[Ling Yue]: Your timing is perfect. I actually have four pieces of mutant meat that boost the mental attribute. I was going to save them for myself, but since you asked, I'll trade them to you.
Ling Yue then sent over the shared stats for two items.
One was [Mutant Deer Meat], and the other was [Mutant Dolphin Meat].
There were two pieces of each, and every piece increased the mental attribute by 0.5.
Su Ye raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw the two items.
He could understand the Mutant Deer Meat. Running into mutant animals on the road was perfectly normal.
But what the hell was this Mutant Dolphin Meat?
[Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: I can understand you having Mutant Deer Meat, but how did you get Mutant Dolphin Meat? Is there an ocean along the Survival Road?
[Ling Yue]: Hahaha, you're overthinking it, brother. It wasn't an ocean. One of my men found a fairly large pond while exploring.
[Ling Yue]: He originally went over to collect water, but then he noticed something swimming in it.
[Ling Yue]: That thing was incredibly smart. Not only did it dodge attacks, it also used ripples to obscure his view. My man used the batch of Hand Crossbows you sold me earlier and fired over a hundred bolts before he finally managed to kill it.
[Ling Yue]: Only after hauling it out did he realize it was a Mutant Dolphin.
Reading Ling Yue's reply, Su Ye understood.
A dolphin living in a pond sounded absurd, but on second thought, this was Road Survival. No bizarre occurrence would be surprising.
[Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: I see. I'll take all four pieces. I'll trade you four pieces of Mutant Giant Bear Meat.
[Ling Yue]: Deal. Doing business with you is always a pleasure, brother.
The two soon completed the exchange through the trading interface.
Looking at the four faintly glowing pieces of mutant meat that had appeared in his storage space, Su Ye felt a surge of excitement.
With these four pieces, his mental attribute would shoot up by a full 2 points.
[Ling Yue]: You've really struck it rich, brother.
[Ling Yue]: That scalper Mo Yu, who's been frantically reselling bandages in the Regional Channel, is working for you, right?
Su Ye's expression did not change in the slightest when he saw the message.
He was not surprised at all that Ling Yue had figured it out.
Ling Yue had thousands of people under him. Some of them must have contacted Mo Yu.
And with Mo Yu supplying an endless stream of Simple Bandages, it took no thought at all to work out who was supplying him behind the scenes.
[Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: What, do you want to buy fuel? We can negotiate the price.
Su Ye replied as he skewered the Mutant Deer Meat on a dagger and held it over the bonfire to roast.
They were both smart men. Some things did not need to be spelled out.
He had already given Ling Yue an exclusive purchasing channel, supplying him with bandages at the rock-bottom price of two units of fuel each.
Until Ling Yue acquired a workbench of his own and could craft various tools and medical supplies himself, he would neither dare nor want to cause Su Ye trouble.
Shared interests were always far more reliable than supposed friendship.
Besides, they were still in the beginner period. Even if Ling Yue wanted to cause trouble, he could not. He would only try to stay on good terms with Su Ye.
At least until Ling Yue had the ability to invade his stretch of road, he would not turn hostile.
[Ling Yue]: You're sharp as ever, brother. Nothing gets past you. I do want to buy fuel.
[Ling Yue]: You know I have a lot of people under me. We do collect plenty of fuel every day, but with so many people, we burn through it fast too. Thousands of vehicles have to travel every day. They guzzle fuel like water.
[Ling Yue]: Besides, the third day of the beginner period is almost over. Before long, the whole beginner period will end. Once the protection mechanism is removed, who knows what the Survival Road will become?
[Ling Yue]: I also need to stockpile some fuel so my people can keep going longer. How much fuel can you spare right now, brother?
Su Ye was not surprised by Ling Yue's messages.
If anyone in this region could truly be called a fuel tycoon, it was undoubtedly Su Ye.
Even a big shot like Ling Yue, who controlled a team of thousands, might have a considerable total fuel supply, but once it was divided among his people, the resources he could actually use were nowhere near those of a lone wolf like Su Ye, who held a monopoly on the entire region's medical supplies.
[Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: How much do you want?
After sending that message, Su Ye could practically see Ling Yue replying that he wanted the lot.
This time, however, Full-Coverage Bro did not actually intend to take everything.
[Ling Yue]: How about a hundred thousand units? I can trade materials, blueprints, or mutant meat for it.
A hundred thousand units?
Looking at the number, Su Ye's smile widened. His fuel reserves had already reached 250,000 units.
Although Ling Yue had not offered to take everything, Su Ye had only planned to sell about a hundred thousand units anyway.
As for the remaining fuel, besides keeping some for his own use, he also planned to use it to reap another haul from solo players on the final day of the beginner period.
Once the beginner period ended, large numbers of players were bound to die, and some of those players would inevitably have valuable resources in their possession.
Normally, those players held on to them for later use and were reluctant to trade them away. But with the beginner period ending and Road Survival becoming much harder, some would surely offer valuable items in exchange for fuel.
Rather than let the game reclaim those precious resources after the players died, he might as well pocket them first.
[Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: Sure. I'll give you a day to get everything ready. We'll trade at this time tomorrow.
[Ling Yue]: Great. You're a pleasure to deal with, brother. I'll contact you tomorrow.
After ending his chat with Ling Yue, Su Ye contacted the leaders of the other Four Clans and soon traded away his remaining three pieces of Mutant Giant Bear Meat for three pieces of Mutant Night Owl Meat, each of which also increased the mental attribute by 0.5.
After he set the three pieces of Mutant Night Owl Meat over the bonfire, his vehicle completed another upgrade, reaching level eight.
Seeing this, Su Ye took out his last function module. White light enveloped the vehicle once again as it began upgrading.
Time slowly passed, and the Mutant Deer Meat over the bonfire began giving off an enticing aroma.
He picked up the roasted meat and took a bite. Tender juices burst across his tongue, followed by a cool current that surged straight into his mind.
[Player consumed one piece of Mutant Deer Meat. Mental attribute +0.5.]
Su Ye closed his eyes, savoring the unprecedented clarity in his mind.
Without stopping, Su Ye ate the other two pieces of Mutant Deer Meat as well, increasing his mental attribute by another 1 point.
His mental attribute had now reached 9.9, while his base mental attribute, excluding equipment, had reached 7.9.
"There's still three pieces of Night Owl Meat. Eating them will add another 1.5 to my mental attribute, bringing my base mental attribute to 9.4. With the bonuses from the Warty Toad Necklace and Fancy Headscarf, it'll reach 11.4. That should put me past the first-tier threshold."
A smile lingered on Su Ye's face as his gaze fell on the three pieces of Mutant Night Owl Meat still roasting over the bonfire.
He wondered what would change once his mental attribute crossed the first-tier threshold.
Before you continue