22
Survival Day Twenty-Two: I Made the Wrong Choice.
Rosinante felt the warmth draining from his body.
His breathing had grown faint, and his consciousness was gradually fading.
No… not yet… If he were to die now, the power of the Silence Fruit would vanish, and Law would be exposed.
He had to hold on… at least until Law was safely away…
Ah… and Wendy.
Wendy… Doflamingo probably didn’t truly intend to kill her earlier… Even though he aimed the gun at her, he shifted it slightly when I rushed over—his real target was me…
As long as Wendy goes along with him afterward, she should be safe… He doesn’t want to acknowledge her betrayal, and besides, Wendy never actually committed any tangible act of betrayal.
Everyone knows Wendy has a peculiar personality, so her strange actions wouldn’t surprise anyone… He could just take all the blame himself.
And… there’s also that Revival Heart.
He couldn’t bring Wendy back to life himself, but he had entrusted the bundle containing that beating heart to Law earlier… That should work, right?
Damn, he could no longer hear the sounds around him.
What was happening? Was Wendy safe? Had Law managed to escape…
Wendy stood frozen in place, unable to process what had just happened.
The blood flowing from Rosinante’s heart silently seeped into the snow, gradually spreading until it reached her feet.
She truly hadn’t expected this.
Wasn’t this the part where they’d exchange a few more words, revisit the past, play out some plot, maybe even drop a “Celestial Dragons’ Secret Part 3” before things got serious?
How could… Was this what they called a plot kill?
“…Corazon?” Wendy tilted her head, a look of disbelief on her face as if she hadn’t yet grasped the situation.
She slowly turned to look at Doflamingo, her expression tinged with confusion. “Doflamingo, he’s your own brother.”
“He betrayed me, so he’s no longer family,” Doflamingo replied calmly. Killing a relative wasn’t new to him—first time jitters, second time ease. He felt no psychological burden.
In fact, he had shot at Wendy precisely because he knew Rosinante would try to save her.
If Wendy could overlook Rosinante’s death and return to the family under these circumstances, it would prove her loyalty remained… If not, it meant she had already turned traitor.
“Doflamingo…” Wendy’s eyes widened in shock, her tone bewildered. Her face showed nothing but puzzlement, as if she were merely asking a simple question. “Are you going to kill me too?”
“That depends on your decision,” Doflamingo said slowly, his gun still raised and now aimed directly at her.
Wendy stared steadily at Doflamingo.
Although the Hunger System created many obstacles, and the sole requirement of this game was to survive, Starvation Players were the least afraid of death.
After all, there were countless ways to resurrect—the only differences lay in how troublesome they were and the variation in revival animations.
In the game of Starvation, there are already very few people, so companions should help each other—unless it’s a modded scenario with poison mechanics or competitive matches.
She maintains a tolerant and peaceful attitude toward every companion. Even though she knows Doflamingo isn’t a “good person” within this pirate worldview and that he has profited greatly from the items she creates, she doesn’t mind, as it’s an equivalent exchange.
However, by the same token, she doesn’t consider herself beneath him either.
The biggest difference between Wendy and the other members of the Donquixote Family is that she doesn’t look up to Doflamingo. Because of this, if he stops treating her as a companion or makes her unhappy, she will immediately turn against him.
After a prolonged standoff, Wendy sighed regretfully and said, “I made the wrong choice.”
Diamante gasped sharply on the side, nervously glancing at Doflamingo, whose bulging veins indicated he was in a state of rage. He kept signaling Wendy frantically, whether she noticed or not—What are you saying, Wendy?! How can you talk back at a time like this?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!
Wendy ignored him completely.
Not only did she fail to understand his gestures, but even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared.
Meanwhile, near the shore, a naval warship approached from a distance, its cannons firing relentlessly toward their location. The roar of explosions echoed continuously.
“It’s Vice Admiral Tsuru’s warship!”
“Young Master! We need to retreat quickly!”
