Players, Please Board the Train

The speed was a bit too fast. Not only was Player 29 stunned, but everyone else present was stunned as well.

Previously, there had been a few who took on black ball tasks. Non-players who entered were guaranteed to die, but the players didn’t fare much better.

Shajia, however, seemed to have encountered no difficulty at all.

”What’s the meaning of this?” Player 29 protested loudly. ”Why was his black ball task so easy? Is there some kind of shady business going on?”

Boos rose from the audience outside the arena. The Host patiently explained to everyone, ”For the surgery observation task, the person being operated on must be anesthetized beforehand. However, it seems the anesthesia this time was not properly administered. Thanks to this guest’s reminder, the program crew will be more rigorous in completing the preparations.”

Player 29 immediately drew glares from the people around him. One non-player stepped up and shoved him. ”If you’re so bored, go find your own corner to screw around in. Stop causing trouble!”

Killing was not allowed in the plaza, likely to avoid affecting subsequent scoring, so Player 29 did not fight back. Instead, he warned, ”You’d better watch yourself.”

”Come kill me then,” the man said, slapping his own head. ”I dare you to actually do it!”

Player 29’s face was murderous. He reached out and grabbed the man’s shoulder, lifted his foot, and snapped his lower leg with a kick. Then he pressed both hands on the man’s crown and jaw, forcing his screams back down his throat.

”I can afford to fight to the death and not clear the dungeon. But can you afford to lose your life? Let’s see how you die later.”The non-player was quite tough-boned. He actually laughed out loud. ”You think you’ll survive the next round?”

Player 29 shoved him away and looked toward Shajia, who responded with a smile.

Player 29’s aura betrayed his cowardice. He turned and walked further away.

”It’d be fun if they got thrown into the same zone,” Xiao Xianglin said with schadenfreude.

Xu Huo looked up at the next group’s Projection.

Players and non-players had different task scopes and difficulty levels, but from what he had observed so far, each group’s task zones were not completely isolated.

However, whether player and non-player zones were separated was uncertain.

Aside from the woman who had previously teamed up with the female player, he had not encountered any other non-players in the Zoo. There were two possibilities. First, player and non-player task zones were actually the same, just with relatively safer drop areas. Second, the two sides had clearly distinct zones, but if a team included a player, the task zone would be changed to the player task area.

Whether choosing balls or carrying out tasks, the real purpose of the ”You’re Well, I’m Well” program was simply entertainment. In the end, the number of people who could actually settle in Sea World was almost negligible. Of these three hundred and eighty-one people, only a few dozen would likely survive to the end.

And as time passed, more and more people would choose to kill their teammates.

Gaining friendship from the Three-Color Showdown was extremely difficult. The two sides had no foundation of trust. They might look out for each other temporarily, but when life-and-death situations arose, that state was easily broken.

Whether it was players looking after non-players or non-players looking after players, once everyone realized that this process could not build friendship, their thinking would shift in another direction, reducing the number of participants.

Since the program selected a limited number of people, could rapidly reducing that number increase the chances of ”friendship approval”?

Even if the program had no such fallback plan, after the numbers shrank, the remaining people would have to cooperate whether to survive or to clear the dungeon. Their mindset then would be completely different from now.

”It’s my turn,” Xiao Xianglin said at that moment. He adjusted his clothes and stepped forward, saying to another player, ”Brother, what do you think, should we go with a white ball or a yellow ball?”

”Rather than wasting energy on completing tasks, it’s better to save some strength and think about how to gain friendship. What do you say?”

Player 117 also spoke up. ”Since we’re trying to cultivate friendship, why not do the task together?”

”Alright then, let’s pick the yellow ball.” Xiao Xianglin paused, then added, ”But let’s agree beforehand, no changing your mind halfway through.”

Player 117 casually glanced around at the people nearby. ”Look, there are still so many people here. If I screw you over, probably no one would sincerely befriend me afterward. Don’t worry, I won’t do something that costs more than it gains.”

After the two reached an agreement, they jointly selected the yellow ball, then chose to complete the white ball task together. What they ended up drawing was ”facial cosmetic surgery.”

”Everyone has the desire to become more beautiful, and everyone has the right to become more beautiful. So guests 340 and 117, your task is to complete a facial micro-adjustment. The range of adjustments will be written in the operating room. Please choose freely, both of you.” The Host winked at them. ”Friendly reminder, only one person needs to get the surgery to complete the task.”

Xiao Xianglin and Player 117 simultaneously fell into the Pods. In just a few seconds, the onlookers witnessed the transformation from ”negotiating amicably” to ”turning on each other faster than flipping a page.” By the time the Projection started, the two had already gone through a round of fighting. Both were vying for the position of ”operating surgeon.”

”With this, they can still become friends and gain friendship?” Pu Donghai, not far from Xu Huo, said speechlessly. ”They might as well just come out and say they want us to kill each other!”

Actually, from the very beginning, this program had never concealed its intentions. Just like its surface appearance, it was merely a show to entertain the audience. No one cared whether the participants lived or died.

At least for now, the ”gaining friendship” aspect of ”You’re Well, I’m Well” could be pushed to the back burner.

Xu Huo observed the people around him and then took the initiative to greet You Si.

You Si’s alcohol craving had flared up again. He had long since finished the half-pack of cigarettes from Xu Huo. After greeting him, he asked, ”Do you have any more smokes?”

”Nope.” Xu Huo said, ”I’ve been quitting recently.”

You Si rubbed his fingers together. ”Life’s really damn boring these days.”

”Bear with it and it’ll pass.” Xu Huo said, ”Everyone’s like this.”

You Si’s addiction had sunk in fairly deep. He didn’t pay much attention to the Three-Color Showdown and instead lamented, ”If I’d known it’d be like this, I might as well have quit earlier. Now it’s fucking unbearable to hold out!”

”Is there a reason you have to quit drinking?” Xu Huo asked.

You Si looked up at him. His stubbled face revealed a trace of what could almost be called tender warmth. ”I’m planning to have a kid.”

”Congratulations.” Xu Huo was not surprised. Players also had normal human lives. ”But if you quit drinking and end up hooked on smoking instead, isn’t that a wasted effort?”

”I’ll figure out another way when the time comes.” You Si said, ”My wife gave me an ultimatum last time. If I don’t quit drinking this time, she’s divorcing me... Fuck, it’s already a game world, why hasn’t marriage law been abolished yet?”

Xu Huo was amused. ”It hasn’t come to that.”

They chatted for a while. Then Xu Huo saw a man whose face was covered in scars walk up to the glass screen. ”That’s the person who wore the raincoat on the bus, right?”

After entering from outside, the man had taken off the raincoat. His scar-covered face was very intimidating. Coupled with his long hair, which completely obscured his eyes, it made him seem even more dangerous. So basically no one approached him. He stood alone in a corner and only stepped out when his number came up.