Su Ye listened quietly, his mind racing as he weighed the pros and cons.
After finishing his explanation, Zhou Kai took a deep breath and continued, "The logistics department recommends choosing the Training Room as your first Vehicle Building."
"Why?"
Su Ye looked up and asked.
The Pharmacy could make money, the Cultivation Room could grow crops, and the Kitchen could grant buffs. Any way he looked at it, they offered greater returns than the Training Room.
"Because most buildings seem powerful, but they all have one critical restriction: they need an NPC from Survival Road stationed in them to operate normally."
"For example, the Pharmacy requires you to recruit a professional pharmacist NPC, while the Cultivation Room needs an NPC skilled in cultivation..."
"And getting these NPCs to join your team is difficult. You either hire them with Survival Coins or earn their approval. For the former, you need a large supply of Survival Coins. No NPC will work for you if the pay is too low."
"The latter is even worse. Earning an NPC's approval is almost impossible. Even if you manage it, it'll be a long time from now. Until then, your Vehicle Building will just sit there doing nothing."
Understanding dawned on Su Ye.
That was true. He was on his own and couldn't spread himself thin over tedious tasks like brewing medicine and farming.
"By comparison, the Training Room is actually the best fit for solo players."
Zhou Kai patted Su Ye on the shoulder and said earnestly, "On Survival Road, all kinds of items and equipment can give you a tremendous boost, but ultimately, what matters most is having enough strength of your own."
"The Training Room doesn't just improve your attributes. More importantly, it builds your actual combat experience."
"You can enter opponents you've encountered into it, or even data models we provide, and fight them in fully realistic combat simulations."
"Although it costs Survival Coins, it's absolutely the best value for you right now."
"Your attributes aren't low anymore, but to put it bluntly, your combat experience is practically zero."
"Over the past few days, you've mostly killed monsters by using the Gray Fog Medal to strike first or by overwhelming them with your attributes."
"After all, you've never undergone systematic combat training. So before you encounter other players, you need to build up your combat experience and learn how to squeeze the most out of every attribute point you've gained."
Su Ye took a deep breath and nodded firmly. Zhou Kai's words had struck him right where he was weakest.
Killing monsters over the past few days had seemed easy for him, but in reality, he had relied entirely on the Gray Fog Medal and the Hand Crossbow.
Anyone could have done the same, perhaps even better than he had.
He could still rely on the Gray Fog Medal against these monsters, but it wouldn't work against other players.
If he ended up in a bloody fight to the death, a ruthless opponent with slightly lower attributes could probably kill him through seasoned experience alone.
"And you don't have to worry that the Training Room will become useless once you've built up enough combat experience."
Zhou Kai continued, "These Vehicle Buildings improve in effectiveness as your Vehicle rises in tier."
"Some Instances also have Function Modules for Vehicle Buildings, but that's something for later."
"The higher-ups' first recommendation is the Training Room, followed by the Pharmacy, then buildings like the Cultivation Room and the Kitchen. The final choice is up to you."
"Once you've made your decision, the logistics department will draw up a new development plan based on your circumstances and allocate resources accordingly."
"No need to think it over any longer." Su Ye waved decisively. "I'll choose the Training Room!"
He had always been decisive.
Now that he knew his fighting ability didn't measure up to his current attributes, he naturally had to address that fatal weakness immediately.
Just as the higher-ups had considered, he still had the protection of the Beginner Period and wouldn't face other Fivefold Race players directly yet. This was the best window for him to build his combat experience.
Waiting until he encountered an enemy with a blade at his throat would be far too late.
"Good. I'll report your decision to the higher-ups as soon as I get back."
"Now, it's time for us to finish our mission."
As Zhou Kai spoke, the smile vanished from his face.
He turned and nodded to the two comrades beside him.
Without another word, all three attacked one another.
In just a few dozen seconds, their mutual attacks had reduced all three health bars to a red sliver of one percent.
They gasped for breath, yet all three gave Su Ye brilliant smiles.
"Come on, comrade. Live on for us, too, and grind those Foreign Races beneath your feet," Zhou Kai said with a smile.
"I will."
Su Ye nodded.
Shhk!
With three soft sounds, Zhou Kai and his two comrades' health bars emptied instantly, and their bodies dissolved into specks of starlight.
Clink.
With a crisp clatter, three faintly glowing square metal blocks landed on the asphalt.
Three Function Modules!
Su Ye walked over and picked up the three modules. With these Function Modules, he could upgrade his Vehicle to level ten.
Then he began checking the effects of the three Function Modules.
[Function Module · Repair]: When enabled, restores 0.01% of the Vehicle's durability per second while the Vehicle is stationary.
The first Function Module's effect made Su Ye's eyes light up.
This function could automatically restore his Vehicle's durability.
Even if it only restored 0.01% per second, that still meant a full recovery in under three hours.
On the danger-ridden Survival Road, a player's Vehicle was their lifeline. Going to a repair shop in a service area or finding special materials for repairs was both troublesome and dangerous.
And better yet, it restored durability at a percentage-based rate.
Next, Su Ye turned his attention to the second module.
[Function Module · Radar]: When enabled, scans an area based on your Vehicle's level. Each level gained increases the scanning range. Can mark supplies, monsters, players, and more within range.
"This one's pretty good too. Its range increases with the Vehicle's level, so I won't have to worry about it becoming useless later."
Su Ye nodded to himself. Both Function Modules were good.
Anything will do for the last Function Module, as long as it isn't a duplicate, Su Ye thought as he looked at the final module.
[Function Module · Autopilot]: When enabled, frees your hands through automatic driving. Automatically maintains the lane, avoids obstacles, and adjusts speed according to road conditions. Works best in conjunction with Radar. While Autopilot is active, maximum speed is 40% of the Vehicle's maximum speed.
"Jackpot!"
Su Ye's face lit up.
He hadn't expected to get the Autopilot function.
With this function, his car could keep moving as long as it had fuel. He would no longer be forced to stop and rest because he was exhausted.
And while Autopilot was active, he could free himself up to do other things.
Such as using the first Vehicle Building he was about to acquire-the Training Room.
Before you continue