Even though Sun Heng had been on guard against monsters, he did not expect their movements to be so fast.
Using the eerie fog of the small grove as cover, the monsters moved freely, and the player team had been completely wiped out.
Sun Heng looked at the familiar faces surrounding him, and at the malicious expressions on those faces. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
He had underestimated the situation. He had thought this was only the third day of the game and that the monsters’ actions would still be limited. He never expected that in an instant, he would be the only normal player left in the team.
The difficulty of this world was extreme. Monsters hid in the shadows, players stayed in the open. Most importantly, monsters could kill a player and then disguise themselves as the victim, gradually infiltrating the team until all players were devoured.
Sun Heng had never encountered such a situation in previous games.
Honestly, if Luo Yu had not noticed this, he might never have doubted the players around him until his death.
Ah… Luo Yu. He wondered if she was still alive.
“Intruder, your time is up.”
At Brother Fat’s command, the monsters surged forward.
Though they wore human skin, they no longer tried to disguise themselves. Their movements were all on four limbs, crawling in a twisted, grotesque manner.
Sun Heng gritted his teeth and fought back with his blade. In a crisis, he no longer had time to worry about others’ lives.
At the edge of the swamp, Yang Tian, still barely alive, struggled to rise from the pile of dead leaves. Her entire body was now covered with blue marks, blending perfectly with the withered leaves.
She no longer felt itching. Instead, she felt the gnawing of crawling creatures and intense pain all over.
The blue curse did not spare her. After corroding her skin surface, it moved inward, attacking her blood, nerves, and organs.
Yang Tian felt herself decaying, rotting like the swamp around her.
“No, no, no…”
She touched her withered face, sensing the loss of her beauty.
Even without a mirror, she knew from the rough texture that she had become a ghastly, shriveled old woman.
Even if she survived… no, she could not think like that.
Yang Tian forced herself to stand despite the pain.
She had to live. She had to survive this game. If she reached the player center, her injuries might still be treatable.
Holding onto that tiny possibility and hope, she steadied herself.
The swamp remained foggy. The wind rustled the leaves, making a strange sound. There was no other movement.
She was completely alone. Sun Heng had abandoned her.
This realization dimmed her for a moment, but she quickly let it go.
She was not surprised that Sun Heng left her. In fact, ever since she first teamed with him, she had prepared herself for the possibility of being abandoned.
It was fine. She still had the tools he had given her.
Yang Tian pulled a compass-like device from inside her clothing. It was a survival pointer. When trapped, it could guide players in the safest direction.
With it, she could leave the small grove.
Then she would do her best to survive seven days in the game or escape alongside other players breaking free.
She leaned on a tree and stumbled forward. She encountered no other players or monsters.
She felt forgotten, abandoned, a drifting spirit in the small grove.
The thought gave her an illusion that she would be trapped here forever. Her body ached more and more, and her vision blurred.
“You do not need to come with me.”
“Sorry, I need to ensure the students’ safety. Letting you in quietly was already a dereliction, so I cannot let you run alone.”
Yang Tian heard human voices.
Were they players? Allies?
Her heart leapt. She crawled a few steps, but her frail body tripped on vines and fell hard to the ground.
At the same time, she saw the figures speaking.
Through the gaps of tall trees, a well-proportioned woman and a man in black uniform walked side by side along a relatively flat path.
That was…
Luo Yu! Luo Yu!
Even with her blurred vision, Yang Tian recognized her immediately.
Her long hair, her serene aura, the innocent, playful gestures. How could she forget?
Now she was in this half-living, half-dead state, yet Luo Yu could still walk beside the man, smiling sweetly, happily moving through the dangerous small grove as if on a leisurely outing.
Damn it!
Why did the strange white fog not swallow Luo Yu too, or let her step into the deadly swamp?
Jealousy, resentment, anger.
If it were not for her weakened body, Yang Tian would have lunged at Luo Yu, bitten her neck, and spread her own filth to her, watching her decay.
She wondered if Luo Yu could still maintain that calm and carefree demeanor then.
Yang Tian imagined Luo Yu screaming and crying, and her lips curled slightly. With her blue, wrinkled skin, she resembled an old witch grinning.
Yes… she would follow and bite Luo Yu’s neck…
Immersed in her fantasy, Yang Tian tried to push herself up with her elbows.
But she realized something was wrong.
Her legs did not respond. No matter how hard she tried, her legs, dragging behind her, did not move, like two lifeless sticks.
This sudden change snapped her out of her fantasy.
She pounded her legs with her hands, but she could not even feel pain.
No, this is bad.
Fear brought clarity. What she needed now was not to attack Luo Yu, but to call for help.
Luo Yu would save her. Luo Yu would surely save her.
If she cried sincerely, apologized, and described how Sun Heng abandoned her, Luo Yu would soften.
She knew it. She knew Luo Yu was kind-hearted.
Yang Tian struggled forward a few steps, hoarsely shouting, “Luo…”
Her voice was cut off. She coughed, spitting out several mouthfuls of black blood mixed with a piece of her tongue.
How could this happen?
Luo Yu was walking away. No, she could not leave!
She had to make her turn around, see her!
The rustling sound finally caught Luo Yu’s attention. Luo Yu looked toward the small grove, but the man pressed her head and turned it back.
“Do not look around. The path is this way.”
“I know,” Luo Yu said, frowning slightly. “But did you hear something? It sounded like someone calling out…”
“You heard wrong. There is nothing here.”
The man spoke firmly, smiling as he guided Luo Yu onward.
There was nothing. Just a tongue that liked to speak out of turn.