A billionaire offered a million dollars for one bottle of water, but in this survival game, his money couldn’t buy him another day.

Chapter 1 Highway Survival Game

[You only live once. Death is final.

[Fate is fickle, but destiny is written. Welcome to the Survival World!]

"What? Survival?" Stella Gibson muttered, her eyes snapping open.

An endless wasteland stretched out before her. Not a single blade of grass grew in the barren dirt.

Beneath her boots lay a flat, straight asphalt highway that disappeared into the horizon.

A hot wind blew against her face, carrying the faint scent of dry, dusty earth.

'Where am I?' she wondered, glancing around in confusion.

The mechanical voice from moments ago echoed again.

[Hi, Adventurers. Welcome to the Highway Survival Game. You are currently in Sector 88 of the Aurorian Zone. Please read the game rules carefully.

[Rule 1: The game is now officially live. Every human on Earth between the ages of 18 and 60 has been transported here. Those unable to care for themselves have been automatically healed.

[Everyone else remains in your original world, living their normal lives.

[Rule 2: Starting Inventory: One electric cargo tricycle and one smartwatch. Both items are bound to you. The trike can be driven on the highway, and the watch acts as your operating interface.

[Rule 3: All starting highways are one-way only. U-turns and driving against traffic are strictly forbidden.

[Rule 4: Supply crates will drop randomly near the highway and in the wild. They contain basic survival resources. If you spot one, grab it immediately.

[However, crates may also be trapped with unknown dangers. Open them with caution!

[Rule 5: Stay inside your cargo tricycle after sunset. Do not step outside for any reason!

[Rule 6: This is a solo struggle. Trust no one. There are no laws or morals here. Human nature is dark, and your fellow players are far more dangerous than the wildlife.

[Rule 7: Upgrade your vehicle as quickly as possible to survive the coming crises.

[You only live once. Death is final. Take this seriously, and enjoy the game!]

Before Stella could fully process the information, a crisp chime rang through the air. A massive, translucent screen materialized right in front of her.

The holographic display measured about six feet wide and three feet tall. It hovered a few yards away, displaying a clear text log of the broadcast she had just heard.

Stella read through the rules one more time.

She spotted a "Close" button in the bottom right corner. She tapped it with her index finger, and the screen instantly vanished.

Looking down, Stella realized a chunky black smartwatch now rested on her wrist.

The digital face was massive. The top of the screen displayed: [Sunny, 82°F]

Below that was a row of icons: [Profile], [Channel], and [Messages].

Stella tapped the [Channel] icon. The translucent screen immediately popped up again.

The header read: [Highway Survival Day 1. Weather: Sunny. Temperature: 82°F]

The header read: [Highway Survival Day 1. Weather: Sunny. Temperature: 82°F]

Below that, messages scrolled by in a chaotic frenzy.

[What the hell is going on? It's completely dead out here. Am I tripping balls?]

[It's freaking boiling! It was literally a blizzard back home! I'm out here in a winter parka looking like a total clown.]

[This makes zero sense. I was taking a bath in a five-star hotel! How did I get here? Is this an alien abduction or some sick VR prank?]

[Just read the damn announcement, guys. This is the Highway Survival Game. Basically the whole world just got sucked into a video game.]

[Hell no, I'm not playing some garbage survival game! I need to go back! I just got married! Where is my wife?]

[I want to go home too! I need my mom and dad! I can't do this alone, guys!]

[Survival? Are you kidding me? I have billions in my portfolio! What do I need to survive for? If there are devs reading this, pull me out right now and I'll wire you one million bucks!]

[Holy crap, my leg! My leg got amputated thirteen years ago, and it just grew back. Hell yeah! I love this game!]

[I can stand up too! I've been paralyzed in a hospital bed for eight years!]

The chat channel was an absolute madhouse. Everyone was spamming text messages. Stella noticed a [Text-to-Speech] toggle.

With a simple tap, the text converted into distinct voice clips.

Stella tested the interface herself. She realized she could type or speak her messages.

The system seamlessly swapped between text and audio. It was actually super user-friendly.

The channel remained a total dumpster fire. Clearly, the vast majority of people were losing their minds.

Stella shrugged, completely unfazed. She was a total loner with zero attachments back in the real world.

Conveniently, she was also a massive gamer. She lived for single-player base-building and survival crafting games.

The graphics and immersion in this reality were god-tier. She was honestly thrilled.

A wave of anticipation hit her. 'So, what is my first move?'

Stella recalled the admin announcement. 'Right, I need to scavenge supply crates and upgrade my ride,' she reasoned. 'Wait a second, where the hell is my ride?'

Stella scanned her surroundings. She twisted around and spotted an electric cargo tricycle parked a few feet behind her.

It looked like a beat-up utility scooter. It featured a single driver's seat up front and a small cargo bed in the back.

The bed was a decent size, roughly five and a half feet long and four feet wide.

Aside from that, it was totally barebones. It didn't even have a sunshade.

Stella walked over to the vehicle.

It was a super basic model. A digital dashboard resembling a mounted tablet sat above the handlebars.

It read: [Speed Limit: 12 mph. Battery Range: 62 miles]

She nodded in understanding. 'Alright, so it is an EV.'

Stella inspected the frame from every angle. She hopped onto the seat, twisted the throttle, and rolled forward.

The trike was painfully sluggish. No matter how hard she cranked the grip, it refused to go a fraction faster than its twelve-mile-per-hour cap.

Stella already knew how to ride an e-bike, and this cargo tricycle operated on the exact same logic. Within minutes, she had the handling down perfectly.

Suddenly, a sharp chime rang out. The holographic screen popped up again, rendering lines of text rapidly.

A synthetic voice announced, "Dear Adventurers, to increase your survival odds, the game will now distribute Talent Skills.

"Please draw your talent immediately. This offer expires shortly!"

Stella looked up. Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise.

A loot box pull. She was an absolute legend at these.

ver since she was a little kid, she had never walked away empty-handed from a raffle or a lucky draw.

She had won everything from trivial nail clippers to massive flat-screen TVs. Her biggest jackpot was a cool 300-thousand-dollar scratch-off.

Stella stared eagerly at the digital roulette wheel on the holographic screen.

The wheel spun into a colorful blur.

[Rolling for Talent Skill, please wait. 10, 9, 8... 3, 2, 1!]

[We are sorry. Talent Skill: None!]

'None?' she thought, her jaw dropping. 'Literally nothing at all?'

Stella sat there frozen. Frustration bubbled up. 'That is literally impossible!'

She had entered countless giveaways in her life and had never once hit a blank. 'What are the actual odds of that?' she questioned, shaking her head.

Stella immediately opened the chat channel. The feed was absolutely flooded with gamers raging and whining.

[Why didn't I get a talent? Are the drop rates really this garbage?]

[Same here! I got 'We are sorry. Talent Skill: None!]

[I ran the numbers. Over ninety percent of the people chatting got absolutely nothing! What kind of broken mechanic is this? Total scam!]

[I think it is balanced. If everyone got an overpowered skill, the game would be pointless. It would just be a contest of who got the better cheat code.]

A moment later, someone could not resist bragging.

[I freaking love my Talent Skill! It is completely busted!]

[My talent is 'Master Scavenger'. I get double loot every time I open a supply drop! Suck on that, losers!]

[Bro, that is insane! You can just farm crates forever and get filthy rich!]

[Nah, it doesn't work like that. It's nerfed. I can only trigger it three times a day.]

[That guy is a complete moron. Not only did he broadcast his secret talent to the whole server, but he also leaked his cooldowns.

[With zero street smarts like that, he's going to end up dead by tomorrow.]

Not everyone kept their cards hidden. Besides those two, quite a few others admitted to rolling a talent.

Stella did some quick mental math. Only about one percent of the active chatters claimed to have a skill. However, everyone here was an adult.

They likely understood the value of laying low. The actual number of gifted players had to be significantly higher.

Her eyes narrowed in calculation. 'I bet it is at least five percent.'

Unfortunately, she was not part of that lucky demographic.

Stella shook her head, refusing to let it ruin her mood. She settled back into the saddle of the cargo tricycle, ready to hit the road.

Without warning, a crisp, cheerful voice echoed directly inside her mind. [Detecting an intelligent, kind-hearted, gorgeous, brave, lively, and impossibly cute host. 3, 2, 1... Binding complete!

[Hello, dear host! The Survival Support System is now online. You have been gifted one daily login reward. Would you like to claim it now?]

"Login reward? Survival Support System?" Stella muttered aloud. She blinked in surprise.

Having binge-read plenty of LitRPG web novels in her downtime, she knew exactly how these system tropes worked.

Regardless of where this AI came from, it was clearly a massive buff.

Opportunity only knocks once. Stella glanced at the frozen roulette wheel on her game interface.

She cleared her throat and spoke up. "Claim reward!"

[Login reward claimed successfully. You have unlocked the server-exclusive, Golden Legendary Talent Skill: King of Fortune.]

Chapter 2 Talent Sharing and Master Scavenger

'King of Fortune?' Stella's eyes widened in disbelief. 'The only one in the entire world, not just this server?

'And it is a top-tier talent. Just how overpowered is this thing? What exactly can it do?

'Right, players in the chat mentioned you could view your active talents on the personal interface.'

Stella opened her dashboard. Two main tabs appeared: [Personal Info] and [Vehicle Info].

