The Price of Survival

Unfortunately, the opportunity slipped through their grasp.

Xiang Ke braced her hands on her knees, veins bulging on her forehead. Her eyes were bloodshot, transforming her usually heroic face into a terrifying grimace.

Activating her talent had consumed far more energy than she had anticipated. Merely hindering the muscle-bound man for a moment had pushed her to the brink of collapse.

“Damn it…”

Panting heavily, Xiang Ke’s mood soured. This level of exertion was clearly abnormal. Even in her current less-than-optimal state, she should have been able to stall her opponent for at least two or three minutes without significant issue.

Yet, reality deviated sharply; she had reached an unsustainable point in mere seconds.

‘Someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes!’ Xiang Ke’s hands clenched involuntarily, bruising her knees slightly.

The consumption of a mentally-enhanced talent wasn’t as fixed as physical enhancements; it fluctuated with the target’s state. If the opponent was also covered by a mental enhancement, the drain would multiply exponentially.

If she had only been suspicious before, it was now abundantly clear that something was amiss with this muscular man.

With no time to delve into the deeper implications, Xiang Ke abruptly lifted her head and yelled at Ji Hua, who was clutching her own head nearby.

“Quick! Kill him!”

Her ferocious expression truly startled Ji Hua.

She had never seen anyone’s face twist into such a contortion.

Despite her shock, Ji Hua’s actions were decisive. Completely ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, she gritted her teeth, pulled a fruit knife from her person, and charged forward.

A dull thud echoed as the blade plunged into flesh.

Releasing the hilt, Ji Hua staggered back a few steps. A few drops of blood splattered onto her, and she sank to the ground, utterly drained.

‘I killed someone,’ she thought, ‘It feels like a dream.’

A burning sensation on her face reminded her of the grim reality. She spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, muttering curses only she could understand.

In an emergency, a person could do anything, completely disregarding danger. Yet, reflecting afterward, they would be overcome with fear and trepidation, scarcely believing they had possessed the courage to charge forward.

Ji Hua was no exception. While she usually acted without much thought for consequences, she had never committed any truly heinous acts. Now, a living man lay before her, clutching the gaping wound on his neck, eyes wide and mouth agape, seemingly speaking but emitting no sound, only copious amounts of fresh blood gushing from the wound, refusing to stop.

In the urgency of the moment, Ji Hua hadn’t had time to think. Her blade had gone straight for a vital spot, piercing clean through the cartilage of his throat.

The muscular man was clearly beyond saving, yet Ji Hua only felt a wave of nausea. She opened her mouth, unsure what to say, then closed it, her gaze gradually turning cold.

Xiang Ke observed the scene dispassionately. Every newcomer had to experience this; no one could help another. It was either live or die, with no third option. To survive, one had to eliminate those who stood in their way.

Her own condition was far from good; her mind throbbed as if pricked by needles. Her body, already weak from lack of food, felt even more powerless. It took a long while for her to slowly recover, regaining her ability to move.

A profound sense of exhaustion settled over Xiang Ke. Even when she forced herself to be alert, she could feel her own frailty.

Her talent was unusable for this round. She rubbed her temples, trying to alleviate the discomfort in her head. Forcing her talent in this state, it was uncertain who would truly die.

“Let’s go.”

Having regained some strength, she walked over and pulled Ji Hua up. Initially, she had harbored some resentment towards Ji Hua for her actions against Xia Lingxue, but now she was too weary to pursue it.

Anyone who hadn’t returned from outside was now a suspect. Who knew if these individuals were concealing something or if they had found special items out there?

Xiang Ke now regretted her decision to heed Liu Zhengxuan’s advice and remain at the stronghold. Information only held value when it was in one’s own hands, and firsthand intelligence could only be acquired through personal action.

She was currently in the dark, having gathered no valuable clues from yesterday until today.

‘No, that’s not entirely true.’ Xiang Ke glanced indifferently at the muscular man, whose life was slowly ebbing away, a decision forming in her mind.

Without a word, she and Ji Hua leaned on each other as they entered the house, completely ignoring Chen Anhe, the young man still cowering on the ground, as if he didn’t exist.

Someone wanted them dead, and they wouldn’t give up until their objective was met. Rather than dragging a burden along, it was better to leave him outside to attract attention, and perhaps even buy them some time in a critical moment.

The pretense of a cooperative team game was rapidly crumbling. A dead man held no value and certainly wouldn’t divulge anything.

This was the scene that greeted the blue-haired youth upon his return. He immediately showed a surprised expression and quickened his pace.

“So, they still haven’t returned?”

Xiang Ke murmured, her face devoid of expression, as if merely expressing concern for a teammate.

Ji Hua, leaning against the wall, wanted to say something, but the pain in her face prompted her to remain silent. The less she spoke, the better, forcing her into a cool, aloof demeanor.

Finally, someone returned.

A group of two women and one man, strikingly easy to identify.

“Uh, what happened here?” Xiang Qi carefully avoided the bloodstains and the corpse on the ground, frowning as she forced herself not to look at the gruesome sight.

“Nothing major. Someone attacked the camp. We just lost three more people…”

The blue-haired youth’s expression held a hint of amusement, counting the attacking muscular man as one of their own. Those who understood would grasp the implication; after all, survivors were always teammates in this game. Now, without even seeing the true enemy, their side had already lost at least four people, some even killed by their own kind, like a silent mockery.

Gu Changqing remained silent. He had seen dead people in real life, even more gruesome deaths than this, so such a minor scene couldn’t possibly faze him.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but feel a touch of sorrow for a fellow creature.

“Indeed, a minor scene. Only three people died, after all…” Xiang Qi subconsciously nodded, only realizing something was amiss when the others present looked at her strangely. Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.

“Huh, three people died?”