Chapter 147: The Underworld
Other survivors were not nearly as fortunate. Standard halogen headlights were entirely useless against the supernatural fog, unable to pierce the gloom for more than a few feet.
Worse still, ordinary vehicle paint provided zero defense against the gnawing decay of concentrated Yin energy.
Compounding the crisis, the fog event generated treacherous obstacles along the asphalt. Deep sinkholes and jagged rockslides materialized without warning. Any driver who failed to react in time suffered catastrophic crashes.
Under these merciless conditions, low-tier players from the newly absorbed Zone 390 died off at a frightening pace, and even several seasoned survivors from the original Zone 444 lost their lives.
Every time a disaster loomed, Lin Huai received an early alert several hours in advance and instructed the Young Miss to begin stockpiling solutions. Even so, the specific hardware required was not always readily available on the open market.
Fortunately, on the third afternoon of the calamity, the Ghost Car’s Nine-Headed Bird returned from its procurement circuit. Lin Huai immediately bought out its bulk inventory of Golden Spotlight headlights and handed the stock to the Young Miss for public distribution.
Shudao Mountain sent Lin Huai a private message, purchasing an automated salvage collector. She could not help but marvel at the sheer disparity of the top-ranked district.
In smaller zones, securing essential gear was a matter of pure luck; even their top-ranked survivors had to pray for generous treasure chests or rare roadside shrines.
In Zone 444, however, getting what you needed was as simple as placing an order with the boss. Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice functioned like a living wishing well—there seemed to be no material beyond her reach. Specialized Golden Spotlights, typically exclusive to rare vehicle maintenance hubs, were being sold by the pallet. Even luxurious high-tier systems like automated driving units could be bought directly if one had the coin.
Shudao Mountain could not help but wonder if the survival system favored top contenders, showering them with resources while leaving leaders of minor territories with scraps that barely matched the wealth of Zone 444’s mid-tier players.
The public chat lobby was buzzing with trade:
[Young Miss]: Offering Golden Spotlight headlights at standard rates. Guaranteed to cut clean through the Yin fog. Limited quantities available on a first-come, first-served basis. Those low on coin may barter with raw materials. Also purchasing rare catalysts and vehicle schematics long-term…
[Pork Belly]: Good grief… Golden Spotlights with an available trade cap of 3,000 units?! Is this a wholesale depot? How many thousands of crates did you have to pop to amass a hoard like that?
[Little Grass Don’t Float]: First time seeing real wealth, huh? Boss Bone Ash has supply chains you wouldn’t believe.
[Chaikofu Driver]: Settle down, newcomers, settle down. Standard procedure around here. No need to lose your minds.
[Honey Blood Ice Orange]: Hahaha! Every time server consolidation hits, watching the newcomers gawk at our market is the absolute best comedy.
[I Am a Thug, Who Do I Fear]: Just installed the heavy spotlight. Today’s mileage requirement is officially secured. I’ll drink a round tonight to atone for talking trash earlier. Honestly, kneeling to eat a full meal sure beats standing tall on an empty stomach…
[Dragon Soul Young Master]: We were all leaders once, but the wealth gap is staggering… Merging into Zone 444 might be the best thing that ever happened to us.
[Crispy Sausage]: Sob… I’m so used to scrounging for scraps that waking up rich feels unnatural. What kind of divine protector is this? Forgive me, Shudao Mountain, but I’m defecting to the Bone Ash fan club for the foreseeable future…
[Shudao Mountain]: Boss Bone Ash’s virtue is boundless!
Shudao Mountain understood better than anyone the value of securing a solid patron. To ensure she was not outpaced by her former subordinates, she took the initiative. Opening a direct chat with Lin Huai, she formally petitioned to join the core Elite Squad.
Lin Huai did not dismiss the request outright, but whether Shudao Mountain’s skill set and temperament fit the main roster required observation in an actual trial.
Conveniently, the third stage of the primary storyline—Yellow Springs Road—unlocked right on schedule.
