Mass Destruction

The moment Liu Yue said that, Osas's expression turned awkward.

Fortunately, although Liu Yue acted like a Little Punk Girl most of the time, she still had some sense.

So she enthusiastically stepped forward, rose onto her toes, and draped an arm around Osas's shoulders. "Don't be nervous. We're all buddies here."

Osas stiffly managed a smile in return.

Xiao Xueyin gave Lu Bai a puzzled look, as if wondering why he hadn't silenced her.

Lu Bai showed no intention of explaining. Gazing at the Research Center, he asked, "How are things now?"

After all, Osas had lost both hands and couldn't pose much of a threat. Xiao Xueyin had no need to press the matter, so he turned and began explaining the situation.

"Not long after you left, an experiment staff member escaped from the building. From what he said, we can infer that the 'Node' has fallen into the hands of Brother Hui, the leader of the Survey Corps.

"He seems intent on holding the Research Center at all costs now that he has the 'Node.' Several Survey Corps members who entered the building one after another have more or less confirmed that."

"An experiment staff member?" Lu Bai furrowed his brow. "Where is he now? Did he say what his name was?"

"After a struggle, the Ten Blades ended up taking him. Is something wrong with the staff member? Or—" Xiao Xueyin's speech quickened near the end. He had clearly realized something was off, too.

The "Node" had fallen into Brother Hui's hands, and he planned to hold the Research Center with the Survey Corps.

That conclusion was actually based on information the experiment staff member had revealed, which Xiao Xueyin had pieced together himself. He hadn't questioned it, and most of the other Deathmatch Arena contestants probably thought the same.

But if you calmed down and thought it over, there were plenty of reasons to doubt it.

The most important question was this: if he was just an ordinary experiment staff member, how had he managed to leave the Research Center alive after learning that information?

What effort would it have taken for Brother Hui to kill an experiment staff member while he was at it?

Besides, the Ten Blades had captured him, but still hadn't sent any members into the building.

"Maybe both are a problem."

Lu Bai shook his head. "We don't know exactly what they're planning yet, but the Survey Corps probably intends to kill every contestant who enters the Research Center."

"Nearly forty contestants have entered the Research Center since you left," Zhuo Li blurted out.

Everyone present was quick to catch on. They all realized what might happen.

"If every contestant who entered the building gets killed, then the Survey Corps and the Ten Blades..." Hoodie Man looked uncertain.

Just over a hundred contestants were still alive.

If everyone who had entered the building was wiped out at once, the two teams would have more than thirty people between them—enough to clear the field.

Sure, the two teams couldn't trust each other, but the scattered stragglers left behind were even less likely to.

In the end, strangers in the Deathmatch Arena had no basis for trusting one another.

If they didn't kick you while you were down in a crisis, you could consider yourself lucky.

Suddenly, a few startled cries rang out.

The "Node" had changed position.

Crash!

One of the floor-to-ceiling windows on the fifth floor shattered. Glass fragments tumbled freely through the air, glittering in the sunlight.

Then several figures leaped out of the window one after another, like dumplings tumbling from a pot.

But instead of plummeting under gravity, they shot out several ropes. Their ends anchored to the distant Administrative Building, easily pulling them toward it.

"The 'Node' is out! Who has it?"

"Which one's Brother Hui?"

"Hmph. They think they can escape?"

After all their preparations, the contestants lying in wait in various corners weren't thrown into disarray by the sudden turn of events. Figures darted after them through the tent-lined passageways.

But in the next second,

Boom!!!

A horrifying explosion erupted, starting from the Research Center's lowest floor and blasting its way upward.

Nearly every window in the entire building shattered at once. The walls crumbled like blocks of tofu, swept away by the blast.

Rumble!

The building shook violently before collapsing. The blast hurled rubble and glass in every direction.

The deafening roar was like a tsunami, making everyone's eardrums ache.

"Get down!"

The instant the explosion hit, Xiao Xueyin spun around and shouted. He quickly realized his voice wouldn't reach his teammates, so he anxiously thrust both hands downward to signal them.

Lu Bai needed no warning. In that split second, he even managed to yank a blanket over himself.

The moment he hit the ground, a violent shock wave swept over him, carrying a torrent of building debris and kicking up dust that blotted out the sky.

Countless tents were tossed into the air. The dust that filled the area still hadn't settled even several minutes later.

"Ptui!"

Lu Bai spat out a bit of grit that had somehow gotten into his mouth. Brushing dust from his clothes, he slowly got to his feet.

After gathering himself, he looked around. Everything was in ruins.

Through the thinning haze, he could see that the Research Center had become a pile of rubble.

[ Ding! ]

[ The current elimination rate of Deathmatch Arena contestants has reached eighty percent. ]

[ The current Deathmatch Arena objective has been unlocked. This objective has two possible outcomes, and contestants may choose freely. ]

[ One: Restore Order ]

[ Two: Destroy Order ]

[ Complete either objective to close the Deathmatch Arena. Rankings will then be calculated according to each contestant's current points. ]

...

[ Ding! ]

[ The current elimination rate of Deathmatch Arena contestants has reached ninety percent. ]

[ Attention! The third-round Ability Pool has opened. You may now select an ability. ]

Honestly, ever since entering the Deathmatch Arena, Lu Bai had never heard the system give such a long string of notifications.

He glanced at the System Panel floating before his eyes.

[ Current Points: 20, Current Ranking: 1/47 ]

There was no doubt that the explosion had killed far more contestants than just those who had entered the Research Center.

The leader of the Survey Corps—the so-called Brother Hui.

Lu Bai pressed his lips together, brushing away the remaining grit. "What a blast."

Whoosh~

Nearby, a collapsed tent shifted as someone pushed it up, revealing Xiao Xueyin buried beneath it.

It wasn't really appropriate to describe a man with words like "heartbreakingly delicate," but Xiao Xueyin, covered in dust and grime, looked so fragile it was almost overwhelming. There was no way he looked like someone from an ordinary family.

He staggered to his feet. Only after seeing Lu Bai nearby did he relax a little. His voice hoarse, he asked, "Where are the others?"

"Mm... I'm... I'm here."

Liu Yue pushed Osas off her with all her might and gulped in fresh air.

Osas silently propped himself up on his elbows and got to his feet in a rather awkward position.

They waited a little longer, but nothing else stirred nearby.

"Are there only a few of us left?" Xiao Xueyin couldn't help sighing.