The car slowly passed through the archway and arrived behind the finish line.
This time, they were not forcibly returned to Earth after crossing the end of the first-class highway.
After they passed through the "illusion wall," the vehicle's system added a [Return] button.
Before the ten-day assessment was over, the [Return] button remained unpressable, displaying only a constantly ticking countdown.
The button is now lit up in green, so you can choose to return to Earth at any time.
Wei Huan, of course, wouldn't go back; he left it aside.
On the contrary, after entering the third-level highway, the system received a series of notifications.
[You have joined the "National Channel"]
[130,720,876 people were online in the chat room that day]
[Speaking time limited to 1 time per minute]
[Open Nationwide Auction House] (Not yet open as it has not participated in the Class III highway assessment)
[World Points Ranking Section Now Open] (Not listed as it did not participate in the Class 3 Highway assessment)
[World Combat Power Ranking Section Now Available] (Not currently listed)
[Start the World Lifestyle Ranking section] (Not currently on the list)
[Open the World Vehicle Performance Ranking section] (Not currently listed)
[Notification! You have entered a Class III highway. Please register for the highway assessment as soon as possible to unlock various functions.]
[Please note! Registration countdown is 00:00:59. If you have not registered for the Class III highway, you will be deported.]
[Please note...]
In less than a minute.
They really didn't leave any loopholes.
However, Wei Huan, who was already prepared, pressed the confirmation button without hesitation.
[Confirmed participation in the Class III highway assessment]
[Notice! Train conductor Wei Huan has confirmed his participation in the Level 3 highway assessment. The assessment will begin at 47:22:32. Please prepare accordingly.]
Only then did that series of notifications finally disappear completely.
The national channels were buzzing with excitement.
The third-level highway has the highest number of users, with over 100 million people online daily, and occasionally, under special circumstances, up to 200 million people online at the same time.
Therefore, the public areas of the level 3 map are also larger than imagined.
Hidden talents and powerful figures, intertwined and complex.
Official and private forces converge here, forming various faction zones. They not only compete and trade with each other, but also join forces to wage war against various monster groups, conquering cities and seizing territories.
Fortunately, the Tier 3 highway doesn't need to be shared with the Dark Beast Lord.
The Dark Beasts also have their own development map. Only a few Dark Beasts will appear in the race after accepting a mission to snipe human geniuses.
Just like the members of the Great Xia Dragon Group going to [Random Challenge] to snipe the genius on the other side.
Both sides used every means at their disposal to fight for the final victory.
Therefore, most of the troubles that humans encounter in public areas are caused by random monsters.
There are also some powerful tribes and ethnic groups that have left traces of civilization.
The latter often live in ruins and will attack humans together with random monsters.
Then... add the "War Clan".
Third-class highways are a mixed bag, extremely chaotic, and therefore...
Humans jokingly refer to this as "the struggle for the Central Plains".
War, every day, every moment, is erupting.
"Start the vehicle and proceed to the coordinates."
Wei Huan ordered the smart assistant to drive forward automatically, and then focused his attention on the screen-projected chat room.
Even with the limit of one message per minute, the number of messages in the chat room was still increasing rapidly.
If you lose focus even slightly, you might miss out on useful information.
["Lichen" is now available for auction. It's a core material for True Weapons. It only costs 3000 points. First come, first served.]
[10392.98872 requests assistance! Besieged by monsters! Urgent!]
[You damn Song soldiers, you robbed and killed people!! High reward offered for their location!!]
[Hengke Mercenary Company is hiring with high salaries, comprehensive benefits (three funds and five insurances), nationally registered, all procedures completed, recruiting all ranks except criminals.]
...
Just like in my memory, the diverse conversations had a kind of warmth and humanity that shouldn't exist in this challenging world.
At the same time, before the emergence of external enemies, it seems that the internal contradictions of mankind can never be resolved, and the fighting and killing never ends.
Moreover, as the road with the largest number of human-made sections, there are too many people Wei Huan knows here.
Wei Jinhong and his motorcade, including the Gong Group which invested heavily, are all here.
