Chat Hall.
Player1214: "??? Isn't everyone shoveling snow? How did the big boss level up again!"
Starry Blink: "No, I don’t get it. How long has it been since reaching Level 3? And now already Level 4 vehicle—another server-first!"
Cursed by Non-royalty: "Hahaha, the boss is insane (screaming)!"
Swim & Fitness Coach Chen: "Damn, seriously impressive. Upgrading to a Level 4 vehicle requires 100 upgrade fragments—just looking at that made me feel like the sky was falling. But the boss actually pulled it off! Good, good, this gives me motivation too."
Player1007: "Huh? The guy above is Rank 2! First time seeing you talk."
Swim & Fitness Coach Chen: "Used to sell gym memberships, had to chat people up for promotions all day. Now that I don’t have to do that crap job anymore, I just don’t feel like talking..."
Player1229: "Hahaha, makes sense. The boss leveling up is a good thing. Such a hardworking, kind-hearted boss—I hope he stays server-first forever!"
Blessed by Royalty: "Exactly! Forever first, hahaha, the pride of our Server 666!"
Light Upon the World: "Sigh, I hope you all learn not to sympathize with capitalists. The fragments and materials he needed to upgrade were all squeezed out of you guys."
Blessed by Royalty: "Dumbass above, case closed."
Cursed by Non-royalty: "Agreed."
Little Blue Flower: "No fighting~ It’s a happy day~"
Qi Xu was currently checking the server-wide reward announcement and had no time to bother with the sarcastic remarks.
[Congratulations to Player Qi Xu for obtaining: Survival Coins ×200, Vehicle DIY Design, Heart of the Strong ×1, Weapon Enhancement Card ×2, Energy Stones ×30, Advanced Backpack Expansion Card ×1, Fire Red Crystals ×5, Plant Green Crystals ×5, Ice Blue Crystals ×5, Large Group Chat Card ×1, Universal Item Replication Card ×1.]
Looking at this flood of rewards, Qi Xu could only describe his mood as ecstatic—this was beyond amazing!
Time was tight, and Qi Xu still had to keep moving. He quickly got to work, first using the Universal Item Replication Card to duplicate the Heart of the Strong.
Then he used both Hearts of the Strong simultaneously—instantly, all three-dimensional attributes increased by 10 points!
Qi Xu "thudded" straight to his knees.
His entire body felt like it had been shattered and glued back together, the pain so suffocating he could barely move. Despite the freezing temperatures, he was drenched in sweat.
Regret flooded him—why had he used both at once?! Last time, it hadn’t been this unbearable...
The agony lasted nearly 10 minutes before gradually fading, but Qi Xu waited even longer until he regained some strength.
Standing up was still a struggle—his legs were weak, and even the slightest movement sent pain shooting everywhere.
Worried someone might use a Tracking Card on him now, Qi Xu forced himself up and scrambled into the vehicle. If anyone showed up right now, even with stats 20-30 points lower than his, he’d stand no chance.
No strength—absolutely none!
With every ounce of effort, Qi Xu managed to climb into the driver’s seat.
The vehicle’s appearance hadn’t changed at all, which surprised him—until he opened the Vehicle DIY Design Card and realized:
Every upgrade path, even the vehicle’s size, could now be customized!
Qi Xu stuck with the garbage truck route. Honestly, ever since learning how useful work certifications were in this survival game, he’d been dead set on the garbage-collection path. A garbage truck suited him perfectly.
The basic structure remained a combination of the driver’s cabin and the cargo hold, but Qi Xu extended the cargo hold to the maximum size available.
This would improve his quality of life—when he couldn’t go outside, the cargo hold would serve as a living space.
Now, the cargo hold measured 6.8 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 2.4 meters tall.
It looked a bit odd, but these dimensions made furnishing much easier.
With time pressing, Qi Xu didn’t fuss over furniture placement yet, but he could now position everything he’d acquired so far: the sofa, bed, small cabinet, water storage barrel, foldable shower, and toilet—all with built-in stationary properties.
For the wheels, Qi Xu chose multi-terrain obstacle tires, two sizes larger than before, with a diameter of 1.5 meters.
On flat ground, they’d slightly reduce top speed, but on rough terrain—like this ice-and-snow-covered wasteland—they’d handle far better.
Upgrading to a Level 4 vehicle also came with a free vehicle reinforcement.
The windows were now fully bulletproof, and the bullet previously embedded in the lower right corner of the windshield had vanished. Qi Xu was thrilled—while it hadn’t been a real issue, it was an eyesore.
He’d also saved a Basic Vehicle Repair Card.
Beyond that, every inch of the vehicle’s metal plating and framework had become sturdier.
The cargo hold’s walls, once thin as paper, were now solid and airtight. A light tap confirmed their reliability.
The driver’s seat had also been upgraded to an ergonomic design, minimizing fatigue from long drives, complete with an automatic massager for the lower back and shoulders.
The passenger seat was now retractable, hidden beneath the vehicle when unused, freeing up space for a wide corridor connecting the cabin to the cargo hold.
A hidden door separated the two areas, giving the whole setup a sleek, high-end feel.
Qi Xu adjusted the driver’s seat to the center of the cabin—since he was the only one driving, there was no need for a right-side setup.
To the left, a floating mini-desk held frequently used items, with legroom underneath. This way, he could easily turn to eat or rest his arms without discomfort.
The mini-desk could also rotate—once he unlocked an autopilot system, he could recline the seat, swivel the desk forward, and multitask while the vehicle drove itself.
Now, the left side served as storage and a multi-functional zone, while the right was the corridor and door—perfectly separated.
By now, the pain had mostly faded, replaced entirely by excitement and joy.
Glancing at the time—5:00 PM—Qi Xu hit the gas and set off, leaving snow-shoveling and ice-breaking behind for good.
Knee-high snowdrifts posed zero resistance to the vehicle. He could even push the speed up to 20...
Progress was now lightning-fast!
.........
