People in Yu-Gi-Oh! The hyper-converged audience is also integrated

Chapter 267 The Last Safe Zone (Part 2)
"Let's settle on the sea and fight over the ship," Tang Xin said.

Li Guanqi looked down, staring at the seabed and the splashing water, and said softly, "Then why this particular area of ​​the sea?"

Tang Xin was speechless for a moment.

On the coastline of Middle Finger Island, in a toxic fog zone, several convicts dressed in prison uniforms, looking remarkably relaxed, were leaning against the rocks, puffing out smoke.

The commotion at sea was irrelevant to them; their "job"—sweeping away the poor creatures fleeing the poison—was essentially over.

"Damn it, this poisonous fog is making me feel suffocated." A burly man with a face full of scars and a scorpion tattooed on his neck spat out a mouthful of saliva, which evaporated instantly on the scalding sand.

Another tall, thin man with deep-set eyes chuckled, "Didn't catch many fun ones either..."

"They're all as fragile as monkeys, and they look like bears when they cry."

"Hahaha--"

Several criminals burst into cheerful laughter.

Before the words were finished, heavy and hurried footsteps came from the depths of the jungle, treading on withered branches and fallen leaves, carrying a resolute determination that disregarded everything.

"Oh, so someone's still running from the poison gas?" The tall, thin man perked up, a mocking look on his face like a cat catching a mouse. He stood up, stretched his limbs, and his joints cracked.

Brother Biao grinned, his eyes flashing with malice: "I'm itching for a fight, guys. Let's give this friend who's been working so hard to escape the poison and still believes in hope a big gift."

The other criminals responded in unison, grinning maliciously as they stood in a row, rubbing their hands together, ready to crush the hope of the drug runner in the most primitive and brutal way.

The shadows shifted, and a figure suddenly darted out from the woods.

The newcomer was Lin Chen. His eyes were anxious and fierce, and he exuded a beast-like sense of oppression.

"Hey kid, you're unlucky to have run into us!" Brother Biao was even more emboldened when he saw that there was only one person.

He grinned maliciously, then suddenly raised his leg, kicking Lin Chen in the stomach with a gust of wind, yelling, "Taste your brother Biao's infertility-severing kick..."

"Bang!" A muffled sound rang out, but it wasn't the sound of Lin Chen being kicked away.

Brother Biao's foot landed solidly on Lin Chen's abdomen, but the expected scene of the other party falling to the ground in pain did not appear. He only felt as if his ankle had hit a red-hot steel plate, and a piercing pain instantly spread from his toes to his thigh!
"Crack!" A crisp sound of bone breaking rang out.

Newton's third law also applies in Biantana.

Force is mutual.

"what--!!!"

"My foot! My foot!" Brother Biao clutched his right foot, hopping on one leg on the beach, letting out a series of pig-like screams.

His once fierce face was now contorted with pain, his features distorted, and mixed with sand and dust, he looked utterly wretched.

The mocking smiles on the faces of the other criminals also froze. They looked at each other, clearly not expecting this outcome.

What's this kid running from the poison gas made of? Is his body made of iron?

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in the eyes of the tall, thin criminal, who shouted defiantly, "Playing tricks!"

He lunged forward, his right fist clenched, the wind whistling through the air with a whooshing sound, aiming straight for Lin Chen's face.

In his eyes, this punch was powerful and heavy enough to crack even a stubborn rock.

"Bang!" Another muffled sound.

Immediately afterwards, two "click" sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

One sound was the cracking of the tall, thin criminal's finger bones. His fist had indeed struck the mask, but the mask was harder than anyone could have imagined. The enormous recoil made him feel as if his hand bones had hit a wall of copper and iron, instantly breaking into several pieces.

The other sound was the faint cracking sound coming from the clown mask.

"Ah—!" The tall, thin criminal let out a suppressed groan of pain, clutching his deformed right hand and backing away repeatedly, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"What is that?!"

The other criminals trembled at the sight and quickly made way for him.

A clear crack appeared on Lin Chen's face, running from his brow to his chin. However, the crack only lasted for a few seconds before healing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He didn't even flinch, and his expression remained completely calm throughout the entire process.

My gaze remained fixed on the seashore, where a speedboat we had arranged to meet was waiting.

Not far away, on an abandoned watchtower, Chu Chan was frowning as he listened to the commotion on the shore. He was just about to set off to investigate.

"Chu Chan, over here! There's poison gas!" The proctor Bai Shu's voice came from another direction, tinged with impatience.

Chu Chan paused, his brows furrowing even more deeply.

His current identity is not that of an agent; he has temporarily joined as a third-party enemy and is nominally required to follow Bai Shu's orders.

