The headlights cut through the darkness, and dust swirled in the beam.

Yining gripped the steering wheel tightly, his gaze fixed ahead.

On either side of the road, at regular intervals, a streetlight of exactly the same design appears. A dim, yellowish glow flickers on and off beneath the lampshade, its frequency identical to the others; even the mottled scratches on the lamp posts seem to have been replicated.

It felt as though he were trapped on the same stretch of road, endlessly repeating the same cycle.

Fortunately, the red navigation line on the game map, steadily shortening, reminded him that the vehicle was still heading in the right direction.

【Notification: Player “Zhao Xue” has invited you to join the group chat “Graveyard Discussion Group”】

“Graveyard” is a gaming term specifically referring to areas on the game map where tombstones and graves are concentrated.

Yining, who was driving at the time, heard the alert and instinctively gripped the steering wheel tighter, a chill running down his spine. He couldn’t help but suspect that his home had been burglarized.

How terrifying.

Yining reached over and turned on the car radio. The hoarse melody of an old song flowed out, barely managing to dispel some of the anxiety weighing on his mind.

【“Yining” has joined the “Graveyard Discussion Group,” Members: 14】

【Zhao Xue】: Welcome, new member

【Sip of Meat Porridge】: Welcome.

【What the Hell Are You Talking About】: (23-second voice message)

【Zhao Xue】: Don’t mind the guy above; we can’t kick him out. 

Yining hesitated, then tapped to play the 23-second voice message.

What came through the speaker wasn’t a human voice, but a continuous “hiss” resembling electrical interference, occasionally interspersed with a noise like fingernails scraping against metal.

Crackle… crackle…

He furrowed his brow, rubbed the bridge of his nose, pursed his lips, turned off the voice message, and returned his gaze to the chat screen.

【Exorcist Ah Ying】: Hey, everyone, I got a map from a blind box.

【Sip of Meat Porridge】: Maps have the lowest drop rate! Lower than blueprints and gold items! Bro, I’m borrowing your good luck.

【Professional Grave Robber】: I opened another coffin today, and a vengeful spirit came out. My sanity is plummeting right now. Does anyone have any ghost-exorcism items to sell me?

【Exorcist Ah Ying】: Exorcism talismans—50 points each.

【Professional Grave Robber】: Buy, buy, buy!

It’s really dangerous to check messages while driving.

Yining decided to pull the car over to the side of the road, turn off the engine, and use the lantern’s battery to read the chat.

He wasn’t one of the first to join the group. Judging by the familiar tone of their conversations, it seemed as though they’d known each other for ages and had developed a certain rapport. Yet it had only been seven days.

This wasn’t an online gaming group, but a real world where people could get hurt or even die. If it were him, he’d prefer to discuss many things in private chats rather than openly in such a mixed-bag discussion group.

Yining found the group’s announcement, posted on the 3rd.

【Zhao Xue: Our Graveyard is the least populated of the three regions. Everyone must unite and cooperate—not compete.】 The words seemed sincere, yet they stirred that strange unease deep within Yining once more. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason; it was just a gut feeling. Everyone seemed a little too perfect. 

Yining couldn’t find any further concrete evidence, and this intuition made him wonder if he was being overly sensitive—or if his own mind was simply too dark. It seemed that when shrouded in darkness, people became more cautious and suspicious.

He closed the group chat window, and just then, a private message notification flashed.

【Yunzhou】: The Hunters’ Guild is offering a massive bounty on players in the Graveyard—10 gold per person- and they want them in one piece.

【Yining］：？？？

【Yining】: I’ll pay 10 gold coins—can you spare my life?

【Yunzhou】: Actually, if you really have 10 gold, killing them and looting their bodies would be the smartest move.

【Yunzhou】: The bounty applies to the first thousand Hunter players to reach Level 3.

【Yining】: That’s very valuable intelligence. I should give you a reward. What do you need right now?

【Yunzhou】: If you have any leads on other “anti-contamination” items, please be sure to let me know.

【Yining】: Alright.

Just when one misfortune isn’t enough, another death threat has cropped up. After a moment’s thought, Yining forwarded this message to the “Graveyard Discussion Group.”

【Yining】: The Hunters’ Guild has issued a public bounty on Graveyard players—10 gold per head. Everyone, stay safe.

After sending the message, he didn’t wait to see the group’s reaction. He started the car again and drove into the endless darkness.

