Su Ye walked over to the three corpses, glanced at the loot they had dropped, and couldn't help curling his lip.
Just one piece of moldy bread.
"You broke bastards came out to ambush me in the middle of the night? You've really got it rough."
Su Ye couldn't even be bothered to pick up the moldy bread. He turned and went straight back to the vehicle's rear compartment.
Can't Get Out of Bed had already been placed inside, and it fit perfectly.
Su Ye immediately took off his dusty jacket and lay down on the bed.
The instant he touched the mattress, a strange pulse enveloped his entire body. He felt tremendous relief in both his exhausted body and his faintly aching head.
Within just a few seconds, Su Ye's breathing gradually softened, and he drifted sound asleep.
The next morning.
The first faint rays of light pierced the thick gray mist and fell on the Gale Ranger's black body.
Su Ye opened his eyes. There wasn't a trace of grogginess in them; instead, he felt incredibly refreshed.
"This bed is absolutely amazing."
Su Ye sat up. He had slept for only four hours, but not only had he fully recovered the mental energy he had spent last night, he even felt better than he had at his peak yesterday.
He pushed open the door. The three Goblin corpses from last night had already despawned, leaving only the moldy bread on the ground.
A new day had begun-the fourth day of the beginner period.
Su Ye settled into the driver's seat, took out the Scorching Thermos, and drank some hot water. As he ate, he opened the Mileage Leaderboard.
[Regional Mileage Rankings] 1st place: Ling Yue. Mileage: 16,221 km. 2nd place: Yan Kuang. Mileage: 15,814 km. 3rd place: Shuang Han. Mileage: 15,565 km. ... 19th place: Never Checks the Fuel Gauge. Mileage: 13,841 km.
"Tsk, out of the top ten again."
Su Ye wasn't particularly surprised. He had driven through the night, but so had the others-and they had driven longer than he had.
Still, he was well rested now. The others definitely weren't in as good a state as he was. One day would be enough for him to overtake them.
Just then, the private chat interface started flashing.
It was a message from Ling Yue.
[Ling Yue]: Morning, bro. Looking at the Mileage Leaderboard, you're really hot on our heels. You even broke into the top ten. [Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: What top ten? I'm still no match for you guys. I'm nearly out of the top twenty now. [Ling Yue]: Hahaha, with your ability, it's only a matter of time before you overtake us. I've pretty much got everything ready on my end. Are you free to trade those hundred thousand units of fuel now? [Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: Of course. But instead of all those materials, I imagine you've got quite a few Survival Coins too, right? If you pay in Survival Coins, I can offer ten units of fuel per coin. [Ling Yue]: Bro, I do have a few hundred Survival Coins, but even if I spent them all on fuel, your rate would only get me a few thousand units. Survival Coins are extremely scarce right now. They're bound to have major uses later.
Su Ye raised an eyebrow at the message. He knew Ling Yue definitely had more than a few hundred Survival Coins. And despite everything Ling Yue had said, he was only unhappy with the price; he hadn't refused to sell.
[Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: Name your price, as long as it's not outrageous. Besides, Survival Coins may be rare now, but as time goes on, they'll definitely become easier to obtain, and there'll be more ways to get them. Whether they'll still be worth much then is another question.
Ling Yue sat in his vehicle and thought it over. He knew Su Ye had a point. Survival Coins were hard to obtain during the beginner period, but getting them would probably become much easier once it ended.
He also knew Su Ye's sudden demand for Survival Coins meant he must have an important use for them. But his own team really was short on fuel. Trading Survival Coins for a large supply of fuel wouldn't be a bad deal.
[Ling Yue]: Bro, I'll cut to the chase. How about a hundred units of fuel per Survival Coin? [Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: Now you're not negotiating in good faith. The most I can offer is fifty units per coin.
After some fierce haggling, the two finally settled on sixty-three units of fuel per Survival Coin.
[Ling Yue]: Bro, here are five hundred Survival Coins, covering 31,500 units of fuel. I'll pay for the rest with other materials. [Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: Deal.
Ling Yue then began negotiating with Su Ye over how much fuel each type of material could buy.
"Bro, you're only offering a hundred units of fuel for this Ground Spike Trap Blueprint? That's way too little. You'll definitely earn more than that when you use it to make Ground Spike Traps. It's worth at least five hundred units of fuel."
"It's not that I don't want to offer more. This thing is only zero-tier. Not only does it do little damage, it can't even trap enemies. It's practically useless except for making them angry. You'd be better off digging a pit yourself and sticking a few sharpened wooden stakes in it."
"Fine, then let's talk about this Machete Blueprint. Sure, it's a melee weapon blueprint, but offering only three hundred units of fuel is going too far. Once you make these, everyone will want one. I won't trade it for less than a thousand units of fuel."
"It's a good item, sure, but I can make Hand Crossbows. Do you really think this Machete is more useful than a Hand Crossbow? Who'd want to fight up close when they could attack from range? I'm only considering it because we know each other. Otherwise, I wouldn't even give it a second glance."
"..."
The two had little disagreement over the prices of basic materials, but their views differed when it came to items like blueprints.
After a lengthy back-and-forth, they finally agreed on the prices. Su Ye obtained a large batch of basic materials and several blueprints, while Ling Yue received a hundred thousand units of fuel.
[Ling Yue]: Bro, could you tell me why you're suddenly collecting so many Survival Coins? That way, I can make some preparations too.
Su Ye's eyes flickered. He had spotted another business opportunity.
On the Survival Road, materials weren't the only valuable things. Information was worth a great deal too.
[Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: Five hundred Survival Coins. [Ling Yue]: Bro, that's highway robbery. I don't even know what your information is worth, and you're asking for five hundred right off the bat.
Su Ye smiled. Ling Yue only thought it was expensive; he hadn't said he didn't have five hundred Survival Coins.
[Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: Since we know each other so well, I'll give you a discount. Three hundred Survival Coins. It'll definitely be worth every coin. Once you know, you can also buy up the Survival Coins the other four groups have.
Ling Yue went silent for a while before replying.
[Ling Yue]: Fine, three hundred it is. Tell me first.
Su Ye wasn't worried about Ling Yue going back on his word and refusing to pay.
[Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: Your Vehicle hasn't reached level ten yet, right? [Ling Yue]: Right, it's only level nine. I've got plenty of people under me, lots of materials, and I've obtained some function modules too, but my people need upgrades as well.
Su Ye nodded. Ling Yue had a large operation to support. Unlike Su Ye, feeding himself didn't mean everyone was taken care of.
[Never Checks the Fuel Gauge]: Once your Vehicle reaches level ten, you can choose one Vehicle Building for free, such as a Cultivation Room, a Potion Room, and so on. There are plenty of Vehicle Buildings. If none of the choices appeal to you, you can spend Survival Coins to refresh them. The refresh cost increases progressively.
Before you continue