Chapter 281: Highway Survival 13

After walking up to the door and stopping, Perry Yates faintly heard a sound coming from inside. It sounded like crying.

Someone was in there.

Little Lion’s ears twitched. It had also heard the sounds from inside.

"Master, stay back. We’ll protect you."

"No need. There’s no danger inside," Perry Yates said, then lifted her foot and kicked the door wide open.

Perry Yates used so much force that the entire doorframe went flying off.

With the door no longer blocking the way, a foul stench rushed out to meet them.

When she got a clear look at the scene inside, Perry Yates couldn’t help but gasp. Then she viciously cursed, "You animals."

Inside the room were more than a dozen naked women, all tied up. Their hair was a mess, their faces were grimy, and their bodies were covered in all kinds of injuries.

Seeing the door kicked open, the women first flinched. But when they realized the person who had arrived wasn’t the bald man they feared, their once-hopeless eyes erupted with intense hope.

"Help us... please," one of them pleaded in a hoarse voice.

Seeing this, Perry Yates had Little Lion untie the women, then took out some clothes for them to wear.

After everyone was dressed, Perry Yates asked, "How were you all captured?"

At the mention of this, intense hatred flared in the women’s eyes.

From their words, Perry Yates soon learned that they had been tricked.

The bald man had tricked them with the offer of teaming up. Once they let their guard down, he locked them up, abused them, and stole their vehicles and all their supplies.

"Besides you, were there any others?" Perry Yates asked.

"Yes, but they were probably killed by that monster," a woman said. "Not everyone who was tricked by him survived. Most were killed on the spot."

As she spoke, the woman seemed to recall something and couldn’t help but shudder.

"The only reason we’re still alive is because he finds us attractive enough, and he hasn’t gotten tired of us yet. Once he’s had his fun, or finds a better option, we’ll be killed too."

Perry Yates looked at the fear in their eyes; some had even lost the will to live. After a moment of thought, she said, "That bald man is outside right now. I’ve already tied him up. He shouldn’t be dead yet. If you want revenge, you can go."

As she spoke, Perry Yates pointed to a specific room. "That room is full of all sorts of weapons."

Hearing this, the life returned to the women’s previously dead eyes. Then, almost in unison, they all got up and walked toward the room with the weapons.

All traces of their earlier weakness were gone. They moved with a speed as if wind were at their feet, afraid of being a moment too late.

Soon, the sounds of a brutal beating and blood-curdling screams came from outside.

Perry Yates paid no mind to what was happening outside and finished checking the remaining rooms.

The bald man had used some unknown method to shrink other people’s vehicles and store them in a room.

Looking at the room full of vehicles, she saw a terrifying number—dozens of them.

Perry Yates didn’t touch the vehicles. Instead, she collected the Pet Eggs, blueprints, items, and various potions from the remaining rooms. She took out the food she had gathered before and left it behind, but took two-thirds of the fuel.

After doing all this, Perry Yates stepped out of the vehicle.

Outside, the women stood with weapons in hand. Their weapons, hands, clothes, and faces were all stained with blood. Not far from them was a heap of something that could no longer be called human.

The women had beaten the bald man and his two bodyguards into a bloody pulp.

Perry Yates, however, understood their actions. Anyone in their shoes would have wanted to hack the bald man to pieces.

"Your vehicles are in one of the rooms inside. The bald man used some method to shrink them. I don’t know if they can be changed back, but you can try. I also left some supplies for you, which should be enough to get you through for a while."

After speaking, Perry Yates turned to leave.

The women watched her retreating back until she disappeared from sight.

Meanwhile, after getting back on the road, Perry Yates contacted Vera Vance.

"I’ve got some fabric here. I need you to make some dolls for me."

Vera Vance’s reply came quickly:

"I can, but I want half."

"Deal." ’After all, her craftsmanship is one of a kind right now. A monopoly lets you be that demanding.’

Perry Yates agreed readily and sent over some of the fabric.

She had acquired a lot of fabric from the bald man’s stash, but she didn’t send it all at once. She planned to send it over bit by bit.

"By the way, do you have any requests for the dolls’ appearance?" Vera Vance messaged to ask.

"I want them to be fierce beasts and Divine Beasts. Have you ever seen the Divine Beast Classic of Mountains and Seas? Just model them after the creatures in there."

Seeing Perry Yates’s request, Vera Vance was speechless.

"I haven’t read the Classic of Mountains and Seas. I only know a few of the common Divine Beasts. I’ll just improvise."

"Fine."

「Day 20 of the game.」

"Master, the weather’s great today! And there aren’t any bugs."

Little Panda sat in the passenger seat, hugging its fluffy paws and looking up at the azure sky with a chuckle.

Hearing this, Perry Yates glanced at the sky as well. ’This is probably the calm before the storm,’ she thought.

At noon, Perry Yates pulled over. She was planning to explore the areas farther from the road.

Vehicles could only be driven on the road; going off-road would cause wear and tear. Once the wear reached one hundred percent, the vehicle would be destroyed. So, Perry Yates temporarily stored her vehicle in her dimensional space. She then took out the Safe House, had the dolls go inside, and stored the Safe House away again. She only left out a few of the stronger combat dolls like Little Lion, Little Panda, and the tiger.

After all that, Perry Yates took out an electric scooter item. She had Little Lion and the others sit on it while she took the driver’s seat.

’Where do all those wild beasts come from?’ she wondered. ’And what about the treasure boxes? Do they really only spawn on the roadside? Or do they spawn everywhere, but players only ever find the ones by the road because they never leave it?’

Perry Yates had previously sent her spiritual power out to explore, but she never found anything. It was as if there was truly nothing beyond the road.

It seemed to be the first time the dolls had an experience like this. Their big eyes were filled with curiosity and excitement.

"Master, let’s go check that out!" Little Lion said, pointing from its perch on the handlebars toward the massive Stonereach up ahead.

Perry Yates looked around; Stonereach was the only thing that stood out. "Alright, let’s go take a look."