Gaoxin was the last person standing on the field.
He was still wearing the Cat Collar.
When they heard Meimei, many people froze. The way they looked at Gaoxin changed in an instant.
Gaoxin was still laughing maniacally, his gaze sweeping over everyone on the field one by one.
Some avoided his eyes. Some looked at him with fear filling their eyes. Others were full of ingratiation.
Gaoxin laughed absurdly, but at the same time, painful memories rose within him.
"Chongguang, never forget what I taught you..."
"Old man, you never taught me anything!"
"I've taught you the most important emotion of being human, Chongguang. For a Dark Logician, that's enough... Other than that, there's nothing else I can teach you... Think for yourself. Think with your heart."
"What am I supposed to think about? I can't figure it out! What does Dark Logic mean? Is it the logic of darkness? What exactly do you want me to become?"
"I'm sorry. I don't know either. If I could figure it out, it wouldn't be Dark Logic... I'm sorry, old man was selfish to make you try all this... If... if you're really suffering, then learn to become an ordinary person. That... was also your mother's dying wish."
"Old man, don't die!"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry to your mother, Chongguang... Whether you succeed or not, no matter what you become... you must remember that you are a human being first... a human being first..."
Gaoxin's mind was a complete mess. For a moment, pain, sorrow, collapse, helplessness, and all kinds of emotions piled up in his heart.
An ordinary person... Dad, is there still any way for an ordinary person to survive here?
Ever since he arrived on this island, nothing good had happened to him.
"Pfft!"
Gaoxin gently rocked the great ax standing upright beside him. Like pushing over a roly-poly, he swung the blade down and beheaded the bald man.
He finished off the bald man with a numb expression, making everyone's hearts tighten.
Sule froze for a moment, then said, "That's right. Brother killed Silver Hand, so that's one hundred points. If he finishes off Baldy, that makes two hundred."
Meimei said, "There are also the two Radiation Users in the storage room. Big Beard is a dog, so there's no reward, but that short guy is a mouse. That makes three hundred."
Sule added, "With the survival reward, that makes four hundred points in total."
Meimei suddenly looked at the others. "No matter how many rewards we get, we'll have to hand them over to the Wa people when we get out."
"But if we hide what happened in this game and say that the survival rewards were taken by the powerful player in the game... then we can use up all the Redemption Vouchers we obtained in advance."
"However, the survivors need to be united enough to give the same story, and the fewer people who know, the better. If the Wa people find out, we'll be in trouble."
Liu Xu was startled and hurriedly said, "Brother Xin Ku, don't worry. Nobody can investigate what happened in our game. As long as all of us give the same account, it'll definitely be fine."
"A Glass Person participating in a Low-level Game and obtaining more than one hundred Redemption Vouchers in a single game—people from the Yakuza wouldn't even dream of such a thing. It's far too rare!"
"I heard Brother Qiao from the Redemption Squad say that Glass People are cannon fodder in the squad. Being able to stay alive is already good enough. As for Redemption Vouchers, they just bring out as many as they can."
"Brother Xin Ku, if you don't feel safe, just hand over one hundred points. Once the Wa people get one hundred points, I guarantee they won't even ask about the game."
Meimei suggested, "If you kill the other five, Brother, you can get another five hundred points."
For a moment, Liu Xu and the others turned deathly pale.
However, Gaoxin stopped laughing and returned to his calm state. He asked Meimei in reply, "Since that's the case, why don't I just kill you and Sule as well? That way, I can get seven hundred more points."
"Huh?" Meimei froze, then said fearfully, "Brother, I'm on your side! You need people to give the same story as you and hide the true number of points obtained in the game. Sule and I definitely won't betray you."
Gaoxin placed his hand on Meimei's head. "I know. But it isn't only you and Sule. In fact, everyone here will help me hide it."
"After all, telling Sasaki wouldn't do them any good. It would only bring them trouble."
"If I don't trust those five and choose to kill them, then I shouldn't trust you either. Why not just kill everyone?"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. So Gaoxin had no intention of killing them.