Wei Huan lowered his gaze, suppressing the dark light that appeared in his eyes.
After watching the chat channel for a while, what seemed like urgent shouts and all sorts of cursing were actually normal occurrences on this highway.
If one day no one speaks in the chat room, or everyone is talking about the same thing, that would be a big deal.
Then, Wei Huan waved his hand, and the projected content was switched to various lists.
Here, he can see the strongest people in the country.
A nationally recognized leaderboard that transcends the distinction between veterans and novices, bringing together all challengers from the Great Xia Dynasty.
[National Points Ranking]
William, the top-ranked player, has 156 million points.
First place: Hao Tian, 155 million points
Third place: Nie Jing, 151 million points.
...
150 million points!
For Wei Huan, who currently only has 14,000 points, it's like heaven and earth.
Of course, the team leader's score is also directly related to their constant activity on the front lines.
Moreover, it's not just the war on the front lines. To get such a score, you have to go to the [random battlefield] and kill a large number of dark beasts to get hundreds of millions of points with 10 times the score.
[National Combat Power Ranking]
First place: William Fang, 3490 points
First place: Nie Jing, 3280 points
Third place: Peng Jiahai, 3012 points
The top two on this list are both members of the Legion, heroes nurtured by the nation's power, and must be the strongest in combat.
However, the fact that Peng Jiahai came in third place surprised Wei Huan.
He knew Peng Jiahai; he was a talent cultivated by a private force. In his previous life, he was hailed as one of the top ten strongest people in the Great Xia Dynasty. At this time, he had even risen to third place.
However, what puzzled Wei Huan was...
Captain Fang and Captain Nie must have already advanced to the fifth rank. How could Peng Jiahai still be ranked third? Could it be that he has also advanced to the fifth rank?
Thinking of this, Wei Huan's eyes flickered slightly.
This time, after being reborn, history has changed somewhat due to my intervention.
I don't know if this is good or bad.
Let's continue reading.
[Vehicle Performance Ranking]
The first place also went to William Fang, with a score of 980.
As the first team leader to obtain Tier 5 materials and the first to upgrade to Tier 5 vehicle, he certainly had a significant advantage.
I wonder what position Captain Fang was in before he handed over the "Star Beast Skin"?
The first and third place on the vehicle performance leaderboard are both from the Legion, and their scores both exceed 900 points.
They must all be Tier 5 vehicles.
The scores on the vehicle performance leaderboard are actually quite simple.
The base score for each car upgrade is 150 points: 150 points for a Tier 1 car, 300 points for a Tier 2 car, and so on.
The extra points represent bonus points for special terrain maps.
For example, the [wind deflector] and [aerodynamic tires] that Wei Huan's car currently has have added extra points to his score.
The team leader and others have vehicle performance scores that exceed those of Tier 5 vehicles by more than 200 points, which means they have probably already collected all the special blueprints.
There might even be a score bonus from the [Driver Sequence].
Wei Huan's current vehicle performance score is 480 points.
Among them are special components such as the [windbreak] and [aerodynamic tires], as well as the [prison] that Mu Zhong specially upgraded for Xu Qingqiang.
[Prison] is a blueprint that cannot be drawn; it is a specific ability that only [Pilot Sequence] members can possess.
Once the driver leaves, special areas such as [prisons] that have lost maintenance will also disappear, and the points will be lost.
This is precisely why it's said that having a driver in the car improves vehicle performance by 20%.
In short, to compete for a spot on the [vehicle performance leaderboard] later in the game, the vehicle must be equipped with a driver, and the driver's level cannot be low.
The benefits of aiming for this ranking are quite simple.
The annual Challenge Calendar is held from December 25th to 31st each year.
After the review, the top-ranked challengers on each leaderboard will receive various treasure chest rewards.
National-level treasure chests are made of gold at the national standard, while world-class treasure chests are made of platinum at the world standard.
Additionally, after the [Annual Gala] review, the top-ranked player will receive a unique diamond treasure chest.
Diamond Chest!!
Each year, only one person on Earth receives the highest award.
