Chapter 80 Escaping Dawn City, Arrived
The plants were so dense that they blocked out the sun.
The broad branches and leaves spread out, with sharp edges like knives.
Fang Zhiyi tried to squeeze through the gap, but the vines seemed to have a mind of their own, their leaves rustling and cutting marks on the bumper.
He quickly turned around and braked. In that moment of hesitation, vines shot up from the ground, trapping the RV in a tropical rainforest. The tires rattled and vibrated, and sharp thorns of the vines emerged, trying to pierce the rubber shell.
Fortunately, the tires were upgraded to be puncture-proof and crack-resistant, keeping the spikes out.
The vines changed their approach, extending wire-like branches that wrapped around the wheel hubs layer by layer, trying to make the RV unable to move an inch.
boom!
The engine starts, the tires spin rapidly, but it still can't get rid of the ubiquitous tendrils.
rustling sounds—
More vines split and climbed up the windshield, darkening the space inside the RV.
The car window was rolled down.
Chu Zhao took a knife and cut the vines on the car. The knife flashed and the vines fell to the ground.
But it didn't work.
There were so many vines that even if you cut off one clump, more would keep coming up and filling the gap in no time.
At first, Chu Zhao's knife was effective, but later, the vines twisted together and the branches became tough, making them impossible to cut.
Fang Zhiyi muttered to himself, "I have to think of another way..." What are vines afraid of... fire! He took out a bottle of strong liquor from the supermarket, unscrewed the cap, and splashed it out.
The vines were drenched and stood there stunned.
...Where did the water come from?
The vines were rubbed.
The liquid was clear, with a pungent, fishy smell. It wasn't water; it tasted strange... The vines swayed uncontrollably, and then something else was thrown out of the window.
Splash—
The flames twisted and rose, spreading along the liquid that had just been spilled, forming a wall of fire.
The flames scorched the vines, causing them to wither and curl, retreating in fear.
Fang Zhiyi seized the opportunity, stepped on the gas, swung the car around, and drove straight through the wall of fire and the blockade of vines.
The tires spun, flames roared, leaving two charred marks on the ground.
Behind the car, the vines twisted and shrieked, burned to charcoal by the flames.
[Points +10]
I've already got 35 points in just half an hour since the start, so this Death Ring race doesn't seem too difficult.
The RV drove into the bend.
At the entrance stands a sign with a simple drawing of a meteorite falling from the sky, followed by a bright red "No Danger" sign.
Fang Zhiyi: "..."
What's the meaning?
Was it a meteorite?
The road ahead was built like a circular overpass, with countless bends in front of it. The car couldn't slow down in time; the tires screeched violently, and the car drifted in a wide arc. Fang Zhiyi gripped the steering wheel tightly, almost being thrown off.
Pull the steering wheel back hard, the car lurched, and before it could regain its balance, there was a loud bang, and a meteorite with a long tail fell from the sky, arriving in front of us in the blink of an eye.
【fast and Furious】
The passive skill is activated, increasing the vehicle's speed by 10%.
Using the active skill "Dash" increases speed by 100% for 1 minute.
【00:59:59】
On the display screen, the needles of the car's fuel gauge and speedometer spun wildly. The speed increased steadily, while the fuel level dropped rapidly.
1 square, 2 squares...
120 yards, 150 yards...
The RV became a blur, rushing past before the meteorite could hit.
The rear of the car narrowly missed the falling meteorite with a deafening roar, leaving a huge crater in the road behind it, with sparks still rising from the crater's edges.
bite!
The RV crashed into an item that spawned on the road, accelerating to 160 mph. He focused intently on turning the steering wheel left and right, causing the vehicle to drift wildly, the tires almost smoking, narrowly avoiding each falling meteorite.
[Points +5]
[Points +5]
[Points +10]
Total points: 55
The RV sped down the steep slope, leaving the meteorite area covered in smoke and fire. The tires hit the ground and bounced heavily, before stabilizing and continuing to accelerate.
Next, they passed through a sandstorm zone, a crosswind zone, and an earthquake zone... Fortunately, their vehicle was a level 4 motorhome, with high defense and speed. They passed through the last section of the road without any major incidents, and after obtaining 100 points, a red line representing the finish line appeared in front of them.