Liu Xu hurriedly nodded. "Yes, yes, of course we're on your side too. If it weren't for you, all of us would have been wiped out."
"The Wa people will exploit all our rewards, so we definitely can't tell them. We'll just say that the powerful player in the game took the Redemption Vouchers to save our lives."
"That sort of thing isn't uncommon. If we say that, everyone can still keep one hundred points of survival rewards. Our interests are tied together."
Gaoxin nodded. "Exactly. Even if someone were to betray us, it would only be if the Wa people offered a huge benefit. But is that likely? In the Wa people's eyes, you're all livestock."
"It would be better to stand with me. We're all people fallen on hard times, and we can look after one another in the future."
Everyone repeatedly agreed. They thanked Gaoxin for leading them to survival and said that they would follow him from then on.
Meimei pursed her lips. "Brother, you really are a good person, huh? You're giving up Redemption Vouchers that are right within reach?"
Gaoxin let out a low chuckle. "How could I give them up?"
"To be honest, I don't want to be anyone's slave here, surviving like livestock no matter what it takes."
"I must escape. You don't want to die here after suffering endless torment either, do you?"
Everyone was startled at first, then nodded in agreement.
They had not expected Gaoxin to be so bold as to openly say that he wanted to escape.
But did they want to escape? Of course they did. It was just that their hope was too slim.
The more likely outcome was being caught easily and then dying horribly.
Gaoxin continued, "Yes, I know it'll be difficult. That's why I need more like-minded companions, and a great many Redemption Vouchers to make myself stronger."
"Are you willing to find a way to escape with me?"
Sule was the first to express his willingness. The others hurriedly echoed him. Who wouldn't want to escape?
Regardless of whether they truly had the courage, they would all agree at this moment. Gaoxin had already given up on killing them. If they refused now, wouldn't they be cutting themselves off from everyone?
Anyone who said no would be hated by not only Gaoxin, but also those who had already agreed.
After all, if someone wasn't of one mind with everyone else, they might end up getting the rest killed.
"Good. I trust everyone. If we get the chance, we'll escape together!" Gaoxin smiled.
Meimei murmured, "Brother, with an idea like that, you'll need even more Redemption Vouchers."
Gaoxin nodded heavily. "Yes. I need them very much."
Meimei's eyes shifted. Recalling what Gaoxin had said earlier, she finally realized his goal.
He had not given up on obtaining Redemption Vouchers. He simply did not want to kill people to get them.
The cat had allowed the mice to survive, and each of them would receive one hundred points. Couldn't everyone just give their rewards to Gaoxin?
Meimei immediately said, "Brother, when we get out, take my one hundred Redemption Vouchers."
Sule also smiled. "Take mine too."
After saying that, the two looked at the others.
The others froze. Why were they suddenly giving their Redemption Vouchers to Gaoxin?
Seeing this, Liu Xu immediately shouted, "You can have mine too. I trust you."
"Since we're planning to stick together, we might as well give all the Redemption Vouchers to our leader to use. Separately, none of us can buy much. It's better to pool them all on one person."
"Besides, giving all the rewards to the cat was how we originally planned to survive."
"It's better to give them to Gaoxin and gamble on the hope of escaping. If Gaoxin hadn't killed Silver Hand, we wouldn't even have had the chance to pay and stay alive."
"Don't you agree?"
After saying that, she looked at the others as well.
The remaining four felt their gazes on them. What else could they say? They immediately found themselves being swept up in the momentum.
But what Liu Xu said made sense. Earlier, they had been crying and begging for a chance to pay and survive.
Giving their rewards to the cat was something the mice had considered from the start. Now, Gaoxin was the cat.
He had also killed Silver Hand and saved everyone, while declaring that he would lead them out of the Wa people's clutches. Why wouldn't they give him their rewards?
Now that three people had taken the lead, the other four had nothing to say. They nodded one after another and agreed to give their rewards to Gaoxin.
