Three days until it bears fruit?
It had been sitting at Xinxue’s place for over a week, and she hadn't seen the strawberry plant bear anything, nor had it even grown an extra leaf.
That was normal, though. It was already a struggle for the plant to stay alive there, let alone produce fruit.
The two of them, having seen little of the world, circled the sunroom and stared at it for a good while longer before finally feeling satisfied enough to return to their own tasks.
It wasn't dark yet, so Su Rui naturally went to drive.
To her, driving was a form of relaxation. Since she was no longer a player, she couldn't access the regional channel, meaning her only form of entertainment had been stripped away.
Cheng Shuili, meanwhile, held the sunroom in both hands and wandered around the vehicle a few times, intending to find a good spot to place it.
If one were to look for the emptiest spot in the vehicle, it would undoubtedly be the row of workstations used for kitchenware. Unfortunately, the surface was completely flat and quite slippery.
If the vehicle suddenly accelerated or braked hard, there was a chance the sunroom might slide. This thing was Cheng Shuili’s treasure now; she truly feared it would break if she dropped it, or melt if she kept it in her mouth.
She paced back and forth several times until she finally found the perfect spot—the built-in sink on the workstation!
It was recessed! She wouldn't have to worry about the sunroom sliding around!
Furthermore, it was positioned right across from one of the vehicle's windows, allowing sunlight to shine directly onto it.
Of course, most importantly, Cheng Shuili had absolutely no use for this sink, so leaving it there was the best choice.
Cheng Shuili carefully settled the sunroom into place before returning to Su Rui’s floor mat to gently open the final crate.
Perhaps it was the law of conservation of luck; while the items from the gold supply crate had been immensely useful to Cheng Shuili, the items from this special supply crate were quite ordinary.
【An ordinary single-shot pistol】
【Description: If you ask for its flaws, I could list them for three days and three nights. But if you ask for its advantages, then it probably only has one: being ordinary. It has no flashy modifications, so its function is simple and pure. Pull the trigger, and you will accomplish your goal!】
In addition to the pistol, it came with a magazine of ammunition.
Cheng Shuili fumbled with it for a while before she managed to eject the magazine. She counted them—there were ten rounds in total.
It was indeed very ordinary, but it was certainly better than the revolver Ai Lin had.
She hesitated for a moment over whether to ask for game coins in exchange, but ultimately decided against it. If she asked for too much, Ai Lin wouldn't be able to provide it, and if she asked for too little, she wouldn't even care about such pocket change.
Besides, it wouldn't be good to damage their relationship over such trivial amounts.
The pistol seized during the Highway Merge was in Su Rui’s possession, but that gun had no ammunition left. Furthermore, it was a different caliber from the rounds Cheng Shuili had, making it no different from a toy now.
Cheng Shuili glanced toward the driver’s cab; Su Rui would occasionally raise her hand to rub the pistol tucked at her waist, even though there wasn't a single bullet inside.
If Su Rui liked it, let her keep it.
Cheng Shuili certainly had no objections.
After nightfall, the air that had been scorching for seven days finally cooled, and the temperature gradually returned to normal.
A night breeze blew, bringing a cool chill to the evening. Many players couldn't resist opening their vehicles to sit outside and enjoy the wind for a while.
Cheng Shuili was no exception. She and Su Rui sat on opposite ends of the off-road vehicle.
Perhaps because the weather was clear, the stars in this world were exceptionally bright.
Cheng Shuili lay on the roof of the vehicle for a while before she suddenly saw a new message displayed on the protective barrier.
【Level 4 Protective Barrier】
【Can only be generated by level 4 vehicles; intercepts all monsters below level 4, including level 4 monsters!】
【Today is the final day of the extreme heat disaster. The current maximum monster level is 1; level 2 monsters will appear tomorrow!】
Cheng Shuili didn't mind; her vehicle level was far ahead of the curve.
Someone on the regional channel had also discovered this news.
“There will be level 2 monsters tomorrow night!”
“What kind of monsters?”
“The person above must have been living too comfortably! Have you forgotten about the monsters lurking outside the protective barrier every night?!”
“Ah?! I almost forgot about the protective barrier! I just checked, and it turns out level 2 monsters are appearing tomorrow!”
“So what if they’re level 2? Don't tell me there’s someone here who still doesn't have a level 2 vehicle?”
“Ah? I have a thought, don't know if I should say it. It’s been how long since the game started? Nearly a month, right? Those who haven't upgraded their vehicles to level 2 yet... seriously, you are the trash of the trash. If you ask me, you might as well stop struggling. You’ll die tomorrow or the day after anyway, what’s the difference?”
“Brother, your words are so harsh. Is your own home empty?”
“There must be quite a few people who haven't upgraded to level 2, right? Electric vehicles have definitely been upgraded, but it’s hard to say for gas-powered ones. Even though the mileage requirement isn't high right now, it’s still deadly. Plus, tomorrow is the next disaster, so the mileage will definitely increase again. Anyway, everything I’ve opened—besides food and drink—has been traded for gasoline, as well as vehicle upgrade material shards. Otherwise, I would have died long ago.”
“No, this... survivor—I’ll call you that. I don't mean to offend, but I’m genuinely curious: what is the point of living like that?”
“Is the apocalypse life just gnawing on compressed biscuits and drinking mineral water? Maybe occasionally eating a vitamin tablet as a dessert? Just thinking about it makes me suffocate.”
“Just die in peace, brother, really! Sometimes living is just not that interesting. By the way, before you die, you can gift me your remaining supplies.”
“Sister, you are truly too strong; you must hold on! Don't trade the vehicle upgrade material shards you opened today. Add them to tomorrow’s, and if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll have enough to upgrade your vehicle from level 1 to 2! Also, completing the mileage for these two days gives you 20 game coins. When it really comes down to when you have to spend them, keeping them is useless—use them all to buy vehicle upgrade material shards! You have to fight for a path to survival!”
Although Cheng Shuili didn't drive a gas-powered vehicle, she felt this deeply.
When Strawberry Hard Candy was still around, obtaining vehicle upgrade material shards had been incredibly simple for her.
Now...
Cheng Shuili cleared her mind to reflect. She currently had 136 vehicle upgrade material shards in total. After trading with Zhu Xuan, she had opened 22 from the supply crates she found on the road recently.
Compared to the previous numbers, this was truly a straight upward trajectory!
And the difference between now and before...
Cheng Shuili fell silent. Was the system targeting her? Back when she was the one driving and opening crates, she could never get any.
Now that she had switched to letting Su Rui drive and open the crates, the vehicle upgrade material shards kept coming!
She hated being treated differently!
Really!
But this wasn't the time for her to humble-brag. She continued reading the regional channel, only to find they had started arguing again.
Rate on N.U.
