Chapter 93

Chapter 93

On the day of the elimination match, the streamers woke up earlier than usual, as the difficulty of "The Mind Game" and the brutality of half the players being eliminated had already dispelled any last hopes of luck. They all knew that they needed to give 100% of their seriousness no matter what.

Xi Yu and Luo Xi also left early in the morning. However, after waiting for the elevator for a while, they ran into Lin Yuze, who was accompanied by an assistant.

No matter what, Lin Yuze was someone who had been secretly helping with some purpose.

Otherwise, with Luo Xi's recent actions, he should have already been caught and dealt with by the security department.

Therefore, Xi Yu smiled slightly: "Good morning, Mr. Lin. I didn't expect you to still be at the Cloud Platform."

"It's the day for the 96 to 48 elimination match. The livestream is crucial," Lin Yuze said with a somewhat helpless expression. "And there have been quite a few problems at the company recently, so I have to keep an eye on things."

Although Xi Yu didn’t know what normal human businessmen were like, he still found Lin Yuze to be very special and couldn't help but blink in curiosity.

Lin Yuze was never harsh like Qin Yunshen, who could instantly eliminate someone with bare hands. Even when facing androids, he remained calm and friendly. He waited until the elevator reached the floor for the gaming room and then spoke again: "Good luck, your performance in the previous rounds was good. I'm optimistic about you."

Luo Xi responded indifferently, "Thank you."

Lin Yuze smiled, "After this round of the competition, the company will give it another big push. At that time, the senior management from Cyber will also come to the Cloud Platform for a thank-you party. Would you be interested in attending?"

A thank-you party for android streamers whose lives were considered a game by humans?

That would truly be a huge joke.

But Luo Xi seemed interested, "Of course."

Lin Yuze nodded, "I will arrange the invitations. I wish you success."

As he finished speaking, the elevator doors quietly closed.

Xi Yu stroked the obedient plush cat and smiled helplessly, "I really don’t know if they are truly heartless or if they have no fear or respect for androids."

"Isn’t human arrogance just a part of how they treat androids?" Luo Xi squinted and replied, "Or perhaps..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Xi Yu understood his meaning.

Or perhaps, humans had found ways to deal with androids, but androids had been kept in the dark.

Luo Xi took a deep breath and said optimistically, "Anyway, the party is good news. I actually quite want to interact with them now."

Xi Yu thought of Luo Xi’s risky plan, and fell into silence.

At that moment, Qin Yunshen, dressed in a white coat, walked in, interrupting their vague whispers. He said loudly, "Time flies, I just got rid of this cat not long ago."

Little Qi made a soft complaint: "Meow..."

"The schedule is so tight, it's not something I can control," Xi Yu helplessly handed the cat over. "Thank you."

Although Qin Yunshen didn’t seem happy verbally, his actions were honest. He carefully held the cat and gently stroked it, completely different from the ruthless way he handled android streamers.

Luo Xi grabbed Xi Yu's hand and said, "Let's go, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can come back to get Little Qi."

Xi Yu replied with a sound, and walked off with Luo Xi.

Qin Yunshen looked at them as they disappeared from his sight, as if wanting to say something but held back.At this moment, Xia Zi walked over in high heels and snorted coldly: "The results of the competition are one in a million. Even if the champion comes from these two, in the end, only one can go out. Aren't they being too nonchalant?"

Qin Yunshen raised an eyebrow: "What are you trying to say?"

Xia Zi's youthful face darkened: "Not of my kind, their hearts must be different. These modified, overly powerful androids are definitely not honest. If we're not careful, in the end, we won't even have a place to cry."

Qin Yunshen waited for two streamers to pass by before he responded mildly: "Being too powerful is indeed a serious issue. Many veteran streamers have been fine for over a year, so one positive effect of this competition is that it openly resets them. But right now, there is no sign that the participating streamers are showing any dangerous behavior. As for the precautions you're talking about, I don't really know how to interpret them."

Xia Zi was clearly emotional and couldn't give a proper response, muttering: "Don't let me find anyone violating the security department's regulations. Anyway, with so many backup contestants, there’s no streamer that can't be dealt with!"

Qin Yunshen shook his head helplessly and didn't spare her another glance.

Seeing that he was about to leave, Xia Zi quickly followed: "Let's go eat Japanese food at the resort tonight, there's a place nearby—"

"Don't reveal the geographic information of the Cloud Platform! Didn't you receive training when you joined?" Qin Yunshen sharply interrupted her pointless chatter, then unhappily added, "I can't leave during the five-day competition period. The company's main live streaming revenue relies heavily on the Cloud Platform. With the global attention on this competition, if something goes wrong, I’ll never find a job again in my next life."

Xia Zi pouted in dissatisfaction, clearly not caring about his words.

Qin Yunshen had no patience for this rich young lady, and instead, he hugged the plush cat and walked away briskly.

Xia Zi stood in place, taking a deep breath, her face filled with frustration.

At this moment, the dark game space had already connected to Xi Yu's brain. He was floating at the edge of his consciousness, patiently waiting.

It wasn’t long before all the streamers were ready.

Accompanied by a piercing and terrifying roar, the fat cat appeared, trembling with nerves as it looked around.