Old Hei’s grating synthesized voice blasted across the territory:
[Stage Three of the primary storyline—Yellow Springs Road—is now accessible. All eligible survivors take note: register your party within ten minutes.]
[This is a six-player cooperative trial.]
[Standard terms apply. No more hand-holding. Best of luck, you absolute waste-of-space amateurs.]
A six-player limit was ideal. The core Elite Squad currently had eleven active members; with Shudao Mountain added to the roster, they formed two complete teams of six.
Lin Huai brought Shudao Mountain into their private squad channel and sorted the assignments:
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Team One: Myself, Shudao Mountain, Sister Cai, Milk Tea, Young Miss, and Brother He Ping.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Team Two: Brother Long, Old Wang, The Three Knight Brothers, and Cute and Sparkling.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Storyline trials are manageable if you respect the mechanics. Once you set foot on Yellow Springs Road, keep moving forward. Do not look back, and never turn your head, regardless of what sounds you hear behind you.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Restless phantoms roam the road, frequently mimicking the faces and voices of people from your past. No matter who appears before you, keep your guard up and never let them drag you off the path.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Keep your eyes locked onto the Soul-Guiding Lanterns. Whatever manifests in the gloom, do not lose your way.
[Dragon Emerging from the Sea]: Understood!
[AAA Building Materials Old Wang]: Leave Team Two to us, Boss!
[Cute and Sparkling]: Oh, that reminds me! I recently perfected a new culinary buff: Bursting Meatballs. Eating one grants temporary mental clarity and wards off confusion. Since the boss warned that the road causes spiritual disorientation, I’ll pass out a few servings to everyone. Pop one the moment your head feels foggy!
[Young Miss]: Sparkling, you are truly our guardian angel! Love you to pieces.
[Milk Tea Seven Parts Sugar]: Big Sister Sparkling, big hugs! Can I get a tomato-glazed one?~
[Shudao Mountain]: …Big Sister Sparkling? Could I trouble you for an extra-spicy batch? I’ve been craving real chili heat for weeks…
[Sister Cai]: Hold on, Shudao Mountain… You wouldn’t happen to be a Sichuan girl, would you? Should I count to three?
[Shudao Mountain]: Hahaha! Someone finally caught the reference! Sister Cai’s sharp!
[Peace and Violence]: ‘There are two peaceful violences in this world: law and etiquette.’ — Goethe. A true tragedy that no one has ever contemplated the philosophical weight behind my handle.
[Fastest Hand at SF Express]: With all due respect, counselor, I dropped out before high school… That’s way over my head…
[Hungry Spirit Blue Knight]: Yeah, I flunked my vocational entrance exams… Total blank here too…
[Flash Delivery Yellow Knight]: People say trade-school folks aren’t proper academics anyway… It’s only natural we don’t get it, right…?
Lin Huai rubbed her temples in fond exasperation. No matter how dire the circumstances, this squad never failed to turn into a comedy troupe.
She keyed into the channel to restore order:
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: …The registration window closes in three minutes. If you’d rather not listen to Old Hei scream profanities until sunset, lock in your rosters and confirm entry.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: You’ll have all the time in the world to chat once you’re on the Yellow Springs Road.
[AAA Building Materials Old Wang]: …Boss, when it comes to bone-dry humor, you take the crown every single time…
[Flash Delivery Yellow Knight]: The boss’s gallows humor is back in full force…
[Cute and Sparkling]: Honestly, guys… slack off in this trial, and we really will be family reunited on the Yellow Springs Road…
Bickering aside, both squads locked in their confirmations well before the timer ran down.
The asphalt beneath their wheels widened into a six-lane highway, the vehicles of their assigned party members phasing into position alongside them.
The dense white fog outside began to thin, revealing the altered terrain ahead.
The modern highway had vanished entirely. In its place stretched a desolate dirt road, bordered on both sides by vast clusters of withered, blood-red spider lilies.
A faint, mournful weeping drifted through the cold wind—sounding as if it were whispering directly into their ears, yet simultaneously rising from the unfathomable depths of the earth below.