"Here I am," Chu Chan replied softly, suppressing his concern, and turned to run quickly in the direction of Bai Shu.

Lin Chen traveled at high speed and finally broke through the last obstacle of the jungle, arriving at the secluded beach where he and Lu Li had agreed to park the speedboat.

A salty, damp sea breeze swept over me, carrying a thick, toxic fog.

He looked around anxiously, his gaze sweeping over every reef and every sand dune.

No, it's empty.

The speedboat is still there, bound to an identity, so no one else can use it, but that small, thin figure has vanished without a trace.

“Luli…” Lin Chen’s voice became dry.

"Luli!"

He raised his voice, unable to suppress his tension and panic, even more so than when he put on the clown mask and his compatibility soared to 99%.

"Taobao, it's obsolete..."

A desperate thought arose in Lin Chen's mind.

Yes, how could she possibly hide from the test takers all by herself? There were also third-party enemies and poison. She had no credits, no card deck, no guns, and not even a gas mask.

"I'm late."

Lin Chen collapsed to his knees on the beach, his body hunched over, his hands digging deep into the cold sand.

For him, whether he could advance or survive was not important. From the moment he put on that eerie clown mask and connected to the so-called clown network, he had embarked on a path of no return, destined to sink into darkness.

But things are different on the road.

She finally seized this opportunity to change her fate; she deserves a better life, instead of struggling in the mire like him.

The sea breeze blew, ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead.

Just then, a string of tiny bubbles suddenly rose from the calm sea not far away.

Then, with a "plop," a small head suddenly popped out from underwater.

His wet hair clung to his cheeks; it was Luli.

As soon as she broke the surface, she opened her mouth wide, desperately trying to breathe in fresh air. However, what she inhaled was an extremely high concentration of toxic fumes.

"Ugh—" Luli let out a painful groan, her face turning red instantly, then bluish-purple. She frantically pounded her chest, trying to cough up the poisonous gas she had inhaled, but to no avail.

Then, her eyes rolled back, and her body went limp and she fell backward.

While holding your breath underwater can temporarily protect you from the toxic fumes, the amount of toxic gas you inhale when you surface to breathe is far greater than usual.

"Lu—Li!" Lin Chen let out a shrill scream upon seeing this scene, and rushed over like an arrow released from a bow.

He staggered to the beach, yanked the nearly unconscious Luli out of the water, and quickly pulled out a gas mask, putting it over her face.

"Luli, wake up!"

After a long while, under Lin Chen's almost rough shaking, Lu Li finally woke up slowly, her long eyelashes trembling as she slowly opened her eyes. "Lin Chen...you, you're back..." she said, her eyes half-closed, her voice as weak as a mosquito's buzz, her gaze still somewhat unfocused.

But when she saw Lin Chen's face, she managed a weak smile.

"I'm back, I'm back." Lin Chen hugged Lu Li tightly and ran quickly back to the speedboat.

As Lu Li emerged from the poisonous fog, her breathing gradually calmed down. She subconsciously reached out her cold little hand and tightly gripped Lin Chen's clothes, feeling the familiar scent and warmth emanating from him, which calmed her chaotic emotions somewhat.

Lin Chen quickly started the speedboat, the engine roared, and the speedboat cut through the waves like a sharp arrow, rushing towards the safe zone.

As Lu Li slowly regained her senses and her consciousness gradually cleared, she looked at Lin Chen's profile as he focused on driving the speedboat and suddenly realized a fatal problem.

"Lin Chen, your mask..." she exclaimed in surprise, her voice hoarse and anxious, "Why aren't you wearing it..."

As she spoke, she reached out to remove the gas mask from her face, intending to return it to Lin Chen.

"Put it back on!" Lin Chen interrupted her without turning his head.

"I am fine."

He raised his wrist, displaying his supercomputing ring, on which the life count bar remained almost unchanged.

“How could nothing be wrong…” Lu Li’s voice trembled.

"You... what's wrong with you... what happened..." She could sense that Lin Chen in front of her was different from before.

"Nothing happened." Lin Chen stared at the billowing poisonous fog and the faintly visible ship ahead, his voice eerily calm.

Just as the speedboat was about to burst out of a relatively dense toxic fog ahead, Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously pulled Lu Li behind him, using his body to shield her.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Almost simultaneously, several bullets flashing with a ghostly blue light whistled from the shadowy boat emerging from the poisonous fog ahead, accurately striking the speedboat.

Lin Chen stood at the bow of the boat, neither dodging nor blocking.

The expression on his face was no longer as panicked and anxious as before, but rather a kind of numb calm.

