Chapter 29#
“Ah——”
The other criminals witnessing this scene from above instantly let out terrified screams. Everyone flailed their limbs in the air like moths, trying to steer themselves away from that man-eating monster, but with little effect.
Zhao Xing was relatively lucky—he landed in a tree.
But the others weren’t so fortunate. Take F001, for instance—that arrogant brute from the underground world landed squarely on the monster’s head.
The monster grinned, its long tongue shooting into the air and wrapping around F001’s waist and abdomen. Then, with an excited expression, it opened its mouth wide, rows of sharp teeth dripping with foul-smelling mucus…
“Ah! No! Don’t eat me! Please, help—”
F001’s visor was the clearest grade available, and Zhao Xing could clearly see his bulging eyes, terrified expression, and the pitiful, snot-and-tear-streaked face on the verge of collapse.
Zhao Xing’s visor transparency was set to the default medium level. Seeing this, he silently adjusted his visor to the lowest opacity, making it impossible for anyone outside to see his face. Meanwhile, against the chaotic backdrop of other people’s bloodcurdling screams, he quietly broke off a half-arm-length branch from the tree and sharpened one end against the trunk.
The monster opened its mouth wide and slowly, playfully, clamped down on F001’s head.
Then it stopped.
“Oh dear, I can’t eat anymore.”
The monster patted its bulging belly and said with a grin, then spat out F001’s head.
F001, having narrowly escaped death, scrambled backward in terror, his whole body convulsing uncontrollably.
The other criminals also landed from the air. Some, like Zhao Xing, landed in trees, while more ended up on the ground.
Those on the ground huddled together in fear, staring at the dangerous creature beyond their imagination, trembling and unable to utter a single word.
“Big Fatty, Little Feiyu, you’re so boring—why do you always prank newcomers like this? Look, the little mice are all scared!”
A seductive female voice suddenly rang out. Zhao Xing followed the sound and saw a woman in a red dress.
She looked human, but her face was uncovered, and her long limbs were exposed without any protective gear.
Zhao Xing caught sight of the number on her chest badge.
— C005.
She was a surface-dwelling human female.
“Isn’t it fun, don’t you think?”
The broadcast voice that had echoed across the island started up again, but the same voice that had just solemnly announced “Supplies from Underground World K13 District have arrived” suddenly turned playful.
A tiny figure with wings fluttered out from behind a large tree, holding a microphone in its hand.
Its number was B011, a male Bluestar native. From the woman’s words, he must be Little Feiyu.
He had a small body, small wings, and small eyes.
A sly and malicious smile hung on his tiny face.
Little Feiyu: “This microphone is a limited-time reward from my warm-up game win. It’s about to expire—how could I not make good use of it?”
He flapped his wings, circling above the trembling group of F-tier members, then hovered in front of them.
Little Feiyu observed the shivering underground humans with great interest, as if examining his new toys.
Holding the slightly oversized microphone with both hands, he winked playfully with his left eye: “Welcome new F-tier members to the F101 Game! I heard you’re all from the underground world and have never seen us Bluestar people, so I specially set up a little joke for you!”
Then, as if struck by a thought, he turned to the man-eating monster and said, “Big Fatty, spit them out quick—they really thought you ate someone.”
The towering monster, somewhat reluctantly, spat out the person from its stomach.
That unlucky male criminal—who had been knocked out by the poison mist, swallowed by the monster, and now spat out—had somehow regained consciousness at some point.
After being spit out, he scrambled away frantically, curling up behind a large rock, not daring to make another sound.
Little Feiyu: “See? It was just a joke, haha!”
No one laughed.
Everyone knew this wasn’t just a simple joke.
It was more of a show of force.
And judging by the F-tier members’ reactions, the Bluestar people’s intimidation tactic had worked perfectly.
The A-tier and B-tier Bluestar natives wore broad smiles.
The C-tier and D-tier surface humans had grim expressions.
Zhao Xing also spotted a few E-tier members—women who had also just emerged from the underground. Their faces were pale, their expressions steeped in the same pain as if they had lived through it.
Clearly, they had experienced a similar welcome ceremony when they joined this game.
C005 tossed her long, perfectly styled curls and smiled warmly at the group: “Welcome to the game!”
She paused, made a small gesture with her thumb and index finger, and tilted her head, saying, “Hmm, you guys are a little more timid than I imagined. Hope you enjoy the game!”
