Thanks to Ye Shu’s ample reserves of gas in her spatial storage, the car’s heater hummed on at full strength.
"Phew, this weather is a real nightmare. Pangzi, keep a safe distance from the convoy up ahead," someone grumbled.
Thankfully, the blizzard had ceased. Their vehicle was tall enough that the piles of snow posed no threat to their journey. Otherwise, things would have gotten tricky fast.
Along the way, they passed several other convoys, evidently all headed in the direction of Tibet. From a distance, their caravan of off-roaders left a trail of bold tire marks across the white expanse.
Su Bai gazed out the window, a lollipop dangling from her lips, while Ye Shu, in the passenger seat, dozed with her eyes closed.
Later that night, it was Su Bai’s turn to drive.
After sunset, the temperature plummeted further.
Ye Shu took out a thermometer. Negative twenty-three. At least it wasn’t snowing.
That evening passed without incident.
…
Day nine inside the game.
Minus twenty-five degrees.
Pang Pangzi bundled himself tighter in his down parka. Even with the heater blasting, he wore a hat and scarf, layered socks, and kept his fingers tucked inside his sleeves. Su Bai did the same.
The bitter cold devoured their body heat. Less than an hour after eating, Su Bai’s stomach was already rumbling, yet she dared not take a single extra sip of water—the icy world outside made every bathroom break a major ordeal.
To conserve energy, they minimized movement as much as possible.
Only the soft, steady drone of the heater could be heard inside the car.
They pressed on for another half a day.
The next driving shift fell to Ye Shu.
About a dozen meters ahead, several cars stood immobile across the lone road. Ye Shu had no plans to get involved—she’d rather skirt around—yet with only one route, there was simply no way to avoid them.
The off-roader crawled forward, edging along the far side of the impromptu roadblock.
Just as Ye Shu was about to slip past in peace, heavy stones came crashing from both sides, landing with precision mere steps ahead of their truck.
A raucous group of a dozen burly men surged from the roadside, surrounding the vehicle.
The man in the lead wielded a gun, hidden beneath a dark greatcoat, his face mostly shrouded, leaving only a pair of pitch-black eyes visible.
"Jackpot! I’ve seen a ride like this on TV—worth a fortune!"
"That car’s as good as ours. Tsk."
"Looks tricked out—maybe those inside are players like us. Eyes open, everyone."
"So what? You cowards, there’s a dozen of us, and we picked off a couple of powered freaks just yesterday. Nothing to worry about!"
The leader ignored his subordinates’ swagger, gaze fixed squarely not on Ye Shu, but on her vehicle.
"Ye nüxia, are we… are we being robbed here?" Pang Pangzi muttered, still dazed by the cold, his brain processing events slowly.
He had only one thought: of all the people to mess with—why choose Ye Shu?
She wasn’t just anybody; she was on the top two of the combat leaderboards! She could tear monsters apart with her bare hands, a woman with the presence of an eagle.
"Bang bang!"
Someone rapped impatiently on the window.
Ye Shu lowered the glass, revealing half a pale, fierce face as she eyed them warily. "What do you want?"
"Heh, it’s a woman!" someone snickered.
"Looks like Lady Luck’s smiling on us..."
A burly man, all arrogance and menace, called out through the gap in the window: "Out of the car. This road’s ours now. Want to pass safe? Hand over your supplies."
"Are you coming out on your own, or should we help you out?"
Ye Shu had lost patience—this was hardly her first time being treated as an easy target. Without another word, she cranked the window fully down, pulled an AK-57 fresh from the Survival Store out of her spatial storage, and leveled it at the brute. Her tone was ice-cold: "Move, and I’ll let you live!"
The burly man sneered, unimpressed. "Another player, huh? Shame you’ve only got the one gun, though. When you run out of ammo—"
"Bang—!"
Ye Shu pulled the trigger.
The arrogant thug toppled instantly, a pinprick of crimson blooming on his brow.
"Who says I only have one gun?" Ye Shu fished out a handful of grenades, tossing one from hand to hand, beaming at the stunned leader.
Huang Cheng hesitated, struck dumb.
So she’s a spatial ability user, too?
If he’d known, he’d have tried to recruit her instead of picking a fight. Too late now—and no way she'd accept a truce. Better to… end her. He knew what happened to spatial users: kill them, and all their stored supplies burst out.
He exchanged a look with his closest lieutenants—his intentions clear without a word.
Ye Shu was no fool. A single glance told her everything she needed to know about their intentions. Her smile widened, all teeth.
"Last chance. Move or be moved. Don’t block my way."
The words, soft as mist, quivered through the crowd.
Huang Cheng had no choice but to wave his men over to clear the road.
"Weren’t they here to rob us? Just letting us go like that?" Pang Pangzi asked, petting the fancy dashboard.
But the moment the stones were gone, a series of black objects sailed toward the windshield.