12…

Before the audience could react, the number plummeted like a diver, decreasing by one.

11.

Then, 10, 9, 8… 5, 4…

Amidst the audience's shocked clamor, the number of remaining winners rapidly decreased until finally, it settled at 1.

Only one person was left.

Di Ting opened her mouth in astonishment and waved her hand. The camera in the director's room instantly focused on the streets of Akihabara… revealing a Corpse Mountain and a Blood Sea. Death was piled up like stones, forming mountains.

Streams of blood converged into rivers, rampantly surging on the wide asphalt roads, dyeing everything in the blood-red that signified the end.

In a landscape of devastation, every place lay shattered and in tatters.

Brutal destruction had descended here, leaving no survivors to escape the hurricane of death. As despair and death drew inexorably closer, all they could do was embrace each other in fear before their brains and innards were splattered, burying them in darkness.

In the deafening silence, only the crisp sound of high heels tapping on the ground remained.

As her fingers gently brushed past, a wall thunderously shattered. Countless particles of dust and debris flew up, yet not a single speck dared to tarnish the smooth, clean surface of her leather shoes. They all fell back, as if aware of the terror, attempting to flee the monster cloaked in human skin.

Even though she appeared to be just a slim, young woman, her smile seemed forever gentle.

And so, she leisurely gathered her spoils of war, placing them into her small fruit basket, which seemed to never fill. It gluttonously consumed every last remnant of the dead.

Finally, she stood at the end of Long Street. She slowly turned her head to look back at the former Paradise, now transformed into a kingdom of death, and smiled in reminiscence.

"Being a maid is so delightful…"

She curtsied, holding her fruit basket and lifting the sides of her old-fashioned long maid dress, expressing her sincere gratitude to the "customers."

"I am terribly sorry, but our business hours for today have concluded. We thank you all for your support…"

No one responded.

In the stillness, only the placid and graceful smiling face on the large screen slowly retracted her gaze and turned to leave.

Akihabara, the sole survivor.

—Luo Xian!

At the entrance of Little Cat Paradise, the young man conversing with Huai Shi nodded in understanding.

"Is that so? What a pity… I heard someone from the Astronomical Society has set up a base in Shinjuku. If you need any help, you should be able to find someone there."

Thus, they exchanged information.

The Sublimator from the Astronomical Society wasn't annoyed by Huai Shi's refusal to join. After a greeting, they exchanged contact information, and then he turned to leave.

After all, a contest was just a contest. Everyone was colleagues; they might have to interact frequently in the future, so there was no need to fall out over a minor disagreement. It was best to give each other some face and build good karma; that way, they would have a friendlier basis if they met again.

But before things reached that point, who would want to start infighting and become a laughingstock for others? Especially since they were all from the Astronomical Society—a large organization with significant resources. None of them were so destitute that they needed to make a name for themselves through a rookie contest. There was no need to stoop as low as digging to the Earth's Core.

Before leaving, the young man hesitated and then kindly reminded him, "If you encounter the person in second place, you can subtly reveal your identity. I believe if the situation isn't too dire, there might still be room for cooperation."

He was referring to the mysterious person who hadn't revealed their identity yet, the Sublimator ranked second in contention for the crown.

Huai Shi took note.

So, the one wearing a Vest is also one of us? Why is it that when everyone's from the Astronomical Society, nobody can recognize others in a Vest, but I get chased and hacked until my identity is exposed even when wearing a Helmet?

After watching the person walk away, Huai Shi turned to look at Yuan Zhao beside him.

"What about you?" he asked. "SOCIAL SECURITY contacted you this morning, didn't they?"

Yuan Zhao, who had been absent-minded, was startled, then astonished. "How did you know?"

"Well, when a huge fox runs into the dorm, you can't expect me to pretend I didn't see it, right?"

Huai Shi glanced at him. "That must have been from your team's Legion, right?"

Yuan Zhao instinctively nodded, but then, realizing what he was implying, vehemently shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Huai Shi looked at his clumsy attempt to cover things up and couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you for intel on your teammates. I'm asking what you plan to do next. Stick with me, or find your teammates?"

"I…"

Yuan Zhao hesitated.

He felt somewhat guilty.

To be fair, during our time teamed up, I've hardly been of any help. Though I suffered quite a bit cleaning the litter box, if it weren't for Huai Shi's assistance, I might have found it difficult to complete the mission, let alone successfully clear Little Cat Paradise and acquire this Border Relic…

Now that he had received the summons from SOCIAL SECURITY, he was torn. Although Ye Xueya's tone hadn't been harsh, merely suggesting he could decide for himself, he couldn't help but think that in a place like this, teammates he'd known for a long time seemed more reliable, right?

Look at the Astronomical Society; even though they're from different departments and regions, they don't turn on each other upon meeting. The relationships between Sublimators from SOCIAL SECURITY are even tighter; they tend to stick together. Now that the organization needed me, even if it was just a little, as an upstanding kid filled with a sense of honor, I feel obliged to contribute. Yeah, and I'll take the chance to show everyone just how formidable Young Master Yuan is now!

But Huai Shi here… I owe him so many favors. Can I just walk away so casually? That doesn't seem right, does it? Although Huai Shi himself doesn't really care, aside from my own conscience bothering me, wouldn't I be forever overshadowed by this White-named face?!

