Using her limited cunning, Jiang Qiyu came up with a brilliant idea.
After receiving Qi Yu’s approval, she rushed straight to Jiang Mian without hesitation, firmly blocking Lu Heng, who was trying to approach for a conversation, and flashed a crooked smile at her:
“Want to join our team?”
“……”
Jiang Mian was taken aback at first, then tentatively asked with uncertainty:
“You… us?”
“Yes, us.”
Jiang Qiyu pointed a finger at herself, then turned sideways to gesture toward the cold-faced Qi Yu and the grinning, silly-looking Fang Xubai behind her:
“The four of us as a team, how about it?”
With Jiang Qiyu’s sudden interference in this grouping showdown, the barrage of comments grew even more excited:
【Oh my god! What kind of hellish showdown is this? I really don’t understand Teacher Changmao’s move here?】
【What is Jiang Qiyu, this green tea, trying to do now? She’s not planning to bully our Mianmian under the guise of the game, is she?】
【Isn’t it rumored that Jiang Qiyu and Jiang Mian don’t get along? What’s this sister up to now?】
【Am I the only one who noticed that CEO Qi didn’t agree to Jiang Mian and Jiang Ling’s invitation earlier but didn’t deny Teacher Changmao’s invitation at all? I’m shipping it, shipping it!】
【Don’t just ship anything, okay? Maybe CEO Qi originally wanted to be in a group with Mianmian but just didn’t have time to say it earlier.】
【What weird ships are you all shipping? White Spear Girl is the real deal!】
In truth, Jiang Qiyu had no intention of getting involved in any showdown—her simple mind couldn’t even grasp that level of complexity.
She was simply holding a grudge.
Since that old geezer Lu Heng was so eager to be in a group with Jiang Mian, how could she not interfere and make things difficult for him after the sarcastic remark he made this morning?
And as for Jiang Ling, that damned tripwire, the only reason she didn’t want to be in a group with her was because killing a teammate would be penalized by the system.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qiyu’s gluteus maximus twitched faintly with pain, and she narrowed her eyes dangerously at Jiang Ling nearby.
If she didn’t beat the crap out of her today, it would only be because her pants were too tight.
“This…”
Over here, Jiang Mian hesitated, her expression wary as she looked at Jiang Qiyu.
This couldn’t be blamed on her, after all, the old Jiang Qiyu had always looked down on her in every possible way. This sudden invitation to join her team was hard not to be suspicious of.
Thinking this, her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the man behind Jiang Qiyu.
But then again…
Just as she was hesitating, Lu Heng, standing nearby, couldn’t stand it any longer and spoke up:
“Jiang Mian, you…”
Jiang Ling naturally didn’t want her to get her wish of being in a group with Qi Yu either and also tried to stop her: “Mianmian…”
The two of them spoke almost simultaneously, but before they could finish their sentences, Fang Xubai, who had caught Jiang Qiyu’s meaningful glance, cut them off:
“Sister Jiang Mian, just join our team. Don’t worry, we definitely won’t let you die too early!”
“……”
Jiang Mian pursed her lips, subtly avoiding Lu Heng’s gaze. Then, after accidentally meeting Qi Yu’s eyes, she quickly lowered her gaze, her eyes shimmering slightly as she nodded gently:
“Then… alright.”
As soon as she nodded, Lu Heng and Jiang Ling’s expressions fell almost simultaneously. But in front of the cameras, both could only suppress their emotions for the time being and form a team with Zhou Shun and Song Yan.
Soon, following the program’s requirements, the group sat facing each other according to their teams, and the game was about to begin.
Before entering the game, the production team, following variety show conventions, asked both teams to come up with a slogan to shout during the official skydiving segment, providing material for the edited highlights later.
This small task was naturally no challenge for Jiang Qiyu, who needed to take blood pressure medication orally.
However, after hearing her slogan, the expressions of her three teammates became somewhat indescribably awkward.
Soon, they each controlled their characters and entered the main map.
