Chapter 1: Welcome to the Road Survival Game!
1293 Words
If you want to survive, you must remember the rules of the game!
(1) Each player has a second-hand car as their means of transportation; other supplies must be obtained on their own.
(2) There will be scattered supply boxes along the road; try to collect them as they are key to survival!
(3) The supply boxes contain not only resources but also unknown risks; approach each supply box with
caution.
(4) Dying in any way during the game means true death!
(5) Do not trust other players easily; they may be your allies or they may covet your supplies.
(6) Upgrade your vehicle as much as possible; more equipment can help you withstand greater disasters, and only it can help you reach the finish line.
(7) Driving at night will encounter more dangers; choose wisely.
(8) A disaster will occur every seven days; prepare yourself before it happens. This week’s disaster: two suns.
(9) Close your eyes and silently recite the game interface to gain more information.
(10) The elderly, children, and others who are unsuitable will not participate in this game.
Friendly reminder: A moment's speed does not matter; only those who survive to reach the finish line are the ultimate victors.
Wishing everyone a pleasant game!
...
James Carter frowned as he surveyed the scene before him.
A four-lane asphalt road stretched out ahead.
On either side lay an endless expanse of desert.
The scorching wind whipped up the yellow sand, stinging his face painfully.
The blazing sun hung high in the sky.
The intense sunlight made it difficult to open his eyes, and beads of sweat rolled down his face like marbles.
James Carter rested his hand on the steering wheel, exhaling lightly as he gazed at the apocalyptic landscape outside: “A survival game, huh?”
He had only been nursing a hangover from the night before, and after a car accident, he unexpectedly woke up in this strange game.
At that moment, he was sitting in a dilapidated second-hand car.
The sun visor hung limply above, the dashboard screen was shattered, and the seat cover had a tear, making the entire vehicle look shabby.
James Carter's gaze fell on the fuel gauge.
A line of text appeared.
【Remaining fuel: 200 units, consuming 1 unit per kilometer.】
He turned his head to the side.
On the passenger seat lay a crowbar.
【A rough crowbar, a good helper for opening supply boxes; of course, you can also use it to open other things, like a teammate's head.】
Aside from this crowbar, there was nothing else in the car.
“Ha, it really is all about collecting on your own.”
The urgent task was to understand the game mechanics before considering how to survive.
James Carter closed his eyes and silently recited the game interface.
A light blue interface appeared before him.
The options included: World Channel, Regional Channel, Trading Area, Crafting, and Private Messages.
James Carter first entered the World Channel.
“Can anyone help me? Where is this? The sides of the road are all yellow sand; how do I get out?”
“Is there only a crowbar with you? Do you have anything else? Is there water? I’m about to die of thirst; I can trade the crowbar.”
“I’m starving; can someone give me something to eat?”
Messages scrolled by, and aside from complaints, there wasn’t much useful information.
James Carter noticed a marker next to the send button: Daily speaking limit: 1.
System prompt: World Channel, 1 message per day; for each disaster survived, the daily speaking limit increases by 1. For more chatting, please switch to the Regional Channel.
“Is this to limit players from exchanging information?”
James Carter pondered.
From the information revealed in everyone’s messages, it seemed they were all in the same situation, each with only one car. It appeared that survival would have to rely on oneself.
James Carter shifted his gaze to the Regional Channel.
The interface was similar to a Line group chat, with 5,000 members.
The avatars were all real photos, and the names were all real names.
James Carter quietly observed the screen for a while; the content in the messages was similar to that in the World Channel, filled with trivialities, and no one had set out to explore yet.
James Carter initially wanted to see what others had discovered.
After all, the initial game rules stated that supply boxes contained resources but also posed dangers.
So, it would be best if someone went to test the waters.
However, it seemed no one had set out yet.
Shaking his head, James Carter continued to study the game interface.
The Trading Area was a platform for exchanging supplies, allowing players to trade items without any transaction fees.
However, it was currently empty, with nothing available.
The Crafting Area allowed for the creation of items, but there were no recipes here; players needed to provide blueprints.
And blueprints could only be obtained from supply boxes.
Private Messages were like the inboxes of other games and social platforms, allowing for one-on-one communication.
After exploring all the functions, James Carter exited the game interface.
He now had two choices: either continue to wait here for others to gather information and selflessly share it in the channel, or set out himself to search for supplies.
Choosing the first option was safe; it didn’t require taking any risks, but it would leave his fate in the hands of others.
The second option would involve some risk.
James Carter preferred to take control of his own fate.
Moreover, he had just come out of a hangover, and his stomach was empty, putting him at a natural disadvantage compared to others.
He couldn’t afford to wait.
Furthermore, there was the disaster of two suns in seven days.
If he couldn’t prepare before then, he would die just the same.
“I need to hurry.”
James Carter turned the key and pressed the accelerator.
The second-hand car drove toward the unknown ahead.
Although there were no other cars on the road and no cameras to capture him at any moment, James Carter still kept the speed at 30 mph, his eyes scanning the road for supply boxes.
The scenery on both sides of the road remained unchanged, an endless stretch of yellow sand, as if it would continue to the end of the world.
Waves of heat wrapped in yellow sand blew in, leaving James Carter dry and thirsty.
He rolled up the car window, wanting to turn on the air conditioning to cool down, only to be shocked to find that this broken car didn’t even have air conditioning.
“Stingy!”
James Carter muttered under his breath, cursing the organizers.
Suddenly, a white box in the distance caught James Carter's attention.
A one-foot square wooden box, painted white, was placed in the middle of the road.
“Is this a supply box?”
James Carter slowly stopped the car, grabbed the crowbar from the passenger seat, and cautiously got out, approaching the supply box.
He focused his gaze on the white wooden box, and a line of text appeared.
【Level 1 Supply Box, the most basic supply box, it may contain resources, but there may also be some dangers.】
This was a note from the game.
“Indeed, opportunities and crises coexist; is it time to test my luck?” James Carter thought to himself.
Just then, an electronic synthesized voice rang in his ear.
“Prompt: System binding successful.”
“There is a bottle of mineral water and a whole grain bread in the wooden box ahead; there is no danger, feel free to open it.”
- Writer