It is a treasure chest that all national legions compete for and fight desperately for, and it has even risen to the level of a strategic mission.
In some ways, competing with other countries for diamond chests is even more significant than waging war against the Dark Beasts.
Finally, there's the lifestyle ranking.
The top three on the lifestyle list are completely different groups of people.
[Lifestyle Ranking]
First place: Cui Xueqing, 45640 points
Zhang Zheng ranked first with 43012 points.
Third place: Shu Zhuyun, 42400 points
...
From this perspective, the difference between them, whose life scores are both 24,210, isn't actually that significant.
Most importantly, Wei Huan upgraded the space and time of the microscopic world twice, and these two upgrades are the main part of the "Life Ranking".
If Wei Huan wants to compete for a ranking on this list, he only needs to spend 550,000 points and upgrade the Micro World twice.
550,000 points is an astronomical figure for others.
But for Wei Huan, as long as he goes to the [random challenge], it won't take too long to collect them all.
Of course, at this stage, what they lack most is time.
For a young team, there is so much room for improvement.
Go here, go there, gather materials, open ruins, explore wastelands, and then earn points; a year might pass in the blink of an eye.
With the fighting intense at the front, sometimes it's impossible to develop things slowly; you might be transferred to the front lines at any time.
In short, these four lists completely overshadowed Wei Huan's outstanding achievements, making it virtually impossible for him to compete for reward materials at the end of this year.
After entering the national rankings, the days when Wei Huan single-handedly dominated the entire list have disappeared.
Even if his ranking were made public, he would probably still be outside the top million.
Mu Zhong said, "It might not be that bad. Once we get the materials and upgrade to a level four vehicle, and then take some time to do random challenges for a while, it won't be that difficult to get into the top 100 in the country."
The challenge is to remain at the top of the global rankings after they are made available.
Like Captain Fang, it's not so much that the government is pooling resources from the Southwest Challenge Legion to nurture him, but rather that the nation is also allocating resources to him. Once he's the first to upgrade to Tier 5, he'll only receive more resources.
Cultivating the strongest individuals is not only useful on the battlefield, but also allows you to compete for treasure chests on the leaderboard.
Especially with diamond treasure chests, some small and medium-sized countries can't even get a chance to compete without going all out.
After chatting for a while, the yellow sand that filled the field of vision gradually disappeared from sight.
Lush green weeds sprouted from the ground, along with some thorny saplings. In the distance, a vast expanse of green stretched out, with large trees growing from the moist soil, gradually rising tall and reaching for the sky.
It resembles a forest highway, but it's different from a Class I highway.
The trees are not so dense that vehicles cannot enter.
Paths are everywhere among the sparse trees, and occasionally a small hill appears, blocking the way.
Hilly terrain is a characteristic feature of this highway.
Even if trees are cut down, they will recover overnight, continuing to block the view and shielding the area from potential dangers.
There is no doubt that there are monsters in the forest.
Moreover, they have already entered a level 3 highway, so the monsters there will be of a high level.
Wei Huan had already released the undead army; the ghost crows flew out in a flurry, spreading in all directions.
The faster and more agile wolves are the primary exploration unit for this type of terrain.
Because of the trees providing cover, the cave beasts' movement was somewhat restricted in this environment, which was not good news for Wei Huan.
However, the facehugger is enough to work well with the wolf to complete a brilliant reconnaissance mission.
The smart assistant has reduced the car's speed to 300 mph.
The terrain also imposed similar limitations.
Unless you're really in a hurry, this speed is most suitable for a Class III vehicle.
As for the fourth-tier vehicles, they have a different, more imposing way of advancing.
With less than two days until the assessment of the Class III highway, they now have only one thing they must do.
We were just going to exchange supplies, so there was no rush.
Mu Zhong and the other party reconfirmed the coordinates; it was not far ahead.
Mu Zhong suddenly asked sternly, "[Why were the coordinates changed at the last minute?]"
The person on the other end was clearly someone Mu Zhong knew: "[Found some ruins, let's develop them together when you get here?]"
Do not do anything else during the mission!