[Personal Info:

[ID: ARA088100000

[Name: Stella Gibson

[Age: 22

[Strength: 10

[Constitution: 10

[Agility: 8

[Class: None

[Skill: King of Fortune (I am the baddest in the sector and the strongest in the world. I am the undefeated RNG god!)

[Effects:

[1. Talent Sharing: Randomly copy one player's talent in your region per day, and double its effect! (Ready to Use)

[2. Talent Suppression: Target one player in the region per day to suppress their talent! (Locked)

[Talent Plunder: Kill a player to steal their talent for one to three days! (Locked)]

Stella read through the details carefully, a fiery excitement building in her chest. 'This is insane.

'Talent Sharing lets me randomly copy someone else's skill and double its power. I can swap out a new skill every single day!

'Hell yes. This keeps things fresh. I knew I was the queen of good luck. There was no way I was walking away empty-handed!

'Plus, Talent Suppression and Talent Plunder are absolute killer moves against other players, she noted.

'King of Fortune is totally broken. It is like having multiple top-tier skills rolled into one!'

She made her decision. 'Let's test out Talent Sharing first,' she thought, tapping the [Use Now] button on her screen.

[Activating Talent Sharing!

[You have shared ID88006616's skill: Master Scavenger. You receive a two times multiplier bonus!

[Master Scavenger Base Level: Receive double supplies from the first three crates you open today!

[Master Scavenger Buffed Level: Receive quadruple supplies from the first six crates you open today!]

Master Scavenger?' Stella pondered. 'Wait, someone in the chat just mentioned getting double drops three times a day.

'Thanks to my King of Fortune multiplier, I get quadruple drops six times!

'Holy crap, this is incredible!

Who was that person who just got Master Scavenger?'

Stella opened the global chat to track down the player.

Real names were mandatory, so she quickly spotted a girl named Mia Hart.

Tapping Mia's name pulled up her public profile.

[ID：ARA088006626

[Name: Mia Hart

[Age: 20

[Stamina: Hidden by default

[Strength: Hidden by default

[Constitution: Hidden by default

[Agility: Hidden by default

[Class: Hidden by default

[Skill: Hidden by default]

Stella nodded to herself. At least the game was decent enough to hide sensitive player data by default.

'Wait, the ID numbers do not match,' she realized quickly. 'The skill I copied did not belong to Mia after all.

Based on this, there must be more than one person in the region with the Master Scavenger talent.'

After checking the profile, Stella glanced at her vehicle tab.

[Vehicle: Electric Cargo Tricycle

[Owner: Stella Gibson

[Battery: 100/100 (Please replace the battery promptly when depleted.)

[Next Upgrade: Minivan

[Upgrade Requirements: Scrap Metal x10, Rubber x2, Battery x1, Glass x2 (Insufficient materials. Upgrade unavailable.)]

Stella memorized the required materials and closed the panel.

She swung her leg over the electric cargo tricycle. Time to scavenge. Looting crates was the only way to get essential survival gear and vehicle upgrade materials.

The highway was dead straight and about twenty-six feet wide.

Stella drove with ease, keeping one eye on the road and the other on the scrolling chat channel.

People were already finding crates.

[I just popped a crate and got a piece of sheet metal. It is paper thin and almost sliced my hand open. Is this stuff even useful? Tossing it if it is trash.]

[Scrap metal is useless, bro. Just send it to me, I will throw it away for you.]

[Scrap collector here! Buying up sheet metal, scrap rubber, small batteries, and glass panes!

[Hey, guy above the guy above me, got any junk to trade?]

[It is way too hot out here. I am roasting and my throat is bone dry. Why is it so damn hard to find a single crate?!]

[Holy crap! I just opened a crate and a massive rat jumped out. It bit a chunk out of my finger and hurts like hell.

[Everyone, watch your backs. This trash game is rigged!]

[What the actual hell, we are going to die here. If it is this hardcore, how is this a beginner tutorial?]

[Exactly! They gave us a crappy cargo tricycle and did not even drop a weapon. How are we supposed to fight? This is not a tutorial, it is pure purgatory!]

[I am so thirsty. It is not even noon and the sun is blazing. I am a goner.]

Stella checked her dashboard. In just a short amount of time, the ambient temperature had already climbed to 86°F.

'Why haven't I seen a single crate yet?' she grumbled internally. 'Wait, there is one!'

Not far ahead, she spotted a mottled patch of brown.

As she got closer, she could clearly make out a weathered, beaten-up box.

It was not large, measuring maybe sixteen inches long, twelve inches wide, and eight inches high.

It just sat by the side of the road, looking battered and crooked.

[Dilapidated Wooden Crate: A worn-out supply box. Open it for a surprise. Of course, it might also be a nasty shock!]

'So this is a supply crate,' she realized.

Stella parked her trike and walked over.

She did not open it immediately. Instead, she searched the immediate area, eventually picking up a stout, finger-thick wooden stick and a handful of rocks.

She had been keeping a close eye on the chat and had come to a conclusion.

While most crates opened without a hitch, there was a small chance of toxic centipedes, snakes, or giant rats jumping out.

They sounded pretty aggressive, so it was best to be fully prepared.

Gripping the rocks in her left hand and the wooden stick tightly in her right, Stella carefully pried the lid open.

[Opening Dilapidated Wooden Crate.

[Master Scavenger talent triggered! Supplies doubled!

[Received: Bottled Water x4, Scrap Metal x4.]

The lid popped open. With a clatter, four bottles of water and four pieces of scrap metal appeared at Stella's feet.

The water bottles were standard size, and the metal pieces were thin sheets about the size of a standard notebook.

Stella picked them up one by one.

[Bottled Water: 16.9 fluid ounces. Drink to quench your thirst. Alternatively, use it to wash your hands, face, hair, or take a bath. Splashing it around to cool down works too.]

Stella clicked her tongue. 'This description is totally trolling me. Wash your hair or feet with bottled water?

'Who has that kind of luxury right now? Everyone is dying of thirst!'

She checked the system description for the metal.

[Scrap Metal: Can be used to forge weapons and other items. It is also an essential material for upgrading vehicles.]

'Exactly,' she thought, satisfied. 'I need scrap metal to upgrade the trike. Good stuff, I am keeping this.'

She remembered that the next upgrade required ten pieces of scrap metal. She had just scored four from a single box.

'If I open a couple more, will I not be able to upgrade my ride right away?' she wondered. 'Okay, this game is not too bad. At least it throws newbies a bone!'

'I wonder what everyone else is getting,' she thought, curiously opening the chat channel again.

[What the hell, why? I just opened a box and got a wad of plastic wrap. What am I supposed to do with this?]

[It is useless garbage. Come on, hand it over, I am the local scrap collector!]

[I am doing pretty well! I just got a piece of scrap metal from a crate. I will be upgrading my vehicle in no time!]

[I scored a 16.9-ounce bottle of water! Finally, something to drink!]

[I am so jealous. Look at what I got: Half-eaten black bread, chewed on by rats!]

Stella scrolled through the messages. Most people were finding scrap metal, rubber, food, or water, but in pathetic quantities.

A single crate usually yielded just one item.

'So, my single crate dropped the equivalent of several crates' worth of loot,' she deduced silently. 'Makes sense.

My current talent is Master Scavenger, which doubles the drops.

'And with my King of Fortune multiplier adding another double, I am getting quadruple the loot from a single box!

'This is amazing. I need to hurry up and find more crates!'

Stella efficiently packed the water and metal back into the wooden crate, carried it over to her cargo tricycle, and placed it securely in the truck bed.

'Now that I finally have supplies, should I try trading some water for unopened crates?' she debated internally.

Right now, water was the most desperate need for everyone.

Stella hesitated for a moment, checking her watch. It was only 10:30 AM. She decided to wait.

The game had just started, so people did not have many crates or supplies to trade anyway.

More importantly, they were not desperate enough for water yet. It was not a seller's market.

Stella climbed back onto the trike, cracked open a bottle of water, took a few refreshing gulps, and hit the road again.

She drove for over an hour before pulling over.

The scorching sun was directly overhead, and the temperature had spiked to 88°F. She was incredibly thirsty.

In just a short time, she had polished off the rest of that water bottle, yet she had not spotted a single crate.

Judging by the chat, everyone else was in the same boat.

Cameron Wallace: [Thirsty, so thirsty. Why are these crates so impossible to find? I have been crunching the numbers all morning and still have not found a single one!]

Mia Hart: [You can calculate that?]

Cameron: [Of course. I am a statistics major. People call me the human calculator.]

Gavin Stone: [Honestly, you guys just need to venture a bit further off the road. I walked about three hundred feet out and bumped into two crates!]

Mia: [Really, Gavin? But if we walk away, what happens to our vehicles?]

Gavin: [Don't worry about it. Vehicles are bound to their owners. Nobody else can start them.

[Plus, I have not heard of any players actually running into each other yet, so we should not have to worry about vandalism.]

Stella checked the digital display on her cargo tricycle. She had driven 28 miles so far, and the battery had roughly 34 miles of range left.

She decided to follow Gavin's advice and venture further out to search.

Grabbing her trusty wooden stick and a fresh bottle of water, Stella trekked into the wilderness on the left side of the highway.

After walking for about half an hour, she found a frayed rope, a sturdy stick as thick as a child's arm, and a bunch of withered vines.

The vines were dead but surprisingly tough. No matter how hard she pulled, they would not snap. Stella decided to take them all with her.

By now, her stomach was growling. She was exhausted, thirsty, and hungry. Just as she was about to turn back, something caught her eye.

