1 I’m Going Ahead

"I'm sorry parents, grandpa. I'm going ahead."

This was Xia Yuexi's last tearful thought before losing consciousness. The supply truck she was driving was quickly filled with water as it, with her inside, sunk to the bottom of the lake.

What's the situation?

This has to start a few minutes ago. Xia Yuxi was humming along to her favorite song being played on the vehicle speakers. She was driving through mountain roads where the air was fresh, so she turned off the aircon and opened the car windows.

As she reached a winding section of the road, she slowed down a bit. After all, she was driving a 10-wheeler wing van, which her family uses to deliver supplies from the city to their mountain town.

The Xia family runs the only large convenience store and family supermarket in their remote hometown up in the mountains. They could have moved to the city, but their roots were in this town and her grandparents as well as her parents didn't want to relocate.

As for Xia Yuexi, she worked for some time in the city before, but eventually got tired of the crowded urban jungle and decided to move back to her hometown and help her aging parents run their family supermarket.

Her family was, of course, very happy about her decision. Since then, she was in charge of purchasing supplies from the city and delivering everything to their mountain hometown. She was happy and content.

Fast forward to today - she was just returning home from her monthly supply run to the city. She had navigated through these mountain roads countless times and today's weather was so nice.

Unfortunately, accidents just happen out of the blue.

Somehow, a deer came down the mountain and ran across the road, just in front of Xia Yuexi's truck.

She was unprepared and swerved right off the cliffs, eventually falling into the lake below. Her windows were open and water quickly filled the driver's seat. She was injured, in pain, and terrified that she couldn't do anything. She closed her eyes in regret.

_________

Qi Kingdom - somewhere at the foot of the mountains south of Fuzhou Prefecture

Xia Yuexi, who thought she was a goner, regained consciousness.

Hiss~ 'Why is my head so painful?! Didn't I drown? My throat and breathing seem okay…'

Xia Yuexi opened her eyes in confusion.

'Hey, where is this?' She looked around and was dumbfounded. She could tell that she was in a forest, but most of the trees were dead and those that are alive were barely hanging in there. Most of the trees have their barks stripped and there were many traces of vegetation being dug out.

The mountain forests near her hometown were obviously lush and green; why is this place so barren?

The temperature was super hot, too. She could feel her sweat soaking through her clothes.

Wait, what type of clothes was she wearing?! This looked like peasant garb from those ancient costume dramas she used to watch on TV. What the hell is going on?

She slowly got up from the ground and saw the overturned basket beside her. In a mess were some tattered clothes, a few pieces of chipped bowls, a bamboo tube, and other messy things.

Xia Yuexi looked around, still unable to figure out what was going on.

"Ding! Welcome Traveler X456. Stand by for first-level missions." A cold mechanical voice sounded.

"What? Who's speaking? Come out!" Xia Yuexi was terrified. She couldn't see anyone around and the voice sounded like it was inside her head. Was it a ghost? She shivered.

"Close your eyes and empty your mind. You'll see me." The mechanical voice sounded again.

The good baby Xia Yuexi did as she was told. She closed her eyes and suddenly felt a sort of sinking and falling feeling.

Surprised, she opened her eyes again and was speechless at what she saw. She was inside a box and she recognized where she was by looking at all the boxes and pallets stacked in front of her.

She was inside her container van!

All the boxes in front of her contained all the supplies she bought from the city.

She looked around and saw the door. With a feeling of being lucky in her heart, she pushed and pulled, trying her best to open the door. Maybe she can go back. Her family must have heard the news about her accident by now. She knows that they will be devastated. She wanted to see everyone.

But she was out of luck. The door didn't budge at all.

"Storage Box X456 is an enclosed and separate space. Host, give up." The cold, mechanical voice instructed.

Xia Yuexi still had a throbbing pain in her head and now she was distraught. Was she really dead and will she never see her parents and grandpa again?

She slid to the floor with tears in her eyes.

Then, her stomach growled.

'Umm, okay let's have a meal first!' Xia Yuexi was an actionist so she wiped her tears indiscriminately and started digging through the food section.

She was always organized when she did her supply runs. She knew exactly where the fresh and processed food items were as well as where the non-perishable goods were stacked.

As she was searching, she asked the empty air, "Hey, who's talking to me? Why don't you show yourself?"

"My name is System X456 designated to Traveler X456 named Xia Yuexi. Currently at Basic Level and unable to condense physical form."

"Ugh, why do you keep calling me Traveler X456?"

There was a moment of silence before she heard the voice again. "Cannot answer. Classified Information. Please do your best to level up to access additional data."

"Level up? How?"

"Receive and execute missions. Collect merit points."

Xia Yuexi scratched her head. Her future sounds so illusory.

Whatever. Right now, she must eat first.

Finally, she was able to open the box of bread and found the bottled water box. She gobbled the food and filled her stomach, lost in thought.

"Hey, System X456…ugh it's such a hassle to say your name. Do you have a nickname?"

System: … This host's priorities seem to be messed up.

"Host, feel free to assign me a nickname."

Xia Yuexi thought for a while, then gave up. "Umm, I'll just call you Brother Box."

System X456 also known as Brother Box: … "As the host wishes."

Xia Yuexi: why do I sense helplessness from this guy?

"Is the host full?" Brother Box asked. "If so, please exit the space. Physical stay here is limited to 30 minutes a day. At other times, access the space's contents via consciousness."

Xia Yuexi had no choice but to go back to the barren forest.

"Hey, Brother Box. Where are we anyway?"

System: … You finally cared about this… "Current location is at an unnamed forest at the foot of Heishan Mountain, Fuzhou Prefecture, Qi Kingdom."

Xia Yuexi looked around at her surroundings once more.

"Why is it so barren and lifeless?"

"To answer the host, most of the kingdom's northern part experienced a heavy snow disaster. Refugees are now fleeing towards the south."

"Then why did you bring me here of all places?! No, no, no! I don't want to die again, take me back!"

"Reason for transfer is classified information. Return is impossible." The system put a stop to all of Xia Yuxie's hopes to see her family again.

"Host, I advise that you find shelter soon. Evening is approaching and danger increases." Brother Box interrupted her lonely thoughts.

"Ahhhh!" Xia Yuxie scratched her head with both hands in frustration but she accidentally touched the wound on her head and she was in pain again!

"What happened to my head?"

Brother Box: "Unknown. I don't have access to this information."

Xia Yuxie: … This system is a bit useless, isn't it? Is there a return and exchange policy?

Brother Box's voice which sounded even colder sounded again, "Host, there is no return and no exchange. Get over it."

Xia Yuxie gritted her teeth. Hmph, whatever!

"Will you stop calling me 'Host'? I feel like you're being parasitic!"

System: …whatever you say… "How does the host want to be addressed?"

"Just call me Xiaoyue. That's what my family called me." Xia Yuexi smiled bitterly. She was reminded of her family again. For sure they will be so sad about her passing. Hopefully, grandpa won't fall ill too much.

She asked Brother Box to call her Xiaoyue because he was the only connection she had left to her hometown. He could barely be considered as his family. She didn't want to think about being an orphan.

Xia Yuexi looked left, right, front, and back. She really didn't know where to go.

"Ah, Brother Box. Where can a safe shelter be found?"

"Ding! Please receive your first mission: Find a shelter and ensure safety in the next 24 hours. Reward will be given upon satisfactory completion."

"Hey, hey Brother Box. I asked you to help me find shelter. Why did you give me a mission instead?!"

Silence~

Xia Yuxie really wants to beat up Brother Box!