Chapter 3: First Gear Forward
A soft ping from the system panel broke the quiet hum of the evening. Cheng Shuili glanced down, her lips curling as a familiar ID popped up in her private messages.
[Strawberry Hard Candy]: Yo, Boss! Still hunting those fragments? I've got two burning a hole in my pocket. Trade for gasoline—any amount works! I've got no use for these, and I'd rather hand 'em to you than some random snake. Who knows, maybe I'll snag a ride on your coattails!
Cheng Shuili snorted. Bold and to the point. I like it.
She wasn't one for hemming and hawing. A quick check of her inventory showed a 5-liter bucket of gasoline gathering digital dust—useless for her electric-powered ride. With a flick of her finger, she sent the trade request.
[Trade request sent to player Strawberry Hard Candy. Awaiting response…]
The reply was instant. The trade went through smoother than a knife through canned peaches, netting her two shiny vehicle upgrade material fragments. Nine down, one to go.
"Tonight's the night," she murmured, popping the last syrupy peach slice into her mouth. The sweet tang lingered as she dismissed the system panel with a satisfied hum.
Another message buzzed in.
[Florida State]: Hey, Boss, name your price. I'm not like that Ear-Nose clown. We can work out trades, partnerships, whatever you need!
Persistent, huh? A friend request from [Strawberry Hard Candy] followed. Cheng Shuili tapped her chin, considering. This player was probably rolling in a gas-guzzling pickup or a boxy van. Gasoline was their lifeline—and her bargaining chip.
She hit Accept. Long-term ally, check.
The trading hall was a chaotic mess of offers, like a post-apocalyptic flea market. Cheng Shuili scrolled through, her sharp eyes picking apart the deals.
[Little Panda]: Two rolls of toilet paper for a full meal and a day's water.
Nice try, freeloader.
[7.21]: 100g Longjing tea for 500ml water!
Tea? In this economy?
[One Iced Americano]: One vehicle upgrade fragment for water. 500ml, five bottles minimum!
Cheng Shuili's brow arched. Five bottles? She had five mineral water bottles left, sure, but that was highway robbery. Fragments were gold now—everyone knew their value. Most players clung to them like life rafts.
Still, that last fragment was calling her name. She opened a chat with [One Iced Americano].
[Crow Takes Flight]: Two bottles. Take it or leave it.
The reply was so fast it practically vibrated.
[One Iced Americano]: Deal! Holy crap, I thought I was stuck! Nobody's biting today.
A trade request popped up, and Cheng Shuili accepted without hesitation. The tenth fragment slid into her inventory, completing the set. She combined them, and with a satisfying ding, a new item materialized: Vehicle Upgrade Material.
The system unfurled a new menu.
[Motorized Shopping Cart Upgrade Options:
1. Vehicle Upgrade Material x1, Iron Block x5, Iron Nail x20, Heat Insulation Material x1, Thermal Insulation Material x1, Plastic x2, Rubber x1.
2. Vehicle Upgrade Material x1, Vehicle Upgrade Core x1.]
Cheng Shuili's eyes narrowed at the first option's laundry list. Six materials? Are you kidding me? No wonder the Vehicle Upgrade Core was legendary-tier. If it could talk, it'd be smirking and saying, "Haters, where you at?"
Option two it was.
A blinding white light erupted, swallowing her rickety shopping cart. Cheng Shuili shielded her eyes, catching glimpses of the vehicle's frame twisting and stretching in the glow. Ten seconds later, the light faded, and her jaw hit the floor.
The cart was unrecognizable. Its body had doubled in length, sprouting a sleek enclosed compartment in the back. A proper windshield now shielded the driver's seat. And those gaudy "Le Jia Le Supermarket 50% Off" stickers? They'd morphed into gilded lettering, glinting like treasure in the fading twilight.
But then—"Full store, fifty percent off!"—that cursed, looping speaker blared on.
Cheng Shuili's grin faltered. You've got to be kidding me.
[Congratulations, player Cheng Shuili, for achieving the first vehicle upgrade milestone! Title earned: First Step Forward. Announce server-wide?]
[Reward: Silver Treasure Chest x1]
She smashed Confirm without a second thought. The title's measly +3 endurance wasn't worth swapping out her current gear, but the chest? Oh, that was her jam.
A golden announcement blazed across every server zone:
[Congratulations to player Crow Takes Flight for the first server-wide vehicle upgrade! Survivors, step up your game!]
Cheng Shuili cracked open the Silver Treasure Chest, her heart doing a little jig.
[Obtained: Vehicle Upgrade Core x1 (Legendary), Constitution Potion x1 (Rare), Agility Potion x1 (Rare), Stamina Potion x1 (Rare), Konjac Snacks x10 packs (Golden Legendary)]
Konjac Snacks? Golden Legendary? She stared at the red snack packets, half-laughing. What is this nonsense?
But the item description made her freeze.
[Konjac Snacks x10 packs (Golden Legendary)]
[Effect: +5 to all attributes for 3 hours. No cooldown, stackable. Warning: Overuse may cause… digestive distress.]
"Stackable?!" Cheng Shuili's eyes gleamed. She tucked the snacks away like they were crown jewels, then turned to the potions. Each one boosted a stat by three points—Constitution, Agility, Stamina. She popped the caps and downed them in one go. Strawberry, cantaloupe, watermelon—they tasted like a fruit smoothie dream.
She licked her lips, disappointed when the bottles vanished. No keepsakes, huh?
The Vehicle Upgrade Core went into her inventory, a perfect backup for her next upgrade. This haul was unreal. Back in her old life, gacha games chewed her up and spat out pity pulls. Here? She was swimming in legendaries. Cheng Shuili did a little hop, unable to contain her glee.
The night air turned chilly, and she zipped up her jacket, climbing into her upgraded cart's new compartment. The interior was a revelation: a fold-out sofa bed on one side, storage cabinets and a workbench on the other, even a tiny sink. A ceiling LED—powered by AA batteries, of all things—cast a cozy glow.
She poked her head out, confirming the light was the same one from the old cart. Recycled, huh? Nice touch.
But when she checked her vehicle stats, her heart skipped. The battery, previously half-drained, now glowed at 1000%.
Cheng Shuili blinked. Wait, upgrades reset the battery? She groaned, kicking herself. Should've drained it first.
Still, as she settled into the sofa bed, the hum of her new ride lulling her into a contented daze, she couldn't help but grin. One milestone down, countless more to go.
Game on.