So naturally, the emotions it stirred were even more intense.
Seeing too many people tagging him in the group chat, Qi Xu finally responded.
Invincible Black Tornado: "Got lucky yesterday and scored a lot of good stuff, so I thought I’d share some with everyone."
Blessed by Luck: "Wishing you even better luck today, boss!"
Player0407: "Yeah, yeah, sincere blessings—not just for the red packets. If I hadn’t grabbed a padded jacket last night, I don’t think I would’ve made it through the night..."
Player0506: "Same here. That hot water bottle saved my life yesterday."
Qi Xu felt a pang of guilt. He’d been so caught up in his joy, farming, and handing out red packets that he’d completely forgotten to sell the hot water bottles.
Invincible Black Tornado: "How many of you still need hot water bottles?"
Instantly, the screen flooded with a single word: "Lots!"
Just one character, yet Qi Xu could practically feel the waves of emotion and resentment radiating from it.
It was already the third day of the cold snap. Qi Xu checked his inventory for all available heating equipment.
Besides the hot water bottles, he also had a blueprint for a mini heater.
Honestly, with the Green Fur Suit equipped, there was no need for a mini heater in the vehicle. But for those who couldn’t afford the suit, hot water bottles and mini heaters were still essential.
Qi Xu decided to list both the hot water bottles and mini heaters in the trading hall, delegating the sales to Qiuqiu.
"Assistant Qiuqiu, you’re just too amazing. With you helping me, my survival journey feels a little brighter."
Qiuqiu: "So, not only do I have to craft these for you at the workstation, but I also have to handle sales now?"
Qi Xu nodded. "That’s right. Such simple tasks couldn’t possibly trouble the great and mighty advanced AI assistant Qiuqiu, could they?"
Qiuqiu: "Theoretically, no. But my job description isn’t supposed to—"
Qi Xu cut in quickly. "Then it’s settled. Work hard—do you have any use for Survival Coins?"
This time, Qiuqiu’s tone seemed almost cheerful. "I do!"
"Then do a good job, and I’ll pay you one Survival Coin for today’s work."
"No problem, esteemed player. It’s my pleasure to serve you."
Qi Xu smirked...
If he’d known one Survival Coin would solve the problem, why bother with all the fuss? Money really did open every door.
He suddenly thought of the staff at the stations—the overly eager rat, the flying duck, the purple fox, the white-and-pink twin-tailed fox... Except for that stubborn bull-headed guy, everyone seemed extremely enthusiastic about Survival Coins.
Qi Xu had a vague sense that Survival Coins might have some other, more important use in this survival game—something he just hadn’t discovered yet.
He now had 1,100 Survival Coins. A little more saving, and he could buy the full autopilot system. Once he got that and the auto-collection mechanical arm, he wouldn’t have to stay cooped up in the driver’s seat all the time.
Other unnecessary expenses could wait.
While Qi Xu was lost in thought, Qiuqiu had already thrown itself into its work with renewed vigor.
Qi Xu also announced in the chat: "Hot water bottles and mini heaters are now available in the trading hall. Automatic transactions—no haggling, no after-sales service."
Player1218: "Holy—! The hot water bottles only cost eight random materials? Boss, are you running a charity here?
I bought mine from Storm Dragon King... Ugh, I feel like such a fool. I spent two vehicle upgrade fragments!"
Blessed by Luck: "That’s rough. Not like me—I got mine from last night’s red packet draw. Hehe!"
Building Materials Bro Xu: "The mini heaters are dirt cheap too. Yeah, they need more types of materials—iron blocks, copper wires, plastic... But you can tell the boss is basically just covering costs."
It was only when players mentioned Storm Dragon King that Qi Xu opened the player list to search for him, curious about what else he might be selling.
To his surprise... the avatar was completely grayed out!
Qi Xu frowned in confusion. What happened? Did he get ambushed by monsters while opening a crate and lose the fight?
At this point in the game, if someone died, Qi Xu’s first suspect was Poisonous Love Trap.
His gut told him it was Poisonous Love Trap’s doing—but why? And how?
Logically, with three of their five-man group already dead, the remaining two should’ve stuck together.
But Qi Xu couldn’t shake the feeling something was off. Either they’d fought over loot, or Poisonous Love Trap had some secret he wanted to keep for himself.
Qi Xu checked the time—just past 6 a.m. He wasn’t in a hurry to use the tracking card yet. He ate something, drove for a while.
Parallel roads appeared randomly, but they usually showed up after players started moving. It was still too early.
Around 8 a.m., Qi Xu activated the tracking card for Poisonous Love Trap. The roads ran parallel, slowly converging.
Today’s drive was tougher than yesterday’s. Even with snow chains, he couldn’t risk speeding. Qi Xu took it slow and steady.
Gradually, two tire tracks appeared on the road ahead. In the distance, a small black dot came into view—too far to make out the vehicle type.
After chasing for a while without closing the gap, Qi Xu stepped on the gas.
Only then did he see it—an ambulance. Talk about a lucky starting vehicle. At Level 1, it must’ve already come with a bed.
As Qi Xu accelerated, the ambulance sped up too. He’d thought the driver might let their guard down seeing his pink car, but instead, they bolted faster.
At the same time, a message popped up.
Poisonous Love Trap: "Boss, I already apologized sincerely. What’s the meaning of chasing me down like this?"
Invincible Black Tornado: "?"
Poisonous Love Trap had instinctively assumed it was Invincible Black Tornado, but after checking the chat...
Today, the boss seemed busy selling hot water bottles and mini heaters.
He should’ve been occupied with that. Yet the car behind him felt undeniably threatening.
Qi Xu tried taking a shot, but the distance was too great, and both vehicles were moving. The odds of hitting were slim.
So he gritted his teeth and floored it, ramming straight into the ambulance. The tracking card only lasted two hours. He’d already spent nearly an hour chasing—no way was he leaving empty-handed.
Poisonous Love Trap swerved sharply to avoid the collision, but Qi Xu wasn’t letting up. He nudged the ambulance with his front bumper.
To his surprise, the ambulance held its ground. Qi Xu instantly realized—it was a Level 3 vehicle now.
For a moment, Qi Xu was speechless. How had Chi Kuang, the leader, ended up so far behind? His underlings were all Level 3, while he was stuck at a pitiful Level 2...
At this close range, Qi Xu had no more worries.
He took aim at the ambulance’s tires and fired...
........
