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

Chapter 281 The People Under the Sea

[Current survivors: 254...]

[Current survivors: 242...]

[Current survivors: 236...]

The chilling notification sounds rang out one after another, like a death knell, echoing in the ears of every survivor.

The underwater arena completely collapsed, and the raging currents transformed into countless out-of-control giant hands, pulling and tearing everything apart. The examinees were like being thrown into a runaway washing machine, tumbling and colliding in the murky seawater, unable to control their bodies.

The icy seawater kept seeping into his mouth and nose, and each struggle was accompanied by a decrease in his life force.

One candidate, with amazing perseverance, used both his hands and feet to leap upwards.

Go upwards, only by going upwards can you find air!
Finally, the light above them became clearer and clearer, and with their last bit of strength, they burst out of the water.

“Huhaha!”

He opened his mouth greedily, trying to inhale the first breath of "lifesaving" air.

However, the initial taste was not sweet, but rather a pungent odor with a strange sweet aroma.

"Uh...cough! Cough cough!" His eyes widened suddenly, and he let out a hoarse gasp and cough, his face filled with horror.

"Damn it."

His vision quickly went dark, all his strength was drained, and he fell backward with his eyes rolled back.

"Wait for me here."

The supercomputing ring on their wrists flashed red light rapidly, and their lifespan dropped sharply from 45% when they were struggling to survive to 27%. A thin, pale golden film popped out and enveloped them, isolating them from the outside world.

It's safe now, and it's obsolete.

more than one.

One after another, two or three more figures struggled to break through the water's surface.

The moment they surfaced, their expressions shifted from extreme longing to utter astonishment. They coughed violently, their eyes rolled back, and they were ejected by the safety barrier. Before losing consciousness, one of them uttered a few incoherent words: "Poison...fog..."

"Don't come up."

All of this was witnessed by the examinees underwater who were still barely able to maintain a semblance of consciousness.

Through the churning, distorted curtain of water, they clearly witnessed the brief "liberation" of the 'vanguard team' after they burst out of the water, and their subsequent elimination.

The mumbled "poison...fog..." exploded in their minds like a thunderclap.

Oh, right! There's a toxic zone above the water! I was so focused on watching the duel and dodging the currents that I forgot about this most deadly point!
A chill ran from their tailbone straight up to the top of their head, almost making them unable to breathe.

Several candidates who were desperately swimming upstream suddenly froze, their bodies instinctively screaming, "Go up! There's air up there!" but reason warned, "Going up means elimination!"

Each heartbeat intensified the thirst for air, and my throat burned with pain from lack of oxygen.

Life, consciousness, and instinct raise a sharp question at this moment—can a person intentionally suffocate themselves?
People who can swim underwater face this dilemma.

Some people desperately pounded their chests with their fists, trying to relieve the feeling of suffocation; some bit their lips tightly, forcing themselves to calm down, and frantically scanned the murky water; while others completely gave up thinking, closed their eyes, and desperately held their breath.

They don't need to be the last one alive; they just need to be the one who can hold out longer than 30 people out of the 230-plus.

The life scores of the more than two hundred people are now about the same, with a small number of people with good physical fitness and strong willpower having slightly higher life scores.

Most people simply leave it to fate.

In the chaotic sea, Yu Wanyin searched desperately in the churning eddies. Finally, her fingertips touched a familiar piece of fabric. She grabbed it tightly. It was her brother, Yu Wancha!
She pulled him closer with all her might and swam upwards without hesitation. Suddenly, with a "thump," the person swimming in front of her was eliminated the moment he emerged from the water and bounced off the barrier.

Alarm bells rang in Yu Wanyin's mind—there was poisonous fog on the water!
Damn it, are the organizers even human beings?!

She stopped abruptly and looked down at her brother beside her.

The bad news is that Yu Wancha has been unconscious for some time, his life force is not at full strength, his face is pale, and if it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would be no different from a corpse.

The good news is that he is now in a half-shark state, with a pair of gills, allowing him to breathe underwater. His life expectancy is declining more slowly than that of an ordinary person, which is a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.

