept slaughtering until the vehicle upgrade finally completed!
Only when the holographic screen’s announcement chimed did he gradually sheathe his blades, panting as he turned to admire the upgraded vehicle. He sprinted over, eager to inspect every change.
What he’d anticipated most was the fusion of the pink chainsaw motif. His old companion was still with him—now permanently!
The vehicle now boasted an invisible serrated mechanism, seamlessly hidden until activated, where razor-sharp edges materialized, tracing an aggressive mechanical silhouette. The stark contrast between the brutal metal cutting edges and the soft pink created a striking visual clash!
It was a dormant mechanical beast incarnate!
Not just that—a 20㎡ foldable space had been added, expandable or retractable at will. When unfolded, it attached like a second carriage; when folded, though unusable, it didn’t disrupt the structure.
Qi Xu planned to relocate his entire bedroom here for better privacy.
The original first floor of the vehicle was now repurposed into a gym and lounge.
The upgrade also refined the vehicle’s texture. Sleek, angular body lines paired with a matte finish blended the heft of metal with the whimsy of pink. Qi Xu had to admit—pink was just too damn captivating!
The colossal vehicle gleamed under the sunlight, balancing the intimidating aura of a steel behemoth with the elegance of its pastel hue. A perfect harmony of power and grace, exuding unrivaled dominance!
[Congratulations to player Invincible Black Whirlwind for upgrading to a Tier 8 vehicle! Would you like to issue a server-wide announcement? Doing so will grant generous rewards!]
This was the moment Qi Xu had been waiting for. Without hesitation, he declared, "Announce it!"
Qiuqiu’s meticulously prepared server-wide spectacle was finally unleashed!
Every player across the server witnessed a shower of pink glittering petals raining from the sky, followed by a mysterious silhouette mid-battle materializing in the air...
Those familiar with Qi Xu recognized him instantly—it was Whirlwind Boss.
Qi Xu remembered now: about six months later, anyone triggering a server-wide announcement would have their appearance or combat clips revealed.
The intent was twofold—pressure top players and motivate the rest. But this was way ahead of schedule.
Still, credit where it’s due—Qiuqiu had done well. Though the clip revealed gender, at least his exact features remained hidden. Some things were beyond even a hardworking orb’s control.
The editing was undeniably slick, splicing footage from the ruins of a dungeon to yesterday’s killings, every move crisp and fluid. The montage skillfully obscured his fighting style and combo patterns. Qiuqiu had clearly put thought into this.
[Ding! Breaking news! Congratulations to player Invincible Black Whirlwind from China’s 88th District, 666th Subzone, for becoming the first server-wide to upgrade to a Tier 7 vehicle!
Players from other zones, tell me—can you keep up or not? Why is Invincible Black Whirlwind hogging every server announcement? Look at that leveling momentum! Slack off any longer, and you’ll be crushed under Whirlwind Boss’s heel. Chase those taillights while you still can! Hahaha!]
Qi Xu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. One second, he’d praised Qiuqiu for maturity and discretion; the next, the orb had yanked the aggro meter into orbit!
Still, it was undeniably satisfying. The emotional payoff was perfect.
"Reward!"
"Thank you, Master~"
Qiuqiu’s excited tone practically chirped, the little tail of its voice curling upward.
The announcement left many players seething. Falling behind early meant struggling to catch up—without a major windfall, closing the gap was near impossible.
At first, a few had kept pace with Qi Xu’s upgrades. But now, most hadn’t even gathered half the materials for Tier 7, and here he was, hogging another announcement! Where was the justice?
Meanwhile, Qi Xu was already basking in the announcement rewards.
[Congratulations to player Invincible Black Whirlwind for receiving upgrade and announcement rewards:
5,000 Vehicle Upgrade Cards × 10,000 Survival Coins × 1,000 Energy Stones × 4 Vehicle Repair Cards × 1 Active Zone Transfer Card × 1 Vehicle Enhancer × 300 Weapon Upgrade Cards × 2 Color-Specific Map Fragments × 20 Tracking Cards × 10 Station Selection Cards × 10 Forced Dungeon Exit Cards × 5 Lethal Protection Items × 5 Advanced Backpack Expansion Cards × 5 Tri-Stat Boost Pills × 100 Backpack Preservation Slots × 20 Fire (Red) Crystals × 20 Plant (Green) Crystals × 20 Ice (Blue) Crystals × 1 DIY Dungeon Manual × 10 Farmable Plots × 6 Advanced Vehicle Repair Cards × 3 Space Capacity Batteries × 1 Advanced Pet Egg × 50 Pet Growth Nutrients × 50 Plant Growth Nutrients.]
Nothing with flashy unique effects, but the practicality was top-notch. Notably, upgrading to Tier 8 now required 50,000 Upgrade Cards—a fivefold spike!
Thankfully, he’d learned the Tier 8 requirements early. Otherwise, scrambling to gather materials afterward would’ve been a nightmare. Once, a clever player had borrowed everyone’s Upgrade Cards just to check the next tier’s requirements, then returned them.
Not only that, they’d bragged about it in the chat lobby, infuriating the admin orb, which voided all the cards... No one dared try that trick again.
..........