He was caught between a rock and a hard place.

After agonizing for a long time, he glanced at the letter in his hand, then at the calmly waiting Huai Shi. With a grit of his teeth and a stomp of his foot, he made his decision.

Forget it…

He took out the letter, hastily wrote a few words, and then tossed the paper into the air. Mid-flight, the letter folded itself into a delicate little fox, glanced at him, and then ran off.

Yuan Zhao let out a long sigh.

Anyway, SOCIAL SECURITY is far ahead for now. The organization has plenty of 'recruits' to use, so my absence won't be felt immediately. I can make up for this favor later. But if I leave, this White-named face might really end up all alone. The polite way that young man from the Astronomical Society bid farewell just now… I bet he was mocking Huai Shi with that distance. We've been in the competition for so long, and hardly anyone from the Astronomical Society has come to find him. The one who did show up was so nonchalant. Yeah, this White-named face probably isn't very popular, huh? Come to think of it, he really does seem quite annoying! Maybe when they go out to eat, everyone ignores his dietary restrictions. When they go for karaoke, other colleagues 'accidentally' cut his songs. During company outings, he's the only one without shuttle service because he lives too far away or something… He acts all unconcerned on the surface, but he's probably dying inside, really not wanting me to leave.

Yuan Zhao gave him a doubtful look. Seeing Huai Shi's waiting gaze, his expression turned to one of pity. Tiptoeing, he patted Huai Shi's shoulder to comfort him.

"Don't worry, Young Master Yuan will carry you to victory, guaranteed!"

He patted his chest, indicating that Big Bro wasn't leaving; Big Bro would carry him. Huai Shi was stunned for a moment, not expecting him to pass up on finding his teammates…

This look was immediately interpreted by Yuan Zhao as Huai Shi being moved and pleasantly surprised, which made him feel even more resigned. It's not that I don't want to meet up with my teammates; it's just that this fellow is too worrying to leave alone. If I, this veritable pillar supporting the heavens, this purple-gold beam bridging the seas, weren't here, he'd probably get killed off in some corner, all alone, and nobody would even know. Sigh, I guess I'll just have to put in more effort for him.

Although Huai Shi wasn't sure what had happened, watching Yuan Zhao's expression full of a sense of mission made him bite back his words.

Forget it, as long as he's happy. Anyway, one more person doesn't make much difference, and one less won't be a huge loss… I'll just treat it as babysitting!

Thus, Huai Shi put on the kind and affable expression of a kindergarten teacher. Their smiling faces met, and it felt as if the bond between teammates had grown even stronger.

Only Li Jian Amber, passing by the entrance, glanced at them uncomprehendingly, shaking her head with a sigh.

Two morons…

She hailed a taxi and left.

Yes, you could even catch a taxi in this crappy place.

Starting from the second day of the competition, various public facilities had been opened to the incoming contestants, including transportation systems, dining locations, and nighttime accommodations.

Although they were all local rip-offs, without guaranteed quality or quantity, and might even pose a risk to one's life.

But it was better than nothing, right?

And the common currency used was the Golden Coin, dropped when a contestant died.

As for the prices, well, don't even mention them. Without a special title or item, the costs could absolutely skyrocket.

Just one night's accommodation cost ten Golden Coins. This meant that if you wanted to safely get through the night of the Hyakki Yagyō, you had to find a way to kill ten contestants during the day.

The prices of various consumable items were like sharp cleavers, aimed straight at the contestants' necks. Huai Shi had checked: in Little Cat Paradise's own shop, without using his Prince title, a single shotgun shell cost one Golden Coin.

Through various pressures, the competition's organizing committee continually forced contestants into intense eliminations and confrontations.

Turtle? Why turtle? There's no future in turtling! Could you turtle your way through seven days? Did you want items? Did you want Border Relics? Did you want rewards and victory?

Then go all out! You'd be number one only after you've recklessly killed all other contestants. If you just kept turtling, you'd completely miss all the early development opportunities and then become a walking Golden Coin dispenser in the eyes of other contestants.

At night, this city became a nightmarish land of the Hyakki Yagyō. And during the day, everywhere one looked had become the contestants' hunting ground.

The third day had just begun, and the competition was already reaching a fever pitch. A large number of contestants who had only been turtling in the early stages were rapidly eliminated.

After three days, everyone had more or less figured out the Joyful Framework's MO. It was just as Huai Shi had guessed: Want to get stronger? Then spend Golden Coins. How can you get stronger if you don't spend Golden Coins?

After estimating the fifty-odd Golden Coins he currently had, even Huai Shi felt the financial pinch. If he avoided conflict, he would just be eating through his savings.

After some thought, calm analysis, and careful calculation, Huai Shi finally made his decision. He stood under a signpost and waved for a cab.

Soon, a pitch-black Hearse emerged from the void and stopped in front of Huai Shi. Signaling Yuan Zhao to follow, Huai Shi handed the driver some Golden Coins and an extra ticket he had extorted from Little Cat before leaving.

"Ueno Park, thank you," he said, handing over one Golden Coin as he stated his destination.

In that instant, he felt a sudden chill and whipped his head around.

He saw nothing through the car window.

Huai Shi frowned.

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