Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Yu Lingling figured they would have to enter those two tents sooner or later, so there was no need to rush.
She glanced at the comments scrolling through her Livestream Room and saw that the viewers were still betting on who would die first. Aside from those who had been watching Yu Lingling’s stream from the beginning, everyone else was betting on either her or Tongyu.
An idea occurred to Yu Lingling, and she immediately started a poll in her Livestream Room.
“Who will be the first person eliminated in Happy Circus?”
The names of all twelve players were listed below. Yu Lingling did not set the price very high – each vote cost only six Game Coins. To keep this a sustainable source of Game Coins, each player could cast no more than ten votes.
As for why she had chosen six, it was because Yu Lingling only had six Game Coins left.
Six Game Coins might be a lot to a new player, but it was nothing to players who had enough free time to watch streams for entertainment.
“Only six Game Coins? Who are you looking down on?”
“This newbie actually dared to open a betting pool. She must know something. Let me think this over.”
“Maybe she’ll just sacrifice that blind brother of hers. I’m betting on him.”
Yu Lingling watched the vote tally climb. Seventy percent of the votes were on her and Tongyu, while the rest were concentrated on Li Na, Sun Jian, Chen Xue, and Xu Chao.
Of those four, Li Na and Sun Jian had the most votes, followed by Xu Chao. Chen Xue had only six.
It made sense that no one had picked Wang Hao’s group. They were strong and worked as a team. Anyone who had reached D-rank was already a seasoned player with experience in D-rank instances. Unless someone set them up, they were unlikely to die on the very first day.
As for why Xu Chao was receiving votes despite being D-rank, many viewers had seen him offend Wang Hao’s group. Even though he had backed down quickly, Wang Hao and the others might still deal with him first to prevent future trouble.
Li Na, Sun Jian, and Chen Xue were all E-rank. Li Na and Sun Jian were also large animals, making them easy targets. Chen Xue was slightly stronger and smarter than the other two, so she had received the fewest votes.
Watching the tally, Yu Lingling said, “Little brother, I started a poll on which of the twelve of us will be eliminated first. Want to place a bet?”
Tongyu paused midstep. “Sure.”
Yu Lingling knew the viewers in her Livestream Room could hear their conversation. In fact, she wanted them to hear it.
“Then who are you betting on?”
Tongyu knew Yu Lingling would not have brought this up for no reason. That meant one of the remaining ten players was certain to be eliminated today. He did not like seeing people die, but neither was he naive enough to believe every player could survive. All he could promise was that he would never attack another player without reason.
“You pick,” he said.
Yu Lingling sounded as though she were speaking to Tongyu, but her words were directed more at the viewers in her Livestream Room.
“If it were me, I’d vote for Chen Xue.”
With that, she spent her six Game Coins on a vote for Chen Xue.
Tongyu did not hesitate. “Then I’ll vote for Chen Xue too. How many Game Coins does it cost?”
“Six Game Coins per vote.” Yu Lingling rested her fingers on the kitten, feeling its heartbeat beneath them. “Each person can cast up to ten votes. The poll closes in ten minutes.”
Using the Horror Game App on his phone, Tongyu transferred sixty Game Coins to Yu Lingling.
“Ten votes.”
Players in the same instance could not enter one another’s Livestream Rooms, but they could still conduct transactions.
Yu Lingling cast all ten votes for Chen Xue, then stopped checking her Livestream Room.
Ten minutes later, the poll closed.
Yu Lingling checked the results. There were 764 votes in total. After subtracting the eleven votes cast by her and Tongyu, that left 753.
Some viewers in her Livestream Room might have chosen not to participate, while others might have cast only a few votes. By her rough estimate, there were at least 751 people in her Livestream Room.
Chen Xue had received twenty-three votes in total, eleven of which had come from Yu Lingling and Tongyu.
Through the Ghost Infant, Yu Lingling learned that not only Xu Chao, but Wang Hao and the others had already returned, so she headed back with Tongyu.
Inside the tent, Yu Lingling confirmed that someone had rifled through both her and Tongyu’s bedding. Something had even been hidden beneath Tongyu’s pillow. She swept her gaze over the people sitting nearby who were secretly watching them.
Xu Chao clearly knew what had happened. He sat there openly, waiting to see how she would react.
Yu Lingling still looked as harmless as ever. She merely stopped Tongyu before he could sit down. “Wait a moment.”
Tongyu held his puppy in both arms, his slightly overgrown hair falling over his eyes. “Okay.”
Yu Lingling stepped forward and lifted the grime-encrusted pillow. The object had not been placed directly underneath it, but hidden beneath a bedsheet so filthy its original color could no longer be seen.
“Little Fish, someone hid a crude Paper Effigy cut from yellow paper beneath the sheet where your pillow was.”
Tongyu lowered his eyes slightly and said nothing.
For the first time since entering this instance, Yu Lingling showed her claws. She let out a derisive chuckle. Instead of touching the Paper Effigy directly, she took out her battered dagger and used its tip to flick the Paper Effigy into the middle of the tent.
“If I remember correctly, this is an item from the shop that costs one hundred and twenty Game Coins. It’s specifically used to control people.”
Of course, something like this would never work on Tongyu. His Exclusive Skill was itself control-based.
If Yu Lingling had not exposed the scheme, there was no telling who would have ended up controlling whom.
But Yu Lingling needed to make an example of someone. They could not be allowed to think she and her younger brother were easy targets they could dispose of however they pleased. She drove the dagger straight into the Paper Effigy’s heart, then looked at Sun Jian. There was not a trace of sincerity in her voice.
“Sorry. My hand slipped and destroyed your item.”
Sun Jian’s expression changed, panic flashing through his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The moment Yu Lingling entered the tent, she had noticed Sun Jian secretly watching them.
He was not the only one sneaking glances their way, but when Yu Lingling stopped Tongyu and began searching his bed, Sun Jian had visibly panicked. Chen Xue and the others had all instinctively glanced at him as well.
After destroying the Paper Effigy, Yu Lingling checked both beds again. Only after confirming there were no other problems did she let Tongyu sit down.
Xu Chao had not expected even himself to misjudge her. “Done pretending?”
Yu Lingling ignored his question. “I discovered a problem while I was out.”
Xu Chao had not expected her to reveal the clue she had found so readily.
Now, it was not just Xu Chao listening closely. Even Sun Jian, who had just clashed with the siblings, pricked up his ears.
Yu Lingling was perfectly frank. “Even if I don’t tell you, you’ll figure it out soon enough.”
Xu Chao frowned, wondering what she was about to say.
Yu Lingling did not keep them in suspense. “There is no cafeteria anywhere in this Circus. There is no fodder, either, and no source of water.”
Sun Jian and the others had yet to understand the implications, but Xu Chao instinctively looked toward the elephant and black bear tethered outside the entrance.
Yu Lingling turned her gaze to Sun Jian and Li Na as well. “And our animals need food and water.”
Chen Xue had already realized what Yu Lingling meant. She frowned at the goat beside her, mentally calculating how much food and water it would need each day.
Yu Lingling’s voice was pleasant, but to Li Na and Sun Jian, her words sounded like a demon’s whisper.
“Humans can last several days without food, but what about animals? Especially large animals already in poor condition?”