mesbooks Chapter 5: The whole internet is mocking scavengers? The next second, three wheels turn into a war c
Chapter 5: The whole internet is mocking scavengers? The next second, three wheels turn into a war c
Su Chen did not head northwest.
He turned back to the tricycle, bent down, and grabbed the handlebars.
The rusted iron frame was mostly sunk in the acidic mud.
He pulled hard, and the mud made a "plop" sound as the tricycle was lifted several centimeters off the ground.
The chain broke completely, dragging in the mud, and the rear wheel was tilted at a 45-degree angle.
A pile of scrap metal.
Su Chen planted the shovel horizontally in the truck bed, held the handlebars with one hand and grabbed the crossbeam under the frame with the other, dragging it along as he took his first step due north.
The chat in Da Xia's live stream exploded instantly.
【No? What is he doing? Why is he still pulling that broken-down cart?】
"Brother, let go! That car's totaled! You can't tow it more than twenty meters!"
[The tricycle has been soaking in acidic mud for so long, the metal frame is almost rotten through, and you still want it?]
[Run to the safe zone quickly! Is your life more important or your car?]
[Su Shen, calm down! That thing is just a burden!]
……
The live stream from the United States.
James wiped the ash off his pants, straightened his tie, and picked up the beer can again.
"Everyone, the Great Xia contestant has made a very... Great Xia decision."
He pointed at the screen.
"He was towing a wrecked tricycle in the acidic mud."
He paused, then spread his hands.
"Is this what the people of Daxia call 'thrifty and hardworking'?"
The comments section in the US was flooded with messages.
[Hahaha, the King of Junk Dealers!]
The people of Daxia have such a deep affection for their tricycles! They'd rather die than leave them behind!
[He thought this was picking up bottles on the roadside? Scavenging for scrap in an S-class disaster zone?]
Dragging a pile of scrap metal to your death, how romantic!
The commentator from Japan adjusted his spare glasses and typed rapidly on the keyboard.
"With each step Su Chen takes while dragging, the corrosive damage to his lower limbs from the acidic mud is approximately 1.5 times that of normal walking. Dragging with a load will significantly reduce his movement speed and prolong his exposure time."
He looked up at the camera.
"This was a wrong decision."
The Japanese viewers immediately joined in with their comments.
It's normal for the people of Daxia to be a little slow-witted.
That shovel strike was indeed powerful, but the person clearly lacked intelligence.
In Da Xia's live stream room, the comments were also divided.
To be honest... the analysis from Japan is correct; towing a car is indeed more dangerous.
[Su Shen's move just now was clearly very clever, so why is he making a mistake now?]
Could it be that she's mentally collapsing? People in dire situations can act irrationally.
Please, bro, just steal the car!
Official studio.
Lin Xiaotang turned to the connection window, about to ask a question, when Zhao Mingyuan spoke first.
"Don't rush."
Just two words.
Lin Xiaotang was taken aback.
Zhao Mingyuan stared at the screen, his right hand unconsciously rubbing the broken pen.
"Every move he made was purposeful. Digging, finding weaknesses, and striking decisively—he didn't waste a single step."
He paused for a moment.
"If this person chooses to tow the car, there must be a reason for it."
Lin Xiaotang asked, "What reason?"
Zhao Mingyuan shook his head.
"I don't know. Let's keep watching."
The scene then shifts back to Su Chen's perspective.
He waded forward through the mud, one step at a time.
With each step, one had to struggle to pull their legs out of the sticky mud.
The weight of the tricycle, combined with the resistance of the mud, made every step require a tremendous amount of physical exertion.
The sour mud soaked through my trouser legs, and new blisters started appearing on my skin.
Health dropped from 71 to 69.
Twenty meters.
He didn't stop.
Up to thirty-eight meters.
Su Chen stopped.
He loosened his grip on the tricycle, which lay askew in the mud.
Then, he pulled a shovel from the truck bed, raised it with both hands, and pointed it downwards.
Without hesitation, without testing, without looking left and right.
Just smash it down.
The first shovel.
Mud splashed everywhere, and the shovel was halfway submerged.
The second shovel.
At the same location, it went down another twenty centimeters.
The shovel blade struck a hard object, producing a dull thud.
The third shovel.
"Thump!"
