The safe house was surrounded by iron walls, so you couldn't see what was happening outside, but you could hear the increasingly shrill screams.
Xiao Cheng's face was a little pale. She realized that those were probably players who had been caught up in the incident. They had lost their eligibility to enter the safe house and were doomed to die.
The game had already begun; the white mist was merely its first screening step.
Putting aside these chaotic thoughts, she took a deep breath and turned to observe the entire hall, as well as the other ninety-nine players in it.
She had never experienced such a large instance before.
Each player had the same blue number as Xiao Cheng printed on the back of their hand. They were mostly standing far apart, warily observing the people around them, their expressions varied.
Like Xiao Cheng, they were all carrying something in their hands, obviously because they hadn't realized they were being pulled into the instance and had come from the rest area.
The hall was extremely high, with a display screen hanging from the hemispherical ceiling. The numbers on the screen started at two hundred and quickly dropped, eventually settling on a bright red one hundred.
Apart from a tightly closed, heavy iron door, the four walls are covered with capsule-like cubicles, each marked with a lit number from one to one hundred, which should be their resting place.
Xiao Cheng glanced around discreetly and finally spotted Fang He in the corner diagonally opposite her. Neither of them spoke, but they exchanged a knowing look before their eyes met again, as if they had only seen a stranger.
The screams outside quickly subsided, and everything returned to silence.
Immediately afterwards, the mechanical female voice sounded again: "The hunting grounds have been cleaned up. There are still eight hours until nightfall. Please conserve your energy and have a pleasant hunt."
After a long silence, a player finally couldn't help but speak up: "Does anyone know anything about this beta test? Let's not keep things to ourselves at a time like this, why not work together?"
"Cooperation?" Player number 47, standing to Xiao Cheng's right rear, sneered disdainfully. "Please get your facts straight. The rules this time don't prohibit killing each other. The hunting grounds... heh heh, who knows what we're hunting?"
Seeing everyone fall silent, Number 47 continued, "Besides, didn't the massacre just begin? This lucky Miss Number 99, who managed to snag the last safe house spot, single-handedly killed a hundred players outside!"
Xiao Cheng hadn't expected to get caught in the crossfire like this. Just as she was about to retort to this idiot, she suddenly heard someone angrily condemn her: "Nonsense! What kind of twisted logic are you spouting? You think you're so noble? Then get out of here and give up your spot! Maybe I'll even burn some paper money for you after your seven-day memorial service!"
Wow, which chivalrous woman came to the rescue?
Xiao Cheng looked in the direction of the sound out of curiosity, and saw Su Xin standing up excitedly, holding a rolling pin that was thicker than her arm.
I vaguely remember that in the previous instance, she didn't seem to have this character setting.
Xiao Cheng: "..." This damn game is really harmful. Look what it's done to this kind and gentle girl.
"Hmph, anyway, I wasn't the last one to come in." Number 47 rolled his eyes and glanced at Xiao Cheng sideways.
Xiao Cheng had no idea what she had done to offend this guy. She was so angry she almost laughed. She squinted at him, looked him up and down, and then gave him a sinister sneer: "It's okay, you can be the first one out."
"You?" Number 47 looked disdainful. After pausing for a moment, just when everyone thought he was going to give up, he suddenly charged forward and attacked Xiao Cheng with a swing of his arm.
"Brother, isn't this a lack of martial ethics?" Xiao Cheng neither dodged nor avoided, but skillfully grabbed Number 47's arm. He slightly hooked his fingers on Number 47's tendons, and taking advantage of the moment when Number 47 lost his strength, he pulled Number 47's arm and slammed it downwards. Then, he used the momentum to leap up and delivered a clean and decisive choke, causing Number 47 to fall heavily to the ground.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The surrounding players didn't even have time to react. They stood there dumbfounded for a long time before they hurriedly took a few steps back, creating an empty space around Xiao Cheng and No. 47.
Xiao Cheng had only intended to teach him a lesson, so she gave him a light kick, said nothing, and left with the blanket.
Su Xin knew she was there to see her, and waved excitedly, but suddenly her expression froze, and she shouted, "Watch out!"
A cool breeze whistled past her from behind, and Xiao Cheng could hear the sound of something cutting through the air getting closer and closer before it stopped abruptly just before it hit her.
Number 47 froze on the spot, his gaze slowly sliding down until he saw the three-inch dagger pressed against his neck.
The blade was extremely sharp, flashing an ominous green fluorescence. It had already cut the skin, and if it went any deeper, it would draw blood.
"Enough is enough," Fang He warned in his ear, his voice as cold as ice, chilling him to the bone.
"There's no such thing as 'enough is enough.'" Xiao Cheng slowly turned around, squinting as she looked at number 47 with a faint smile.
Then she slowly raised her right hand and loosely gripped his fist, which he hadn't yet retracted: "A little lesson, bro, promise me there won't be a third time."
Her fingers gradually tightened.
A sickening cracking sound rang out as number 47's wrist bone was broken, his right hand hanging limply, and his wrist visibly swelling and turning red.
His face turned deathly pale instantly, and his lips were bitten until they bled, but under Fang He's coercion, he didn't dare to make a sound.
"say."
Fang He slightly tilted his hand and gently patted his neck with the blade of the knife.
Number 47 shivered from the cold, but still managed to reply in a trembling voice, "...There won't be a next time."
Xiao Cheng raised an eyebrow, then hugged the blanket and resumed her harmless demeanor. Fang He slowly sheathed his knife, smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes, and walked up to Xiao Cheng, extending his right hand to her: "Hello, No. 99, nice to meet you."
"Hello." Xiao Cheng couldn't help but laugh, glancing at the blue number on the back of his hand, and then freed her hand to hold his warm palm. "Number 53, it's nice to meet you too."
After what happened with player number 47, other players who were itching to make a move naturally calmed down.
Peaceful coexistence is the best option at present. After all, the situation is still unclear, and no one can say for sure whether there are any players like Xiao Cheng and Fang He who are not to be trifled with among the remaining players.
There were more acquaintances in this game than Xiao Cheng had expected. Besides Fang He and Su Xin, there was even Xu Chu.
But he simply stood in the crowd, nodding almost imperceptibly, since sticking together wasn't a good option right now.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
