Excessive ferocity due to caution

It is not uncommon for guilds to act independently.

Fang Bai, the chubby boy, looks ordinary, but he is actually very good at communicating with people.

The honest-looking middle-aged man... had a very composed face, but his eyes revealed a panic that he had not yet fully adapted to the place.

After a brief introduction, the group left the guild's headquarters.

There is an extremely long winding mountain road right outside the door. Since the guild headquarters is located on a flat area in the mountains, the environment here is particularly desolate and cold.

There are occasional streetlights along the dilapidated road, but the dim, bleak light makes people feel even more uneasy.

In the distant mountains and forests, occasionally, unknown, strange shadows flicker by.

Clearly, these dangers are beyond the reach of current players.

However, due to the constraints of the rules, they will not deliberately enter low-level areas, so players are relatively safe on this road leading to the abandoned station.

At the end of the road, through the thin mist, one could occasionally see a few figures; they were all players trying to complete world quests.

After walking two kilometers along the road, a dilapidated and shabby little station appeared in the distance. The awning overhead was full of holes, and the surrounding area was overgrown with weeds and mold. The walls at the entrance were covered with hideous scratches, as if they had been specially treated by some unknown, terrible, and ominous force.

A light mist hung in the air, chilly and damp.

Few players felt comfortable here.

A young man with brightly colored hair was smoking on the blue stone steps at the entrance of the station. His eyes were gloomy, and he had a number of henchmen beside him.

These people were pale, and some of them had clearly just vomited; there was vomit on the ground.

"Xiang Weishan, what's the situation inside?"

Fang Bai stepped forward, revealing a sly expression.

The man with the murderous look and dyed hair glanced at him but ignored him. However, when his gaze fell on Zhao Yi, he suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, isn't this the number one on the leaderboard?"

"What? You want a piece of the pie too?"

Zhao Yi's appearance alerted many people nearby, who gathered around. After all, Zhao Yi's status as the number one on the leaderboard was a big draw. Some of them had seen highlights of Zhao Yi's live streams and knew that this guy was not only strong, but also somewhat... crazy.

The fact that someone was trying to steal the reward made them nervous.

"I know this reward is very generous, and no one wants to give it to anyone else... But have you thought about this? This is just a tutorial mission. There are many more missions and rewards to come. If everyone gets stuck here, then no one will get the rewards later."

"To get rich together, or to starve to death together?"

Zhao Yi gave a friendly smile.

The question of whether to get rich together or starve to death together has subtly changed the mindset of many people.

He threw away the cigarette butt in his hand, and its color changed slightly.

"OK."

"If you want to go, I'll give you a chance."

"But I must warn you, many people have already died inside."

"Also... I can tell you about the rules of the clown game from before."

"The clown game requires at least three people to enter the game and play rock-paper-scissors with him, taking turns. Each person plays ten times, and the loser cuts off a finger. If you win three times within ten rounds, you win the game. Otherwise, the players who participated in the rock-paper-scissors game will be thrown into the storeroom behind him. I don't know what terrifying things are in there, but no one who goes in has ever come out again."

"After the previous player loses and is killed in rock-paper-scissors with the clown, the next player in the game will continue to play rock-paper-scissors with the clown, and the entire game will be reset and restarted!"

"Furthermore, we have learned that the clown's third and sixth rounds of rock-paper-scissors are fixed; he will always choose scissors on the third round and paper on the sixth round."

Fang Bai asked curiously:

"If this pattern continues, the ninth or tenth round should also be a fixed game of rock-paper-scissors. Why haven't you finished this task yet?"

Xiang Weishan sneered, looking at Fang Bai as if he were an idiot.

"So, are you willing to risk your life to figure out the next round of rock-paper-scissors, just to benefit someone else?"

Fang Bai remained silent.

indeed.

If the previous trials and errors gave people hope and made many people eager to try, then the final trial and error will be something that no one will be willing to do.

Their passion had cooled; they were unwilling to sacrifice their lives for others.

Humans are selfish.

Why should I get beaten up while others get the treats?

At Xiang Weishan's signal, these underlings made way for Zhao Yi and his group. After all, someone had to try and fail, and whether Zhao Yi succeeded or not, they would all benefit.

It's simply a matter of whether you gain more or less.

After the group entered the station, a young man with a mole, wearing a nose ring and earring, stepped forward and asked Xiang Weishan:

"Brother, did you tell them something wrong?"

"I remember the clown's standard moves in rock-paper-scissors weren't..."

He glanced at Wei Shan, whose face twitched slightly, but he still very considerately took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it for him.

Xiang Weishan took a drag of his cigarette, and a sinister glint appeared in his eyes as he looked into the station.

"Mo Yao, are you stupid?"

"Who is he?"

"Number one on the newcomer list!"

"Didn't you notice the strange look that slut Liu Ruoqing was giving him in the lobby earlier?"

"If someone like that is still alive, do you think the guild management will still let us rise to the top?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Yao suddenly realized what was happening, and a hint of fear appeared in his eyes as he looked at Xiang Weishan.

This guy truly lives up to his reputation as a psychopathic killer; he's incredibly cunning!

It's good that Zhao Yi is dead!

This way, they'll have one less strong competitor who will be vying with them for rewards and women in the future!

hey-hey……

Those rich and beautiful women in the guild are strong and beautiful. If I could get close to them in the future, wouldn't I be on the rise to prominence?

...

Inside the station entrance, the dark air was thick with the pungent smell of blood.

Tian Tian hugged her tattered teddy bear, looking around curiously, while Bai Shuiji, dressed somewhat tackyly, walked over to Zhao Yi and kindly reminded him:

"Brother Zhao, that guy's eyes looked off just now. I think he might be lying."

Zhao Yi replied:

"Something's not right with him."

Seeing that Zhao Yi understood, Bai Shuiji said no more.

Soon, the group headed toward a brightly lit, exquisite general store not far away.

Outside the grocery store, blood-stained...finger tips were scattered all over the ground.

Like a crawling insect, it makes one's heart pound with fear.

The clown, dressed in a comical and bizarre manner, waved to Zhao Yi and his companions, greeting them very warmly.

"Welcome to the Clever Little General Store!"

"Are you here to buy something or to play games?"

The clown was short, about 1.5 meters tall, wearing a large floral cotton-padded jacket sewn by his grandmother, and had a very friendly smile on his face.

Zhao Yi approached the counter, placed one hand on it, and asked:

What are the benefits of playing games?

The clown clapped his hands and said happily:

"Oh! My dear guests, if you would like to play rock-paper-scissors with me, and win three out of ten games, then I will provide you with all the goods in the general store for free and without limit forever."

Zhao nodded and said slowly and deliberately:

"What if we lose?"

The clown smiled politely:

"If you lose, then you'll need to pay a small price..."

"After all, you know—it's so boring if a game loses its stakes!"

It explained the rules of the game to everyone, and its description to Weishan was accurate.

"Furthermore, I want to emphasize one point... do not attempt to break the rules of the game by killing me or cutting off my fingers, otherwise..."

As the clown finished speaking, he gave a chilling smile.

The door to the storage room behind it was slowly pushed open a crack.

Inside, countless terrifying, eerie green eyes, filled with greedy gazes, stared intently at the crowd…

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