After carefully reading the ID, [Akk Steel Pipe Softener]'s message made Cheng Shuilu pause, but not for long. A flurry of useless words followed.
"Damn! Big shot! A title holder AND a first-kill big shot! Mom, I've seen a real-life star!"
Cheng Shuilu read through the message, a twitch pulling at her lips as she typed a direct reply.
[Crow Takes Flight]: Let's get to the point. How many fragments?
[Akk Steel Pipe Softener]: Big shot, I've got two fragments. I was wondering if I could trade them for something to eat... What do you think?"
Cheng Shuilu furrowed her brow. Two fragments were a bit thin, but it was better than nothing.
[Crow Takes Flight]: What are you looking to trade for?
The other party seemed ready with a quick response.
[Akk Steel Pipe Softener]: These are two fragments I got from opening two boxes! You know, maybe just a hotpot or some self-heating rice... I'm really craving something!
Cheng Shuilu couldn't help but sneer. Nowadays, self-heating hotpot and rice were the stuff of legends—almost mythical. And this person wanted to trade two fragments for them?
She glanced at the food she had on hand. Besides the hotpot and rice, there were ten bags of ready-to-cook meals. The thing about these meals, though, was they needed to be heated up. Cheng Shuilu wasn't sure whether eating them cold would cause harm, but if hunger got the best of her, who cared about these details?
[Crow Takes Flight]: I'll give you one bag of pre-made meal—Fish-flavored shredded pork—for your two fragments.
The reply came almost immediately.
"Deal! Thank you, big shot!"
Not long after, the trade interface popped up. Cheng Shuilu added the pre-made meal, and the other person placed two vehicle upgrade fragments in return. After verifying everything, the trade was complete.
Now, Cheng Shuilu had six fragments in her inventory. She still needed four more to reach her goal of ten.
She closed the trade interface and quickly finished her lunch. There was still a bit of canned peach left, but Cheng Shuilu didn't want to throw it away. She screwed the lid back on and packed it for later, planning to finish it tonight.
Today's goal: only 10 kilometers left.
Cheng Shuilu squinted her eyes, gazing down the endless road, her brows furrowing. After a moment, she sighed and shook her head.
Oh well, just keep moving forward.
She continued pushing the shopping cart, keeping an eye on the chat channel and the roadside supply boxes.
Soon, a wooden supply box appeared ahead. Cheng Shuilu stopped the cart and skillfully opened the box. Inside were a 500 ml energy drink and two meat-filled buns. "Not bad."
She collected the items, climbed back into the cart, and resumed her journey.
In the distance, a large, dark mass appeared. Cheng Shuilu squinted, scrutinizing the shape, but she couldn't make out what it was.
Still too far. She sighed and shook her head. What could she do? Just move forward.
Not long after, the system's notification sounded.
[Today's goal has been reached. Please control the distance ahead to ensure completion of the daily goal! Find new energy sources before running out!]
Cheng Shuilu raised an eyebrow but ignored the message. There would be a way when the time came. Her battery was at 1000%, so if she had to worry about power, everyone else would be doomed already.
As the distance closed, the shape of the mass became clearer. It was an old sign, still flickering, with three crimson characters: "Gas Station".
Cheng Shuilu stopped the cart and stood in front of the gas station, studying it carefully.
It wasn't big, consisting of a single-story building and two fuel pumps. The outer walls were peeling, windows shattered, and the pumps were rusted, clearly abandoned for some time.
But in this road survival game, any structure meant a potential for supplies.
Cheng Shuilu frowned, turned around, and pulled a baseball bat from the cart's basket.
The cart's advertisement sound abruptly cut off, leaving only the eerie creaking of the broken sign in the wind.
"50% off everything... 50% off everything..." The cart's horn blared twice before finally falling silent.
"Shut up." Cheng Shuilu slapped the cart's handle. That broken horn always seemed to go off at the wrong moments.
She walked toward the gas station, the bat firmly in hand.
The system panel popped up with a warning:
[Abandoned gas station discovered. Inside may contain supply boxes and dangers. Please explore cautiously.]
Cheng Shuilu raised an eyebrow. It was only the first day, so the danger probability should be low. She pushed open the glass door, which was on the verge of collapsing, and dust fell in showers.
The inside of the gas station was cleaner than expected. Shelves were toppled, and dust had settled thickly, but there were no obvious signs of destruction. The most notable feature was the three wooden supply boxes, neatly lined up in the corner.
"Three boxes?" Cheng Shuilu's eyes lit up as she quickly walked over.
[Discovered Wooden Supply Boxes ×3. Open all?]
The system's prompt was slightly different from before. Cheng Shuilu didn't immediately select it but circled around the gas station, ensuring no hidden threats before returning to the boxes.
As she approached, the boxes seemed to change. They didn't look different on the outside, but Cheng Shuilu could now see what was inside through the surface.
"See through" (X-ray vision). Cheng Shuilu muttered quietly.
It was a typical game glitch—clipping, or in this case, X-ray vision. Now she could see what was inside.
The first box contained five bottles of water. It wasn't clear whether they were drinks or mineral water, so Cheng Shuilu opened it. Inside were five 500 ml bottles of mineral water—pretty good.
The second box looked like a barrel of fuel, another resource. Cheng Shuilu opened it to find 5 liters of gasoline and another vehicle upgrade fragment.
She grinned, eyeing the last box.
The outline inside was a bit complicated, with crooked lines that formed a huge shape—a monster.
No need to open it.
Cheng Shuilu wedged the bat under her arm, carefully placed the items in her shopping cart, and re-entered the gas station for another search.
Nothing.
Just as she was about to leave, she caught something in her peripheral vision behind the cashier counter. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a small hidden metal box. Covered in dust, it almost blended with the wall. Cheng Shuilu turned it around, revealing a small handle.
"Almost got fooled."
She muttered under her breath as she gripped the handle and opened the box. Inside lay an old-fashioned radio and two batteries.
[Old-fashioned Radio]
Description: Can receive broadcasts from specific channels. Perhaps it can provide useful information.
Cheng Shuilu inserted the batteries and turned on the radio.
After a sharp static sound, a fragmented voice came through: "Welcome... zzzzt... survivors... zzzzt... this is... the merchant... zzzzt... trading station... zzzzt... open... every afternoon... three p.m... zzzzt... coordinates..."
The voice cut off abruptly, and no matter how she adjusted the frequency, all that remained was static.
Cheng Shuilu checked the system's time—it was 2:40 p.m.
This was worth paying attention to. Cheng Shuilu tucked the radio into her pocket, carefully checked the rest of the gas station for any remaining supplies, then returned to her shopping cart and drove off.