Mumu and Chu Yu had already organized the maps. Their first stop was Nanyue County, and their first major destination was Nanshang Province, passing through four counties and one city along the way.
Aside from those whose destinations were counties or cities under the jurisdiction of Nanxia Province, most players, after weighing their options, chose to carpool. However, carpooling severely tested a team's trust, and there was no telling whether everyone's journey would be a happy one.
After finishing their free lunches, the players in the plaza began gathering and setting off on their respective journeys.
Chu Yu named their group Team Yuyu. She had purchased essential supplies such as flashlights and a large stock of compressed biscuits—enough for five people to munch on for seven days, provided they didn't overeat. Water was trickier to manage, both because of its weight and the high consumption rate, so Chu Yu had only bought a single case of bottled water. Once finished, the empty bottles couldn't be thrown away; they were to be kept for storing water.
The roads were divided into four categories. The first was expressways: the total distance was around 3,500 kilometers, requiring only 500 kilometers a day. At 0.3 yuan per kilometer, it was clearly an unaffordable luxury for the players.
The second was national highways: toll-free throughout, with a total distance of around 4,200 kilometers, requiring about 600 kilometers a day. With five people taking turns driving, taking in the scenic views along the way, and chatting to make friends in the car, from this perspective alone, the casual instance was indeed quite casual.
The third was county and township roads.
The fourth was unnamed roads—roads known to exist, but without any route numbers.
Naturally, the national highway was the top choice. Mumu did some math: without running the air conditioning, the car burned 5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. 42 times 5 came to 210 liters of gasoline. Based on the tank capacity, that required five fill-ups; to allow a margin for error, they would refuel once a day. At 4 yuan per liter, that totaled 840 yuan.
After clever Mumu worked out the calculations, everyone's confidence in returning home soared. With the "Realistic" tag on this instance, gods, demons, and ghosts were unlikely to appear. Paired with the formidable constables keeping order, as long as the system didn't play dirty tricks, the quest wouldn't be too difficult. Perhaps Yita World's purpose in setting up this quest was merely to test the players.
Brother Kai served as the primary driver, navigator Chu Yu sat in the passenger seat, and poor Ding Shi was left squeezed into the middle of the back seat. Though Ding Shi wasn't short, he could still manage to fit. On the other hand, Ritian to his left had his head pressed against the ceiling and had to hunch over just to squeeze in.
The car rolled out from the exit. Ahead lay a one-kilometer stretch of road reserved for players, where Brother Kai taught the others how to use the clutch. With Ritian on his left and Mumu on his right leaning forward to watch, Ding Shi was squished in the middle with nowhere to dodge.
Leaving the dedicated road, Brother Kai skillfully merged into traffic. Yes, there was traffic—cars driven by robots, and robot pedestrians on the streets.
As the car moved forward, Chu Yu grew a bit nervous. She studied the map while scanning for road signs. When the car entered a roundabout, Brother Kai asked, "Yuyu, which exit?"
"Go around one more time." Chu Yu rotated the map ninety degrees, looked at it for a moment, and said, "There's no sign for the museum? Then take the third exit."
Ding Shi had an ominous feeling. He stretched his neck to peer at the map in Chu Yu's hands. Chu Yu didn't notice and continued directing, "Ping'an Road—turn left! Turn left, turn left onto Ping'an Road."
After a few minutes of turning left, the car climbed onto a bridge. Chu Yu was stunned. Where did this bridge come from? She had never read road maps before, but she considered herself relatively smart, and she could understand train schedules and route diagrams at the travel agency. Why were road maps so different?
Chu Yu leaned close over the map, searching. Ding Shi pointed with his finger. Seeing it clearly, Chu Yu had an epiphany: the bridge they had just crossed wasn't over a river, but an elevated overpass. So she directed, "Make a U-turn ahead, get ready to turn right, and then take Chenggong Road."
Brother Kai: "Copy that."
Chu Yu looked back at Ding Shi. "You know how to read maps?"
Ding Shi nodded. "I was on a cycling team in high school. The first skill we learned was reading maps." Compared to digital navigation, paper maps had virtually no advantages. But that was only virtually—paper maps had one distinct feature: contour colors that revealed elevation changes in terrain.
Beyond cycling teams, many backpackers and off-road enthusiasts used paper maps. When there was no road, they carved one out. An electronic GPS, on the other hand, would only drone: Please make a U-turn.