They were not only willing—they were even afraid he might refuse. After all, they still had to rely on Gaoxin to carry them out.
Gaoxin smiled. "Good. Since you all trust me this much, we're partners from now on."
"Liu Xu, can these injuries of yours be treated? How many Redemption Vouchers will it take to heal everyone?"
The official medical technology was obvious to all. Even Fúshé could perform a heart transplant, and Rou Si could easily pull someone back from the brink of death. The official facilities and technology were even better.
When Silver Hand had lost an arm earlier, he had not seemed worried that he would be crippled for life. Clearly, regrowing a hand in this Tower was not especially expensive.
Sure enough, Liu Xu said, "Once we get out, just call Number 97 for treatment. For ordinary injuries like broken bones, two or three Redemption Vouchers will be enough."
Gaoxin hummed. "Rest for a while, then. I'll go check on the two Radiation Users."
With that, he dragged his ax into one of the storage rooms.
Inside, the short man and Big Beard were still barely clinging to life.
It had to be said that these people's vitality was truly tenacious. With injuries this severe, they had lain there for half a day without dying.
Their breathing had even grown stronger. The short man had already regained consciousness.
Gaoxin raised his ax. The two could not be allowed to live.
The short man's eyes widened when he saw this. He tried to struggle, but he was far too weak. With all four limbs shattered, he could not move.
"Don't... don't kill me... I'll give you five hundred points..."
Gaoxin shook his head. "I'm afraid I won't live long enough to spend them."
As long as these two Radiation Users lasted until the game ended, they could crawl out and call for treatment. The others would be in danger.
The ax immediately fell, ending the short man.
From the earlier conversation, he knew that this fellow belonged to the Kutou Alliance—a miserable band of robbers driven into the mountains by the Yakuza, supposedly so poor they could barely afford to eat.
This man clearly was not an important member of the Kutou Alliance, yet he had casually offered five hundred points to buy his life. It was ridiculous.
If he had said fifty points, Gaoxin might have considered it. But five hundred? He cut him down without hesitation.
The man definitely did not have five hundred points. He had clearly never intended to pay.
"Hm?" After dealing with the short man, Gaoxin searched his body again.
He had not expected much, but he found three Redemption Vouchers, each worth ten points.
"An unexpected gain?" Gaoxin accepted them without hesitation.
As a member of a bandit group, the man naturally carried cash for convenience. That way, he did not have to run to the Silver Tower to use it and could trade directly with others anywhere.
He really is poor. He only had thirty points...
Gaoxin continued searching and, sure enough, pulled out a map.
"This is a map of the Yamato Territory!"
Gaoxin's eyes lit up. The map was extremely detailed, surveying all the mountains, forests, and buildings in the Yamato Territory. The routes were clear, and even the streets were drawn in meticulous detail.
The entire Yamato Territory had three villages. The largest was Yamaguchi Village, followed by Yoshiwara Village and Lin Family Village. Even the small outposts around the villages, such as salt fields and training camps, were marked.
In the mountains where the three villages met, there was a forest. Two circles had been drawn there, each labeled with a name: Charles and Big Milk Cow. They seemed to be wild forces belonging to that mountain forest.
Comparing it with his memories, Gaoxin soon found the beach where he had landed, at the southernmost tip of the forest.
So the new arrivals had landed in the wilderness where the three villages met. If they had run immediately, heading east, they could have entered the territory of Lin Family Village before going far.
"Maybe we really could have escaped back then."
Gaoxin wondered whether the delivery location had been deliberately chosen by Major Adams. No wonder Yamaguchi Village was also by the sea, yet they had not been delivered directly to the village gates...
He remembered hearing the Wa people's conversation earlier. Adams had a good relationship with the people of Lin Family Village and had targeted the Yakuza several times.
Perhaps the newcomers really could have escaped. Maybe even the accelerated warship and early delivery had been an act deliberately staged by Adams... all to give the newcomers a chance to be taken in by Lin Family Village, even though he had accepted the Wa people's money.
