Chapter 113: 'Survivor' Is This the Difficulty of a Mixed-Team Competition Instance?
Daisy sat cross-legged against a low table, her eyes covered with a black cloth, her wrists bound behind her back with coarse rope.
In reality, however, the black cloth was tied loosely, and a slight shake of her head would dislodge it. The rope wasn't actually tied either; it was simply clenched in her palm.
It was all just for show.
Her current task was to wait for the player wielding the whip to complete their challenge and then return to "untie" her.
With her vision obscured, her hearing became exceptionally sharp.
She heard the whistle of the whip cutting through the air, heard the dull thuds as it struck the Silicone Model.
Yet, gradually, she began to hear another sound.
It was the sound of someone's breathing, rising and falling right next to her ear.
A frigid breath carrying a damp, decaying quality puffed against the side of her neck, over and over again.
So... it's here.
Daisy could feel all the blood in her body seem to freeze solid at that moment, but she didn't panic.
Clutching a certain prop tightly in her palm, she struggled to maintain steady breathing, not letting the slightest abnormality show.
Between lifting the blindfold to see the thing's true form and keeping it on to complete the challenge, she chose the latter.
Of course, she was curious about what exactly had attacked Polina and Dana. Hearing a verbal description was one thing, but seeing it with her own eyes would be far more direct.
However, something that could effortlessly incapacitate a player... she wasn't arrogant enough to think she could take it on alone.
Besides, who knew if this one was the same as the one from this morning?
And she also wanted to test something: if she "perceived" the other's presence, would it still attack her?
This was undoubtedly a high-stakes gamble, and she was prepared to tear off the pretense at any moment.
After an unknown length of time, that breathing sound suddenly vanished.
At the same moment, a gunshot rang out from the next room.
*
Polina sat with her legs bent at the edge of a crude little pool, a pair of handcuffs linking her wrists and ankles to iron rings by the poolside.
Of course, they weren't locked.
The pool water was turbid and green, its surface unnaturally calm.
Listening to the sounds of Winifred whipping the Silicone Model in the next room, she silently counted the seconds in her heart.
Three minutes didn't sound long, but when you were actually waiting, you realized every single second was torture.
Right then, the previously placid pool water suddenly erupted with a dense cluster of bubbles. A figure slowly emerged from the murky green depths.
Mop-like hair, slender limbs, bluish-gray skin.
A look of shock flashed across Polina's face, and she immediately broke free from the handcuffs, preparing to pull back.
She couldn't understand it. She had originally agreed with Daisy's analysis.
Either she and Dana had unknowingly met the bluish-gray eerie shadow's attack conditions, or the bluish-gray eerie shadow had a cooldown after randomly eliminating a player, or the eerie shadow itself was injured by Dana's prop and wasn't in good condition.
But now... it had appeared before her again!
Attack conditions? She was certain she hadn't done anything.
Cooldown? How long had it been? Not even a full morning had passed.
Not in good condition? Polina violently twisted her body to dodge a pounce.
This thing looked perfectly fucking fine!
Gripping her flashlight and dagger tightly, Polina took a deep breath.
Relying on this dagger alone, she was doomed to fail this trial.
As for hoping for rescue from her teammates? Those two probably couldn't wait to use her as a stepping stone to test the rules.
Dana's appearance last time was an accident. She might not be so lucky this time.
Having made up her mind, Polina hesitated no longer. With a flick of her wrist, a silver-white talisman appeared in her palm.
At the exact moment the bluish-gray eerie shadow lunged, she suddenly slapped the talisman onto her own chest.
As the silver light erupted, the eerie shadow let out a piercing shriek, as if repelled by an invisible barrier, and vanished without a trace the next second.
Polina stroked her chest, feeling a pang of heartache.
This was one of her most precious life-saving props, and she hadn't expected to use it so easily.
But life was the most important thing. As long as she was alive, there would always be chances to obtain more props.
Having comforted herself, Polina thought it was over.
She didn't plan to wait here any longer.
However, when she turned around, the sight before her made her breath catch.
One after another, bluish-gray eerie shadows slowly materialized at the edge of the pool, their hollow gazes locking onto her in unison.
"..." Polina instinctively took a step back.
Her lips trembled. The lone dagger in her hand offered no sense of security whatsoever.
So... there was more than one eerie shadow.
No wonder all those analyses didn't hold up.
*Splash—*
An inexplicable, immense force came from behind her. Propelled by the push, Polina tumbled headlong into that turbid pool water.
"Ugh— hel—" She struggled frantically in the pool.
The water was only waist-deep on an adult, yet her head was held down firmly by several eerie shadows, preventing her from surfacing.
Gradually, her struggles grew weaker and weaker, until they stopped completely.
Before losing consciousness, a thought flashed through Polina's mind.
Is this the difficulty of a mixed-team competition instance?
*
Winifred's gaze swept over the various different torture instruments, finally settling on a particular leather whip.
He blew the dust off it, picked up the whip, and the icy cold of the handle sent a shiver through him.
Turning to look at the Silicone Model bound to the torture rack, the lifelike human form added an extra layer of pressure.
Three minutes.
Winifred sighed softly.
Fortunately, he didn't plan to actually hit it. Just a few casual swings for appearances.
*Crack!*
The whip tip cut through the air, the sound of its passage echoing in the silent torture chamber.
Winifred deliberately controlled the distance and skillfully pulled his wrist, ensuring a successful swing without actually striking the model.
As for whether the show/production team would notice... that was a problem for later.
Compared to perfectly obeying the show/production team's challenge rules, he preferred to leave himself a little leeway.
Just as he was about to deliver the tenth lash, a patch of shadow suddenly materialized overhead.
Winifred's expression hardened, and he immediately stepped back, the pistol hidden in his sleeve appearing in his hand.
A bluish-gray eerie shadow, bound with ropes, dropped down from the ceiling, swaying slowly before the torture rack.
The moment he saw this, Winifred knew that there was probably more than one of these bluish-gray eerie shadows in the camp.
Thinking this, he couldn't help but inwardly lament that this was utterly terrible.
One could eliminate a player. He didn't dare imagine how many more of these things there were.
In the blink of an eye, the eerie shadow vanished. The next second, a chilling cold from behind made him instinctively lunge forward.
After successfully dodging a few times, Winifred felt a flicker of surprise.
He realized the other party seemed to be trying to drive him out of the torture chamber?
This was also why he had delayed firing.
But the eerie shadow seemed to grow impatient. With a sharp shriek, dozens of bluish-gray arms suddenly seeped up from the ground, reaching for Winifred's ankles.
"!" Winifred's eyes widened. "What?"
Now he couldn't afford to keep testing. He raised his hand and fired a shot at the eerie shadow dangling from the ceiling.
The enchanted bullet pierced through the eerie shadow's form. The shadow did writhe and vanish, but the bluish-gray arms on the floor remained.
As if enraged by the gunshot, those arms clawed wildly towards Winifred's legs.
"Ok, ok!" Winifred turned without hesitation and ran towards the exit of the torture chamber. "I get the rules! I'm going out!"
The moment he dashed out the main door, he collided with Daisy.
