"Survivor": I Think... I Should Withdraw from This Competition

"I imagine everyone here has some trump card up their sleeve, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to get in here." This was a woman with a gray birthmark on one side of her face. She looked at Dana, who lay motionless on the ground, her gaze grave. "She definitely has more than just that golden Item, but..."

Although she didn't say it aloud, everyone understood what she meant.

Until the very end, they never saw Dana use any other Item.

Reluctant to part with it? How could that be?

"Perhaps she used it, but she was quite discreet, and we just didn't notice," the woman in long sleeves and trousers said. "Or perhaps she was indeed preparing to use it at the last minute, but didn't have time."

Neither possibility is a good thing.

The former suggests that the unseen force is so powerful that it can even ignore the players' precious trump cards, while the latter implies that its attack speed is so swift that it doesn't even give players time to react and use their trump cards.

"If she could use her trump card right away..." Saha was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

Polina scoffed. "If it were you, would you use it immediately?"

"Indeed not. "Saha shut his mouth.

"Did you guys notice that she seemed to see something behind her that really shocked her? That might be why she didn't have time to use her trump card," said Briman, the brown-haired, blue-eyed man, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"And 'retreat' and 'die,' does that mean we have to withdraw from the competition or die?"

Briman muttered to himself for a moment, then turned to another man in a suit and tie who hadn't said a word the entire time. "Sir, don't you have anything to say?"

The man was not tall and was one of the few East Asia faces among the players.

He seemed a bit withdrawn; even when called upon, he simply said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I have no opinion."

"Now that things have come to this, you don't need to hide it anymore, right?" Daisy's gaze swept over Winniever and Polina.

Winniever didn't speak. All he knew was that Polina and Dana had been attacked and that he had seen the bluish-gray Ghostly Shadows following Dana. Other than that, he really knew nothing about what had happened to the two in the room.

Polina pursed her lips and finally recounted what had happened last night in brief.

There's no need to hide it anymore.

This is no longer a simple matter of intelligence.

She and Dana were the only two players who had been attacked, and she was even attacked before Dana last night.

She didn't know if she would be that thing's next target.

After hearing Polina's description, everyone fell silent for a moment.

"As for why I've been targeted... I don't know," Polina said calmly.

She wanted to find out as well.

"This doesn't sound good." Briman forced a stiff smile. "It can appear and disappear at any time, it can attack physically and control minds, and most importantly, our Items seem ineffective against it... or rather, not very effective?"

"Then what's the point of playing? Wouldn't it be easier to just wait to die?"

"Not necessarily, there are definitely limitations." Daisy calmly laid out the possibilities, "It might have fixed attack conditions, it might need a long interval before it can attack again, or... it's not completely immune to Item damage, and in fact, its condition wasn't good after its attack."

Meanwhile, the Production Team crew finally arrived late.

--

Monitoring room.

When Xu Xi saw the rather artistic player enjoying breakfast, then suddenly get up and inexplicably dodge away, Xu Xi unconsciously leaned forward, staring intently at the screen.

Has that unseen thing come again?

Most importantly, he suddenly realized that not only him and the Production Team, but also the other players, judging from their wary yet confused expressions, seemed to be unable to see anything.

Isn't it simply a matter of different perspectives, that only the person being attacked can see that thing?

Then he shook his head.

No, he still remembered the look of apprehension on the bearded man's face when he looked behind Dana last night.

He was certain that guy must have seen something.

At this point, the surveillance footage showed Dana collapsing to the ground and Winniever calling for help.

At this moment, Xu Xi's thoughts were exactly the same as the Trench Coat Man.

Will the first player die just like that?

The disheveled man jumped to his feet and yelled to the side, "Quick! Where's the medical team? Let them go in and check!"

The staff member standing nearby quickly raised the walkie-talkie and gave the order.

Xu Xi didn't intend to go and check, but instead rewound the progress bar a little, pausing it just as Dana opened her mouth as if to say something.

... What kind of shoddy surveillance system did this Production Team? It can't even pick up any audio.

Xu Xi casually made a comment and began trying to figure out what the other person was saying.

A few minutes later, Xu Xi silently put down the mouse.

Okay, he really doesn't understand lip reading very well.

At this moment, Xu Xi looked at the monitor screen in front of her and couldn't help but scratch her hair.

As expected, freebies don't come with anything good.

The "God's-eye view" that he gets for free seems impressive, giving him a great sense of control over the whole situation. However, it's actually just like a trial card—it only has the skin but no key skills, making it look good but useless.

Tsk.

--

The arrival of the medical personnel caused the players to tacitly stop talking.

They stood aside, quietly observing the medical staff's treatment of Dana.

After a thorough inspection, the leader frowned.

Upon seeing this, Winniever instinctively asked, "How is she...?"

"Vitality signs are stable." The medical team leader interrupted him, his brow furrowing even more. "No external injuries, no internal bleeding, all physiological indicators are normal."

He removed his stethoscope, his tone puzzled. "From a medical perspective, this contestant is simply... asleep, but strangely, her brainwaves are fragmented, with almost no effective connections between different brain regions, as if they've been forcibly torn apart by some force."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately recalled that the other person seemed to have been possessed before collapsing.

"So she's still alive?" Polina felt a slight sense of relief.

"Her vital signs do indicate she's still alive." The medical team leader nodded affirmatively, then added, "However, she's unlikely to be fully conscious at this moment."

Two medical personnel lifted Dana onto a stretcher.

"This contestant is unconscious and unable to continue the competition; they are eliminated." After saying this, the medical team leader turned to leave.

He urgently needed to go back and examine the person again in detail.

Just then, a male voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Wait, I think... I should withdraw from this match."

Everyone immediately looked over.

It was Briman who spoke.