Thinking about it this way, they really had been indirectly screwed over by Luo Yan.
But Luo Yan had not done anything wrong... Could that guy be a jinx?
Gaoxin curled his lip, put away the map, and casually stripped off the watch, small pieces of jewelry, and anything else he could find.
Then he immediately searched Big Beard. This fellow was even more seriously injured and was still only semiconscious.
He had a wallet, but Gaoxin found no Redemption Vouchers inside—only a large stack of membership cards...
Cards for some water teahouse, bathhouse, and brothel...
What a guy. Was he a regular customer in this village?
He had probably spent all his Redemption Vouchers before entering the game.
"Don't you have anything good?"
Gaoxin searched carefully, but unfortunately found nothing. Big Beard had spent his days drinking and womanizing, so his entire fortune was probably that battle ax.
He dragged the battle ax with one hand and Big Beard with the other, returning to the hall.
Big Beard had to die, but before killing him, Gaoxin needed to change his identity.
Gaoxin found some rope and tied it to a pillar on the second floor. Following the method Meimei had mentioned earlier, he set everything up and used a heavy object to pull open the collar.
Before long, he had changed Big Beard into the Mouse Collar. Without another word, he chopped him down as well.
As for Silver Hand's corpse, Gaoxin examined it and could only sigh.
Silver Hand's clothes had long since burned away, leaving him completely naked. Even if he had possessed any medicine, he had already used it all. His silver gloves were riddled with holes and twisted into scrap metal.
That guy was actually the poorest of them all.
There was still half an hour left, so Gaoxin searched the various rooms again, not even sparing a single chest in the attic.
In the end, he also went to the hidden area beneath the tree. There was a narrow staircase leading down. At the bottom was a vast, pitch-black space.
Gaoxin lit a fire and discovered a large number of nozzles that might have been mechanisms. Some were clearly laser emitters.
The floor was covered with many patterns, including mice, cats, and dogs. Their areas were all fairly large. In theory, a single pattern was large enough for twenty people to stand on.
Gaoxin examined them more carefully and discovered that the patterns on the ground suddenly changed from time to time. One moment they were blank, and the next they had become different animals. He could not find any pattern for the time being.
If he had to say anything... no more than twenty mouse patterns ever appeared, no more than one cat pattern, and no more than three dog patterns.
They could only decrease, never increase. Clearly, this was based on the Upper Limit of the quotas mentioned in the game's rules.
"I understand. This is the battlefield of the mainstream survival route, right?"
"If someone enters an area marked with a pattern that doesn't match their identity, they'll be attacked by traps? The mice use this to keep the cat at bay?"
"And there can be at most one cat pattern, or none at all. So for the cat, this is the most dangerous place."
"Even if the cat comes in, it'll have trouble advancing, just like trying to enter a nest of mice."
Gaoxin guessed that the bald man had found this place right at the beginning but had hidden it. Clearly, the bald man could not be the one to find it every game, so normally, this should be where the final battle took place.
"But if the cat insists on killing people, there are plenty of ways to do it, such as smoking them out with fire or launching long-range attacks."
"And what if it guards the exit?"
Gaoxin murmured to himself, then suddenly noticed that at the far end of the room, a recessed section might be a passageway.
Reaching it would be extremely dangerous. The closer one got, the faster the patterns changed. Perhaps even the mice could not approach it.
"Does it lead to another exit?"
Gaoxin pondered this, then, as if possessed, took a few more steps and stood on a mouse pattern to get a closer look.
Just then, the mouse pattern beneath his feet suddenly turned into a cat.
Gaoxin was startled and hurriedly backed up onto the stairs.
Fortunately, nothing happened. He rubbed his neck. "Is it because I'm also a cat?"
"But if that pattern had turned into a dog just now, I would've been attacked by the trap, right? It might not have killed me instantly, but I'd probably have been crippled."
