Not only Qi Xu felt this way—the entire Zone 666 was on the verge of collapse, with conversations growing increasingly bleak...
As night fell, Qi Xu was starving. With more monsters appearing and battles becoming more frequent, he felt his energy draining faster than ever.
If not for the beef jerky and dried python meat he’d eaten along the way, he would’ve already been dizzy with hunger.
Fortunately, Chinese Master Chef had just shared several steaming bowls of freshly cooked rice in the group chat.
Qi Xu quickly jumped out of his car, unfolded a small table, and pulled out a plate of sweet and sour pork ribs and another of twice-cooked pork. He devoured the rice in large mouthfuls.
For the ten-thousand-and-first time, Qi Xu wanted to give Chinese Master Chef a thumbs-up. It was so delicious! Even before this survival game, such flavors were hard to come by.
Between bites, Qi Xu glanced at the chat room—almost everyone was leaving what sounded like final words.
Vitamin C: "Maybe death would be a relief. I don’t even dare to open loot boxes anymore. What’s the point of continuing?"
Fluffy Ball: "Same. I’m so hungry I’ve lost all feeling. There’s not a scrap of food on the trading platform. I’m done."
Player 0209: "Damn it! Even a survival game needs to give us something to survive on! No food? How the hell are we supposed to live?"
Player 1111: "Don’t eat monster meat... I got poisoned."
Seeing this, Qi Xu also posted in the group.
Invincible Black Tornado: "Everyone, gather your basic materials. I’m listing a batch of curry toast on the trading platform—near-expiration items. Eat them immediately after getting them. No haggling or refunds. One per person."
After his message, the group fell silent. Not a single reply. Even the few who had been chatting earlier quietly left the chat room.
"Fluffy Ball, help me list the remaining curry toast on the trading platform. One piece for any material."
"Got it."
Qi Xu wasn’t doing this for profit, so he didn’t set high prices. The purchase limit was just to prevent resellers from hoarding.
The moment the toast went up, all 475 pieces were gone in a flash—so fast that Qi Xu didn’t even see them listed before receiving 475 materials in return.
Retired Magical Boy: "Wahh, thank you, big bro! You’re doing this purely out of kindness!"
He hadn’t managed to grab any, but he led the charge in spreading positivity.
Player 1007: "Wahh! I got some! Three more days of survival! Thank you, big bro!"
Player 1219: "Tornado bro even warned us in advance to prepare materials... I was ready to spend everything, but when the food refreshed, I just clicked without checking the price. Only after getting it did I realize it cost just one material!"
Player 1228: "This is pure charity! Invincible bro, you’re my god. If anyone dares badmouth you, I’ll curse their ancestors into oblivion."
Player 0726: "First time posting here, just to say thanks to @Invincible Black Tornado. Sincerely, thank you."
Sweet Donut: "So gross... Invincible bro..."
Cursed by Misfortune: "Wait, am I the only one who didn’t get any?"
Blessed by Luck: "Me too... I clicked the second it refreshed, but it said ‘transaction failed.’"
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "@Sweet Donut, if it’s so bad, why’d you grab it? Idiot. This was clearly a goodwill gesture, and you’re biting the hand that feeds you."
Light Fills the World: "@Invincible Black Tornado, could you share where you got this toast? We’re all struggling. If you have more resources, maybe you could help everyone out? I’m sure we’d all be grateful."
Chinese Master Chef: "Wow, the guilt-tripping is strong with this one. How about you sell all your food for one material first before preaching?"
Chief Beauty Officer: "Seriously, how can someone be this shameless? @Invincible Black Tornado, bro, watch out—there’s a snake in the grass."
Qi Xu saw this and took action before posting again.
Invincible Black Tornado: "@Sweet Donut, @Light Fills the World, you’re now permanently blacklisted. Any items I sell in the future will be unavailable to you."
Chinese Master Chef: "Nice! Two fewer competitors!"
Blessed by Luck: "About time. Mooching off others and still talking trash? Pathetic."
Sweet Donut: "Blacklist me all you want. It’s not like I’ll only buy from you. You won’t keep selling cheap forever."
Light Fills the World: "If I had food, I’d give it away for free."
Player 1215: "Then shut up."
Qi Xu returned to the group and asked, "Who needs chili sauce, canned meat, oat milk, or instant noodles? All near-expiration."
Chinese Master Chef: "Not me. I prefer cooking my own stuff."
Wolf Warrior 009: "Three of each. What’s the trade?"
Bubbly Girl Guo Degang: "Five of each. Times are tough—gotta stock up."
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "Me! Five!"
Seeing the demand, Qi Xu sent five of each to everyone except Chinese Master Chef.
Invincible Black Tornado: "No need to trade. It didn’t cost much."
Then he made another announcement.
Invincible Black Tornado: "Listing 70 bottles of S Province extra-spicy chili sauce on the trading platform. Two basic materials each. Expires in nine days. Buyers, head over now."
The chat room, which had been exploding with dozens of messages per second, went dead silent again...
Even though chili sauce wasn’t a filling meal, it had oil... and flavor! Spice-loving players were practically salivating.
Before the game, they couldn’t eat without heat. Now? They’d drool over anything edible.
Eyes glued to their screens, they waited, fingers poised.
Qi Xu didn’t keep them waiting long. Like the toast, the chili sauce sold out instantly.
Blessed by Luck: "Got it! Hahaha! Out of thousands, I got one! I AM the luck king!"
Player 0930: "I missed it!!! This is S Province-level spice! Do you all even handle heat?!"
Player 1113: "Doesn’t matter. It’s cheap. I’m so hungry I’d eat pure fire right now."
Bunny Eats Carrots: "I didn’t get any... Bro, any left? My fingers were too slow..."
........
