The Rules of Survival

“Hint: Survivor Faction Missions: 1. Survive for seven days; 2. Kill the Hunter.”

“Complete one faction mission to achieve victory and proceed to the settlement phase.”

‘Just as expected.’ Xiang Qi looked up at the panel floating in the sky. The moment the rules appeared, she confirmed her suspicions.

It was a kill-or-be-killed scenario, a brutal fight for survival.

Maintaining order would likely prove difficult. Rubbing her temples, Xiang Qi began to ponder a way out of this predicament.

The rules, however, seemed incomplete, lacking the section pertaining to the Hunters. Yet, it wasn’t hard to deduce: their objective would undoubtedly involve eliminating the Survivors.

Moreover, since the Survivors had the option to survive for seven days, the Hunters should also have a time limit to complete their mission within seven days.

Otherwise, the mission would lose much of its meaning.

She let out a soft sigh, a faint sense of dread slowly creeping into her heart.

Xiang Qi was terrified, truly terrified. The thought of an accidental misstep leading to her death filled her with overwhelming fear.

She did not want to die; she wanted to live.

A cold glint flickered in her eyes. Xiang Qi understood the rules of this world. To ensure her own survival, others would have to perish.

For instance, if the Hunter were to die now, she would be able to live.

There were no other choices. The system’s implication was clear. If she didn’t proactively kill others, she would be killed herself. Furthermore, would Xiang Qi dare to surrender her fate, gambling on merely surviving for seven days?

The old her might have taken that gamble, but with this beautiful body now…

The mere thought of the potential scenarios sent a shiver of revulsion through her.

Seven days devoid of order would undoubtedly test the very depths of humanity, and nothing that transpired would be surprising.

Forcibly suppressing the unsettling feeling in her heart, Xiang Qi noticed something rather promising.

The individuals who had been lying on the ground were now stirring awake, many of them staring blankly at the subtitles in the sky.

She counted them, and the situation gradually became clear.

There were five who had been awake earlier, and now eleven more. This made a total of sixteen people, meaning they wouldn’t face an immediate life threat from the Hunter.

Xiang Qi was clearly not the only one who had figured this out. The blue-haired youth had, at some point, joined forces with the man in the suit and was now extending invitations to the newcomers.

It appeared he had already managed to stabilize the situation among the new arrivals, establishing a certain level of authority.

“You’ve all seen the words, haven’t you?” The blue-haired youth pointed at the system panel in the sky, attempting to quell the growing chaos. “We’ve all been dragged into this game. Don’t think it’s nothing serious, or just some kind of joke.”

“This isn’t a reality show. If you die in the game, you truly die.”

“Hey, buddy. This is so cool!” Among the newcomers, there was clearly someone unstable. “Are these superpowers? They must be, only superpowers could do this.”

“Will we also get a chance to acquire superpowers later?”

“If you want to think of it that way, you wouldn’t be wrong.” The woman pulled Xiang Qi closer. With the mode already confirmed, there was no room for false modesty. It wasn’t her style to simply watch her antagonistic blue-haired counterpart rally allies.

“Did you see the ‘Talent’ mentioned in the hint? That’s basically what amounts to a superpower.”

“If you’ve played for a while, you can generally activate a main talent. For example, me…” The woman gestured to herself. “While mine is an intelligence enhancement, it’s still quite good.”

“If my guess is correct, the blue-haired guy who was just talking to you should have one too.”

With that single sentence, she subtly pushed the other man back into the spotlight.

“I do, in fact, have one…”

The blue-haired youth readily admitted it. It wasn’t a major secret; anyone who survived their first game and joined a team would generally gain information about talents.

“It’s related to physical enhancement.”

He knew very well that there were five veterans present, and they all understood about talents. Possessing a talent naturally indicated a certain level of skill, and at this moment, it served as leverage to increase his standing.

Before the rules were fully complete, mutual suspicion and probing were necessary to guard against others becoming hostile. However, now that the rules were out, everyone present could, to some extent, be considered teammates. Continuing to conceal and test as before might no longer be advantageous.

By demonstrating his value, he could enhance his influence within the group.

The blue-haired youth, a seasoned veteran, knew exactly how much information was appropriate to reveal, ensuring he gained maximum benefit without compromising his own interests.

The woman also understood that there was no need to sour relations excessively within the same faction. Thus, she opportunely did the blue-haired youth a favor, hoping to ease their previous antagonism.

The two of them appeared to be at odds, yet their previous exchange had subtly elevated both their statuses.

Two veterans with talents naturally commanded more authority than the others.

This was the subtlety of their rhetoric; the woman’s intentions were not simple, yet she achieved two effects simultaneously.

However, they both overlooked a crucial detail.

Xiang Qi was not a veteran, but a complete novice. What these two considered normal conversation and information disclosure was an unexpected boon for her.

Of course, it wasn’t anyone else’s fault. Even Xiang Qi herself didn’t know why she had been categorized as a veteran, which led her to reveal some flaws initially.

Dwelling on those thoughts now was pointless. She appeared somewhat distracted, but in reality, she was processing the information she had just acquired.

‘It seems I still need to play this role well… A veteran who isn’t particularly strong but possesses a bit of cleverness.’

This was the self-positioning Xiang Qi adopted. She had no intention of vying for power with these two. This approach would demonstrate a certain influence without being overly assertive.

Mediocre individuals are often the easiest to overlook.

The situation appeared to be under control, but unfortunately, not all the newcomers trusted these veterans. Some still voiced their doubts.

“What exactly is this game? From what you’re saying, if we die in the game, we also die in the real world?”

The question came from a girl wearing glasses, who looked rather delicate.

This girl had good foundational looks, qualifying her as a beauty.

“Unfortunately, we also wish we understood what this game truly means.” The blue-haired youth raised an eyebrow. “But no one knows. All we need to consider is how to win each round and ensure we see tomorrow’s sun—that’s the entirety of it.”