The cold night wind whistled across the wilderness.
White Night remembered the van belonging to the five punks.
“Little White Night is such a frugal little wife,” Su Shuang’er praised.
“I am not some little wife…” White Night couldn’t help but retort, her small face flushing red even in her soul state.
“That’s right, Little White Night should be my wife instead,” Mu Yingying teased, unable to resist joining in.
“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s hurry up and check the van. If we’re too late, someone else might beat us to it,” White Night urged.
“Fine, fine, fine.”
The two women and the bicycle searched through the darkness until they found the van parked by the roadside.
Although the vehicle was dilapidated, covered in scratches and dents, a car with fuel was an absolute treasure in the Apocalypse.
“We’re rich.”
Mu Yingying slid open the side door and began rummaging through the interior like a squirrel hoarding pinecones.
“These guys actually hid two boxes of instant noodles and three buckets of water? There are even a few unopened packs of chocolate… Tsk, tsk. It seems robbery really is a zero-investment, high-profit business.”
However, Su Shuang’er did not show much joy.
She stood in the cold wind, her hands tightly gripping White Night’s handlebars, her breathing rapid.
By the dim yellow glow of the van’s reading light, one could see that Su Shuang’er’s fair cheeks were terrifyingly red, as if they were radiating steam.
Her usually cold eyes were now glazed with a layer of mist, her gaze blurring and filled with a frightening desire.
This desire was projected without reservation onto the bicycle beside her.
“White Night…”
Su Shuang’er’s voice was hoarse, carrying a suppressed tremble.
Her fingertips slid along the cool handlebars toward the crossbar, her scorching body heat conducting through the metal and into the depths of White Night’s soul.
Even White Night, who was possessing the bike, couldn’t help but shiver.
“Auntie Frost… are… are you okay?”
White Night’s soul flickered into view. She could clearly feel that something was wrong with Su Shuang’er’s state.
That look in her eyes was like a wolf that had been starving for three days, wanting to swallow her whole — bike, soul, and all.
“I… I can’t control it.”
Su Shuang’er bit her lower lip so hard it nearly bled.
“The Side Effect… is here.”
This was the price of using her ability: a morbid attachment to White Night.
If she didn’t vent it, she felt as though she would be burned to ashes by this internal fire.
Mu Yingying, who had just unwrapped a piece of chocolate, turned around to witness this suggestive scene.
“Hey, hey, hey, that look in your eyes is a bit dangerous.”
Mu Yingying’s hand, holding the chocolate, trembled slightly.
“Even if there’s a beautiful girl’s soul hidden in this bike, it’s still just a metal frame. That look… do you want to eat her?”
“Shut up!”
Su Shuang’er snapped her head around, her eyes as fierce as a lioness protecting her food, causing Mu Yingying to shrink back.
“Why are you being so mean to me?” Mu Yingying asked, looking bewildered.
Su Shuang’er’s face turned even redder as she struggled against an instinct that was about to burst.
“This van belongs to us now. But I have an urgent matter to attend to. I need to resolve it with White Night alone in the van right now!”
“Resolve it alone?”
Mu Yingying arched an eyebrow, her gaze darting back and forth between the woman and the bicycle. A playful, mischievous grin curled onto her lips.
“We’re all girls, what’s there to hide? Are you going to give the bicycle a full-service spa treatment? I’d like to learn that kind of technical skill myself.”
“Get out!”
Su Shuang’er felt like she was going to explode from shame and indignation.
The heat inside her made her want to press her face against White Night’s cold frame and rub against it immediately, but her remaining rationality told her she couldn’t show such madness in front of Mu Yingying.
“It’s freezing outside! You want me to go out and whistle in the wind?”
Mu Yingying protested, though her body honestly drifted toward the door.
“Bet with me first. I just used my ability, and my Side Effect has appeared too.”
Mu Yingying proposed her condition.
“Fine! It’s a deal! Just hurry up!”
Su Shuang’er was in a desperate rush.
Without another word, Mu Yingying pulled the Smooth Gold Coin from her pocket.
“Standard rules: heads or tails. If it’s the blank side, I lose. If it’s the pattern, I win. Hurry!”
Clink—
The coin was tossed high, tracing a golden arc through the night.
Snap.
Mu Yingying caught it steadily and opened her palm.
Both sides were still perfectly smooth, showing nothing.
“Lost again.”
Mu Yingying sighed helplessly.
“Fine, I accept the loss. Even though this Truth-telling Segment shouldn’t be wasted on the wind — otherwise the Side Effect won’t count as resolved — let me say a few words.”
She glanced at Su Shuang’er, who looked ready to devour the bike at any moment, and then at the shivering White Night.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Take it easy, girl.”
