I have to say, the little black ones are definitely more impressive than them. They have run so many times, died so many times, yet they are still lively, their legs together and bent, quietly leaning against each other, looking into the distance like two ladies.
However, these two little guys are harder to serve than Empress Dowager Cixi, dying at the slightest provocation.
Xin Meng took out six large bags of seawater, directing everyone to splash a little water on one of them every ten seconds, using one bag after another.
They originally thought this would not take too long, but unexpectedly, one of them had already turned into a raisin, while the other remained sitting still. Dou Dou was so angry that he almost kicked it; otherwise, he could just carry it on his back and move faster!
This is a desert, the sun is scorching, the air is dry, and the few with weak constitutions are almost rolling their eyes.
It wasn’t until the fifth bag of water was used up that the last one finally shook off the water on its body and stood up.
“Two little black ones, sighing under the sun, sunburnt and baked to death, only one remains!”
The lively chorus turned into a solitary note. The little black one seemed to finally feel the sorrow, its voice lonely and distant, no longer running, but slowly walking towards the other side.
They hurried to catch up. Luo Yingying could no longer walk and was carried on Li Wenjun’s back, his own waist almost bent at a ninety-degree angle, showing how strenuous it was. Qi Xiaokui was carried alternately by Dou Dou and Xin Meng, faring slightly better than Li Wenjun.
The little black one was walking too slowly, and everyone was anxious, wondering why it couldn’t run as fast as before, wanting to leave this damned desert quickly.
However, although the little black one was slow, the scenery around them changed rapidly. It seemed that after walking less than a hundred meters, they had moved from the hot desert to a lakeside surrounded by forests.
A lake!
There is water!
Everyone stared blankly at the shimmering lake surface, almost thinking they were seeing a mirage, momentarily unable to believe it!
It was You Yi who pulled the little black one and reached the lakeside first. He dipped his finger in the water, licked it with his tongue, and nodded to everyone, “Freshwater.”
“Awesome!” Dou Dou cheered, rushing over while carrying Qi Xiaokui, and Xin Meng and Li Wenjun quickly followed.
Those who could move drank water first. Dou Dou lay on the ground, almost burying his entire face in it, drinking for a full five minutes until his stomach felt like it was about to burst, then he lifted his head, his face full of satisfaction, and plopped down on the ground.
“Refreshing! I haven’t been this thirsty in years; it feels like this water is sweet!”
At this moment, everyone was frantically replenishing water, and no one paid him any mind. Only Xin Meng had a vague thought flash through his mind: How many years has it been since he was this thirsty? Did he used to be this thirsty?
But this thought passed quickly; he couldn’t afford to think too much. Even though he was afraid of water, he almost followed Dou Dou’s example and buried his head in the lake. It was You Yi who timely grabbed his head, saving him from drowning.
You Yi was drinking water beside him, while Li Wenjun was supporting Luo Yingying, both of them drinking hard.
Xin Meng was still concerned about Qi Xiaokui. Once he was almost done, he got up, took out an empty bag, filled it with lake water, and carefully fed it to her.
Qi Xiaokui, still in a daze, didn’t drink much at first, but the cool lake water awakened some of her senses. With Xin Meng’s support, she half-sat up and gulped down more than half of the bag’s water, her complexion improving a bit, and her gaze becoming less vacant.
After everyone replenished their hydration, they sat by the lake, feeling much more comfortable, no longer feeling like they were about to die.
“How can there be a lake here? It was just a desert; I thought I was seeing a mirage.” Dou Dou rubbed his stomach, looking satisfied.
“It’s probably a lifeline left for players by the game,” Xin Meng said, to be safe, after feeding Qi Xiaokui, he didn’t idle but gathered everyone’s empty bags, filling them with fresh water, and then placed them in the inventory.
“Reaching this point is really not easy. Under normal circumstances, we would be extremely dehydrated. If we don’t replenish, we might die right in front of the last challenge, which is why there is this lake,” Xin Meng casually speculated.
Little did he know that everything he said was true.
Dou Dou glanced at him, grinning as he approached, “Wow, you know so much! You seem to understand this game particularly well!”
This exaggerated tone made Xin Meng frown. What else did he want to know?
“I was just guessing; whether it’s right or not is uncertain. How can I say I understand?” Xin Meng said seriously, “If you want to know something, just ask directly. If I know, I’ll tell you; no need to be like this.”
Dou Dou felt a bit shy, “I didn’t mean anything else; I just wanted to compliment you…”
Whether he had other intentions or not, both of them knew in their hearts, but Xin Meng didn’t want to pursue it. Dou Dou had helped them too much along the way. Just mentioning that he had saved and often cared for his friend Qi Xiaokui, he owed him a favor. As long as Dou Dou didn’t intentionally harm anyone, everything else was inconsequential.
His attitude was very obvious, that kind of tolerance and generosity made people unable to help but glance sideways.
