Chapter Seventeen: Switching to the Battery
Player 13368: Looking back now, choosing the skateboard was definitely the most sensible decision!
Gang Boss: I have a question for the guy using the skateboard—how did you manage to cover fifty kilometers yesterday?
Player 13368: *sob* If I start telling you, it’s a tale of hardship. I walked at least thirty kilometers yesterday, and to comply with the game rules, I even slept hugging my skateboard all night. When I woke up, I found that hunger had been so fierce in the middle of the night that I’d gnawed a huge chunk out of the skateboard.
Player 2365: Hahaha!
Player 12369: Hahaha!
Cola Without Sugar: Hahaha!
Player 369: I can’t laugh—I’m on a bicycle. Chances are, I’ll face the same situation in the future. *sob*
...
Liang Yi flipped through the chat, finding it all useless chatter that only gave her a headache.
She exited the interface and checked her recent game friends and temporary chat windows, but found nothing of value.
Some players using electric vehicles also asked if she had found any charging equipment.
One even sent a message saying he had created a “Survival Charging” group chat, where all members used electric-powered transport.
He stated the first rule: anyone with charging products must share them—on a paid basis, not free.
Reading the group description, Liang Yi felt a slight temptation.
Sharing charging equipment would be extremely helpful.
Moreover, even if she had charging devices, they might break down.
After hesitating for two minutes, she clicked “Agree” to join the group.
@Player 2101: Anyone with batteries? Charging devices?
@Player 2101: Need batteries, need batteries.
...
As soon as Liang Yi joined, over fifty people tagged her simultaneously.
Messages flew by rapidly.
She simply replied with “None,” then exited the group chat and set it to Do Not Disturb.
These people talked too much—better to say less and avoid revealing personal information.
Just as she left, a message caught her eye:
Player 10: I have a battery here. Message me privately if interested.
---
Without delay, Liang Yi sat up straight and clicked into Player 10’s profile, then began typing.
Player 2010: Hello, is the battery still available?
Player 2010: If not sold, could I have it? What do you need? We can discuss details.
She sent the message but received no immediate response.
She stood up and paced in place, breaking off a piece of chocolate and popping it into her mouth to replenish energy.
Three minutes later, Player 10 replied.
Player 10: Hello, the battery is quite large. According to the specs, once fully charged, it can run for a hundred kilometers.
Player 10: Photo attached.
Probably worried she wouldn’t believe him, he sent a photo.
Liang Yi opened it carefully and even asked her game assistant to verify it wasn’t fake. She felt a surge of excitement.
Player 10: If you want it, bring mosquito repellent, two bottles of mineral water, two loaves of bread, and three packs of instant noodles in exchange.
Player 10: No haggling.
He was straightforward about his needs.
Player 1201: Deal.
Seeing the requested items were all things she had, Liang Yi agreed without hesitation.
Player 10: You really have mosquito repellent?
She realized Player 10 must really need it, so she took it from her vehicle, took a photo, and sent it to him.
Once the trade was confirmed, Player 10 quickly completed the transaction.
Before long, the food supplies in front of Liang Yi vanished without a trace.
At the same time, a battery appeared before her eyes.
Eagerly, she picked it up and examined it carefully. It was exactly the same as the photo Player 10 had sent.
Satisfied, Liang Yi opened her vehicle’s seat compartment and began replacing the battery.
However, she soon realized the task wasn’t so simple.
Without proper tools, she had to use a fruit knife as a makeshift instrument, which significantly complicated the process.
---
Since it was her first time changing a battery, she was clumsy and took a long time to finish.
Once the battery was installed, her tricycle’s status updated immediately, showing a brand-new battery capable of traveling a hundred kilometers.
Liang Yi checked the time—it was only a little past three in the afternoon, leaving plenty of time.
With time to spare, she decided to push on for another hour, hoping to find more treasure chests.
After about half an hour, sure enough, a level-two treasure chest appeared along the road.
She quickly stopped her vehicle, hurried over in three strides, and excitedly opened it.
Inside were a pair of ice sleeves, two bottles of mineral water, and a bottle of medicated oil.
Wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, she immediately put on the ice sleeves to fend off mosquitoes.
She stuffed the water and medicated oil into the rear compartment.
“Miss! Miss! Help me, I can’t brake!”
“Miss…”
Just as she was closing the compartment door, a panicked voice came from behind.
Her first instinct was to slam the door shut, then turn to look.
“Ah!”
A man’s agonized scream rang out.
She saw him crash straight into a tree, groaning in pain before collapsing to the ground.
He was likely knocked unconscious at first, lying still for a moment before reaching up to rub his forehead, grimacing.
“Ugh, this hurts like hell!”
With his other hand, he pushed against the ground, struggling to sit up.
At his feet, a self-balancing scooter spun uncontrollably, shedding pieces of its shell onto the ground.
Liang Yi observed the scene, thought for a moment, then briskly walked back to her tricycle.
She inserted the key into the ignition, preparing to start the vehicle and leave.
Helping the fallen man or showing any concern was simply out of the question for her.