Qi Xu sighed and began her explanation.
"When you retrieve items from your backpack, you can use your mind to control where they land. That way, the items won’t appear randomly anymore."
"Got it, got it! Thank you. Back when I first got a smartphone, it took me forever to figure it out—drove my daughter crazy. Hey, do you need this flowerpot? You can take it if you want. It grows its own soil, and I checked—it’s good quality. If you plant seeds in it, they’ll definitely sprout."
Qi Xu still had a carrot seed left to plant, so she accepted it without refusing.
"Alright, do you need anything else?"
He scratched his head sheepishly. "No, but can I ask you something? Are you busy right now?"
Qi Xu shook her head slightly. "Go ahead, Uncle."
"I want to upgrade my vehicle. I’ve saved up enough fragments and materials, so why isn’t it upgrading?"
Qi Xu frowned. "That’s not possible. If you have everything, it should upgrade automatically."
The Uncle grew anxious. "I panicked earlier and clicked the wrong thing—I think I hit ‘No.’ What do I do now? Can I still upgrade it?"
"Of course. You just missed the notification. Click the notice in the top-right corner, and you can choose again."
After some fiddling, the Uncle finally succeeded in upgrading his vehicle.
He grinned widely. "Thank you so much! You’ve been a huge help."
Qi Xu shook her head slightly. This Uncle must have pretty good luck. Even though he wasn’t particularly skilled, he’d managed to gather all the materials for the upgrade—and he was in decent shape too.
After the delay, she’d earned two silver chests and helped someone out. Qi Xu was in a pretty good mood.
She even felt a twinge of envy for the Uncle’s daughter. Having parents who cared so much was a kind of happiness. She hoped they’d all stay safe.
After saying goodbye, Qi Xu brewed a cup of ginger and jujube tea in her thermos. Her period was due soon, and the two days before were always rough—cramps in her stomach and an aching back.
During the last round of the game, she hadn’t been able to take care of herself properly, making each cycle harder than the last.
This time, she planned to start early. The ginger and jujube tea would warm her stomach and replenish her energy.
"Qiuqiu, check the trading hall for anyone selling hot water bottles or heating pads."
"Got it. No hot water bottles found, but Player 1230 is offering 10 heating pads in exchange for three bottles of mineral water. Should I proceed with the trade?"
Qi Xu answered immediately. "Do it."
Having Qiuqiu around was a huge convenience. She could just give verbal orders instead of doing all the searching herself.
The parallel highway had many intersections, and this time, Qi Xu encountered mostly normal people. When they did meet, they either nodded at each other or simply kept their distance. None of the three vehicles showed any sign of conflict.
If they came across supply crates, they divided them fairly—one per person.
Even though Qi Xu could profit by selling vehicles, she couldn’t bring herself to start trouble or kill indiscriminately.
Just as the parallel highway was about to end, the road ahead was blocked. A small truck lay overturned in the middle of the path, and a Woman seemed severely injured, lying motionless on the ground.
Hearing movement behind her, the Woman’s eyes lit up. Struggling, she weakly raised a hand. "H-help… please, save me."
Qi Xu grabbed a stick and stepped out of her car. Nearby, she spotted the corpse of a monster—a one-eyed purple creature. The scene was littered with signs of a fight, and the Woman’s body bore burn marks on one side.
She really was badly hurt.
"How do you want me to help you?"
"I’ve been poisoned. I have resources—I want to trade for an antidote pill. But… I’m in so much pain right now. Could you… help me to the side of the road to rest? I’ll… pay you."
Qi Xu feigned concern and took a step back. "Poisoned? Is it contagious? Did that purple monster do this to you?"
The Woman nodded. "Yes, it clawed my shoulder. The poison isn’t strong—it’s not contagious. I just feel weak and numb all over. It’s unbearable."
Qi Xu almost laughed. The one-eyed monster did look like it should be venomous, but it wasn’t.
Its attack method was shooting fire from its eye. While powerful, it moved slowly and was fragile. If you dodged its attacks and landed a hit, it would go down easily.
Qi Xu stayed where she was, refusing to approach. The Woman grew impatient.
"Really, I have resources. Do you need food? I’ll give you ten coconut bread rolls. Just help me to the roadside and open a bottle of water for me, okay?"
She actually pulled out ten coconut bread rolls and set them aside.
Qi Xu pocketed them, pretending to be tempted. Her eyes gleamed as she stared at the bread, inching closer.
The Woman’s expression darkened, her right hand tightening into a fist.
Just as Qi Xu was about to step into her attack range, she suddenly stopped.
"Ten coconut bread rolls aren’t enough. What else do you have? Hand it all over."
The Woman relaxed slightly, thinking she hadn’t been caught. "Fine, fine. I’ll give you everything. But please, help me. We’re both women—wouldn’t it be better to have a friend on the road than an enemy?"
Reluctantly, she produced a basket of eggs and a handgun.
"I’ve even given you my weapon. Can you trust me now?"
"If you had a gun, why couldn’t you beat that monster?"
"Who knows how to shoot? And aiming was impossible."
Qi Xu nodded and stepped forward again. The Woman’s right hand suddenly flicked outward, scattering something into the air.
But Qi Xu was ready. She dodged effortlessly, circled behind the Woman, and locked her in a chokehold, dragging her back several feet.
"Ah—stop! Don’t kill me! I didn’t mean it! I really am poisoned—I just got mad because you were being greedy! That was just paralyzing powder, not lethal!"
Qi Xu nodded. "I get it. Empty your backpack. If the contents are enough to buy your life, I’ll let you go."
You made the first move—don’t blame me for ending you. After seeing how cruel people could be, Qi Xu had no qualms about playing dirty.
The Woman gasped for air, realizing she’d messed up. After killing several people, she’d finally been outsmarted by a young girl.
Helpless, she surrendered a pile of supplies—even a blueprint. But Qi Xu kept insisting it wasn’t enough. Just as the Woman grew desperate, another vehicle approached.
A Harley motorcycle, ridden by a young, college-aged Motorcyclist. The Woman’s eyes lit up with hope.
.........