[Alright, alright, then after we finish the trade, shall we go explore the ruins together?]
[Shouldn't we send the materials back first?]
[We've passed the assessment, so we can trade directly, okay? Let's go develop the ruins together after the mission is complete. Besides, I've wanted to get to know Wei Huan for a long time. He's your lover, tsk tsk tsk. So who's on top? You don't have legs, so you look sexy in any position. Mu Chong, can I draw a doujinshi for you two? I'm really good at drawing anatomy, and I'm great at thick painting...]
"..." Mu Zhong kept a straight face and secretly glanced at Wei Huan.
Wei Huan was also watching the screen mirroring, but he was using his own account and could only see the leaderboard.
After reaching the third level, the number of crew members on board gradually increases. They can log in to their own accounts, and each person has their own system interface, which is a basic function.
Moreover, the technology, far surpassing that of Earth, allows many areas inside the car to be transformed into virtual screens.
For example, right now, sitting on the passenger sofa behind the driver's seat, they can have a separate virtual screen, which not only allows them to maintain their privacy in social interactions, but also allows them to control the vehicle according to their own permissions in the car.
Mu Zhong's face was very tense, as if he were reading a highly confidential document.
Even Liu Chengzhi, who was sitting in the same row, couldn't notice anything unusual about him.
However, Liu Chengzhi's attention was not on Mu Zhong to begin with.
From the moment he started watching the scenery outside the window without blinking, he eventually stood up, his chubby face showing a slightly open mouth in amazement, making him look rather silly.
"Cough!" Mu Chong cleared his throat, ignoring the strange messages that kept coming from the other end, and said, "It's just ahead, in ten minutes at most."
"Ah! What's that?!" Just then, Liu Chengzhi pointed outside the car and exclaimed in surprise.
The other two also noticed the anomaly at the same time, and Mu Zhong even shut his mouth.
A huge mosquito was flying in the middle of the tree trunk in front of us.
Its six legs, two pairs of wings, and long, needle-like proboscis are characteristic of a mosquito.
So, on this blue planet, the mosquitoes that are everywhere...
"Isn't this ridiculously big?" Liu Chengzhi looked at the mosquito, which was at least a meter tall, with a shocked expression. "Are you sure this thing is an insect? Or a monster?"
"They are monsters." Mu Zhong said with certainty, "The challenge school taught us that the random monsters on level 3 highways are very difficult to deal with, and many of them appear in groups. Seeing one means you've found a whole group."
As they spoke, they saw something slowly flying out from the depths of the woods.
More mosquitoes appeared.
These mosquitoes were enormous, and their menacing, steel-pipe-like mouthparts could send chills down the spines of anyone who was afraid of needles.
"Why was there no warning?" Mu Zhong tilted his head slightly, looking at Wei Huan with a puzzled expression.
Wei Huan was also thinking about this question, "Is it because they are monsters we've never seen before, so they haven't been added to the danger list yet?"
"The Ghost Ravens' weaknesses are still quite obvious." Mu Zhong thought for a moment and said, "Didn't you say there was an elite Ghost Raven? I'll train it these next couple of days. We can't always add it to the list only after it's surrounded by monsters."
"good."
Ghost Crow, forced to attend extra classes: "..."
The two chatted like this, without a trace of tension on their faces.
Because behind the swarm of mosquitoes that gradually surrounded the car, an even denser shadow appeared at some point.
Immediately afterwards, the green flames, like fireflies in summer, leaped behind the swarm of mosquitoes, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
Unbeknownst to them, the swarm of mosquitoes was being surrounded by Wei Huan's army of the undead.
"Click-click-click!"
"Buzzing!!"
"Mmm~ Mmm~"
"Buzzing!!"
A chaotic battle ensued.
"Click-click-click!"
"Mmm~ Mmm~"
All that remained were the celebratory sounds of the anus-cleaning guy and the dog.
The killer mosquitoes, feared in the third-tier challenge world, were torn to pieces, scattered on the ground, and then gradually absorbed by the challenge world until they disappeared.
Only broken trees and thorns remain, testament to the fierce battle that once took place here.
