Chapter 39: New Weapons
Sparkling and Lovable glanced over at her food truck, hesitating. “My food truck… well, I can’t really cook. Maybe I should swap it out for a normal combat car?”
Lin Huai made the decision for her on the spot. “Keep yours. In this highway survival game, specialized utility vehicles carry massive advantages. As you level them up, they branch off in unique professional directions that regular cars can’t match. They can trigger hidden events, unlock rare quest chains, and grant special system rewards.”
She looked at the girl reassuringly. “Once your food truck reaches the next tier, it will be immensely useful for the entire squad. Specialized vehicles are very rare, so hold onto it.”
Fastest Hand at SF Express broke into a wide grin. “Wait, so my express delivery van will be really useful too?”
Hungry Spirit Blue Knight patted his moped. “Does that mean my takeout bike has special perks as well?”
Flash Delivery Yellow Knight looked down at his yellow electric scooter, his face slightly conflicted. “Is mine not that great, then? Should I swap it for one of the Level 3 cars?”
Milk Tea Seven Parts Sugar was also driving a specialized vehicle. She shrugged playfully. “I’m definitely keeping my ambulance. Even though I can’t mount offensive weapons on it, I get endless medical supplies. Moving forward, I’ll be the dedicated medic for everyone, patching up wounds and saving lives!”
Jiangzhehu Inheritor raised her hand. “Boss, mine is just a standard four-door sedan. I’d like to switch to one of the captured vehicles.”
Peace and Violence drove a mobile broadcasting van. Lin Huai walked over to inspect it and firmly told him not to replace it. A big reason she had invited these members into the Elite Squad was that she knew their unique utility vehicles would become indispensable down the road.
If You’re Bad, Practice More, on the other hand, drove a battered, ordinary minivan. That definitely needed an upgrade.
In the end, only three people took replacement vehicles; everyone else used the parts to upgrade their original rides.
Once they finished eating, Lin Huai handed out the vehicle repair cards along with the upgrade materials dropped from the battle, allowing each member to either repair a captured Level 3 ride or level up their current vehicle.
Lin Huai organized the remaining spoils into a separate section of her inventory, labeling them as team resources. Her plan was simple: prioritize the needs of the Elite Squad first, and then distribute any excess materials down to the main guild members.
With everyone busy working on their cars, Lin Huai checked the time. There were still two hours left before ten o’clock tonight.
Right on cue, Old Hei finally returned from his digital shopping spree.
“I found two weapons well-suited for the Arena. Which one do you want?”
Lin Huai pulled up her light screen to review the item cards Old Hei had provided.
The first was a long war scythe enveloped in rippling dark-purple energy. It featured a jagged, serrated blade, and its haft was inlaid with glowing mystical runes. It resembled the scythe of a grim reaper, complete with a trailing black chain that allowed the weighted blade to be hurled forward to reap heads from a distance.
The second item was a silver-white mechanical gauntlet. A sharp, three-edged combat spike could snap out from the back of the hand. It had a sleek, futuristic aesthetic, looking somewhat like the Infinity Gauntlet. However, its stat profile leaned heavily toward defensive warrior builds; it certainly didn’t let the wearer wipe out armies with a snap of the fingers.
Lin Huai analyzed both weapon profiles carefully. The gauntlet was built for heavy, frontline sluggers. She had never considered herself a frontline bruiser; her combat rhythm relied on agility, burst speed, and precision—much more like a lethal assassin. The war scythe suited her fighting style perfectly.
The only catch was the price: the scythe cost 120 Yin energy crystals.
Having made her choice, Lin Huai transferred 140 crystals straight to Old Hei without blinking. “Thanks a lot, Old Hei. I’m heading into the Arena now. The extra twenty crystals are a tip for your trouble.”
Old Hei’s mechanical voice carried a rare hint of genuine satisfaction. “Getting this wasn’t just about spending crystals; I had to pull quite a few personal favors behind the scenes. I put a lot of sweat into securing this blade for you. If you go in there and get yourself killed, don’t bother coming back—just go wander around some other district instead.”
