Why did that sentence sound so pitifully pathetic?
Cheng Shuli couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, her lips curving in amusement.
[Crow Takes Flight]: Right.
The response was curt, almost icy in its brevity.
But Liang Shanbo had no time to dwell on such trivialities. Her hands cradled the porcelain bowl, and she took a hearty gulp from its edge, savoring the warmth. Only then did she type out a quick message of thanks to Cheng Shuli, her satisfaction evident.
Cheng Shuli didn't linger on the exchange. After finishing her breakfast, she pulled out the advanced supply package. The system had mentioned it refreshed daily at 4 a.m., and with the night behind her, it was ready to be claimed.
Today's options were a random meal or a full set of decorative accessories.
A meal? Cheng Shuli had no need for that. With Wan Yi as her reliable "meal ticket," she wasn't about to waste an advanced supply package on food. As for the decorative set… Cheng Shuli dismissed it outright. She was a pragmatist through and through. Maybe if she had supply packages to burn, she'd consider it, but that day was far off.
In her mind, the best reward was still that random vehicle card. But the system, in its infuriating wisdom, insisted on a randomized selection, offering two choices each day. It reminded Cheng Shuli of the gacha games she'd played in her past life—games where her luck was abysmal. Small guarantees always went awry, and big guarantees only paid out at the very last pull.
She sighed, her thoughts drifting to the full set of seasonings she still coveted.
Absently, she tidied the scattered supplies, setting aside items she'd need for tomorrow on the sofa. Tonight, she'd be crawling into her sleeping bag. Her fingers brushed the sofa's surface—say what you will about the system, but its furniture was surprisingly high-end.
At exactly 8 a.m., Cheng Shuli waited for the system's daily mileage announcement.
She watched the clock tick to 8:01, but no announcement came.
Frowning, she opened the regional chat channel. The chatter there was as peaceful as ever, which told her the issue was likely on her end.
Was her bug-prone nature now so potent it could block system notifications?
Cheng Shuli clicked her tongue in mild irritation, but after confirming nothing else was amiss, she pressed the accelerator and moved forward. Mileage quotas didn't concern her much—she always exceeded the system's requirements anyway.
Today was the final day of the novice protection period, and the morning passed uneventfully. Cheng Shuli stopped to crack open a few wooden supply crates, but their contents were the usual fare: compressed biscuits and other basic provisions.
As noon approached, she furrowed her brow, lost in thought. Was the system really not going to provide any disaster-related supplies?
Their region had clinched first place, and most players knew about the impending catastrophe tomorrow. They'd prepared as best they could, but the system's briefing was bare-bones—basic advice, nothing more. Without actual supplies, all their preparations were just talk.
Cheng Shuli mulled it over, convinced something was brewing. Maybe she was being impatient.
But if she was impatient, someone else was downright frantic.
Elsewhere, Zhao Hong received a new task. His superiors handed him 45 fragments and instructed him to trade with Crow, ideally haggling the price down to 40 or less. If Crow proved unyielding, they'd pay the full price—but he had to extract some extra information.
Zhao Hong could only offer a wry smile. He understood the organization's desire to recoup their losses after such a hefty expenditure, but he also knew Crow's temperament. In his eyes, Crow was the type to shatter like jade rather than compromise like clay. If they didn't offer what she wanted, she'd let every scrap of information rot in her hands before lowering her price.
If Cheng Shuli could hear Zhao Hong's thoughts, she'd have laughed out loud.
She was just an ordinary person. Her hard stance with Zhao Hong stemmed from their first interaction, when he'd tried to guilt-trip her. That kind of moral manipulation was the one thing she loathed most.
Unaware of Zhao Hong's musings, Cheng Shuli's attention was drawn to a new message from Radiance on the chat interface.
[Glory Shines on Blue Star]: About that info you mentioned, we can offer 30 fragments at most. That's our limit.
That's their limit?
[Crow Takes Flight]: Why waste everyone's time?
Cheng Shuli stared at the chat, her fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel.
She knew this bargaining tactic all too well: start low, inch up slowly, and settle somewhere in the middle. But she had no patience for such games.
[Glory Shines on Blue Star]: Our resources are really limited…
Cheng Shuli closed the chat window without a second thought.
She didn't need to explain herself, nor did she care to haggle. If they truly wanted her intel, they'd come back.
Sure enough, less than three minutes later, the message notification pinged again.
[Glory Shines on Blue Star]: Fine, 45 metal fragments. But we'd like some additional info to sweeten the deal.
Cheng Shuli's lips curled into a faint smile.
Now that was the proper attitude for a negotiation.
[Crow Takes Flight]: Depends on what you want to know.
[Glory Shines on Blue Star]: About tomorrow's disaster—aside from staying warm, is there anything else we should watch out for? Or, as the dungeon's top ranker, what rewards did you get?
Cheng Shuli narrowed her eyes, considering her response before sending details about the vehicle repair card.
[Crow Takes Flight]: Item: vehicle card. That's all you need to know.
Zhao Hong sighed. Their organization had someone in the top ten, and they'd already discussed this item in yesterday's meeting. Clearly, Crow wasn't inclined to share more.
Still, her willingness to disclose the most unique item showed a degree of sincerity.
Resigned, Zhao Hong sent the gift.
"You have received a gift from player [Glory Shines on Blue Star]: Vehicle Upgrade Material Fragments x45."
Cheng Shuli grinned, pleased, and sent a lengthy pre-prepared message.
[Crow Takes Flight]: After obtaining the Store Employee Badge, you'll unlock a fast recycling channel. Unneeded supplies can be directly exchanged for game currency.
Zhao Hong's excitement surged as he skimmed the text. It seemed legitimate. He immediately forwarded it to his superiors, only to be met with a furious reprimand.
It hit him then—this was just one piece of information!
Crow had split the Store Employee Badge's two functions into separate messages, extorting a whopping 70 vehicle upgrade material fragments from them!
Zhao Hong's hands clenched into fists. Crow was even more cunning than he'd imagined.
This was fraud! In her past life, in a world of order, he'd have dragged this lawless trickster to jail himself!
But Zhao Hong took a few deep breaths, grounding himself in reality. This was the apocalypse now.
Besides, their region had clinched first place in the recent dungeon, largely thanks to Crow. Another Dragon Nation region had also performed admirably, ensuring both regions towered over the American zone like twin mountains.
Zhao Hong exhaled heavily, recalling the regional chat's praise for Crow's integrity.
Belatedly, he realized Crow seemed to have a particular grudge against him—her tone, her wordplay, everything about their interactions screamed it.
He paused, remembering Crow's heated exchange with Serenity in the regional chat.