The cold weather would end in just one more day, and everyone had grown accustomed to the temperature. The green fur suits and winter coats weren’t selling as well anymore...
But even so, Qi Xu was quite satisfied with the profits.
Once the welfare period ended that afternoon, Qi Xu planned to drop another bombshell—the crafting table!
So far, Qi Xu had only traded the crafting table with a few familiar players in the group chat. Most others in the district probably didn’t have it yet.
If he didn’t sell it now, people might eventually obtain it through drops or other means. It was the perfect time to cash in while everyone still had money in their pockets and the item was still fresh.
Today was the last day of the extreme cold weather—and also Qi Xu’s first day with the big-ticket item, the fully autonomous driving system.
At first, Qi Xu was a little uneasy and sat in the driver’s seat, keeping a close watch. There was a slight nervousness in his heart.
Qiuqiu: "Player, rest assured. The fully autonomous driving system is fully synced with me. There won’t be any accidents. If there’s any damage, I’ll notify you immediately."
Qi Xu soon realized that the system drove even more steadily than he did. He set the speed to 20 km/h and let the vehicle cruise forward slowly.
The roadside was piled with snow and ice, reflecting light. Driving too fast might cause him to miss supply crates.
Once he confirmed the reliability of the autonomous driving system, Qi Xu fully freed his hands.
He checked the group chat, shopped for items, snacked on fruit, or gazed into the distance...
Finally, Qi Xu remembered the "show-off points."
He took a photo, deliberately avoiding the pink decorations and focusing only on the table full of fruit and the high-tech electric display screen.
He posted it in the main chat.
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "Just installed the fully autonomous driving system. The hands-free experience feels pretty good. Only missing an automatic supply crate pickup arm now. If anyone has one, DM me—I’ll trade a crafting table for it."
Blue Little Flower: "Aaaaah, so much fruit! Big shot, I want grapes~ I also want someone to drive for me..."
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "Damn, that autonomous driving system is next-level. You can even stand up to smoke and stretch. My butt’s gone numb from driving all day."
Player 1009: "Bro, are we even in the same era? My car just got a roof... and you’re already in the AI age!"
Cursed by Bad Luck: "What the heck is an automatic supply crate pickup arm? Never even heard of it! But that table full of fruit? Now that’s something I understand!!!"
The show-off points in the upper right corner steadily climbed. After nearly a month in this highway survival game, everyone was sick of driving.
Who wouldn’t want a fully autonomous driving system? To sit back like Whirlwind, spot crates, snack on fruit, and just relax...
The more they thought about it, the more envious they became. But envy was useless.
Qi Xu sent an orange and a tomato to each member of the small group. In the larger group, he dropped a red packet filled with apples (which he disliked) and infinitely renewable oranges and tomatoes.
The main chat got nothing—he didn’t have that much fruit to spare.
Then, a message arrived from Watch Me Cut You Down.
"You need this?"
The attached image showed a chip. Qi Xu checked the item description and was intrigued.
Supply Crate Detection System:
Requires installation after the fully autonomous driving system. Once installed, users can set how many meters in advance they want a voice prompt for approaching supply crates.
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "Need it. Name your price."
"Vehicle upgrade fragments—I want 10. Extra food would be even better."
Qi Xu checked his inventory: only six fragments.
"Hold on," he replied, then asked in the small group chat:
"Anyone got vehicle upgrade fragments? I need four."
Chinese Master Chef sent one first, followed by Bubbly Girl Guo Degang with the remaining three.
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "You two beat me to it! Boss, upgrading your ride again? You’re moving way too fast."
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "Nowhere near an upgrade. Level 5 needs 1,000 fragments. I just saw something good, but the seller wants vehicle upgrade fragments in exchange."
Chinese Master Chef: "So... celebration time? What’s for dinner? If nothing goes wrong, today should be the last day of the cold spell."
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "Hell yeah, let’s feast. I’ll grab some booze."
Old White Dragon in the Waves: "I’m craving honey-glazed roast meat!"
Retired Magical Boy: "Same here!"
Chinese Master Chef: "No problem! Just got the ingredients today!"
Qi Xu then privately messaged Chinese Master Chef and Bubbly Girl Guo Degang.
"Need anything in return?"
Chinese Master Chef: "Nah, just upgraded. I’m good."
Bubbly Girl Guo Degang: "Boss, got any decent weapons? I want a long blade or a staff."
Qi Xu sent over his old longsword and a stun baton.
"Which one feels better to you?"
Bubbly Girl Guo Degang kept the longsword.
"Thanks! I’ll take the blade. Way better than my old dagger."
Invincible Black Whirlwind: "Just a heads-up—once your combat stats improve, the monsters from crates might get tougher too. Be careful."
Bubbly Girl Guo Degang: "Got it, no problem!"
Feeling like she got the better end of the deal (three vehicle upgrade fragments for a sharp longsword), Bubbly Girl Guo Degang rummaged through her backpack and sent Qi Xu a grip strengthener.
"Take this too. No time to use it—always driving nonstop. Gotta go, boss!"
Qi Xu checked the item description.
[Grip Strengthener: Consistent use for 6 hours increases strength by 1 point.]
This was a great find. A long-term way to grind strength stats. The effect might be minor, but the highway was long, and with the autonomous driving system, he had plenty of time!
Qi Xu sent the agreed items to Watch Me Cut You Down, who instantly initiated the trade and delivered the chip.
Two minutes later...
Watch Me Cut You Down: "Ahem... you got any electronic components? Or need yak meat? I can trade yak meat for them."
Qi Xu paused. Electronic components were special materials for upgrading vehicles to Level 2.
How could such a strong player still have a Level 1 vehicle? It didn’t make sense!
No matter how hard he racked his brain, Qi Xu couldn’t figure out how someone with a Level 1 vehicle had managed to stop Light Fills the World and kill him.
.........
