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Gu Mian, sitting in the driver's seat, announced in an exasperated tone, "We don't have a gas canister at home."

Fatty coughed a few times to cover his embarrassment, then looked at the supermarket entrance before them.

These supermarkets, established by the game, were quite large but had only one entrance and exit, likely for easier management.

At this moment, Fatty began to count on his fingers. "We can't afford to stay in hotels every day; it's too expensive. Besides, not every place is as safe as Hengdian, and some might not even have hotels operating. We'll have to sleep in the Spirit Car…"

"So, we need a large cushion to make the car more comfortable, and a few quilts as well. The car gets too cold, especially at night. I doubt even two quilts will be enough."

There was no air conditioning in the Spirit Car, so they had to rely on themselves for warmth.

Some items bought from the supermarket could be placed in item slots, while others couldn't; all were clearly marked.

For example, Spirit Cars, weapons, and medicines could all be placed in item slots. These items seemed to be produced by the game itself to be sold in the supermarket and could provide benefits within an instance.

However, daily essentials like food and quilts couldn't be placed in item slots. When players entered an instance, they could only hide these items somewhere. Whether they would still be there upon exiting was purely down to luck.

Considering that items not storable in item slots might be stolen while they were in an instance, Gu Mian and the others hadn't bought such things before.

But things were different now. Now they had a warehouse manager.

While contemplating this, Gu Mian looked at Xiao Hong, who was pressed against the car window, staring blankly outside.

When they entered an instance, they could leave items that couldn't be placed in item slots in the car and have Xiao Hong guard it. Surely...she can do it, right?

The exterior of the Spirit Car had been modified. If the loudspeakers on the roof weren't playing the special BGM for the dead, it wouldn't be recognized as a Spirit Car.

As Gu Mian got out of the car, he glanced back at Xiao Hong with some concern. She looks a bit dazed. Hopefully, she won't get stolen along with everything else...

Fatty didn't share these concerns.

To be on the safe side, Gu Mian had parked the car in a slightly more secluded spot, a bit far from the supermarket entrance, so they had to walk a short distance.

Normally, walking this distance wouldn't be a big deal, but the current temperature was unbelievably cold. Gu Mian even wondered if someone peed outside, if their urine would instantly freeze into an icicle.

At this moment, Fatty was shivering uncontrollably. Theoretically, someone of Fatty's build should have better resistance to cold.

But this particular Fatty was cowering from the cold, even grabbing a corner of Gu Mian's white lab coat. His teeth chattered nonstop, and he looked like he was about to freeze to death.

Because the temperature a few days prior hadn't been this terrifying, Fatty's clothes were too thin for the current weather.

Of course, Gu Mian and Chu Changge weren't faring much better; one wore a thin windbreaker, the other an even thinner white lab coat.

Thankfully, these two partners in misfortune had extraordinary resistance to cold. Of course, Gu Mian also felt the extreme cold, but his reaction wasn't as pronounced as Fatty's.

"Let's hurry..." Fatty said, already jogging towards the supermarket entrance.

The cold wind still howled. Just that short walk turned Fatty's face beet red and made his hands stiff. He only started to warm up a little after running into the supermarket.

Upon entering the supermarket, Gu Mian was momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer number of diverse people. With this awful weather, why are there still so many people at the supermarket?

These people had gathered outside the checkout area. It seemed they weren't planning to go inside to shop but had instead formed small groups. They were all looking around, seemingly waiting for something.

The arrival of Gu Mian's trio naturally caught some attention, but those people quickly looked away, resuming their watch towards the checkout area.

Looking puzzled, Fatty quietly asked, "What are these people waiting for here?"

Chu Changge spoke quietly, "Don't forget, there are restrictions for entering the supermarket. Everyone needs to show a 'Game Supermarket Ticket,' which costs fifty Game Coins each. In this situation, to maximize benefits, people join groups. Each time, one person is chosen, given the Game Coins, and they enter the supermarket to buy what everyone in the group needs. This saves money."

He paused before continuing, "It's quite apparent this game practically forces players to form cliques. All else being equal in terms of strength, loners will always acquire far fewer resources than group members."

Of course, there were exceptions. If you encountered a loner who struck it rich thanks to game maintenance, that would be a different story.

Fatty quietly felt the three supermarket tickets in his pocket, which he had specifically gone to the ticket office to buy not long ago.

"Uh..." Fatty hesitated before asking, "If the three of us just swagger in together, wouldn't that seem like we're showing off?"

And there's a whole crowd here watching, people who couldn't bring themselves to buy tickets...

Chu Changge nodded. "It would indeed look like showing off."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, it was safer to maintain a low profile.

Gu Mian looked at Chu Changge. "I need to buy some medical supplies and other things. The supermarket has a wide variety, many of which are produced by the game itself, so I need to go see them in person. Are you going in too?"

Chu Changge hummed in agreement. "I have to go in and pick out some things myself."

He didn't specify what he needed to pick out, and Gu Mian didn't ask further. He turned to Fatty. "Are you coming in? It's already a bit strange for two of us to go in; one more won't make much difference."

They could have chosen to wait until the current crowd left before pretending not to know each other and entering the supermarket separately. But that wasn't necessary. Once they finished buying their items, they would make a quick exit anyway.

Hearing this, Fatty quickly moved closer to Gu Mian. "Then let me be the one to show off."

As they headed towards the shopping area, Fatty felt numerous gazes on his back, intense enough to almost burn a hole through it. They must be from that group of players behind us, the ones who couldn't afford tickets.

They were still in Hengdian, and with military personnel still visible everywhere, they didn't need to worry too much about violent incidents.

As long as I run fast enough, robbers won't be able to catch me, Fatty thought as he stepped into the supermarket's shopping area.

The first floor was the daily necessities section, the second floor housed clothing, and the third floor was for food.

Gu Mian recalled that the food area on the third floor had the most expensive items, and it looked like prices there might have gone up again. However, the three of them weren't heading for food; instead, they found the "Bedding Section" on the first floor.