"Too dangerous. The changes seem to have no pattern at all. No wonder the bald man kept standing here on the stairs instead of going deeper."
Gaoxin still felt shaken. He was guaranteed to survive and had plenty of rewards waiting for him.
If he accidentally died in the secret room while exploring here at the last moment, he really would die with his eyes open.
"But since I've confirmed that multiple identities are possible..."
Gaoxin immediately ran out of the secret room, rushed back into the hall, and picked up a dog collar.
Then he used the rope mechanism he had prepared to pull it open and put it around his neck.
At this point... he was wearing three collars.
"Brother Xin Ku, what are you doing?"
Everyone was resting in the hall. Seeing what Gaoxin was doing, they all looked bewildered and had no idea what he was up to.
The game was about to end. Why put on another collar? And a dog collar at that? Dogs were the most useless. Wearing one wouldn't earn him any extra rewards.
But Gaoxin did not answer. He ran straight out.
He soon entered the secret room again and stood on the stairs, taking a deep breath.
"It's a little risky, but it should be fine."
Gaoxin had no reason to take risks anymore. Dying now would mean a huge loss, but he was genuinely curious where that passage led.
Still, he hesitated for a long while and observed for even longer, yet he could not find any pattern at all.
"I'm too stupid..." Gaoxin sighed.
He still decisively took a step forward and entered the mouse's area.
He continued forward, entering another mouse area.
After that came a dog area. Before he had even finished crossing it, it changed into a cat area. Nothing happened throughout.
"As expected, identities can stack... Wearing three collars lets me run freely through the so-called hidden area. The strong really do have a huge advantage."
Gaoxin moved quickly, then eventually broke into a run.
He now had three identities. In theory, he could move unhindered, but there was always the possibility of an accident.
So he still had to be careful. The faster he crossed this stretch, the better.
"We're here!"
Gaoxin went deep into the passage. There were no patterns here, and it seemed like a mouse tunnel beneath the ground.
He braced himself and proceeded cautiously, occasionally throwing things ahead to test the way.
The passage was extremely narrow at first, but then it suddenly opened up.
It was another room, completely empty. There was nothing inside except another passage directly ahead.
Gaoxin continued forward. After passing through the narrow tunnel, he reached a third room. This time, it was covered in various patterns, just like the first room...
"So it leads beneath one of the trees in the backyard?"
Gaoxin climbed out and, sure enough, found another tree.
Just as he was disappointedly preparing to leave, he suddenly turned around. Something felt wrong.
"What was the middle room for? For cats and mice to fight?"
Gaoxin went back again and returned to the middle room, searching all around.
It was completely empty. There was nothing there.
However, the walls were very smooth and made of special metal.
Just as Gaoxin was about to leave, inspiration suddenly struck him. He turned around and shouted, "Number 97!"
With a clatter, the surroundings instantly lit up.
Everything was illuminated, as if he had been transported into a huge white hall.
Number 97's projection appeared directly in the air. At the same time, words flickered everywhere above Gaoxin, beneath his feet, and even throughout the surrounding air!
"Wow, an ordinary person really found this Easter egg?"
"This guy killed all the cats and dogs first, and only discovered the underground area at the very end. Amazing..."
"Dog Catches Rat has been open for three months. Who would've thought the first person to trigger the Easter egg would be a Glass Person?"
"Fuck, who could've guessed this? Did anyone bet correctly?"
"I lost. I lost one SR-Class."
"Same. I lost an SR-Class too."
"Same here. An SR-Class dying in a Low-level Game... That's seriously bizarre."
"Exactly. I was waiting for this guy to rise up and take revenge on Tiger Shark someday. I didn't expect him to die just like that."
"Hahaha, this is what makes it interesting. It'd be boring if the strong always won."
"But isn't this guy way too weak? His physical attributes are near the bottom. He's only a little better than those two women."
"This guy's pretty interesting. Though, correction: one is a woman, and the other is a transvestite."
"So what if an ordinary person won? I like putting myself in the shoes of the weak."
