"Fuck..."
Wang Yongxin cursed under his breath, but he had no room left to think. He could only rely on instinct to shoulder the mechanism again and keep moving forward.
Ding Wenqiang was even faster than him.
Clearly, in a situation like this where no thinking was needed and all they had to do was mindlessly follow the rules, Ding Wenqiang held a distinct advantage.
Cai Zhiyuan was undoubtedly in the worst position.
The sooner someone completed the first stage, the longer they could rest.
Ding Wenqiang could use his remaining twenty-two seconds to rest, but Cai Zhiyuan had barely reached the rest area before he had to set off again.
He could only gasp for breath, unable to wait even for his heart rate to settle a little before he had to shoulder the mechanism once more.
The only good news was that the mechanism had wide support feet on its bottom, so it would not tip over in any direction.
Otherwise, if they collapsed from exhaustion and were pinned beneath it, it would be a dead end.
The second stage was fifteen meters long, five meters shorter than the first, but the time limit had also dropped from sixty seconds to thirty-eight.
Combined with the loss of stamina, the game became even harder for those in poor physical condition.
Just then, an emotionless electronic voice rang clearly from the speaker.
[Audience Member No. 5 tipped Ding Wenqiang 8,000 minutes of Visa Time, with the message: Press it when the countdown is almost over.]
[Special reminder: Tipped players may freely decide whether to fulfill the request.]
The sudden announcement left everyone somewhat bewildered.
The five people in the arena had no energy to think. Under such pressure, there was practically no spare blood left to supply their brains.
Still, the announcement revealed at least two basic pieces of information:
Those who had voluntarily signed up to participate in the game had become "audience members" within the game.
And the audience members apparently did not need to enter the arena and do this physical labor themselves. They could tip the five players in the arena, gifting them Visa Time along with a request.
Of course, the recipient could choose not to comply.
It was a little like streamers receiving tips on a livestreaming platform.
Ding Wenqiang hesitated. Audience Member No. 5's request was not difficult to fulfill; for him, it was effortless.
Once he reached the rest area, he could put down the mechanism on his shoulder and rest anyway. As for when he pressed the button, it did not seem to have any particular effect on the game.
Obtaining 8,000 minutes of Visa Time so easily put Ding Wenqiang in a good mood and gave him even more motivation.
He continued forward.
However, just as he was about to reach the rest area, the broadcast sounded again.
[Audience Member No. 1 tipped Ding Wenqiang 8,000 minutes of Visa Time, with the message: Press it immediately for yourself.]
"Hmm?"
Ding Wenqiang was at a loss for a moment.
The two audience members who had tipped him had made completely opposing requests. Fulfilling one would inevitably mean violating the other.
With the second-stage rest area right in front of him, Ding Wenqiang could not make up his mind.
Just then, Wang Yongxin suddenly realized something and shouted, "Uncle Ding... don't... don't press it yet!
"I... I get it! The time you... you press it at now... is the time for the next... next stage!"
Carrying the heavy load, Wang Yongxin spoke in broken bursts.
And because shouting made him lose his breath, his core gave out and the mechanism briefly dropped to the ground.
Then he took another deep breath, gritted his teeth, hoisted the mechanism back onto his shoulder, and kept walking.
Hearing Wang Yongxin's words, Ding Wenqiang instinctively froze.
The others in the arena immediately understood what was going on as well.
The time limit for the second stage was thirty-eight seconds, a strangely specific number.
At first, no one had thought much of it. They assumed it was simply a time arranged by the game. But Audience Member No. 5's message made Wang Yongxin realize that those thirty-eight seconds were actually the time Ding Wenqiang had taken to complete the first stage.
In other words, if Ding Wenqiang pressed the button at fifty-eight seconds, then the standard time for the second stage would become fifty-eight seconds.
If he pressed it at twenty seconds, then the standard time for the second stage would become twenty seconds.
The third stage worked the same way.
Through the glass window, Lin Sizhi looked toward Audience Member No. 1's position.
Based on the numbering, Lin Sizhi was Audience Member No. 5. He had sent the first message.
