Ever since she learned that Xi Xi was actually a customer of her shop, Grandma You held Xi Xi's hand as if they were old friends reunited, without any reservations or restraint.

After some discussion, Xi Xi finally understood the whole story.

It turns out that this seemingly ordinary white-haired old lady is actually the owner of the unmanned convenience store!

The convenience store wasn't actually unattended; rather, Grandma You was unfortunately trapped in a mysterious underground ruin, leaving the store unattended.

"Oh, my poor convenience store, it's probably wandering around like a lost soul right now..." Grandma You sat in the business chair in the car, wiping away the tears glistening in the corners of her eyes as she continued to confide in Xi Xi.

It turns out that in the game world, besides the vending machines located in the wilderness that the cool girl Sallyman mentioned earlier, there are other ways to present supply stations.

The unassuming convenience store she stumbled upon in the game's waiting area was actually one of the official supply stations set up by the game's developers.

According to Grandma You, this convenience store is a medium-sized supply station that can randomly move. The location of the store is generated completely randomly, and even she, as the store owner, cannot predict it. Often, the view outside the window changes in the blink of an eye.

Xi Xi never expected that she had actually been to the supply station.

She had been painstakingly accumulating survival points and searching everywhere for a supply station, only to find that the supply station was actually right in front of her, even though it was far away.

"Besides using survival points, do convenience stores offer other payment methods?" Xi Xi was a little confused. She didn't have any survival points in the waiting area and paid with her debit card.

If, in addition to survival points, one could also directly use the currency of the original world for payment, wouldn't this game become a playground for the upper class?

As she pondered this, she suddenly remembered the announcement on the self-service checkout counter, which seemed to say, "Limited time support for various currencies and payment channels."

"You mean survival coins, right? Oh dear, I really can't figure out how to use the machines you young people use," Grandma You said somewhat awkwardly. "You've been to the convenience store before, you must know that machine in the corner, right?"

Xi Xi nodded in response.

"My youngest son got it for me. He was worried I wouldn't be able to keep track of the accounts..." Grandma You said with a hint of reproach, but her eyes were filled with tenderness. "Actually, there aren't that many accounts to keep track of. I hardly see any customers all year round! But I've never heard of paying with anything other than survival coins..."

Even Granny You didn't know? Xi Xi pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood.

That "limited time offer" label is probably a special perk for new players in the waiting area! Like a pre-registration gift in a regular game...

Xi Xi suddenly felt incredibly lucky. Not only did she stumble upon a supply station in the waiting area, but she also successfully spent all the money from her original world and stockpiled a lot of goods.

"Then why are you trapped here?" Xi Xi thought for a moment, somewhat puzzled.

Such a safe and convenient little shop is practically a mobile castle, so why would you risk your life?

Grandma You sighed, glanced at Barrett the ostrich playing with Aura and the little white duck outside the car, and slowly said, "That child was originally born in the desert. After leaving with me for so long, I thought that since we're finally in the desert again, I should let it out to have some fun. Who would have thought we'd encounter quicksand..."

Xi Xi nodded in agreement with Granny You, but a strange glint flashed in her eyes.

Finally? And again?

Just how big is this game map, and how diverse are its terrains...?

Xi Xi's gaze darted around for a moment, then she smiled and asked with feigned curiosity, "Mother-in-law, where have you been?"

Grandma You gets a headache just thinking about it. She quickly waved her hand and declined, saying that it wasn't all good places.

The convenience store's location is so random that there have been terrifying experiences, such as having the door facing a cliff or stepping out into lava.

As Xi Xi listened, she fell into deep thought. It seemed that the game map was far more vast than she had imagined, with climates in various places comparable to apocalyptic disasters, and the journey was fraught with difficulties and obstacles.

In the apocalypse, people remain stationary, but natural disasters strike one after another, without end. In the survival game, people have no fixed abode, but the terrain is rugged and the climate is strange.

Xi Xi then understood the game's balance.

Although the game offers a high degree of freedom, with no restrictions on how or how to reach the destination, players cannot stay in one place in order to complete the game; they must head east to Dongli.

The game is not limited to vehicles. While traveling on foot is free, it will consume a lot of physical strength every day. Without a place to stay at night, it will be dangerous and life-threatening.

Because the probability of treasure chests spawning on roads is extremely low, if you rely solely on vehicles and only pursue speed, you will miss the treasure chests around you, suffer from severe food shortages, and find it difficult to survive.

Constrained by various factors, players must find a balance between using vehicles and free walking, and cannot resort to extreme methods to survive.

As Xi Xi was pondering, Granny You began to mutter to herself, recounting her harrowing encounter with Barrett. Only then did Xi Xi realize that it was this ostrich that had unintentionally saved Aura, and her eyes instantly filled with gratitude.

In a moment of sudden realization, Xi Xi constructed a complete plot in her mind.

According to the normal game flow, the original dungeon storyline should be that the adventurer accidentally falls into quicksand and is rescued by Granny You's ostrich. The adventurer is extremely grateful and agrees to the ostrich's request to save its dying master.

However, Xi Xi did not fall into quicksand as the script described. Instead, she successfully climbed out of the quicksand using her survival skills, which prevented the plot from progressing further.

The quicksand had no choice but to defy common sense, splitting open its giant maw and swallowing Xi Xi whole.

However, it was not Xi Xi who fell into the underground ruins first, but Aura, which led to the ostrich Barrett accidentally saving the wrong person.

Fortunately, Xi Xi found the underground chamber on foot, allowing the plot to move forward further.

Grandma You continued, "Legend has it that there was once a tribal civilization in this desert. The tribal chief was sentenced to death for unintentionally offending the gods..."

"He single-handedly destroyed the entire tribe, and the people became vengeful ghosts, lingering in this area for a long time..."

Is this another plot development? Xi Xi looked up at Granny You, only to see her sighing as she poured out her heart, then trembling as if she had imagined some terrible scene.

"Many adventurers have heard the cries of vengeful spirits in this area!"

"It is said that once you hear it, no one can escape the curse of the ghost. In the end, they will all be swallowed by the earth and assimilated into wandering ghosts..."

"I'm not going to make it. I'm going to die here because I heard the wailing of that vengeful ghost!" Granny You suddenly gripped Xi Xi's hand tightly, her eyes brimming with tears. "But you must escape, and take these little ones with you!"

After saying this, Granny You's face turned gloomy.

Xi Xi even saw a hint of determination to die in her eyes, and her heart sank.