This performance made Xi Yu think of the "zombie" theme that Xu Tu had overheard.

But the fat cat was clearly dressed in ancient clothes, a simple little robe covering its round body, stained with blood, completely different from the urban gunfight he had imagined earlier.

Xi Yu couldn't help but ask, "Are you here to announce the rules?"

Only then did the fat cat snap back to reality, hushing, and quietly saying: "The rules will be announced in the game. I'm just here to warn you, don't act impulsively."

Xi Yu smiled lightly: "I’ve never been an impulsive person."

The fat cat snorted: "Not necessarily. According to the instruments, your heart rate increases and blood pressure rises frequently because of Luo Xi's experiences in the game."

"..." Xi Yu didn't want to discuss his emotions and instincts with an AI, so he proactively asked, "So why did you say not to act impulsively?"

The fat cat crossed its arms and calmed down: "Because in this instance, every choice is crucial. If you want anything, you'll have to pay the corresponding price. If you're too foolish or too greedy, you'll have no place to bury yourself!"

Although the messenger AI's words were reasonable, Xi Yu couldn't hear how this related to "zombies." He quickly asked for important information: "So, can we kill other streamers this time? Can we receive gifts?"

The fat cat nodded: "There are gifts, depending on your popularity—however, anything that disrupts the game balance or relates to game information cannot be given to streamers. Gifts are at most just a form of entertainment. You understand that, right?"

Xi Yu's previous experience with receiving gifts had already confirmed this. Even if players wanted to convey information to help the streamers, they had to do so discreetly. He nodded in response.

The fat cat then crudely scratched its nose: "As for killing streamers... actually, it’s allowed..."

Xi Yu's eyes instantly widened.Because both he and Luo Xi have good physical abilities, even when facing martial arts experts like Ying Zhi Xing and Mu Yuan, there is danger, but they still have an advantage when dealing with most opponents. The qualifiers, like before, should still be twelve selected from six, and killing will definitely speed up the game process.

However, the fat cat added: "I already said, everything in this game has a price, and killing has a price too. It's not that you can't kill, but you need to think carefully if you're ready to bear the consequences of killing."

It seems that they still can't act recklessly. Xi Yu thought for a moment and replied, "I understand."

The fat cat didn't discuss any more rules and just smiled: "Then, good luck, meow!"

As it raised its fat paw, Xi Yu immediately heard countless beast-like howls, and then, in the thick smell of blood, was swept into the dark depths.

So cold...

This cold was not the biting chill of ice and snow, but the discomfort of being in a damp, cool environment with thin clothes that couldn't block the cold.

Xi Yu frowned, trying to adjust his breathing, and felt someone hugging him. He opened his eyes with difficulty.

It was Luo Xi.

They were lying on a misty, desolate grassland, with grayish-white grass under them, lifeless and stained with blood. No matter how you looked at it, it was not a safe place.

What made it even more dangerous was that there were scattered other streamers lying around, all in tattered clothes, with yellow, sickly faces, including some familiar faces.

While Xi Yu was looking around, a dissatisfied loli voice suddenly broke the silence.

It was Du Li, with two little buns tied in her hair.

She angrily asked, "Why are you two here again, you gay troublemakers!"

Behind Du Li, Su Ziyan half-rose, giving a sheepish smile and waving slightly.

Xi Yu, neither angry nor pleased, just nodded in response and then shifted his gaze to a female streamer in the corner with her head down.

The female streamer was quite delicate and gentle, and had once met Xi Yu on Yuntai—when he first started exploring his past, Luo Xi had introduced her to him. They had briefly met at a Christmas market corner. If he remembered correctly, her name was... Xu Rou?

Luo Xi had clearly seen the woman too and sneered: "Hey, didn't expect you to join the competition. Weren't you always saying it's better to live than to die?"

Xu Rou pressed her lips and didn't respond.

Du Li, brushing off the dirt from her clothes, stood up: "After all, no one can resist the temptation of the grand prize. I say, let's not stay here like refugees."

Behind her, two tall, beautiful female streamers quickly stood up, one with a wheat-colored complexion, very efficiently searching her body, then sneered: "With nothing but ragged clothes covering you, you're really a refugee."

Su Ziyan seemed quite nervous, looking around quickly: "No, it's not that simple... I hear strange sounds coming closer to us... from the east and south..."

Xi Yu couldn't help but admire Su Ziyan's hearing and became serious: "What sounds?"

Su Ziyan said, "It sounds like... beasts..."

Xi Yu looked at Luo Xi—perhaps the enemy was indeed the "zombie" that Xu Tu mentioned. In extreme environments with fighting and killing, it seemed that human audiences loved this kind of theme. With the ancient clothes everyone was wearing and no efficient weapons, they would have to fight close-range in a much more brutal way.

Luo Xi decisively said, "Let's hurry up. Judging by the position of the sun, it’s still early in the morning, around six or seven. We’re probably going to have a lot of tasks today. Since the southeast is not safe, let’s head northwest."

With that, he grabbed Xi Yu and began walking.

The other ten streamers exchanged glances, then followed, walking into the dense, dangerous fog with the two of them.