Highway 5

Chu Yun hadn't expected there to be a service area here. After sorting out his problems, he could take a good look around. Perhaps the people outside had already visited during the day, so it was very quiet inside now.

Just like a real service area, this place provides a temporary resting point for long-distance travelers.

Chu Yun walked around. Like the neighborhood convenience store, there were several vending machines. She had plenty of food and daily necessities, so she didn't need them right away. Because it was cold, she bought the cheapest thick black sweater she could find and immediately put it on. Her cold body felt much warmer inside.

The 80 gold coins that I had painstakingly saved from fighting Cobra and "Life and Death Speed" were instantly used up.

Money really doesn't last long. No wonder that fat guy was still wearing very thin clothes. It's not that he doesn't want to buy anything, it's that he doesn't have the money.

Free hot water is also provided here, which is a good opportunity to get some free food. Chu Yun, who is keen on collecting empty bottles, filled up the mineral water bottle in his storage ring, which was already half empty. It was hot when he put it in and it was still hot when he took it out. It was all free, which was really wonderful.

There was no one inside, so she took out her storage ring and put things into it one by one. If someone was there, they would probably guess quickly that Chu Yun had the legendary one in a hundred thousand chance of having a space item.

After taking another stroll and finding nothing else necessary, Chu Yun walked out of the service area.

However, the moment she walked out the door, she smelled a strange smell, which disappeared in just a second.

This is a very familiar smell, but what is it?

She couldn't remember it at all, and when she was trying to dig out some information from her mind, someone appeared and interrupted her train of thought.

"Hello, I want to exchange some food with you. See if you need anything."

The man who arrived was Wang Mao, a man in his early twenties. He was suffering from severe negative effects, his limbs weak and his gait unsteady. He hadn't had much luck since entering the game. He hadn't been able to find the food and supplies he needed, and the food he'd bought with the coins he'd used to clear the maze had long since been consumed. Speed ​​​​was a level reward, but most people struggled to complete the track on time, let alone find the extra time to pick up the supplies.

At first, he could find desert grasshoppers and sand crabs to satisfy his hunger, but the temperature has dropped sharply in recent days, and even these are no longer available. He rode here on a bicycle he found on the roadside. After two days of drinking only water, he is now dizzy and starving.

He'd considered trading supplies with others, but everyone was so short of food that no matter how much he begged, they wouldn't trade, planning to wait until he ran out of energy to snatch his survival kit. Just as he was about to quit the game, Chu Yun appeared. Her luxury sports car swankly parked not far from him. He knew she was a skilled driver and must have a lot of supplies. He could also faintly smell the aroma of chicken drumstick rice.

He had no intention of threatening others like Yue Shan. Chu Yun looked like he was living a good life. Such people were either lucky or had great skills. Of course, he was more willing to believe that Chu Yun had good skills. Sure enough, he saw Chu Yun easily deal with Yue Shan.

"What do you have?" If she could get some shut-eye, she wouldn't mind exchanging it for something to eat.

"Do you need a rucksack? It's sturdy and durable."

"No need." She has a storage ring.

The "bow and arrow" weapon is a very rare item. He obtained it by defeating monsters in the maze copy. Although Wang Mao has no idea how to use it, it is indeed a good attack weapon.

"No need." She had a mace and a sharp knife that she had snatched from the short man in the red shirt.

"Well, well, what about the survival supply package?" Wang Mao was a little anxious. If he didn't eat today, he would be in a negative state of starvation and death, and he could only get 9 days * 10 = 90 gold coins. As long as he could survive tomorrow, he could get 10 days * 20 = 200 or more gold coins, which was still a good deal.

"What are they specifically?" Chu Yun just happened to be lacking these.

Seeing Chu Yun's interest, Wang Mao knew it was likely successful and couldn't wait to explain:

"There are flints, mechanical watches, solar flashlights, and escape ropes."

"I want flint and a life rope. How much food can I exchange for it?"

Wang Mao swallowed his saliva and said, "I'll keep one flint. One flint and a piece of rope will be exchanged for two loaves of bread!"

If this happened in real life, the exchange would be completely unequal, but this is a survival game, and food is the key to survival.

Someone once wanted to exchange half a steamed bun for a piece of supplies for him, but he felt it was too little and was reluctant to exchange it. However, if he didn't exchange it, he would not be able to survive until the tenth day. The gold coins he could get by surviving to the tenth day were very attractive.

"I'll give you a box lunch, a steamed bun, and a loaf of bread, okay?"

Chu Yun knew that Wang Mao was desperate and the offer was a little low. She would never show excessive love, but she would not take advantage of good people for no reason. You had to pay in order to get what you needed from her.

In her opinion, this is a mutually beneficial transaction, with everyone getting what they need. In the game, she exchanges food for survival kits that cannot be purchased with gold coins, while Wang Mao needs to replenish food to survive and receive higher-value gold coins as rewards.

"Okay, okay."

Wang Mao was very grateful and responded repeatedly. Not only did he not take advantage of the situation, but he also gave a higher price than he expected. It turned out that he was not wrong about the person.

Chu Yun returned to the sports car and used it as a cover to take out the last steamed bun, a loaf of bread and a lunch box meal card from the storage ring.

The two exchanged supplies and the deal was done.

"Thank you, thank you!"

Wang Mao excitedly accepted the food, walked into the service area, sat down on the ground, opened his box, and began to eat. Immediately, his negative effects disappeared, including his dizziness and vertigo. Finally, he could eat a proper meal, his first in days. The long-awaited taste of food moved him to tears. With food, he could not only survive to the 10th day, but even longer, which would give him the chance to encounter more opportunities. With opportunities, he no longer had to worry about escape ropes and flints.

