Night fell.
The wasteland wind was no longer the dry heat of the day; it had sharpened into a bone-chilling blade of steel.
In the rearview mirror, the wall of grey mist that devoured all life had been left so far behind it was no longer visible. Lin Hui drove his RV behind a leeward mound and pulled the handbrake. He checked the blood-red countdown on the system:
[Time Remaining Until Grey Mist Arrival: 08:59:32] [Distance from Grey Mist: Approx. 270 km]
Although he had infinite fuel, he couldn't drive forever. Humans needed rest, and so did vehicles—especially that left front tire, which the panel flagged for "moderate wear."
"I need to find a spare tire and repair tools as soon as possible," Lin Hui exhaled softly, taking a moment to inspect his RV.
The interior of this Lv.1 civilian RV was far from spacious. Aside from the cockpit, the living area was only two meters wide and three meters long. It had a simple folding table and two rows of booth seating that doubled as a dining area. In the back was a single bed, only 1.2 meters wide, with a lone pillow and a thin quilt. The bathroom in the corner was pitifully small—a simple direct-discharge toilet where even turning around was a struggle.
"It's rudimentary, but still better than what most players have," Lin Hui muttered.
Suddenly, a shrill howl whipped past the window.
Whoosh—!
The temperature inside the car began to plummet in a cliff-like drop. Lin Hui's breath instantly turned into white mist. Frost flowers began to bloom across the windshield at a speed visible to the naked eye.
[Regional Announcement: Attention players in Sector C-996! A Cold Wave is striking!] [Current ambient temperature has dropped to -10°C and will continue to fall.] [Warning: Low temperatures cause heat loss, slowed reflexes, and a minor reduction in Sanity (SAN).] [Survivors, please find a heat source or a warm shelter immediately!]
"This game really doesn't let you catch your breath," Lin Hui rubbed his stiffening fingers and opened the Regional Chat Channel, which was blinking with a red notification.
When he saw the numbers, even with his iron mental fortitude, his pupils constricted.
[Current Sector Survivors: 7,001,248 / 10,000,000]
Only seven or eight hours had passed, and their sector had lost three million people! Where did they go? Were they swallowed by the mist after running out of gas? Or killed by the zombies and mutants mentioned by the system?
In the chat, the panic was colder than the frost.
"So cold... I can't feel my feet anymore. Someone help me..." "Damn it! Why is the AC blowing cold air? Is this piece of junk broken?!" "You idiot above me, how can the heater work if the engine is off? You have to start the car!" "I don't dare start it! I only have 20% fuel left! If I use the heater now, how will I run tomorrow? That mist is still chasing us!" "Sob... I'd rather be bitten to death by a monster than freeze to death like this..." "Who has fuel? I'll trade instant noodles for it!" "I have a gun, I'll trade it for gasoline! Please!"
Despair. Even through the screen, Lin Hui could smell the thick stench of hopelessness. On this Highway of Death, fuel wasn't just power—it was the lifeline for maintaining body temperature.
But for Lin Hui...
He glanced at the fuel gauge, which remained stubbornly pinned at the "Full" mark.
"A dead end? Not for me."
Lin Hui didn't hesitate. He reached out and twisted the heater knob on the center console all the way to the right.
Max fan speed! Max temperature!
Vroom...
Within seconds, a rolling heatwave billowed from the vents. The frost melted, and the chill was banished. Inside the cramped cabin, the thermometer needle climbed rapidly.
0°C... 10°C... 20°C... 26°C!
Lin Hui stripped off his heavy outdoor jacket, leaving only a thin T-shirt. He leaned back comfortably in the driver's seat.
"It's actually a bit hot."
He adjusted the vents and turned his attention to his loot. During his 800-kilometer sprint, he had used his speed advantage to snatch over a hundred resource boxes. According to the system, there were 10 million players but only 100,000 boxes—a ratio of 100:1.
He opened them all. Aside from 55 units of Universal Fuel, the rest were food, appliances, and daily necessities.
[Strategic Resources]:
Universal Fuel — 55 units
Tires — 8 units
[Food]:
Mineral Water (500ml) — 24 bottles
Compressed Biscuits (100g) — 15 bags
Want Want Rice Crackers — 10 bags
Lay's Chips — 6 bags
Coca-Cola (330ml) — 11 cans
Braised Beef Instant Noodles — 11 bowls
Marinated Eggs — 5 bags
Ham Sausages — 7 pieces
Mutton Hotpot Set — 1 set
[Appliances]:
Electric Kettles — 2
Induction Cookers — 2
Rechargeable Flashlights — 3
Looking at the supplies filling his RV, Lin Hui's eyes brightened. In the apocalypse, supplies were everything. These items alone could sustain a normal person for a month.
He opened the regional channel and typed calmly:
[Selling: 1 unit of Universal Fuel. PM me with offers!]
The chat went silent for a split second, then exploded.
"WTF?! Someone is actually selling fuel?!" "Is he crazy? That's 100km of life! Does this guy own a gas station?" "Big brother, can you give it to me for free? I'm freezing to death." "Lin Hui: No." "Cold-blooded! Karma will get you!" "Shut up, you beggar! I'll buy it! Big brother, check your PMs!"
In less than ten minutes, Lin Hui traded 10 units of fuel for various supplies. To his surprise, one player traded an Axe-Pistol (a hybrid weapon) for a single unit of fuel, though it only had three bullets left.
But now, he was hungry. His eyes skipped over the snacks and landed on the Mutton Hotpot Set.
He poured mineral water into the induction cooker and plugged it in. A normal player wouldn't dare use an induction cooker—the car battery would die before the water even boiled. But Lin Hui's [Infinite Fuel] converted excess energy into electricity. His generator was pumping out a violent, steady current.
Gurgle, gurgle... Two minutes later, the water boiled. Lin Hui opened the hotpot set: soup base, 1.5kg of mutton, sesame dipping sauce, chili oil, various vegetables, and vermicelli. He dropped the mushroom base into the boiling water.
He looked out the window. The wind was howling like a choir of vengeful ghosts.
Regional Chat: "I can't take it... it's too cold... my hands have turned black..." "Who has food? I'm so hungry, I'll trade my body for a piece of bread, I'm female..." "I just drank a sip of cold water and my stomach is cramping so hard I want to die."
Watching these lines of despair, Lin Hui began to slide the mutton into the pot. Steam rose in a thick white cloud, blurring his features. He picked up a large slice of lamb, drenched it in sesame sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Haaa..."
The scalding meat slid down his esophagus and into his stomach. The instant surge of satisfaction made every pore in his body relax.
[Ding! Consumed high-calorie, delicious food.] [Status Update: Satiated.] [Sanity (SAN) slowly recovering... Current: 100/100 (Overflowing)] [Evaluation: In the apocalypse, a bowl of hot soup is more precious than gold.]
Lin Hui took a large gulp of the mutton broth, feeling the fine beads of sweat on his forehead. He looked at the pitch-black, frozen wasteland outside.
Outside was hell; inside the car was heaven.
"This is only the first day," Lin Hui whispered, finishing the last of the meat. "To keep living like this... this car needs to get even stronger."
Thud!
Suddenly, a muffled heavy impact hit the RV door.
Then came the ear-piercing screech of claws dragging across sheet metal.
Zila——!
Lin Hui's hand, holding his fork, froze mid-air. His gaze instantly became as sharp as a blade.