As she turned to leave, Zhao Xing heard her mutter under her breath: “Trash rats, so embarrassing.”
“Bang!”
A brilliant firework suddenly burst in the dim sky.
As the firework faded, three lines of dazzling characters appeared in the air:
“Welcome F-tier members to the game.”
“All 606 game participants are in place.”
“The 21st F101 Game officially begins!”
At the same time, countless electronic boards shot up from the ground, like the tombstones in the retro game Plants vs. Zombies.
Zhao Xing looked closely. The electronic screen nearest to him had “Scene Channel 07” written in the upper-left corner, while the center scrolled with dense text:
“Ahhhh, this show is finally starting! I’ve been waiting so long—wonder if this season will be as exciting as the last?”
“Did anyone pay to watch the livestream before the game started? That bit with Fatty ’eating’ people really scared me.”
“Ah, isn’t that tradition? The person above never watched the original show, right?”
“Compared to the Bluestar prank of fake cannibalism, I think last season’s D-tier human who straight-up cut off an F-tier’s leg and replaced it with a mechanical limb was way scarier… The amount of blood was insane.”
“The E-tier and F-tier people are so pitiful—they’ve been reduced to toys.”
“All the E-tier people are underground prostitutes, and all the F-tier people are underground criminals. What’s there to pity?”
“Don’t be such a saint. The average F-tier criminal has two murders on their hands. Feel sorry for dogs if you want, not them.”
“What did dogs ever do wrong? Don’t compare them to those scumbags. The best thing Earthlings brought to Bluestar was those cute little creatures called dogs.”
…
“Why let scum like F-tier participate in the game?”
“Let me explain. At first, there were no E-tier or F-tier groups. The show was called D101, not F101. Only Bluestar natives and surface humans participated. But the conflict between those two groups was too intense, so they needed some lubricant to balance things out—get it?”
“Exactly. After all, the purpose of this reality game is to promote friendly exchange, harmonious coexistence, and mutual help between Bluestar people and Earthlings.”
“LOL. After watching the highlight reel of the 20th season, I didn’t see ‘harmonious coexistence’; all I saw was mutual slaughter.”
“Huh? Harmonious coexistence? The person above must have been fooled by the show’s official justification for the higher-ups. We watch this show for the thrill, and to see who’s really stronger—Bluestar or Earthlings!”
“Earth apes, get lost! We Bluestar people took you in—you should be our dogs forever! Since when do dogs think they’re better than their masters?”
“I wonder how you Bluestar simpletons, with your thick skulls and brawn, have the nerve to say that. If we Earthlings hadn’t brought you civilization and technology, you’d still be digging in the mud somewhere!”
“Earthlings, go back to your planet! You pathetic creatures who can’t breathe without a visor! Bluestar doesn’t suit you—get lost!”
“Then don’t use our Earth script to curse, huh? Oh, sorry, I forgot—you Bluestar people don’t have your own writing system.”
…
【System Message: 136 accounts have been banned for 24 hours. Please refrain from causing ethnic discord.]
Zhao Xing looked away from the barrage of comments, gaining a rough understanding of the situation.
So their role was to act as lubricant?
To make the conflict between Bluestar natives and Earthlings less intense and direct.
No wonder Xiaoling had told them back on the aircraft:
“In these three months, your task is to accept missions and complete games. But most importantly, as the underground human group, you must promote harmony between the surface humans and the Bluestar natives.”
But the Bluestar natives’ way of welcoming them was a prank about eating them.
And the surface humans’ way of welcoming them was to cut off one of their legs.
It seemed the F-tier group was merely “lubricant” in name, but in reality, they were punching bags and communal slaves.
Zhao Xing snapped off a large chunk of the branch he had already sharpened, keeping the rest like a dagger hidden in his palm, then jumped down from the tree.
But there was one thing that bothered him.
In this reality game… could people be killed at will?
As if reading Zhao Xing’s mind, a system message scrolled across the electronic board nearest to him.
【System Message: Xiao You reminds new members that deliberate murder or cannibalism is not allowed in the game.]
No deliberate killing.
Zhao Xing paused.
So if it wasn’t deliberate, killing was allowed?
Zhao Xing noticed that this system message had a different color from the previous ban message—it was gold and flashed intermittently.
Zhao Xing crouched beside the electronic board and tentatively poked the message.
