Highway Survival: Unlimited Upgrades, School Beauty Begs for a Ride

Chapter 4: Upgrading Vehicles! Trading Handgun Blueprints?

"Finally, I can upgrade this beat-up car!"

Lin Xuan took a deep breath and immediately brought up the game panel.

[Player: Lin Xuan]

【Number: M-0007】

Vehicle: Wuling Sunshine (Upgradeable)

[Companion: Lin Xiaoxiao]

Current Status: Healthy

Current location: Highway K72 section

[Supplies: 38 bottles of purified water, 20 servings of toast, 20 servings of chicken burgers]

"Upgrade the vehicle!"

He tapped the "Upgradeable" button on the back of the vehicle, and the game panel's feedback immediately echoed in his mind.

[Vehicle upgrade in progress... Estimated time: 10 minutes. The vehicle will be immobile during this time; please ensure you are in a safe location.]

With a series of mechanical vibrations, the entire vehicle began to slowly change.

The previously cramped back seat had become spacious enough that there would be more than enough room for two people to lie down and sleep.

In addition, the vehicle's glass is also much thicker than before.

Lin Xuan tried knocking on it, and it produced a dull, heavy sound.

The car windows have been upgraded to bulletproof glass. They can withstand attacks from ordinary weapons and impacts from low-level mutated creatures.

"A low-level mutated creature?"

Upon hearing this word, Lin Xuan frowned slightly.

He had previously learned from game hints that the roads would be extremely dangerous at night.

At that time, he was still puzzled as to what could possibly appear on the highway at night that would warrant such a serious game notification.

Now it seems that it may be related to this "mutated creature".

If there are low-level mutated creatures, then there must also be high-level mutated creatures, whose power and danger are self-evident.

However, he wasn't worried about anything.

This is only the first day of the game. Even if there are dangers at night, they will certainly only be low-level mutated creatures.

If advanced mutated creatures arrive...

Then everyone should just stop playing and wait to die!

After withdrawing his gaze, Lin Xuan began to scan the rest of the car.

Aside from the space and windows, other parts have also undergone some changes.

For example, the seat cushions are no longer so hard; they are much more comfortable than before.

Besides that, it seems...

Soon, Lin Xuan's gaze fell on the right side of the back seat, where a square metal platform slowly rose up.

At the same time, a crisp notification sound rang in his mind.

"Vehicle upgrade, forging station unlocked!"

Lin Xuan reached out and touched the tabletop, and the system notification immediately sounded.

[Foundry: As long as you have the blueprints, you can forge things on it.]

"With this, we can then craft weapons and tools on it!"

After about ten minutes, the interior of the entire vehicle stopped changing.

At the same time, the system notification sounded again.

[This upgrade is now complete, taking a total of ten minutes!]

"Cool!"

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

He touched the steering wheel, and a comfortable feeling came from his palms.

"Wow! It's genuine leather!"

Just as he was getting ready to fully experience the newly upgraded vehicle, a notification sound came from the center console.

"Ding-dong, you have a new message!"

"Um?"

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on the light blue screen in the center console.

Ever since he posted that message in the public channel offering food in exchange for refined iron, he's been receiving a constant stream of private messages.

However, most of them were just people complaining about being poor and trying to get something for free. He glanced at them and swiped away, not even bothering to reply.

He opened the private chat channel, and the other person's message popped up immediately.

Hello, is it really possible to exchange refined iron for food here?

Ye Ning'er, female!

"Ye Ning'er?"

Upon seeing this name, Lin Xuan frowned.

Before he could even open the input box, a lazy voice came to his ears.

"Hey, Ye Ning'er? Could she be the class beauty from your class?!"

Lin Xuan turned his head and looked at the passenger seat next to him, only to find that Lin Xiaoxiao had woken up at some point and was now tilting her head to look at the screen.

She slowly sat up from her seat and stretched.

Her white short-sleeved shirt clung tightly to her body because she was sleeping, outlining a smooth, curved line.

"There are tons of people with the same name in the world, how would I know!"

Lin Xuan rolled his eyes at her and reached out to push her head back.

"whispering sound!"

Lin Xiaoxiao crossed her arms over her chest, which accentuated her undulating breasts in a breathtaking arc.

She tilted her head, her twin ponytails swaying behind her. "You two are always very close at school, could it be that she has a crush on you?"

"What a load of rubbish."

Lin Xuan stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly reached out and flicked her forehead.

"Ouch!"

Lin Xiaoxiao covered her forehead, shrank back, and her chest heaved.

"What are you doing? It hurts!"

"Speaking of school, it reminds me of something else!"

Lin Xuan withdrew his hand, stroking his chin. "You've been saying at school that we're childhood sweethearts, and I haven't settled the score with you yet!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoxiao's expression changed instantly.

"Tch, do you even know the definition of childhood sweethearts? Actually, siblings can be considered childhood sweethearts too!"

She became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, two faint blushes rising on her fair face. "Whether it's childhood sweetheart, friend, or sister, these identities can coexist. This isn't fallacy; it's an expanded interpretation of meaning!"

Lin Xuan's lips twitched slightly; for a moment, he didn't know how to refute her.

This guy usually likes to read all sorts of strange books; could it be that he's ruined his brain by reading them?

"Aren't you...aren't you ashamed to say that?"

He frowned and asked,

Lin Xiaoxiao rubbed her forehead, a faint smile playing on her lips.

She stared at Lin Xuan, narrowing her eyes, "So embarrassing!"

"Don't admit it so readily!"

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, his face filled with helplessness.

Lin Xiaoxiao chuckled twice, shifted in her seat, and settled into a more comfortable position.

Lin Xuan was too lazy to continue arguing with this "unreliable younger sister."

He took a deep breath to calm himself down and turned his gaze back to the light blue screen in front of him.

He typed out a sentence casually.

How much refined iron do you have?

The message was sent out immediately, and the other party replied with a message right away.

"I...I don't have any refined iron."

Why are you messaging me if you don't have refined iron?

The message he just sent in the full-channel chat was very clear—"Exchange purified water and food for refined iron."

It's written in black and white, not a single punctuation mark is wrong.

Those who come to him without refined iron are either pleading poverty or trying to get something for free.

He had no interest in wasting his time, regardless of the reason.

Just as Lin Xuan was about to close the private chat window, another message came from the other end.

"But I have something else, I don't know if you'd be interested."

Lin Xuan's fingers stopped.

Other things?

He hesitated for half a second, then replied, "What is it?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and the "typing..." indicator flashed at the top of the chat box, as if the other person was hesitating whether to speak.

Finally, the message arrived.

That was a picture.

Lin Xuan clicked on the picture, and when he saw what it showed, his pupils contracted sharply.

pistol!