2: Chapter 2 features two gold-tier attributes: Daily Resource Blind Box + Monster Ignore!

The blue cursor on his retina pulsed rhythmically.

Chen Chen studied the unconscious Shen Wanbing in his arms.

The ledger of survival in his mind flipped open instantly.

Throw her out of the car, cut off the extra food consumption, and survive solo.

But in this new world where aberrant monsters crawled everywhere, relying on this falling-apart wreck for a lone-wolf start meant his survival rate was infinitely close to zero.

Keep them, get the system affixes.

Two mouths that only ate and did no work were essentially upgraded into walking rule patches.

As long as they could still breathe in the car and provide biological signatures, the Hongyan System could continuously squeeze out resources.

The fingers gripping the door handle quietly relaxed.

Chen Chen looked the woman over.

A high-bridged nose, a taut jawline; even in a coma, she maintained an air of being unapproachable.

"The sandstorm outside is strong. If Jiangcheng's number one financial magnate were to get sick, it would be because I didn't know any better."

He turned around accordingly.

His pace was more than a degree steadier than before.

He placed her properly back onto the old mattress in the back row, grabbed a blanket, and covered up the eye-catching whiteness revealed by her torn neckline.

This was called an early-stage investment.

"Bind Shen Wanbing." He issued the command in his mind.

[Ding! Target locked: Shen Wanbing.]

[Beauty Assessment: 98 points (Top-tier).]

[Identity Determination: Helm of a hundred-billion group (Carries the aura of a superior).]

[Binding successful!]

[Congratulations to the host for extracting the Gold Affix — [Daily Supply Blind Box (Lv.1)]!]

Gold text popped up on the virtual panel.

[Affix Effect: [Daily Supply Blind Box (Lv.1)] — This beauty has an extremely strong wealth-gathering attribute. Every day at 0:00 AM, the system will automatically generate a supply blind box for the host. The blind box will definitely contain the basic survival items most urgently needed for current survival.]

[Current blind box level is Black Iron (upgradable), and it has been issued to the RV storage space.]

Chen Chen reached out and pulled open the overhead storage cabinet.

A square black cardboard box appeared out of thin air.

Opening the package, the contents hit his most urgent survival pain points.

Two 500ml bottles of pure water.

Three packs of high-calorie compressed survival biscuits.

A windproof lighter.

Plus a military tactical knife with a blood groove.

Chen Chen gripped the knife with one hand, the blade pressed firmly against his palm, the honed edge gleaming with a chilling light.

He didn't need to get out of the car and risk his life at dangerous stops; just by relying on this woman's passive attribute to deliver supplies on time every morning, he could secure a huge advantage in the early stages.

A literal vault.

His gaze shifted, locking onto the silver sequined backless evening gown on the outer side of the bed.

"Bind Shen Wanxing."

[Ding! Target locked: Shen Wanxing.]

[Beauty Assessment: 97 points (Top-tier).]

[Identity Determination: National idol (Carries the attention of the masses and fanatical faith).]

[Binding successful!]

[Congratulations to the host for extracting the Gold Affix — [Charm Protection / Monster Ignore (Lv.1)]!]

A second golden light shone.

[Affix Effect: [Charm Protection / Monster Ignore (Lv.1)] — This beauty possesses extreme affinity and deceptiveness. The host will gain the "Monster Blind Spot" effect. At Lv.1, aberrant monsters with a level lower than the host will be completely unable to perceive the host's presence from 3 meters away. Note: Active attacks will break this effect.]

Playing with the knife in his hand, the blade scraped against his thumb.

Monster blind spot.

In this highway survival arena filled with predators, this ability was comparable to physical salvation.

In the future, when passing by abandoned towns or gas stations, as long as he didn't stupidly go and smack a monster on the back of the head, he could completely clear out supply crates as if he were strolling through his own living room.

Scavenging, fighting monsters, running away.

The most life-threatening middle steps were forcibly erased.

Glancing at the two people on the bed, Chen Chen changed his mind.

Before, he saw them as death warrants; now he saw them as two perpetual motion machines that didn't consume fuel.

He had to keep them, and he had to provide for them well.

The system rules were very clear: the deeper the "causal relationship," the more these two low-level affixes could continue to evolve.

His thoughts returned to reality, and he pulled up the personal panel mentioned in the "Survival Manual."

A light screen popped up.

[Name: Chen Chen]

[Race: Human]

[Talent: Unawakened!]

[Status: Healthy (Terminal illness cleared)]

[Sanity: 100/100]

[Physique: 10]

[Agility: 10]

[Perception: 10]

[Charm: 80]

[Spirit: 10]

[Luck: 10]

(Note: The basic average for all stats for an ordinary adult male is 10)

Having just recovered from a serious illness, his body's indicators hadn't collapsed; instead, they exceeded the average baseline for ordinary people.

Especially his Spirit and Perception, which were surprisingly sharp.

He shifted his gaze to the console and opened the vehicle attributes.

