Su Chen glanced at the daily tip from the RV World system:
[ Today is your second day in this world. The temperature is moderate, with ample sunlight, and daytime lasts for six and a half hours ]
Ever since seeing so many careless players nearly get themselves killed on the world chat channel yesterday, Su Chen had been paying extra attention to the game's rules. Not only did he carefully read the daily tips, but he also revisited the driver's manual, which he had previously dismissed as useless, and studied it thoroughly again.
Before heading out, Su Chen opened the world chat channel to see how everyone had fared the day before.
["You won't believe it! Yesterday, some creepy black monster was banging on my RV door. I was terrified! Thankfully, it didn't manage to get in."
"Finally, it's daytime. I really thought I was going to die last night. Looks like the heavens are still watching over me."
"I didn't dare sleep at all last night. I'm sure I'll be a wreck today."
"A new day has begun! Let's get to work, everyone!"]
From the messages, it seemed like most people had gone through similar harrowing experiences. Compared to them, Su Chen felt his life in this world was easier, thanks to the system's guidance. However, he didn't let it go to his head and remained focused on doing his best.
After taking a short break and adjusting his mindset, Su Chen prepared to hit the road. Sitting in the driver's seat, he inserted the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine roared to life, accompanied by a faint vibration, and Su Chen felt a rush of excitement.
As a child, Su Chen had dreamed of becoming a racecar driver. It seemed like such a cool profession.
Although he was still a student enjoying a relatively peaceful life, he always longed for the freedom that came with the open road. Watching boys zipping around on motorcycles back then filled him with envy.
The engine's hum was loud, and the vibrations of the car made his heart race as he started to move.
The RV wasn't particularly fancy, but its saving grace was its automatic transmission, which made driving much easier.
Su Chen drove with utmost concentration, keeping his eyes fixed on the road. In front of him stretched a winding, endless highway. There were no traffic lights, no speed limits—he could go as fast as he wanted, even pushing speeds rivaling those of airplanes, assuming he was an experienced enough driver.
The road was incredibly wide, easily accommodating multiple vehicles side by side, but there were no buildings or structures in sight. The RV itself was probably the only "home" in this desolate world.
Driving along the vast, empty road felt exhilarating, yet its lack of any guidance or direction left Su Chen feeling a bit aimless. No matter how far he drove, he didn't encounter anyone else.
Having spent over a decade in the familiar world of daily school traffic jams, Su Chen found it hard to adapt to this solitude at first.
On the bright side, being the only one on this road meant his progress was likely ahead of others, and it would be a while before he ran into anyone.
Despite the freedom to speed, Su Chen didn't dare go over 100 kilometers per hour. He had only recently obtained his driver's license, and compared to those seasoned drivers with a decade of experience, he still had a long way to go.
After driving for about ten minutes, Su Chen suddenly spotted something on the seemingly endless road—a small dog. Startled, he immediately slammed on the brakes. Thankfully, he didn't mistake the gas pedal for the brake; otherwise, this innocent little creature's life would've been at risk.
Stopping just a meter short of the dog, Su Chen broke into a cold sweat. He quickly got out of the car to check on it.
It was a Shar-Pei, commonly known as a pug, lying on the ground with a pitiful look in its eyes as it gazed up at him.
Su Chen carefully examined the dog for injuries and was relieved to find it unharmed.
"Thank goodness, you're okay," he murmured.
Looking at the little dog, Su Chen found it utterly adorable, its wrinkled face a mix of ugly and cute.
Judging by its appearance, it seemed weak and likely starving. Su Chen took out a piece of dry bread—he wasn't sure if dogs ate bread, but his supplies were limited, and it was all he could offer for now.
He tossed the bread in front of the dog, and its eyes lit up at the sight of food. Within moments, it devoured the bread eagerly.
"Woof! Woof!" The dog wagged its tail, expressing its gratitude to Su Chen.
Feeling sorry for it, Su Chen gave the dog another piece of bread and some water. After eating, the dog seemed to regain some energy and began circling around Su Chen. It then started leading him in a specific direction, as if trying to guide him somewhere.
"Do you know something, little guy?" Su Chen asked, following the dog out of curiosity.
After walking for about ten minutes, Su Chen spotted a large blind box in the distance.
"So that's what you were leading me to!" Su Chen exclaimed, rubbing the dog's head. The dog leaned into his hand, clearly enjoying the attention.
With the dog's friendly guidance and his previous experience opening blind boxes, Su Chen decisively opened it.
[Ding!
Congratulations! You've obtained 10 slices of meat, a dagger blueprint, a danger detector, and a basic bulletproof car window.]
The system's voice sounded again:
[Would the host like to upgrade the inferior meat slices to premium ones?]
Without hesitation, Su Chen chose to upgrade.
[Ding!
Congratulations! You've obtained 100 premium meat slices, each individually packaged.]
Thanks to the system, the meat was neatly packaged, ensuring it wouldn't spoil—a thoughtful touch.
Su Chen looked down at the dog, a smile on his face.
"If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have gotten these premium meat slices. The first piece is your reward!"
He opened a pack and handed it to the dog, who happily gobbled it up.
Su Chen's attention quickly shifted to the other items in the blind box. The system indicated that all of them could be upgraded.
Returning to his RV with the items, Su Chen decided to activate the upgrades.
[Congratulations! The dagger blueprint has been upgraded to a dagger manufacturing mold ]
This meant he could now produce multiple daggers and had mastered the art of dagger crafting.
[Congratulations! The basic bulletproof window has been upgraded to ten perfect-grade bulletproof windows.]
The perfect-grade windows would provide excellent protection against unknown beasts. Since his RV didn't need that many windows, Su Chen planned to put the extras on the trading platform to exchange for other supplies.
[Congratulations! The danger detector has been upgraded to a danger analyzer.]
Unlike the original detector, which only detected threats within one meter, the analyzer had a range of ten meters and could identify the names and aggression levels of nearby creatures, significantly enhancing Su Chen's safety.
Su Chen's eyes lit up. These upgrades were a godsend, especially the danger analyzer, which he couldn't wait to test.
Looking down at the dog, which had been faithfully following him, Su Chen crouched and asked, "Do you want to stay with me?"
The dog tilted its head, seemingly understanding, and nodded enthusiastically.
Su Chen laughed. "Since I met you on my second day here, I'll call you Er Bao. Remember, that's your name now."
Who would've thought he'd gain such a loyal little companion today?
Bringing the items into his RV, Su Chen began examining them carefully. With the upgrades, his chances of survival had significantly improved.
________
A/N: Er Bao means second tresure in Chinese.