Chapter 16: Regional Rankings

[Player status restored. You may leave the square on your own. Entering the culvert will return you to your own route (outside the instance, the culvert is the only place on the highway where you can turn back).]

Having just experienced a fierce battle in the instance, no one wanted to linger here, except those trading supplies in person, which carried the risk of exposing information.

Yu Jiang glanced at her health bar on the screen—her health and fatigue had both returned to their previous levels. She quickly got back into the car and pressed the accelerator, driving into the culvert.

The second-place player waited until the crowd had mostly dispersed, then sighed and got into his small truck.

The top player had hidden their presence too well.

Better wait a while and check the overall regional rankings to see where this top player stood.

Thinking of this made him a bit excited.

—

[Player ranked first in the ‘Silent Town’ instance, rewards granted:
Crystal Coins +300, 5 free attribute points,
Crafting Scroll: Thermal Clothing Set,
Survivor Resource Blind Box x1, Material Blind Box x1]

[Player achieved a five-kill streak within one day, earning the achievement ‘Maniac’,
Reward: Poison Needles x3 (causes damage on hit and paralyzes the target for 10 seconds).]

This item is fantastic! No cooldown time.

Yu Jiang didn’t rush to open the blind boxes; she was also waiting for the overall regional ranking.

With tens of thousands of players in a region, she certainly wasn’t the only one with skills, so she wasn’t confident about her rank.

She took out a can of coconut milk oat porridge and ate while waiting.

Outside, the light rain had turned into a moderate drizzle; the wind rustled the weeds, and even without looking at the screen, she could feel it.

The temperature had dropped slightly again.

Around 4:30 PM, a notification appeared:

[Good afternoon, players. The ‘Silent Town’ region rankings have been updated. Please click to view.]

[1st Place: The King Sent Me to Patrol the Mountains (305 points)]
[2nd Place: X (300 points)]
[3rd Place: Holding a Kitchen Knife to Cut Power Lines (250 points)]
...
[9th Place: Just a Bit Weathered (205 points)]
[10th Place: Lonely Shadow on the Cold River (200 points)]

!!!

Originally, she expected to rank somewhere up high but never imagined first place!

Yu Jiang excitedly clicked to claim her rewards.

Intermediate Survivor Resource Box x1, Crystal Coins x200, 5 free attribute points.

A bold red announcement popped up on the public chat:

[Monthly rankings in the region will consider players’ overall wealth, combat power, and mileage. Rewards await those who make the leaderboard! Keep it up, survivors!]

The public chat suddenly became unprecedentedly lively, all stirred up by the leaderboard.

[Holy crap! Are you guys this competitive? I scored 180 points and was first in our instance, thought I might at least rank at the bottom, but what???]

[The 305-point top player was in my match too!!! I thought the gap between me and first place was huge because I’m bad, but turns out it’s ‘The King Sent Me to Patrol the Mountains’! Now I’m relieved.]

[What? Seriously? Does the patrol-mountain player already have a job class and skills? Such a great opportunity and they didn’t even take a friend slot?]

[I wish I knew who the top player was—I would have clung to them long ago.]

*Bang bang bang* [Don’t know who added me, but I was in that match too.]

[The first killer ‘X’ is hidden as well, but I have a guess! Very handsome, really!]

[Come on, strong fighters usually have solid builds, tall and burly, a bit rough around the edges. Real top players don’t care about looks.]

[The nickname and points of the third-place player are quite interesting, haha...]

Yu Jiang glanced at the messages and began to open her blind boxes.

Survivor Resource Blind Box: Outdoor rechargeable camping lantern, car privacy window curtains, blanket, vehicle spray paint x3, electric vehicle level-three component cards x3, food exchange cards x5, 550ml bottled water x5, 6L gasoline, seasoning gift pack, beer x2, cola x2.

Bandages x2 (restores 5 health points on use, with a slow recovery of 5 points over one hour).

Sprain splints x2, medicated plasters x2 (treat fractures and bruises).

Material Blind Box: Carbon black x10, electric wires x10, steel blocks x5, rubber x5, carbon black x5.

Feeling not particularly lucky.

Finally, the highest-level Intermediate Survivor Resource Box:

Simple restroom x1 (includes toilet, sink, showerhead; requires self-supplied water),

Car interior decoration set x1 (increases wealth value upon use),

Car refrigerator x1, single mattress x1, simple car awning, vehicle level-one toolbox x1,

Motor expansion cards x3, solar conversion device x1, steel plates x10, intermediate vehicle repair cards x2, intermediate vehicle upgrade cards x2, team leader qualification card x1.

Seeing all these items, Yu Jiang felt like she was becoming wealthy.

Intermediate vehicle upgrade cards are universal cards that can be exchanged for any required component cards for upgrades on vehicles level six and below.

Intermediate vehicle repair cards are also usable on vehicles level six and below.

Of course, such valuable resources would be a waste if used on low-level vehicles.

—

And a restroom! This can be installed on a vehicle, folded away when not in use, occupying only one inventory slot.

This is incredibly important.

Striving hard in the instance is truly worthwhile! A restroom makes life much better.

Yu Jiang eagerly installed the car interior decoration set and privacy curtains.

The once simple interior instantly transformed into a countryside style, feeling warm and cozy.

Double-layer curtains with lace and off-white floral fabric, refreshed seat covers in green, and two matching flower-shaped throw pillows.

At night, by folding down the front seats and placing the mattress in the middle, the three-wheeled vehicle turned into a comfortable large bed.

Lowering the privacy curtain added a strong sense of security!

With a bit more careful decoration, it could become a fantastic camper.

She stored the car refrigerator and solar device for now—they weren’t needed immediately, as there was little sun and running the fridge would be too extravagant.

Looking at her current vehicle, Yu Jiang was so happy she completely lost track of time.

Night had already fallen, and she prepared to make some food.

She opened the car awning fixed atop the vehicle and set up a foldable small table and chair she’d picked up.

It was just like going camping by car, except she was the only living person on this highway. Darkness spread into the grasslands, punctuated by occasional strange howls.

It felt alright; the sound of rain was the perfect white noise.

Food exchange cards were also great—they could be used to exchange for portable self-heating meals, common meats, vegetables, and noodles.

Yu Jiang used only one card to exchange for fresh 150g beef and five slices of lamb rolls.

She could hardly imagine how delicious it would taste.

She immediately boiled water, intending to use instant noodle seasoning packets as hot pot base.

Adding wild crown daisy she’d foraged by the roadside, and dried mushrooms.

Wild crown daisy was also medicinal; the dried mushrooms were said by the “Thunder King” in the list to be edible and excellent for fried rice.

Since she couldn’t cook, she boiled everything together, adding fresh beef and lamb rolls, instantly whetting her appetite.

Only such delicious food made her feel there was still some joy and hope in the game.

Eating bread and compressed biscuits every day, or at best a self-heating meal, eventually made life feel meaningless.

Yu Jiang had purposely saved some snacks she’d brought onto the highway, untouched—a bottle of fruit tea unopened—intending to eat those civilized-era foods if things ever got unbearable.

Knowing there were food exchange cards made her feel like she could manage again.

With this thought, Yu Jiang opened a bottle of the cola she had just received.