The second match took place an hour after the first ended, at the same location… in that square.
The five houses still floated in the chaotic space, unable to interfere with the second match. The five participants had to walk through the passage at the entrance of the houses to cross the space and reach the square.
Two weeks had passed, and the five gathered again. Although it had only been half a month, it felt like a lifetime ago. Everyone was silent, and the atmosphere was no longer what it used to be, whether good or bad.
Standing here were teammates who had gone through four games together, yet now they felt more like strangers.
In the end, it was Xin Meng who broke the strange silence first. He looked at the drastically changed Xiong Jiabao and asked, “How did you get so fat?”
Xiong Jiabao pinched the flesh on his body and smiled wryly, “It’s the trials, there’s no way around it. If I don’t gain weight, I might die. Luckily, the items I found in my backpack saved my life; otherwise, you wouldn’t see me here.”
Their conversation eased the atmosphere a bit, and Qi Xiaokui joked, “When we first came, you said I didn’t understand what it meant to prioritize food, but now I get it. You’ve eaten so much that you’re almost blocking out the sky.”
Her sharp tongue was still as cutting as ever. Xiong Jiabao quickly made a pitiful face and pleaded, “Stop it, sister. Looking back, it’s like karma. Do you think I ended up with this demon general because I said that? What bad luck! You have no idea; I feel like I’m going to burst.”
Qi Xiaokui rolled her eyes, “You think anyone has it easier than you?”
Then she turned to the ever-smiling Xin Meng and asked, “What about You Yi? Have you found him?”
Xin Meng nodded, “I was just about to tell you. This time, he is acting as an NPC, and he happens to be one of the demon generals.”
Qi Xiaokui’s eyes lit up, “Which one?”
“Cough…” Xin Meng suddenly coughed, feeling a bit embarrassed, and said, “Indulgence…”
Qi Xiaokui immediately burst into laughter, “So you ended up with him.” Her meaningful gaze fell on the red mark on his neck.
Xin Meng’s face turned red, and he quickly changed the subject, “On a serious note, I think it’s best for him to become the demon king. It’s not just because I have a good relationship with him; after all, he is our teammate. We rise and fall together, and he will definitely help us clear the game.”
“You want us all to die so you can win the match?” Li Yougen, who had been silent, suddenly said sarcastically.
Xin Meng turned to look at him, frowning. He felt that Li Yougen’s state was off, but to avoid unnecessary casualties, he explained, “No, the rules of this match allow for surrender. As long as we surrender, we can leave the arena unharmed. In the last match, You Yi’s legion won. If they win again this time, he can become the demon king, and we will clear the game.”
Qi Xiaokui was the first to express her agreement, “I agree. I can surrender.”
“Sounds good,” surprisingly, the second to respond was the coldly observing Dong Xiu. He crossed his arms and sneered, “But you overlooked an important issue. If we all surrender this time, when we return to the demon general after the match, will we still be alive by the time You Yi becomes the demon king? The demon general isn’t stupid. If he finds out we surrendered on purpose, the consequences…”
“That shouldn’t happen,” Xin Meng said. “I’ve considered this issue, but the game always has a way out. It won’t push us to the brink of annihilation, and there has never been a situation where a team must kill each other with only one survivor. So if we think from a different angle, this round forces us to face each other. Besides the option of killing each other, if we can reach a consensus, that might be the correct way out. Even if we surrender, we won’t face a certain death when we return. But there are still risks; I have to admit that.”
“I… believe you.” Qi Xiaokui hesitated for a moment but said, “I also think the game won’t really force us to kill each other. Moreover, given the greedy nature of the demon general, unless you steal his treasure, he won’t leave his golden mountain. Worst case, I can just run and let You Yi find a way to get me into his camp.”
Xin Meng nodded; this point was indeed not a problem.
Then both he and Qi Xiaokui looked at Xiong Jiabao.
Xiong Jiabao’s eyes flickered, indecisive. He only had one chance. If he died this time, there would be no chance to revive, so he had to be extremely cautious. Moreover, he wasn’t as close to Xin Meng as Qi Xiaokui was.
But Xin Meng had saved him several times, whether intentionally or not.
He looked at the faux human skin draped over him and suddenly remembered what had allowed him to survive after the two-week trial.
It was again because of a word from Xin Meng that had indirectly saved him.
Thinking back on everything that had happened felt like a nightmare.
All along, he had never been smart, making mistakes along the way, not understanding what it meant to be careful. His parents had protected him too well. Although he looked like an adult, his mind was still that of a big boy, often cuddling in his parents’ arms. The only rebellious thing he had done in his life was to dress up like a “Shamate” to imitate his friends and then work in a bar after graduating from university. Even that had a time limit; he had promised his parents to only play for a year and then return to his original self, find a proper company to work in, enjoy the five insurances and one fund, marry his childhood sweetheart Bai Ping, have a child, and live the most ordinary life.
But everything was ruined by this inexplicable game.
At first, he was completely at a loss, hiding at home and afraid to go out. Luckily, he met Xin Meng, who guided him. At first, he always made mistakes and held Xin Meng back, but Xin Meng never kicked him out to fend for himself. Yet, in the end, he still made an irreparable mistake. He lacked a firm attitude and didn’t hold onto this reliable lifeline tightly. Instead, he tried to please everyone, thinking that if everyone was happy, it would be fine. When others had ill intentions towards Xin Meng, he not only failed to stand up for him but also wavered. Later, Xin Meng gradually became cold towards him, and he certainly felt it, but it was too late for regrets.