The tire rolled past the red line, and an electronic announcement rang in my ears.
Congratulations on reaching the finish line!
[Received 1000 parts, 5 basic material packs, 5 basic supply packs, and 2 gasoline]
Sizzle—
Fang Zhiyi stepped on the brakes and slowly drove away from the Ring of Death. A thick fog covered the road ahead. When the fog cleared, a familiar sign appeared in front of him.
The Ring of Death
[Racing Mode]
The race will start when all 24 cars are ready. Currently, it's 1/24. Please wait patiently for your opponent to be matched.
It's back again.
The familiar signs, the familiar invisible walls, and the familiar starting line... The road was empty, and there was only their car behind the line. The players who had set off with them earlier were nowhere to be seen.
Fang Zhiyi opened the channel.
The channel was still lively, with players chatting about various things, but there was no news about the Death Ring speedrun.
But that makes sense; players inside the Death Ring are probably racing on the highway right now and wouldn't have time to send messages.
Fang Zhiyi and Chu Zhao exchanged a glance, then got out of the car to check the situation.
As before, there was no other information on the road except for a sign, and their car had sustained some damage from the race. For one thing, the fuel tank was down to a third of its capacity.
Fang Zhiyi added the obtained gasoline x2 to the fuel tank, increasing the fuel gauge by 2 bars, which was better than nothing.
Unable to find any other way out, other players' cars appeared one after another.
"What's going on...?"
"Didn't I already beat the game?"
"Why are you back again???"
The cars that appeared included those of new players and those who had also experienced the Death Ring race. Regardless of their background, they all looked completely bewildered. Before they could even figure out what was going on, the second round of the race began immediately, giving them no time to catch their breath.
Chu Zhao said, "I'll drive this round."
Fang Zhiyi nodded and got into the passenger seat.
The rules for this round are exactly the same as the previous round. When the starting signal is given, all cars are forced to join the race.
Fang Zhiyi was focused on the scenery outside the window.
But the car was going too fast, and the scenery on both sides kept rushing past, making it dizzying and impossible to see anything clearly.
He pondered for a moment, then looked at the dashcam hanging in front of the passenger seat.
Once the switch is turned on, the recorder faithfully records every scene.
The order remained the same: jungle, meteorite, sandstorm, crosswind, and earthquake. With the experience from last time, we handled it with ease and reached the finish line faster than before.
Congratulations on reaching the finish line!
[Received 1000 parts, 5 basic material packs, 5 basic supply packs, and 2 gasoline]
Unsurprisingly, the reward was exactly the same as last time, and a cloud of mist appeared in front of me again. Passing through the mist, I returned to the same starting point.
The Ring of Death
【…1/24…】
This time, Fang Zhiyi took the dashcam, turned on the recording function, and started watching the videos recorded along the way.
[Snow Hunter], the passive skill Insight is now active.
All the details in the video were magnified and appeared before his eyes, and every road was clearly visible... Fang Zhiyi blinked slowly and found that the Death Ring was a structure similar to the Moseudo Ring. As long as he kept driving along this road, he would return to the starting point no matter what, and be trapped in an endless loop.
The RV came to a stop again before the starting line. Compared to last time, the vehicle was in worse condition, with worn tires and the fuel gauge needle dropping two notches.
Although the reward for reaching the finish line includes 2 units of gasoline, if you keep driving like this, you'll eventually run out of gas.
Fang Zhiyi frowned.
How can we break the cycle of death?
Before I could figure it out, the third round of the race was about to begin.
In the last round, all 23 vehicles except for them were destroyed. This time, all the vehicles that came in were new, and some of them were familiar faces.
"Hey, boss, what are you guys doing here?" Brother Cai poked his head out of the window, clearly unaware of the seriousness of the situation, and chuckled nonchalantly, "Looks like we're not going to get first place."
The greedy girl thought more deeply and hesitated before asking, "Weren't you all here a long time ago?"
The first group of players who participated in the Death Ring race spoke in the channel and posted photos of Fang Zhiyi and Chu Zhao having a barbecue and camping trip. How come several hours have passed and we can still see them at the starting point?