“I’ll do my best,” Lin Huai replied with a faint smile. “Though in a place like that, nobody can guarantee an easy win.”
Closing that chat, Lin Huai brought up the public channel to warn all survivors that the town would vanish at ten o’clock sharp.
Then, she dropped the same alert into both the main guild chat and the smaller elite squad channel.
[Zone 444 Main Group (487/500)]
Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice: The town will disappear at 22:00. The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons will begin immediately after. Everyone stay sharp and stay inside your vehicles.
Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice: I have personal business to handle tonight and won’t be checking the chat screen. If anything comes up, direct all questions to @Dragon Emerging from the Sea.
Next, she posted in the core squad channel:
[Elite Squad Group (11/20)]
Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice: Anyone still upgrading vehicles, move quickly. The town disappears at 22:00. Be on high alert for the Night Parade.
Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice: I’ll be busy tonight and don’t know when I’ll return. Check in with @Dragon Emerging from the Sea for directions.
Dragon Emerging from the Sea: Copy that. Boss, focus on what you need to do without worry. I’ll hold down the fort here.
Cute and Sparkling: Wow, being in the Elite Group is awesome—we always get the warnings first!
Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice: @Dragon Emerging from the Sea @Jiangzhehu Inheritor, quickly sort out the replaced Level 2 cars and any unclaimed vehicles left in town before ten o’clock. Distribute them among our members. The acid rain will only grow heavier, and the corrosion will get worse. Anyone still driving a Level 1 ride won’t survive the night.
Dragon Emerging from the Sea: Understood. I’ll organize the distribution right away.
Jiangzhehu Inheritor: Leave it to me, Boss. In my hands, a deal never loses money!
Once the messages were sent, Lin Huai mounted a heavy towing hitch to the rear of her hearse and hitched the remaining two captured Level 3 vehicles behind her bumper. She planned to award or trade these two rides later based on how active and dependable members of the larger group proved to be.
Vehicles could not be stored inside a player’s inventory, so towing them was the only option for now.
She had no time to micromanage vehicle distribution herself. Dragon Emerging from the Sea had the clear mind of a natural commander, and Jiangzhehu Inheritor possessed sharp business instincts. Leaving the logistics to them was the right move.
Lin Huai locked her car doors tightly, parked the hearse along a quiet street corner, and drew her brand-new war scythe as she prepared to enter the Trial Grounds of Mount Duoshu.
A glowing dungeon portal appeared on her light screen. The moment she clicked to confirm, the world around her blurred and twisted. The familiar dirt street and concrete buildings vanished. When her vision cleared, the first thing that met her eyes was a colossal peach tree that seemed to bridge heaven and earth.
Vibrant pink blossoms stretched out as far as the eye could see, their gentle, radiant glow lighting up the dark sky above.
The massive peach tree stood at the very center of the Trial Grounds. Clustered around its gigantic trunk were dozens of individual, self-contained dueling rings, each sealed by translucent light barriers that obscured the combatants inside.
Lin Huai remembered the ancient legends of the netherworld: nestled in the underworld lay Mount Duoshu, home to an immense peach tree whose canopy spanned three thousand li, known as the Great Wilderness Peach Tree. It served as a divine gateway between the mortal realm and the underworld, guarded by the ancient spirit deities Shentu and Yulei.
Standing in the wide clearing on the outer rim of the arena grounds, Lin Huai was left breathless. It was her first time laying eyes on the legendary tree in person. The trunk alone was like an endless mountain wall, vast beyond imagination.
A towering leaderboard screen stood in the clearing, updating the arena’s real-time standings. Tearing her eyes away from the sea of blossoms, Lin Huai turned her attention to the rankings.
Currently, first place on the live arena board was held by a player named “Carrot North.” Second place belonged to “Face the Gale,” and third was claimed by “Sliding Mountain Discussion of Cheapness.” Lin Huai scrolled down the list for quite a while before finally spotting a familiar name sitting at the fiftieth spot:
Master Cloud Cliff.
The very same powerhouse who held second place on the server-wide overall combat leaderboard.