Not far off to her left, sitting quietly in the dirt, was a dilapidated supply crate.

'Finally!' she thought with a heavy sigh of relief. 'Found one!'

Chapter 3 Lucky Crates and Vehicle Upgrades

Stella circled the wooden supply crate, sizing it up. After spending the better part of an hour monitoring the global chat, she had figured out the catch.

Unboxing carried about a five percent chance of springing a trap.

The threats popping out of these crates ranged from rabid, oversized rats to venomous centipedes and snakes.

These creatures attacked on sight, and players had to kill them to claim the goods inside.

Bailing out was easy enough if things went south, but running meant forfeiting the loot.

Stella liked to play it safe. On her way over, she had brainstormed a game plan for dealing with pests.

Using some tough vines she scavenged earlier, she wove a makeshift net. She draped it directly over the crate's lid and tightened her grip on her wooden club.

Taking a deep breath, she readied her stance. 'Here goes nothing.'

She extended the club, wedged it under the latch, and popped the lid open.

A green blur launched out like a loaded spring. It was a small green viper.

Luckily, it flew straight into the netting. The trap stalled its momentum just long enough.

Stella swung her club like a baseball bat, smashing it squarely against the viper's neck.

A heavy thud echoed. The snake hissed wildly, its body writhing in fury.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed through the adrenaline. 'Don't let up.'

She rained blow after blow upon the struggling reptile. Within moments, the creature lay limp on the dirt. She delivered one final, crushing strike.

A sickening crunch signaled the end.

[Level 1 Green Viper killed!

[Dilapidated and Dangerous Wooden Crate opened.

[Master Scavenger talent triggered. Supplies are doubled!

[Acquired: Bottled Water x4, Canned Spam x4, Scrap Metal x4, Rubber x4.]

A pile of supplies clattered across the dirt.

[Canned Spam: 11 oz. Made from pure pork, packed with care, and surprisingly delicious.]

[Rubber: An essential material for upgrading vehicles and crafting items.]

The sheer volume of loot left Stella grinning. The high risk crates definitely delivered.

She scored bottled water and dense meat rations to stave off hunger.

Most importantly, she bagged rubber. She was one step closer to upgrading her ride.

Stella loaded everything back into the wooden box. She gathered a handful of dry brush, rolled up the dead viper, and stuffed it inside as well.

Hauling the heavy crate, she jogged back to her cargo tricycle.

Along the way, she yanked up more dry weeds and shoved them into the container.

It was just past one in the afternoon. The glaring sun beat down mercilessly, leaving her dizzy and parched.

Stella cracked the seal on a water bottle and chugged half of it. Next, she popped the tab on a can of Spam and wolfed down most of the block.

Properly fueled and hydrated, she felt like a new woman.

Her current stash included: Bottled Water x6.5, Scrap Metal x8, Rubber x4, and Canned Spam x3.

To upgrade her trike, she still needed glass and batteries.

She pulled up the chat, which was currently flooded with a chorus of complaints.

[I'm so freaking thirsty. Literally dying of dehydration out here. Can some saint please spare a water? I'm begging.]

[Oh God, I'm so sorry Mom and Dad. I'll never throw a tantrum over a new iPhone again. I'm starving to death out here.]

[What are you all whining about? Quit crying and start hunting for crates! They drop everything you need.]

Jackson Gold: [My family is loaded. Offering a million bucks for a single bottle of water. DM me to deal!]

Cameron: [Anyone need a tarot reading? One sheet of metal per session. I'll tell you which direction is safe.]

Kenneth Hawkins: [Scammer. Nobody wants your fake voodoo crap.]

Checking the desperation levels, she grinned. 'The market is ripe.'

She decided to capitalize on her surplus water and posted a message to the board. [Trading half a bottle of water for one unopened crate!]

Since everyone was desperate for hydration, her offer blew up instantly.

[Half a bottle for a full crate? What a scam! Just open them yourselves, people! A single crate drops at least one full bottle.]

[Talk is cheap, bro. How much water have you actually found? Stop capping. I popped three crates today and haven't seen a single drop.]

[Preach. I cracked four crates myself. Two had plastic, and the other two were just sheet metal. I'm losing my freaking mind!]

[Whatever. If I find a crate, I'm opening it myself. No way I'm trading it for backwash!]

[Keep that energy. Just means you aren't thirsty enough yet.]

Stella raised an eyebrow, impressed by the hustle. 'Someone already found four crates? Not bad.'

Within seconds, her DMs swamped.

Some tried to flirt their way to free water. Others offered random garbage. A few tried to guilt trip her into charity.

Stella smashed the block button on the freeloaders without a second thought.

Finally, she spotted a few legitimate offers.

Gavin: [I've got two unopened crates. I'll trade them for one full bottle of water.]

Cameron: [Got one crate. Trade you for a water and some grub. Deal? I'll even throw in a free palm reading.]

Mia: [Hey girl, do you have the Master Scavenger perk too?]

Stella completely ignored Cameron and Mia. She tapped on Gavin's name and typed a quick response. [Deal,] she replied.

The private interface allowed players to initiate secure trades.

Both parties locked their items into the virtual exchange window.

They confirmed the swap, and two dilapidated wooden crates materialized at Stella's feet.

Unable to hold back her curiosity, she sent Gavin another message. [Why not crack them yourself? And how did you find so many so fast?]

Gavin answered bluntly. [My RNG is trash. I never get anything useful, and half the time they are dead empty. I just stumbled across them while scouting.]

Giving a small nod, she closed the chat. 'Makes sense. At least he owns it.'

Stella lined the boxes up on the dirt and popped the latches one by one.

[Dilapidated Wooden Crate opened!

[Master Scavenger talent triggered. Supplies are doubled!]

[Acquired: Bottled Water x4, Batteries x4, Glass x4.]

[Dilapidated Wooden Crate opened!]

[Master Scavenger talent triggered. Supplies are doubled!

[Acquired: Scrap Metal x4, Rubber x4, Plastic x4.]

She hit the jackpot with entirely new materials this time: glass, batteries, and plastic.

Stella pulled up the item descriptions.

[Glass: An essential material for upgrading vehicles. If you have a crafting table, it can also be used to make cups and other glassware.]

[Battery: Can be equipped in vehicles to provide power. It is also a mandatory material for vehicle upgrades.]

[Plastic: Highly versatile. Can be used to craft a variety of items and is required for vehicle upgrades.]

Stella ran a quick inventory check.

Her total haul was now: Bottled Water x9.5, Srcap Metal x12, Rubber x8, Canned Spam x3, Batteries x4, Glass x4, and Plastic x4.

She had everything she needed. It was time to upgrade her ride.

Stella pulled up the vehicle dashboard.

[Vehicle: Cargo Tricycle

[Owner: Stella Gibson

[Power: 55/100 (You can equip new or backup batteries!)

[Next Tier: Minivan. Required Materials: Scrap Metal x10, Rubber x2, Battery x1, Glass x2. (Upgrade Now)]

Stella slammed the [Upgrade Now] button.

The cargo tricycle beside her instantly began shifting. Metal groaned and clicked as it expanded. Within thirty seconds, it completely morphed into a stark white minivan.

The rig matched the exact footprint of a standard minivan. It sported a rugged white exterior and black vinyl seating.

The front cab only featured a driver and passenger seat, leaving a massive, stripped out cargo bay in the rear.

The two wooden crates from her trike bed now rested neatly in the back.

Stella nodded in approval. At the very least, this thing provided a roof over her head to beat the sun, and the cargo space was a massive improvement.

She checked her new specs.

[Vehicle: Minivan

[Owner: Stella Gibson

[Power: 55/200 [Equip Battery]

[Next Tier: Compact Camper Van. Required Materials: Scrap Metal x120, Rubber x40, Battery x12, Leather x30, Glass x40, Fire Sand x2, Aluminum x10, Plastic x20, Compact Camper Van Blueprint x1. (Insufficient materials. Upgrade unavailable.)]

Excitement bubbled in her chest. 'The next tier is a camper van!'

She had been stressing over where she was going to sleep tonight. A secure camper would be a massive game changer out in the wild.

The material cost for the camper van, however, was absolutely insane in comparison. Stella reviewed the laundry list of parts and frowned.

'The minivan took basically nothing,' she thought. 'Why does a camper van require such a massive jump in loot?

'The scaling makes no sense. Unless the devs intentionally bottlenecked it to force us to grind.'

A sudden system chime snapped her out of her thoughts.

[You are the first player in this sector to upgrade a vehicle. Would you like to broadcast a sector-wide announcement?

[If you choose to broadcast, you will be rewarded with a random blueprint, two fresh Cheeseburgers, two bowls of Hearty Beef Stew, and a Zippo lighter.

[Bonus Rewards: Constitution +1, Agility +1, Strength +1]

Stella froze in her tracks. 'I'm the first one in the entire zone?' she wondered. 'Do other people not have starter perks?

'Are they really that far behind on looting?'

Thinking it over, it checked out. Her Master Scavenger perk was completely broken.

Pulling double loot from crates meant her grind speed left everyone else in the dust, even the other players with decent starting talents.

Weighing her options, she chewed her lower lip. 'To broadcast, or lay low?'

Chapter 4 Bountiful Rewards

Stella glanced at the loot pool. Her hesitation vanished instantly. "Broadcast it," she commanded.

The payoff was just too good to pass up. The raw attribute points alone were priceless.

Grinding stats in this system was notoriously brutal. Getting three flat points for free was a steal.

