Chapter 39

Qiao Ning wasn't sure if the TV was showing a live broadcast or a recorded replay, but it was most likely the latter.

After playing for about ten minutes, showing everyone the various ways players in the Fallen server died, the video finally showed obvious signs of being sped up.

Within about an hour, everyone witnessed the destruction of an entire server.

This also made everyone deeply realize a truth: when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.

Once the survival rate of a server drops below 20%, all that awaits them is a gradual demise.

Therefore, no matter what, we must ensure a minimum survival rate.

"Less than 25,000 people survived the natural disaster in our District 1408. Does this mean that next time, the number of survivors may be less than 20,000?"

"Our survival rate is really too close to the line, it's too precarious. It's really hard to say what the next natural disaster will bring."

"At this rate, why should I be so stingy? What good are those experience points? They won't give me a chance to revive. I might as well spend them now and at least I can die a quick death."

"That makes sense. Nobody knows whether tomorrow or death will come first, so let's enjoy life while we can. Coco dresses are 75281, updated daily with the latest completed novels. In the modern world, I'm working hard to save money to buy a car and a house, hesitating before even eating out, and only daring to buy the cheapest cigarettes. I was finally almost saved enough when I was suddenly dragged into this damn game... This time, I'm not going to save anymore, I'll spend it while I still have the life."

"It's best to keep some as toll money."

"I definitely have to leave the toll money; I'd rather die than be eaten by those alien monsters."

The hellish natural disasters in server 768, and the tragic state of the players, left a deep impression on everyone.

Even Pei Jing and the others lost interest in playing anymore, so they simply used the extra few hundred experience points to get a top-notch beauty treatment and massage.

Perhaps it was the survival game that instilled a sense of vigilance in her, but even with the most comfortable massage, Qiao Ning found it difficult to fall asleep. However, after the massage, she returned to her room and fell asleep as soon as her face touched the pillow.

I slept for more than ten hours straight.

Last night, the massage therapists said their massage oils and techniques were very helpful for sleep, and they were absolutely right.

She usually doesn't sleep this long; her biological clock wakes her up naturally around seven o'clock.

When Qiao Ning got up, took a shower, put on makeup, changed clothes, and was about to order food, Pei Jing and the others also woke up and planned to come over to her place so they could all order together.

The presidential suite offers unlimited meals, as well as other daily necessities such as sanitary napkins, luxury cosmetics, and beauty and health supplements.

The in-room robot is available on call and will prepare and deliver everything the guest needs within three minutes.

It must be said that some things are expensive for a reason.

Because they had overslept for breakfast, Qiao Ning and the others were now starving, and Tao Tao, being a big eater, wanted to eat the whole menu.

The food was spread across two large tables, and the room robot thoughtfully provided a variety of rare and expensive fruits from the real world, some whole and others peeled and cut.

All that's missing is feeding them.

Of course, if someone needs to be fed, the room robot can actually provide a feeding service.

Tao Tao, biting the small spoon used to scoop milkshakes, stared at the robot busily running around, picking up food and mixing sauces, and said with a conflicted expression, "Could it be that if I'm too lazy to wipe my butt after using the toilet, the customer service robot can wipe it for me too?"

Pei Jing looked at her speechlessly.

Miao Qinghe smiled gently at her and gracefully wiped the corner of her mouth. "You can try it. I'd love to know too."

Tao Tao imagined the scene and her face turned green. She waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "Forget it, I don't want to try it."

After they finished eating, they didn't need to clean up; they simply left the room together to explore other interesting places in the service area.

They didn't realize it until they went outside; once they were outside, the flashing virtual screens everywhere almost blinded them.

Qiao Ning opened her mouth slightly, her face filled with undisguised shock.

Everywhere you look, regardless of size, there are huge virtual screens above every building, displaying her 3D virtual image, her name, and her ranking on various leaderboards.

