Chapter 9
Chapter 9
It was a weather forecast [Rabbit Keeper] had posted in the group.
[Today’s weather: Gray mist covers the campus. Visibility is low. Highly corrosive precipitation will soon occur in the sports field area. Please stall for time and create opportunities for direct contact between humans and acid rain.]
“Hiss…” A drop of acid rain landed on the back of Heng Jiangyue’s hand. She sucked in a breath at the pain. The skin was corroded, reddening and breaking. “Is it raining?”
“I don’t think so.” Deng Miao had not felt it. She looked up at the gloomy sky.
No rain had hit Lin Yinxi yet. They could not stay here. She urged them, “We’re out of time. Acid rain’s coming. We have to leave the field and find shelter before it gets heavy!”
A drop of acid rain landed on Dr. Du’s neck.
He clapped a hand over it. “What’s biting me?”
“It’s not a bug. It’s rain. Acid rain!” Heng Jiangyue suddenly matched the scene before her with her dream. She put her hand into the box. “No time to argue. Choose, quick! Once we’re done, we run!”
Dr. Du put his hand into the box. His heart felt crushed. He opened his mouth. “No. I can’t trust you! Losing one hand is better than losing two!”
Choosing betrayal would cost him at most one hand.
Lin Yinxi snapped, “Dr. Du, do you really think you can run out of here alive after losing a hand? If everyone betrays, we have to stay and keep playing. When the acid rain comes down, we’ll all die!”
Her words shook Dr. Du. He stared in terror at the tower-like Blackhead, slowly moving his hand from betrayal to cooperation. “Right… right… Getting out matters most…”
Deng Miao stared blankly at the box in front of her, then put her hand inside and made her choice.
Her favorite upperclasswoman had actually turned into an archvillain. The world was broken, and Yinxi was broken too. Her heart shattered. Tears fell. She gripped the hand inside the box hard, praying the monster would not chop off the hands she used for gaming!
The red light came on.
All four choices were locked in.
The boxes turned transparent again.
All four of them were holding the Hand of Cooperation.
“What the hell?” Heng Jiangyue whipped her head around toward Lin Yinxi. “Didn’t you choose betrayal?”
Dr. Du was surprised too. “Good thing I didn’t choose wrong.”
Only Deng Miao wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Her senior was brilliant.
Ordinary people really could not hope to think like Yinxi!
Lin Yinxi slowly withdrew her hand from the box.
“If I hadn’t made you think I’d chosen betrayal first, all your eyes would have been fixed on that option.”
A clear red ring marked her wrist.
“What about the reward?” Heng Jiangyue clenched her fist, unwilling to let it go. She blamed her dreams for not being clear enough. Otherwise she could have been the betrayer and won the reward.
“I had to leave a margin for error. What if one of you slipped and chose the wrong hand? Besides, if all four of us really chose betrayal…” Lin Yinxi pointed at the sky. “Another round, and we’d all rot in the rain.”
Black clouds hung low. It was morning, but not a trace of sunlight showed.
Lin Yinxi said no more.
Blackhead let out a furious howl.
His head swung sharply toward the four of them. Heavy breathing came through his gas mask.
They instinctively stepped back.
“We’re doomed. He’s going berserk. He wouldn’t go back on his word, would he?” Dr. Du’s teeth ached.
Deng Miao clutched her clothes too.
Heng Jiangyue stood still, one hand in her pocket.
A second later, Blackhead thrust his hand into his own neck and felt upward. It went into his gas mask and pulled out a key, which he angrily threw to the ground.
Poor entity workhorse. All that effort, and not one result to show for it.
[Jincheng University Sports Field Work Assignments]
[Rabbit Keeper: No humans were eliminated this round. Only basic wages will be paid. No commission or performance bonus.]
[Rabbit Keeper: As the entity primarily responsible for Jincheng University, Blackhead must submit a written explanation of the situation.]
Lin Yinxi was part-time. A temporary worker.
Temporary workers did not shoulder the blame.
As long as she earned something, that was fine.
