Chapter 287: Highway Survival 19

Meanwhile, after paying the price of one card, Perry Yates had successfully made it through day twenty-two and arrived at day twenty-three of the game.

This time, Perry Yates fused a total of three cards.

While eating breakfast, she habitually opened the chat channel. First, she went to the trading area to see if there were any good items to trade. Then, she opened the general chat channel and her group chat to check for new clues.

’You know, from the start of the game until now, it seems like not a single card has dropped.’

Perry Yates rubbed her chin. Based on her experience from previous games, after killing a few monsters, at least one two-star card would drop. But this time, not a single card had.

However, even though there were no cards, she had collected plenty of items and even some Pet Eggs.

In comparison, whether or not she got any cards didn’t seem all that important.

With that thought, Perry Yates didn’t dwell on the matter.

At this point, the number of people in the group chat had once again dropped by several hundred.

Just then, the system’s mechanical voice suddenly sounded in Perry Yates’s ear.

[DING~ A player has been detected using an item on you. Player Anna Kane’s death has been detected. As the heir she designated before her death, you will inherit her entire estate.]

What the hell?!

Perry Yates’s eyes filled with confusion; she clearly hadn’t processed the system’s message yet.

’Anna Kane is dead? And I’m her sole heir?’

’No matter how you look at it, this is just bizarre.’

’This can’t be a trap, can it?’

As Perry Yates thought this, she recalled what Anna Kane looked like, along with her vehicle that resembled a mobile castle.

If anyone was going to make it to the very end of this game, Perry Yates believed Anna Kane had an excellent chance.

After all, while everyone else was bowing and scraping for resources, she already had the means to raise several pets at once. Not only that, she owned a castle where she grew vegetables and raised chickens, ducks, and geese. She was completely self-sufficient.

Before Perry Yates could think any further, Anna Kane’s inheritance was delivered to her.

Originally, Perry Yates had assumed Anna Kane’s vehicle would be teleported directly to her. Instead, a stack of cards and a few miserable-looking little pets suddenly materialized inside her car, including two fish in a tank.

Perry Yates: ...

"Do you know how your master died?" Perry Yates asked.

The little creatures shook their heads dejectedly. As she had expected, they truly didn’t know.

Seeing this, Perry Yates sighed and didn’t press them further. When it came down to it, she was the one who had benefited from this. Not only had she received a huge inheritance, but she had also gained several new pets.

"Since your master entrusted you to me, you can all live here from now on. If there’s anything you want to eat or drink, just let Little Panda know."

If nothing else, she had more than enough food and drink to go around.

After getting the new pets settled, Perry Yates began to examine the stack of cards. The first one was for the vehicle that resembled a mobile castle.

To her shock, it was a five-star card. From the outside, it looked like a car pulling a house, like a mobile castle. In reality, however, this castle was equipped for both offense and defense, and it was far larger than it appeared from the outside.

’It’s just... of somewhat limited use. I can’t think of anywhere to apply this card outside of this current situation.’

Besides, as good as the card was, Perry Yates still preferred her own little car.

’Oh well, it’s not completely useless. I might be able to use it when I need to Concrete a dungeon.’

After putting that card away, she moved on to the item cards. Their ranks ranged from white to three-star.

’Seeing them, Perry Yates understood. It wasn’t that cards weren’t appearing in this game; they were just appearing in a physical form.’

’It was probably because Anna Kane was dead, and I’m her sole heir, that these items have turned back into cards.’

Perry Yates put the cards away, but not before taking out a portion of them to upgrade her car.

Then there were all sorts of supplies: food, drinks, and fuel. There were also Pet Eggs, various unopened treasure boxes, blueprints, and items that had been crafted from those blueprints.

And last of all was a five-star Character Card.

Ever since getting the Butler, Perry Yates hadn’t obtained a single other Character Card.

[Card Name: The Escapist]

[Rank: Five-Star]

[Card Description: One who has returned from the future to the past, seeking to break free from fate.]

’I don’t really get it.’

Perry Yates looked at the card and the figure depicted on it. The figure’s face was blurry and its features indistinct, but it felt vaguely familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before.

She considered using it right away, but after a moment’s hesitation, she decided against it.

’Once a Character Card is used, the person summoned is unwilling to return to their card form.’

’It’s like someone who just got out of prison; why would they ever want to go back?’

After stowing all the cards away, Perry Yates got back on the road.

Soon, night fell. After opening all the treasure boxes she had found that day, along with the ones from Anna Kane’s inheritance, Perry Yates didn’t go to sleep. Instead, she stood guard, waiting for the night’s black shadow to appear.

Tonight, she decided she would try using an item card.

Since she had never spoken in the group chat, Perry Yates felt that asking about it would only lead to mockery and humiliation. So, she decided to just test it out herself.

After midnight, a familiar, bone-chilling black shadow slowly emerged from the darkness.

As if sensing Perry Yates’s gaze, the black shadow slowly turned, its featureless face pointing toward her. It then raised its right hand and gave a stiff wave, as if in greeting.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Perry Yates flung out the card she had prepared.

The card made contact with the shadow’s body and instantly vanished. The shadow itself dissipated slightly, beginning to turn transparent.

’So item cards do work,’ she thought, ’but they’re not as effective as Skill Cards.’

Perry Yates’s action had thoroughly enraged the black shadow.

For the first time, she heard the shadow’s voice.

It was a sound somewhere between a beast’s roar and an enraged human’s Scream—piercing, grating, and enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

Seeing this, Perry Yates didn’t hesitate and immediately flung out a second card.

The moment the card touched the shadow, both it and the shadow vanished.

At this, Perry Yates finally let out a sigh of relief.

’Looks like I should just use Skill Cards next time. It’ll be more efficient.’

As Perry Yates was thinking this, she turned her head and met two pairs of large, round eyes.

"Aren’t you going to sleep?"

she asked, looking at the goldfish in the tank.