Plus, she scored a lighter. With a Zippo in her pocket, she could easily spark a fire with twigs and dry brush.

Out in the wild, fire meant survival.

And then there was the food. Hot, fresh, double cheeseburgers were her absolute favorite.

Just the thought of melting cheddar made her mouth water. She hadn't eaten a real hot meal since she got dumped in this wasteland.

Suddenly, the global interface forced itself open, and a bold red banner flashed across the screen.

[Congratulations to player Stella Gibson for successfully upgrading her vehicle! She is the first player in the sector to obtain a Minivan.

[Rewarded with a random blueprint, two fresh Double Cheeseburgers, two bowls of Hearty Beef Stew, and a lighter!

[Bonus Rewards: Constitution +1, Agility +1, Strength +1.]

The global chat instantly lost its collective mind.

[Who the hell is Stella Gibson? How did she level up her ride so fast? Where is she getting all this loot?]

[For real! Upgrading the starter trike takes ten plates of scrap metal, two rubber pieces, a car battery, and glass. How many damn boxes did she pop to hoard all that?]

[Right? The RNG in this game is absolute trash. Every time I crack a crate I get a single rusty pipe. How did she game the system?]

[She's a total sweat. Even with my gold tier talent, I'm nowhere near an upgrade.]

[Honestly, some players are just built different. Stella Gibson, you absolute unit, please let me join your squad! Seriously, are you recruiting?]

[This sun is cooking me alive. I'm so jealous that Stella is sitting in the AC right now!]

[Honestly, the open air trike is way better. It gets great airflow and driving it feels amazing. Minivans are boring soccer mom cars with terrible blind spots.

[I'm not even jealous. Don't say I'm jealous... Damn it, I am so jealous! Why wasn't it me?]

Countless private messages immediately choked Stella's inbox. The server was either drowning in envy, begging for her talent build, or demanding her farming route.

It was all useless static. Stella skimmed a few messages before nuking the entire inbox.

Just as the screen cleared, another notification popped up.

[Upgrading to Minivan unlocks the following features:

[Unlocking Game Inventory (10 slots). Inside the inventory, identical materials can be stacked infinitely.

Placing food and meat inside the inventory extends their shelf life.

[Awarding one Crafting Table. Item bound and placed in the passenger seat.

[Unlocking Dismantle feature. You can use the dismantle function to break down mutant beast carcasses and empty supply crates.]

Her eyes lit up. 'An inventory? A crafting table? A dismantle toggle? Now we're finally getting somewhere.'

She had been annoyed that a system driven world lacked a basic bag function. Lugging bulky wooden boxes around all day was a massive headache.

Now, the quality of life features were finally kicking in.

Stella glanced at her smart watch. A new digital button labeled "Inventory" blinked on the display.

She tapped it. A holographic grid of ten empty slots projected in front of her.

Grabbing a fully loaded supply crate, she tried to shove it into one of the digital squares.

The interface flashed red. [Only empty crates can be stored in the inventory!]

Dropping the crate, she shook her head. 'Well, so much for that exploit.' She hoped to cheese the storage limit, but the system wasn't stupid.

She loaded her bread, bottled water, canned Spam, scrap metal, and glass into the grid, eating up five slots.

After fiddling with the UI, she pulled the glass and metal back out and dumped them into a physical crate in the back of the van.

With only ten digital slots, she needed to hoard them for perishables and emergency gear. Keeping food in the digital void was a no brainer since it paused the spoilage timer.

After a beat, she also stored her wooden club and throwing rocks into the digital slots. They were her only weapons, and she needed them ready to equip at a moment's notice.

Done playing with her inventory, Stella turned her attention to the crafting bench anchored to the passenger seat.

The machine was roughly the size of a microwave, featuring a sleek touch screen on top that displayed two options: [Craft] and [Repair].

Stella tapped [Craft], and the screen flashed. [Please provide a blueprint.]

Frowning, she tapped her chin. 'So I actually need schematics to build anything?

'Wait a second. Didn't that server broadcast promise me a blueprint? Where is it?'

She shelved the thought and pulled the dead viper out of her storage crate.

The cabin was sweltering, and if she didn't process the kill soon, the meat was going to spoil.

[Carcass detected. Initiate dismantle?]

"Do it," Stella commanded.

[Dismantle successful. Acquired: Snake Meat x2. Items have been sent to your inventory.]

[Snake Meat: A savory cut of protein perfect for stews or grilling. Keeps fresh in the inventory for up to 72 hours. Do not let it rot.]

Stella nodded in approval. Finally, she wouldn't have to butcher things by hand.

With the snake processed, she eyed her empty crates. She only needed two to store her junk. The other two were just taking up valuable space.

She hauled one onto the bench. [Empty crate detected. Initiate dismantle?]

"Yes," she answered.

[Dismantle successful. Acquired: Wood Planks x4.

[Wood Planks: Can be used with blueprints to craft wooden items such as tables, chairs, beds, and more.]

Stella spent the next ten minutes organizing her new cargo bay. Just as she finished sweeping out the back, a new alert chimed.

[Rewards have been sent to your temporary inventory. Please retrieve them as soon as possible. The temporary inventory will expire in 12 hours.

[Attributes have been increased. Please check your personal profile!]

'That's actually pretty solid game design,' she noted. 'Putting rewards in a temporary cache prevents them from dropping on the ground if your bags are full.'

Stella immediately claimed all her pending loot.

[Lighter: Essential fire starter. Rare item. Conserve your fuel.]

Gripping the lighter, she flicked the wheel.

Stella struck the lighter, watched the steady orange flame dance for a second, then snapped the metal lid shut. She tossed it into her digital bag.

She didn't need a fire right now. It was time for the main event. The blueprint.

[Random Blueprint: Grants one randomized schematic. Open now?]

"Yes," Stella said.

She stared intently at the glowing digital scroll, wondering what it would spit out. 'A firearm? Tactical gear? A heavy duty bumper?

'My RNG has been carrying me all day, she reasoned. Come on, give me a weapon.'

[Acquired: Raincoat Blueprint!

[Raincoat Blueprint: Binds to crafting bench. Full coverage rain gear designed to block water and retain body heat. Required Materials: Plastic x1.]

Disappointment washed over her. 'A freaking raincoat.

'It is over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit outside. Who the hell needs a raincoat right now?'

Still, it was the only schematic she owned. She figured she might as well test the bench.

Stella booted up the crafting screen, tapped her new blueprint, and a prompt appeared.

[Raincoat: Full coverage rain gear. Blueprint successfully bound to bench. Required Materials: Plastic x1. Craft now?]

Since she was eager to see the bench in action and had four sheets of plastic sitting around, she pulled the trigger.

"Craft it," she commanded.

[Crafting successful. Acquired: Frosted White Raincoat x1. Item sent to inventory.]

Stella materialized the raincoat to inspect it.

The material was a frosted, semi-transparent white, meaning her street clothes would be perfectly visible underneath.

It featured a deep, tactical hood with a wide brim and draped all the way down to her boots.

It definitely lived up to the full coverage description.

Even though it only cost a single sheet of plastic, the material was surprisingly heavy duty. It felt more like an industrial tarp than a cheap slicker.

It was massively oversized, cut generously enough that a three-hundred-pound linebacker could comfortably wear it over his gear.

Stella folded the coat tightly and shoved it into her physical storage crate.

A wet weather item wouldn't do her any good today, so it belonged at the bottom of her stash.

Suddenly, the savory aroma of grilled beef and melted cheddar wafted through the minivan, shattering her focus.

Her stomach gave a violent rumble. The food generated by this brutal game system was surprisingly gourmet.

She was starving. It was time to dig in before her meal got cold.

Chapter 5 Rewards Distributed

Stella hadn't eaten a real meal all day. Famished, she devoured almost an entire box of cheeseburgers, washing them down with half a bowl of beef stew.

Her stomach pooched out against her shirt.

Leaning back with a satisfied sigh, she rubbed her belly. 'Man, that hits the spot.'

She sipped the last of the savory broth and opened the global chat.

Surprisingly, the entire channel was buzzing about food.

[I'm literally starving. It's almost four in the afternoon. I haven't had a single bite, and my stomach is screaming. Who's got grub?]

[Bro, go check out Stella's dropped cheeseburgers. Steaming hot and greasy. Just stare at the picture to curb your hunger.]

[Wait, where are you seeing this?]

[Check the system announcements. I swear the devs are trolling us. They handed out the reward with a high-res photo.

[I can practically smell the grease. I've been craving a burger for hours, man.]

[You're full of it. Holy hell, you really can smell it. How is the graphics engine this good? You can even see the steam coming off the meat.]

[I'd kill for that beef stew. Please, just give me one sip.]

Stella patted her distended belly. A wave of guilt hit her as she took another small spoonful of stew.

'Nope, I'm way too stuffed,' she realized regretfully. 'I need to step outside and walk this off.'

Meanwhile, the food talk completely hijacked the chat.

[Why isn't Stella saying anything?]

[Because she's too busy stuffing her face. Damn it, I'm drooling on my screen. I can't look at this anymore.

[It's making this stale biscuit in my hand taste like literal drywall.]

[You actually found a biscuit?]

[Yeah, feast your eyes on this. Three-Day-Old Rock-Hard Cornbread. The system description is brutally accurate."

[My mind is blown. The crates actually drop garbage like that?]

[Trash developers.]

Stella's eyes widened in surprise. 'Wow, crates can drop spoiled food?'

