43: Chapter 43 I must take good care of my daughter and keep her alive...

Time rewinds to half an hour ago.

On the outskirts of Atlantis, in a relatively hidden street of ruins.

A common minivan painted red was cautiously navigating through the debris and rubble.

In the driver's seat, Wang Jian was drenched in sweat, gripping the steering wheel nervously.

Ever since entering this new map, he had deeply felt the true meaning of despair.

Monsters everywhere, contaminated supplies, and red-named players from other sectors who could strike from the shadows at any moment.

He was just an ordinary man; he had survived until now solely by luck and the legacy left behind by the great Lu Yuan.

"Hubby, look under those ruins over there. Is something glowing?"

In the passenger seat, his wife, Li Na, suddenly pointed to a tilted stone slab nearby and whispered in surprise.

Wang Jian looked in that direction, his heart skipping a beat.

In the shadow of the stone slab lay a shimmering Silver Treasure Chest!

He quickly slammed on the brakes, grabbed a rusty iron crowbar, slipped out of the car like a thief, and ran to the chest.

After confirming there were no monsters around, Wang Jian forced the crowbar into the gap of the chest and pressed down hard.

There was a crisp "click."

The moment the chest opened, there was no expected silver glow.

Instead, a dazzling purple-gold brilliance burst forth!

The light shot into the sky, illuminating the dim street.

Wang Jian was completely stunned, his breath hitching in that moment.

At the bottom of the chest lay a crystal core emitting a faint purple light.

[Epic Vehicle Power Core (Contaminated)]!

In this survival game, even when opening the highest-level Gold Treasure Chests, the probability of obtaining an Epic item was minuscule.

And the chance of getting an Epic item from a Silver Treasure Chest was only 0.1%!

It was comparable to winning the jackpot in a lottery!

"Hu... Hubby... this, this is purple..." Li Na covered her mouth, her whole body trembling with excitement, her voice shaking.

"We're rich! Honey, we're rich!"

Wang Jian shoved the Epic core into his system inventory, his eyes turning red with emotion.

In this dog-eat-dog world, an Epic item like this—if brought back to the service area for purification—could be sold for enough resources to sustain their family of three for a long time!

They would never have to risk their lives for half a bottle of clean water again!

"Go! Hurry! To the nearest extraction point!"

Wang Jian suddenly snapped back to his senses, grabbed his wife, and ran back to the car.

He floored the gas pedal, the minivan's engine roaring as it hurtled toward Extraction Point 1, the closest one on the radar.

Along the way, Wang Jian's heart felt like it was about to jump out of his throat.

He stared intently at the radar, terrified that a monster would leap out or they would encounter other players looking to rob them.

Heaven preserve us.

Perhaps their incredible luck was holding out; after just a ten-minute drive, they encountered no obstacles and miraculously reached a massive ancient plaza.

In the very center of the plaza, a soft white light curtain shimmered.

That was the extraction point.

As soon as the minivan entered the light curtain, a cold notification popped up on the system interface.

[Player detected in extraction zone. Initiate extraction sequence immediately?]

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Jian pressed "Yes" with a trembling finger!

"Hum—!"

However, in the next second, the expected white teleportation light did not appear.

Instead, a massive pillar of light emitting an eerie purple glow erupted from the center of the plaza, piercing the sky!

The cold system notification sounded again, but it felt like a death knell from hell.

[Ding! High-value item has entered the extraction assessment zone.]

[Extraction confirmed!]

[Warning: Epic-tier contaminated material detected! The item will enter a deep-binding state!]

[During the extraction process, the item cannot be discarded, traded, or destroyed!]

[Current extraction countdown: 30 minutes!]

Listening to the system prompts echoing in his mind and looking at the purple light pillar that completely exposed them to all of Atlantis...

The excitement and ecstasy on Wang Jian and Li Na's faces instantly froze.

They looked as though they had lost their parents.

In this Shura Field where resources were scarce across the map and players slaughtered each other...

Having a purple pillar of light over their heads telling everyone "I have an Epic-tier treasure" while having to wait in place for thirty minutes...

How was this luck? This was clearly a death warrant!

"Hubby... what do we do?" Li Na cried out in despair, clutching their sleeping daughter, Xiao Ya, in the back seat.

Wang Jian's face was ashen, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his nails dug into the flesh.

A moment later, a look of resolve flashed in his eyes.

He quickly pushed open the car door, pulled his wife and daughter out, and pointed to a hidden underground ruin entrance at the edge of the plaza.

"Honey, listen to me! We can't even throw this thing away now; we can't escape!"

Wang Jian's eyes were red, his voice terrifyingly raspy.

"Take Xiao Ya and hide in that basement immediately!"

"No matter what happens outside, no matter what sounds you hear, do not come out! Do not make a sound!"

"I'm not going! If we die, we die together!" Li Na grabbed Wang Jian's sleeve, tears streaming down her face.

"Bullshit! If you die, what happens to Xiao Ya?!"

Wang Jian roared, then suddenly softened his tone, cupping his wife's face in his hands. "Honey, please, I'm begging you."

"You must take good care of our daughter. Live on..."

With that, Wang Jian pushed his wife away and ran back to the red-painted minivan.

He pulled an old-fashioned rifle from the trunk and stood alone in the center of the purple pillar of light.

He took a deep breath and, with trembling fingers, opened the internal channel of the Red Wolf Guild in Sector C-72.

Even if hope was slim, he had to grasp at the last straw.

"Brothers of the guild... I'm that unlucky guy at Extraction Point 1 who pulled the Epic materials, Wang Jian."

"If anyone is nearby and can come save my life, as long as we can get back alive and purify this thing... I'm willing to split the resources from the sale equally!"

As soon as this message was sent, the guild channel, which had been discussing the server-wide announcement, instantly exploded.

"Holy shit! That Epic big shot with the purple pillar of light is actually a brother from our guild?!"

"What's this about splitting? Who are you looking down on? Our Red Wolf Guild is known for being protective of our own!"

"Brother Wang, hang in there! I'm only five kilometers from Extraction Point 1, my foot's on the floor, I'll be there soon!"

"Don't worry! We're here! All brothers in red cars nearby, converge on Point 1 at full speed! We can't let people from other sectors steal our stuff!"