Xie Shaoning knew there wasn’t much deep camaraderie between them, so he didn’t expect to freeload. Instead, he traded 100 vehicle upgrade cards for a plate of food, then practically licked the plate clean.
Cheese Foam with 80% Sugar and Emberkiss Starlight Moon could still hold back at first, but now they followed Xie Shaoning’s lead, directly exchanging 100 vehicle upgrade cards for a dish. Whether it was wallet-friendly or not didn’t matter—it was definitely friendly to their mouths and stomachs...
As soon as midnight struck, the ribbons on everyone’s wrists instantly expanded hundreds, even thousands of times, completely encircling each person individually and slowly tightening inward.
Qi Xu felt a pang of dread—if he didn’t act now, he’d be strangled to death without any chance of resistance.
Without hesitation, Qi Xu raised his voice and declared, “Pink.” Only then did the ribbon float back to his wrist.
The other three took noticeably longer to free themselves, but eventually, they all escaped the ribbons safely.
Xie Shaoning suddenly spoke up, “We still don’t know how many days this treasure map dungeon will last. How about we split the earnings equally every night?”
“Agreed.”
“Sure, that works.”
Qi Xu had no objections either and immediately pulled out everything he’d gathered that day.
Honestly, it was a bit pathetic. If not for the tea tree and the 70-plus servings of tea leaves, the haul would’ve been even worse than what Qi Xu could’ve gotten alone on the highway.
Qi Xu chose to keep the tea tree and gave Cheese Foam with 80% Sugar 1,000 survival coins. The other two didn’t need compensation—it balanced out the money he’d fronted for their entry earlier.
At this stage, as long as he didn’t spam his skills continuously, his mental energy could still hold up.
〖Crimson Illusion〗 and the Easter eggs could also recover a portion slowly, so the tea leaves weren’t an urgent need. Naturally, he opted for the long-term investment of the tea tree.
It was also a matter of information asymmetry—the other three hadn’t yet become ability users, mistaking mental energy for plain old stamina.
Combined with Qi Xu’s flawless acting, it allowed him to snag a small but decent bargain. The rest were just vehicle upgrade cards or assorted daily supplies and tools, so they literally split everything equally.
“At our current pace, we should reach the exact treasure location in about three hours tomorrow.”
Xie Shaoning actually seemed like a decent person when he was being serious.
Cheese Foam with 80% Sugar reminded them, “Don’t forget about the other group. There’s no way we’re avoiding a fight.”
“With the four of us being this strong, what’s there to fear? Kill one if they come, kill two if they come as a pair, wipe out the whole group if all four show up!”
Emberkiss Starlight Moon radiated confidence. Dealing with trees might’ve been tricky, but when it came to people, her methods were endless.
Late at night, once everyone seemed to be resting, dozens of absurdly tiny spiders crawled out from Emberkiss Starlight Moon’s ears, scattered some colorless, odorless powder, then retreated back inside.
The moment those spiders emerged, Sweet Girl reacted immediately. They were both poison users—who could outplay whom?
Qi Xu didn’t hold back either, sending a 〖Crimson Strike〗 her way before delivering a brutal kick to Emberkiss Starlight Moon.
“Ow! Could you ease up a little?”
“Serves you right.”
That kick was full-force, and with the suddenness of it, Emberkiss Starlight Moon had no chance to dodge...
The other two woke up, exchanged a glance, then closed their eyes again without a word.
The next day, the wrist ribbons changed color. Using the same method as before, Qi Xu asked the other three to name their colors.
But... the trio had clearly teamed up to target him. Maybe they thought yesterday’s battles weren’t intense enough, and eliminating the strongest contender early would be advantageous.
So, without batting an eye, they all declared in unison that Qi Xu’s ribbon was red. But the moment they did, the 〖Truth Grass〗 smeared on Qi Xu’s palm burned hot.
Qi Xu didn’t bother hiding it—his expression darkened instantly as he gripped his twin blades and assumed a combat stance.
Only then did the three awkwardly chuckle and correct themselves simultaneously, “Pink.”
Good. His palm didn’t burn this time.
There really wasn’t a shred of trust between them. If he’d been even slightly less vigilant, surviving this ordeal would’ve been a toss-up.
Everyone had assumed today would at least be better than yesterday, but after three hours of walking, they hadn’t even stumbled upon a single loot crate—let alone monsters. At least fighting monsters earned them points.
Even if they didn’t know what the points were for yet, having them was better than nothing.
“Did you even read the map properly? Hand it over!”
Emberkiss Starlight Moon grumbled irritably. Xie Shaoning tossed the map at her. “Don’t pick a fight. There’s only one route—how could I misread it?”
“Then why—”
Emberkiss Starlight Moon barely got three words out before Qi Xu kicked her ten meters away...
“What the—”
She was still dazed, about to curse, when she noticed the spot she’d been standing in had just been obliterated by a massive hole.
“What the what?” Qi Xu turned to her with a raised brow, leaning in mockingly.
Emberkiss Starlight Moon grinned, baring her teeth. “I... what the beauty! I just adore strong, capable people like you...”
Despite the awkwardness, she didn’t slack off—already drawing her bow. Maybe her earlier irritation and bickering with Xie Shaoning had dulled her usual alertness.
Her arrow shot out, and four burly men instantly burst from the bushes fifty meters away.
“Well, well, three ladies and a pretty boy. Boss, we’ve hit the jackpot.”
Emberkiss Starlight Moon snarled back, “Why is it always brainless horndogs like you? Your mouth’s connected straight to your guts—talking like you’re taking a dump. You talk to your mother like that too?”
Xie Shaoning’s face darkened—Qi Xu was tempted to nickname him “Mr. Blackface.”
Maybe it was because his skin was pale, but whenever he got angry, his face turned noticeably darker. Over and over, his face just kept blackening!
Xie Shaoning tried to roar with authority, “You’re way out of line. Shut your mouths if you want to live.”
It had zero effect.
These four were clearly a pack of scumbags who didn’t even register the insults. If anything, they seemed weirdly thrilled by Emberkiss Starlight Moon’s verbal assault, their expressions twisting grotesquely.
As for Xie Shaoning...
“Hahaha, what’s with the pretty boy? Don’t worry, I’ve got a soft spot for your type—I’ll go easy on ya~”
The sleazy tone made his three companions snicker.
Qi Xu sensed something off about these four. They weren’t as simple as they pretended. Without drawing attention, he sent Sweet Girl out. Emberkiss Starlight Moon, seemingly unhinged, had her spiders on the move too...
Meanwhile, the four opponents kept up their taunts and provocations, testing boundaries without crossing into outright recklessness. They weren’t actually “brainless horndogs”—there had to be a reason behind their act.
In the end, out of all eight people present, the only one truly losing his cool was Xie Shaoning. The poor guy was just too naive.
...........
