Apocalyptic Extraordinary Convoy, I'm really not weird!

The crow-man's red eyes darted around, as if he were sizing him up.

"As the first person to ask, I will answer your question."

It paused, then continued in that flat, monotone tone:

There are several ways to go up to the second floor.

First, those who spend ten stars can go up to the second floor.

Second, when the time is up, clear the cards, and those with stars should go up to the second floor.

Third, when the time was up, the cards were not cleared, but some people with stars still went up to the second floor.

Fourth, if time runs out and the cards haven't been cleared, those without stars should go to the second floor.

It paused for a moment, seemingly giving Su Ye time to process it.

"The permissions granted to people entering each mode will differ."

Only by striving to earn more stars can one have a chance to survive.

Su Ye frowned.

Four modes: Spend stars, Cards reset to zero, Cards not reset but still have stars, Cards not reset but no stars.

Each mode has different "permissions," meaning that people going up to the second floor will be treated differently depending on their circumstances.

He didn't rush to answer, but instead asked:

"What's upstairs?"

The crow-man had no expression, but its sharp beak was slightly open:

More choices, more dangers, more opportunities.

That's as good as saying nothing.

Su Ye asked again:

"Will those people who went upstairs be able to come down?"

"able."

Crow Humanity,

"But the conditions need to be met again."

Chen Shou asked in a deep voice from the side:

Why can't we see the stairs?

The crow-man gave him a disdainful look and did not answer.

Su Ye began to speak,

Why can't they see the stairs?

A hash symbol seemed to appear on the crow-man's forehead. He turned and glanced at him, his tone flat:

"Because they don't have enough stars."

Ten stars represent the minimum threshold to seeing the stairs.

Sure enough.

Lin Wei frowned:

"So if we collect ten stars, we can see it too?"

"able."

The crow-man replied impatiently.

"But whether you can go upstairs depends on the mode you choose."

Li Xiaowei asked in a low voice:

"What if someone without stars wants to go upstairs?"

The crow-man let out a sound that resembled laughter, its sharp beak radiating coldness:

"Then wait until the time is up. I'm sure you don't want to know what happens to them."

These words instantly silenced everyone.

Su Ye took a deep breath and looked at Chen Shou.

Chen Shou knew what he was thinking!

Su Ye can go upstairs now, spend ten stars, and take the remaining four stars to enter the second floor.

The three of them couldn't even see the stairs.

"It's your decision."

Chen Shou said in a deep voice,

"We won't stop you."

Lin Wei nodded as well:

"If you go up there, you might find more information, or even a way out."

Li Xiaowei bit her lip and didn't speak, but the hand that was gripping Su Ye's clothes loosened slightly.

Su Ye remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he looked at the crow people:

"What will happen to my teammates if I go upstairs?"

The crow-man tilted his head and calmly stated the facts about the cold storage:

They remained on the first floor.

Collect enough stars, select the mode, and then go upstairs.

Or, die on the first floor.

Su Ye turned around and glanced at Chen Shou, Lin Wei, and Li Xiaowei.

Chen Shouyou has four stars, Lin Wei has three stars, and Li Xiaowei has two stars.

We're still a long way from ten.

Moreover, they still have cards to play and must win stars in the game, or... hunt them down.

But now the first floor has become a hunting ground. It's alright if the three of them are together, but what if they get separated...?

Most importantly, he...

"I'm not going upstairs."

Su Ye said.

Chen Shou frowned:

"Su Ye—"

"At least not now."

Su Ye interrupted him, turning to look at the crow-man.

"If I don't go upstairs for the time being, will this staircase remain?"

The crow-man let out a screeching laugh:

"The staircase only exists when you can see it."

If you leave here, it might still appear next time you come back, as long as you have more than ten stars.

"Understood."

Su Ye nodded.

"Then I won't go upstairs for now."

Upon hearing Su Ye's decision, the crow-man spoke again:

"By the way, I have some additional information for you."

Its eyes swept over the four people before finally settling back on Su Ye's face.

"As the second game to be played, this game has two rounds."

The game is won if 80% of the players die in each round.

Everyone who successfully completes the game will receive a key to unlock the next round.

Eighty percent die.

This number is like a block of ice, pressing down on everyone's heart.

Li Xiaowei subconsciously gripped Su Ye's clothes.

Lin Wei's face also paled a bit.

Chen Shou took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"So, in this round, 80% of the people need to die before they can advance to the next round?"

The birdman fell silent again, only staring at Su Ye.

"When you decide to go upstairs, come back here, and the stairs will appear only for you."

Also, just a reminder that over time, more and more people will be able to see the stairs.

The earlier you go, the more choices you'll have.

After saying that, its form began to dissipate, turning into black mist, and disappeared completely a few seconds later.

The stairs were still in Su Ye's sight, but Chen Shou and the others still saw the screen wall.

"Did you really see the stairs?"

Lin Wei asked.

Su Ye nodded:

"There's a really big staircase right here."

That jerk just said that only people who meet certain conditions can see it.

Chen Shou remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking:

"Those four models... what are your thoughts?"

"The first method is to spend ten stars to go upstairs. This is the simplest method. You can go up as long as you have stars. It is probably also the method with the highest level of access."

The second type is where cards are cleared but stars are still available. This means that someone who has played all fifteen cards can go upstairs with stars, but if they don't have enough stars to buy access, they should be considered an ordinary player.

The third type is those who haven't finished playing the cards but still have stars. According to the person on the platform, these people will belong to the organizers after the time is up, and they'll probably be in a bad situation then.

The fourth type is those who haven't finished playing their cards and haven't earned any stars; in his opinion, these are the lowest level of players.

Su Ye nodded, then shook his head.

"The key point is that '80% die in each round,' which is a terrifying number."

Of the 1,000 people, only 200 were left to advance to the next round.

Moreover, there are two rounds, and ultimately only forty people can leave, resulting in a survival rate of only four percent.

All four of them fell silent.

Based on observations over this period, there should be about a thousand people in the hall they are in now.

Four percent.

Forty people.

Li Xiaowei clenched her fists even tighter.

Chen Shou suddenly spoke:

"That birdman said, as the second game to start."

This means that this is not the first time.

This has already happened once before; someone survived and even got the 'key to start the next game.'

"The key to unlocking the game..."

Su Ye murmured to himself, a thought suddenly flashing through his mind.

key?

The sound of bells?

Zhou Lie?

He recalled Wu Feng's words about Zhou Lie's unusual "disappearance" before the bell rang, saying he was going to relieve himself and asked Wu Feng and the others to search first, and then he never came back.

If this game wasn't being played for the first time, and if someone survived the last one and obtained the key...

What privileges will the person who gets the key have?

Is it possible to know the rules of the game in advance?

Can we plan ahead?

Is it possible to do things that others can't do before the game even starts?

Is Zhou Lie the one who has the key?

The more Su Ye thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.

Was Zhou Lie's "disappearance" really just a coincidence?

"Su Ye?"

Chen Shou's voice pulled him back to reality.

"What are you thinking about?"