Even such traces will probably be gone by tomorrow.
The undead that have been upgraded to the third tier are indeed much more powerful.
Facing ordinary monsters on a level 3 highway, a one-star bloodline wolf can actually achieve a 1v1 victory.
Even a facehugger without stars can tear a killer mosquito to shreds if three of them pounce on it.
In terms of numbers, the undead army is more than a hundred times larger than the mosquito swarm.
It was a very easy win.
Liu Chengzhi lay on the windshield, watching the anus-cleaning guy covered in bone spurs and the dog beside him, his eyes shining.
He said sincerely, "The word 'ugly' is indeed only suitable for enemies. This is what makes our own people handsome, majestic, and exuding domineering aura! My brother Gang is awesome today too!"
Then he slapped his forehead: "Oh no! I forgot to go into battle, my DKP!"
Having quickly completed a battle, Wei Huan also gained a basic understanding of his current strength.
Compared to his previous life, where he struggled every step of the way on the third-class highway, what kind of god-like start is this?
Killer mosquitoes! And there was a monstrous swarm of 20 of them.
These flying, terrifying-looking, elusive insects, which also carry diseases, meant that in my memory, I could only rely on vehicles to maneuver and attack them. If things went wrong, I might even damage my vehicle in the process of being surrounded, making it a battle where the losses outweighed the gains.
Now it's so easy, it's like solving a problem with just a flick of a finger.
"Amazing!"
"As expected of the boss!"
"Although I knew it a long time ago, I am still shocked every time I see it."
"Waaaaah, the luck of clinging to someone's leg!"
"Good luck!"
Liu Chengzhi's voice came from time to time, praising others as if they were the best in the world.
Wei Huan smiled slightly, clearly in a good mood.
However, he reminded himself that there was nothing to be proud of.
That's how it should be.
Having such abilities in this life, I should strive for even greater heights; that is the true meaning of my rebirth.
After walking less than a kilometer further, a list of supplies popped up on the projection screen.
[Obtained Black Iron Power Necklace x1]
[Obtain Tire Upgrade Blueprints (Part 3)]
[get...]
I opened a Black Iron Treasure Chest!!
Because of the last day of travel, Wei Huan hadn't opened any treasure chests all day.
Now, when treasure chests suddenly appear, that familiar feeling, as if my blood has been awakened, reappears.
Mu Zhong also said, "It would be great to find some ruins on the technology side. It's been a long time since I've gone scavenging for scraps."
"It will happen, I'll be with you," Wei Huan said naturally.
Mu Zhong lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling, and looked at his screen. The other person was still sending harassing messages. He sighed helplessly: "[Has Captain Xue been neglecting you lately?]"
[Oh my god! Our Captain Mu is shy!! Shy, right? He's actually shy! Married people really are different. I heard your little one almost got mistaken for a combatant on his first appearance. How many strength and agility potions did he drink? You need to work harder too, don't let yourself fall behind in stamina.]
Mu Zhong, unable to contain himself any longer, asked: "[Should we have Captain Xue come and see what you're saying?]"
[Sister, this is out of concern for your marriage. If he sees this, he'll have to join me in caring. Do you think he doesn't nag about it often?]
Don't worry, everything is fine.
[What should I do?]
[If you want me to describe it?]
[If possible, hehe...]
Two seconds later, the other party sent a follow-up message.
[I'm relieved, and really happy. I never imagined we'd be able to joke around like this again.]
Seeing this, Mu Zhong felt a warmth in his heart. He looked up at Wei Huan and saw a longing in his eyes that he couldn't see.
Wei Huan had returned to the driver's seat, the large seat obscuring his figure.
Mu Zhong longed to become that chair and hold it tightly.
He gave him everything, all happiness and stability.
"arrive."
While he was still in a daze, Wei Huan suddenly spoke.
Mu Chong snapped out of his daze and looked out of the car.
Then I saw a large SUV parked between the trees across the street, its front end imposing and powerful, its headlights pointing upwards like fierce eagle eyes, painted in camouflage green!