Again!

Xu Yuan had played every kind of game.

The moment he saw that the only requirement was to survive, with nothing else mentioned, his heart sank.

In competitions like this, the gameplay usually revolved around "death." "Survival" was the ceiling, one most people could never reach.

Was he supposed to experience death?

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, and he turned to the rewards.

Rewards that came at the price of death... did seem rather generous...

First was the Historical Side Quest.

He had to get his hands on that.

As for the second reward, postponing the Nightmare-Level Competition—

That was exactly what he wanted.

He had been competing nonstop for far too long. Right now, he needed more time to lie low, grow stronger, and build up his strength.

But the wording, "a postponement will occur for you," felt a little strange.

As for the third reward, "Shop Deployment," he had no idea what it meant.

But that was fine.

He would find out once he won.

Could he win?

In hard mode, he had to keep the character alive for half an hour.

How was he going to do that?

Xu Yuan rapidly considered his next moves.

For a moment,

the plots of countless apocalypse RPGs and real-time strategy games from his previous life flashed through his mind.

Those had only been games.

But now—

This was a real test that would decide whether he lived or died!

In every sense of the word!

"What did you say you felt just now?"

Jiang Xueyao picked up her earlier question.

"I walked a little way into the tunnel just now. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it felt like the wind filling a tower before the mountain rain arrives," Xu Yuan said, covering up his real thoughts.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding—

Text alerts sounded all around them.

The civilians sheltering there pulled out their phones.

Every screen showed the same message:

"An earthquake is imminent."

"Everyone, leave the subway and find an open area to take shelter!"

The civilians scrambled to their feet. Without waiting for instructions from Xu Yuan's Special Operations Team, they rushed out of the subway station.

Before long,

everyone was gone.

In the empty station, the howl of wind gradually rose.

On that wind, a rusty, bloody smell surged from deep within the tunnel in waves, stirring an inexplicable unease.

The others looked at Xu Yuan in surprise.

You called it.

"Your instincts are sharp," Yang Xiaobing said approvingly. "Looks like we should leave too?"

"If we haven't received any new orders, let's move immediately," Xu Yuan said.

The radio suddenly crackled.

"Shh... shh..."

"All Special Operations Teams, law enforcement units, military personnel, and police officers, proceed to Drum Tower Street subway—"

Crunch.

A soft crack sounded.

The radio crumpled in his grip, and the voice cut off at once.

"Hello? Hello? What did you say? We can't hear you! Speak up!"

Xu Yuan held the radio and questioned it anxiously.

"..." Jiang Xueyao.

"..." Yang Xiaobing.

"Bro," Zhao Afei said, speechless, "stop saying 'hello.' You crushed the radio."

Only then did Xu Yuan look at the radio in his hand.

"Oh no, I was so nervous. Look at the sweat on my face—ugh, this is all my fault."

His face was full of guilt.

He tossed the radio aside. It bounced off the wall and landed in a trash can.

The situation had changed.

The competition's difficulty had risen from "easy" to "hard."

The requirements had changed with it.

He no longer needed to come in first.

Which meant—

He didn't have to obey orders from above!

He didn't even care about his score on the monthly exam anymore!

What mattered was protecting the little boy and keeping him alive for half an hour.

His own life depended on it!

"Monster."

The little boy suddenly cried out.

He hadn't left yet.

Xu Yuan pulled his thoughts back and saw that the boy had tucked himself behind Yang Xiaobing, staring nervously toward the subway stairs.

"Don't be scared, kid," Zhao Afei said with a chuckle. "That's a monster beast's corpse—just a corpse."

The Giant Ape's body lay motionless on the stairs.

Anyone seeing a monster that huge for the first time, even a dead one, would be frightened.

That was only natural.

No one thought much of it.

But a trace of gravity flashed through Xu Yuan's eyes.

He had been looking at the rewards, thinking, and answering Jiang Xueyao.

So he hadn't seen it.

What had the little boy seen?

"Monster! I saw it! I don't want to go over there!" the little boy sobbed, his words tumbling out.

Yang Xiaobing, Jiang Xueyao, and Zhao Afei showed no reaction.

They couldn't see it!

But the problem now was that they couldn't stay here.

The little boy had wanted to run, but there was a "monster" on the stairs. He huddled behind Yang Xiaobing, too scared to move.

Time was passing.

He couldn't let this drag on!

Xu Yuan took the Repeating Shotgun off his back and strode toward the subway exit.

The lights suddenly went out.

The stairs plunged into darkness.

Only the Giant Ape's corpse lay sprawled there, utterly still.

Xu Yuan gripped the shotgun and climbed the stairs.

Then he suddenly slowed down.

Yes.

He felt it too.

Something seemed to be watching from nearby.

Was it something he could see?

Or something he couldn't?

Holding his breath, he approached the Giant Ape's corpse one step at a time and stopped.

Interesting.

Dozens of minutes ago, he had leaped back from the stairs above the corner and killed the Giant Ape in an ambush.

