After the rules were fully explained, the live chat exploded.
[Yae Miko]: What—?! Such a perfect opportunity and I didn't get picked?!
[Raiden Ei]: Everyone gets rewards!
[Sushang]: So that means… everyone selected this time can draw rewards, it's just a matter of how many points?
[Guinaifen]: Wuwuwu, Little Gui wants to play too~~~
[Furina]: We've got people from Fontaine this round.
[Ruan Mei]: The game is called And Then There Were None… it's better to stay pessimistic.
[Cyno]: This round is a guaranteed win.
[Tighnari]: And why is that?
[Cyno]: Because Lumine and Firefly were selected—so it's guaranteed.
[Dehya]: Lumine? The Traveler? She's that strong?
[Paimon]: Lumine is super strong! Her cooking is amazing!
[Jing Yuan]: Cyno, do you actually have a basis for that statement?
[Silver Wolf]: Firefly is adorably dumb—how does that guarantee a win?
No one understood.
What kind of chemistry could those two possibly have?
[Cyno]: Because… Firefly stays, Lumine stays. So in the end, Lumine will definitely remain, and they'll win.
[Seele]: ...
[Tighnari]: I'm sorry for ever having expectations of you.
[Faruzan]: I'm sorry for ever having expectations of you.
[March 7th]: What kind of explanation is that?!
[Stelle]: I don't understand, but I'm deeply shaken.
[Feixiao]: I think I kind of get it.
[Screwllum]: It resembles a cross-world cold joke. Worth recording.
[Herta]: That really doesn't need to be learned.
Inside the space.
After finishing the rules, Valerius stood up.
"Alright. I'll go prepare. I look forward to seeing you tonight."
He gave them a sinister smile, then vanished from sight.
"Everyone… we need to make a plan."
The moment Valerius left, Keqing immediately gathered everyone together.
The rules were clear.
If they didn't work together, Valerius would pick them off one by one.
At critical moments, sacrifices would be unavoidable.
And with punishments in play, hesitation could tear the team apart.
"Agreed."
Luocha also sensed the trap hidden in this game. He had things to discuss as well.
With the two of them taking the lead, everyone quickly formed a circle.
"Everyone, I believe full survival is nearly impossible. We need to make choices."
Luocha spoke bluntly, pointing straight at the core issue.
Arataki Itto immediately stepped forward.
"If it comes to sacrifice, I'll go first."
The group was stunned.
No one expected Arataki Itto to be this team-minded.
[Yae Miko]: Why is this idiot stepping up?!
[Kuki Shinobu]: As expected of the boss.
[Kujou Sara]: Didn't see that coming.
[Yelan]: Not bad.
Good. One candidate was already set.
Now they just needed two more, and there'd be no infighting later.
"May I ask what magic you obtained last time?"
Luocha frowned slightly. Arataki Itto had magic—this mattered.
"Attack Speed. Why?"
Attack Speed?!
Luocha's eyes lit up.
Having played Heroes of Might and Magic, he knew this well—attack speed didn't just increase attack frequency, it boosted movement speed too.
That made it extremely valuable here.
"No. You can't go first. We'll protect you at all costs."
Not just Luocha—everyone agreed.
If they wanted to win, Arataki Itto might be the key.
"What about the rest of you?"
Keqing: "Gate of Time."
Lumine: "Weakened State."
Clorinde: "Landmine Technique."
"Excellent."
Luocha was delighted.
Every single one of these abilities was useful.
He immediately turned to his own side.
"When it comes down to it, it'll be on us. We must protect them."
"Agreed."
Jingliu nodded. She wasn't afraid of punishment—as long as rewards were involved.
"Okay."
Firefly agreed as well. She was already prepared to sacrifice herself if needed.
"I agree."
Bronya hesitated for a moment. She was afraid of punishment—but for the team, sacrifices were inevitable.
"Good. Then we split up. Before nightfall, we must collect as many skills and points as possible."
The tactic was set—
Protect the Genshin players at all costs.
No one said anything else.
After agreeing on a rendezvous time, they scattered in all directions throughout the castle.
[Seele]: Wow—everyone's so united this time.
[Yae Miko]: Crying… I really wanted to join. Such a great chance, and it's gone.
Yae Miko genuinely wanted in this time.
Protection, rewards—everything was perfect.
With good luck, she could've racked up tons of points and drawn two or even three rewards.
[Furina]: Why didn't they pick me? My heroic spirits could definitely stall Valerius.
Furina felt she was perfect for this.
She'd used the Valhalla system before, recruiting many warriors in a place called Niflheim.
One named Alviss was especially strong—she was confident she could slow Valerius down.
[Venti]: Just stall him?
[Furina]: What, you expect me to defeat Valerius?
[Venti]: …I overestimated things.
Watching everyone work together, Venti almost thought this was a boss raid.
Only then did he remember—
This boss was invincible.
Stalling was the best they could do.
On screen.
Jingliu entered a room on the second floor.
It was messy, clearly long unattended—but the air wasn't unpleasant.
As she searched carefully, an old notebook caught her eye.
"A notebook?"
She picked it up and flipped it open.
[My name is ***. I'm a university student from this city. If you can read this, run. Escape this castle. Something is wrong here… space… time… everything is distorted.]
[Remember… run… there is a monster here!!]
Only a few lines—but enough to confirm something was deeply wrong.
"Space and time are distorted?"
A bad feeling rose in Jingliu's heart.
Their objective was to survive seven days—but if time itself was unstable…
She didn't dare think further.
Flipping through the rest—blank pages.
Suddenly, a small card slipped out.
[Skill Card: Cute Voice Fist Technique]
[Cute Voice Fist Technique: Deals a tiny amount of damage to the Boss and immobilizes the Boss for 3 minutes.]
"A skill!"
After reading the description carefully, even Jingliu's usually cold expression softened into a faint smile.
This was good luck.
Minimal damage—but a guaranteed three-minute hard control on the Boss.
At a critical moment, this could save lives.
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