Chu Yu pursed her lips and stared at Ding Shi. Ding Shi looked puzzled. Chu Yu said, "When I asked what skills you had, why didn't you mention this?"
Ding Shi replied, "It's not really anything impressive." I also know hand-to-hand combat, firearms, rock climbing...
Chu Yu called out, "Brother Kai, pull over. You take over."
The two swapped seats. Chu Yu squeezed into the middle seat in the back, while Ding Shi took charge of navigation. In under five minutes, the car left Nanyin County and headed toward Nanyue County.
Ding Shi placed the map into the car's glove compartment, pulled out his own map bundle, and drew out the twenty maps covering the Nanxia Province section, examining them one by one in order.
Mumu whispered into Chu Yu's ear, "When it comes to navigation, he's a pro."
Chu Yu whispered back into Mumu's ear, "When it comes to judging people, I'm the pro."
Both girls chuckled. Ritian used his bone-shrinking art, tucking himself in as much as possible to leave a bit more room for the two women.
Looking at the road signs ahead, Ding Shi said, "Brother Kai, five kilometers ahead, leave the national highway and turn toward Nannan Township. Keep an eye out for the signs. If we cut through Nannan Township and then rejoin the national highway, we can shave twenty kilometers off our trip."
Brother Kai: "Copy that."
As the car cruised along the national highway, a police cruiser parked at an intersection switched on its emergency lights, tailed their car, and blared its siren.
Everyone looked back. Chu Yu asked, "What's going on?"
Brother Kai said, "No idea."
Ding Shi said, "Pull over first."
The car pulled over and stopped. The police cruiser pulled up behind them, and two robotic police officers stepped out. They looked identical, their faces bearing unmistakable robotic features.
Robotic Officer A knocked on the window. Brother Kai rolled it down. Robotic Officer A said, "You crossed a solid line."
Brother Kai beamed an apologetic smile. "Sorry, so sorry." Just moments earlier, he had crossed a solid line to pass a three-wheeled vehicle driven by a robot.
Robotic Officer A said, "Ten yuan fine."
Robotic Officer B tore off a ticket and handed it over.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Only ten yuan—the system was quite lenient after all. Chu Yu passed ten yuan to Brother Kai. Robotic Officer A glanced inside the car, took the ten yuan, and said, "Driver's license."
Brother Kai: "Huh?"
Robotic Officer A: "Driver's license."
Brother Kai: "You need a driver's license?"
Robotic Officer A: "Driver's license required."
Brother Kai whispered, "I don't have one."
Robotic Officer A took a step back, his tone instantly shifting into something fierce and menacing. "Everyone, step out of the vehicle immediately!" One hand reached for his taser.
Robotic Officer B covered him from the flank, shouting, "Hands off the steering wheel! Step out, all of you out of the vehicle!"
The five obediently climbed out. Brother Kai was pinned against the car and handcuffed.
Chu Yu stepped forward to negotiate. "Officers, how do we handle this?"
Robotic Officer A answered, "Driving without a license. Three days' detention, or a fine of three hundred yuan."
Without hesitation, Chu Yu said, "I'll pay." With that, she pulled out her cash, counted thirty bills, and handed them over.
Ding Shi was quite surprised. Faced with a situation like this, many people would first ask themselves: Is Brother Kai worth three hundred yuan? For the good of the team, cutting Brother Kai loose would have been an attractive option.
Robotic Officer A scanned the bills with his titanium eyes, unlocked the handcuffs, and said, "Do not challenge the law. Next time, it will be thirty days' detention or a fine of three thousand yuan."
Chu Yu and Brother Kai repeatedly nodded. "Yes, of course."
Robotic Officer B addressed the other four, "Do you need us to call a tow truck?"
Chu Yu's heart skipped a beat. "How much is that?"
Robotic Officer B estimated the distance and said, "Two hundred yuan."
Mumu had a flash of inspiration. "Can we push the car along?"
Robotic Officer B replied, "Obstructing traffic for non-transport activities incurs a twenty-yuan fine."
Ding Shi pulled out a driver's license, handed it to Robotic Officer B, and said, "I have a license."
Everyone stared at Ding Shi in unison: You have a license? Why weren't you driving?!
Faced with their questioning glares, Ding Shi recoiled in surprise and asked meekly, "Isn't driving supposed to require a license?" Isn't driving with a license common sense? Why are you all looking at me like you've seen a ghost?
Chapter 42