Shelter

To be honest, with an ability like [Outstanding Among the Crowd], forming a small team of five among the Deathmatchers was actually pretty easy.

After all, no Deathmatcher would turn down a free boost like that. Besides, the ability's owner couldn't receive the boost himself, which made him far less threatening.

It was like an ADC in a team fight never minding having a support by his side.

"Who gets the 'Node'?"

Lu Bai asked the key question.

"Once we've made sure all five of us get into the top ten, when only a few of us are left, we'll settle it by our own means."

Before he'd even finished speaking, Xiao Xueyin added, "They all agreed to this arrangement, too."

He knew the team had come together, but they still didn't trust one another enough to confidently entrust each other with their backs.

If they ran into mortal danger, it would be good enough if their so-called teammates didn't take advantage of the situation to stab them in the back.

The others in the team were surely well aware of that, too.

They'd joined the team simply to make it easier to deal with other Deathmatchers who were on their own.

Lu Bai nodded in understanding. "Then I have no objections."

By now, he could feel the boost from [Outstanding Among the Crowd]. With his body already enhanced by the Zombie Virus, the effect was especially noticeable.

If the timing hadn't been so awkward, he would've liked to kick Xiao Xueyin again just to test it.

Fortunately, Xiao Xueyin had no idea what Lu Bai was thinking. He clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.

"I'll skip the small talk. Excluding the five of us, there are 128—oh, 127 Deathmatchers left in this Deathmatch Arena. According to the latest location data released by the Deathmatch System, most of them have gathered near that building. The 'Node' is inside it, too."

He turned and pointed toward the Research Center in the distance. "First, I'll share my personal opinion. Given how many Deathmatchers are still alive, I don't recommend going after the 'Node' just yet. We'd become everyone's target. For now, we'd be better off hunting down any Deathmatchers who are alone near the 'Node.' That's all I have to say. Anyone who disagrees can speak up."

"Tch, what's there to discuss?"

Liu Yue curled her lip and waved her hand. "Let's get moving. I want to see rivers of blood."

It was worth mentioning that when Xiao Xueyin brought up the pretty older girls, Wu Ya and the other two had already come out of the tent. They were just standing quietly behind Lu Bai, so they hadn't attracted much attention.

Unlike the other residents at the shelter, they knew a little about Deathmatchers because of Lu Bai.

Naturally, from what Xiao Xueyin had said, they could tell that everyone present was a Deathmatcher like Lu Bai.

They didn't understand terms like "Deathmatch Arena" or "Node," but they could tell that the others were planning to take Lu Bai with them to kill people.

Once she realized this, Wu Ya gathered her courage, gently tugged at Lu Bai's sleeve, and quietly asked, "Can't you just stay here?"

What she didn't know was that all the Deathmatchers present had enhanced physical abilities. Even a twenty-percent increase might not sound like much, but it was more than enough for them to hear someone speaking from so close by.

At first, out of consideration for Lu Bai, Xiao Xueyin and the others hadn't paid Wu Ya and her companions any mind.

But as soon as Wu Ya said that, Liu Yue's gaze at Lu Bai turned strange. "I'm kind of curious. How exactly do you get along with these natives? Keeping them as pets is one thing, but how'd you let them boss you around?"

A friendly smile appeared on Lu Bai's face. "You're not very polite."

It was a genuine smile, but for some reason, it made Liu Yue's scalp prickle.

"All right, everyone has their own way of treating people. It's no big deal."

Xiao Xueyin smoothed things over, then took five small walkie-talkies from his pocket. He kept one and handed out the rest. "If anything goes wrong, we'll use these to contact one another."

Lu Bai accepted the small walkie-talkie without showing what he thought.

He had a feeling that all these Deathmatchers carried some kind of communication device. Agu, who was still locked up in the laboratory, had one as well.

"Then let's get going."

Only after the team had mostly gotten the hang of using the walkie-talkies did Xiao Xueyin suggest they set out.

The guy with the afro and Hoodie Man headed toward the Research Center without a word. The punk girl named Liu Yue did the same, though she turned back and stuck her tongue out at Lu Bai before leaving.

"Need a little time?"

Xiao Xueyin glanced at Lu Bai, then at Wu Ya and the others standing behind him. Before Lu Bai could answer, he considerately added, "I'll wait up ahead."

As soon as the Deathmatchers left, Wu Ya hurriedly spoke up. "Do you really have to go? He said there are over a hundred people as strong as you. It's too dangerous."

"You're being a little..."

Lu Bai had originally meant to say she was overstepping her bounds, but the words were on the tip of his tongue when he decided it didn't seem right to say that to a young girl. He changed course at the last second. "Don't worry. At worst, I'll be eliminated. Strictly speaking, 'dangerous' isn't the right word."

"But..."

Wu Ya was about to say more, but Lu Bai cut her off before she could.

"If you keep this up, we won't even be friends anymore, okay?"

At the word "friends," Wu Ya finally calmed down. Hesitantly, she said, "Then don't get eliminated."

Ke Jiangni chimed in at just the right moment. "Don't worry. Go ahead. We'll be fine here."

"You really do need to keep yourselves safe from now on. I can't be your bodyguard forever."

Lu Bai left them with that warning, then smiled and waved before turning to catch up with Xiao Xueyin and the others.

Come to think of it, he was pretty satisfied with this new team.

It wasn't that he trusted them, but at least they were easier to get along with than Agu.

Whether they were genuine or just putting on an act, they'd have to fight in the end anyway. So why not choose a partner he found more agreeable?

"Everything taken care of?"

When Lu Bai caught up, Xiao Xueyin smiled and continued, "As your teammate, I probably shouldn't say too much, but I still want to warn you: nothing will come of it between a Deathmatcher and a native.

"If you really want to date someone, once this Deathmatch Showdown is over, I can introduce you to a few people. Of course, that won't be possible if we end up in different shelters."

Lu Bai stared at Xiao Xueyin's profile, surprised.

He didn't really care that Xiao Xueyin had misunderstood him, and he couldn't be bothered to explain.

What caught his attention was a word Xiao Xueyin had used.

Why a shelter?

What were they taking shelter from?