"I didn't expect it, this skill of yours is really well hidden!" On the way to evacuate, Mu Anqi's look at Fang Xunjiu had completely changed. How could a good person also have something like instant enlightenment to Buddha?
"…I was also shocked when I drew this skill. Maybe it's because of the saying 'Be a good person till the end, send the Buddha to the west'?" Fang Xunjiu scratched his head, his face looking pure and harmless. "This skill can only be used 5 times per game, and it's a group skill. It can only be activated after giving out good person cards to three or more people."
That restriction… makes sense. If there weren't restrictions, wouldn't Fang Xunjiu be invincible? As long as everyone who received a good person card instantly reached enlightenment and no longer had worldly desires, wholeheartedly becoming a true good person… just thinking about it was terrifying. Mu Anqi didn't feel at all that her own [Blessing Curse] skill was abnormal. She was a rich woman! What's wrong with a rich woman having something special? A rich woman deserves privileges.
"Then you can still use this skill four more times." Mu Anqi thought about it and felt that this group skill paired very well with her Blessing Curse. This time their teammates were all real talents, each skill extremely useful. Although she didn't know what strange ability that dog Sheng Wujie had, seeing that he wasn't dead yet, his ability probably wasn't too bad either.
Happily returning to the base, Mu Anqi saw Xia Yun explaining to Fang Yunjiu what had happened during the loot box raid. Judging by Fang's expression, she seemed extremely worried. Well, considering how long they had been delayed this time, it was normal for Fang to be concerned. After Xia Yun vividly described the fierce battle between the Yellow Team and the Blue Team, and mentioned the disgusting "aggro-pulling" tactics of the magic strongman, Fang couldn't help but show an indescribable expression. There was also a hint of relief in it.
Hmm, probably relieved that she hadn't been a fan of magical girls in her previous life. After all, compared to a few cheesy lines from an evil god, a magical girl shrouded in pink light with its own BGM was an even bigger social embarrassment.
The Yellow Team and the Blue Team had a battle this time… Mu Anqi didn't know if the two teams would cooperate after they left. But judging by the way they fought while retching—hmm, if they did cooperate, the sacrifices on both sides must have been pretty heavy.
The fourth treasure chest, secured! Mu Anqi rubbed her hands in satisfaction. Her survival points had already increased to 27. Since she hadn't killed the monster guarding this chest, no extra survival points were added.
"I wish we could order food." Mu Anqi couldn't help but say.
"If the Blue Team and Yellow Team heard this, they'd probably be furious," Fang Xunjiu laughed, but he licked his lips and couldn't help saying, "Though it would be nice if a few fancy dishes came too."
Xia Yun swiftly cut the supply lock and opened the supply box with a lift of her longsword——
"…"
"Why is it instant noodles?" Mu Anqi was utterly exasperated. She looked at the five buckets of instant noodles in the box. Neither of the two brands' logos were on them; it simply said "Produced by Taiyin." All five buckets were pickled chili bamboo shoot flavor. Next to the five buckets were five sausages and a pack of white steamed buns, each bun bigger than a human palm—white, plump, and soft, also five in total. They had clearly arranged this meal down to every detail.
As usual, there were five bottles of mineral water, a box of matches, and a bag of salt. These three were probably standard. This time, there was no pot in the supply box; perhaps the iron box itself served as a container?
"There's still some baby cabbage left from yesterday." Four people couldn't really share five buckets of instant noodles, so it was better to just cook them all in one big pot. "Pickled chili bamboo shoots… we can't add sweet potato chunks in there, it would ruin the flavor."
Skillfully, she set up the pot and fire, scooped water from the top layer of the large iron pot in the storage ring into a smaller pot, then added the extra bottle of mineral water. She opened the noodle buckets to get the noodles and seasoning packets. Once the strong, distinct aroma of instant noodles spread, she added the baby cabbage and sausages.
"Instant noodles, the eternal god," Fang Xunjiu inhaled deeply, savoring the moment. Although he had wanted a fancy meal, the moment the noodles softened and the aroma spread, all he could think about was instant noodles.
The four of them sat around the campfire, each holding a bucket of noodles, staring at the pot, then scooping a portion into their own buckets. Using a wooden spoon, they poured some noodle soup over it, added plenty of tender bamboo shoots, and finally picked a few pieces of baby cabbage and sausage to put in… One bite, and the soup was savory and spicy, leaving an endless aftertaste.
The four of them ate until sweating profusely, and in the end, even the noodle soup was completely drunk.
Full and satisfied, they threw the noodle buckets along with the other trash into the iron box. Xia Yun washed the pot, chopsticks, and other items simply by the lakeside, then they continued taking turns keeping watch through the night.
Fang Xunjiu sat by the fire, keeping a careful watch, tightly holding several good person cards in his hand. He wasn't very offensive, so if a monster chose to attack while he was on watch… he would have to instantly use a good person card to calm the monster and then call someone to deal with it. Therefore, when he heard movement in the bushes, Fang Xunjiu's heart leapt into his throat. He slowly stood up, clutching the good person cards tightly.
"Who is it! Show yourself!" he shouted with full force. Part of it was to alert his teammates, and part was to stop the monster, signaling, "I've found you. If you try to scare me, don't blame the big shots for being ruthless."