“White Night is made of iron, but she’s an old model. With that big rear of yours sitting on her, and those long legs that can grip… be careful not to snap Little White Night’s crossbar.”
“Get out!”
Su Shuang’er grabbed an empty water bottle and hurled it with all her might.
“Alright, alright, I’m going. Can’t I just go?”
Mu Yingying nimbly dodged the projectile and hopped out of the van. She even thoughtfully closed the door behind her, though she continued her crude commentary.
“The world is truly going downhill. But with such a cute bicycle sister, it’s only human nature, only human nature…”
Thud!
As the door slammed shut, the small cabin of the van was suddenly filled with nothing but Su Shuang’er’s heavy, bellows-like breathing.
Finally… it was just the two of them.
“White Night…”
Su Shuang’er could no longer hold back.
Like a cat released from its chains, she lunged forward, wrapping her entire body around White Night’s cold frame.
“Mmph!”
White Night’s soul let out a muffled groan.
The sensation was bizarre.
Su Shuang’er’s burning cheeks were pressed firmly against her crossbar, her arms encircling the seat and rear wheel, her entire body curling and pressing into the frame.
Su Shuang’er’s staggering body heat was transmitted to White Night without reservation through her thin clothing.
It was the Side Effect of her superpower, and her true desire at this moment.
“So cool… feels so good…”
Su Shuang’er let out a satisfied sigh, like someone in a desert who had finally tasted ice water after three days of thirst.
She unconsciously rubbed her cheek against White Night’s rusty frame, her curvaceous, soft body rising and falling with her breath, nearly drowning the slender bicycle.
“Auntie… Auntie Frost…”
White Night’s soul felt a bit dizzy.
Even though she didn’t have a physical body, this soul-deep contact was more stimulating than having one.
She could feel every inch of Su Shuang’er’s skin craving her cooling presence. The intensity of that dependence made her feel both embarrassed and pained.
“Don’t talk… let me hold you for a while…”
Su Shuang’er’s voice was as soft as water, completely devoid of her usual domineering aura.
“Just for a little while…”
Outside the van, the cold wind howled.
Mu Yingying wrapped her thin T-shirt tighter around herself and crouched on a roadside rock to eat her chocolate.
Listening to the strange metallic creaking and Su Shuang’er’s suppressed sounds coming from the van, she sighed helplessly and crushed her cigarette butt.
“What a sin.”
She looked up at the Red Moon and muttered to herself.
“In this day and age, a single dog not only has to eat dog food but also has to keep watch for a bicycle. Is there any hope left for this world?”
A full half an hour passed.
Following a long, relieved exhale from inside the cabin, the movement finally ceased.
The door was pulled open.
A bored Mu Yingying climbed back in.
“Is… is it over?”
Mu Yingying glanced at the scene inside.
Su Shuang’er was leaning against the seat, her clothes slightly disheveled. The terrifying flush on her face had mostly faded, replaced by a light pink hue. Her eyes were glazed with the blankness of a post-climax “sage mode.”
White Night was slumped to one side, looking a bit worse for wear.
The crossbar was covered in wet stains.
“You really…”
Mu Yingying looked at White Night’s damp frame and shook her head in disapproval.
“You didn’t even wipe it. No hygiene at all. You have to pay attention to hygiene! You can’t just focus on your own pleasure! That’s too selfish!”
As she spoke, she pulled out a relatively clean handkerchief and began to wipe away the sweat stains on the bike frame while teasing, “Little White Night, you’ve had it hard. It’s a miracle you didn’t fall apart after being tormented by such a ravenous woman for half an hour.”
Su Shuang’er finally snapped out of it, feeling so ashamed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
“That was the Side Effect… I didn’t want to.”
“Yes, yes, the Side Effect,” Mu Yingying replied dismissively, a grin on her face. “Just like my Side Effect is gambling. We’re in the same boat, so let’s not mock one another.”
“You’re still laughing…”
Su Shuang’er looked up and glared at her in embarrassment, but her eyes lacked their previous ferocity, showing more of the awkwardness of being caught.
“Alright, alright, stop laughing.”
White Night’s soul floated out to play peacemaker.
If she let these two keep bickering, the sun would be up.
“Umm… it’s already past 12:00 AM.”
Upon hearing those words, the atmosphere in the cabin changed instantly.
Su Shuang’er and Mu Yingying both sat up straight, their exhaustion vanishing.
“The Lucky Draw?”
Mu Yingying’s eyes lit up, and she rubbed her hands together.
Given Mu Yingying’s bravery in combat, she was now a companion who had shared life and death. White Night decided not to hide the secrets of the System anymore.
