Chapter 279: Highway Survival 11

His words plunged the chat channel into silence. Then, the person reiterated what he knew.

"The merger of the two game zones began a few days ago. I believed those people, so my vehicle and all my supplies were stolen, and my body was infested with parasites."

After he finished, a photo appeared in the chat channel. It was a picture of a leg, but the truly chilling part was that the leg had several round holes in it. Inside the holes, you could vaguely see white worms.

Many people were startled by the photo and found themselves believing more of what the player had said.

The vehicle was their only shelter in the game. Without it, they would be directly exposed to the beasts that appeared at night.

Not to mention, this person’s body was infested with parasites.

It was clear this person didn’t have long to live.

There’s an old saying that goes, "A dying man’s words are true."

So, upon seeing the photo, people subconsciously chose to believe him.

But the players who had just merged over directly denied it.

"You say we brought these parasites over and that we stole your vehicle and supplies? What proof do you have?"

"Exactly. A game zone that’s down to less than a million players after just one month? What could you possibly have that we’d want?"

The words were dripping with sarcasm, but they laid a fact bare for all to see: compared to the other game zone, theirs had significantly fewer players.

After watching the flame war for a while, she closed the chat channel. ’Looks like I’ll have to be more wary of players I meet from now on.’

After all, the two game zones had now officially merged, and all the players were mixed together. Perry Yates couldn’t tell them apart by appearance.

She didn’t entirely believe the content from the chat channel, but she didn’t entirely disbelieve it either.

’The only thing I can be sure of from that chat is that the photo wasn’t real. It was computer-generated.’

’Their skills were excellent; the photo was almost flawless. But, no matter how good the fake, it can’t escape my ’Eyes of Identification.’’

「Day 18 of the game.」

"Master, I think there’s a rabbit in the grass up ahead."

Today, the doll sitting in the passenger seat, responsible for watching the surroundings, was B.

And sure enough, not long after they hit the road, it had spotted something.

"A rabbit?"

Perry Yates looked in the direction B was pointing and, sure enough, saw a pair of white rabbit ears sticking up from the grass. Through the sparse patch, she could even vaguely make out its form.

’I’ve encountered rabbits before. They’re extremely wary animals with sharp hearing, so they usually notice a vehicle from far away and run off.’

’Even if they don’t run, they’ll check out the situation. But this rabbit hasn’t moved at all. Something’s not right.’

"B, take a few of the others and use the grappling hooks I gave you to drag that rabbit over here."

Because of the parasites, Perry Yates no longer let the little dolls leave the barrier’s range. Even when they found a treasure box, they had to use grappling hooks to pull it inside the barrier before opening it.

Thankfully, the little dolls were incredibly fast learners and quickly mastered how to use the grappling hooks.

After hearing Perry Yates’s words, B nodded. "Okay, I’m on it."

B turned to call the others.

Since there were many dolls, they had learned to cooperate, divide tasks, and work in shifts. The rest of the dolls would be resting or playing.

But before it could do anything, the rabbit in the grass moved.

The rabbit’s movements were incredibly slow as it crawled out of the grass like a turtle, heading toward Perry Yates’s vehicle.

"What a fat rabbit," Perry Yates couldn’t help but remark upon seeing its size.

The rabbit’s body was plump and round, and its head was round too. If it weren’t for its rabbit ears and short tail, one might mistake it for a large, fat cat.

Just then, a black shadow streaked across the sky, diving toward the rabbit on the ground.

The next second, the rabbit was snatched away without any struggle, almost as if it was intentional.

B, who witnessed this, stared with its big, round eyes wide in disbelief.

’Its... its rabbit was gone.’

"Master～"

B looked at Perry Yates, its eyes welling with tears and its face full of grievance.

"Alright, don’t worry about it. It was just a rabbit, no big deal."

Perry Yates opened the trading section and exchanged more food for a batch of fuel.

’Including the fuel I have left, it should be enough to last until the end of the game.’

「Day 19 of the game.」

Early in the morning, Perry Yates’s right eyelid wouldn’t stop twitching, almost like it was cramping.

"Master, is your eye bothering you?" Little Panda asked from the passenger seat.

"It’s not bothering me, but my eyelid keeps twitching. I just have a feeling that a lot is going to happen today," Perry Yates explained patiently.

Hearing this, Little Panda tilted its head in confusion. "What do bad things have to do with a twitching right eyelid?"

"There’s a saying in my hometown: ’A twitching left eye brings wealth, a twitching right eye brings disaster.’ It means if your left eyelid twitches, you’ll get rich, and if your right eyelid twitches, you’ll have bad luck—something bad will happen."

After hearing Perry Yates’s explanation, Little Panda’s eyes went wide. "Really? That’s so amazing! It can even predict good and bad fortune."

"It’s not as amazing as you think. It’s just an old superstition. But sometimes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Tell the other dolls to be extra vigilant today. If they spot anything unusual, tell me immediately. Or you can just deal with it yourselves."

"Okay, I got it." Little Panda nodded vigorously.

Perry Yates’s right eyelid twitched all morning, only gradually stopping around noon.

She reached up and rubbed the right side of her face. After twitching for several hours straight, her face felt like it was about to cramp up.

She pulled the car over to the side of the road.

She wanted to eat hot pot for lunch, but the smell was too strong. She didn’t want it lingering in the vehicle, so she could only eat outside.

’I’ll just treat it as a picnic.’

Although the scenery outside wasn’t much to look at—just a straight, endless road with barren roadsides.

Perry Yates ate her hot pot while thinking about what to do next.

Even though the two game zones had merged, many players still disappeared every day. No one knew what had happened to them.