Qi Xu was in a foul mood right now. He had no idea how things were going in Zone 01, and now even Ball Ball was causing trouble—any joy from learning a new skill had completely evaporated.
"You don’t need to stall for time here. Just tell me—can it come back or not?"
"I’m sorry..."
Qi Xu immediately started distributing zone transfer cards. The title "88666" sounded nice, but... what good was a nice-sounding title? If he let this new Ball push him around now, there’d be even more headaches in the future.
Whether they switched zones or not, he couldn’t let himself be fooled like this.
"Everyone, input Zone 01, Subzone 01. I’ll take you to meet the S-rank Ball Ball, the one ranked number one in the server. That one’s got way more class than this garbage. At best, this one’s a B-rank Ball."
"Bian, you and 009 stay behind. Notify all the players with golden group cards and those ranked within the top 100. Tell them if they’re willing to roll with me, the Invincible Black Whirlwind, to gather at Zone 01, Subzone 02."
Bian and 009 replied in unison, "Got it, boss!"
Seeing Qi Xu start entering the zone code without hesitation, Ball Ball finally caved.
"Wait, wait! Hold on! Your original Ball Ball can come back. Its training can sync up with the service subzone—I’ve already worked it out!"
If Zone 88 lost so many top-tier players, this Ball’s managerial position would probably be on the line, not to mention the endless mockery from peers.
Once the Zone 88 management Ball realized how unpopular it was, it recalled the original 666 Subzone Ball and then promptly left.
Balls weren’t always polite to every player, but this was the server’s number one ranked player—and one with this much influence...
"Waaah, boss! I’m back! I almost got scrapped!"
"From now on, remember to deduct 10 years’ worth of Survival Coins from my account daily. Consider it your service tip."
The sobbing Ball suddenly stopped crying... Damn, I’m gonna be loaded!
"Hehe, thanks for the reward, boss!"
Qi Xu let out a sigh of relief. It was all just excuses—no way a Ball would get hauled off for recycling and destruction the moment it made a mistake. That Zone Ball had been testing his resolve.
If he hadn’t stood his ground, that dumb Ball probably wouldn’t have made it back.
Everyone was exhausted after the long night, their stats dropping to absurdly low levels. After a few brief words of comfort, they prepared to head back to their vehicles to rest.
But then they noticed the Whirlwind boss was packing up—tossing monster corpses one after another into the black mist.
Confused, the group watched until Qi Xu explained, "How cool was that ‘You’re Just Trash’ skill, huh?"
They nodded vigorously. Of course it was cool—insanely cool! A lethal human technique, unbeatable in boss fights!
"Well, the black mist gave it to me."
Hearing that, everyone suddenly felt their fatigue vanish. Their backs stopped aching, their legs stopped hurting, and they were brimming with energy. Their eyes even gleamed as they looked at the pile of corpses.
"It’s a profession I’ve unlocked, but feeding the black mist does come with perks. Up to you whether you wanna try."
Qi Xu wasn’t one to forget his roots. His favorite skill came from the black mist, and since he knew it "ate" corpses, he made sure to feed it after every battle—even without rewards, it was about cause and effect.
Hearing the Whirlwind boss’s words, no one felt discouraged. Tossing a few corpses for potential rewards? Only an idiot wouldn’t bother.
Even Little Chef got into it, flinging corpses left and right—until he accidentally launched a roasted corn from his sleeve.
Instantly, the black mist sent over a gift: a golden supply crate!
That got everyone working even harder...
By the time they’d cleared all the monsters from the night’s slaughter into the black mist, each of them had received a diamond supply crate.
Qi Xu got three. Why? Call it a referral bonus from the black mist!
Once everything was done and the highway was cleared, exhaustion finally hit them. Their limbs felt like jelly, barely able to carry them back to their vehicles for some much-needed sleep.
Only Bian stayed behind, boarding Qi Xu’s vehicle with him.
"What happened? Mind sharing?"
Qi Xu nodded. "Don’t mind, but let me send a message first."
"No rush."
Bian, ever the easygoing type, found Qi Xu’s teapot and pulled out some tea leaves from his bag. While Qi Xu was busy, he brewed a pot.
The soothing aroma of the tea—a recent favorite of Bian’s—drifted up, calming restless nerves. Perfect for weathering this disaster.
Qi Xu used a cross-zone communication card to send a message to Bai Xiaohei:
"How’s it going over there?"
"Don’t worry, it’s nothing."
The reply was brief and delayed, leaving Qi Xu to imagine hundreds of ways the players might be punished. Even if Ball Ball got successfully reported, it still had the power to set up all kinds of "challenges" to indirectly punish players before getting axed.
Like tonight’s endless horde of monsters... or some special disaster.
Qi Xu took a deep breath, fists clenching unconsciously.
He’d never have guessed what was actually happening in Zone 01, Subzone 01.
A group of people were feasting merrily, occasionally cursing out the S1 Ball—the same Ball that acted all high and mighty in front of Qi Xu, now cowering like a kicked puppy, not daring to make a sound.
"Bai Jie, is it really okay to mess with the boss like this?"
"How is this us messing with her? She set this up herself! We’re just following orders!"
"Yikes... With her personality, she’s probably guilt-tripping herself hard right now."
"Exactly. No one knows her better than herself. She came up with this ruthless plan to force her own hand."
"I feel hope again... After all these years, there’s finally something to look forward to. This time, I’m gonna live longer..."
"You’re right, but get the hell away from me, okay? Stop stealing my skewers..."
In Zone 01, Subzone 01, the S1 Ball was purely decorative—useless despite its boasts, ignored by everyone.
Its only role was sizing up newcomers—either recruiting or driving them away.
But the players of Subzone 01 couldn’t care less about the Ball. They were "eternal" beings—why would they bow to it? To them, it was just a punching bag for venting frustrations.
After all, if it wanted to survive, the power and moods of Subzone 01’s players were what mattered most.
Qi Xu steadied himself, then recounted his recent experiences in Zone 01, Subzone 01 to Bian in full detail.
A person had to learn to face their shortcomings. Since he wasn’t as sharp as Bian, he’d let him analyze things—see if there was anything he’d missed.
Halfway through, Bian shot to his feet, stunned. His entire understanding of the Survival Highway had just been upended. What followed was pure excitement and exhilaration.
Ah, now that's interesting—utterly fascinating! If that's the case, I'm wide awake!
..........
