"[Choices] that reward vehicles are extremely rare. At least twenty people will be required to participate in this one."
"Anyone willing to volunteer, step forward."
"If we don't have twenty, I'll assign the rest."
Chen Sui's voice was pleasant and soothing, yet in that utterly calm tone he delivered an order that allowed no refusal.
Many survivors' faces fell. They were the ones who hadn't taken part in a [Choice] for a long time.
This time, Chen Sui clearly intended to force them to participate.
They had joined the Survival Squad and received the protection of its Beyonders.
To expect all that without giving anything in return...
How could that be possible?
This was precisely the main reason Chen Sui was willing to form a Survival Squad and bring ordinary people along.
In this day and age, people were the best resource of all!
After all, only humans could participate in [Choices].
The more people a group had, the more likely it was to encounter one.
A lone wolf might survive in the wilderness for three to five months without finding a single [Choice]. That was why lone wolves practically didn't exist anymore. Even the most solitary person would find a squad to join.
"Also..."
"Anyone who takes part in this [Choice] will receive one unit of food."
At Chen Sui's next words, the eyes of many starving survivors lit up. Some even reddened with hunger.
One unit of food meant a piece of bread, a steamed bun, or a packet of instant noodles.
Many of them were on the verge of starvation!
If they could get one unit of food...
they wouldn't die anytime soon!
It was practically like receiving two rewards for completing a single [Choice]!
A vehicle and food!
It would also reset their record of skipping [Choices], helping them avoid being picked the next time participation was compulsory.
This...
this was practically a guaranteed win!
Chen Sui...
really was a good man!
Almost immediately, someone stepped forward in excitement.
"I'll do it!"
"Count me in!"
"Fuck it! It's only a hand. I can give it up!"
"Shit, I can live without a hand!"
Soon, more than a dozen people had stepped out. There was even gratitude in their eyes as they looked at Chen Sui...
Watching them, Lin Yu gave a slight nod, amusement in his gaze.
Well.
He had to admit that Chen Sui knew how to handle people.
First the stick, then the carrot.
That was all it took to make these survivors grateful beyond measure.
Even the carrot came from supplies the survivors themselves had handed over after completing [Choices].
Not only did they see nothing wrong with it, they were thanking Chen Sui for it.
Still...
they had never had a choice to begin with.
Lin Yu looked at the screen with keen interest. If he could get a vehicle...
his chances of surviving a crisis would multiply!
Not merely double.
They would increase several times over!
He certainly wasn't choosing A and losing a hand.
As for option B...
The Arcane Rabbit...
Without hesitation, Lin Yu used another Analysis Charge to analyze option B!
He received three more charges at midnight every day.
A vehicle was more than worth spending one!
[Analyzing Arcane Rabbit...]
[Analysis complete.]
[The Arcane Rabbit is a common creature native to the Velenos Continent. It reproduces extremely quickly and has delicious meat. At one point in history, it caused an Arcane Rabbit crisis, but its individual combat strength is low.]
[The Arcane Rabbit is extremely fast and can reach a running speed of 100 kilometers per hour. Given your current condition, your probability of winning a race against it is zero.]
[Considering further...]
[Before the race begins, the rules prevent the Arcane Rabbit from moving. If you seize it during this period, it will be entirely at your mercy. This is your only hope of victory.]
[However, note: Do not kill the Arcane Rabbit. Killing another contestant is punishable by death in this [Choice].]
[Failing to win is also punishable by death.]
After reading the information,
Lin Yu blinked, his mind full of questions.
Huh?
That was allowed?
Kidnap the Arcane Rabbit before the race started?
This "considering further" feature really was...
fucking amazing.
The method might be a little dirty, a little underhanded...
but that didn't matter!
Winning was what counted!
Without another thought, Lin Yu stepped forward and indicated that he wanted to participate too.
Chen Sui remembered him. As Lin Yu approached, his gaze lingered for one extra second—but only one—before returning to the crowd.
Huang Mao, however, frowned and called out,
"Hey! Since you know how to show respect, let me give you some advice. Don't do anything fucking stupid. A hand matters a lot more than a vehicle. You're not like these people. You still have a choice!"
Lin Yu glanced at him and shook his head.
"No. I'm choosing B."
The moment he spoke, his name appeared beside option B on the screen.
At that instant, everyone turned to him in shock!
The participants, the survivors in the crowd, Huang Mao, Chen Sui, and the other Beyonders watching the show—none of them had expected Lin Yu to be so bold!
Option B!
Racing a rabbit!
Wasn't that suicide?
Huang Mao looked up at the screen. His mouth fell slightly open and his cheek twitched. He gave Lin Yu a thumbs-up.
"Shit... You've got some fucking nerve. Racing a rabbit? You really are tired of living!"
Chen Sui also gave Lin Yu a long look before speaking.
"Eat the bread before you go. At least you'll die with a full stomach."
Lin Yu smiled faintly.
"I'm already here. Why not gamble? Maybe losing... won't get me killed."
"And maybe..."
"I'll win."
Huang Mao couldn't help swearing.
"Fuck. He's a gambler too!"
The other survivors looked at Lin Yu as though he were an idiot.
Maybe?
For there to be a one-in-ten-thousand chance, there had to be a one.
This was ten thousand zeros!
If Lin Yu hadn't participated in a [Choice] for a long time and was about to be forced into one, they might have understood. Losing a hand was cruel; he might as well gamble.
But!
He had just completed a [Choice]. He was nowhere near the end of his rope.
Yet he insisted on throwing his life away now.
Was he out of his mind?
Hidden in the crowd, Zhou Mei stared at him with venomous eyes and sneered under her breath.
"So he's an idiot. No wonder my charms didn't work on him. Good. Let him die in there!"
That thought made her feel much better.
It wasn't that she lacked charm.
Lin Yu simply wasn't a normal man!
Faced with the crowd's astonishment, mockery, and occasional pity,
Lin Yu remained completely unmoved.
From the moment he gained his analysis ability, no one in the world could understand the path he would take.
Not even Beyonders.
Chen Sui glanced at the screen and said,
"We have seventeen. Three more."
The crowd stirred.
In the end, three more people who hadn't participated in a [Choice] for a long time gritted their teeth and volunteered. They knew that, for them, joining today's [Choice] was their best opportunity!
All they had to lose was one hand, and they would get a vehicle and food!
If they sat this one out, they would remain at the bottom of the survivors' rankings. When they were forced to participate next time, they might not be so lucky.
Once everyone was ready,
Chen Sui said indifferently,
"Make your choices."
They nodded and immediately spoke toward the screen.
"I choose A."
"I choose A too."
"A."
"Same here!"
Nineteen people, without exception, all chose A.
They were prepared to trade a hand for a vehicle.
Only Lin Yu stood alone to one side, having chosen B.
At that moment, he looked even more pitiful, as if everyone had shunned him. They all regarded him with sympathy, already convinced his death was certain!
Only Lin Yu knew...
he was the sole winner!