She roughly explained the RV System and the Daily Lucky Draw mechanic to Mu Yingying.
After listening, Mu Yingying’s eyes widened.
“You’re saying this bicycle can not only upgrade but also has a Shop? And that Great Strength Potion from before was drawn from this?”
“Heavens…”
Mu Yingying looked pleasantly surprised.
“What kind of divine luck is this? I actually hitched a ride with such a powerful player! My previous bad luck must have been to save up for this massive wave!”
“Stop being a glib talker. I’m the RV Driver.”
Su Shuang’er rolled her eyes at her, but the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but turn up.
“My luck has always been good. Come on, I’ll do the draw.”
Mu Yingying shrunk back with self-awareness.
“You go ahead, Boss. I’m a total jinx; I shouldn’t touch this. I’ll just stand by and soak up some of your lucky aura.”
‘System, request Driver Su Shuang’er to perform the Daily Lucky Draw.’
White Night issued the command in her mind.
The familiar virtual roulette wheel materialized before the three of them again.
This time, the rewards on the wheel seemed to have refreshed.
“Spin!”
Su Shuang’er called out.
The ring of light spun rapidly, the colorful glow reflecting on their tense faces.
Su Shuang’er closed her eyes in prayer, Mu Yingying clenched her fists in nervous anticipation, and White Night’s soul was trembling.
‘Good stuff. Please, let it be good stuff,’ she chanted frantically in her heart.
The pointer gradually slowed down.
It passed the white [Thank You for Playing], slid past the blue [Mineral Water]…
Finally, the pointer stopped on a impressive red area!
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to Driver Su Shuang’er! Explosive luck!]
[You have obtained a Red Rare Reward: Junior Vehicle Autonomous Control Module (Fragmented Version)]
[Item Description: Even a salted fish has a time to turn over, and even a bicycle sometimes wants to move on its own. After installing this module, the RV will gain basic autonomous movement capabilities. Note: Due to the fragmented version, the control may feel somewhat stiff.]
“Autonomous movement?!”
White Night was overjoyed.
“I can move on my own?!”
She really didn’t want to be a vegetable-bike anymore. She had long since had enough of these days where she couldn’t even turn a corner!
‘Quick! System, install it!’
White Night urged.
As a stream of light merged into the bicycle’s frame, a virtual game controller appeared in the hands of White Night’s soul…
“This thing is a bit too primitive…”
White Night concentrated, trying to use the controller to make the front wheel turn.
Screech…
The wheel made a harsh, grating sound and slowly turned half a rotation.
“It’s crooked, it’s crooked…”
Under their watchful eyes, the bike wobbled and lurched forward two steps. It looked like a baby who had just learned to walk or a drunkard who couldn’t stay upright.
“Left… right… Whoa, whoa!”
Thud!
The handlebars suddenly jerked, slamming directly into Su Shuang’er’s chest.
It was soft.
And bouncy.
“Little White Night!”
Su Shuang’er let out a muffled groan from the impact, but she ignored the pain and braced the bike’s frame with a look of pure joy.
“This is a bit subpar…”
“This isn’t autonomous movement. This is a Parkinson’s version of a bicycle… It wobbles so much, it’s not even as fast as Auntie Frost pushing it!”
White Night felt a bit discouraged.
Indeed, the control was terrible.
It was like using a decades-old remote control to drive a bicycle — high latency, slow response, and it could barely maintain balance while moving slowly. It would even struggle on an incline.
‘This is way too useless…’ White Night couldn’t help but complain in her head.
“Don’t lose heart.”
Su Shuang’er gently stroked the front of the bike.
“At least it’s a start. If I’m ever injured or not by your side, you’ll have some ability to protect yourself, right?”
“Yeah.”
Mu Yingying also leaned in, patting the rear seat.
“And it makes you seem more… spiritual. Like keeping a little pet.”
“You’re the pet…”
White Night irritably rang the bicycle bell.
Ding-ling!
Despite her complaints, White Night was actually happy.
This tiny bit of progress represented infinite possibilities.
One day, she would evolve into a true steel behemoth, carrying them as she crushed every obstacle in this Doomsday.
“Alright, sleep!”
After a night of chaos, Su Shuang’er finally yawned and made a decision.
“We have to hit the road tomorrow. Mu Yingying, you sleep in the passenger seat up front. White Night and I will sleep in the back.”
“On what grounds?” Mu Yingying protested. “I want to hug the bike while I sleep, too! I want to feel what it’s like to be bumped by ‘autonomous movement’!”
“Get lost! You shameless brat!”
Su Shuang’er rolled her eyes.
“I’m the driver. If you want to be bumped, go find a wall.”
“Tch, stingy.”