That afternoon, Qi Xu received a package of 1,000 grams of yak meat from "Watch Me Cut You Down."
The meat was still dripping with blood, clearly freshly butchered from some monster. Qi Xu's eyes lit up—his jerky stash had run out, so this was perfect for Fat Brother to prepare another batch.
Casually, Qi Xu sent back a pizza in return.
Knowing this was likely an attempt to repay the favor of lending the pistol earlier that morning, he kept the reciprocation modest.
But on the other end, "Watch Me Cut You Down" was practically glowing with excitement. Finally, some normal food!
So they eagerly asked, "Got any more of this kind of normal food? Wanna trade again?"
Qi Xu was surprised but more than happy to oblige.
After checking his inventory, he sent over 20 pork-and-scallion dumplings, two coconut bread rolls, three cartons of Tesu pure milk, and a bowl of freshly steamed rice.
As for dishes made by Chinese Master Chef? No way Qi Xu would trade those—he barely had enough for himself as it was.
"Watch Me Cut You Down" added another kilogram of yak meat to the exchange.
Both parties were satisfied.
Qi Xu forwarded both kilograms of yak meat to Chinese Master Chef with a request: "Turn this into jerky for me."
Chinese Master Chef replied, "No problem. This monster meat probably has special attributes. Combined with my current special attribute trigger rate, there’s an 80% chance it’ll gain some properties."
Qi Xu sent a few thumbs-up emojis. "No rush. Focus on hitting your daily mileage first."
Chinese Master Chef: "Already done. My tractor might not be fast, but it handles rough terrain just fine."
Qi Xu thought about it and agreed—this kind of rugged road was exactly where versatile special vehicles excelled.
By 9 PM, Qi Xu had only scavenged four supply crates: three wooden ones and one silver-tier.
Two of the wooden crates contained nothing but monsters. After disposing of them and breaking down the crates, all he got was two units of lumber.
The third wooden crate held just two pieces of glass. The silver crate was slightly better, yielding a snack haul:
- Matcha cake ×2
- Jelly cups ×2
- Seaweed snacks ×2
- Wangwang reconstituted milk ×2
- Zero-sugar cola ×2
- Bite-sized scallion pancakes ×2
Essentially, a snack care package.
Qi Xu had never been fond of snacks. Even before the survival game, he rarely bought them—typing all day made snacking messy, and crumbs on the keyboard were a nightmare. Now, in the game? Even less reason to indulge.
Just as Qi Xu was about to park, a green-haired monster merchant appeared ahead.
Instantly thrilled, he swapped his current title to 〖Freeloader〗.
If he remembered correctly, encountering a green monster merchant meant he could buy one item at a 90% discount!
Qi Xu jumped out of the vehicle and rushed toward it.
The monster merchant looked terrifying—skinless, with facial features seemingly embedded into darkness. It wore a black robe, a pointed hat, and ankle-length hair.
Yet, Qi Xu suddenly found it... kinda cute.
"Hi! Nice to meet you!"
The monster merchant froze mid-step, then turned and bolted.
Qi Xu sprinted ahead, cutting it off.
The merchant bristled, grumbling, "I swear I smelled a rich person! How did I end up with a freeloader?!"
The complaint was a disguised warning: wandering around with the 〖Freeloader〗 title would scare off future merchants.
Qi Xu quickly backpedaled: "I’m loaded! Seriously. Besides the title’s discount, I’ll buy two extra items at full price. You won’t leave at a loss."
The merchant hesitated, reluctant to open its shop interface.
"Oh, dear player, so sorry—my stock’s already sold out today."
Qi Xu flashed his survival coin balance. "Why doubt your own nose? I am rich!"
Finally tempted, the merchant relented.
"Fine. Take a look."
After much persuasion, it revealed four items:
1. Fruit Platter: 8 coins. A mix of 12 premium fruits—nutritious and delicious!
2. Alien Rubik’s Cube: 2 coins. Bored on the road? This puzzle prevents dementia, tames hyper kids, and boosts IQ!
3. Assorted Compressed Biscuits (100-pack): 30 coins. Not your average rations—varied flavors, one biscuit fuels a full day, and they’re actually tasty.
Qi Xu’s heart sank at the first three. Even with a merchant, this loot was useless.
Then he saw the fourth item and grinned like a shark.
4. Full Self-Driving System: 600 coins. Compatible with Tier 3+ vehicles. Who wouldn’t want hands-free freedom on the survival highway?
Qi Xu cackled. "Activate 〖Freeloader〗 skill: purchase the self-driving system." Early-game prices were a steal—later, this would cost 2,000+ coins!
The merchant clenched its fists, visibly restraining itself.
"Skill activated. One-tenth price confirmed: 60 coins."
Qi Xu paid and secured the system.
Not wanting to burn bridges, he added, "I’ll take the other three too. Got new items? I’ll pay full price."
The merchant brightened. "40 coins for the trio. Inventory refreshed. Continue shopping?"
The new four items made Qi Xu suspect the merchant was trolling him:
1. 18K Diamond: 1,000 coins. Symbol of eternal love. No girl can resist a proposal with this!
2. Silk Face Mask: 800 coins. Use for 10 days straight for +10 beauty points—angelic looks guaranteed!
3. Pacifier: 100 coins. Can’t sleep? Try chewing this. Not foolproof, but babies swear by it.
4. 1-Meter Chinese Knot: 50 coins. A cultural must-have for true Hua nationals. Only certain people would refuse it!
Qi Xu’s eye twitched. The game’s insults were savage.
.........