"Hang in there, brother!" Yu Wanyin gritted her teeth and roared in her heart, but her arms tightened around him even more.

The burning pain in her lungs intensified, urging her to surface, but reason fiercely suppressed her instincts.

"Just a little longer, just a little longer..."

"We can go in now, and we won't have to run away anymore..."

Yu Wanyin closed her eyes tightly and prayed silently. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and looked around. The seawater was still murky.

Where did Xia Sheng go?
On the other side, Li Guanqi struggled to push aside the floating debris in the icy seawater and finally saw a familiar figure not far away—Tang Xin was struggling in vain in the water, coughing repeatedly, and was obviously close to her limit.

His heart tightened, and he swam faster to her, grabbing her cold wrist.

As if grasping at a straw, Tang Xinru instinctively reached out and tightly gripped Li Guanqi. The familiar, firm, and powerful touch dispelled the fear and despair in her heart.

A strange sense of security welled up in my heart, and even the life value displayed on the supercomputing ring miraculously slowed down its rate of decline.

She stopped thrashing about and instead pressed her body tightly against Li Guanqi, following the force of his movements.

Li Guanqi held his breath, feeling as if his lungs were about to explode. He steadied Tang Xin and quickly glanced at their life stats. They were about the same, with just over forty percent remaining.

Tang Xin's emotions stabilized, so her condition deteriorated more slowly than his.

Destiny is a virtual numerical value that describes a state. It will automatically level off under normal circumstances. Negative feedback will cause it to decrease, while positive feedback, even if it is just a vague sense of security, can bring about positive changes.

It is impossible to reverse the suffocating pain of drowning; one can only slow down the descent.

Li Guanqi forced himself to calm down, gently patted Tang Xin's back to silently comfort her, and at the same time tried his best to control his rhythm and stay awake in the dizziness of lack of oxygen.

"A person can hold their breath for three minutes after falling into the water."

"Breathing has stopped for one minute before losing consciousness." "Even if unconscious, the heart will continue to beat for up to three minutes."

Tang Xin sensed his composure and hugged him even tighter, frowning and pressing her face against his chest.

[Current survivors: 224...]

[Current survivors: 220...]

[Current survivors: 215...]

All the surviving candidates closed their eyes, listened to the prompts from the supercomputing ring, their hearts pounding faster and faster, and silently recited the instructions.

Fifteen more are needed.
Only fifteen short.
On the other side, Lin Chen pushed aside a twisted metal plate in the chaotic water. His eyes behind the mask calmly scanned the surroundings. Most of the surviving examinees had a survival rate of around 40%, while his supercomputing ring steadily showed 98%.

The conflicting ideologies of the Spirit Control Bureau and the Bell led to disagreements on how to name things.

When the rationality rate drops by 50%, the Prisoner's Office calls it "illness," while Zhong calls it "awakening."

The Julingsi (a type of ancient Chinese military organization) called it the "hour hand," the clock was called the "hour and year hand," the Julingsi called it the "minute hand," and the clock was called the "minute star hand."

Similarly, regarding the mask Lin Chen is currently wearing.

The mask, known as the "clown mask" by the clown of the twelve-hour clock, is distributed to those below him/her. When he/she sacrifices himself or injures a small figure, the wearer may suddenly die while walking down the street or eating hot pot.

Once you put on a mask, there is no longer a second of safety.

Inside the bell, however, this mask is called the "Forget-Worries Mask".

They always say, "Once you put on this mask, you will no longer be in pain, you will no longer be sad."

Just like Lin Chen now, despite being in a state of drowning, he did not feel any pain from drowning.

But there was no pain.

That doesn't mean they won't die.

After a certain period of oxygen deprivation, he will also experience dizziness and brain death.

His only worry now is Lu Li, that little girl, who isn't very good at swimming.

Lin Chen nimbly dodged a broken pipe, his vision struggling to navigate through the murky seawater. Finally, amidst a swirling mass of bubbles and debris, he caught a glimpse of a familiar light-colored hem.