That poor guy just had terrible luck. Other players started linking their meals. Some chewed on plain bread rolls, and others gnawed on dry saltines.

At least half the server was still starving.

Stella rubbed her stomach again. She really couldn't force down another bite of stew.

She groaned softly. 'Damn it, I lost control again.'

She was a massive foodie, especially when it came to heavy carbs and sweets. Bagels, glazed donuts, pancakes, blueberry muffins, and so on. Once she started eating, she just couldn't hit the brakes.

Thankfully, she had a freakishly fast metabolism. If she didn't, her diet would have turned her into a butterball years ago.

Stella took a slow stroll around her minivan before hopping back into the driver's seat. She opened her private messages.

A familiar name caught her eye. Cameron Wallace. He was the guy choking down the rock-hard cornbread in the global chat. She tapped the message open.

Cameron: [Hey Stella. Do you have any burgers left? I can trade bottled water or materials. Come on, I'm dying for a real bite.]

Stella rubbed her belly and typed back: [What kind of supplies are we talking about? Name them.]

Cameron replied instantly: [I've got scrap metal, bottled water, plastic, firesand, and some other random junk. Basically, I have everything except actual calories.]

The next vehicle upgrade would turn her minivan into a small camper. That schematic demanded a mountain of materials, including both plastic and firesand.

Naturally, she couldn't let Cameron know how desperate she was for those specific items.

He was still driving a starter vehicle and had no clue what the camper upgrade required.

Stella replied casually: [Alright. Sort through your plastic, spark powder, and scrap metal. Let me know the exact numbers, and we'll work something out.]

Cameron asked skeptically: [Wait, are you trading the whole box of burgers for my junk?]

Stella typed back with a smirk: [A box holds eight cheeseburgers. Believe it or not, I can trade them one by one. Or maybe I should just advertise them in the chat instead?[

Cameron: [No, please don't do that.]

A minute later, his defeated message popped up. [Look, I need to hoard my scrap metal for a vehicle upgrade. I only have one spark powder and three pieces of plastic.

[Can that get me a box?]

Stella: [Obviously not. That's barely enough for two burgers.]

She actually felt she was being generous. If he didn't have the firesand, she would have only offered a single burger for that pile of plastic.

Cameron complained: [Man, it hurts giving up this much. These materials might be super rare later.]

Stella: [Then keep them.]

She patted her stomach again, making a quiet resolution. She needed to offload the rest of the second box of burgers.

Otherwise, she would just binge eat them tonight and feel sick all over again.

'What a waste,' she thought regretfully. 'This is a survival game. I need to be smart about calories.'

Stella opened the regional channel and posted an offer. [Trading fresh cheeseburgers for crafting materials. DM me if you're buying.]

Mia: [Oh my god, cheeseburgers. I love burgers. Hey girl, I have some plastic. Can we trade?]

Stella: [Sure. Four plastics for one burger.]

Mia: [Oof, I don't have that much. Can you cut me a deal?]

Gavin: [I have the plastic. Check your messages, Stella.]

Stella opened Gavin's DM.

Gavin: [I've got four pieces of plastic. I'll take one burger.]

Stella: [Done.]

The system finalized the trade instantly.

Stella found Gavin's attitude refreshing. He was incredibly straightforward. He never bothered haggling.

If the price was four plastics, he paid four plastics without a word of complaint.

She had intentionally set the price high to leave room for negotiation, but he just paid the buyout price.

Since the game had just launched, nobody was sitting on massive stockpiles of loot. Trade volume was understandably low.

Aside from Gavin, another player managed to grind her down, finally trading three plastics for a single burger.

Nobody was willing to part with their scrap metal or rubber, since everyone was saving those to upgrade their starter cars.

Mia tried nagging her in private messages, begging for a one to one plastic for burger trade.

Despite all the whining and cute emojis, Stella refused to budge.

Mia eventually gave up.

Cameron simply couldn't fight his cravings. After a grueling haggling session, he traded one spark powder and four plastics for three burgers.

Out of the eight burgers in the box, she had traded away five, leaving three.

Stella fired up the engine and continued driving down the highway, chatting and bartering as she steered.

Eventually, she managed to flip the final three burgers for one piece of leather, two glass panes, and four more plastics.

Most players considered plastic worthless right now, but they guarded their scrap metal and rubber with their lives.

Stella also tried to buy more firesand, but not a single person was selling. She figured the drop rate was just incredibly low at this stage.

She figured the drop rate was just incredibly low at this stage.

Pulling over for a second, she checked her inventory.

She currently held: Bottled Water x9.5, Scrap Metal x2, Rubber x6, Spam x3, Batteries x3, Glass x5, Plastic x15, Beef Stew x1, Lighter x1, Firesand x1, Wood Planks x8, Raincoat x1, Leather x1, and Snake Meat x2.

It was a solid haul, but she was still miles away from the camper upgrade. Even so, she felt pretty good about her progress.

Thanks to her unique skill, every crate she cracked yielded quadruple the normal loot. She was farming materials lightyears faster than anyone else on the server.

Plus, the chat was currently flooded with players crying about thirst and starvation.

Not only was her stomach full, but she had a massive surplus of supplies and had already upgraded her vehicle.

'Not bad at all,' she thought with pride. 'Time to grind for that camper van.'

Stella checked the digital clock on the dashboard. She had been hustling for hours, and it was already past four in the afternoon.

The sun was slowly inching westward.

'Time to hit the road and hunt down more crates,' she decided firmly.

She shifted comfortably in the driver's seat.

The minivan upgrade made a huge difference.

The plush seating was a luxury, and the vehicle specs were now projected onto a sleek digital display on the steering wheel: [Speed Limit: 30 mph; Battery Range: 30 miles / 120 miles].

Stella opened her inventory panel, grabbed three spare batteries, and loaded them into the console.

The display instantly updated: [Speed Limit: 30 mph; Battery Range: 120 miles / 120 miles].

The minivan was significantly faster than her old ride, which meant she could cover more ground and loot more crates before dark.

Stella slammed the gas pedal and peeled out.

She rolled her window halfway down, letting the rushing wind cool the stuffy cabin. Driving down the open road actually felt amazing.

Just ten minutes later, the sky ominously darkened. Heavy black clouds swallowed the sun, and a freezing gust of wind ripped across the asphalt.

With a sudden crack of thunder, a torrential downpour unleashed on the highway.

Icy water sprayed through the open window, hitting Stella's arm.

It was raining.

Chapter 6 Heavy Rain

Stella frantically rolled up the window, sealing the fierce storm outside.

The global chat was losing its collective mind.

[Are you kidding me with this rain? I'm literally naked out here. This is one hell of a cold shower.]

[It's day one. What kind of hardcore survival game is this?

[I just stood in the pouring rain, looked up at the sky in despair, and realized I finally have drinking water. Wait, why does it taste like rotten eggs?]

[Dude, don't drink the rainwater. You're going to get dysentery.]

[God, I am so jealous of Stella right now. She's definitely sitting in a dry, heated minivan watching the storm, while I'm standing in the mud sobbing.]

[Her luck is actually insane. She upgrades to a minivan with a roof right before a massive storm hits. I am losing my mind over here.]

[Why isn't there a weather forecast app? Zero warning. This game is complete garbage.]

Stella's eyes lit up as an idea struck her. 'Perfect, I can sell raincoats,' she thought.

Her raincoat blueprint was permanently bound to her crafting table. It only cost one piece of plastic to craft a single raincoat.

The coats were oversized, incredibly thick, and durable. If a player draped one over an ATV or a small flatbed, it would act like a heavy tarp.

Tied down tight, it would keep them perfectly dry.

However, she only had fifteen pieces of plastic left. That meant she could only craft fifteen raincoats. Adding the one she made earlier, she had a total inventory of sixteen.

In a server of this size, they would sell out in seconds.

She needed to buy raw materials while she sold the finished product.

With the storm raging, time was of the essence. If she waited too long, players would get soaked to the bone, accept their miserable fate, and refuse to spend resources on a coat.

Stella: [Selling Raincoats. Asking price is four plastics. Will also accept three scrap metals, or one plastic and three glass, or one plastic and three rubber. Will also trade for blueprints.]

She purposely kept the prices relatively low. Nobody had deep pockets right now.

If she priced them too high, no one would buy them, especially since a raincoat wasn't technically a life or death necessity.

Gavin shot her a DM almost immediately. His text read as sluggish and weak. [Hey Stella. I'm completely out of plastic. Can I give you three scraps and two glass panes for a raincoat?]

Stella remembered Gavin emptying his plastic reserves for a burger earlier. He was likely telling the truth.

[Deal,] she replied instantly.

The items swapped through the interface.

Something about his tone bothered her. She typed: [Hey, you good? You sound kind of rough.]

Gavin admitted: [I got swarmed by rats and bit by a snake. Multiple puncture wounds. I think they're getting infected.]

Stella read the message but quickly pushed it to the back of her mind. Her inbox was exploding.

The chat channel was a total warzone.

Some players cursed her for price gouging, others beat their chests in despair over their empty inventories.

And the stubborn ones proudly declared they would rather catch pneumonia than give her their hard earned scrap metal.

Stella ignored the noise.

There were a hundred thousand people in this zone. Even if only five percent of them had innate talents or lucky drops, that was still five thousand rich players.

She refused to believe everyone wanted to freeze in the rain.

Plus, players like Gavin, who were bleeding or infected, literally couldn't afford to sit in dirty rainwater.

The storm hammered the roof of her minivan.

