Chapter 17

“What should we do? We need to get out of here quickly.”

When the demons jumped down, thanks to the other contestants acting as bait, he and Bian Duhen were not targeted.

“Hurry up and go! Hmph, those people care more about points than their own lives.”

Bian Duhen gritted his teeth as he spoke, his eyes filled with envy, though he knew it wasn’t realistic for them to try capturing the demons themselves.

If they got injured, Su Lanjin and the others definitely wouldn’t help them.

“Let’s go.”

The two crouched low and carefully moved in the opposite direction. While the battle above was raging, they tried to sneak away — but were still spotted by a demon jumping down.

“Ah—!”

“Pfft—!”

Bian Duhen stared blankly at the tentacle piercing through his chest. Blood gushed from his mouth as he stared in disbelief, unable to accept that he’d actually been targeted by a demon.

Zhang San was frozen on the spot — until Zeng Yanzhi unexpectedly saw the scene. Just as the demon was about to pull out its tentacle and go after Zhang San, Zeng Yanzhi quickly captured it with a binding technique.

The flash of golden light before him made Zhang San fall to the ground, staring up at Zeng Yanzhi, who had just retracted his hand. He swallowed hard, licked his lips, and dragged the unconscious Bian Duhen, running up the mountain.

With Bian Duhen unconscious, the doubled weight pressed down on Zhang San. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps before other demons, drawn by the scent of blood, surged toward them again.

This predicament made the viewers in the live stream cheer.

【Serves them right. They should’ve died a long time ago.】

【I’m crying over Zeng Yanzhi. Even while injured himself, he still tried to save Bian Duhen.】

【Bian Duhen really deserved it.】

【Zhang San’s not bad either. Even after seeing his teammate faint, he still insisted on carrying him away.】

【……】

While the desolate planet was plunged into chaos, a heated meeting was also unfolding within the Federation.

“Xiao Tangcheng, just what do you know?”

Yang Ximu looked at him — eyes bloodshot, slumped in his chair, mumbling to himself in a daze — and could barely stop himself from grabbing the man by the collar and cursing him out.

“It’s already come to this, and you’re still hiding something from us?”

From the moment the vortex appeared, Xiao Tangcheng had looked like this. And when the demons started pouring out, his expression changed completely — no longer alarmed, but strangely melancholic.

Given their years of working together, they were certain: Xiao Tangcheng was definitely hiding something very serious.

Slumped in his chair, Xiao Tangcheng let out a long sigh, staring at the large vortex on the live stream screen, and slowly said…

…

…

“This won’t do. If that vortex isn’t sealed, even if we’re not killed by the demons right away, we’ll still be devoured by them when we run out of spiritual energy.”

Ni Shushu was relentlessly drawing formation diagrams, her hands moving so fast they left afterimages. At the same time, she had to tend to the unconscious Song Juncai, terrified that a demon might leap out at any moment.

“That’s right. We need to come up with a plan. I’ll try and see if a talisman can seal up that vortex.”

Gong Jiaxin could no longer handle this kind of combat. She was almost completely drained of spiritual power.

“It’s all Su Lanjin’s fault. If she hadn’t made us stand at the highest point, how could the demons have locked onto us so easily? If we were down below, the demons wouldn’t be able to find us, and we’d at least have a moment to catch our breath.”

A contestant spoke while continuing their actions without pause, eyes full of resentment toward Su Lanjin — seemingly forgetting just how excited they had been earlier to have such a great opportunity to earn points.

“Yeah, if it weren’t for Su Lanjin, we could’ve stayed far away. Now, even if we want to forfeit, the instructors might not be able to rescue us in time. If I’d known, I would’ve left with Bian Duhen.”

Another contestant nodded in agreement, cursing Su Lanjin a thousand times in their heart.

“Su Lanjin, since you brought us here, don’t you have a way to solve this? If you do, why aren’t you using it now? Are you seriously waiting for us to pay some kind of price at a time like this?”

One player, pinned down by a demon, flushed red with rage and shouted loudly, eyes locked on Su Lanjin. “Aren’t you supposed to be powerful? Weren’t you the one who could save all of us? So why aren’t you doing anything now?”

After being locked in battle with the demons for so long, and with the demonic energy around them constantly rising, it was becoming increasingly difficult for the players to control their thoughts. They spoke without thinking, blurting out everything that came to mind.

Including all their complaints toward Su Lanjin.

Even though it was clear their remarks were due to exhaustion and the effects of the demonic energy, the viewers weren’t having it.

【??? Who the hell is that? What kind of trash planet did this guy crawl out of? What, people have to save you now? Don’t you have hands and feet?】

【But honestly, it’s true that Su Lanjin was the one who told everyone to go to the high ground. If she didn’t have a plan, why did she bring everyone there?】

【Because going after the demons meant points. Demons equal points. If no one stepped up, the ones following Su Lanjin would’ve gotten all the points, and the rest would’ve been left with nothing.】

【Su Lanjin gave them a chance. They just couldn’t hold onto it.】

Voices filled with disappointment rather than hatred drowned out the insults aimed at the players. Everyone was waiting for Su Lanjin to once again turn the tide and regain control.

They were hoping she would save all the players and wipe out the demons completely.

“Shut up! You were the ones who followed her. When Susu told you to avoid the demonic energy rain earlier, why didn’t you complain then? Now that there’s trouble, suddenly she’s the problem? What an ungrateful pack of white-eyed wolves!”

Jian Xiangxue, who had been restraining a demon nearby, finally lost her temper after hearing all the complaints. She yelled furiously at the players, completely disregarding her usual image as the number one socialite of the Capital Planet.

The players, scolded so fiercely they had no way to respond, turned their heads away in anger, though they still muttered under their breath.

Wasn’t this all thanks to Su Lanjin? If she really had a solution, then why didn’t she just use it now? Was she planning to sit pretty at the top of the leaderboard while they all forfeited?

However, many others were also struggling to hold out. Faced with the current situation, they began weighing whether to withdraw or keep going.