Highway Merge

Cheng Shuili made a mental summary of her progress. Coming back to her senses, she found the sofa more and more pleasing to the eye. She had been worried about where to sleep tonight, as the driver's seat of the shopping cart was certainly no place for rest. Having suffered through hardships in her past life, she was determined to enjoy herself in this one.

The vehicle upgrade was quite thoughtful. With this setup, Cheng Shuili was likely the most comfortable person in the entire highway apocalypse!

"This is too good!"

Cheng Shuili cheered and flopped onto the sofa, relishing the long-lost sensation of softness.

After sitting in the vehicle seat all day, her body was aching. Several times she had wanted to stop and stretch before continuing, and she had only persevered through her obsession with the leader rewards.

She lay on the sofa and looked around, finally noticing a small water tank next to the sink. The faucet would only dispense water after domestic water was added to the tank.

Suddenly, the sound of monsters howling drifted in from outside.

Cheng Shuili sat up alertly, but lay back down a moment later.

The mineral water bottle hadn't moved, meaning the monsters were miles away. Besides, it was still the novice protection period; surely these monsters couldn't just hop into a player's vehicle and start killing?

Could they?

Cheng Shuili opened her eyes again and decided to go out and check the situation.

She pushed open the cabin door and poked only her head out. There, not too far away, pairs of crimson eyes were glowing vividly.

They were uncountable.

Once those eyes spotted her, they clearly became more excited! For a moment, the ghosts on both sides wailed without end. Cheng Shuili truly felt like flooring the accelerator and fleeing in her shopping cart.

She stared back at the monsters for a while.

Cheng Shuili suddenly realized that they didn't seem to have any intention of attacking. At most, there were some ghostly howls; the monsters hadn't even moved a single step forward.

Just harassment without action?

This was the novice protection period.

Good. Keep it up, brother monsters!

Cheng Shuili put her heart back in its place, closed the door, and lay back on the sofa.

Comfortable.

The monsters outside looked at each other, completely bewildered. They were just a tiny bit away from being able to move, yet this human had actually retreated?!

Was she really that fearless?

Unlike Cheng Shuili's leisure and ease, the regional channel was moving at lightning speed. Messages for help and trade requests flashed by so fast they left afterimages!

【Sheep Sheep】: Help, these things are terrifying! At first, they stayed far away, but as I kept staring at them, they actually got closer and closer!

【Mei Ni Chou】: Me too! Help! Who has a weapon? Trading at a high price for a weapon!

【Glory Shines on Blue Star】: Do not look the monsters in the eye! Do not look the monsters in the eye! Do not look the monsters in the eye!

【Glory Shines on Blue Star】: We've tested it! After five minutes of eye contact, the monster can move one step toward your vehicle! If you keep looking, the monster can keep moving forward until it eats you!

He posted this several times until most people finally saw the message.

【Go to the Pier for Some Fries】: So that's how it is! Thanks for sharing, Glory-big-shot!

【Durability】: I owe you my life, Glory-big-shot. If you ever need anything, just ask!

...

Cheng Shuili scrolled through a few more messages. This person was interesting—sharing such vital information so freely and without hesitation. This act of trying to save everyone's life...

Cheng Shuili suddenly looked up as a thought occurred to her.

Could this person be an official member of the Dragon Country's government?

Not sure. Let's wait and see.

Cheng Shuili added him to her priority follow list. This way, she would see any of his future messages immediately—whether to gain information or to confirm his identity, it was a win-win!

The first night passed quite comfortably. Cheng Shuili opened her eyes at six in the morning, crawled out of bed groggily, found a relatively open spot, and performed a set of Tai Chi with her eyes closed.

Never mind her past life; in this life, she had to focus on wellness.

Cheng Shuili scratched her messy hair and opened her eyes, only to find those monsters still standing in place.

It was dawn, and she could finally see clearly what these monsters were.

One was an oily, humanoid monster with bits of plastic trash floating on its surface. Its eyes were blood-red, glowing like lightbulbs—the very same thing Cheng Shuili had seen yesterday.

The other was a translucent but mangled humanoid figure, one hand constantly raised as if trying to reach her, occasionally tilting its head back to let out a ghostly shriek.

Cheng Shuili had been a bit sleepy, but that shriek woke her up completely. If there were any police here, she really would have liked to report it for a noise complaint!

There were many others as well—all sorts of bizarre monsters standing packed together. A few unlucky ones were even being stepped on by others.

Cheng Shuili shook her head and tutted. These monsters really had no manners or order.

She withdrew her gaze, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, poured out a small mouthful, and used her damp hands to wipe her face as a substitute for washing.

There was no other way; conditions were harsh.

Her drinking water was limited, and she hadn't seen a single drop of domestic water yet.

Barely managing her hygiene, she prepared for the day.

Cheng Shuili tore open a pack of compressed biscuits. It was just breakfast, so she'd just make do. She felt it would be a waste to use a self-heating rice or hotpot now.

She finished the pack of compressed biscuits with a bottle of mineral water.

This thing didn't look like much, but after eating it with water, the feeling of fullness was very pronounced.

For the sake of her health, Cheng Shuili swallowed two multivitamins.

She didn't know much else, but she knew that a lack of Vitamin C caused scurvy. Better to take some; it was for wellness, nothing to be ashamed of.

When 8:00 AM arrived, the scorching sun appeared instantly.

Those monsters slowly turned transparent and then vanished entirely.

Cheng Shuili shielded her eyes and looked at the sun through the gaps in her fingers. She couldn't see anything unusual, but the temperature was rising rapidly.

Cheng Shuili guessed that after the novice protection period ended, there might be more than just monster harassment—there could be natural disasters like extreme weather. She took off her coat, leaving only a short-sleeved shirt, sat in the driver's seat, and twisted the handle.

【Day 2 Journey Requirement: 60 km.】

It had increased by 10 km. That was fine; it was a minor issue for Cheng Shuili.

In her past life, she had slaved away on a soul-crushing 24/7 grind; in this life, she was living a retirement lifestyle in a highway survival game.

It was a bit weird when she thought about it.

Cheng Shuili twisted the handle. With the windshield today, she didn't have to worry about the wind making it hard to keep her eyes open. Moreover, after the upgrade, the shopping cart's speed was significantly faster than yesterday.

After only an hour, Cheng Shuili saw a small black dot in the distance behind her. She didn't know what it was, but it kept getting closer and closer, until she could see it clearly.

A burly man with bulging muscles was pedaling a bicycle with all his might! Stroke by stroke, sweat dripped from his forehead onto the asphalt road baked by the scorching sun, instantly evaporating into white steam.

Cheng Shuili immediately realized that the Highway Merge had happened. She looked at the man's physique and then squeezed her own biceps, which didn't have much muscle yet.

If she didn't run now, wouldn't she be an idiot!