Working entirely through private messages, Stella quickly sold eight raincoats to quiet buyers.

Using the plastic she earned from the sales, she kept her crafting table running constantly.

Gamers were a stubborn bunch. The sales trickled in steadily, but it wasn't a frenzy.

Still, her inventory was expanding rapidly, filling up with a massive variety of materials.

Stella was in the zone, flipping coats and raking in resources, but the storm abruptly broke barely thirty minutes later. The rain stopped entirely.

Disappointed, she shut down the crafting table.

Even so, her net worth had skyrocketed in just half an hour.

She checked her updated inventory: Bottled Water x12, Scrap Metal x40, Rubber x16, Spam x6, Bread Rolls x4, Batteries x7, Glass x18, Plastic x23, Beef Stew x1, Lighter x1, Spark Powder x1, Wood Planks x8, Raincoats x5, Leather x5, Snake Meat x2, Saltines x6, Croissants x2, Cinnamon Rolls x3.

The only bummer was that nobody traded her any blueprints.

She stuffed the high volume materials into her personal backpack and shoved the rest into her storage crates.

After spending ten minutes organizing, she realized both wooden crates were packed to the brim.

Stella sat back and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. 'Damn it, I'm out of storage space,' she realized.

She instantly regretted scrapping those empty crates earlier today. 'Who could have predicted I would hoard this much loot in a matter of hours?'

With no other choice, Stella stacked the overflow supplies directly on the minivan's floorboards, shifted into drive, and hit the gas.

She needed to find more crates.

She had only cracked four crates today, meaning her Master Scavenger talent still had active charges left.

Keeping her eyes glued to the desolate shoulders of the highway, Stella drove for another solid hour.

The sun dipped lower, casting long orange shadows across the plains.

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of brown resting deep in the wilderness, far off the asphalt. A crate.

Stella slammed the brakes, threw the door open, and leaped out, sprinting toward the tall grass.

Without warning, a blaring system alarm echoed from the sky.

[Dusk is approaching. Lethal danger is imminent. All players must immediately return to their vehicles and cease driving. Travel may only resume after sunrise.

[The highway is a safe zone tonight. Wishing everyone sweet dreams.]

Stella froze in her tracks. Her survival instincts kicked in. She spun around, bolted back to the minivan, and slammed the heavy door shut, locking it instantly.

The chat channel completely derailed.

[Wait, we have to stop driving? The sun just went down. The weather is perfect for making miles.]

[Mandatory clock out before six? This is insulting to my hustle.]

[So we just park and do what? Stare at the steering wheel and gossip?]

[Bro, we're dehydrated and starving. Nobody has the energy to gossip.]

[Hold up, if we can't drive, we can't hunt crates. Screw that, I'm not stopping. I doubt the devs actually coded anything to kill us. I'm taking my scooter out. Oh god.]

[Help. I'm still out in the woods. My car is a thirty minute walk away. What do I do? No.]

Panic infected the server.

[What the hell just happened? Why did their profile names turn gray?]

Cameron: [They're dead. Look at the sector counter. I just checked the numbers. Dozens of people died in the last two minute.]

Kenneth Hawkins: [No shit, Sherlock. We all have eyes. We can see the death toll dropping.]

Someone screamed: [Trash game. How were we supposed to know we couldn't stay outside after dark?]

Gavin: [Guys, it was literally in the very first system announcement.]

A heavy, terrified silence fell over the chat.

The original announcement was a wall of text. It was painfully obvious that half the server either skimmed it or didn't take the warnings seriously.

Nobody expected the game to be this ruthless.

The server population ticked down, one digit at a time. The victims were mostly players who ventured too far into the wild and couldn't sprint back in time.

Others were just arrogant fools who wanted to grab one last crate.

A grim, depressing vibe settled over the surviving players.

Stella's heart hammered against her ribs. 'Thank god,' she thought in relief. 'Thank god I didn't push my luck.'

She watched the chat closely for the next half hour, analyzing the deaths. She quickly pieced together the mechanics.

First, anyone caught in the wilderness after sunset was instantly shredded by wild beasts.

Second, the monsters could only prowl and roar outside the highway boundaries. The asphalt was an invisible barrier.

Because of this, players sitting on open ATVs were totally safe as long as they stayed on the road.

Basically, as long as you didn't leave the pavement, you wouldn't die.

'Okay, I'm safe. I'm good,' Stella reassured herself.

But she had a serious problem. She had only opened four crates today. Her remaining Master Scavenger charges were going to expire at midnight.

Her only option was to buy unopened crates from other players.

Just as she opened the keyboard to post a bounty, a familiar name popped up in the chat.

It was Gavin.

Gavin: [Does anyone have clean bandages, antibiotic ointment, or painkillers?

[I got bit by rats scavenging a crate, and the wounds are seriously infected. Please, I need help.]

Chapter 7 Healing Bandages and Anti-Diarrhea Capsules

Cameron: [You're screwed, Gavin! With that heavy rain we just had, your wound's gotta be festering.]

"Yeah..." Gavin's voice note sounded weak and strained. "I'm running a fever."

Cameron: [Tough break. Looks like everyone is only pulling scrap metal, bottled water, and food so far. No meds.

[Keep asking around, though. Maybe someone out there has a healing perk.]

Mia: [Buying crates! One water bottle for an unopened crate!]

Cameron: [You haven't maxed out your Master Scavenger skill yet?]

Mia: [I did, but I'm feeling lucky today. Wanna open a few more.]

Cameron: [Funny you mention that. I'm buying too. One loaf of bread for a fresh crate. Any takers?]

Gavin sent another raspy voice message. "I've got unopened crates. Trading for meds."

No one else responded.

People popped crates the second they found them. The dopamine hit of a loot box was just too good to pass up.

Gavin only sold his because his RNG was notoriously garbage.

Stella Gibson opened a private chat with Gavin. [You hungry? I have dinner rolls and Spam. Want some?]

"I... I'm cold. So cold," Gavin shivered audibly over the mic. "Do you have any medical supplies? I have five crates. I'll trade them all!"

"Sorry, I don't," Stella replied, genuinely pitying him.

She furrowed her brow. "Where are you finding all these crates?"

She had bought her first two from him, and now he had five more.

"I went out into the woods," Gavin explained, his voice dipping low. "Found eleven of them stacked under a tree and hauled them all back.

"But man... I opened the first one, and seven giant rats jumped out. Second crate spawned five venomous snakes. Third one was a swarm of toxic centipedes!"

Gavin paused to catch his breath. "I got bit a bunch of times. I'm too scared to touch the rest."

Stella was speechless.

When other people opened crates, they got a single snake or rat at worst. 'Why was Gavin pulling whole nests?' she wondered.

The fact that he was still breathing was a miracle.

Still, he was brutally honest. 'Isn't he worried I would lowball him?' Stella thought. 'He really is just a straightforward guy.'

"Sell me two of them," Stella finally offered. "Bread rolls, Spam, or bottled water, take your pick. If I pull meds, I'll send you some."

Gavin let out a bitter laugh. "Why are you all saying the exact same thing?"

"Huh? Who else?" Stella asked.

"Mia and Cameron," Gavin's voice faded out. "Whatever. I'm gonna die anyway, so these are useless. I'll just give them to you guys.

"You all have better luck. If you hit the jackpot, just spare a pill for me."

[System Notice: Gavin Stone has sent you Unopened Shabby Wooden Crate x2.]

"Two?" Stella asked into the mic.

"Oh, two? Sure, two is fine," Gavin slurred. "Sent the wrong amount, but just keep them."

The fever was definitely cooking his brain.

His last few words were barely a whisper.

Stella asked a few more questions, but only incoherent mumbling came back. He was completely out of it.

Stella accepted the trade. These were no ordinary boxes.

Gavin had found them way too easily, and the sheer concentration of monsters inside was a massive red flag.

After a brief hesitation, her inner loot goblin won out. She pushed her car door open, shoved the two crates onto the dirt, and gripped her only weapon: a wooden club.

She had to open them, or her Master Scavenger perk would go to waste.

If things went sideways, she could just dive back inside and slam the door. No matter how many rats spawned, they couldn't breach the car.

At worst, she would just abandon the loot.

Sitting safely in the driver's seat, she leaned out and nudged the lid open with her club.

Her heart pounded against her ribs. 'What's going to jump out? Rats? Snakes? A whole swarm?'

[Opening Dilapidated Wooden Crate.

[Master Scavenger perk triggered. Loot multiplied by 2x!

[Acquired: Whole Wheat Bread x4 packs, Trail Mix x4 bags, Plastic x4. Items deposited into inventory.]

[Whole Wheat Bread: Eight slices per pack. Delicious, healthy, and highly filling!]

[Trail Mix: 8 oz per bag. A high-energy blend of nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate candy. Staves off hunger and provides essential nutrients.

[The perfect snack for watching the chaos unfold!]

'Awesome! No mutant freaks in this one,' she cheered internally.

Surging with confidence, Stella pried open the second crate.

[Opening Dilapidated Wooden Crate.

[Master Scavenger perk triggered. Loot multiplied by 2x!

[Acquired: Antibiotic Injections x4, Healing Bandages x4, Anti-Diarrhea Capsules x4 bottles. Items deposited into inventory!]

Stella's eyes widened. Her luck was completely busted. She actually pulled medical supplies.

She quickly checked their stats.

[Antibiotic Injection: Reduces inflammation, relieves pain, and breaks fevers. An incredibly rare and essential survival item. You hit the jackpot!]

