Chapter Fourteen: Power Strip Blueprints

“Friend, young lady, help me pull the bike out of the water.”

“I’ll give you supplies.”

The man shouted loudly when he saw Liang Yi across the river.

Yesterday, he had ridden this battered bicycle with great difficulty all day just to reach this point.

Along the way, he had faced countless hardships and setbacks.

Sore legs and aching back, sunburned eyes and flushed face were minor troubles.

Even worse, the bicycle chain had come off, halting his progress.

Stopping to fix the chain wasted precious time.

When he learned that there were still two hundred kilometers ahead, his spirits plunged into despair.

His body was utterly exhausted, and his heart sank as if all strength had been drained from him.

In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to lie down on the ground and give up entirely.

Yet, just as he was about to surrender, his survival instinct awakened deep within, and the desire to live conquered his fear and weakness.

He took a deep breath and slowly stood up. Though his legs felt like they were filled with lead, he gritted his teeth and pushed the rickety bike forward.

No matter what, he kept moving ahead.

Fortunately, today had been relatively safe, without encountering any dangers.

Gradually, hope for survival rekindled within him.

Suddenly, a player sped past behind him in a car. Going too fast to brake in time, the player crashed into the river not far ahead.

The window of the mini car was slightly open, and the player struggled desperately underwater, trying to escape.

After much effort, he managed to climb out through the window.

Seeing the man, he immediately called for help.

The man hesitated, looking at the rushing river.

He couldn’t swim. If he rashly jumped in, he might not only fail to save the player but also risk his own life.

So he decided to find some tools first, hoping to rescue the player from the water.

However, as the man turned to find something, the player clambering onto the car mistakenly thought he didn’t want to help and began to curse him furiously.

Angry, the man threw the stick he had just found into the river and refused to assist any further.

But when he saw the player being swept away by the floodwaters, an idea struck him.

If this person was going to die anyway, wouldn’t his car then become his?

So, without hesitation, after the player was carried off by the current, the man mounted the bike and began chasing after the mini car.

Liang Yi had no intention of getting involved.

Seeing this, the man started bargaining.

“If you help me, I can give you supplies.”

“I opened a tier-three treasure chest earlier; inside was a blueprint for making a power strip.”

“If you want it, I’ll give it to you.”

To the man, the blueprint was meaningless at the moment.

All he cared about was pulling the bike out—he could find more blueprints later.

Hearing “power strip blueprint,” Liang Yi’s interest was piqued—it was like someone handing you a pillow just when you’re about to fall asleep.

But despite her curiosity, she didn’t want to show it so easily.

“I just checked. The materials needed to make a power strip are numerous and hard to come by. That doesn’t convince me!”

Then, with a sidelong glance, Liang Yi looked toward the floodwaters.

The bike was lodged against a stone in the river, but the current was pushing it back and forth, and it looked like it might be swept away at any moment.

The man gritted his teeth and raised his offer.

“If you don’t want the blueprint, I’ve got other food.”

“Two packs of instant noodles, two bottles of water, and two loaves of bread—how’s that?”

Liang Yi thought for a moment, then shouted back, “How about this: you give me the blueprint, plus one loaf of bread, two bottles of water, and one pack of noodles.”

“If you agree, I’ll help you right away.”

The man looked at the bike in the flood, then at his own bicycle, and bit the bullet.

“Alright.”

The river was over two meters wide. The man took a coil of rope from his backpack, tied one end to a tree on the opposite bank, then fastened a stone to the other end and threw it to Liang Yi.

He then lowered himself into the river, pulling the rope as he tried to secure it to the bike.

“Done!”

“You can pull me up first, then we’ll pull the bike out together.”

After fastening the rope, the man waved toward Liang Yi.

But she didn’t exert any effort. Instead, she untied the rope from the tree and stepped ashore.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

The man stood on the precarious bike, heart pounding.

He had come this far; if Liang Yi cut the rope, he wouldn’t have a chance to survive.

Liang Yi crossed her arms, her voice calm and eyes lowered.

“I just suddenly remembered something important.”

“What if I pull you up and you don’t give me the supplies afterward?”

Crash!

Another wave from upstream slammed into the bike against the rocks, making it wobble dangerously.

The man crouched down hastily, gripping the rope tightly.

At this point, refusing Liang Yi’s help was impossible.

“Then what do you suggest?”

After the bike’s sway finally steadied, the man placed his foot on it and, still shaken, asked for her advice.

Liang Yi said, “What’s your game account number? Let’s set up a trade order.”

“That way, no one can back out.”

The man’s legs trembled slightly.

Hearing this, he quickly gave his game ID.

Under Liang Yi’s insistence, he set up the trade.

[Player12 posted a trade: Need help pulling bike; reward is one power strip blueprint, one pack of instant noodles, two bottles of water, one loaf of bread.]

Once posted, many players saw it and left comments.

[Player13569: Where is Player12? Tell me the location! I’ll overcome any obstacle to get there.]

[Player23569: Big shot here—offering so much just to pull a bike.]

...

Liang Yi found the man’s game account and shared hers, confirming the trade.

But Player12 wasn’t a fool; when finalizing the trade, he hesitated.

“Pull me and the bike up first.”

Liang Yi knew not to push too far and nodded.

“Alright.”

She then pulled Player12 up with all her strength.

“Thanks.”

Once on solid ground, Player12 jumped twice and exhaled deeply, patting his chest.

Liang Yi shook her head.

“No need.”

Seeing Liang Yi’s tricycle, Player12’s eyes brightened.

“Hey, young lady, why didn’t you say you had a vehicle earlier?”

“Later, you’ll drive that and help me pull the bike.”

Liang Yi rolled her eyes slightly, a twitch at the corner of her mouth.

This guy was really too casual.

But she didn’t say it aloud; she merely reminded him coolly, “The supplies we talked about earlier are for manual labor.”

“If you want to use the vehicle, you’ll have to pay a pulling fee.”

Player12 was about 1.75 meters tall, weighed around 150 pounds, didn’t look like he worked out, had dark skin, and bore some wounds on his hands.

Judging by his appearance alone, he looked like someone not to be trifled with.