Old White Dragon in the Waves was the first to finish trading. Aside from the materials needed to craft the workstation, he also sent over a red crystal.
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "The red crystal can be fused with vehicles to act as a heater. I’ve got one here—you can keep it."
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "No need. Isn’t this a consumable? You take it. I can handle the cold. Even though I’m from the north, I don’t even need thermal underwear to get through winter. Right now, I’m wearing the green fur suit in the car with the sleeves rolled up."
Seeing this, Qi Xu didn’t hold back. Truthfully, he could guess the real reason—Old White Dragon just didn’t want to take advantage. Who wouldn’t prefer staying warm over freezing?
Next was Retired Magical Boy. Along with the basic materials, he sent over four vehicle upgrade fragments. After Qi Xu sent him the workstation, he returned the fragments.
"That medicine basin you gave me is already more than enough. No need to add anything else."
Retired Magical Boy: "Let’s keep things separate. That was a thank-you gift for saving my life. Take it, or I won’t feel right about it."
Qi Xu accepted and then sent Retired Magical Boy one of every medicine replicated from the basin.
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "Then take this too."
Retired Magical Boy: "So jealous, boss. I told you—good stuff only shines in your hands. If I had this, I’d probably still be a lonely old man after half a lifetime! You’ve already got the whole family set."
Bubbly Girl Guo Degang and Chief Beauty Officer spent a long time trading in the group chat before finally gathering what they needed.
But since they didn’t have anything particularly impressive to offer, they didn’t initiate trades with Qi Xu.
Qi Xu took the initiative instead. Given that the group’s members were decent people, there was no need to be overly calculational.
Though the two agreed to the trade, they each added extra materials. Qi Xu didn’t refuse.
After trading with the group, Qi Xu turned to the flood of private messages from other players. The first step was having Qiu Qiu filter out all the freeloaders.
The first offer he saw was three stat-boosting pills and a vehicle upgrade fragment in exchange. Qi Xu accepted immediately.
He swallowed the three pills right away—this time, each stat rose by two points evenly.
Another player had obtained a green crystal and wanted to trade it for the green fur suit. Qi Xu hesitated before saying, "Can you add a bit more?"
The green crystal had only one use: accelerating plant growth. All crystals were consumables—once their energy was depleted, they became useless.
A single crystal could only substitute for one month of a plant’s growth cycle.
Qi Xu needed it, but not urgently. The orange tree he’d planted was already halfway through its growth period. With just half a month left until harvest, he wasn’t desperate for fruit, so his willingness to trade wasn’t that strong.
Vitamin C: "Alright, alright, I’ll add more! Save a set for me!"
After a short wait, they sent over a set of fine dinnerware.
Vitamin C: "How about this, big shot? I noticed you’re still using disposable chopsticks—doesn’t suit your status."
Qi Xu agreed and completed the trade. He’d definitely be showing off his meals later, and using disposable tableware wouldn’t make much of an impression. The mismatched bowls and plates he’d gotten earlier also ruined the flex.
After browsing through the offers, Qi Xu traded away nearly 30 more sets of the green fur suit.
Some players didn’t have the specific items Qi Xu wanted, but they offered ample basic materials with a sincere attitude, so he accepted.
Now, he had 60 vehicle upgrade fragments stored up—just 40 more for another upgrade. Basic materials like these were never unwelcome.
The Flex Value Treasure Box was ready to be claimed, but the flex value kept ticking up occasionally. Unsure if the box would change further, Qi Xu wasn’t in a hurry to open it. It wasn’t going anywhere.
The noon trading session took a lot of time. By 2 p.m., Qi Xu set off again.
He hadn’t driven far when a parallel highway appeared.
But after traveling for a long while without spotting any other vehicles, he grew curious. Suddenly, the front wheels skidded. Qi Xu quickly steadied the steering wheel—
Then, two cars materialized out of nowhere, one in front and one behind, slamming into him simultaneously.
Qi Xu had been worried the skid might send his truck tumbling into the black fog on the roadside. The violent collision, ironically, stabilized it.
He glanced at the two vehicles—an SUV and a pickup. Their sudden impact hadn’t damaged his pink garbage truck at all. Instead, their own front ends were crumpled.
Seeing this, Qi Xu floored the accelerator, ramming straight into the SUV ahead.
Since the front wheels were already wrecked, a basic vehicle repair card was unavoidable. Might as well squeeze out a little more use before fixing it.
The SUV driver never expected Qi Xu to counterattack. Caught off guard, the pink garbage truck shoved it toward the highway’s edge...
On the brink of being forced off, the occupants panicked. The accelerator was useless. With no choice, they bailed out in desperation.
Qi Xu hit the brakes immediately, stopping the push. Dead men couldn’t sell their cars, after all.
This time, he’d learned his lesson—no more threats, no more squeezing out supplies. Killing them quickly was the priority. With all sorts of bizarre items floating around, Qi Xu couldn’t afford to slip up.
So he pulled out his gun and started firing. The man barely had time to react after hitting the ground before a hail of bullets stunned him.
And there was no cover in sight!
"Wait, I—"
Qi Xu emptied the magazine without hesitation. In seconds, the man was shot in the chest, stomach, and leg.
Once certain he was dead, Qi Xu turned and kept shooting at the pickup behind him, ignoring any taunts or nonsense.
The pickup driver crouched below the dashboard, frozen in fear.
He had a gun too but hesitated—only eight bullets. If he missed, it was over! His mind was in complete disarray.
Why was this nothing like he’d imagined? Both vehicles were Tier-3—how did a pincer attack fail to crush him instantly? And... Invincible Black Whirlwind! She’s a woman?!
Qi Xu, armed with protective gear, a metal pole, and a pistol, didn’t wait. He sprinted over, smashed the window with the pole, and thrust it inside while firing wildly.
The moment he spotted the driver, Qi Xu pressed the gun close and shot him point-blank in the head.
Blood sprayed instantly.
After checking both vehicles, Qi Xu finally relaxed.
Most crucially, after the two died, the parallel highway... vanished.
........
