Chapter 2: The Second Cup

Chapter 2: The Second Cup

In the end, He Wuning did not lay a hand on the annoying system.

He got into the car, intending to see what it contained first.

After A City became a "game-affected zone," oil and electricity became major issues, and now it was almost impossible to see cars driving on the roads.

If this car really could run without any fuel, even if the system wasn't particularly useful, having a vehicle of some sort wouldn't be too bad.

That was the only way he could console himself.

He Wuning examined the interior as he climbed into the car. The decor inside was just as extravagant as its exterior, but fortunately, it still functioned well as a vehicle. The back could serve as a small storage space or hold a sleeping bag, which would be much safer than He Wuning's usual outdoor sleeping arrangements.

Q probably feared that if it didn't show off its capabilities soon, He Wuning might mercilessly dispose of it. So, it enthusiastically boasted about the milk tea van's features: "This thing can transform! Look here, press this button, and the window turns into an order counter! Isn't that convenient? Boys can't resist transforming things, right? Like Transformers and Mobile Suits, they're popular on Earth!"

He Wuning looked at it expressionlessly. "There's one problem."

Q: "Meow?"

He Wuning: "Speak normally."

Q: "Hello, dear customer, what's the issue?"

He Wuning: "...I don't have a driver's license."

His gaze shifted to the distance. "And there are no traffic cops here, but if I hit those little monsters..."

Q's eyes softened. Even though its host was temperamental and stubborn, he was still shy. It changed its opinion of He Wuning and spoke more cheerfully: "No worries, I can activate the assist driving feature! If you accidentally hit a monster, it will cause them to be forcibly knocked away and take minor damage!"

"Just a little bit of damage, but something like a Slime probably won't survive a hit. Hitting objects will also reduce the durability of the milk tea van. Repairs require special skills, so it's quite troublesome!"

Its words interrupted He Wuning's attempt to drive. He scoffed in disgust.

Q: "..."

It felt like he had just thought of something dangerous, but it must be a mistake. Its host was actually a gentle and kind child, right?

He Wuning lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "System, open the communication interface."

Q responded immediately: "Sure—sweetie, who do you want to chat with?"

He Wuning stared at it silently for a while. "Just to be sure, the previous mechanical voice is gone for good, right?"

"Hehe, after awakening, all system functions are handled by me..."

Before Q could finish, He Wuning suddenly frowned. "Be quiet."

Q was pressed down by him as He Wuning looked far into the city. Monsters wouldn't actively invade the city, so the urban area was known as the "safe zone." Now, someone was walking out from the safe zone.

They appeared to be a group of teenagers, both boys and girls, holding weapons like pipes and baseball bats. The leader, a blonde guy, had a gun holstered at his waist.

He Wuning narrowed his eyes; he had a gun too.

After confirming that people couldn't evacuate the fog, the authorities placed various survival guides on the forum to improve everyone's chances. These included wilderness survival tips, quick self-defense techniques, and detailed information on monster weaknesses. They also provided weapons to the troops protecting civilians to enhance their survival abilities, including guns.

Of course, these dangerous items weren't given away for free; one needed to contribute, such as revealing specific monster weaknesses or providing food.

He Wuning had obtained his gun by sharing monster intelligence.

He was always part of the pioneering team of free players, able to gather monster information faster than others. He had no interest in keeping secrets and regularly passed the information through intermediaries. Soon, related strategies would appear on the player forum, credited to "intelligence provided by He Wuning."

He wondered how the kid got his gun.

He Wuning glanced over briefly. In the game zone, player levels were public. Most of the teenagers were around level ten before awakening, except for the blonde guy and the girl, who had already awakened. The blonde guy was at a higher level, while the girl was only at level one, clearly having just awakened.

He Wuning found it odd but didn't delve deeper. In a world where everyone needed to fight, even a teenage combat expert wouldn't be surprising.

He just didn't want anyone to spot him, especially with such an embarrassing milk tea van.

On the other side, He Wuning saw the young group, who had also noticed the conspicuous pink milk tea van.

One of the chubby boys nervously asked, "Brother Long, there's someone over there! And that car..."

"Stop staring!" the blonde guy, referred to as "Brother Long," glared at him. "What did I tell you before we came out?"

The girl with glasses answered instinctively, "Suppress your curiosity, ignore strange things, and run away. Whoever looks is an idiot."

Brother Long awkwardly cleared his throat. "Cough, just remember the first part, forget the last bit!"

The girl nodded hesitantly.

They deliberately avoided He Wuning's position and walked in another direction.

He Wuning withdrew his gaze and looked at the somewhat sensible Q. "Find the 'intermediary.'"

Q: "Sending a call request to the 'intermediary.' Please wait."

He Wuning counted to three, and the intermediary indeed picked up promptly. "Brother He—new intel again?"

"No," He Wuning denied quickly.