Every few minutes, there will be a pretty cool meteor background effect.

Qiao Ning: "..."

How am I supposed to go out now, God!

Those virtual screens only displayed her virtual avatar; the others only had a name and a ranking.

Now she's completely cut off from being low-key.

It's hard not to become famous.

Pei Jing looked at the virtual screen displaying pop-up effects with mixed feelings. To be fair, Qiao Ning's looks and temperament, combined with the starry background and shooting star effects, were indeed quite dreamy and beautiful.

If she were a man, she would definitely fall in love at first sight.

Pei Jing coughed lightly and patted Qiao Ning's shoulder: "Qiao Qiao, how about... you wear a mask and a baseball cap?"

Qiao Ning was speechless, but it seemed that this was really the only way to go out.

Qiao Ning has these things in her car's glove compartment, and Yundao Garden Restaurant can also provide them. After all, she's spent so much, so providing a mask and baseball cap isn't a big deal.

Wearing a mask and hat, and dressed in a completely new outfit, Qiao Ning reappeared before everyone.

The other three girls couldn't help but sigh when they saw Qiao Ning, who looked like a completely different person. Indeed, a great beauty is a great beauty.

Despite concealing her beauty, she hasn't become ordinary at all; instead, she gives the impression that she could walk the runway at any moment.

The group had a great time all day, trying almost everything they could, from amusement parks and space simulators to rafting, bungee jumping, and skiing.

Everyone was busy having fun and didn't have time to pay attention to what others looked like, so no one discovered Qiao Ning's identity.

On the afternoon of the third day, Tao Tao rushed into their room.

"Aunt Bai found her daughter Cui Ting, but it seems that Cui Ting is being controlled and threatened by the men around her. Aunt Bai asked her to come with her, but she refused. She even said that she was willing to go with them."

Qiao Ning asked, "Which district are those men from? Are they also from district 1408?"

"Yes, based on what they said, they are indeed from our server, but it seems there is a powerful force behind them."

Pei Jing frowned and remained silent.

Miao Qinghe sighed: "This is a bit troublesome. The people behind them are in the shadows, while we are in the open. We don't know their strength, so it might be... unwise for us to show ourselves rashly."

Tao Tao wasn't stupid; she understood the implications. She didn't want her sisters to put themselves in danger, but she couldn't ignore Aunt Bai's pleas for help.

Before she met Pei Jing, she already knew Aunt Bai. She received a lot of help from Aunt Bai at the beginning. It can be said that without Aunt Bai's help back then, she would not be alive today.

But Aunt Bai had done her a favor, not Qiao Ning and the others, and she had to be clear about that.

"Where are they now?" Qiao Ning asked.

"The arena is where players' pets compete. They have their eyes on Aunt Bai's pet, the unicorn, and want to win it from her through the competition."

Since pets can form a contract with humans, they can also break that contract.

If you lose a bet like this, the system will forcibly unbind the pet according to the bet agreement, and then distribute the pet to the winner.

Qiao Ning and her friends were originally planning to visit the Colosseum, and this was a good opportunity to go there anyway.

It took about ten minutes to get there. As soon as Qiao Ning entered, she saw several men of different heights, weights and builds, urging Aunt Bai to bring her pets onto the stage for a competition.

“If you beat any one of us, I will let your daughter go with you.”

"Our captain is Ye Jun. If you don't trust us, at least trust your daughter's boyfriend, right? They almost got married before. If they hadn't entered this game, they would have been a married couple long ago. Don't you have that much trust?"

Cui Ting clenched her fists so tightly that her teeth felt like they were about to break.

"Mom, you should go. I'm fine. You can't beat them... You should leave now. I'm doing very well with them. I have everything I need."

Aunt Bai's eyes reddened, but she held back her tears. She had raised her daughter for over twenty years; how could she not know her character?

The more Cui Ting said this, the more certain Aunt Bai became that she was being controlled and coerced.

