Chapter 55 Hidden Mission: Highway Cleanup Association

As soon as you step into the 5S store, a strong smell of engine oil rushes into your nostrils. The smell comes from the various car parts on display in the store. There are also cars that have been dismantled and are suspended in mid-air by heavy arms. A person is lying under the car, stretching out his arm and groping for a wrench placed to the side. He has been groping for a long time, but he is still not quite right.

Fang Zhiyi bent down, picked up the wrench at his feet, and handed it over.

The person under the car took it, tightened the screws on the chassis with a wrench, then pushed off with his legs and crawled out, revealing a shiny bald head.

The bald man had bare arms, was burly and had a large tattoo on his back; he looked like someone you didn't want to mess with.

[Mechanic at 5S Auto Repair Station, Campground No. 1]

The bald man picked up a rag and wiped his oily hands. He had no intention of entertaining the guests at all. He simply pointed to the sign on the wall and went about his business.

[5S Auto Repair Shop Price List]

[Prices are clearly marked; bargaining is not accepted.]

[Car upgrades starting from 500 parts, materials not provided]

[Car modification starts from 300 parts, materials not provided]

[Automotive repair starting from 200 parts, materials not provided]

[Detailed car cleaning service, 100 parts/time]

[...]

As Fang Zhiyi looked at the rows of prices, only one thought crossed his mind: This is outrageous, truly outrageous.

After deducting the 20 parts used to bribe the parking lot employee, I now have 380 parts left. That's still not enough to upgrade the car.

His gaze swept over the item [Level 1 Engine], and he paused slightly. Perhaps he should upgrade the car's engine first? After all, he still had the money for that.

Fang Zhiyi looked at Chu Zhao for his opinion.

Chu Zhao shook his head without showing any emotion.

Fang Zhiyi suppressed his emotions for a moment, and saw Chu Zhao step forward.

The bald man was polishing a car part. He stood to the side and watched for a while: "Master, did you modify all these cars?"

The bald man didn't even look up: "Hmm."

Chu Zhao looked at a car part next to him: "Is this a turbocharger? But I've never seen this design before."

The bald man glanced sideways: "You can understand it?"

Chu Zhao: "I've driven race cars for a while." He pointed to a spot on the part, "The modifications here should increase exhaust speed and further improve engine efficiency. Am I right?"

Baldy: "You're quite knowledgeable." When it came to the professional aspects, he spoke with great familiarity, explaining the modifications made to the parts one by one. "Not only that, I also increased the pressurization speed, modified the intercooler, and greatly extended its lifespan..."

Chu Zhao listened, nodding as he spoke, and occasionally adding a few words of agreement.

As the saying goes, "a trade is like a mountain," and Fang Zhiyi couldn't understand a single word. Seeing that they were chatting so enthusiastically, he simply wandered around the 5S store out of boredom.

As I wandered around, I came to a desk in the corner.

This is where the bald repairman rests. There are some documents and messy tools on the table. Picking up the repair book that fell on the ground, a photo floated down from inside.

The photo shows a bald repairman posing with a brown bear, the two of them arm in arm, both beaming with joy. A hat made of brown bear fur sits on the table.

Fang Zhiyi stared at the photo for a moment, then put it back in the book and turned back.

Chu Zhao looked over and said to him, "Upgrading a car to level 1 requires 20 screws, 10 rubbers, and 1 gear."

Fang Zhiyi quickly looked at the backpack.

Only 13 screws, 6 rubber pieces, and 1 gear are included.

Not only could he not afford the upgrade, but he also lacked the necessary materials. He hadn't felt this kind of financial distress in a long time.

Chu Zhao said, "Using the flyer will get you a 10% discount on your first order. I've already negotiated it; upgrading your car will include one free modification."

Even with a 10% discount, you still need 450 parts, which is far from enough.

Chu Zhao: "I can use survival points to buy basic material packs in the shop."

Upon arriving in the new survival world, the in-game store is also updated accordingly.

[-75%] [Daily Discount]

You can buy a basic survival kit for 3 points. It contains 1 bottle of water and 1 loaf of bread.

Six points can be used to purchase a basic materials pack. It contains 3 screws and 1 rubber.

10 points can be directly exchanged for 50 parts.

Chu Zhao: "I still have a lot of points."

Players who can complete two worlds will have a lot of survival points, which is why the game introduced a daily discount zone to maximize the use of players' accumulated points.

Fang Zhiyi stopped him: "Don't change it yet, let me try."

Chu Zhao nodded: "Okay."

However, he didn't have high hopes.

The title he's wearing now reveals NPC information, showing that this discount is already the maximum the repairman can offer; it's impossible for it to be any better. If he doesn't buy the basic materials pack, he'll have to sell the materials he finds along the way to see if he can gather enough...

The thought flashed through my mind, and then I saw Fang Zhiyi all smiles. I don't know what he and the repairman talked about, but the two of them quickly became buddies, arms around each other's shoulders.

Repairman: "You should have said so earlier! My brother is my brother too. Why are you charging me for labor? You're not treating me like a brother!"

Fang Zhiyi said sincerely, "Only brothers can't let you suffer losses or work for nothing."

The mechanic had a loud voice: "What's with all this talk about losing out? Why are you talking about this between brothers? You're short on parts, right? No problem, I have some parts that have been discarded from other people's cars in my warehouse. They're still usable, I'll just install them on your car."

Chu Zhao: "..."

He had been praising him for so long, trying to build rapport and racking his brains for topics, but the repairman hadn't shown this much enthusiasm.