[Healing Bandage: Stops bleeding and accelerates recovery.]

[Anti-Diarrhea Capsules: Six pills per bottle. Cures diarrhea instantly. Only one pill needed!]

These were absolute lifesavers.

Since the loot went straight into her digital inventory, nothing got ruined by the rain.

Stella quickly dragged the two empty wooden crates into her back seat.

Then, she transferred one bandage and one injection to Gavin.

Minutes ticked by without a reply. He hadn't accepted the trade.

'Did his fever spike so high he passed out?' she wondered.

Stella checked their chat interface. Below the text box were [Voice Call] and [Video Call] buttons.

A voice request would definitely ring on his end.

She tapped the button. The line rang for a full minute before Gavin's exhausted voice answered.

"Stella?" Gavin mumbled.

"Accept the trade," she said flatly. "I got meds."

"What?" Gavin's voice jumped an octave in disbelief. "You actually pulled meds? No rats? No snakes?"

"Just use them," she replied, immediately hanging up.

With all six of her daily crates opened, a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. She took a moment to organize her cabin and review her digital inventory.

Stella's Current Inventory: 12 Bottled Water, 40 Scrap Metal, 16 Rubber, 6 Spam, 4 Dinner Rolls, 7 Batteries, 22 Glass, 23 Plastic, 1 Beef Stew, 1 Lighter, 1 Flint Dust, 8 Wood Planks, 5 Raincoats, 5 Leather, 2 Snake Meat, 6 Crackers, 2 packs of Croissants, 3 bags of Cinnamon Rolls.

And 4 packs of Whole Wheat Bread, 4 bags of Trail Mix, 3 Antibiotic Injections, 3 Healing Bandages, and 4 bottles of Anti-Diarrhea Caps.

Her storage chests were packed full.

It was already 8:00 PM, and Stella wasn't very hungry. She settled for drinking half a bottle of water.

A message popped up from Gavin. [Thank you. I'm cured!]

Stella texted back: [Congrats.]

She ripped open a bag of trail mix, tossed a handful of peanuts and chocolate into her mouth, and munched away while scrolling the world chat.

The channel was popping off tonight.

Jackson Gold: [Starving to death here! Someone have a heart!]

Kenneth Hawkins: [It's been a whole day without a bite to eat or a drop to drink. But I pulled one rubber, two scrap metal, and an insanely rare blueprint.

[I'm one step closer to upgrading my rig. I can hold out. I must hold out!]

Cameron: [You're hardcore, bro. You're not scared of dying from dehydration?]

Kenneth sent an audio clip of loud burping. [Nope! When it was pouring earlier, I chugged a belly full of rainwater. I'm not hungry at all.

[Uh oh. My stomach is cramping. Where am I supposed to take a dump in this car? Emergency!]

Cameron: [Oh god, where did you do it?!]

Gavin: [Don't drink the rainwater! It will wreck your stomach. Everyone take note!]

Cameron: [Wait, Gavin, you're better? Fever is gone?]

Gavin: [Yeah, a good Samaritan hooked me up with some meds. I'm back to a hundred percent!]

Mia: [That's awesome, Gavin! My RNG was garbage. The crate you gave me only dropped a single piece of scrap metal.]

Gavin: [No worries.]

Cameron: [I haven't opened mine yet. I calculated an astrological window. Opening it soon!]

Mia: [Lol, Cameron, you actually use astrology for loot boxes?]

Cameron: [Hell yeah! I cast a chart before every unboxing, down to the second. They don't call me The Oracle for nothing.

[I spent ages crunching the cosmic numbers to pick the perfect time, hoping to pull meds for Gavin. Guess he doesn't need them now. But don't worry,

[Gavin, I'll still split whatever I get with you fifty-fifty!]

"Keep it," Gavin chuckled over a voice note. "I said it was a gift."

A frail voice chimed in next.

It was Kenneth, the guy with diarrhea. "Why won't it stop? I'm gonna crap myself to death! Oh god!"

Cameron said, "You did this to yourself, man. You drank way too much rain. Other people took a few sips and stopped. You treated it like a free buffet!"

"Shut up. I think I see the Grim Reaper waving at me..."

Everyone laughed it off and kept chatting.

Stella glanced at the antibiotic injections and anti-diarrhea pills in her inventory. 'Perfect. Someone is going to need them real soon.

'Kenneth mentioned he had a blueprint. No rush. I'll let him stew a little longer.'

Chapter 8 I Can Hold Out

It was getting late, and stars blanketed the sky.

The highway was dead silent until a sudden chorus of wolf howls pierced the air.

The terrifying roars of unknown beasts mixed in, enough to make anyone's blood run cold.

Panic erupted in the chat channel.

[Oh my god, why are there so many wolves on the sides of the highway? Their eyes are glowing green. It's freaky!]

[Yeah, earlier it was just one or two small critters baring their teeth, and they couldn't even step on the asphalt. Where did this army come from?]

[They still can't step on the road! They just howl, pace around a bit, and back off. Don't panic, guys!]

[How can I not panic? Damn it, those wolves are massive!]

[Wait, they really did just pace around and leave. Thank god. False alarm!]

"Pfft... Oh, god," Kenneth wheezed over audio. "They seem extra pissed off..."

Cameron: [Dude, did your stench aggravate them?]

"What am I supposed to do? It's not like I want to poop myself! Can't they just plug their noses?" Kenneth wailed in agony. "Ah, I'm a goner!

"The Reaper is smiling at me. He says he'll take me away any second now... Guys, he's holding my hand!"

Cameron: [It's not that serious, Kenneth. Just ask if anyone has meds. Gavin got some earlier, so maybe that mystery player has stomach pills too?]

Mia: [Yeah, Kenneth, you've got all those materials. Just trade for some medicine.]

Kenneth: [No! I have to save my mats to upgrade my cargo tricycle. I can't spare a single piece! I can hold out. I can still hold out!]

Stella rolled her eyes in the dark cabin. 'What a stubborn bonehead.'

Since he was so determined to tough it out, she'd let him suffer a bit longer. A few bouts of diarrhea wouldn't kill him instantly.

A little while later, Mia tagged the chat. [Cameron, is it your lucky time yet?]

"The time is now!" Cameron said. "Watch this. Three, two, one, opening the crate... Holy crap! Rats! A massive swarm of rats! Mommy!"

"You pulled a rat swarm too?" Gavin sighed. "Man, I warned you."

"I was so careful!" Cameron yelled, clearly running for his life in the background. "I checked the star charts like three times!"

Mia: [Cameron, who the hell taught you astrology?]

"Self-taught!" Cameron replied. "Ouch! I wasn't fast enough. A rat took a huge chunk out of my calf. Gavin, are the rats venomous?"

Gavin: [The rats should be fine. I got bit by a snake on top of the rat bites, which is why I spiked a fever. Just bandage it up properly, and you should be good.]

The chat channel erupted in laughter as everyone piled on to roast Cameron.

Stella, however, was only keeping tabs on one person. Kenneth.

It had been a while, and Kenneth hadn't typed a word. She wondered if he had completely collapsed from dehydration.

Deciding not to wait any longer, she made her move.

Stella dropped a message into the world chat. [Antibiotic Injections, Healing Bandages, Anti-Diarrhea Capsules in stock. Trading exclusively for blueprints. DM me if interested!]

The topic shifted instantly.

[Holy crap, how does Stella have so many medical supplies? Those are God-tier items!]

[I'm drooling. If it were me, I would've traded those for a mountain of materials to upgrade my rig by now.]

[She probably already upgraded her vehicle, bro.]

[Ugh, so jealous. The rich just get richer.]

[Kenneth! The stomach meds are here! Didn't you say you had a blueprint? Go trade!]

"No. I'm not trading." Kenneth's voice was incredibly feeble. "I can hold out. I can still hold out!"

Stella was utterly speechless.

She received a flood of private messages, but only a few were worth reading. Plenty of people wanted to trade, but their offers were pathetically low.

Expecting to trade one piece of scrap metal, a single bottle of water, or one chunk of plastic for life-saving meds? Yeah, right.

Cameron slid into her DMs. [Boss, save me. Begging for a Healing Bandage.]

Stella texted: [Got a blueprint?]

Cameron: [No. Can I owe you one for later?]

Stella replied firmly: [Absolutely no credit.]

Cameron gritted his teeth. [Fine. I'll figure out a way to get one!]

A short while later, he messaged her again. [Stella, can I trade with other materials? What if I can't find a blueprint?]

Stella: [Then you'll just have to tough it out.]

First he said he'd find a way, then he backtracked. Stella suspected he actually had a blueprint but was just being greedy.

After a moment's thought, she messaged him back. [Oh, by the way. If your wound gets infected, a bandage won't cut it. You'll need an antibiotic injection, too.

[And the injection costs two blueprints. Think it over carefully.]

'Antibiotics are meant for saving lives. If a blueprint isn't top-tier, I wouldn't even consider trading anyway,' she reasoned.

Cameron panicked. [If it gets infected, I have to fork over two blueprints?]

Stella replied coolly: [Three. The bandage still costs one.]

About half an hour later, Cameron sent an audio message, his teeth clearly gnashing. "I have a Charcoal Blueprint. Deal or no deal?"

[Charcoal Blueprint: Can be bound to the crafting table to produce charcoal. Required materials: Wood Plank x1.]

"Deal," she replied.