All the bullets hit his body, leaving several charred dents.

However, the lifespan on the supercomputing ring only decreased by a negligible point or two.

Lu Li hid behind Lin Chen, watching this scene in astonishment. Instead of feeling the joy of surviving a disaster, she was overwhelmed by a strong sense of unease that made her feel suffocated.

The bullets carry impact force, causing a clear pain to the hit person. This pain is fed back to the supercomputing ring through the nerves, thus affecting the reduction of life points.

The degree of life almost did not decrease, and there is only one explanation—

He could no longer feel pain.

"Lin Chen..." Lu Li seemed to realize something, her voice trembling, "Let's...let's go back together, okay? We won't take the exam, we won't take the exam, okay?"

"Don't say such nonsense!" Lin Chen stared straight ahead and let out a sharp roar.

Lu Li trembled at his sudden roar, and tears welled up in her eyes. This was the first time Lin Chen had spoken to her in such a fierce tone.

Lin Chen's chest rose and fell slightly, and the fierce look in his eyes softened a little.

He paused, his tone returning to its usual gentleness, though tinged with an undeniable weariness and bitterness.

"After you get accepted into the Spirit Control Division, they will give you a medical examination, provide you with food and lodging, and give you a generous salary. They will also provide you with domain cards, powerful card decks, and even the latest firearms."

"Don't worry about adapting to life there. They will arrange for experienced people to give you systematic training, teaching you how to fight and how to use the equipment."

"Once you get in, you'll have everything."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "You don't need to follow me anymore, living that kind of homeless, fearful life."

He turned his head, gave Luli a deep look, and forced a smile: "That swordsman... he was quite nice to you. This outfit is beautiful, it suits you well. Now you look like... like a proper girl."

"No!" Luli screamed, her voice shrill.

She suddenly stretched out her hands and frantically tore at the fine, beautiful dress she was wearing, shouting, "I don't want it! I don't want any of this!"

The sound of tearing fabric echoed on the speedboat.

"Luli!" Lin Chen roared at her again, his voice filled with bitterness.

Luli froze, startled by his shout. She sobbed, like a wronged little animal, and dared not make any further moves.

"Did you hear the gunfire all around?" Lin Chen's voice lowered, carrying a chilling calm. "From more than 20,000 people at the beginning, the fighting has dwindled to less than 400. They are still fighting and scrambling, willing to pay any price for a spot in the Spirit Capturing Division."

He slowly turned his head, gazing into the distance.

"This might be us..."

"The only chance in this lifetime."

"And what about you..." Lu Li choked up, tears blurring her vision. She could only see a blurry figure of Lin Chen's back. "What will you do then..."

"I..." Lin Chen looked at the increasingly faint poisonous fog in front of him, and then at the gradually brightening sky and sea after the fog dissipated, and said softly.

"I can't go back."

From the moment he put on the clown mask and connected to that eerie clown network, he already knew his fate.

Some roads, once embarked upon, offer no turning back.

"boom--"

The speedboat accelerated suddenly, as if breaking free from some kind of restraint, and finally burst out of the last thick layer of poisonous fog, entering the relatively calm and safe waters.

The dazzling sunlight shone down, dispelling the gloom of the past few days.

Lin Chen raised his head, smiled, and took a breath of fresh air.

In the air above the safe zone, dozens or even hundreds of monster projections floated densely, each with a different shape and emitting chilling energy fluctuations.

[The final safe zone is shrinking]

Three minutes left

[Currently alive: 358 people]

The cold, mechanical electronic announcement echoed through the sky like a death knell.

On the sea, the people who were fiercely exchanging fire and engaging in a life-or-death struggle all stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky.

After three minutes, when the countdown ends, the system will display the location of the next and final safe zone.

But this location—

"Hey, you're kidding, right..." A burly man looked at the sky and muttered to himself, his joy instantly freezing on his face.

"This...this is fucking..."

"Where is the safe zone?!" Countless people screamed in despair.

Whether it was Lin Chen and Lu Li who had just emerged from the poisonous fog, or Xia Sheng and Yu Wanyin, who were floating on the sea and barely surviving on the symbiotic card, or the various people on the six large ships, including Li Guanqi and Tang Xin who remained calm and tried to analyze the situation.

At that moment, they all looked up at the sky.

On their faces, a mixture of astonishment, absurdity, and despair appeared, as if they were witnessing the most incredible sight in the world.

On the system's huge virtual screen, the marker representing the final safe zone is no longer a gradually shrinking circle.

Instead, they were two solitary figures, so small they were almost indistinguishable...

Two red dots.

(End of this chapter)