Chapter 278: Road Survival 10

Thinking that she might get more dolls later, Perry Yates decided to accept.

After getting the item, she immediately used it on her vehicle.

The vehicle’s exterior remained unchanged, but the interior instantly expanded several times over. The once-cramped space immediately felt vast and empty again.

Aside from the fifty-one dolls she already had, there was now more than enough room for some furniture.

Perry Yates didn’t do that, though. She simply took out a bed whose size could be adjusted at will for the little dolls to use when they slept.

Perhaps because she was so used to them, Perry Yates hadn’t thought much of it when she only had the animal dolls. But now, with the arrival of the new dolls, she realized just how different the two groups were.

The newly arrived alphabet dolls looked and felt like actual stuffed toys, soft and plush. The animal dolls, on the other hand, looked like they had stepped right out of a 3D animated film.

’It seems the candy’s effect on the dolls is far greater than I imagined.’

The animal dolls shared the candy with the alphabet dolls. The latter, who had been a bit reserved at first, fell in love with the taste instantly and began playing with the others.

Watching their lively antics, Perry Yates couldn’t help but smile dotingly. ’Looks like I’ll have a lot more helpers soon,’ she thought.

"Sigh, what a shame. The dolls are too small. Otherwise, they could drive for me."

As Perry Yates was lost in thought, she happened to glance at the dashboard and noticed the fuel gauge was almost on empty.

’What’s going on? Didn’t I just fill up the tank this morning before we left?’

Then, Perry Yates remembered something.

When she first hit the road, a full tank of gas could last her two or three days. Then, after using a Vehicle Space Expansion Stone, a full tank only lasted for a day. And now...

All right, she knew the reason now.

Although the vehicle’s exterior hadn’t changed, its fuel consumption was likely being calculated based on its internal volume.

The interior of her vehicle was now comparable to a large truck, but it still had the same old gas tank.

She could foresee that refueling would become a frequent task, but luckily, she wasn’t short on fuel.

「On the seventeenth day of the game.」

First thing in the morning, Perry Yates discovered a ring of dead insects outside her barrier. There were all sorts, some she recognized and some she didn’t, in numbers so great it made her skin crawl.

"What’s happening? Where did all these insects come from?"

Perry Yates used her foreknowledge ability, wanting to see what they would be facing next.

The result was a vision of an all-consuming swarm of insects, their piercing drone enough to give anyone goosebumps.

’Looks like I’ll have to keep the barrier up for a while,’ she thought, ’to keep the insects from squeezing into the car through any gaps.’

After hitting the road, Perry Yates could clearly sense the insects. There weren’t many, but their presence was impossible to ignore.

"Master, we got this from a treasure box."

A came over, balancing something that looked like a mosquito coil on its head.

[Insect Repellent Incense: When lit, it repels nearby insects, preventing them from approaching.]

"That’s Insect Repellent Incense," Perry Yates said.

"Insect Repellent Incense?" A blinked its big eyes. "Is this important? A lot of the treasure boxes we opened today had this."

Hearing this, Perry Yates nodded. "Yes, very important."

Hearing her say that, A trotted off. ’Master said it’s important, so we have to collect as much as we can!’

Opening the chat channel, Perry Yates saw that someone in the group chat was pinging @all members.

[@all members, I’ve confirmed that the next disaster we’ll be facing is an insect plague. Everyone be careful. These bugs are dangerous—they’re man-eaters. If you get any Mosquito Repellent Incense from a treasure box, don’t you dare throw it away or sell it. This is life-saving stuff!]

’Looks like there are some genuinely good people in this group after all,’ she thought.

Below the message was a flood of replies thanking the user.

Perry Yates didn’t add to the chorus of thanks, instead switching over to the main world chat.

The player count on the channel had now dropped to less than a million. The death rate was terrifying—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it an apocalypse.

Just then, the system’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears.

[Ding! The player count in this game zone has fallen below the critical threshold. At midnight tonight, this zone will be merged with others. This concludes the announcement.]

’A game zone merge?’

After hearing the system announcement, Perry Yates’s first reaction was, ’Just as I thought. So there are other game zones.’

When night fell, the dolls took charge of dealing with the beasts and insects that appeared nearby.

The beasts were easy enough to handle; they were generally no match for the little dolls. But the insects, while seemingly fragile, were endless in number.

As is well known, many insects are phototactic—it’s a biological instinct that directs their movement toward light.

And as the only source of light in the darkness, one can imagine just how popular her location became.

"Forget it, stop fighting. Let’s get back in the car." Perry Yates called all the little dolls back, packed up the campfire, and switched the Flame Barrier to the Cold Moon Guardian.

Inside the vehicle, the group of little dolls held hands, singing and dancing as if they were at a campfire party. They looked like they were having a great time.

’There’s a reason people love cute things,’ she thought.

When the clock struck midnight, the system’s voice rang out once more.

[Ding! The game zone merger is now underway. Come to the chat channel and meet some new friends!]

Hearing the announcement, Perry Yates opened the chat channel and glanced at the player count. The number, which had been less than a million, had instantly skyrocketed to fifty million.

’That’s... quite a difference.’

[I’m Your Daddy: Oh, look. So few people. Looks like we got a server full of fresh meat.]

[Queen: Tsk, another batch of dead weight. Let’s hope they last a little longer this time.]

[Scholar Wang: Hey now, we’re all friends here. No need to be so harsh. To all the players from the new game zone, if there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to send me a private message! As a beta tester, there’s not a lot I can do, but I have no problem sharing a few survival secrets.]

[Also, I’ll give you one more piece of info for free: you guys—no, *we*—are about to face a massive insect plague. You’d better get ready!]

[A Buck Twenty-Five: What! An insect plague? I’m terrified of bugs!]

Instantly, the chat channel was filled with cries of despair. After all, one or two bugs might be manageable, but with tens of thousands of them, not even King Kong could hold them off.

Just then, a glowing, golden anonymous message suddenly appeared.

[Don’t believe him, everyone! He’s a liar! These people are the ones who brought the insects!]