The speed was a bit fast, not only did Player No. 29 freeze for a moment, but the others present did as well.
Before, there had been a few people tasked with the black ball task. Non-players were doomed if they entered, but players didn’t fare much better.
Sha Jia however, seemed to face no difficulty at all.
"What the hell is this?" Player No. 29 protested loudly, "Why is his black ball task so easy? Is there some kind of trick?"
Boos from the audience rose outside the venue, and the host patiently explained, "The surgery task as an observer requires the patient to be anesthetized in advance. However, this time the anesthesia seems to have been insufficient. Thank you for the reminder; our staff will be more rigorous in their preparation activities."
Player No. 29 immediately received glaring stares from those around him, a non-player pushed him and said, "If you’re that bored, go play with eggs somewhere. Don’t create unnecessary trouble!"
You can’t kill people in the square due to the risk of affecting subsequent ratings, so Player No. 29 didn’t retaliate physically but warned instead, "You better watch yourself."
"Come on, kill me," the man said, patting his own head, "I dare you to lay a hand on me and see if you’re brave enough to commit murder!"
Player No. 29’s face was filled with murderous intent. He grabbed the man’s shoulder, kicked his shin and broke it, then pressed his hands on the top and bottom of the man’s head, forcing the screams back into his throat.
"I can afford to fail the challenge, but can you afford to lose your life? Let’s see how you’ll die later."
The non-player turned out to be rather tough, laughing instead, "You think you’ll survive the next round?"
Player No. 29 let him go and looked at Sha Jia, who responded with a smile.
Player No. 29’s aura faltered; he turned and walked away.
"It’d be fun to throw them into the same field," Xiao Xianglin said with schadenfreude.
Xu Huo looked up at the next group’s projection.
The scope and difficulty of the tasks for players and non-players were different, but from what had been observed so far, the task fields for each group weren’t completely isolated.
However, whether the player and non-player fields were separated was uncertain.
Aside from the woman who previously teamed up with another female player, he hadn’t encountered other non-players in the zoo, suggesting two possibilities: one is that the task fields for players and non-players are actually the same, just the placement is relatively safer,, or two, the fields are distinctly separated, but if there’s a player in the teamed group, the task field switches to that for players.
Whether choosing a ball or completing a task, the show’s actual goal, "You Scratch My Back, I Scratch Yours," was really just for entertainment. The few who might end up settling at Sea World could be almost disregarded; most likely, only a few dozen of the 381 would survive in the end.
And as time went on, more and more people would choose to kill their teammates.
To foster friendship from a three-color competition was very difficult; the sides lacked a foundation of trust. They might look out for each other temporarily, but in life-threatening situations, such camaraderie was easily shattered.
Whether it was players looking after non-players or vice versa, once everyone realized that friendship couldn’t be established through this process, their thought process would shift towards another direction—reducing the number of participants.
Since the show’s selected number of people was limited, wouldn’t rapidly reducing the number of people increase the chance of "friendship recognition"?
Even if the show had no guaranteed plans in this regard, with fewer numbers, the remaining people would have to cooperate, whether for survival or for clearing the game. Their mindset would then be completely different from the current one.
"It’s my turn," Xiao Xianglin said at this point, straightened his clothes, and stepped forward. He asked another player, "Brother, shall we go for the white ball or the yellow ball?"
"Instead of exhausting ourselves on the task, why not save some energy to figure out how to earn friendship, right?"
Player No. 117 also suggested, "Since we’re supposed to cultivate friendship, why not do the task together?"
"That’s settled then, we choose the yellow ball," Xiao Xianglin paused then added, "But let’s get one thing straight, no changing our minds halfway through."
Player No. 117 looked around at the others with a relaxed demeanor, "With so many people here, if I screw you over, it’s unlikely anyone will befriend me sincerely afterward. Don’t worry, I won’t do such a counterproductive thing."
After negotiating, they both chose the yellow ball, opting to complete a task together for the white ball—but the task they drew was "cosmetic facial surgery."
"Everyone wants to look more beautiful, and everyone has the right to do so, so guests No. 340 and No. 117, your task is to undergo a minor facial adjustment. The scope of the adjustments will be listed in the Operating Room; please feel free to choose," the host winked at them, "Friendly reminder, only one person needs to get cosmetic surgery to complete the task."
Xiao Xianglin and Player No. 117 were simultaneously dropped into the chamber. In just a few seconds, onlookers witnessed a transformation from "negotiation" to "turning on each other faster than flipping a book." By the time the projection started, they had already gone through a round of confrontation, each vying for the "surgeon" role.
"To think they could become friends and earn friendship this way?" Pu Donghai, not far from Xu Huo, said incredulously, "Might as well be upfront about it and say it wants us to kill each other!"
In fact, from the start, the show had not veiled its intentions—it was simply a spectacle for the audience’s pleasure, and nobody cared about the participants’ lives or death.
At least now, "You Scratch My Back, I Scratch Yours" and the acquisition of friendship could be put on the back burner.
Xu Huo surveyed the moods of those around and took the initiative to greet You Si.
You Si’s craving for alcohol was flaring up again. He had long since finished the half-pack of cigarettes from Xu Huo. After acknowledging him, he asked, "Got any more cigarettes?"
"None left," Xu Huo replied. "I’m trying to quit smoking lately."
You Si rubbed his fingers together, "This is really no fun."
"Just hang in there, it’ll pass," Xu Huo replied. "We’re all in the same boat."
You Si was deeply addicted and didn’t care much about the state of the three-color competition, instead expressing regret, "If I had known it would be , I would have quit earlier. It’s damn hard to bear now!"
"Is there a reason you have to quit drinking?" Xu Huo asked.
Looking up at him, You Si’s scruffy face broke into what could be called a tender smile, "I’m planning to have a kid."
"Congratulations," Xu Huo was not surprised—players, too, had normal human lives, "But if you quit drinking and start smoking, isn’t that counterproductive?"
"I’ll find another way eventually," You Si said. "My wife has given me an ultimatum—if I don’t succeed in quitting drinking this time, she’ll divorce me... Damn it, we’re in a game world, why hasn’t the marriage law been abolished yet?"
Xu Huo laughed, "It hasn’t come to that."
After a while, Xu Huo finally noticed a man with a face full of scars approaching the glass screen. "That’s the guy in the raincoat from the car, right?"
Since entering, the man had taken off his raincoat, revealing a scarred face that was quite intimidating. His long hair obscured his eyes, adding to the danger, which kept people at a distance. He stood alone in a corner, stepping forward only when his number was called.