But clearly, Player No. 1 had reacted quickly. Almost instantly, he had grasped the implication behind Lin Sizhi's message and struck back.
Ding Wenqiang hesitated for only two or three seconds before decisively slapping the button.
The countdown on his path froze at nine seconds.
Ding Wenqiang had taken twenty-nine seconds to complete this fifteen-meter stretch. But after deducting the time he spent thinking, his average speed was even slightly faster than the thirty-eight seconds he had taken for the previous twenty meters.
"Fuck."
The remaining four all lowered their heads and cursed under their breaths.
For Ding Wenqiang, waiting another ten seconds had no obvious downside, yet it could have given the four people behind him a precious chance to catch their breath.
Especially Wang Yongxin and Cai Zhiyuan.
[Audience Member No. 1 tipped Ding Wenqiang 3,000 minutes of Visa Time, with the message: Well done.]
Hearing the new announcement, Ding Wenqiang became even more convinced that he had made the right choice.
Although pressing the button would clearly increase Wang Yongxin and Cai Zhiyuan's difficulty, still...
In a life-or-death game like this, who would not look out for themselves first?
After all, whoever reached the finish line first would become the "King," and the rules had also stated that the player who became the "King" would gain an enormous advantage.
If he gave the others a chance to recover, what if they overtook him at the very end?
Since this game was called the "King's Game," then any price was worth paying to obtain the King's status.
[Beep.]
In the final second of the countdown, Wang Yongxin barely crossed the end line of the second stage and reached the rest area.
As a sharp buzzing sound rang out, Cai Zhiyuan, the only one who had failed to complete the entire path, let out a miserable scream.
The countdown on the path reset to thirty-eight seconds. At the same time, several spikes and barbs extended from the mechanism on his shoulders, plunging deeply into them!
The spikes and barbs were not large, nor would they cause particularly serious damage to his body. Even if they left wounds, the bleeding would soon stop naturally.
But the intense pain still made Cai Zhiyuan scream uncontrollably.
The pain sent his adrenaline surging, and strength welled up in Cai Zhiyuan's body again, allowing him to push himself across the finish line.
The spikes and barbs on the mechanism retracted, but blood immediately gushed out, staining the shoulders of Cai Zhiyuan's shirt red.
He had no time to rest at all, because the countdown lit up again.
This time, it was indeed twenty-nine seconds—the time at which Ding Wenqiang had pressed the button after completing the second stage.
Everyone seemed numb by now. They had no spare capacity for thought and simply shouldered the mechanisms again, heading toward the final finish line.
Cai Zhiyuan's condition was clearly the most worrying. Without any surprise, he fell behind again.
[Audience Member No. 3 tipped Cai Zhiyuan 2,000 minutes of Visa Time, with the message: Keep it up.]
The audience could influence the actions of the five people in the arena to a certain extent, but only influence them.
The game's only variable was now in Ding Wenqiang's hands. If Ding Wenqiang was unwilling to extend the time, there was nothing the others could do.
[Beep.]
The countdown ended. This time, only Ding Wenqiang, Zhang Peng, and Gao Zhankui finished within the time limit.
As the countdown reset to twenty-nine seconds, the mechanisms on Wang Yongxin and Cai Zhiyuan's shoulders simultaneously extended their spikes and barbs.
Wang Yongxin let out a muffled groan. Though he had mentally prepared himself and tensed every muscle in his body, the piercing pain still made his vision go black.
But he had no other choice. If he put the mechanism down before the spikes extended and pulled his shoulders free, he could indeed avoid the harm caused when the spikes emerged. But then lifting the mechanism again would be difficult, and he would only suffer more.
So he could only grit his teeth and endure it.
Cai Zhiyuan was even worse off. His unhealed wounds were torn open again, and the clothing around his shoulders was almost completely soaked through with blood.
More than ten seconds passed in the second countdown before he finally managed to reach the finish line.
All the spikes retracted, and Cai Zhiyuan staggered as he slapped the final button.
Before you continue