“But what about Wendy…”
Doflamingo also noticed Vice Admiral Tsuru’s warship, clicking his tongue in annoyance under his breath. His expression grew even colder as he issued Wendy a final ultimatum: “Wendy! I’m giving you one last chance!”
Wendy paid him no mind, kneeling beside Rosinante and applying the last of her healing salve to his body.
Though it was useless… but she didn’t need healing anymore anyway.
Due to the extremely low temperature and prolonged exposure in the snow, the Thermal Stone on Wendy had turned into a gray, cold rock, no longer providing any warmth. She was already showing signs of hypothermia.
Watching her health bar drop by one point every second due to hypothermia, Wendy let out a long sigh. She had already resigned herself to her health depleting in about a minute and embracing death, even starting to seriously consider how she would revive.
What a headache. The Revival Heart on Doflamingo’s side probably wouldn’t be used to revive her, and Corazon was already dead, so his Revival Heart couldn’t be used either.
Next time, she should find more companions and collect more Revival Hearts—it would feel safer that way. After all, the materials for Revival Hearts are cheap, and health recovery is quick.
It’s just that her long survival record seemed to end today. Breaking a new record from now on would require some effort… Next time, she should find a base and play a farming-style game. Her next companion must be willing to let her farm.
But it seemed Doflamingo wouldn’t let her live, and her faction had automatically aligned with Corazon’s side… Did that mean she was now part of the Marine faction? Would her next companion have to be a Marine?
At this thought, she glanced toward the dying Rosinante beside her.
He was in the same critical low-health state as she was. The heavy snow falling from the sky had already dusted his body with a thin white layer.
Wendy felt a flicker of curiosity and reached out to brush aside his bangs. Staring at the face obscured by thick clown makeup, she murmured, “In the end, I never got to see what you really look like.”
The blond young man, whose chest showed almost no movement and whose breathing had nearly ceased, twitched his fingers faintly. As if sensing her presence, he struggled to open his eyes, gazing at her blurrily. His lips moved, barely producing a sound: “Sorry…”
Wendy couldn’t read lips, but she knew he was speaking to her. She simply responded with a gentle smile.
Whether he saw her expression clearly or not, his features softened remarkably in that final moment before he slowly closed his eyes.
It was then that Wendy noticed the system notification interface.
Main Storyline Recorded: 【Corazon (Donquixote Rosinante)’s Death】
Wendy stared at the title, momentarily stunned.
Not part of the “Celestial Dragons’ Secret” series… but a standalone storyline? It really must be a crucial plot point.
What a pity. If she had known earlier, she should have talked more with Corazon.
Watching her health bar drain to nearly empty—less than 10 seconds from death—Wendy turned to Doflamingo with a displeased expression.
“I don’t want to go back with you, Doffy.”
As she finished speaking, her health hit zero. Her already pale face became completely bloodless. She swayed, then collapsed, leaning against Rosinante’s body as she closed her eyes.
【Player Wendy has died from [Freezing].】
Author’s Note:
While the turkey was raging, Wendy remained emotionally stable, still thinking about who to play with in the future [cabbage dog emoji]
No item drop on death! Don’t worry, Wendy won’t lose her equipment when she dies! The author installed this mod! [sunglasses emoji]
Next chapter will be VIP release! Three chapters combined into one! Please continue your support! Daily updates guaranteed! Check my previous works – my VIP chapter updates have always been reliable.
Bonus chapter rules: 10,000 nutrient fluids = one extra chapter! Two deep-water torpedoes = one extra chapter! Personally hoping for more nutrient fluids! Even if it doesn’t get me on the rankings, it still feels prestigious! I’m the type who fights for honor rather than practical gains!
Currently have plenty of drafts saved up, feeling cocky [cabbage dog emoji]
When my draft stash runs out, I’ll cancel the deep-water bonus chapters, but nutrient fluid bonuses will remain valid [shy emoji]