Chapter 29

Zhao Siyu raised her wrist and glanced at her watch.

It was a little past one in the morning, and there were less than eleven hours left until the game ended. Moreover, it was late at night, and visibility in the Mushroom Forest was very poor. Even with torches, the efficiency of finding mushrooms would inevitably be low.

"How can we possibly find three mushrooms in the six hours from dawn to noon?"

Xu Jing cursed, "Silver Wooden Horse is making things difficult for us!"

"Stop complaining, it's useless!"

Xu Qingshan got up and started preparing the torches. They definitely had to fight through the night.

"Senior!"

Zhen Yu woke up, realizing she had been leaning on Sun Yuan's arm, and her drool had soaked a large part of his sleeve. She felt embarrassed.

"Go back to sleep!"

Sun Yuan added two logs to the campfire.

"Oh!"

Zhen Yu responded, watching Xu Qingshan and his group busily preparing, feeling quite pleased.

This was the benefit of having a strong ally!

The senior directly took her along.

Xu Jing was already nervous and scared, and the thought of failing the task and being eliminated made her even more anxious. Now, hearing Sun Yuan gently comfort Zhen Yu and tell her to keep sleeping, Xu Jing's dissatisfaction and委屈 burst out.

"Ugh, why do I have to suffer like this?"

Xu Jing complained loudly.

The other girls also started crying, but Zhao Siyu was an exception. Her eyes were red, and she felt wronged, but she was very strong, pursing her lips without a word.

"Here!"

Xu Qingshan handed a torch to Xu Jing.

Xu Jing didn't take it, suddenly pushing it away and running to Sun Yuan: "Sun Yuan, please give me three mushrooms? I... I'll give you a lot of money!"

Xu Jing actually wanted to say, "Or I'll be your girlfriend," but seeing Zhen Yu's appearance, she lost her confidence.

"I don't need money!"

Sun Yuan shook his head.

"My father works in the construction bureau. After you graduate, I can get him to arrange a job for you!"

Xu Jing offered a bigger incentive.

Sun Yuan still shook his head.

"Then what do you want? Just tell me!"

Xu Jing became agitated: "Do you have any compassion? Without mushrooms, we'll be eliminated!"

"Your teammates don't have mushrooms either!"

Sun Yuan was referring to Xu Qingshan and his group.

Xu Jing was stunned, looking back. She wanted to say that they were not her concern, but she wasn't stupid and knew that leaving this small team would make her situation even worse.

"Stop begging. Senior's extra mushrooms are for his good friends!"

Zhen Yu interjected.

"Xu Jing, let's go!"

Zhao Siyu called out and left first.

Xu Qingshan quickly followed.

Xu Jing looked at Sun Yuan, realizing his heart was as hard as stone, and she was filled with resentment and curses.

Just wait,

I will become stronger than you and make you taste the suffering I've endured!

Xu Jing ran to catch up with Zhao Siyu.

"Senior, this game is too cruel."

Zhen Yu grabbed Sun Yuan's arm, looking sad.

Among these six people, someone was definitely going to die.

"Yes!"

Sun Yuan sighed, opened his backpack, and took out three mushrooms: "Take care of the camp!"

"Okay!"

Zhen Yu nodded.

...

In the Mushroom Forest, the environment was harsh. Even with torches, the atmosphere of fear and loneliness couldn't be dispelled.

It was like being in a horror movie!

Bang!

Xu Qingshan used a tree branch to poke a mushroom, causing dirt to fly everywhere.

"Ugh!"

Xu Jing spat out the dirt that had flown into her mouth, feeling hopeless: "How long will this take?"

No one had the mood to respond to her; they were all focused on finding the mushrooms.

"Xu Qingshan, didn't you say you were good at fighting?"

Xu Jing's eyes darted: "Why don't we go and take Sun Yuan's mushrooms?"

Whoosh!

Her words made everyone freeze.

Actually, everyone had considered this option, but it was too inhumane, so no one had dared to suggest it. But now, Xu Jing had brought it up.

"If we can't find the mushrooms, we'll die!"

Thinking of the corpses she had seen during the day, Xu Jing felt the urge to vomit: "We're only in our twenties, and we haven't even enjoyed life yet."

"Qingshan, we six can definitely beat him!"

Xu Jing persuaded: "Even if you don't care about us, think about Siyu. Do you want to watch her die?"

"Shut up!"

Xu Qingshan roared.

"Huh?"

Xu Jing was taken aback.

"You're disgusting. You can't find mushrooms, so you want to steal from others. Do you want to live, but not let others live?"

Xu Qingshan questioned.

"Are you crazy? At this point, who cares about righteousness? It's survival of the fittest!"

Xu Jing retorted: "Sun Yuan can't beat us, so he deserves to suffer!"

"Get lost, I don't want to see you!"

Xu Qingshan shouted angrily.

"You..."

Xu Jing, seeing she couldn't persuade Xu Qingshan, turned to Zhao Siyu: "Siyu, what do you think?"

