Humans are pack animals—cut off from the group, survival's a slog. Cheng Shuili used to roll her eyes at that, hell-bent on lone-wolfing it to the grave. Now, grudgingly, she saw the truth: a crew of specialists could mean a sweeter life.
Who'd spit on that?
"You gifted player [Wan Yi] an item: 162-pound wild boar x1."
Her pulse spiked. She and Wan Yi were tied now—her fridge brimmed with his veggies and meat, and he held her boar. No nerves? Bull. Part of her braced for him to ghost.
But last night's chat lingered: food here rotted triple-time. Without a fridge, two-thirds of that pork would've been trash. Trust the trusted, don't doubt the doubted.
Breathing deep, she eyed the boar-smashed door. No repair know-how, no system tips—probably a DIY job. The cabin reeked of pig blood, splattered everywhere. She grimaced—nasty.
Scrubbing now was a pain. Fine, it drove. Flooring it, the cart roared to life. A glance back showed a blood pool on the asphalt; the bronze chest had vanished.
She sighed. She'd thought it was a divine score, not a near-death boar ambush. But flip it: 162 pounds of pork. Her grin returned, mood soaring.
The afternoon was quiet—two wooden chests, just compressed biscuits. Old her would've cheered; now, living plush, she shrugged. Into the cart for trades.
Dusk brought a private ping from [Glory Shines on Blue Star].
[Glory Shines on Blue Star]: 50 vehicle upgrade material fragments is too much. Can you lower it?
[Glory Shines on Blue Star]: You know info has a shelf life. Dragging it out doesn't help you either.
She sneered. He wasn't wrong, but the arm-twisting stung. Level 3 to 4 needed 125 fragments—light-years away. Fragments were eternal currency, and she craved more. This info, though…
Guilt flickered, then defiance. She hadn't lied—just sold useless intel. Still intel, though.
Grinning, she typed.
[Crow Takes Flight]: 45, minimum. No more haggling.
Across the network, Zhao Hong's eyes gleamed, relaying Crow's budge. The bosses shot back: Keep pushing. His brow creased—Crow was a brick wall. One more push, and she'd clam up. But orders were orders.
Sighing, he sent:
[Glory Shines on Blue Star]: 30, we can pay now.
Cheng Shuili glanced, snorted, and ghosted. She had a theory: no one had found coin sources, so maybe the newbie phase had none. Her BUG-snagged badge was a fluke.
The logic clicked—she'd bet on it. No rush to deal; Glory was sweating. Info's timer ticked for them, not her. They'd cave.
Crow's silence screamed displeasure. Zhao Hong sighed, reporting the deadlock.
Night cloaked the wasteland. Cheng Shuili settled in, the cart's LED a warm anchor. She'd swapped its battery once; it held strong. A system ping broke the quiet.
"You received a gift from player [Wan Yi]: Pork Net Meat x80 pounds, Ribs x20 pounds, Head Meat x6 pounds, Tripe x1.2 pounds, Front Hooves x2, Rear Hooves x2, Heart x1, Liver x1, Kidneys x2."
The list sparked visions of old-world delis—braised, fragrant cuts dripping with sauce. Her mouth watered.
[Wan Yi]: Fridge fit it? I saved a chunk of rear hip streaky pork—fat and lean, layered, best texture. Braised pork tonight.
[Crow Takes Flight]: Drooling.jpg
Braised pork. Her taste buds screamed. Another ping.
[Wan Yi]: Ignored my first question?
She ditched the goofy grin, channeling boss mode.
[Crow Takes Flight]: Fits.
[Wan Yi]: Good.
She crammed the pork into the fridge—too small, or the haul too massive. Packed to the brim, no wiggle room. Respecting her partner, she told Wan Yi. He just acknowledged it.
Day six, pre-dawn, she woke, the cabin scented with last night's braised pork. Life was plush—she prayed Wan Yi'd stick around. Unknown to her, as she carved the boar, she'd wished the same for Crow. So much meat screamed her clout. Gotta hug that thigh.
At 8 a.m., the system broke routine with a bombshell.
[Dear survivors! It's day six of the newbie protection period, two days until the game officially begins! Doing well?]
[No mileage requirement today. The game's first dungeon opens!]
[1. Voluntary participation, no obligation, no mortal danger.]
[2. Dungeon is a speedrun. Total time of all players, minus top and bottom ten, averages to set the passing line!]
Cheng Shuili's eyes narrowed. A dungeon—new stakes, new rewards. Game on.