It actually moved.
The electronic board’s page flipped to a letterhead displaying the game rules:
A-tier, B-tier, C-tier, D-tier, E-tier, and F-tier members are worth 60 points, 50 points, 40 points, 30 points, 20 points, and 10 points respectively.
Deliberately killing or eating them will deduct points.
But saving their lives will add points.
We hope everyone coexists harmoniously and enjoys the game!
After five seconds, this interface closed and the electronic board returned to the comments page.
Zhao Xing also saw a third system message at that moment.
【System Message: Want to become a billionaire? Want to become a superstar? Then sign up for the next F101 game now!】
Zhao Xing clicked on this message, and the page jumped again.
“In the F101 game, you can bring any weapon you wish. As long as you survive safely until the game ends three months later, you will immediately receive 1 million in cash. If you perform well in the game and earn points, those points will be converted at a ratio of 1:10,000. If you can earn 10,000 points, you will become a billionaire! Excited? Get excited! Click the link below to sign up!”
Seeing this, Zhao Xing finally understood why 404 Bluestar natives and surface humans had signed up for this seemingly dangerous game.
It was for the money.
The conversion ratio was somewhat similar to the “repentance value” in the underground K13 district.
But… if Zhao Xing himself could survive safely until three months later, would he also be able to leave this island with a million in cash?
Zhao Xing felt a surge of eagerness.
In truth, the million cash didn’t mean much to Zhao Xing.
He just wanted to get out of here.
To see the vast surface world he had never witnessed before.
Just then, his right ear grew slightly warm again. He touched it and heard footsteps and voices from afar.
“Hurry up! The F-tier people have been here for a while.”
“Keep dawdling, and they’ll all be snatched up.”
“I didn’t grab a single E-tier whore yesterday. Today, I’m definitely getting an F-tier slave!”
“Slaves are more important than whores, don’t you know? The champion of the last season became champion because he collected thirteen slaves from start to finish. Whenever he encountered a dangerous trap, he sent a slave to scout—it was like having extra lives.”
Zhao Xing’s heart sank. He looked around, and only then did he realize that while he had been absorbed in checking the game rules, other F-tier members had already been surrounded by varying numbers of people.
At the same time, two Bluestar natives and one surface human were staring straight at him with determined expressions, walking toward him.
Zhao Xing: “…”
Zhao Xing turned and ran.
He might not outrun the winged Bluestar natives or the surface humans in modified shoes.
But that was okay—he just had to outrun the other F-tier people.
Sure enough, at first, the three people prepared to chase Zhao Xing, but after a few steps, two of them lost interest and turned to catch others as slaves.
But the remaining Bluestar native—whether out of stubbornness or something else—ignored the other F-tier members and focused solely on chasing Zhao Xing.
Fortunately, this Bluestar didn’t have wings and had normal leg length, so his running speed was on par with Zhao Xing’s.
Zhao Xing was chased for two hours straight until the sun even rose, but he still couldn’t shake him off.
What was worse, Zhao Xing hadn’t eaten for nearly a full day and night, and after sprinting for two hours at full effort, his speed gradually slowed.
But the Bluestar behind him seemed tireless, his speed never decreasing an inch.
The sun cast its blazing rays onto Zhao Xing, and sweat dripped from his forehead, streaming down his eyelashes.
Zhao Xing’s steps grew heavier and heavier, his pace slower and slower.
Just then, a real broadcast rang out across the island.
“—The first game mission has been released! All brave warriors, please check the nearest electronic board for the mission!”
Zhao Xing heard the Bluestar behind him pause mid-step, seeming hesitant.
Go check the electronic board! Go do the mission! Stop chasing me, dammit!
Gritting his teeth, Zhao Xing continued running, screaming internally.
But the tenacious Bluestar behind him didn’t hear Zhao Xing’s internal voice.
After hesitating for three seconds, he chose to keep chasing Zhao Xing.
Damn it!
Zhao Xing wiped the sweat from his forehead and kept running.
Then came the most dramatic turn of events.
Zhao Xing stared at the cliff in front of him, almost wanting to laugh.
He tightened his grip on the branch and slowly turned around.
“You’ve got no way out,” the Bluestar said slowly. “Be my slave.”