After Fang Xunjiu's cold shout, his sister Fang Yunjiu jolted awake and, without even opening her eyes, rushed toward her brother. No one understood her brother's helplessness against monsters better than she did. Mu Anqi and Xia Yun were a moment slower but immediately snapped to alertness as well.
"No! No, no, it's me, it's me…" Sheng Wujie crawled out of the bushes, covered in dirt, with a bruised face, limping and looking completely miserable, wearing only a thin single layer of clothing. He gave an awkward smile and glanced at the supply box on the ground and the base that had been rebuilt. He never expected the game to be so difficult.
He wanted to leave the Eternal Night Forest, but somehow had terrible luck—monsters were always chasing him, even when he tried to sneak off for a quick break, a monster would suddenly jump out and scare him. Falling flat on the ground was a daily occurrence; when he walked, it didn't look like walking, more like ice skating. The food he had taken wasn't nearly enough. After scraping together two meals, he was completely out of food, exhausted, hungry, and being chased by monsters. And those monsters didn't kill him—they just kept tormenting, scaring, and hitting him. He was furious.
But the Red Team? They weren't rushing to finish the game; instead, they kept carrying supply boxes back to their base…
Sheng Wujie regretted being so ruthless. But then again, no one knew it was him! He could totally blame the monsters—the fire was started by them. At that moment, he had been too weak to put out the fire and was frightened. Afraid of getting in trouble and seeing the finish line within reach, he couldn't help but run—that's human nature, right?
Besides, he was still a high-level combatant. His ability was pretty decent. Losing him would definitely be a loss for the Red Team. At worst, he could rejoin the team and do more work, as long as food and lodging were provided. Everyone was a teammate; eliminating him wouldn't earn any survival points. Plus, there were three female players in the Red Team, and the remaining male player also looked very friendly. If he just acted pitiful, softened his stance, admitted his mistake—at worst, knelt down and kowtowed—what couldn't be resolved?
If he went hungry any longer, he'd have to chew on tree bark. He couldn't take it, really couldn't.
With this thought, Sheng Wujie gritted his teeth and headed toward the base. There hadn't been this many monsters harassing him when he was at the base before. He suspected there was some special protection there, and he could rest briefly once he got back. Since leaving the base, he hadn't slept a wink, had been frightened into numbness by monsters, and then ambushed and beaten—things couldn't have been worse.
He had intended to observe the situation before approaching, but he hadn't expected Fang Xunjiu to be so vigilant; he was spotted as soon as he got close.
He was slightly annoyed but had no choice but to step forward. After all, he had to clear his name and explain the misunderstanding: "Actually, that fire wasn't me—"
"Bang——"
A gunshot rang out, and Sheng Wujie's whole body flashed with golden light, instantly turning into a golden statue. His expression froze in shock: "What are you doing?! That fire wasn't me, it was the monsters! I only ran away because I was afraid you'd give me trouble, and besides, the game was almost cleared!" His life-saving passive had been triggered, and Sheng Wujie was furious, but he still had to explain himself in a pleading tone.
"You think monsters are willing to take the blame for you?!" Mu Anqi gnashed her teeth. "You really think my Guansi was for nothing? Go die with a smile, you bastard!"
Sheng Wujie didn't understand what Mu Anqi meant. Was "die with a smile" some kind of new curse? He couldn't figure it out, but it didn't matter—his body already had. His body tenderly raised a delicate orchid hand, lifted an imaginary skirt, and spun in a circle. While he was twirling, Xia Yun swung her longsword and struck Sheng Wujie hard across the face. "Sister Fang, attack! While he's not dead yet, let's torture him a bit more!"
Mu Anqi had been furious just now, but realizing Sheng Wujie hadn't been instantly killed by her did give her a bit of satisfaction. She raised her candy cane and walked over. "Come take a bath in hot, spicy syrup, will you?"
"Teammates, we're teammates! I was wrong—ahhh—" Sheng Wujie screamed as he tried to retreat, but Mu Anqi's various blessings had him firmly controlled.
Fang Xunjiu looked on with relief as his usually reserved younger sister blushed with anger and threw two punches at Sheng Wujie. He himself didn't move, only gazed at Sheng Wujie with a look of pity for the world, then softly sighed: "Buddha doesn't save fools. Brilliant~"
As long as Mu Anqi's blessings came fast enough, Sheng Wujie was completely locked down, unable to resist in the slightest. After a round of mixed beatings, Mu Anqi finished him off with a headshot, ending Sheng Wujie's run in this game once and for all. This time, his golden-body passive couldn't save him.
"Feels good!" Fang Xunjiu exclaimed. "Time to grab a treasure chest and celebrate!"
Mu Anqi glanced at Fang Xunjiu and felt he seemed different from when they first came in. If asked what had changed him—Mu Anqi believed it had nothing to do with her.
She was just a fragile, ordinary player, plain and unremarkable, with no powerful skills, only a pitiful handful of points and her Guansi.
So Mu Anqi nodded in agreement with peace of mind: "Well said. Hopefully next time the supply box has richer ingredients, don't be so ungrateful."