All kinds of voices darted and flickered around him.
They were above and below him as well, as if he were standing in a mirage made of countless words. Gaoxin's eyes widened until they nearly split.
He had thought there would be some hidden treasure. He had never expected this to be an Easter egg room where he could see projected conversations from the audience behind the livestream, presented as three-dimensional scrolling comments.
"Are you done?" Gaoxin said coldly.
"This kid's getting impatient."
"You don't really think you've cleared the game, do you?"
"Didn't you want to escape the Yakuza's enslavement?"
"This is your only chance to communicate with us. Are you sure you don't want to kneel and beg us for more tips?"
Gaoxin frowned. So there were tips?
Extra rewards? Gifts from the viewers behind the scenes?
Gaoxin composed himself and said, "Since you know I want to escape, you should understand that these knees of mine won't bend."
"Hahaha, good. You've got guts."
"This kid has potential. Too bad he's a Glass Person."
"Being a Glass Person doesn't necessarily mean he can't rise. Let's see whether he can really escape the Yakuza's clutches in the future."
"Hey, little mouse, did you plan to become a cat from the very beginning?"
Seeing so many people ask this question, Gaoxin frowned, but he still answered, "You could say that."
"What do you mean, 'you could say that'?"
"You let it slip earlier. You said you 'also wanted' to keep the Redemption Vouchers. I noticed that."
Gaoxin shrugged. "At the beginning, it didn't matter whether I became a cat or not. I wanted to kill all the Radiation Users. Whoever survived until the end became the cat. Once I eliminated everyone stronger than me, I would be the strongest. The collar wasn't important."
"Besides, I didn't let it slip back then. I was hinting to Jin Meimei that I needed Redemption Vouchers too."
"She was smart, and she wanted to follow me. If I survived to the end and made it clear that I wouldn't kill anyone, she would understand that I wanted to collect the money peacefully and speak on my behalf."
The scrolling comments were shocked, then began asking questions frantically.
"So that's how it was?"
"True. If someone else voluntarily offered them first, it would be better than you asking for them yourself, and the team would be more united."
"Because in their eyes, this would be an investment in you, not exploitation by you."
"Didn't this guy never go to school?"
"Hey, why didn't you just kill everyone? No one could stop you anyway."
"Exactly. Why insist on having them voluntarily give you the Redemption Vouchers? What if they refused?"
Gaoxin frowned. "I meant what I said. If I could help everyone survive, I could gain more allies. I didn't want to kill people indiscriminately."
The scrolling comments said:
"Hahaha, are you really that kind?"
"I don't believe it. If someone refused, you'd definitely kill them."
"This guy showed no mercy when he killed the Radiation Users and the bald man."
"I don't believe it either. That's too ridiculous. Tell us the truth, or you won't get any tips."
Gaoxin sneered at the scrolling comments.
But after thinking it over, he eventually said, "If I have to give another reason, it's that I didn't know whether the person initially classified as a mouse—me—could definitely become a cat."
"Why would I kill people based on a guess? Maybe after killing all of them, I'd still only receive the mouse's 100 survival points."
"My hands would have been stained with blood for nothing. Perhaps you people behind the scenes would even mock me for foolishly dreaming of becoming a cat."
"On the other hand, if I didn't kill them, then each of them was guaranteed to receive 100 points. That was explicitly stated in the rules."
The scrolling comments suddenly understood.
So that was why.
They had been viewing things from an omniscient perspective, so they could not understand why he had not killed that group of useless people.
But after Gaoxin explained it, everything made sense.
Without knowing whether multiple identities were definitely possible, killing everyone meant the worst-case outcome was receiving only 100 points.
Letting them live, however, meant that no matter what identity Gaoxin had, there would be at least 800 points among the eight of them.
He only needed to plan around the latter outcome. As long as the Radiation Users died, Gaoxin did not even need to put on the cat collar. He could simply hold a collar in one hand and an axe in the other, make empty promises, and still profit.
