Chapter 695: Trap

The blade severed his foot tendon.

Similarly weakened in physique, the Awakened One running ahead of the man screamed suddenly and collapsed.

His left foot was cleanly severed, the sole dropping to the ground.

Behind him, the man who had almost caught him, eyes crazed, stepped over him and dealt another heavy blow.

Die!

I don't need to outrun the monster; I just need to outrun my companions!

He ignored the disbelieving, painful gaze of the Awakened One lying on the ground.

The man felt no guilt.

On the contrary, he felt somewhat relieved by his decisiveness.

I can't die—I still need to reach third rank and return to reality!

Almost in the next second.

Hearing the horrifying sound of flesh shattering behind him, the man unhesitatingly set his sights on the next target.

"What are you doing?!"

"Du Lun Te?!"

"We're companions!!"

Those running ahead sensed something wrong behind them.

Everyone panicked, turning back in shock.

No one imagined that, so soon after the trial began, betrayal would erupt among the survivors.

You should know—the attacker is actually a member of their safe zone!

No explanation was given.

Seeing his suddenly panicked companion, the man gasped heavily, trying to hack down another.

I won't survive—neither will you!

Since becoming an Awakened One, the long‑absent threat of death made him tear off his former pretense completely.

Damn it, this is the apocalypse—we should have realized this long ago!

Cooperation, trust?!

Then why do you run so fast, yet dare not turn back to fight the monster?

As the man raged, preparing to drag another down, an alarm sounded from deep within.

"Woooo!!!"

Like an air‑raid siren.

Under the sudden alarm, a hint of fear rose in everyone's heart.

At the same time.

The sky instantly turned dusky yellow, the mist dissipated.

The three‑headed monster that had been chasing them vanished as if it had never existed.

No... it's gone?!

He looked back.

Ecstasy.

The man gasped like a survivor, his eyes showing shock.

What the hell kind of place is this?!

No time to react.

The exhausted crowd bent over with effort, stopping their flight.

The system prompt sounded again.

Just as it sounded, the man shuddered all over before he could check.

He swallowed saliva.

The companion who had stopped stared at him fixedly, the skill charged in his hand almost locking onto him.

"Just... just now was a misunderstanding!!"

After realizing the monster had vanished, the people no longer faced a threat.

And his own life‑saving move had already drawn the squad's hostility.

The man forced a grim smile, trying to explain.

But those eyes were full of killing intent.

"Wang Qiang!!"

A hoarse cry of grief.

The Huaxia Military squad of over a hundred had already lost nearly thirty Awakened Ones.

This was the outcome despite everyone forming ranks and resisting together.

A soldier, his face smeared with blood, his right hand broken, lay grieving on a comrade's corpse.

"Just one second more!"

"Just one second more!"

The deceased was his best brother in the army; the two had jointly joined the underground city project.

But just one second before, the fallen Awakened One, to block the monster breaking formation, fearlessly conjured a shield and rushed forward.

That one second of blockage bought the whole squad a breather.

And he too was split in half by a blow to the head.

"Zhao Yang!"

"Compose yourselves! This is a mission!"

The officer leading the squad, leaning on a huge hammer, had a stern expression, and a flicker of reluctance flashed in their eyes.

In less than three minutes, the number of fallen Awakened Ones is simply too great!

Just after entering the tower, they were attacked by triangular monsters.

If it weren't that most Awakened Ones were selected from the Underground City Project and possess mutagenic abilities.

In that recent wave of impact, the death toll might even double.

Their fists clenched tightly.

The officer let out a harsh shout, quelling the soldiers' agitated emotions.

They must not lose their composure!

This place is too terrifying!

Looking at the newly released system notice, the officer's face turned grim.

"Strength Trial Rules Explanation:"

"When the number of trial participants' deaths exceeds 15%, the protection mechanism is triggered."

"Players can voluntarily withdraw from the trial after each alarm sounds."

"Those who withdraw midway will have 50% of all attributes deducted and will be forcibly deprived of the qualification to advance to the third rank."

"After the alarm sounds, during the system protection period, the duration is 10 minutes."

"Countdown: 9 minutes 58 seconds..."

"Trial Mission Requirements:"

"1. Killing fellow Awakened Ones yields 1 point. Upon reaching 5 points, you can exchange for a gene lock activation. (After the kill, you gain half of the opponent's point reserve.)"

"2. Killing triangular fiends (Arbiters) yields 2 points; upon meeting the condition, you can activate the gene lock and additionally gain a success rate boost."

"3. Advancing to the lower level yields 5 points; the reward rules are as above."

Killing people, killing monsters, and advancing to the next layer.

Seeing the blood-red countdown, the officer's heart shuddered.

This trial is completely different from what was described by word of mouth.

Seeing the Awakened Ones who died there, the officer felt as if his heart were dripping blood.

These are all elites selected from hundreds of millions of Survivors!

Overwhelmed by unease, he hurriedly contacted another commander who bears "that existence".

That commander chose solo mode, which likewise signifies that special existence.

At this moment, he wished to question why the intelligence was wrong.

Killing to earn points?

Why is it like this?

Within a barbed-wire fence strewn with shredded flesh, a masked figure stood alone in an open space.

Lin An gazed thoughtfully at the newly appeared system rules.

Did the protection mechanism trigger because too many died in a short time?

The penalty for withdrawing midway is truly cruel.

Not only is all hope of growing stronger completely cut off, but one's own strength will also plummet.

Moreover, the hidden consequences will even affect the warzone's evaluation.

Lin An hasn't forgotten that the final deathmatch stage will determine the fate of each warzone.

If many people withdraw, it's tantamount to sentencing one's own warzone to death.

However, there should be quite a few who fear death.

Watching the countdown gradually tick down to zero, Lin An's eyes showed contemplation.

"Lin Dui, this place is truly freaky."

Standing inside a narrow restroom, Xiong Hanzi sniffed around.

He didn't know where he had been sent, but he could be sure he was on the same level as Lin An, in the same surface world.

Inside the restroom, the yellow-white tiles were covered with dried bloody handprints.

A male corpse with its abdomen sliced open hung from the ceiling, spread-eagled and bound with wire.

"What should we do next?"

"Should I come find you?"

Accustomed to relying on Lin An, Xiong Hanzi looked around somewhat irritably.

He simply couldn't understand what the system meant, nor did he know what to do.

A moment of silence passed.

Lin An first looked up at the dim yellow sky, then glanced at the explanation of the surface world.

Three ways to earn points... strength awakening... alarm... surface world.

In his rapid thinking, Lin An actually came up with many clues.

During Safety time, find a way to go down to the next level!

"Try not to attack and kill Awakened Ones!"

"I suspect this is a trap!"

Huh?

A trap?

Xiong Hanzi was stunned after hearing that.

He could understand the earlier requirement.

Lin Dui's mission required entering the final layer.

But why can't we kill Awakened Ones?

According to the system rules, no matter how you think, killing people is the fastest and safest...

Killing people earns points, and you can also gain the points they possess.

Even thinking with your toes, most Awakened Ones would secretly choose this method.

His entire body was encased in a ferocious bone-spike armor.

The Huaxia Military commander who had chosen the solo trial looked grimly at the crystal ball in his hand.

"I need an explanation!"

Inside the crystal ball, a gaunt old man opened his mouth, also showing doubt.

He also bore a hint of bewilderment.

That's not right...

He remembered that the first trial shouldn't have been like this.