Zhao Siyu was also conflicted. Who wanted to die?

But her father's teachings echoed in her mind.

"Xu Jing, a gentleman has principles. I want to live with integrity, and if I die, I want to die with dignity."

Zhao Siyu felt a weight lifted off her shoulders: "Qingshan, let's go, keep looking for mushrooms!"

"Okay!"

Xu Qingshan's dark face broke into a smile.

She truly was the goddess he admired.

"You're both fools!"

Xu Jing cursed, finding them incredibly stubborn.

"Watch your step!"

Xu Qingshan took care of Zhao Siyu. Suddenly, he stepped in front of her on the right side, holding the torch forward.

The light illuminated a large mushroom, and Sun Yuan was standing there quietly.

"Uh!"

Xu Qingshan was extremely embarrassed, especially since Xu Jing had just suggested taking Sun Yuan's mushrooms.

"Qingshan, although we haven't known each other long, I admire your simplicity. Let's have a meal together when we get back to school!"

Sun Yuan smiled, walked up to Xu Qingshan, and handed him three palm-sized mushrooms: "Here, for you."

He thought Xu Qingshan was a good person and could be a valuable team member, so he decided to give him the mushrooms, not expecting to see this scene.

Xu Qingshan was very upright.

"This... this is too valuable!"

Xu Qingshan didn't dare to take it.

His mother had always taught him not to owe others money or favors.

"Take it, I find mushrooms more easily!"

Sun Yuan pushed the mushrooms into Xu Qingshan's hands: "You've seen my pig, right? It's a mushroom expert!"

Xu Qingshan was stunned, while Zhao Siyu's eyes lit up, suddenly understanding.

No wonder Sun Yuan had so many mushrooms!

Of course!

Sigh!

I thought I was smart, but I didn't see the key to this game.

"If you can't find mushrooms, you can try your luck at the lake tomorrow morning and see if you can catch a small pig."

Sun Yuan patted Xu Qingshan's shoulder: "That's it, I'm leaving. Take care!"

"Sun Yuan..."

Xu Qingshan wanted to refuse but didn't want Zhao Siyu to be in danger.

"Sun Yuan isn't that pretentious. Take it, you can repay him later!"

Zhao Siyu suggested.

Honestly, she felt a bit disappointed.

She was a pretty girl, but Sun Yuan didn't seem to be attracted to her at all.

"Okay... okay!"

Xu Qingshan felt the mushrooms were burning his hands.

"He's so smart!"

Zhao Siyu's injured right hand hung in front of her chest, watching Sun Yuan's figure disappear into the darkness, feeling regretful.

Why didn't I meet him when I first entered the game?

Then I wouldn't be in such a mess.

"Yes!"

Xu Qingshan nodded quickly, feeling he was just a simple mushroom hunter.

"Xu Qingshan, Sun Yuan might be gay. Be careful with your butt, don't let him see you picking up soap."

Xu Jing thought Sun Yuan was either sick or gay.

Otherwise, why would he not flirt with a beauty like Zhao Siyu and instead give mushrooms to Xu Qingshan?

What a waste.

"Please leave!"

Xu Qingshan chased her away.

After receiving the mushrooms from Sun Yuan, Xu Qingshan felt a deep respect for this benefactor and couldn't stand Xu Jing's slander.

...

"Did you give the mushrooms to Xu Qingshan?"

When Sun Yuan returned, Zhen Yu asked curiously.

"No, to Zhao Siyu!"

Sun Yuan sat down.

"Tch, my senior isn't that shallow."

Zhen Yu pouted: "Even Shen Jingran, who is very pretty, didn't get your attention."

"Get some sleep!"

Sun Yuan didn't want to continue the conversation.

The night passed without incident!

As dawn broke, Sun Yuan woke Zhen Yu: "Eat something, we're getting ready to leave!"

There was leftover roasted mountain chicken from yesterday, but without salt or seasoning, it tasted quite bland.

"Okay!"

Zhen Yu got up, stretched, and saw Sun Yuan putting out the fire. She came over to help, but a sudden shout scared her.

"Sun Yuan!"

Cui Xueren was overjoyed and almost in tears, his voice trembling with excitement.

This night was truly hellish.

He had planned to trick the volunteer students into finding the mushrooms, but at midnight, Silver Wooden Horse suddenly added a new rule.

This was a disaster!

No one could sit still, and everyone started frantically searching for mushrooms in the night.

Disputes and conflicts arose within the team, and with life on the line, Cui Xueren couldn't control the students anymore. The pressure of death also made him unable to stay calm, so he left the team and came to find Sun Yuan.

As a school leader, Cui Xueren was used to a comfortable life and had never acted alone at night. The darkness and difficult terrain made him lose his way.

After a night of struggling, he finally saw the large mushroom at dawn and found his direction.

"Sun Yuan, I... I want to buy mushrooms!"

Cui Xueren was worried that showing too much urgency would make Sun Yuan take advantage of him, but he couldn't calm down.

There were only a little over six hours left until noon.

Without mushrooms, he would die.