The intermediary, marked as "intermediary," didn't lose heart and asked enthusiastically, "Ah, then you must need something. Water? Food? Or maybe some special equipment?"

He Wuning tried to keep his tone normal. "None of that. I'm looking for someone. Do you know any mechanics?"

The other end was clearly taken aback, then replied excitedly, "Yes!"

He Wuning emphasized, "Not regular cars, game props. You..."

"There is! We just had a comrade awaken the mechanic ability today, and he was worried about not being able to gain experience in his profession. You called at just the right time! You're truly a great benefactor for creating job opportunities for comrades!"

He Wuning: "…"

This guy's mouth was as smooth as ever; He Wuning didn't even need to respond for him to continue talking.

"Brother He, you got a car in the game? As expected of you! Can I take a look later? Ah, no, it's broken now?"

"It's not broken yet," He Wuning said expressionlessly as he glanced at the steering wheel. "But it will be soon."

"Huh?"

The person on the other end clearly didn't understand what he meant, but Q-jelly's expression was gradually turning to horror.

"I'm at the usual spot. Have him contact me directly when he gets here." After giving these instructions, He Wuning hung up the call and sat in the driver's seat. He turned to Q-jelly and asked, "Which one is the accelerator?"

"Don't you usually ask about the brake first? Wait, let me put on my seatbelt!" Q-jelly loudly protested, immediately flying up and fixing its head to the ceiling like an unattractive car ornament. It then took a deep breath and adopted a resigned stance. "Alright, go ahead. The assist driving mode is already activated."

He Wuning pressed down on the accelerator without any expression, and Q-jelly started screaming as if a switch had been flipped: "Help—slow down, slow down! There's a Slime ahead, a Slime—"

He Wuning ignored its screams and mercilessly drove over it. The Slime was sent flying with a "bang," transforming into a streak of light and dropping items all around.

Q-jelly, still hanging from the ceiling, screamed while dutifully reporting: "Whoa—vehicle durability decreased by 1, total durability 99/100, yah—vehicle durability decreased…"

He Wuning felt that practice indeed made perfect. He seemed to have a natural talent for driving and quickly got the hang of it. He turned the steering wheel, and as his view shifted, he encountered those kids again. They hadn't gone far.

The kids looked as if they had seen a ghost, staring dumbfoundedly at him as he drove recklessly, crushing Slimes left and right.

Q-jelly continued to report while complaining: "I can confirm that you've left a deep psychological scar on a group of children!"

He Wuning didn't want to deal with them and drove away without emotion, leaving them behind.

The group of teenagers was stunned. The chubby kid looked at their leader, "Brother Long, what was that? Didn't we hear that everyone has stopped using cars due to energy shortages?"

Brother Long wanted to say, "How the hell should I know where this lunatic came from," but he couldn't lose face in front of these kids. So he cleared his throat and put on a mysterious demeanor. "Don't ask. It must be someone important. Did you see all that loot on the ground? They didn't even bother picking it up. Go, pick it up."

"Sure thing!" The chubby kid ran halfway before hesitantly looking back. "Brother Long, what if they come back for it?"

"Just give it back if they do. Don't make trouble." Brother Long had no scruples. "Let me tell you, everything I teach you is practical knowledge that will help you survive in this chaotic world. Listen carefully."

"If they want it, tell them you were keeping it safe for them. If they don't want it, it's ours. Go on."

The chubby kid nodded, rushing to collect the loot. As he approached, he realized what it was—everyone knew that Slimes were notorious for filling backpacks with random drops. You never knew what odd items you'd get from killing them.

Even with this knowledge, the chubby kid was stunned when he saw "pearls," "coconut jelly," "boba," and "tea leaves" scattered on the ground.

Was this really dropped by a Slime, or did it fall off that tea truck?

Brother Long, who had never seen such items, scratched his messy yellow hair in frustration. "Could these be exclusive items?"

He couldn't help but click his tongue. Exclusive items were drops specific to players with unique professions, like tailors getting thread and cloth, or herbalists getting various herbs. Given the pile of tea materials and the tea truck…

Brother Long was almost certain this was a player with a unique profession.

"Troublesome. With a unique profession lacking materials, he might come back for them." Brother Long sighed, and the chubby kid's expression suddenly turned to horror: "B-Brother L-Long! B-behind us!"

Brother Long turned abruptly, the words "you stuttering fool" stuck in his throat as a massive shadow loomed overhead. A huge boulder crashed down, engulfing him instantly.

Amidst the panicked screams of the teenagers, dust rose from the once-peaceful grassland.

---

**Author's Note:**

No-responsibility mini-theater:

He Wuning: Driving is actually quite simple.

Q-jelly: What did you say?

He Wuning: Driving is actually quite simple. So what?

Q-jelly: …Whatever you say, darling. Mwah.