60

The next day in the real world, the players' satiety and cleanliness had already dropped to 20%, and their health value had fallen to 60%.

Those who could hold out this long were already tough players. Many who had points had bought packages to use, while those without any points suffered from hunger, illness, and anxiety all at once.

If they couldn't clear the next round of the game, then death was the only outcome waiting for them.

The forum had been filled with hostility these past two days, but Chu Yian didn't pay much attention. She quietly stayed in her small space, sleeping and exercising, waiting for the next game to begin.

[Current Round: Extreme High Temperature]

[Game Content: Stellar activity abnormalities cause a super-high temperature weather event worldwide on the water-blue planet. Players need to survive safely for 20 days in the game.]

[Starting Funds: 2000 currency units]

[Initial Supplies: ID card, one set of clothes, communication device]

[Current Total Players: 6,100,281,921]

This round only required players to survive safely for 20 days; there was no requirement to escape anywhere.

Chu Yian had just been transported into the game when a wave of heat immediately hit her.

She heard car horns around her and suddenly realized she was standing in the middle of the road.

It was so hot!

She glanced toward a nearby mall and quickly ran there.

The mall's air conditioning was blasting, and the coolness finally brought her some relief.

Meanwhile, electronic devices set up in the mall area were broadcasting the news:

[Due to recent high-temperature weather, this city has recorded two deaths from heatstroke. The city recently issued a high-temperature warning. Outdoor temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. Citizens are advised to take precautions against the heat...]

Chu Yian blew on the cool air while watching the news, but before she could finish reading, the screen switched to a colorful dance show.

She glanced at a nearby employee, then stood up.

The temperature had already passed 40 degrees upon arrival. She wondered just how extreme this round's "extreme high temperature" would get.

She bought two bottles of mineral water inside the mall, then found a restroom and eagerly opened her treasure box.

[A glowing yo-yo that shines in the dark]

[Note: Will be recalled after this game round]

[Item Description: The same item used by the young firepower king, making you shine brightly under the admiring gaze of your peers.]

What firepower king?

What yo-yo?

She was speechless. This round's opening box had a kid's toy inside. She put it back in the box, not even waiting for the game to recall it—she was returning it immediately.

This round's start was a bit unusual—there was no avoiding the fate of working hard to make money.

To make money, she had to sell her treasure box to the pawnbroker.

Despite the 40-degree heat outside, she had to go out under the scorching sun again.

She found a place to pawn gold and sold three thousand worth.

Almost a thousand jin of gold, sold for just three thousand currency units. The pawnbroker was still quite a rip-off, but Chu Yian knew she was in an even worse position, so she said nothing and quickly left.

Having played the game long enough, she had experience. The first thing she did was find a place to live.

This round was about heat, so her first thought was a basement.

Basements were great—warm in winter, cool in summer.

Chu Yian went straight to a real estate agent and told him she wanted a house with a basement. Size didn't matter, but it had to have a basement, and the total rent couldn't exceed 5000 currency units.

That afternoon, they went to look at houses.

The agent was sweating profusely, and Chu Yian was just as hot and sweaty, but none of the houses he showed her were quite right—none matched her ideal.

"Miss, I still have one place in the suburbs that might fit your needs. It's the last one," the agent wiped the sweat from his face and said. "If you don't like this one, then I'm afraid there's nothing else."

Chu Yian nodded.

She decided to check it out. If she still couldn't find her ideal house, she would settle for one of the ones the agent had shown her before.

It was just too hot.

She still had to prepare other things and didn't want to waste too much time on housing.

Chu Yian got in the agent's car and headed to the suburbs.

The location was a bit remote, with few houses nearby, about thirty minutes from the city center.

The house looked obviously self-built, with two floors above ground and a sizable basement below.

The courtyard walls were made of cement bricks, and the gate was a big red iron door.

The house was somewhat old, but compared to metal fences, it was more private and secure.

Once the big gate was closed, no one would know she was inside.

Besides this, there was a river behind the house, with a row of trees along the riverbank.

Not only by the riverbank—there were two large trees in the courtyard, with dense shade making it cooler than other places.

"This house belongs to a couple," the agent explained. "It was only built a few years ago, with all kinds of facilities inside. But they work out of town and won't be back until the New Year, so they want to rent it out."

"If you want a short-term rental for one month, including the agent fee and deposit, the total is 5600 currency units."

"This place will do," Chu Yian said after checking the house and surroundings and listening to the agent's introduction.

They signed the contract and paid.

The agent finally relaxed; this trip wasn't in vain.

"Sir, please wait!" Chu Yian grabbed the agent's car door just as he was about to leave. "Since you're going back to the city center anyway, can you give me a ride?"

Bold as she was, she got a free ride without spending a penny.

Chu Yian successfully hitched a ride back to the city center.

It was already 5 PM.

The sun hadn't set yet, and the weather was still scorching.

She hurried to a rental car shop to check out some spacious and well-performing cars.

But when she was about to rent one, she suddenly realized she didn't have a driver's license!

In this orderly society, driving without a license meant getting silver handcuffs.

No matter how well she could crash a big truck into zombies, drive a tractor, or spin an Aston Martin with one hand, today she could not drive a Chery QQ off the lot.

The only option was a simple "old man's electric tricycle."

But the space in the back of the old man's electric tricycle was too small.

She was already wasting a lot of time traveling between the city and suburbs. If she couldn't carry more stuff in one trip, the next twenty days would be a waste.

Chu Yian shifted her focus from four-wheeled vehicles to three-wheelers.

She found what she needed—a fuel-powered three-wheeler.

Though slower than a car, it was faster than the old man's electric tricycle, and had a large cargo space behind.

The cargo bed was 2 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, and 50 centimeters high, with no roof, so items could be stacked higher.

Chu Yian immediately set her eyes on this vehicle called the Foton Five-Star.