Now,

he stood at the corner of the stairs. One more step would put him where the Giant Ape had been ambushed.

So who was standing on the stairs above the corner?

Xu Yuan felt along his weapons belt, took out several Slugs, and swiftly loaded them. Then he burst out laughing and shouted:

"Come out. I can see you."

Click—bang—bang—bang—bang!

The shotgun fired in rapid succession at the hard wall. At least half the slugs ricocheted around the corner.

If anyone was lying in ambush there, the ricocheting slugs would turn them into a sieve!

Xu Yuan retreated a few steps, put away the shotgun, and drew the Qiong Jia Sword.

He waited.

Waited.

Waited.

Suddenly—

A pitch-black shadow stepped out from around the corner and spoke:

"You gave me a fright."

It had no face, only the shape of a shadow. A powerful stench of rot, insubstantial flames, and wave after wave of ominous energy emanated from it.

Xu Yuan adjusted his expression. His gaze passed over the shadow and continued toward the corner.

This was something they couldn't see.

He couldn't let everyone see him looking at it.

"Probably nothing there. Kids can make a storm out of a gust of wind. Maybe he was just scared earlier."

Xu Yuan spoke loudly as he walked back, seeming unhurried while moving fast.

Run.

"See? That's what I said," Zhao Afei said, folding his arms.

Xu Yuan crouched in front of the little boy and softened his voice:

"It's all right now. Let me take you out of here."

The boy stared straight at the stairs, his face pale. He said:

"We... have nowhere to go..."

"How could that be? Strange. What exactly are you looking at?" Xu Yuan followed his gaze.

The Black Shadow slowly walked up to the Giant Ape's corpse, toppled forward into it, and vanished.

Then—

The Giant Ape's corpse moved.

"It moved!"

The little boy screamed again.

The Giant Ape opened its eyes, rose from the ground, and stared at everyone before it.

Resurrection!

The monster beast had come back to life!

Only demons could resurrect the dead!

"Careful. It's probably been possessed by a demon," Jiang Xueyao said.

Now everyone could see it!

"I am my master's servant," the Giant Ape said in a deep voice. "From this moment on, for my master's—"

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Xu Yuan raised his submachine gun and opened fire.

Bastard.

You scared me half to death back there.

So possession is your trick.

The Giant Ape shuddered under the hail of bullets but paid them no heed. It continued solemnly:

"For my master's—"

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

"My master's goal—"

RATATATAT!

Clang!

A bullet knocked out its front tooth!

"I'll defiditely kill you all—" the Giant Ape stubbornly pressed on.

The submachine gun suddenly fell silent.

"Your words are whistling through that gap, big guy." Xu Yuan held up his gun. "What are you trying to say?"

The Giant Ape roared:

"I said—mmph—mmph—"

RATATATAT!

A burst of bullets flew into its mouth.

The Giant Ape rocked backward, then lunged forward with an angry roar:

"I'll tear you to bid! I'll tear you to bid!"

It was more than twice as fast as before. In a single leap, it reached Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan's pupils contracted.

Too fast!

You died once and came back this much stronger? What are you, a Saiyan?

...A Giant Ape...a Saiyan.

You know what? That actually fits!

"Watch out!"

Yang Xiaobing cried urgently, already throwing out a Wind Talisman.

BOOM—

The powerful Astral Wind became an invisible wall, separating Xu Yuan from the Giant Ape.

The Giant Ape roared and hammered down with both arms, scattering the wall of wind in a single blow.

But it had bought Xu Yuan a chance to escape.

The moment the Wind Talisman took effect, he threw down his gun, turned, and ran.

The submachine gun can't hurt it!

Time for the big sniper rifle.

Xu Yuan switched guns as he ran, then swung the sniper rifle backward without looking.

At that instant,

the Giant Ape had just smashed through the wall of wind.

Its arms had yet to come back down.

Perfect timing!

BANG—

A deep gunshot rang out.

A bloody hole appeared in the Giant Ape's forehead. It staggered, barely able to stay on its feet.

"Still not dead?"

Xu Yuan sounded astonished.

That was a goddamn snap shot!

A move for experts only!

That shot was so spectacular the teacher might ask where I learned it when we get back!

But time was running out, and Xu Yuan couldn't worry about that now.

And the enemy still wasn't dead!

Seizing the moment—

Yang Xiaobing threw another talisman, this one carrying a Wind Blade.

Zhao Afei sent out a burst of Pill Flame. It merged with the wind from the talisman, forming a Flame Blade that slashed toward the Giant Ape.

A combined wind-and-fire attack!

The Giant Ape had no choice but to raise both arms and block the several-meter-long Flame Blade.

Seizing the moment—

Jiang Xueyao brought her sword down on its head.

Her sword cleaved the hulking Giant Ape from head to tail. Its body split in two and crashed to the ground.

It was dead!

The four of them had won the battle together!

"Kids, you've grown."

Xu Yuan spoke with heartfelt satisfaction.

"Grown, my ass!" the other three protested in unison.