Su Chen still couldn't accept it.
Er Bao was gone.
But in his arms, the body still felt the same—same weight, same warmth… almost. Except it was cooling fast.
He trembled.
"Er Bao…" he whispered, voice hoarse.
The fur under his palm was stiffening. That tail that used to wag excitedly at the sound of his name lay limp now.
His chest tightened like something was crushing it.
Regret gnawed at him like a rabid beast.
If only…
If only he hadn't given that command.
If only he hadn't sent Er Bao to guard the airdrop alone.
If only he had gone himself.
He looked down. Blood matted Er Bao's fur, the stain soaking through Su Chen's sleeves. The wound on his side had been deep—but it was the bite mark on one of the attackers that sent a fresh wave of anguish through Su Chen's heart.
Er Bao had fought to the bitter end.
Even in death, he'd carried out the order Su Chen had given.
"Damn it…"
He couldn't stop the tears anymore.
They rolled down his cheeks, hot and bitter, as sobs escaped from deep within. His fingers curled tighter around Er Bao, as if holding him harder might stop what was already done.
"Woo... woo..."
His cries echoed in the still air, desperate and broken.
Su Chen buried his face in Er Bao's fur, inhaling deeply. It still smelled like sunshine, wind, and a little bit of meat. The familiar scent shattered him further.
He remembered the first time they met—a small, scrappy pup looking at him with those cute eyes.
He had laughed then.
He didn't laugh now.
They'd been through so much. Days of cold and harsh environments, nights of monsters howling in the dark—Er Bao was always there. A steady presence. Loyal. Brave. Family.
Su Chen blinked through his tears—and suddenly, his arms were empty.
Gone.
The body had vanished.
"Er Bao!" he cried out, panic rising.
There wasn't even a corpse left behind. Not a pawprint. Not a drop of blood. Nothing.
It was as if he had never existed.
"No… no, no, no—come back!"
Su Chen's mind spiraled. A glitch? A bug? Some cruel twist of the game's system?
Or maybe… maybe this world just didn't care.
A thousand memories surged forward all at once:
—Er Bao dragging back a mutant squirrel twice his size.
—Er Bao curled up on his chest, snoring softly.
—Er Bao barking at Jun Ma until she gave him a stinky eye.
—Er Bao, grinning, wild, alive..
Su Chen had already grown used to waking up every morning with Er Bao curled up nearby. It gave him a sense of peace.
Jun Ma might always be play-fighting with Er Bao, but it was clear she cared a lot about him—she just didn't know how to say it.
Going back now… He knew Jun Ma would blame him.
Hell, he blamed himself.
If only this world had a resurrection function…
But it didn't.
And even if it did, what would be the price?
"Damn this survival game…" he muttered, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Still, life had to go on.
This airdrop—Er Bao had given his life for it. No matter what, it had to be opened.
Letting him trade his life for a random crate? That was just plain stupid.
Su Chen regretted his decision the moment he gave the order, but it was too late now.
With zero expectations, he opened the crate.
Standard Airdrop Crate: Contents are mysterious. Could be common items, could be high-tier loot. Completely luck-based.
Details: Airdrops come in different grades: Scrap, Standard, Silver, Premium, Elite, and Perfect.
…
So they actually came with rank labels. This one was surprisingly big—nearly a meter tall.
In the lower left corner were two characters: Premium.
Looked like the quality was pretty decent. Might as well see what's inside.
After all, these crates were survival perks. Couldn't be total junk, right?
[Acquired: Ghostfire Motorcycle Blueprint.]
[Acquired: Nothing grows where it scorches – One Flamethrower.]
Acquired: Road trip essential – One Repair Tool Kit.]
Su Chen stared, stunned.
Three items from a single crate.
And not just that—these three were way more useful than anything he'd pulled from three separate blind boxes before.
The Ghostfire Motorcycle Blueprint especially caught his eye.
Just imagine cruising down the road on that thing… there'd be girls swooning left and right!
If he really got his hands on one, this whole ten-mile radius would be his territory.
And the sound that thing made when it started up—so crisp and loud. It just screamed badass.
Totally his kind of ride. Youthful, bold, full of energy.
The flamethrower was something Su Chen rarely saw in day-to-day life—and he didn't really know much about it either.
To be honest, he'd have preferred just a lighter.
Oh, right—check the details.
Details: Outdoor gear. Ignition and heating tool. Ideal for camping and outdoor cooking.
Huh. With that description, it suddenly sounded way more high-end.
Still, a flamethrower alone wasn't enough. He'd need some ingredients too. Then he could pull off a nice little outdoor cookout.
Not that Su Chen had much experience with that. Actually, probably none.
But now he was kinda looking forward to it~
As for the repair toolkit, well, no need to say much. Anyone who knew, knew.
The tools themselves were great—question was whether the user knew how to actually use them.
Su Chen glanced at his RV—it still looked pretty new. Ever since upgrading to this model, he'd barely had to make any repairs.
That was a good sign.
The kit was more of a safety net, in case the RV broke down while on the move.
It wasn't some miraculous item—just tools, plain and simple.
He didn't need them right now, but lately, the paint had started peeling pretty badly.
The RV was originally white, and with the paint coming off, it was starting to look rough.
If he didn't find time to repaint soon, it was probably going to get worse.
By then… it might be too late.
Su Chen picked up the Ghostfire Motorcycle Blueprint and examined the material requirements closely.
Details: Ride it and say goodbye to all your worries—and hello to freedom. Super fast and unrestricted, nearly as good as an RV.
Best part? Fully customizable. DIY however you want. No limits.
Materials Needed: Steel, Iron, Aluminum Alloy, Plastic, Rubber, Engine, Throttle Control, Gearbox, Brake System.
Su Chen wasn't even surprised it could go that fast. He'd seen people ride Ghostfire before—and yeah, they were terrifying.
They rode like they had a death wish.
The customization part? Yeah, he saw that coming.
Every Bro had to have a Ghostfire. It was practically a rite of passage.
And if it didn't stand out—how would you tell yours apart from the rest?
If he had the chance, Su Chen definitely wanted to mod his into something one-of-a-kind.
Make everyone around him green with envy.
Okay, maybe Su Chen wasn't exactly a full-on edgy type.
But pretending once in a while couldn't hurt, right?
Too bad it wasn't prebuilt. If he could just get a ready-made Ghostfire right now, that would've been perfect.
He looked at the blueprint's material list and almost jumped in shock.
Way too complicated.
Even just exchanging for the parts one by one on the trade platform sounded like a nightmare.
Let alone building the whole thing from scratch…
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
But no choice—he had to keep pushing forward. If he could scavenge just one more part, it'd make things a bit easier.
Especially those components like engines or gearboxes—not exactly common items.
Su Chen wasn't even planning to barter with other players anymore. The parts were just too rare.
Chances were slim.
His new plan?
Hoard supplies. Hoard even more supplies. Become the resource tycoon.
That way, he could handle whatever came his way.
No more distractions. No more side quests.
All he wanted was to focus on this one thing—build the Ghostfire.
Because once it was done, it wouldn't just be a ride…
It would be the culmination of Su Chen's time, effort, and dedication.