Dou Dou sighed and went to the side, but Xin Meng didn’t hear him. He muttered under his breath, “What to do, it seems like I have feelings… How can I still ask now…”
He thought his voice was very low, and no one could hear him except himself, but he didn’t know that You Yi, on the other side, squinted at his back.
Feelings? What feelings?
What kind of feelings…?
However, he soon saw Dou Dou running back to Qi Xiaokui’s side to take care of her, wiping her sweat and fanning her, looking very attentive.
You Yi turned back, closed his eyes, as if nothing had happened just now.
[Crossed out] Threat [Crossed out]
After drinking enough water, everyone’s minds became a bit more active, no longer as lifeless as before. After resting for a while, they released the little black one and followed it towards the final destination.
There was a dense forest by the lake, with many ancient trees quietly standing by the tranquil lake.
The little black one walked straight towards one of the trees, which was extremely thick and tall, almost like a twin brother of the save point tree, one standing at the starting point and the other at the endpoint.
Under that tree lay a stone as tall as a person. The little black one climbed up the stone and reached the lowest branch of the big tree.
The branch was thick and extended out, entwined with many parasitic vines, hanging down loosely. The little black one grabbed a vine and put it around its neck.
“If it hangs itself now, we can consider it a pass, right?” Dou Dou looked up at it, “Don’t say, after following for so long, I really have developed some feelings; I feel a bit reluctant…”
Before the word “reluctant” could leave his mouth, the vine the little black one used to hang itself snapped with a “pop,” and the little black one fell directly from mid-air, landing on the ground, its neck twisted, breath gone.
They saw the save point tree again.
Everyone: “…”
“Oh my god! I will never say I’m reluctant to part with you again!” Dou Dou shouted to the sky, “You little tormenting spirits!”
The others were also speechless. Of course, they weren’t blaming Dou Dou; after all, he didn’t have that much power to make a single word come true.
It was just that right in front of the last step, they returned to the starting point.
This was too torturous.
Fortunately, they had just found a lake, and everyone had drunk water, so their condition was still quite good, allowing them to maintain a certain calmness; otherwise, two or three of them would have collapsed first.
“I feel like this game anticipated this situation, which is why it set up a lake before the last challenge,” Dou Dou continued, “It’s almost like it has become sentient! I’ve really become its brain-dead fan!”
“The fan part isn’t apparent; you’re simply brain-dead.”
— This was probably the voice of everyone present.
“This time… why… rewind?” Qi Xiaokui, burning with fever, was dazed. She had just been lying by the lake and didn’t know what had happened. Why were they back again?
“…Because the little black one’s hanging rope broke. It didn’t die from hanging; it died from falling, so it rewound,” Xin Meng said, enduring until he finished, and the others’ cheeks twitched.
What kind of bizarre game is this!
How could there be such a bizarre way to die!
But there was no way; what had happened had happened.
“The most important thing now is not why we didn’t pass, but how we can pass,” Xin Meng said, “How can we make it successfully hang itself.”
“Change the rope.” The silent You Yi suddenly spoke.
“Rope?” Xin Meng was suddenly startled, “So, that rope is… the prop for this level?!”
“What rope? Have we encountered a rope?” Dou Dou hurriedly asked, “Where did you see it?”
“In the Devon Castle!” Xin Meng turned around, incredulous as he spoke to him, his voice rising an octave for the first time, “The rope controlling the trap! The particularly sturdy one! This is the only rope we’ve seen on our journey!”
“Damn, who would have thought of that!” Dou Dou also remembered, unable to help but throw his jacket to the ground, “The thing we encountered in the third level actually became the prop for passing the tenth level! Damn! Damn!”
He said “damn” three times, and everyone thought he was about to curse and turn against the game, but unexpectedly, his next sentence was: “Game master, please accept my knees ah ah ah!”
Everyone: “…”
Is this the legendary one fan equals ten haters? What if I want to smash the game console…
Although they had already rewound, several people were actually in better condition than the last time — of course, not including Luo Yingying and Qi Xiaokui.
Luo Yingying could no longer move her legs and could only rely on Li Wenjun to carry her, while Qi Xiaokui was delirious from the fever and even started to talk nonsense.
Comparatively, Qi Xiaokui was the most dangerous.
Xin Meng carried her, his face full of worry, “I hope… she can hold on until we pass.”
Qi Xiaokui was the first friend Xin Meng made in the game, and he cherished her very much. Qi Xiaokui had always firmly stood by his side, even when they encountered teammates like Dong Xiu and Li Yougen; Qi Xiaokui maintained her support for him in her own way.
At first, he didn’t feel it deeply, as if these emotions were far away from him.
But later, he met You Yi, who made him understand… love.
It was as if something had been unlocked, gradually awakening his emotions, and only then did he feel the preciousness of this friendship.
If he had to protect someone with his life in this game, it would be You Yi. But the person he sincerely hoped could live well would undoubtedly be Qi Xiaokui.