"Are you really willing to gamble your life? Gamble that Silver Hand will agree to it? Take on three at once?"
Gaoxin said quietly, "I could only say that after he caught me. I was certain he would choose the Greediest Strategy, but I wasn't certain I would survive."
"But gambling with your life is still gambling with your life. It only means dying once. If I barely survive today, does that mean I'll definitely survive tomorrow?"
"I have to leave this damned place. I'm going to be greedier than him!"
The scrolling comments all expressed their agreement. In a place like Sin Prison Island, anyone who refused to go mad would never survive.
From the very beginning, Gaoxin had played with the resolve to die. His goal had never been to merely scrape by.
It was as if, to him, surviving the first time meant that his entire life afterward would already be dead.
"Daring to gamble with your life on the first day after arriving on the island—you're well suited for this place."
"Interesting. Is another Glass Person about to rise?"
"That's hard to say. Falling into the Yakuza's hands is terribly unlucky too."
"It's still too early for him to rise. Silver Hand started out as a Glass Person too. He finally became an SR-Class, yet didn't he still die?"
"Kid, here's some advice: don't try to escape directly. It's impossible."
Gaoxin looked at Number 97 and immediately asked it several questions.
Sure enough, Number 97 could communicate in this Easter egg room, though it could not exchange anything.
He asked about the conditions for unlocking the Easter egg. Number 97 answered that it required a certain achievement.
The condition was different for every game. This time, he had to become the only cat and the only dog, because that meant the game was basically over. Only then could the scrolling comments appear without interfering with the game's progress.
Without a doubt, this condition was the most difficult for a mouse to achieve.
But once he fulfilled the condition, he could go to a specific area and call out to the AI to unlock the Easter egg room and receive tips. As for how much he received, that depended on the viewers' mood. In any case, it could not exceed the maximum amount obtainable in that game.
At last, Gaoxin said coldly, "Where are my tips?"
"Don't rush, kid. The game isn't over yet."
"You can talk after you survive."
"Exactly. You'll see when the rewards are settled."
"Haha, get lost already. I've followed you. Play an Intermediate Game next time."
Seeing this, Gaoxin turned and left.
He did not want to look at these people's faces for even another moment.
Gaoxin left the room, activated his gear at full speed, and quickly ran out of the underground area, returning to the surface.
When he reached the hall, everyone asked in surprise, "Brother, where did you go? Why were you gone so long?"
Gaoxin immediately told them about the Easter egg room, but concealed the matter of the tips. There was no need to mention them and make everyone jealous.
"It's almost time. I'll carry you to the entrance first."
Gaoxin dragged the group over one by one and placed them at the main entrance.
This exhausted him badly. When he dragged the last person over, he glanced at the clock in the hall. The time had already arrived.
"Right on time..." Gaoxin brought the last person to the entrance.
Sule asked, "Brother, is it time?"
Gaoxin instinctively nodded. Everyone immediately refused to wait for help and began wriggling outside.
Wait a moment. Time?
Gaoxin suddenly froze and hurriedly pounced forward, holding everyone down.
"Don't move! None of you are allowed to leave!"
He panicked and directly picked up Liu Xu, who was crawling the fastest, and threw her back.
Liu Xu landed painfully and stared at Gaoxin in shock. "W-what happened?"
Gaoxin growled, "Something's wrong... The time limit for leaving is calculated from the moment each person entered."
"Although the mice could enter from the beginning of the game, you weren't the first ones to enter. The time when each of you completes 120 minutes is different."
Everyone froze. It was true. They had all entered late, after watching Silver Hand and the others fight outside for a while.
Only Gaoxin had entered right when the game began. Even Sule had come in later.
Now they had been waiting at the entrance for the time to leave. If the time was calculated according to Gaoxin's entry, then everyone else would die!
Even if they were only a few minutes late—or even half a minute—they would still be killed instantly.
If they died in the end because they had violated the rules, they really would die with their eyes open.