Four players at twenty-five Rabbit Coins each made her basic wages one hundred Rabbit Coins. They arrived in her account soon afterward.
Green raindrops fell from the sky onto Lin Yinxi’s clothes, burning a tiny black spot into her jacket.
She quickly bent down and picked up the key.
When she stood, she grew dizzy and her vision darkened. She was ridiculously weak.
“Yinxi.” Deng Miao swiftly steadied her upperclasswoman. “You look awful.”
Dr. Du adjusted his glasses somewhat awkwardly and came over. “You’re deficient in qi and blood, and short of yang energy. Once we’re outside, I’ll check your pulse.”[^qi-yang]
Lin Yinxi waved a hand. “I’m fine. Let’s get out first.”
They headed toward Jincheng University’s main gate.
Wire fencing surrounded the sports field. She used the key to open the small iron gate.
The rain grew denser. The artificial turf hissed as it corroded, and an unpleasant acidic smell began filling the air.
A new message appeared in Lin Yinxi’s small group.
[Rabbit Keeper: Humans who choose to remain on the field will be considered stragglers. Their heads are still to be treated as footballs.]
Blackhead’s coarse breathing carried across the empty sports field.
“Hiss…”
His head slowly turned toward them.
Lin Yinxi inserted the key into the lock. With a click, the wire gate swung open, and thicker gray mist rushed toward her.
The world outside was utterly silent. The road sloped downward. Green raindrops fell thick and fast, and the ground was already pitted with corrosion.
Lin Yinxi took off her jacket and held it over her head against the acid rain.
Everyone was running forward.
After a few steps, Lin Yinxi’s breathing fell out of rhythm. Her chest felt blocked, and every breath burned.
If she kept running like this, exhaustion would kill her first.
Lin Yinxi abruptly stopped.
“Yinxi?” Deng Miao paused in surprise.
Lin Yinxi took out the handcart [Prop Maker] had modified.
There was a button on the iron box. Pressing it restored the cart to its original shape.
Rather than forcing herself to keep running, she simply sat on it, pushed off the ground with one foot, and rolled straight down the slope!
Deng Miao stood stunned. Her sudden stop made Heng Jiangyue run into her.
“Ah!”
“Don’t block the way.” Heng Jiangyue clutched her shoulder. The acid rain was gradually eating through their clothes.
Deng Miao’s foot slipped. A corroded hollow happened to be beside her, and her ankle twisted. She fell hard to the ground.
Her palm pressed directly onto the corroded surface.
Hiss!
White smoke rose from her palm. Pain darkened her vision.
She was done for!
That was all that remained in Deng Miao’s mind.
A wind laden with acid swept past. As the cart skimmed by Deng Miao, Lin Yinxi reached out despite its speed, caught her squarely by the collar, and pulled her forward.
Deng Miao slid along for a short distance, her body striking the side of the cart just right.
She froze for an instant, then instinctively grabbed its edge, tilted sideways, and half rolled, half climbed aboard.
Lin Yinxi worked to steady the handle. “Stand over there! Keep it stable. Don’t let the cart tip!”
With another person on it, the cart was steadier.
“Yinxi!” Deng Miao was so moved she almost cried.
She was certain Lin Yinxi could foresee the future. She had predicted that Deng Miao might fall and taken out the cart beforehand to pick her up.
It was so touching!
They passed Heng Jiangyue and Dr. Du, who had been running in front, and rolled downhill until they struck Jincheng University’s trackless cantilever gate. It rang with a dull crash, and the cart stopped.
The acid rain had stopped here.
“Yinxi, the acid rain’s stopped…” Deng Miao sounded delighted. “Great! Does that mean we’ve escaped safely?”
Lin Yinxi slumped on the cart. Her gaze slowly shifted to the side.
An old security booth stood beside the campus gate, mold spreading over its corners.
The guard held an old newspaper.
Hearing the noise outside, the guard slowly lowered it, revealing four eyes arranged in a row: gray, cloudy, and without any whites.
[^qi-yang]: In traditional Chinese medicine, qi is vital energy, while yang represents its warming, active aspect. Dr. Du is using traditional diagnostic terms.