For a while afterward…
The mantis shrimp stayed hidden.
The tiger wandered.
The dragon remained sprawled on the ground.
The battle had completely reached a stalemate.
Nahida: "They're deadlocked now. Shouldn't they just restart the match?"
Herta: "Heh… you're really dreaming."
Furina: "I think they should replay it."
"All three creatures have their own territories now."
"If they can't even fight, starting over seems reasonable."
Clorinde: "Exactly."
"If they're never going to clash, they might as well restart."
"Preferably from the evolution stage."
Aventurine: "Keep dreaming."
"As if that would ever happen."
Dr. Ratio: "Haven't any of you noticed…"
"…there aren't any other creatures left in this arena?"
Jean: "So?"
"Whether there are or not doesn't matter."
"These monsters are fighting each other."
"What difference would a few extra animals make?"
Wise: "Without food…"
"…they'll eventually leave their territories in search of prey."
Collei: "Which means…"
"…they're bound to run into each other!"
Dr. Ratio: "Precisely."
Keqing: "Oh no…"
"Is Qiqi's dragon actually going to starve to death?"
Yanfei: "T-That's… actually possible."
Beidou: "What an embarrassing way to lose."
The Liyue players all fell silent.
Qiqi's dragon couldn't even move.
How was it supposed to hunt?
A few days later…
Unable to endure its hunger any longer, the arthropod tiger finally left its territory and headed into the forest.
Although it no longer resembled a tiger…
Some of its instincts remained.
Its first choice for hunting was still dense woodland.
Ruan Mei: "This is over."
Herta: "Heh. He's walking right into the trap."
Cyno: "What a shame."
"I actually had high hopes for that tiger."
"It looked like an eight-star monster."
Kaveh: "Stop commenting."
"It's your turn."
They were in the middle of a card game.
Could he focus?
The livestream outcome was obvious anyway.
"Ah… right."
Cyno moved his mouse and clicked a card.
"I tribute Ultimate Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"Come forth…"
"Dark Magician Girl!"
Kaveh: "…"
Alhaitham: "…"
"Go to hell."
"Play by yourself."
Both of them immediately quit the game.
"…You're not playing anymore?"
Alhaitham took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to beat Cyno to death.
"My skills are lacking."
"I'd only drag you down."
"True."
"You still need more practice."
Pfft!
He nearly coughed up blood.
When had they ever lost because of him?
It was always Cyno's ridiculous plays!
Ignoring Cyno entirely, Alhaitham walked over to another computer and opened the livestream.
Watching an obvious match was still more enjoyable than playing cards with Cyno.
Meanwhile…
The arthropod tiger had already entered the mantis shrimp's territory.
Naturally…
It was greeted with a loud—
SMACK!
The tiger's arthropod legs shattered instantly from the impact, and it collapsed helplessly to the ground.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The mantis shrimp immediately followed up with several more strikes.
The tiger was finished.
[Attention: Player Tighnari has been eliminated.]
Now…
Only the mantis shrimp and the dragon remained.
Unfortunately…
The mantis shrimp refused to leave its territory.
And the dragon simply couldn't move.
The stalemate continued.
Several more days passed.
The dragon had visibly lost a tremendous amount of weight.
Its feet finally touched the ground.
After struggling with all its strength…
Its enormous body actually lurched forward a short distance.
Keqing: "It moved!"
"Our Qiqi finally moved!"
Baizhu: "Sigh…"
"Maybe we should just surrender."
As a doctor, Baizhu understood the biology involved.
The dragon simply couldn't compare to the mantis shrimp.
The latter's resistance to starvation far exceeded that of such a gigantic creature.
Not to mention…
The dragon was already dizzy from hunger.
Even if it encountered the mantis shrimp now…
It probably couldn't do anything.
Beidou: "Don't say that!"
"What if there's still a chance?"
Yanfei: "Exactly!"
"What if the mantis shrimp starves first?"
Herta: "Heh."
"Keep dreaming."
"Didn't you notice?"
"It's already heading toward your dragon."
At that moment…
The mantis shrimp finally left its territory and began moving across the grasslands.
Even after slimming down considerably…
The dragon was still enormous.
The mantis shrimp spotted it from far away.
Without hesitation…
It crawled rapidly toward it.
It struck the dragon a couple of times.
The heavy armor absorbed the blows.
After circling around…
It slipped beneath the dragon's belly.
Its mosquito-like proboscis extended through the gaps between the scales.
Green venom flowed into the dragon's body.
Everyone clearly saw the dragon shudder several times.
Its spirit quickly faded.
Finally…
Its head drooped weakly.
It could only gasp for breath.
Half a day later…
The system notification finally arrived.
[Attention: Player Qiqi has been eliminated.]
With that announcement…
Ruan Mei became the champion.
Ningguang: "What a pity."
"If Qiqi hadn't randomly fused everything…"
"…she really could have won."
Ganyu: "Yes."
Many people reached the same conclusion.
Qiqi's starting advantage had been overwhelming.
Had she evolved her dragon properly…
Defeating the mantis shrimp would've been entirely possible.
Asta: "You spent ten whole points."
"So what if you won?"
Caesar: "Exactly."
"That strategy is basically mutual destruction."
Lucy: "Huh…"
"You actually used that idiom correctly this time."
Kaeya: "I propose something."
"Nobody should be allowed to spend all ten points from the start anymore."
"It's too unfair."
Stelle: "Agreed!"
"We definitely can't keep doing that."
The suggestion immediately received overwhelming support.
Spending all ten points at once…
Sacrificing your own rewards…
That alone wasn't the issue.
The real problem was…
If it backfired…
Everyone else's rewards could disappear too.
That was simply too disruptive.
Herta: "Agreed."
Jing Yuan: "Agreed."
Baizhu: "…Alright."
What else could he say?
If they pulled this stunt again next time…
They'd probably become public enemies.
Watching the discussion, Valerius smiled and shook his head.
Returning to the island…
He took out the prize machine.
"Come on, Miss Ruan Mei."
"Let's see how lucky you are."
He handed all ten coins to her before stepping aside.
He genuinely wanted to see what kind of luck a Genius Society member possessed.
But Ruan Mei's next move…
Left everyone stunned.
She inserted…
Only one coin.
Then she pulled the lever.
"…Y-You're drawing a one-point prize?!"
"Isn't that allowed?"
"It is…"
"But isn't that a terrible waste?"
"Hehe."
Ruan Mei simply smiled and shook her head.
In truth…
She was quite curious about those "low-quality" prizes.
She wanted to study how Valerius managed to create such bizarre effects.
Besides…
It was only a one-point prize.
Even if she couldn't figure it out…
It wouldn't be a loss.
A large box dropped from the machine.
"…Milk?"
"…Uh…"
"This is…"
"A vitamin drink."
"It's very powerful."
"After drinking it…"
"…your immunity decreases."
Ruan Mei shot Valerius an exasperated glance.
Vitamin drink?
Please.
She had clearly seen the label.
It wasn't called Vita-Milk at all.
It was Vita-Aunt, Vita-Mom, and Vita-Uncle.
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