"I know that. Didn't you account for the time we entered late?" Meimei asked.
"I did, but... there must be another purpose behind this rule itself." Gaoxin frowned, took out his watch, and immediately returned to the hall to examine the clock.
After carefully comparing them, his expression instantly turned ugly. He pointed at the crystal ball and cursed, "You bunch of fucking animals."
The clock in this mansion was fast!
And only the second hand was slightly ahead. It was impossible to notice at the beginning. Only at the end would the one-minute difference become apparent.
One minute—it was only one minute.
You couldn't tell at a glance unless you carefully compared the clocks.
This was most likely aimed at the cats, especially the kind of cat that confidently dealt with all its enemies early.
Gaoxin could already imagine how many players had confidently stepped out of the area on the dot, only to be told they had to score a kill and then completely lost it...
He returned to the gate and explained the situation.
Everyone gritted their teeth. "Damn it! They just wanted to watch our expressions change from joy to shock and then despair."
"If we'd stepped out just now, they probably would've popped champagne to celebrate."
Everyone was furious and shaken, overcome with lingering fear.
Meimei stared at Gaoxin in surprise. "How did you think of the clocks in the game running faster?"
Gaoxin said heavily, "Because this game is too easy for the strongest players."
"If Silver Hand hadn't been so greedy, this game would practically have been free. If he'd played a little more casually, nothing would've gone wrong."
"That would've left the latter half as nothing but garbage time, which would've displeased the powerful."
"So they had to add a killing move targeting people who completed the game too easily."
That was what he said, but if someone in the bonus room hadn't sent the barrage message, We'll see if you can survive first, he wouldn't have been so cautious... It was too easy to let his guard down at the last moment. No one could account for everything.
It seemed the bonus room wasn't completely useless after all. Those people possessed the Heavenly Eye. They had even seen different people play the same game. A casual remark could end up proving useful.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Gaoxin had searched the short man and taken his watch.
Gaoxin stared at the watch, trying to recall what time the game had started.
But he hadn't had any object indicating the time at the beginning. Perhaps even the starting time had been designed as a trap. He stopped thinking about it and simply waited another ten minutes.
That was definitely enough, so everyone went out one after another.
When the last person left the yard, Number 97 appeared. "'Dog Catches Rat' has ended. Calculating results for all participants."
In an instant, an image was projected directly onto Gaoxin's retina.
He skipped past his number and name and went straight to the results.
"Mouse survival reward: 100. Old Cat survival reward: 100..."
"Bonus reward for hunting four mice: 400..."
"Viewer tips: 2,000!"
"Total: 2,600 Redemption Vouchers."
Gaoxin raised an eyebrow. By the end, he had already confirmed that multiple identities were possible, so he wasn't surprised to receive both the mouse and cat survival rewards.
The maximum possible earnings from this game were actually 2,500 points.
He just hadn't expected... the viewers to tip him two thousand directly!
He had worked himself to the bone to earn six hundred, yet the tips far exceeded what he'd earned. So the greatest reward in the Redemption Game was actually viewer tips?
This was probably meant to encourage powerful players to stir things up and make the game as intense as possible. The person behind the scenes' evaluation was worth more than any reward.
"Clatter!"
The collars around everyone's necks instantly unfolded, rose into the sky, and disappeared.
Then, everyone except Gaoxin requested treatment. A stream of matter descended at once. Before long, they felt an itch at their wounds and stood up fully healed.
Their injuries looked serious, but they had only broken bones. Each person had spent just two points.
Treatment for Glass People was so cheap. Treatment for Radiation Users must cost much more.
"Brother, we'll give you all our rewards." Sule and Meimei transferred their rewards to him directly.
The others didn't cause any trouble either. They all transferred theirs out, ninety-eight points each.
At this point, Gaoxin had received a total of 3,286 Redemption Vouchers.
P.S. Sorry. Long-time readers should already know what Dark Logic means. Those who don't can refer to Ran Di in Extra Chapter 2.
Before you continue