Qi Xu was quite good at entertaining himself.
After all, having spent several years alone, if he didn’t find ways to amuse himself, life would have been unbearable.
Qi Xu kept exercising until six o’clock. The moment the game’s daylight cycle began, he started up his tricycle and set off!
And within less than 50 meters, he spotted a crate! Though it was just a wooden one, finding anything at all was a good sign.
"Starting off strong," he muttered.
Gripping his machete, Qi Xu stepped off the tricycle and approached the crate.
With a swift motion, he pried open the lid, slashing and stabbing at the air inside—just in case. After a flurry of cautious strikes, he coughed lightly and sheathed his blade, unfazed by the fact that nothing had jumped out.
No need to feel awkward—better safe than sorry. Eventually, he’d hit the jackpot once or twice.
Inside the crate lay only one item.
"Congratulations! Obtained Vehicle Upgrade Card Fragment (1/6)."
Only by collecting a complete Vehicle Upgrade Card and binding it to his vehicle could he upgrade it using the required materials listed. The further he progressed, the more resources each upgrade would demand.
Qi Xu stashed the fragment in his backpack and, just like the day before, sped ahead while keeping an eye on the floating screen.
The second and third days passed uneventfully. Qi Xu moved like a machine, focused solely on covering distance and grinding progress.
Most of the monsters that emerged from crates were more for show than actual threats. As long as he didn’t provoke them or stray into the dark fog lining the roadside, there was little real danger.
Yet, even under these conditions, three out of the 10,000 players in District 666 had managed to die. Qi Xu couldn’t help but wonder how.
Over those two days, he alternated between instant noodles, small hot pots, and self-heating meals when he got bored, sticking to his morning and evening workout routine.
In terms of supplies, he’d acquired a towel, a bowl, three packs of compressed biscuits, and 2,000 milliliters of drinking water.
Notably, he’d also traded a unit of petroleum and a cooked pack of noodles for two more Vehicle Upgrade Fragments.
The trade had been with a retired magical boy—and Qi Xu had a hunch he was the unlucky owner of a massive truck.
Clearly, the guy had no intention of upgrading his vehicle further and just wanted to shrink the damn thing, hence selling off the fragments.
Now, only two more fragments stood between Qi Xu and a complete Vehicle Upgrade Card.
While checking his remaining supplies, Qi Xu suddenly spotted a traffic light up ahead.
Instantly alert, he straightened up.
A traffic light always signaled a checkpoint beyond it—randomly generated each time, with varying types. Most offered opportunities, but some harbored dangers.
Judgment was key.
The red light lasted a full five minutes. Monsters queued up to cross the road, taunting Qi Xu the whole time. He remained expressionless, eventually shooting them a dismissive glance.
Their furious curses were music to his ears.
The moment the light turned green, Qi Xu twisted the throttle and bolted! If he didn’t make it across before the light changed again, he risked being swarmed.
Midway, he spotted a line of scattered nails on the road. Quickly, he pulled up his screen.
"Congratulations! Obtained Iron Nails ×30!"
Then he accelerated, crossing the intersection with time to spare.
Just past the intersection, a sign appeared on the right: "Service Area, 500m Ahead."
Without hesitation, Qi Xu veered in.
But before he even got close, a putrid stench hit him—thick, greenish smoke curling into the air above.
He knew exactly what this was: a garbage dump.
Despite the reek, in the early stages of the game where supplies were scarce, this was a goldmine.
After parking, Qi Xu sprinted inside. No time to waste.
A massive black bear guarded the entrance. "Entry fee required."
Without missing a beat, Qi Xu replied, "Newbie protection period—free entry!"
The bear nodded dumbly. "Password correct. Proceed."
This was the perk of being a reincarnator. During the first seven days of the game, all checkpoints were free to enter.
But the monster staff wouldn’t volunteer that information. Only by explicitly stating "Newbie protection period—free entry" could players trigger the access condition.
One player who’d discovered this secret had waited until the protection period ended to reveal it—just to screw others over. It sparked a feud, and he ended up hunted down.
The moment Qi Xu stepped inside, another announcement echoed.
"Congratulations! Player has obtained the new title [Freeloader]! Damn, you really know how to milk the system!"
Qi Xu skimmed the details and nearly cheered.
"[Freeloader]—you lucky bastard!
While equipped, encountering a red-haired monster merchant allows one free item. For green-haired merchants, one item at 10% off. For purple-haired merchants, all items half-price!"
No time to celebrate—Qi Xu reached the foot of the "trash mountain."
Grabbing a long pole, he began poking through the heap, scanning everything with his screen.
Soon, his backpack was stuffed. But after a full sweep, he still wasn’t satisfied.
With a determined grunt, he started climbing the trash pile.
By the time he was done, he was covered in grime, his face and hands blackened—but his grin stretched ear to ear.
After nearly an hour of relentless scavenging, Qi Xu finally forced himself to leave.
His backpack was bursting, so he hauled a large plastic crate filled with his loot, strutting out with pride.
Even the pitch-black face of the guard bear twitched in disbelief. Humans and their greed—unbelievable.
Just outside the dump, another announcement played.
"Congratulations! Player has triggered a key condition and obtained the [Scrap Collector] Work Permit. Please keep it safe!"
Qi Xu paused. In his past life, spanning over three years, he’d never heard of anyone owning this.
Checking the details, he found two perks: free entry to garbage dumps and the ability to directly sell scrap.
Admittedly, dump entry fees were cheap, but hey, every bit helped.
The scrap-selling function, though—Qi Xu’s mind raced with possibilities. All he needed was some fool to cross his path.
Realizing he reeked, especially his filthy hands, he splurged, using up all his drinking water to scrub himself clean. When that wasn’t enough, he sacrificed a bottle of mineral water.
Finally fresh again, he changed into a full set of clean clothes.
The dirty ones, though unwashable, weren’t tossed—they’d make decent rags.
........