The trade went through. Stella bound the Charcoal Blueprint to her crafting table and tapped "Craft". A menu popped up showing options for [Raincoat] and [Charcoal].

[Charcoal: Randomly yields either Refined Charcoal or Crude Charcoal. Can be used for fuel or filtration. Required materials: Wood Plank x1. Proceed with crafting?]

"Craft," she confirmed.

[Crafting successful. Acquired: Crude Charcoal x2!]

She casually tossed the charcoal into her storage chest. She didn't need a fire right now, so she'd just stockpile it. It would definitely come in handy later.

It was 10:00 PM. Stella reclined her car seat and kicked back. Kenneth still had a blueprint.

That guy had insane endurance, and there was no telling how long he'd last.

Whatever, she was going to get some sleep first.

Exhaustion washed over her, and she quickly drifted off.

*****

In the middle of the night, a lone wolf's howl jolted Stella awake.

She sat up, stretched her stiff muscles, yawned, and casually opened her messages.

A barrage of texts from Kenneth flooded her screen.

Kenneth: [I can't take it anymore. Stella, can you cut me a deal on that pill? I'll trade 2 scrap metal for it.]

Kenneth: [Ugh, fine. 2 scrap metal and 2 rubber. That has to be enough, right? I really wanted to keep my blueprint.]

Kenneth: [Alright, alright! Take the blueprint! Let's trade!]

Kenneth: [I'm begging you. Are we trading or what?]

Kenneth: [The Reaper is taking my hand. I'm going to the light. Goodbye, my friends!]

Kenneth had finally broken.

Stella replied: [Show me what blueprint you have, and then I'll decide if we have a deal.]

Kenneth: [Oh my god, Stella, you finally replied! Mr. Reaper, go on without me, I've got business to handle. Look, Stella, my blueprint is seriously God-tier.]

[Basic Water Collector Blueprint: Single-use item. Crafts a Basic Water Collector. Cannot be bound to the crafting table. Produces 1 quart of purified water every 12 hours.

[Required materials: Scrap Metal x10, Rubber x2, Glass x2, Charcoal x2.]

Stella nodded to herself in the dark. No wonder Kenneth had been so reluctant to sell it. A water collector was insanely valuable.

A basic one only produced two quarts of purified water a day. It wasn't a massive amount, but it was plenty for one person to survive on.

At the very least, she would never have to worry about dying of thirst.

The required materials weren't too demanding, either. She was only missing the charcoal, which worked out perfectly since she had just learned how to craft it.

She typed back: [Alright, deal.]

She pulled out a single anti-diarrhea pill.

The transaction completed, and Stella acquired the condenser blueprint. She took it to her crafting table.

Since this blueprint couldn't be bound, it meant it was consumed upon use to create exactly one collector.

[Basic Water Collector: Produces 1 quart of purified water every 12 hours! Required materials: Scrap Metal x10, Rubber x2, Glass x2, Charcoal x2, Plastic x2. Proceed with crafting?]

"Yes," she said, pressing the button.

Chapter 9 Ghosts of the Past and the Master Scavenger

[Crafting successful! Item added to inventory.]

Stella pulled the water collector from her inventory and set it in the back of her minivan.

The collector was a compact cylinder, only about a foot and a half tall. A half-gallon plastic jug hung on its right side, fitted with a small spigot.

Drops of water were already trickling into the jug.

Stella figured out the mechanics quickly. Once enough water pooled inside, she just had to turn the tap.

It only held a few drops right now, so she needed to wait.

Luckily, she still had plenty of bottled water left. There was no rush.

The gadget could pull about half a gallon of water from the air every day. That secured her drinking supply, though showering or doing laundry was definitely out of the question.

Letting out a relieved breath, Stella crawled back into the driver's seat and went to sleep.

She slept like a rock until eight the next morning, jolted awake by the system's bright chime.

[The sun is up, and the dangers have dispersed. Hardworking adventurers can hit the road!]

But Stella had other priorities. She immediately pulled up her character panel.

[Personal Info:

[ID: ARA088100000

[Name: Stella Gibson

[Age: 22

[Strength: 11

[Constitution: 11

[Agility: 9

[Class: None

[Skill 1: King of Fortune (I am the baddest in the sector and the strongest in the world. I am the undefeated RNG god!)

[Effects:

[1. Talent Sharing: Randomly share one player's talent within the region daily, with double the effect. (Ready to Use)

[2. Talent Suppression: Designate one player in the region daily to suppress their talent. (Locked)

[3. Talent Plunder: Kill a player to steal their talent for 1 to 3 days. (Locked)

[4. Coming soon...]

Stella smiled, noticing her Constitution, Agility, and Strength had all bumped up by a point. That had to be the reward from yesterday's announcement.

Time to roll for a new skill. She tapped the "Ready to Use" button.

[Activating Talent Sharing!

[You have shared Player ID88002218's skill: Master Scavenger! Double multiplier applied. Your chance of encountering supply crates today is increased by 400 percent!]

Master Scavenger?' she thought, a massive grin spreading across her face. 'That means I'm going to be tripping over loot today.'

She had spotted three crates yesterday, opening two and leaving one behind in the dirt. If the math held up, she could score around twelve crates today.

'That is a massive haul,' she calculated eagerly. 'Twelve crates. I'm going to hit the jackpot today.

'Oh right, I need to grab that leftover crate first.'

Stella hopped out of the minivan and jogged over to the wooden crate sitting in the dirt. She lugged it back and shoved it into her trunk.

She didn't crack it open right away, opting to grab breakfast first.

Pulling out a few slices of whole wheat bread, she chewed quietly while scrolling through the chat channel. The server was already buzzing.

[So what, we're on a farmer's schedule now?]

[I kind of like the routine. But sleeping in my cargo tricycle wrecked my back. Everything hurts.]

[At least you fit in your trike! I'm six foot three. I had to sleep in the dirt. Total nightmare.]

[Why do wolves keep circling my camp? They were literally drooling at me all night. I didn't sleep a wink!]

[Man, I'd kill for Stella's minivan right now. When does my junker trike finally upgrade?]

[Yo, where's Kenneth? Did the dude finally kick the bucket?]

Kenneth: [Still alive and kicking. Caught some solid Zs in my trike. Feeling like a million bucks.]

Mia: [Wait, you're cured?]

Kenneth: [Yep. Stella's anti-diarrhea meds are legit. Popped one pill and the fireworks stopped immediately.]

Cameron: [Did you actually trade a blueprint for it?]

Kenneth: [Yeah, a Basic Water Collector blueprint. I was just missing some charcoal, or I never would have risked chugging rainwater.]

Mia asked, clearly confused: [Then why didn't you just trade for charcoal?]

Kenneth: [Wanted to upgrade my ride first. I was just a few scraps short, so I figured I could tough it out.]

Cameron: [Holy crap, Stella's luck is insane. I literally traded her a charcoal blueprint yesterday. She probably has a working condenser by now.]

Kenneth: [Say what?]

Gavin: [To be fair, none of you could craft those items anyway. I'm betting you have to hit the minivan tier to even unlock a crafting table.]

Kenneth: [That makes total sense. Why didn't I think of that?]

Gavin hit the nail on the head.

His theory sparked a wave of realization, and the chat exploded with excited chatter.

Mia tagged Stella. [Hey Stella. How exactly do you craft stuff with the blueprints?]

Stella typed out a lazy response. [You want to know? What are you offering for the intel?]

Mia: [Wait, seriously? You want me to pay for that? It's literally just one sentence.]

Stella simply closed the chat.

She wasn't in the mood to run a charity.

She wasn't like Gavin, who seemed perfectly happy playing teacher for the entire server.

Despite her innocent, girl-next-door looks, she knew her core was ice-cold.

That was just a byproduct of her past.

Fifteen years ago, when she was barely seven, both her parents vanished without a trace. Her only saving grace was her older siblings.

They were twins, three years older than her, and the three of them were inseparable.

After their parents disappeared, her brother and sister spoiled her rotten, shielding her from the harsh reality of their situation.

Since they were all minors at the time, their father's cousin took them in.

Fourteen years rolled by like that. Then, last year, her siblings were T-boned in a brutal car crash. Both suffered shattered legs and ended up stuck in hospital beds.

But the nightmare didn't end there. The very next day, they vanished into thin air.

By pure, twisted luck, Stella stumbled onto the truth. Her so-called uncle and his son had orchestrated the wreck.

Her siblings had finally come of age and were preparing to claim their parents' massive estate.

Her uncle refused to hand over the fortune. He paid a local fixer to run them off the road, aiming to silence them for good.

Once she knew the score, Stella went on the warpath.

A month ago, she finally seized control of the estate.

She engineered a crash of her own, snapping the legs of both her uncle and his scumbag son before burying them in prison time.

It was poetry in motion. Justice served.

The memory brought a dark, feral edge to her eyes. She sat perfectly still in the driver's seat, staring coldly at the dashboard.

A sudden ding broke the silence. Cameron had sent a private message.

Cameron: [You doing okay?]

Stella took a deep breath to center herself. [What's wrong?]

Cameron: [Nothing major. Just wanted to say don't let the trolls get to you. The internet is full of weirdos. Brush it off.]

Confused, Stella reopened the chat channel. The first thing she saw was a deeply familiar name.

Clyde Gibson: [Don't be idiots. Stella is a vicious, backstabbing snake.

[Don't trust a word she says, and definitely don't trade with her unless you want to get screwed over.]

Stella froze, her heart skipping a beat. 'Clyde Gibson? It's him.'