However, in the last game, Xin Meng still saved him, and in this game, he survived thanks to what Xin Meng had said.
Maybe it wasn’t as late as he thought…
At this moment, he needed to choose sides; he couldn’t make the wrong choice again.
“I… also support letting Xin Meng win.”
Xiong Jiabao gritted his teeth and finally made this difficult decision. Although he might die because of this momentary impulse, he finally mustered the courage.
“He has saved me many times. I want to be loyal…”
In a daze, Xin Meng seemed to see the original Xiong Jiabao again, the big boy who patted his chest and said, “One must be loyal.” That boy had returned, even though his words lacked confidence and he was scared to speak clearly. But compared to the naive past, the words he could say after experiencing so much carried more weight.
Xin Meng smiled slightly and nodded at him, “If you are in danger later, I will have You Yi rescue you immediately.”
Xiong Jiabao breathed a sigh of relief.
Then Xin Meng looked at the other two who were not very involved, “What about you? How are you considering it?”
Dong Xiu squinted, seemingly lost in thought, then suddenly nodded, “Not a bad idea.”
Only Li Yougen remained. He coldly glanced at Xin Meng and said, “Okay.” His voice was very hoarse, and it was unclear why.
Having reached a preliminary consensus, Xin Meng felt a bit relieved, just as a large red countdown appeared in the air, signaling that the match was about to begin.
The five looked up at the ever-changing, shrinking numbers. When it reached 1, Xin Meng inadvertently glanced down at everyone’s expressions, only to be startled by Li Yougen’s crazed eyes, a bad premonition surged in his heart.
0!
“Vroom!” The chainsaw was activated!
“Die!” As the match began, Li Yougen suddenly tore off his disguise, his expression ferocious, wielding the chainsaw and charging towards the person he hated the most—Xin Meng!
“Li Yougen, what are you doing!” Qi Xiaokui was about to shout for surrender but didn’t expect such a turn of events. She screamed, “You are being two-faced!”
Li Yougen ignored her, charging at Xin Meng with the chainsaw, mercilessly trying to kill him!
Fortunately, Xin Meng had sensed something was off and dodged to the side just in time, narrowly avoiding the chainsaw. He immediately sprinted to one side, but Li Yougen, missing his strike, relentlessly pursued him. The chainsaw’s buzzing sound drilled into everyone’s ears, sending chills down their spines!
“Is he insane?!” Qi Xiaokui shouted angrily. After speaking, she drew her bow and aimed at Li Yougen’s back, shooting an arrow!
But Li Yougen seemed to have been aided by some divine force, as he turned around and swung the chainsaw, instantly cutting the arrow in half!
This chainsaw was also enchanted!
Qi Xiaokui was taken aback, but Li Yougen was alerted by the arrow. Compared to Xin Meng, who only had a dagger, the bow and arrow were a long-range weapon that could easily ambush him. So he abandoned the slightly distant Xin Meng and decided to deal with Qi Xiaokui first, charging towards her!
Qi Xiaokui was startled. After all, she was a girl. Although she had become braver after all this, facing something like a chainsaw still instilled a natural fear in her. Her legs went weak, and she tried to run a few steps but couldn’t match the man’s speed. She watched as Li Yougen caught up to her, raising the chainsaw high, ready to bring it down on her head!
“Ah!” Qi Xiaokui screamed, instinctively covering her head with her hands and using her bow as a shield!
However, the chainsaw did not come down. At the critical moment, Xiong Jiabao shouted loudly and charged from the side, crashing into Li Yougen. His hefty body, combined with his weight, sent Li Yougen flying, saving Qi Xiaokui’s life!
Xiong Jiabao was simply too fat, and with the cumbersome inflatable skin wrapped around him, he could only run a couple of steps before panting heavily, nearly falling to the ground. Qi Xiaokui quickly got up to support him, sincerely saying for the first time, “Thank you.”
“N-no problem…” Xiong Jiabao gasped, “Be careful, he will come back…”
Feeling physically unwell, Xiong Jiabao had decided to go all out. He quickly found the air release valve on his waist and opened it. The air inside the faux human skin immediately escaped, causing the skin to fall off, revealing Xiong Jiabao’s true body.
He was slimmer than before, and without the burden, he could move much more easily. However, there was a downside; the armor he wore had been chosen based on his previous size, and now that he had lost weight, the armor was loose and ill-fitting, with the neck armor falling to the ground. But no one had time to care about that. Xiong Jiabao grabbed Qi Xiaokui and warily looked towards Li Yougen.
Coincidentally, Li Yougen had been knocked far away by Xiong Jiabao and landed right in front of Dong Xiu, who had been watching the show. Dong Xiu originally thought he had no deep-seated hatred with Li Yougen and wasn’t on his list of enemies. However, he didn’t expect that Li Yougen, for some unknown reason, had gone mad like a rabid dog, attacking anyone in sight, even wanting to kill him!
Dong Xiu dared not confront Li Yougen with his sword against the chainsaw and could only choose to flee, shouting to the others as he ran, “He’s gone mad! Kill him! Everyone, attack together! Hurry!!”
