Chapter 24: A Brand-New Interior Space

Seeing Yu Jiang floor the accelerator and charge forward, showing not only a total disregard for her vehicle’s condition but also a "come on, let’s destroy each other!" attitude, the woman was truly caught off guard. She hadn't expected Yu Jiang to be this ruthless.

The protective cover on a vehicle is a shield, not an invincible barrier; it can be shattered by a collision.

"Lunatic!" the woman cursed. Gritting her teeth, she pulled out an acceleration card and fled without hesitation.

No matter how high the shield and defense stats were, they couldn't withstand the impact of such a massive pickup truck. She only had one health-restoration potion, purchased at a high price, and her losses today were already significant. She couldn't afford to lose everything she had without any guarantee of success.

The woman glared angrily at Yu Jiang’s vehicle. She had capsized in a gutter today, but she hoped she wouldn't run into her again! That bayonet had cost her 500 crystal coins at the service station—it added 10 points to attack and had a chance to deal critical damage. She had spent the rest of her coins on the shield and acceleration card. Now, not even 24 hours after obtaining them, they were all gone! The thought of that knife made her heart ache.

To be a robber and end up getting robbed herself—she wondered if the other person was a fellow professional.

***

Yu Jiang looked at her new weapon and curled her lips in satisfaction. She had taken a liking to this knife the moment she saw it; it was compact, sharp, and the critical hit effect was a delightful surprise. The only regret was not finishing off the opponent, but Yu Jiang refused to dwell on it. You couldn't have everything your way, and accidents happen. Besides, she hadn't lost out in this "dog-eat-dog" encounter. Ordinary players wouldn't have such high-quality weapons or items.

That tricycle had been moving so fast it left a blur; there was no catching it. Fortunately, she hadn't wasted any skills, which would have incurred a cooldown and risked exposing her identity.

Yu Jiang drove past the parallel highway as dusk approached. She had spent a lot of time collecting entries for her encyclopedia, covering only 150 kilometers today.

***

Just then, she received a message from "Purple Is Sure to Work": "Big Boss, the things you wanted are ready. If you have time, take a look and see if they’re okay."

Yu Jiang found a spot to park. After checking the items sent through the trading window and confirming they were correct, she deposited the remaining payment to complete the trade.

Holding the items she had been looking forward to, she excitedly began to set them up. She had to remove the back seats and modify the front passenger seat, cutting out the stopper so the backrest could fold forward. This was a plan she had confirmed after consulting two friends. When a vehicle accelerates and brakes, anything not properly secured becomes a disaster, so well-designed custom fixtures were essential.

She placed a storage cabinet behind the passenger seat, connecting it to the second row. Once she laid down a suitable cushion, it would turn into a sofa. She used storage cabinets to create a bed in the back, topped with a mattress and a four-piece bedding set. With a few small items scavenged to add ambiance, the prototype of a camping camper-van was born. She hung a curtain behind the driver’s seat; when drawn, anyone standing outside wouldn't be able to see into the back.

After working for several hours, Yu Jiang looked at the refreshed space, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment. The cozy, comfortable atmosphere had skyrocketed. The lovely wicker storage boxes, the tactile wooden furniture, and the lace tablecloth weren't useful for survival, but they made her feel better. A comfortable living space gave her more motivation to complete tasks every day. If she could only struggle to stay "alive," it would be too hard to carry on.

She changed out of her damp clothes, indulged in a hot shower, and boiled half a bowl of clear noodles. The condiment gift pack included salt, white pepper, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. She added a bit of everything to the ramen bowl, poured in the broth, and fished out the noodles. While the noodles cooked, she kept a shredded potato wrap nearby to soak up the heat. With the rain pouring outside, Yu Jiang cooked directly in the car using a portable health pot. Beside the bed was a cabinet, its height just below the window, which served as a table.

As the storm raged outside, the warm glow of the camping light filled the car while she finished her dinner.

Yu Jiang scrolled through the public chat for a while. Not long ago, a player named "Yuan" had been begging everyone for help. He was still using a Tier 1 vehicle and hadn't obtained supplies for two days. He was at his breaking point, lacking both materials and medicine, with his health and vitality points down to 10.

Only a few players who specialized in reselling had replied to him. "Sicily" had already crafted basic health potions, but the price was exorbitant. If a player with the "Empty-Handed" debuff bought them, they would be even worse off. Before long, Yuan began cursing in the public chat, and then his nickname turned black—he was gone.

Player 7693: [You are all so cold-blooded. There were only so many resources in the dungeon, and you all took the Wishing Stars, leaving us unable to finish the tasks. The top ten players got so many rewards; please, help everyone out at a critical moment.]

Trash Game: [This storm is so terrifying. I'm cold and hungry on the road alone, I want to go home [crying].]

Aspiring European Emperor: [Yesterday, I couldn't bear it and gave a compressed biscuit and two iron blocks to someone asking for help. I’m not rich myself, just thinking I’d help where I could. But today, they asked me for more! When I said I didn't have any, they mocked me for being a hypocrite. I'm still angry thinking about it!]

Lone Wolf 2009: [You didn't get a Wishing Star because you didn't want one? Everyone fends for themselves; who can you blame for failing the task? I didn't find a single Wishing Star, but I still finished my task.]

Player 1045: [It’s hard enough not getting supplies; can you people who finished the tasks stop being so sarcastic!]

Seeing the argument breaking out, Yu Jiang lost interest and focused on crafting.

She had 5 sets of materials for Intermediate Health Potions; each set could yield 2 potions, but the success rate was only 40%. She had 6 sets for Cold Medicine (60% success rate) and 5 sets for Detox Pills (60% success rate). As her Alchemist level rose, the success rate for Basic Health Potions and Hallucinogens had reached 80%. Similarly, other players were also improving, and as their stats increased, the effectiveness of basic control drugs like hallucinogens would diminish.

In the end, Yu Jiang successfully crafted 5 Intermediate Health Potions, 5 Cold Medicines, 4 Detox Pills, 20 Basic Health Potions, and 8 Hallucinogens.

Yu Jiang took out four Intermediate Health Potions and gave one each to Purple Is Sure to Work, Cold River Lone Shadow, X, and Thunder Magic King. The remaining friends would have to wait for the next batch; she would try her best to craft more before the next dungeon. She had promised Purple Is Sure to Work two, but she didn't have enough on hand right now.

"Take a look—would you like 3 Basic Health Potions, 2 Hallucinogens, or 1 Cold Medicine? You can also choose to wait until I craft more Intermediate Health Potions and Detox Pills next time," Yu Jiang offered.

"Big Boss! You are my one and only Big Boss!!! Can you give me 1 Cold Medicine and 2 Hallucinogens for now? I'll make you a sink cabinet and toss in 5 pairs of cotton socks. When you have more intermediate medicine, we can trade again."

He followed up with, "Do you need custom-sized vehicle floor mats? I can make those too! And boots with +5 defense. The materials for those are harder to find, so it might take a day or two."

As a player specializing in life-skills manufacturing, he knew that the more medicine he had, the better; otherwise, with all his possessions, he’d lose everything the moment he kicked the bucket.