The shovel struck the metal surface.
Su Chen squatted down and peeled away the last layer of mud with his bare hands.
A dark green metal box, about half a meter square, was revealed, with an "E" logo printed on the lid.
A prompt appears on the system panel.
[E-level supply crate discovered]
The message was displayed again in the global live stream.
Quiet.
A deathly silence.
In the US livestream studio, James Hall's beer can was suspended in mid-air, his mouth agape.
The commentator from Japan stopped at the keyboard, not pressing a single key.
The chat in Da Xia's live stream was interrupted for two seconds.
Holy crap!!!
[They dug it up again?! They fucking dug it up again?!]
Three shovelfuls! Just three shovelfuls! Precise positioning!
How did he know there were supply crates here?
[Last time, five shovelfuls unearthed a monster; this time, three shovelfuls yielded a treasure chest. Just what kind of person is Su Shen?!]
[Professor Zhao! Professor Zhao, did you see that?! He definitely had an ulterior motive!]
He dragged the tricycle for exactly thirty-eight meters, no more, no less! This wasn't just aimless wandering!
[I'm fucking kneeling before Su Shen! Is this guy's brain equipped with GPS?!]
……
Official studio.
Zhao Mingyuan slammed his hand on the table, causing the chair to slide back half a meter.
"Did you see that!"
He pointed at the screen, his fingers trembling.
"Thirty-eight meters! He was calculating every single step while towing the truck! Direction, distance, the point of impact—every detail was perfect!"
Lin Xiaotang chimed in, "So he wasn't being foolish by pulling the tricycle..."
"Confused?" Zhao Mingyuan's voice suddenly rose. "He knows better than any of us what he's doing! That tricycle was part of his plan from the very beginning!"
Lin Xiaotang was startled, bit her lower lip, and turned to the camera after half a second, her voice excited.
"Ladies and gentlemen, after precise location tracking, contestant Su Chen has successfully located an E-grade supply crate!"
The comments section completely spiraled out of control.
[Su Shen brought the tricycle because he knew it would still be useful!]
[The foreigners just laughed at him for picking up trash, doesn't he feel ashamed?]
[James, come out here! Can you find a supply box in your SUV?!]
[Show us the screenshot of that Japanese commentator! "Wrong decision!" Pshaw!]
The live stream from the United States.
James put down his beer can, wiped his mouth, and remained silent.
The assistant host next to him asked in a low voice, "Would you like to... offer some comments?"
James glared at him.
Su Chen lifted the lid of the box.
Three beams of light shot out from inside the box.
A small test tube, the yellow liquid inside of which is only as long as a little finger.
A white square box with a red cross printed on it.
Three long strips in silver vacuum packaging.
[Tier E Supply Crate Now Open!]
[Item Obtained: Vehicle Repair Fluid (Miniature) x1]
[Item Obtained: Basic Medkit x1]
[Item obtained: Compressed rations x3]
Su Chen first tore open the medical kit, pulled out the bandages, and quickly wrapped them around his hands.
The ruptured blister was covered, and the burning sensation was greatly reduced.
Health points jumped from 67 to 70.
Then, he picked up the vial of repair fluid, uncorked it, and poured about a third of it onto the broken part of the tricycle chain.
The yellow liquid made a faint hissing sound the moment it came into contact with the metal.
The two broken chain sections automatically came together, and a layer of pale yellow new metal emerged from the joint, meshing together perfectly.
He poured the remaining repair fluid onto the rear wheel.
The broken spokes grew back, and the crooked axle slowly straightened.
At the same time, he took the all-terrain tracks off his neck, unfolded them, and wedged them onto the outside of the front and rear wheels of the tricycle.
The metal chain belt tightens automatically, and the anti-slip teeth grip the tire surface, making a continuous "click-click" sound.
All three wheels of the tricycle were covered by tracks.
A series of prompts appeared on the system panel.
The vehicle repair fluid (mini) has been used.
[Vehicle Status: Chain - Repaired / Spokes - Repaired / Axle - Repaired]
[Tier D Vehicle Modification Parts: All-Terrain Tracks - Already Equipped]
Vehicle Upgrade: Pedal Tricycle → All-Terrain Tricycle (Class D)
[New Attributes: All-terrain mobility +80%, resistance +40%]