The guy who had previously planned to exchange half a steamed bun for a survival kit now stared at Chu Yun with an angry look on his face. If it weren't for her, the supply kit would have been his. It was all her fault for disrupting the market price.

At this time, Chu Yun was calculating carefully:

At this point, all of the Chuyun white flour buns and pork floss bread have been consumed, leaving only 20 of the original 30 boxed lunch food cards remaining. With five days left to complete the mission, if I eat two boxed lunches a day, I'll still have 10 left by the end.

It was late at night and everything around was very quiet. There was no noisy talking or roaring cars. Everyone was thinking about tomorrow and how to survive, and they all tacitly kept silent.

Chu Yun lay flat on the sports car seat, gazing through the skylight at the stars. The pitch-black night seemed like an endless, thick ink smeared across the sky, devoid of even the faintest glimmer of a star. In the zombie apocalypse, at least she had comrades, leaders, and colleagues. Here, she had no friends at all. The thought of this suddenly brought a wave of desolation.

***

On the 11th day of the game, everyone got up early.

In times of peace and tranquility, many people could not wake up even though the alarm clocks kept ringing one after another. Now, without alarm clocks and no one urging them, everyone gets up on their own initiative, fearing that an accident might happen.

There is now plenty of water. Chu Yun rinsed his mouth with warm water and then washed his body. After feeling refreshed, he got out of the car.

The temperature remained around 0 degrees Celsius, and a thin layer of ice formed in places where there was water.

It was dark last night and not many people were out and about, so a few people squeezed into the car and slept the whole night. Even though it was cold outside, they couldn't stand it any longer and came down one after another to stretch their muscles.

Some people who have been here for a long time will greet each other and exchange pleasantries if they are familiar with each other.

There is hot water for drinking, houses to block the wind, and vending machines here. It is very similar to a temporary shelter encountered before. It is probably difficult to find a second place like this in the entire copy.

Those who had survived to this point more or less harbored a desire to complete the journey. Those short of supplies simply left briefly and returned, while the vast majority remained where they were, tacitly agreeing to stay put. Everyone had the same idea: to endure it until the last day. Furthermore, the sheer number of people gathered here gave them an inexplicable sense of security.

The lights in the service area acted like a beacon, guiding lost players in the right direction. Following the beacon, everyone gathered there one after another.

From 8pm last night to this morning, the small parking lot at the service area entrance was nearly full. Chu Yun counted 30 cars and about 100 people, some lone rangers like Chu Yun, and some small teams of makeshift partners.

Looking at the gathered convoy and crowd, Chu Yun frowned slightly. Something was not right, something was very wrong.

She felt that the game would definitely get more difficult in the final days, but for now, not only was there no danger, but everyone was playing the barter game like playing house. The game must have a purpose in bringing everyone together, but what exactly was that purpose?

Chu Yun was puzzled and wandered around in search of more clues.

When passing by the bus, she couldn't help but look up again. This bus was the farthest from her and happened to be in her blind spot. If she didn't walk over specifically, she wouldn't be able to see it.

She noticed this bus was different from the others. The windows were tightly shut, keeping out the wind. It was understandable if it was to keep out the cold outside. But the atmosphere inside was truly eerie. No one spoke or interacted. At this hour, no one got off the bus. Everyone remained in almost the same position, resting with their eyes closed. They were probably sleeping, their breathing steady, their chests rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. They were alive!

But it's still weird! So weird!

In this end-of-the-world world, it is a strange thing to gather so many people together in just a few days.

Chu Yun wanted to know more, so he went to Wang Mao, the only person he had ever dealt with.

"Hello, I want to ask you something."

Wang Mao turned around and saw Chu Yun, and replied, "Young lady, go ahead."

Chu Yun: "When did you come here? Do you know who was the first to come here? Have you found anything unusual since you came here?"

After a brief thought, Wang Mao replied seriously, "I'm the fifth person to arrive here. I asked the SUV team that arrived earlier, and they said the bus team arrived first."

"Speaking of this bus fleet, the people on it are really strange. I've rarely seen them get off since I came here. There are about 20 people on it, and I rarely see them talking to each other."

Perhaps recalling something bad, Wang Mao leaned in and whispered, "A few nights ago, I went out to relieve myself and saw them getting out of the car for some fresh air. As soon as the door opened, the smell came out. It was worse than if I hadn't showered in a few days."

"At the time, I thought we'd been together for so long, so if we bumped into each other, I might as well just say hello. But those men were so strange. Their eyes were dull, their faces expressionless, and their movements were stiff."

"Like, yes, like puppets. I was almost scared to death at the time, and I never saw them come down again."

Unpleasant smell, stiff movements? Chu Yun grasped the key words, and she suddenly remembered the strange smell she had smelled yesterday. She had spent so much time with them in her previous life, that smell was so familiar to her that she would never forget it. But she hadn't expected to encounter it again here. Judging from their current state, they were intact, so they probably had some time left before they could turn into a state of mourning.

"What's the matter? You also think there is something wrong with the bus, right?"

When Wang Mao saw Chu Yun thinking silently, he knew that he must have guessed right.

Chu Yun: "Well, there is a problem. I advise you to leave now, the sooner the better."

Although she didn't specify what the problem was, he believed Chu Yun's words without a doubt. Chu Yun had a submissive aura. If she said yes, it was definitely yes.