After discussing, the four decided that Tan Xingyun, who normally made his living driving taxis, would take the wheel. Xu Xiuman, as the only woman, would sit in the passenger seat, while Xu Xi and Li Kang would sit in the back.
"Remember to fasten your seatbelts," Tan Xingyun reminded them after checking around the car and finding no issues, then settling into the driver's seat.
After Xu Xi casually fastened his seatbelt, a pair of hands appeared before him, holding several packs of snacks.
He looked up and saw it was Xu Xiuman.
Xu Xiuman smiled somewhat sheepishly and explained to the two in the back seat, "I found these in the glove compartment. They can help fill your stomach if you get hungry on the road."
"Thank you," Li Kang accepted them and thanked her shyly.
Xu Xi also accepted this kindness: "Okay, thank you."
Seeing both had accepted, Xu Xiuman turned back around.
Tan Xingyun then followed up, "I'm about to start driving. For now, we'll follow this only available road ahead."
[The beer belly uncle and denim skirt girl seem quite steady]
And they're very attentive too—one checked the car's exterior, the other the interior. They have good coordination.
[I came here because of the 2-minute 48-second reputation, but looking at this, it seems a bit undeserved]
[Isn't it normal for multi-player instances to take longer? Plus, it depends on the instance type. This one clearly isn't puzzle-solving]
The live stream comments buzzed with discussion, more or less disappointed. So far, they hadn't seen anything outstanding about Xu Xi—even Li Kang was more active than him.
[But the atmosphere among these few is quite good, unlike many instances where players are full of hostility when interacting]
[Most instances emphasize cooperation heavily. Those who can't control their temper often die very early]
Xu Xi's quietness wasn't because he was deliberately acting aloof, nor was it because he lacked opinions and only echoed others.
It was just that when he encountered situations, he preferred to complain internally. Around strangers, he unconsciously spoke less—commonly known as social anxiety.
Not to mention he felt that with his brain, if not for the ability to revive after death, these game instances could play him for a fool.
If you don't believe it, refer to the first instance.
So in this second instance, encountering teammates who seemed relatively reliable, and whose thinking sounded normal, he planned to quietly follow his teammates' lead for now.
He couldn't assume he could act recklessly in the instance just because he had a special ability.
What if he died too many times and couldn't come back to life!
Holding onto the philosophy of lying low when possible, Xu Xi only listened in on the trio's casual chatter along the way.
Not long after the car started moving, everyone spotted a shop by the roadside ahead.
"Should we stop and check it out?" Tan Xingyun slowed the car and asked his teammates.
"Let's take a look. There might be clues? After all, we have no information right now," Xu Xiuman thought for a moment and suggested.
"What do you think?" Tan Xingyun then turned his head to signal the two in the back.
"Ah..." Li Kang looked hesitant.
He preferred everyone to keep going. A shop suddenly appearing out of nowhere in the wilderness—no matter how you looked at it, it seemed wrong.
"Okay, let's stop and check it out later."
To everyone's surprise, the usually transparent Xu Xi actually spoke up this time and voiced his opinion.
[Oh, so this guy finally stopped pretending to be mute?]
[Even the 2-minute 48-second guy spoke up. Looks like this shop has something]
[What kind of nickname is that, person upstairs?]
[There can be many experts, but 2 minutes 48 seconds is globally unique. How representative! As soon as I say it, you all know exactly who I'm referring to, right?]
[...6]
[Suspected true fan's secret promotion]
Seeing that Xu Xi had voiced support for stopping, Li Kang had no choice but to nod with a bitter expression.
For some reason, although Tan Xingyun and Xu Xiuman had performed well so far, he kept unconsciously glancing at Xu Xi sitting beside him out of the corner of his eye.
He had a strong feeling—even though the other two seemed steady, their eyes still held lingering nervousness, a worry about their unpredictable survival.
But this young man beside him, who looked about his age, didn't seem worried about his situation at all, as if he had some kind of assurance.
Li Kang had always trusted his intuition deeply. He felt that compared to the uncle and the denim skirt woman, perhaps the young man beside him was the most deeply hidden expert in this team.
Xu Xi didn't know what his teammate beside him was thinking.
He hadn't even realized it himself—even though he kept warning himself not to rely on his ability to act recklessly, that dying less was better, and so on—but admittedly, knowing he had a clear safety net made him subconsciously feel secure.
Thus, he appeared more relaxed compared to the other players.
Soon, Tan Xingyun parked the car in front of the shop.
After getting out, the four first observed the shop's exterior.
The wooden-structured shop wasn't very large and seemed quite old, with signs of insect damage in some places.
"This is... a funeral supplies shop?!" Li Kang exclaimed softly.
Looking through the open door, the interior was crammed full of wreaths, flower baskets commonly used in funerals, and some paper-made sacrificial items, filling the already narrow space completely.
It was already eerie enough for a shop to appear in the wilderness, but discovering it was a funeral shop upon closer inspection made it even creepier.
A chilly wind swept past, making everyone shiver involuntarily.
"Maybe we should..." Xu Xiuman rubbed her chilly arms and was about to suggest they leave, but before her slow, hesitant words finished, hurried footsteps sounded from inside.
The wooden floorboards seemed unable to bear the weight, creaking incessantly, and these sounds felt like they were pounding on everyone's hearts.
Li Kang was so frightened he nearly jumped.
Tan Xingyun quickly retreated several steps, ready to yell for everyone to retreat if the situation turned bad.
Xu Xi's heart also leaped into his throat—in the last instance, he hadn't encountered a single living NPC.
[Holy crap, seriously? Starting off so intense right away!]
[Where are the comments? Shield me, shield me!!]
Just as everyone was bracing themselves, a figure appeared before the four.
"Welcome, what would you like to buy, guests?"
The person emerging from inside wasn't the supernatural being Xu Xi and the others had imagined, but a short, elderly man.
He didn't have a terrifying appearance or a hoarse voice. On the contrary, the old man's face was very kind, and he warmly greeted the several guests outside the shop.
The four looked at each other, none responding.
Perhaps sensing the guests' hidden vigilance, the old man said with a smile, "It seems you guests are heading to the funeral parlor, right? Just drive a bit further ahead, and you'll reach Daoji Highway."
"Funeral parlor?" Tan Xingyun pulled in his beer belly slightly and cautiously probed, "How do you know we're going to the funeral parlor?"