"Watch Me Cut You Down" took the initiative to speak up. "Let’s discuss something—only one vehicle can be used. How about we take yours? Mine only has one seat, and it’s almost out of battery."
Qi Xu nodded. "No problem. Park your vehicle by the roadside, and then we can talk in my car."
"Watch Me Cut You Down" brightened up. "Deal." This way, her vehicle would still have power after the dungeon run, ensuring she could complete her daily mileage. This girl seemed pretty nice.
Qi Xu had also stocked her car with supplies. Since using her own vehicle meant relying on the other person’s backpack, she had prepared some essentials and placed them in the car.
But the moment "Watch Me Cut You Down" got in, she exclaimed, "Damn, you’ve got the heater on? So cozy... Uh, I’ve been a bit unlucky lately. Mind if I use your backpack?"
Before Qi Xu could answer, "Watch Me Cut You Down" quickly added, "The dungeon rewards are based on the final score from collecting Frostbloom, right? I’ll give you a bigger cut—60-40. I’ll handle all the monsters; you can just stay back."
Qi Xu wasn’t keen on hiding. This was a perfect chance to practice combat.
"I’d like to try fighting the monsters too. If possible, could you give me some pointers? Also, if you don’t mind me asking... are you ‘Watch Me Cut You Down’?"
"Watch Me Cut You Down" froze. "Yeah, how’d you know?"
Qi Xu replied honestly, "We’ve traded before. Your tone is unmistakable."
"Watch Me Cut You Down" had traded with very few players—mainly because she was too poor to have anything worth exchanging.
"Are you ‘Cocoon to Butterfly’?"
Qi Xu shook her head slightly.
"Watch Me Cut You Down" thought harder. "Then... Player 0422?"
Another shake of the head.
"Watch Me Cut You Down" was baffled. "That can’t be. I haven’t traded with many people."
Qi Xu said seriously, "I’m ‘Invincible Black Whirlwind’."
She felt a little nervous. This was the first time she’d revealed her identity face-to-face. In the previous round of the game, she’d encountered plenty of team-based dungeons, but Qi Xu had always kept things strictly professional, avoiding deep connections. As a result, she’d made a few enemies but zero friends.
This was her first time being so open, and she had the confidence to back it up—three dungeon protection cards, anesthetic needles ready in her ring, and her Pink Chainsaw. Even if the other person turned hostile, Qi Xu believed she could hold her own.
"Watch Me Cut You Down" was stunned.
"You’re ‘Invincible Black Whirlwind’? ‘Invincible Black Whirlwind’ is a girl?"
Qi Xu nodded.
"Watch Me Cut You Down" burst into laughter. "Damn, girl, that’s wild! But why’d you pick such an awful name? It’s kinda gross."
Qi Xu relaxed a little. "I wanted something that contrasted with my real self. It’s safer that way."
"Watch Me Cut You Down" nodded, instinctively assuming Qi Xu was some kind of "chosen one" blessed with abundant supplies but zero combat skills.
"Don’t worry, stick with me, and you’ll be safe."
"Alright. Happy cooperation."
Both tactfully avoided mentioning their real names...
"Watch Me Cut You Down" finally took a proper look at the vehicle—pink, cute, and ridiculously spacious. The cabin alone was twice the size of her own ride, more like a mini lounge with its cream-colored fabric sofa, a table set with flower tea, and a fruit platter in the middle.
The driving area was completely separate from the living space. If she had a vehicle like this, surviving on the road for a hundred years would be a breeze—way better than living on the edge.
Qi Xu let out a quiet sigh of relief.
It had been years since she’d chatted like this with anyone. It felt... not bad. At least not as unbearable as she’d imagined.
Just then, the dungeon’s announcement echoed through the air.
[The entrance is open! Players who’ve made their arrangements can now depart. This dungeon has an 8-hour time limit. If both parties agree, you may exit early and be teleported back to the entrance—but it’ll cost you 5 Frostblooms.
If you don’t even have five Frostblooms... well, you might as well just die. How dare idiots like you even sign up for a dungeon?
Friendly reminder: when picking flowers, you’ll meet some adorable monsters~]
The dungeon announcements had always been like this. In the previous round, Qi Xu had hated them, but not anymore. Though the tone was harsh, the hints were actually helpful.
"Shall we go?"
"Let’s do it!"
Qi Xu instructed Ball Ball, "20 mph, steady speed for now."
"Watch Me Cut You Down" thought "Invincible Black Whirlwind" was talking to her—until the car miraculously started moving on its own.
Right. This was a big shot with full autonomous driving...
Qi Xu tossed the green fur outfit she hadn’t managed to give earlier to "Watch Me Cut You Down."
"Put it on. It’s too cold outside for fighting—it’ll slow you down. Consider it prepayment for teaching me some basic combat skills."
This time, "Watch Me Cut You Down" didn’t refuse. She swiftly pulled on the outfit.
Qi Xu looked out the window. The world outside was a vast expanse of white again—but this time, it wasn’t snow. It was ice.
Frostblooms lined the roadside, just like supply crates during highway travel.
Picking them was a delicate task.
If even a sliver of ice chipped off the petals or leaves, the damn system wouldn’t count it. You had to carefully carve them out with a knife.
But while harvesting, monsters would swarm in. That’s when teamwork came into play—one person focused on picking, the other on holding off the creatures.
Kill one monster, and another would take its place until the Frostbloom was successfully collected.
Qi Xu vaguely remembered that when the black fog on either side of the highway dispersed, a dense forest would appear, filled with Frostblooms.
But entering the forest meant leaving the vehicle behind—only on-foot exploration was allowed.
The monsters there were stronger, and the black fog could reform at any moment. If you didn’t make it back to the highway before the fog closed in, you were as good as dead.
Still, the fog took time to gather, making it easy to spot. Unless you got held up by monsters, there was usually enough time to escape.
With an overpowered ally like "Watch Me Cut You Down," Qi Xu was confident.
"Is that a Frostbloom?!"
Qi Xu followed "Watch Me Cut You Down’s" pointing finger. A Frostbloom, half a person’s height and as thick as a thigh, stood out glaringly by the roadside.
"Yes! Stop the car."
"Watch Me Cut You Down" pulled out a machete. Qi Xu strapped on her Pink Chainsaw.
The chainsaw’s teeth were now thin as cicada wings but razor-sharp. Qi Xu wanted to test if she could slice the Frostbloom clean off.
.........