It's a long story, but Fang Zhiyi explained it simply: "This is the third time we've opened the Death Ring. It's a cycle, and even if we reach the end, we can't leave."
"Damn, that sounds terrifying!" Brother Cha scratched his head. "Boss, what should we do?"
Fang Zhiyi said, "We can only try to conserve our strength and avoid damaging the car in the race."
The Ring of Death is a closed space where the competition goes on endlessly. Once a car is damaged, it can easily trigger a chain reaction, ultimately leading to elimination.
Brother Ca: "..."
It sounds difficult, but it's actually not simple at all.
There was no time for further conversation. The starting gun fired again, and the car, driven by an invisible force, could only rush forward.
Having learned from the first two experiences, the third time was a breeze.
Using fire to drive away the vines, dodging falling meteorites, bypassing quicksand, and avoiding earthquake-induced depressions... Upon reaching the highest point, Fang Zhiyi suddenly opened the car door, leaned out, and looked back.
The roadside was shrouded in fog, obscuring the view.
Such a thick fog seems to be hiding something.
If you can't see the whole picture from below, then—what if you stand higher?
Fang Zhiyi tapped his fingers on the top of the door, faced the biting wind, stepped on the door, pushed off hard, and climbed onto the roof of the car.
The car was moving very fast, and it kept bumping along.
He leaned over the roof of the car and shakily stood up. From this high vantage point, his view was expansive, taking in everything.
A Möbius strip appears before my eyes, with its starting and ending points forming a line, and outside the Möbius strip, the outline of a city is faintly visible.
Once you cross the Ring of Death, you can reach Dawn City.
The problem is, how can we escape the ring of death?
Upon reaching the destination for the third time, Fang Zhiyi jumped off the roof of the car and looked at the sign standing by the roadside, lost in thought.
If we keep driving along this road, we'll only get stuck in an endless loop. So... what if we don't drive along this road? If we just drive off the road, will we be able to break the loop and escape the Möbius strip?
In the world of highway survival, there are two ironclad rules:
1. Do not stay on the road for more than 5 minutes.
2. Do not leave the road area.
The former will lead to danger, while the latter will directly result in elimination.
Players who have survived to this point in Highway Survival have kept these two ironclad rules firmly in mind, never triggering them, and never leaving the highway area unnecessarily.
But... nothing is absolute.
Fang Zhiyi recalled that when they first arrived at the Ring of Death, they couldn't start the race because they couldn't gather 24 cars. They were forced to wait here for half a day without receiving a warning about exceeding the parking time limit.
At that time, he was wondering if it was because this place called itself a competition space that it was immune to the rules of the road.
Since rule 1 is ineffective, does that mean rule 2 is also meaningless?
Fang Zhiyi told Chu Zhao her guess.
Chu Zhao said, "You can give it a try. I trust you."
Fang Zhiyi looked at the Resurrection Coin in his backpack.
Regardless, he has a chance to start over and take a gamble.
Just then, Brother Ca and Big Glutton's car arrived, its body riddled with dents and clearly weathered.
As soon as Brother Cai arrived, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Damn, this road is no way for a human to drive! Even a dog wouldn't drive on it!"
The greedy girl poked him hard.
"Alright, if the dog won't drive, I will," Brother Ca muttered. "I'll drive this damn road!"
Fang Zhiyi: "..."
Brother Cha: "Boss, have you come up with any solutions? We really can't drive it any further!"
Fang Zhiyi did have the idea, but it was too risky, and he wasn't entirely confident about it.
Brother Cai didn't think that much: "Boss, just show us the way, and we'll get to work. If we get eliminated, it's no big deal."
Fang Zhiyi said, "The Death Ring is constructed like a Möbius strip. If you follow the path, you'll never get out. You have to break off the road to see what happens."
Brother Cha nodded: "Okay, boss, we'll follow you!"
Fang Zhiyi sat in the driver's seat, gripped the steering wheel, and, unusually nervous, exchanged a glance with Chu Zhao. Hearing the starting command, he once again sped off the starting line. This time, instead of driving onto the straight, wide road, he turned and drove directly towards the edge of the road.
Passing cars stared in disbelief.