As the journey continued, the landscape grew increasingly desolate. Occasionally, he caught glimpses of animal carcasses—some as small as wild rabbits, others as large as deer and sheep—scattered sporadically across the road, their mangled bodies flashing by in the headlights.

He couldn’t tell if it was adding to the eerie atmosphere or stirring up some kind of greed for resources. Yining recalled what an experienced driver had told him in his previous life: when driving through desolate, uninhabited areas, never get out of the car, no matter what you encounter—not even if a gold brick were to actually fall on the road.

The melodious music accompanied Yining for two hours, until a rusty road sign appeared ahead, on which the words “Lamb Town” were faintly discernible.

The destination wasn’t far.

After driving about a kilometer further, lights finally appeared by the roadside. A solitary gas station.

The letters on the sign were faded and incomplete, and the lights seemed dim and lackluster.

Yining slowed down as he approached and saw the price displayed on the pump’s screen:

【Gasoline 10L: 1 Silver Coin】

【Diesel 10L: 1 Silver Coin】

He looked around for a coin slot but found none, so he turned his gaze to the small, lit shop next to the gas station. Behind the window, a figure seemed to be moving.

As he pushed the door open, a mixture of dust, mold, and some indescribable, strange odor hit him in the face, and Yining couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose.

At the same time, a prompt appeared in the game:

【Cassiso George】

【Gender: Male】

【Age: 54】

Behind the counter stood a man wearing a worn brown leather jacket and a baseball cap. From beneath the brim, a pair of cloudy eyes sized up Yining.

“Looking for a pack of cigarettes?”

Cassiso’s voice was hoarse.

“Are you sure it’s a cigarette?”

Yining raised an eyebrow.

“Oh,” Cassiso grinned, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth, “I don’t have any ‘plain’ ones here.” 

“I was mainly wondering, where do I put the coins to fill up outside?”

“Throw it on the ground, or give it to me—either way is fine,” Cassiso replied nonchalantly. Alright.

Yining nodded, his gaze sweeping over the shelves.

They were piled high with dusty canned goods, instant noodles, and a few expired magazines. He picked up a can of beef, examined it, then glanced at a newspaper bearing the headline “Lamb Town Daily,” the latest date clearly printed on the front.

Maybe he could buy a few things for his friend. With that in mind, he silently took a screenshot.

Sure enough, his friends on the list responded enthusiastically, one after another transferring money to Yining according to the prices on the tags.

Seeing that Yining seemed interested in buying, Cassiso bent down and laboriously dragged a heavy metal box from under the counter, setting it down with a clang.

“Come take a look at my treasures,” he said in a low voice, his face breaking into a smile—though in the dim light, the smile looked somewhat twisted. “You’re not allowed to leave without buying something.”

As he finished speaking, the cloudiness in Cassius’s eyes was instantly replaced by a cold, ruthless glint, as if he were ready to pounce the moment Yining dared to refuse.

Yining met his gaze, crouched down calmly, and looked into the box.

If he was planning to make him the fall guy, he wouldn’t mind snapping and taking this old geezer out.

【Can opener, a tool used to open cans.】

【Bottle opener, a tool used to open bottles.】

【Message in a bottle: Typically thrown into the sea to carry messages via ocean currents.】

【Wrench, designed to tighten only one size of screw.】

【Copper wire has good electrical conductivity.】

【Large utility knife, Attack 10, Gold quality, Durability 500.】

A weapon with 10 Attack!

Yining almost thought he was seeing things.

Hidden among this pile of “junk”—the sort an elderly person would be reluctant to throw away—was such a marvelous artifact? It wasn’t like winning the lottery; it was more like finding an imperial green rough gemstone in a scrap heap.

“How much are these items?” Yining steadied his nerves and spoke in a calm tone.

Cassius immediately began enthusiastically describing the items, with prices ranging from 1 silver coin to 10 silver coins.

“If I were to buy the whole lot,” Yining said, looking up, “could you give me a discount?”

Cassiso chuckled, a shrewd gleam flashing in his cloudy eyes: “These are all my old friends—they’re truly priceless. Ten gold coins, no haggling.”

Yining stared at him in silence, his fingers gently tracing the seam of his pants. Oh my…

The thought of murder and robbery flashed through his mind, only to be suppressed by reason.

Finally, he turned, grabbed two cans of beef from a nearby shelf, and pulled out a few newspapers and magazines, stuffing them all haphazardly into the tin box. Then he shoved the box toward Cassiso: “Ten gold coins.”