The AAA Half-Dragon Funeral Service quickly found Love-Kill Princess, Buried Love, White Young Master, and the Gingerbread Man, who kept spinning in place.
The four formed the AKA Kill Without Burial Squad.
Once both teams were assembled, they entered the game simultaneously.
In this game, each time players enter the map, one hundred players are randomly matched into the same battle map. Players must gather supplies, defeat other players, avoid the poison circle, and so on.
Surviving until the end means victory.
Before skydiving, Lu Heng’s team shouted their slogan in a conventional manner, sounding quite imposing.
When it was Jiang Qiyu’s team’s turn, Jiang Mian hesitated and looked at her:
“Maybe… we should discuss it again?”
“No time left. Shout it.”
Following her command, Fang Xubai, who was first in line, immediately faced the camera and shouted their slogan with full vigor:
“Any time.”
“Any… any place.”
“Super criminal!”
“… committing crimes against the wind.”
[You guys really indulge her, huh…]
[Hahahahahaha… damn, ‘super criminal’? You really know how to make slogans.]
[I’ll carry the flag for AKA Kill Without Burial, see who dares oppose them!]
[…]
As the two teams finished their slogans, everyone controlled their characters to jump from the fighter jet.
The guests were all fully immersed in the game, and their respective battle scenes were projected and enlarged in the livestream window.
The audience also felt as if they were right there in the action.
[Damn, CEO Qi’s luck is insane! Picking up a sniper right off the bat?]
[I never expected Heng to be such a great actor and also so good at gaming! Drooling prprpr]
[Song Yan is amazing!]
[Bai Bai is so cute, the way he’s focused on picking up stuff is adorable!!]
[Seriously, Jiang Ling picked up a lot of stuff, but why isn’t she healing her teammates?]
[Teacher Changmao, charge! Teacher’s been practicing shooting every night just to reclaim all the dignity lost today!]
In fact, it wasn’t just the barrage of comments from netizens going wild—Jiang Qiyu felt like her ears were also being bombarded.
“Teacher Changmao, I found a bottle of soda!”
“Keep it to heal yourself.”
“Teacher Changmao, I found a crowbar.”
“Hmm, keep it for self-defense.”
“Teacher Changmao! I found a roll of bandages!”
“Then use it to wrap your mouth shut.”
“Teacher Changmao…”
“… What now?”
“Which button do I press to wrap the bandage around my mouth?”
“…”
Fang Xubai wasn’t the only logistics support. Jiang Mian was also quietly working hard to gather supplies nearby. Whenever she found something that looked useful, she would run over to Qi Yu’s side, silently drop it, and then continue gathering.
It wasn’t clear about the other team, but the division of labor in the AKA Kill Without Burial Squad was very clear.
【AAA Funeral Services Half-Dragon】was responsible for wielding the close-combat rifle and holding off the constantly appearing enemies, while also throwing in some taunts to further drag down his already precarious reputation.
【Love-Kill Princess】took cover behind barriers, using a scope to snipe enemies from a distance, clearing out potential threats for the “Half-Dragon.”
【Buried Love, White Young Master】and 【Gingerbread Man】were tasked with simply staying alive within a three-meter radius of their teammates.
From time to time, they also had to endure the verbal abuse from the “Princess” and the “Half-Dragon.”
Jiang Mian, armed with a gun, was chased around by an enemy wielding a frying pan. Qi Yu shot the enemy dead and asked in confusion:
“Are you a Buddhist? Why aren’t you killing anyone?”
Fang Xubai panicked when targeted by an enemy and immediately dropped to the ground. After Jiang Qiyu eliminated the enemy with a burst of fire, she sincerely suggested:
“Next time you drop to the ground, try to choose a spot on a hillside, surrounded by trees facing south. That way, the feng shui of your grave will be better.”
Just as the four of them were working in perfect sync, gradually moving toward the center of the map following the poison circle, an unexpected incident occurred.
“Bang!”
Jiang Qiyu was suddenly shot and fell to the ground, with the enemy’s location unknown.