"Are you crazy?"
What is he doing?
"Why would someone be rushing to their death..."
The Level 4 motorhome veered off the road. The expected explosion and destruction did not occur. Instead, the tires lurched, a feeling of weightlessness washed over the driver, and the vehicle plummeted from mid-air to the ground.
[Health -10]
The impact of the fall reduced his health by a large amount. The car came to a stop, and another road appeared before him. The fog behind him dissipated, revealing a Möbius strip suspended in the air, endlessly looping within it, with no way to escape.
Then, another car followed, falling from the sky with a loud bang.
Brother Cai laughed loudly: "Haha, you really escaped—" He gave Fang Zhiyi a thumbs up, "Boss, you're really something, how did you know we could get out like this?"
Fang Zhiyi: "...Ahem, I was just guessing."
Brother Cai said sincerely, "I couldn't have guessed this even if I racked my brains! If it weren't for you, we probably would have been driving up there until we died."
A barrage of flowery praise made the person feel rather embarrassed.
After talking until his throat was dry, Brother Cha finally asked, "Boss, shall we go to Dawn City together next?"
Fang Zhiyi thought for a moment and said, "You guys go first, I still have things to do."
Brother Cha looked bewildered: "What are you doing?"
Fang Zhiyi started the car, circled back via a side road, and drove towards the Death Ring again, waving at Brother Cai and the others: "Let's get some freebies!"
Brother Cha: "...?"
What kind of wool?
Fang's intention is to fleece the Ring of Death.
Now that you know how to leave, and the competition can be restarted to get rewards, including parts, booster packs, and gasoline, it would be a shame not to rack up a lot of coins.
After all, he still needed to buy the Survival World travel package worth 9999 parts, and he was short of money.
This time, Fang Zhiyi's mindset was completely different when entering the Ring of Death; he was directly aiming for the rewards.
He knew the race route like the back of his hand; he could drive it with his eyes closed and easily collected 1,000 parts. After repeating the race several times, the number of parts in his backpack exceeded five figures, but he was still not satisfied and wanted to earn more.
Finally, the Ring of Death couldn't take it anymore. The highway trembled violently, as if disgusted by Fang Zhiyi's actions, and let out a "vomiting" sound. The surface of the highway shook in a wave-like manner, expelling all the cars inside.
The other players, bewildered, turned around and saw that the Ring of Death, as if it had encountered a plague, had eagerly disappeared into the mist without a trace.
Fang Zhiyi was very disappointed, after all, such high-quality wool is really hard to find. It's a pity that it was exploited to the point of bankruptcy. If he had another chance, he would definitely keep it and slowly squeeze every last drop out of every part.
If the Ring of Death knew what he was thinking, it would definitely say: Get lost! Don't get involved!
After expressing his regret, Fang Zhiyi took out a brochure from White Bear Travel Agency and chose to purchase a Survival World travel package.
[Do you wish to purchase the Survival World Travel Package for 9999?]
【yes】
Purchase successful
bite!
A crisp sound rang in my ears, and 9999 parts disappeared from my backpack. At the same time, a "sold out" sign appeared next to the Survival World Travel Package on the promotional page. Other than that, nothing happened.
Fang Zhiyi looked left and right, but couldn't figure out what she had gotten. She clutched the promotional leaflet, which rustled loudly. "Could I have been tricked?"
There's nothing you can do if you've been scammed; you've already paid the money. This game doesn't have any customer service or anything, and you can't even get a refund after filing a complaint.
Fang Zhiyi was not giving up and poked the promotional page hard, only to get a notification that the package was in effect, without explaining what exactly was in effect.
Fang Zhiyi was already regretting buying the package, but there was no way to return it, so she could only angrily roll up the promotional leaflet and stuff it back into her backpack.
The RV moved smoothly along the highway.
At the end, a city gradually comes into view, with buildings standing tall and their facades radiating a sacred white light, adorned with the emblem of the Crown of Thorns.
Fang Zhiyi peeked out, her bangs ruffled by the wind, her eyes slightly narrowed, the amber pupils reflecting the ever-approaching city.
The RV eventually reached the edge of the city.
We've arrived in Dawn City.
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