Cassiso: “……”

Perhaps truly worried about a lose-lose situation, or perhaps feeling the price was just barely acceptable, he still took the cash Yining handed him and began inspecting the gold coins one by one to verify their authenticity.

He examined them closely under the light, tested them with his teeth, and counted them repeatedly, even going over the pile of silver coins again and again.

Yining was indeed one ordinary gold coin short. Not wanting to use his attribute-imbued attack coins, he had no choice but to privately borrow 5 silver coins each from Yunzhou and Fanfan to barely scrape together this hefty sum.

After loading the heavy metal box into the trunk, Yining leaned against the car and used the mail function to send out the purchased goods one by one. Most of the items he had purchased were canned goods.

Canned goods have a long shelf life and are ideal for stockpiling. However, the meat produced by players who raise livestock can’t even last overnight in the current temperatures, and market prices are unstable—some trade for supplies, others for points. Unless they’re snagging a bargain or have an urgent need, most players won’t think to buy it. This situation only applies to the early stages of the game.

Fanfan bought 10 cans of beef and 10 cans of fruit. 

YuYuYu and Yunzhou combined don’t have as much money as Fanfan alone.

By the way, One Cat, Li Bai, and “White Rice”—the girl who sold Yining rice on the first day—each bought two cans of luncheon meat.

Beef cans cost 1 gold coin, fruit cans 5 silver coins, and luncheon meat cans 7 silver coins.

Of course, there’s a fee for running errands. Aside from Fanfan generously waiving his 5 silver coins, the others each paid 1 silver coin. After all that, Yining was left with a measly 5 silver coins. After filling up the car, even those 5 silver coins were gone.

Fortunately, the utility knife with an Attack rating of 10 would genuinely boost Yining’s capabilities.

He used the utility knife to effortlessly slice through stone and glass, just as he would cut through the tape on a shipping box—extreme stats, extreme beauty.

However, both the utility knife and the blood knife suffer from a short attack range, and the utility knife, in particular, lacks the flair for close combat. Instead, it’s better suited for performing surgery on oneself when suffering from a mental illness—at least its blade is thinner than that of the blood knife.

He could cut open his chest to see if his heart is still there or not.

Before leaving the gas station, Yining took one last look at the “Graveyard Discussion Group.” There were already quite a few replies under the warning he had posted earlier.

【Yining】: The Hunters’ Guild has posted a public bounty on Graveyard players—10 gold coins per head. Everyone, stay safe.

【Take a Sip of Meat Porridge】: What?!

【What the Hell Are You Talking About】: (15-second voice message)

【Grave Robber Pro】:?

【Exorcist Ah Ying】: ???

【Zhao Xue】: It’s probably true. Thanks to Big Shot Yining for sharing the intel.

【Zhao Xue】: I’ll share some intel too. My role is Grave Keeper; I can create paper dolls that provide 50% defense. Hit me up if you need them.

【Exorcist Ah Ying】: I’ll share some info too. The map I got shows a lake not far from me—it should be right in the graveyard.

【Heartless】: I’m a hollow puppet. I have a skill slot that can hold flesh, gold coins, gems, and items with special energy.

【Sip of Meat Porridge】: Can the hollow puppet craft anti-contamination items? The first players to explore the Dark Zone will definitely have a huge advantage!

【Wuxin】: You can just loot the natives’ gear. Any native who ventures out must have items that resist contamination and curses.

【Zhao Xue】: What are your thoughts on this, Yining?

【Yining】: Sounds good.

【Sip of Meat Porridge】: You’re so aloof, big shot.

【What on earth are you talking about?】 (61-second audio clip)

Yining sat in the driver’s seat, staring at the enthusiastic, information-sharing messages. The sense of unease in his heart not only failed to dissipate but instead gathered like dark clouds.

He reached for the *Lamb Town Daily* he’d bought at the store and flipped through it by the light of his lantern.

The front-page headline, in bold type, was startling.

【The Number of Monsters Keeps Rising—What Lies Ahead for Humanity?】 A heavy, oppressive atmosphere seemed to pour out from the ink.

Damn it.

Couldn’t there be some kind of auspicious sign?

Yining folded the newspaper and stuffed it, along with the magazines, deep into his travel backpack.

He glanced at the dim lights of the gas station, pressed the accelerator, and drove the car back into the bottomless darkness ahead.