It's Luli!
She was being swept around by an undercurrent, waving her hands wildly, and small, choking bubbles were rising intermittently, clearly indicating that she was also nearing her limit.

With a firm resolve, Lin Chen swam faster.

He reached out and firmly grasped Luli's cold wrist.

Like a drowning person grabbing the only piece of driftwood, Lu Li gripped it tightly as if electrocuted, and hurriedly wrapped her other hand around it as well. She clung to Lin Chen, burying her face tightly in his chest.

Her body trembled violently from the cold and fear, and incoherent sobs escaped her lips intermittently.

Lin Chen let her hold him tightly, his expression momentarily stunned. Submerged in the sea, he couldn't comfort her with his usual gentle words.

After hesitating for a long time.

He reached out his other hand, trembling, and somewhat awkwardly patted her back gently, once, then again.

Finally, the patting hands slowly stopped, he put his arm around her back, and the two hugged each other tightly.

As Xia Sheng lay submerged at the bottom of the sea, looking at the people around him supporting each other, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

The world is still better than the underworld.

There is friendship, love, and family here.

Xia Sheng turned his head and his gaze fell on a small pavilion not far ahead. Inside the pavilion was the permanent work station of the Spirit Control Division, with a control panel inside and outside. Two staff members wearing heavy diving suits stood next to it. Further away, four underwater work robots were spread out in a fan shape, their indicator lights flashing cold red light, firmly guarding this area.

The two divers and the four robots were staring intently at Xia Sheng, their movements stiff, every inch of their bodies exuding a high degree of vigilance.

The story of Xia Sheng, a candidate who had easily defeated Mo Li and Nan Yangming with a single punch and a karate chop, had already reached them through various channels.

Xia Sheng's lips twitched slightly, ignoring their tension, and walked straight towards the control panel.

"Stop!" A diver finally couldn't hold back any longer, his voice coming through the underwater communication device, crackling with static and trembling.

Xia Sheng did not stop walking.

"Warning! Halt immediately!" another diver shouted, exchanging a glance with his partner. The two of them slightly bent over, assuming a defensive posture. The four underwater robots also moved simultaneously, raising their alloy arms, the tips of which flashed with dangerous arcs of electricity.

Xia Sheng seemed not to hear, and even quickened his pace.

One of the divers couldn't contain himself any longer. With a low shout, he kicked his leg and, using the force of the water, charged towards Xia Sheng like a torpedo. His right fist was clenched, and the metal covering the glove drew a pale white line in the water.

A muffled thud echoed through the water, much more subdued than expected.

The diver felt an irresistible force coming from Xia Sheng's arm; no, it didn't even feel like a block, but more like he had deliberately crashed into an invisible wall.

He watched as Xia Sheng casually raised his hand and gently pressed it on his shoulder. The next instant, an overwhelming force erupted, and the diver let out a short groan. He was thrown backward involuntarily, tumbling several times in the water before barely managing to regain his balance.

Upon seeing this, the other diver's pupils contracted sharply, but duty called. He roared to bolster his courage and instead of retreating, he advanced, crossing his arms in front of his chest, attempting to crash into Xia Sheng in a more secure manner.

Xia Sheng shifted his body slightly to the side, his right leg whipping out like a whip, accompanied by a low, cracking sound as water broke, with unparalleled speed.

"Thwack!" The second diver followed in his companion's footsteps, being precisely struck in the side and sent flying, crashing into the metal bulkhead of the nearby cabin with a loud bang.

At the same time, four underwater robots had surrounded Xia Sheng. They had no human emotions, and their programmed commands drove them to execute attacks efficiently. Two of them charged in from the front, while the other two circled around to Xia Sheng's side and rear, attempting to launch a pincer attack.

Leadership can affect not only the Card Spirits, but also the corresponding races in the real world.

When the leadership ability of a person of the same race grows to a certain level, that person can be called a candidate.

(End of this chapter)