[Vehicle: Dilapidated Class C RV (Lv.0)]

[Defense: 25 (Thin sheet metal, advised not to hit hard objects)]

[Magic Resistance: 0 (Cannot defend against the screeching attacks of unknown monsters)]

[Durability: 42/100 (Risk of breakdown)]

[Tonnage: 3.5 tons]

[Rear Space: 30 cubic meters]

[Fuel: 2L/80L (Extremely scarce)]

[External Equipment: None]

The fuel gauge needle was stuck stubbornly on the red line representing scarcity, and Chen Chen felt his brain nerves tugging back and forth along with that red line.

Two liters of fuel remaining.

This piece of junk hissed with air leaks whenever he stepped on the gas, and with a fuel consumption starting at twelve or thirteen liters per hundred kilometers, it would break down completely after at most ten or so kilometers.

It didn't even give a beginner's protection period at the start.

Having an invisibility cheat and a supply blind box all had to be built on the foundation that the car could outrun that black fog behind them.

If the car stopped, they would be fed to the fog.

The first stop had to be a service area to find diesel and modification materials.

He needed to replace this thin sheet metal that would break at a poke, and the fuel tank also needed to be expanded.

He shoved the water and biscuits into the storage slot next to the driver's seat, sat down, and grasped the rusty car key inserted in the lock.

He turned it hard.

"Cough—cough cough—"

The old diesel engine erupted with a severe metallic wheezing, and after a violent dry heave in the cylinders, accompanied by a large cloud of black smoke spewing from the exhaust pipe, the engine finally managed to start.

The red countdown on the dashboard jumped to 52 minutes and 00 seconds.

Chen Chen floored the gas pedal, straightened the steering wheel, and as the tires kicked up rough gravel, the RV officially shot onto that straight, grayish-white road.

Just at this moment, the rustling sound of fabric rubbing came from the back of the carriage.

Chen Chen glanced in the rearview mirror.

On the mattress, Shen Wanbing's slender fingers curled twice, and then her eyes snapped open.

There was no confusion typical of someone just waking up; the professional discipline from years of managing a hundred-billion group made her tense her nerves immediately.

She maintained her side-lying position without moving much, her eyes darting around, her gaze sweeping over the rusted sheet metal walls and the drafty ventilation fan overhead, finally settling on her own collar, which had been covered back up.

Someone had touched her.

A soft, nasal groan followed from beside her.

Shen Wanxing propped herself up on her elbows and sat up.

The thin straps of her silver evening gown slipped down her rounded shoulders to her elbows, exposing a large expanse of snow-white shoulders and neck to the air without reservation.

She raised her hand to rub her sore neck and turned her head.

The two sisters' gazes collided physically within a distance of less than half a meter.

An extreme sense of displacement.

One wore high-end business attire, her black stockings torn; the other wore a backless gown, her hair bun disheveled.

The two sisters, who usually reigned supreme in Jiangcheng's business and entertainment worlds respectively, and who rarely even managed to eat at the same table during the New Year...

Were now huddled together on this dilapidated double bed.

Shen Wanxing opened her mouth, the word "Sister" still stuck in her throat, but Shen Wanbing had already shifted her gaze first, looking toward the very front of the carriage.

Following her gaze, Shen Wanxing looked over as well.

At the end of the narrow aisle, a young man sat in the driver's seat.

One hand was on the steering wheel, while the other held a pitch-black military tactical knife, the blade flipping between his fingers.

The rearview mirror reflected most of the man's face, his features cold and hard, his eyes showing a sense of indifference as if nothing mattered.

Shen Wanxing instinctively shrank back half an inch, pulling up the edge of the blanket to cover her chest.

The air pressure inside the car plummeted.

Shen Wanbing, however, didn't move at all; she restrainedly pulled her torn neckline together, not even giving an unnecessary expression of terror.

The habits of someone in a high position for years allowed her to still try to regain the right to speak in such an extremely passive situation.

"Who are you? Are you seeking money or fame?"

Shen Wanbing's voice was cold and articulate, maintaining the standard posture of a negotiation table,

"Name your price. Drive this car back to downtown Jiangcheng, and I guarantee you will get the number you want, and I will not hold you responsible for the kidnapping."

Shen Wanxing swallowed, using that set of skills for dealing with the media to ease the atmosphere:

"Sir, if you are a fan of mine, I can sign autographs or take photos. If you are seeking money, I can cooperate as well."

Chen Chen tapped the steering wheel with the back of the knife, making a crisp "clink-clink" sound.

He tilted his head and gestured outside the car window with the knife in his hand.

"Talking about money is too hurtful to our relationship. Besides, your current savings might not even be enough to trade for a cup of instant noodles."

The Gobi Desert outside was desolate, and the horizon behind them was completely swallowed by a towering wall of black fog, which was pressing in at a constant speed.

"I didn't kidnap you."

"It's this godforsaken world outside."

"Welcome to the National Highway Survival Game."