Lian sat beside the checkpoint fire, chewing on a tasteless ration bar he'd picked up from the system shop. Demist had survived and returned about an hour later, battered but alive, carrying the mutant's severed limb as a trophy.
"Ugly bastard," Demist muttered, tossing the limb into the flames. "We're lucky it was alone. If that had been a swarm, we'd be screwed."
Lian nodded, distracted. His mind wasn't on the fire, or even the people they rescued. It was on that timer.
[ Time until Threat Wave: 71 hours, 39 minutes ]
"Three days..." he murmured, staring at the system screen. "I need 9,540 coins before that wave hits."
Demist glanced at him. "You planning something?"
"Yeah," Lian stood, eyes burning with urgency. "I'm going to grind coins like my life depends on it—because it literally does."
---
The Grind Begins
For the next two days, Lian didn't stop. Every hour, he pedaled. Every checkpoint, he searched for survivors. Every passenger added coins to his hourly rate.
He began to master the mechanics:
More passengers = more coins per hour.
Longer rides = greater bonus payouts.
Survivor mood (Happy, Calm, Scared) also affected bonus.
He even discovered a system trick:
[ Combo Bonus Activated: 5 successful rescues in a row. +20% bonus to current earnings ]
By the end of the second day, Lian's stats looked like this:
Name: Lian
Coins: 8,270
Vehicle: Cycle (Upgradable)
Coin Rate: 620/hour
Organisms Carried: 12
Stamina: 90/100
Talent: Coins Multiplier (Next Monthly Multiplier: 6 days)
He was close. So close. And that night, as he pushed his cycle under the blackened sky, something strange happened.
[ Hidden Quest Unlocked: The Fallen Courier ]
Objective: Find the crashed courier vehicle in the ruins and retrieve the system package.
Reward: Unknown.
Lian blinked. "What's this now?"
He debated for a moment—but quests meant coins. And he needed every one.
He followed the navigation marker into a valley surrounded by jagged rocks. Eventually, he found it: a flipped cargo vehicle, half-crushed and leaking glowing blue energy.
Near it was a dead man in a strange uniform—clearly not from Earth.
The package was still intact. He reached out—
[ Warning: Upon collecting the package, you will be targeted by hostile creatures. ]
"Of course," Lian groaned. But he grabbed it anyway.
The moment his hand touched it, the ground trembled. Howls echoed from the cliffs.
[ Threat Detected: Horde incoming in 5 minutes. Survive until extraction or escape the area. ]
Lian jumped on his cycle and pedaled with everything he had. Red eyes appeared in the dark behind him—dozens of them.
[ Temporary Speed Boost Activated – Escape Protocol Engaged ]
The chase was wild. Claws grazed his back tire, and one creature almost landed on him before a shot rang out—Demist, standing on a ridge with a stolen turret.
"KEEP MOVING!" he roared, covering Lian as they fled.
When Lian reached the extraction point, he tossed the package onto the glowing pad.
[ Hidden Quest Complete – Reward: 3,000 Coins | Item: Nano Shield Generator (Mountable on vehicles) ]
Total Coins: 11,270
Lian gasped, exhausted. "Finally… I can buy the rickshaw."
---
Upgrade
Back at the camp, he opened the shop and slammed the Buy button.
[ Rickshaw Purchased – Mounting Shield Generator... Done. Vehicle Enhanced. ]
New Vehicle: Shielded Rickshaw
Passenger Capacity: 4
Auto-turret Mount Available
Nano Shield: Absorbs 2,000 damage every 24 hours
Lian grinned. "Let's see how scary that threat wave really is."
But as the final day dawned, the system gave one last message.
[ Final Warning: Threat Wave Arrives in 12 Hours. ]
[ All active drivers will be automatically warped to frontline zones. Prepare accordingly. ]
Lian tightened his gloves, checked the shield, and locked in the rickshaw's turret gun.
The road ahead was no longer just about survival.
It was about war.