Qi Xu initially wanted to stop and organize all the loot he had gathered, but he couldn’t bear to waste the daylight hours that could be used to keep moving forward...
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to press on first and save the sorting and tidying for after nightfall. After all, when the seven days were up, the ones who had traveled the farthest and collected the most supplies would surely receive rewards!
Even though his electric tricycle was slow, he could make up for it by driving longer hours!
Who knew? Maybe his vehicle would get an upgrade, turning from a "sparrow into a phoenix." There was still a chance to compete. Qi Xu also believed no one could have amassed so much gasoline in the early stages.
Most would probably save some reserves for emergencies.
It wasn’t until 9 p.m. that Qi Xu finally parked his vehicle.
He stretched his stiff limbs, rubbed his hands excitedly, and eagerly approached the cargo bed.
First, he picked out all the edible items and uploaded them to the trading channel.
"Slightly spoiled whole wheat bread ×10: Perfectly fine if you have a strong stomach, but if your digestion’s already shaky, you might end up with diarrhea."
"Expired yogurt ×3 (two days past): If you think it’s safe to drink, then it’s safe."
"Half a sausage: No idea where the other half went, but hey, it’s edible."
"Extremely sweet strawberry cake ×2: So sweet that someone took one bite and tossed it."
"Dirty bun: Was it already dirty to begin with?"
"Murky water: Not recommended for drinking, but if you boil and let it settle, it’s technically drinkable—though I wouldn’t recommend it."
Qi Xu still had some food supplies left, so he wasn’t desperate. As for the food scavenged from the dump, he wasn’t about to keep it for himself.
Eating this stuff would definitely cost him a few health points, but probably just one or two. He hadn’t picked anything too far gone.
For those in dire need, these items could still be lifesavers.
Except for an unopened pack of Wang Wang rice crackers and two sealed cups of instant noodles, Qi Xu planned to sell everything else—and he was willing to price them cheaply.
After uploading the items, he headed to the chat channel and posted a message:
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "Lots of food and drinks uploaded to the trading space. If you need them, just initiate a trade. I’ll accept or reject requests when I’m free—no private haggling, please. Busy here."
"Wait, what? A massive sale of food and drinks? Am I seeing things?!"
"Holy crap, I need it! Don’t anyone dare snatch it—my kid’s starving!"
"I checked it out, but most of it’s near-expired or already expired. Won’t this make people sick?"
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "The descriptions are clear. Buy if you need it, ignore if you don’t."
Soon, trade requests started flooding in.
[Glass ×2 in exchange for Dirty bun ×1]
[Rubber ×1 in exchange for Half a sausage]
[Toilet paper ×2 in exchange for Extremely sweet strawberry cake ×1]
[Wood ×5 in exchange for Slightly spoiled whole wheat bread ×3]
......
Qi Xu accepted all the trades that offered basic supplies for food, as long as the offers weren’t outright ridiculous.
Among them was a highlighted trade request from a friend.
Retired Magical Boy: "Batteries ×3 in exchange for whole wheat bread and yogurt."
Qi Xu gave him five whole wheat breads and two yogurts.
Almost immediately, he received a frantic thank-you message: "This much?! I thought I was gonna starve! Waaah, thank you, big bro!"
Qi Xu reminded him, "If you ever get vehicle upgrade fragments or other random goodies you don’t need, hit me up. I’ll pay well!"
Retired Magical Boy: "Got it! No problem!"
There were also some absurd trade requests, which Qi Xu ignored—or outright blocked if they were too gross.
For example:
[Photo of a beautiful woman in black stockings in exchange for whole wheat bread]
[A kiss in exchange for the sweetest strawberry cake]
These people were the real freeloaders. Qi Xu couldn’t be bothered.
After clearing out all the food and drinks, the tricycle’s cargo bed was still packed.
Mainly because of a few big items! First, he emptied everything out and began sorting them one by one.
[Scrapped Workbench: An old, outdated piece of equipment. It might still work for now, but it could break down anytime.]
[Nylon Rope: Super sturdy and durable.]
Qi Xu took these two items first and used the rope to tightly secure the workbench to the back of his electric tricycle.
Though it dangled in the air, after multiple loops of tying, Qi Xu even jumped on it to test its stability—it didn’t budge at all.
Perfect. Now, when his legs cramped from sleeping curled up at night, he could stretch them over the workbench. Better than leaving them dangling.
Sure, it looked a bit shabby and rusty next to his pink tricycle, but that didn’t matter. Qi Xu was more than satisfied.
[Damaged Portable Solar Power Bank: Can be connected to various electrical devices—but it’s broken! Requires repair on a workbench!]
Qi Xu grinned. What a coincidence! When he spotted this treasure in the dump earlier, his eyes had practically sparkled.
With the solar power bank, he could recharge his tricycle and batteries every night. No more worrying about running out of power and getting stranded—a huge hassle avoided.
He placed the damaged power bank on the workbench.
The repair requirements popped up:
[Wire ×8, Electrical wire ×1, Rubber ×2]
Qi Xu had wire and rubber but was missing electrical wire.
So, he returned to the chat channel.
He noticed many of the food buyers were posting thank-you messages.
Cursed by Misfortune: "If not for Invincible Big Bro, I wouldn’t have survived the night. Other sellers price their food so high I can’t afford it. That bread kept me alive!"
Player1122: "For a non-lucky player like me, in three whole days, I’ve only found four loot boxes! All I got was one piece of hardtack! Thank goodness Big Bro didn’t mind my measly offer—that strawberry cake was heavenly!"
SugarDonut: "Waaah, I wanted to grab some too, but it’s all sold out! Big Bro, got any more? @Invincible Black Whirlwind"
Qi Xu scrolled up slightly, first responding with two "fist bump" emojis, then asking:
"Anyone got electrical wire? DM me."
SugarDonut: "Hey, can you tell us what the wire’s for? I have some, but I’m scared to trade it."
Player1019: "Wait, are you already in the electric era?! I’m still stuck in the ‘rubbing sticks for fire’ phase!"
Qi Xu didn’t reply in the group—his DMs were already buzzing. He went through each one carefully.
......