What did they talk about in such a short time?

Chu Zhao couldn't understand it at all. He turned around and met Fang Zhiyi's warm and sincere smile, which was full of vitality and friendliness.

Perhaps Fang Zhiyi is not as worldly-wise as him, but sincerity can be the greatest weapon between people.

Fang Zhiyi's face was practically frozen from smiling.

He was finally able to leave after the repairman went to the warehouse to find something. He rubbed his cheek, met Chu Zhao's questioning gaze, and pointed to the top of his head: "I changed my title."

【Bear Guardians】

[Increase bear-friendliness]

Fang Zhiyi: "I saw a photo of him with a brown bear on his desk. I had a pretty good relationship with brown bears in the previous world, so I tried asking him about it. And then... this is how it turned out."

As soon as he finished speaking, the bald man pulled open the warehouse shutter door and came out, holding a handful of materials in his hand.

"There are seven gears, four rubber parts, and a broken headlight in the warehouse." The bald man was straightforward and didn't mince words. "I'll upgrade and modify your car's engine and headlight, and I'll only charge you the cost price."

The cost price is very low, requiring only 200 parts. However, with both material and labor costs, it's a losing proposition.

Fang Zhiyi handed over all the materials and parts to the bald repairman.

The upgrade and renovation would take an hour, and while they waited, Fang Zhiyi and Chu Zhao took a stroll around the commercial street.

【Flower Pig Hotel】

Nighttime roads are dangerous; avoid driving while fatigued. Flower Pig provides you with a safe sleep.

White Bear Travel Agency

Pack your bags and let's travel together. Oceans, snowfields, volcanoes... all in one place!

Department Store Supply and Marketing Cooperative

Transparent pricing, a full range of products, come and shop!

The street was filled with noisy advertising slogans, and Fang Zhiyi walked straight into the department store and supply and marketing cooperative.

At the counter, the owner was counting money. Seeing a customer enter, he immediately closed the cash register, raised his shrewd smile, and said, "Welcome to the supply and marketing cooperative."

The supply and marketing cooperative is not large, but it has a wide variety of goods.

Under the incandescent light, the props were neatly arranged in the glass display case.

【mineral water】

[Price: 10 parts]

Energy Bar

[Price: 20 parts]

Car refrigerator

[Price: 500 parts]

[...]

Fang Zhiyi looked around but couldn't find what she was looking for. She asked, "Is there no gasoline?"

The car initially had one bar of fuel, enough to travel 50 kilometers. After arriving at the campsite, the fuel gauge was almost empty and needed to be replenished.

Upon hearing this question, the shop owner rolled his eyes: "Go to the gas station if you want gas."

Fang Zhiyi: "..."

Habitual thinking is harmful.

He always felt that gasoline was also a prop, and that it could be bought at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Chu Zhao said, "We can buy some water and food."

While driving, your physical strength and hunger levels are constantly being depleted. After an hour on the road, your hunger level drops by half and needs to be replenished.

Once you miss this opportunity, it's gone forever.

Leaving Camp 1, I don't know how long it will take to reach the next camp. Just to be on the safe side, I need to stock up on enough supplies.

Fang Zhiyi blurted out, "Why buy this..." He lowered his voice, "We'll talk about it later."

Chu Zhao glanced at them and nodded slightly.

The shopkeeper grew impatient: "Are you going to buy it or not? If not, don't delay my business."

Fang Zhiyi said, "I won't buy it." He pulled Chu Zhao and was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of the purchase order posted in the supply and marketing cooperative.

[High-price purchase of meat, bones, and hides]

+50%

Fang Zhiyi happened to have materials dropped by killing spotted hyenas in his bag. He paused, turned back to the counter, and pointed to the purchase order, "Are you still buying?"

A strange glint appeared in the boss's eyes: "You've killed wild animals on the highway?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded.

The shopkeeper quoted the prices: "Hides cost 20 parts, meat costs 8 parts, and bones cost 2 parts. Add 50% to these prices."

Fang Zhiyi quickly calculated the price.

1 dog skin, 3 meat, 5 bones, for a total of 108 parts.

That's equivalent to opening a bronze treasure chest.

Shopkeeper: "For sale?"

Fang's meaning: "Sell."

Keeping the fur and bones is useless, and the meat has a shelf life; once it expires, it will rot and become ineffective. Rather than keeping them and taking up backpack space, it's better to exchange them for parts.

Cash on delivery.

After collecting the pile of parts, Fang Zhiyi's part count reached 288.

The shop owner handed me a slip of paper: "Here, take this."

Fang Zhiyi took it and looked at it.

Highway Cleanup Association

Wild animals are frequently appearing on the highway, causing great annoyance to drivers. The Cleanup Association cordially invites you to eliminate these pesky wild animals; generous rewards await!

[Destroy 3 to exchange for a tripod warning sign, destroy 5 to exchange for a spare tire, destroy 10 to exchange for a basic repair kit]

[Limited-Time Task]

[Delivery time: 24 hours]

[Acceptance or rejection]

Fang Zhiyi chose "yes".

[23:59:59]

[Number of enemies eliminated: 1]

Please keep up the good work.

Fang Zhiyi turned his head, and the list of increased prices for fur, meat, and bones that had been posted on the wall had disappeared.

It must be a hidden quest, which can only be triggered by hunting a wild beast on the highway, and once it's triggered, no one else can accept it.

Having accepted the task, and calculating that it was about time, Fang Zhiyi and Chu Zhao headed towards the 5S store.

Not long after leaving the commercial street, several furtive figures appeared behind me.