At 8:00 AM the next morning, all players in District 666 were primed and ready, fully prepared to enter the dungeon!
Qi Xu chose to bring her pets along, while for her personal items, she opted for a power bank and Sakura Fall.
Although they might encounter more monsters, she now had helpers by her side. It was a 50,000-kilometer journey, and having the three little ones accompanying her along the way meant she wouldn't be lonely.
The chat hall was flooded with messages of encouragement. Once eight o'clock arrived, all players were unifiedly transported to the starting point of the Survival Highway. Returning here after a whole year left everyone feeling a bit emotional.
However, there was no time to reminisce. A piercing cracking sound suddenly echoed from the ground behind them. The once flat road surface instantly shattered like a spiderweb, with rubble and dust plummeting as if falling into a bottomless abyss.
All the players instantly sprang into action, sprinting forward madly. No one dared to look back; they could only hear faint whimpers echoing from the abyss, sounding like the cries of countless wronged souls.
With their retreat cut off, the only way was forward. Stepping up and walking the path they had once traveled was the only way to truly embark on this life-or-death journey and earn the right to keep moving forward.
Yesterday, many players had been analyzing the phrase "vehicles will become shackles." They wondered what it meant, but it was only when they actually started running that they found out...
Good heavens, it felt as though countless sandbags were strapped to their bodies. If that wasn't a shackle, what was? Sprinting forward with all their might while potentially having to fight monsters was hard enough, but now they had to bear extra weight!
A level 5 vehicle meant 50 jin of extra weight, a level 6 vehicle meant 60 jin...
Qi Xu, who had just upgraded to a level 8 vehicle, calmly adapted to the weight on her body. She began to adjust her breathing and pace. The exertion and stamina distribution for a marathon were definitely different from a sprint.
A war of attrition required a specific strategy. She maintained a steady pace, trying her best to keep her breathing even. She didn't panic and sprint madly just because the road behind her was constantly collapsing, ensuring she kept a safe distance.
It was just like a standard physical training exercise. Little Seven was by Qi Xu's side, carrying Sweet Girl on its head, while Ni Jiujiu glided through the sky, keeping its eyes fixed on Qi Xu.
It was always ready to grab her at the first sign of danger and carry her off to a safe place.
For the first 100 kilometers, they didn't encounter any monsters. Qi Xu also managed to put a good distance between herself and the crumbling road behind her. When she came across supply boxes on the roadside, she even had time to quickly open them.
Just like at the very beginning of the survival game, the supply boxes by the road were all wooden or bronze, containing only food and water.
Qi Xu had been perfectly calculating and distributing her stamina, preventing her body from falling into a state of extreme fatigue while still pushing her physical potential to the limit.
Every step she took landed precisely on the rhythm of her breathing. Her muscles found a delicate balance between tension and relaxation, reserving enough energy to deal with sudden emergencies while turning every ounce of strength into forward momentum.
She was much like a precisely operating machine, steadily maintaining high efficiency right on the edge of her limits. This was also thanks to the Esper Body Enhancement Bath Powder she used last night, which gave Qi Xu a much clearer understanding of her body's absolute limits.
Starting at the 200-kilometer mark, monsters began to appear.
An old friend she hadn't seen in a long time: the White Big-Headed Monster. It was also the very first monster encountered in these two rounds of the survival game.
The moment Qi Xu saw the monster, her eyes lit up! She was just getting bored, and an old friend had come to play with her.
A smile uncontrollably crept onto the corners of her mouth. It really had been a long time. Aside from her first day arriving on the Survival Highway both times, she had never seen it again. She had missed it! What a cute, big white head.
Qi Xu ran straight toward it, took aim, and explosively pushed off the ground. When the distance closed to three meters, she twisted her waist slightly. Her supporting leg planted firmly into the ground, and her kicking leg snapped out like a coiled spring. The inside of her foot precisely slammed right into the dead center of the White Big-Headed Monster's forehead.
Driven by the momentum of her entire body, the strike was both ruthless and accurate. With a muffled bang, a textbook inside-foot soccer kick sent it flying straight into the black mist by the side of the road.
That was the feeling! A feeling of flying, relieving stress and utterly satisfying.
But soon, the smile on Qi Xu's face completely froze. Piles upon piles of big white heads appeared on both sides of the road, and she no longer found these things cute at all.
Never mind having only two feet; even when she was a sea monster in the Poseidon's Treasure Map Realm, her twelve chubby little tentacles wouldn't have been enough to kick them all!
Qi Xu had no choice but to abruptly accelerate. Little Seven followed closely behind, while Ni Jiujiu continued to sing rhythmically in the air, going chirp chirp chirp chirp, as if counting an eight-beat tempo.
After passing the main horde of big white heads, Qi Xu gradually slowed down. She rested for ten minutes, taking the opportunity to replenish her stamina and feed herself and the three little ones.
Although Little Seven usually only ate energy stones, that was when conditions permitted. Now that they were lacking, eating regular food could still half-fill its stomach. The kid wasn't picky at all and wouldn't cause trouble for Qi Xu; it was extremely well-behaved.
Having grown accustomed to Master Chef's delicacies, eating these ordinary small bread rolls and hardtack biscuits truly felt like chewing wax. However, having lived through hard times before, Qi Xu didn't find it unacceptable at all. Instead, she enthusiastically finished replenishing her energy and resumed running!
The monsters appearing by the roadside were also slowly getting stronger. Eventually, ordinary monsters became rare, directly replaced by ability-wielding monsters that had awakened powers.
One after another, they could either summon strong winds or conjure fireballs. Qi Xu finally started to look disheveled, and the tips of her hair were even scorched!
The Flame-Devouring Wolf realized its skill had injured the human in front of it and immediately dashed forward in excitement. Little did it know, this human instantly flew into a rage. With eyes looking as though they were about to shoot fire themselves, she charged over wielding dual blades.
Qi Xu was furious. A measly little flame wolf actually had the nerve to play dirty and launch a sneak attack! Of all the places you could hit me, you hit my hair!
Healing cards couldn't restore hair to its original state, and she was about to attend the top-tier players' gathering soon. Her image was of the utmost importance!
Furious and thunderous, Qi Xu bared her teeth and spoke fiercely to this fire-breathing wolf: Hey, friend, we're on the same side!
The Flame-Devouring Wolf instantly froze in place. It even voluntarily retracted the flames on its body, looking at Qi Xu with eyes full of naive confusion.
Qi Xu didn't hold back. She immediately turned and vaulted onto the Flame-Devouring Wolf's back. Friend, we are good friends. I believe you'd definitely be willing to be my wolf mount!
The Flame-Devouring Wolf nodded excitedly and began to sprint forward. Qi Xu even felt bad for Little Seven having run for so long, so she scooped Little Seven into her arms as well. Sweet Girl was wrapped around her wrist, and Ni Jiujiu was perched on her forehead.
One person and three pets, all completely resting for 10 minutes.
However, the moment the 10 minutes were up, the Flame-Devouring Wolf immediately let out a ferocious roar. Unfortunately, before the roar could fully leave its throat, its neck was sliced open by the dual blades of a fully prepared Qi Xu.
.........