Just as Aunt Bai was preparing to go on stage to face the challenge, Qiao Ning, Pei Jing, and the others arrived just in time.

Pei Jing raised her voice and said, "Who doesn't know that the unicorn elephant is a defensive pet, good at protecting and absorbing damage? It's not fair to make an immature unicorn elephant fight against your offensive pets like jackals, tigers, and leopards, isn't it?"

The tall, thin man with deep-set eyes at the head of the group narrowed his gaze slightly and gave Pei Jing a meaningful look: "Then tell me, how should we compete?"

"Why don't you just pick any offensive pet to battle us, best two out of three?"

The tall, thin man chuckled strangely: "Fine, but I have a condition: the woman among you must fight with your pet."

"If you don't agree, then forget it. It's just a one-horned elephant. Who knows, we might get it ourselves in the next natural disaster cycle."

Pei Jing and Qiao Ning exchanged a glance, then smiled and asked the tall, thin man, "Are you sure you want to choose her?"

The tall, thin man frowned: "What, scared?"

Miao Qinghe coughed twice and couldn't help but speak, deliberately saying, "I am a little scared. After all, you can tell from my sister's appearance that she is very shy, and most of her pets are also shy. They might not even fight."

Tao Tao gave Miao a meaningful look: Sister Miao, you know how to lie through your teeth.

Qiao Ning walked onto the arena amidst the gazes of the others.

The tall, thin man waved his hand, summoning his beloved pet—a gecko several meters long.

This was definitely the biggest gecko Qiao Ning had ever seen, and its purplish tongue and bluish-green skin made it look very venomous.

Geckos are the nemesis of insects, and the poisonous flying locust mother is not afraid of it, but it is currently in advanced dormancy and cannot be summoned.

Qiao Ning did not hesitate for long and summoned the Green Vine.

Before revealing its ultimate form, Green Vine looks just like an ordinary potted green plant, showing no signs of aggression.

The tall, thin man and his companion behind him burst into laughter.

"Isn't this the potted plant I keep in my car? Why are you bringing a potted plant out for a competition? You don't think I, this gecko, am a vegetarian, do you?"

"You're mistaken. My gecko doesn't eat vegetables; it's a pure carnivore. It especially likes a young girl like you with tender flesh."

"Don't embarrass yourself, take this potted plant away."

Faced with their mockery and ridicule, Qiao Ning remained calm and composed, her eyes showing no emotional fluctuation.

Do you know what kind of plant-based pet this is?

"It's called green ivy."

Do you know what the first pet that appeared in District 1408 was?

Upon hearing this, the laughter of those people suddenly froze on their faces.

"It's pothos."

"I think you should still remember who the owner of that green wisteria was, as mentioned in the district-wide announcement."

As she spoke, she took off her mask, revealing a face familiar to players in District 1408.

The image of the person with this face is currently being displayed on virtual screens above various buildings. Anyone with eyes can recognize it.

"Qiao Ning accepted the challenge of the pet life-or-death battle, and the process was broadcast live in a joint area."

"Its name is Green Pearl, and it's my first pet. You'll soon find out whether it's a potted plant or not."

The players watching from the sidelines immediately erupted in an uproar, with many whispering among themselves.

A fight to the death? Is it really necessary? To start a fight to the death over such a trivial argument? Isn't that going a bit too far?

There's also inter-regional broadcasting, which involves broadcasting the match footage in real-time to projection TVs in other service area arenas.

Isn't this prematurely revealing your hand?

Pei Jing, however, felt it wasn't that simple.

Cui Ting has revealed her coordinates, and 1408 may already be visible to other servers.

These troublemakers are just pawns in a certain server.

Qiao Ning probably wanted to use this competition to make other server big shots who coveted 1408 think twice before making a move.

Pei Jing looked at the figure on the stage and said softly, "She didn't just reveal her trump card..."

"She was trying to intimidate."