He looked at Zhao Xing’s face, completely hidden by the visor, and continued, “Your visor can only filter poison gas for 24 hours. Even if you survive today, you won’t make it through tomorrow. Follow me, and I can bless you. I can sincerely bless you, so you’ll be completely immune to the poison for three days. After three days, I can keep blessing you…”
Zhao Xing panted and asked him, “Your sincere blessing only gives me immunity for three days?”
The Bluestar was taken aback for a moment before answering, “Ah, you’re from underground, so you wouldn’t know. We Bluestar people usually give blessings in three-day increments. Giving too much at once would harm our bodies.”
Zhao Xing: “But I’ve heard that if we’re lucky, a Bluestar’s sincere blessing can grant us permanent immunity to poison.”
The Bluestar frowned: “That’s just a legend. No Bluestar in reality has ever achieved that.”
“Oh, I see,” Zhao Xing said, catching his breath a bit, his voice turning slow. “So it’s because you’re too ordinary, too weak, that you can’t give me a bigger blessing. Since you’re so pathetic, what right do you have to be my master?”
Hearing this, the Bluestar finally got angry.
His eyes turned red, and sharp claws protruded from his thick palms. He roared hoarsely, “Stinking rat! Don’t be ungrateful!”
With that, he lunged straight at Zhao Xing!
Zhao Xing sidestepped his attack, then viciously thrust the sharpened end of the branch at the Bluestar’s neck!
“Crack!”
The branch snapped.
Zhao Xing: “…”
Speechless.
Might as well wait to die.
What else could he do?
Become a slave to this Bluestar beast?
No way… Brother Zhao will never be a slave.
As the Bluestar angrily swiped his claws at Zhao Xing’s neck, Zhao Xing didn’t dodge. Instead, he buried his head deep into the Bluestar’s furry, bear-like chest, hugged him tightly, and threw them both off the cliff!
Mutual destruction was out of the question.
Zhao Xing only hoped the cliff was high enough to knock this thick-skinned Bluestar unconscious.
The wind howled past his ears.
Zhao Xing cunningly buried his head deeper into the Bluestar’s chest.
“Thump!”
The two hit the ground together with a massive crash.
Perfect.
The Bluestar landed first.
With this perfect cushion, Zhao Xing wasn’t seriously injured—only his left arm was dislocated.
Zhao Xing was almost satisfied.
The reason he said “almost” was because—
Damn it! Falling from such a height, why wasn’t this Bluestar unconscious?!
Was his only superpower being thick-skinned?!
The Bluestar ground his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury. He slammed a claw onto the top of Zhao Xing’s head and ripped off his entire hood!
Using both claws, he snarled and tore the hood to shreds.
Zhao Xing watched in shock, covering his nose, barely daring to breathe.
Three minutes. He only had three minutes.
In three minutes, he’d pass out. In an hour, he’d die from poisoning.
What to do…
After a rapid cost-benefit analysis, Zhao Xing decided to use those three minutes to negotiate with the seemingly not-so-bright Bluestar in front of him.
But just as he was about to speak, the Bluestar froze.
He stared blankly at Zhao Xing, strange emotions gradually surfacing in his eyes.
Zhao Xing followed his gaze down at himself and saw that specks of blue fluorescence had begun to emerge from his body.
Those blue specks swirled around him like fireflies in a movie, dancing and flickering, making his whole body feel light.
“Supreme blessing…”
The Bluestar murmured.
He dazedly extended an index finger to touch the blue fluorescence surrounding Zhao Xing.
But the moment his fingertip touched that blue light, he let out a shrill scream.
Blue flames leaped up his finger, burning off the hair on his hand, sending him writhing on the ground in pain.
Zhao Xing watched all this in confusion.
He turned around, his gaze fixed on Electronic Board No. 27, a meter away.
This secluded spot originally had few comments on the scene’s screen, but now the comment count exploded:
“Why is F101 glowing?”
“Ahhh, what kind of blessing is this? I’ve never seen it!”
“Why does this underground F-tier human receive a blessing of this level?”
“Ah! Anyone recording this? Anyone recording? I need to show my grandpa! He said his lifelong wish is to see the supreme blessing of the Blue Holy Light one more time!!!”
“It’s the Blue Holy Light! It’s lifelong immunity!! It’s the highest blessing!!!”
“Just what level of Bluestar blessed him?! Could it be the legendary royalty?!”
“Is it just me who cares about how handsome this guy is?”