Chapter 88: Surrounded

After bidding farewell to two friends, Li Cheng returned home, opened his mission log, and rubbed his temples in frustration.

【Mission Type: Scripted Mission (Multiplayer Deathmatch)】

【Mission Name: Oh No! I'm Surrounded by Beauties!】

【Mission Objective: By 12:00 AM tonight, apply a high-attractiveness makeup, sit in front of a turned-on TV screen, and wait for teleportation】

【Reward: To be revealed upon receiving the next mission prompt】

【Failure Penalty: Erasure】

Unlike team missions, multiplayer deathmatches have no concept of "teammates" and no "friendly fire penalty" mechanism.

Before the mission officially begins, all participants are surrounded by semi-transparent barriers, and friend communication between players remains functional.

【The growing depletion of oil resources finally triggered a great war; tens of thousands of nuclear bombs crisscrossed the atmosphere, planting artificial suns; radiation clouds blotted out the sky; over four billion died on the first day of conflict; the remaining four billion humans, facing radioactive dust, food shortages, and government collapse, marched toward extinction】

It would be best to add some cryptic, pseudo-profound status messages—"Finally became a coward who whines without cause, no longer daring to question the truth of love." "The most sour vinegar is the kind you have no right to taste." "Put on your pants before your shoes; be a grandson before you become a master."

Though aesthetics are subjective and vary from person to person, when scaled to humanity as a whole, there still exists such a thing as aesthetic commonality.

Little Red Riding Hood blinked in surprise, her tense expression easing slightly; encountering an acquaintance in a deathmatch was always welcome, especially since Li Cheng had left a strong impression on her last time—Master Pi Fu might be eccentric, but he seemed reliable enough.

The two exchanged silent glances; the other participants also observed one another.

Four young men, four young women; each possessed a beauty rating above seven out of ten, dressed in fashionable, trendy attire, holding weapons and watching each other warily.

The mirror reflected a freshly forged handsome face: sharp eyebrows, star-like eyes, defined features, eyes carrying three parts depth, three parts melancholy, three parts tenderness—the kind of face suitable for a social media profile picture.

【Isn't that Little Red Riding Hood?】

"So it's a post-apocalyptic dating matchmaking reality show!"

"I can't help but feel this mission, from its name to its objective, oozes pure malice."

【Reward 2: 600 Game Coins】

【Reward 3: One Random Item, Quality Based on Completion Rating】

"This should be about right."

【Just as all seemed irredeemable, a genius scientist emerged; he invented automated medical pods, freshwater purifiers, carbon dioxide-to-starch synthesizers, restarted nuclear power plants and fertilizer factories, nearly solving every problem except mutants, and pulled the dying Earth civilization back from the brink—recognized by every tribe and city-state on the wasteland as the Messiah and Savior】

They were a white man and woman, a black man and woman, an Indian man, and two East Asian women. One of the women, dressed in a suit with a tie and holding a fruit knife, was especially familiar.

Li Cheng muttered to himself, pulled out his makeup tools, and cooperated with the worm gene to reshape his facial features.

【The only challenge lies in how to sustain human civilization】

【Order was restored, cities revived; even starships were built at spaceports, launching plans for extraterrestrial colonization】

Wait, what does this mission name have to do with the war? If it's a post-nuclear wasteland setting, why is there a luxury villa? Are you kidding me?

【Failure Penalty: Next mission becomes a Punishment Mission】

【Mission Time Limit: 72 Hours】

【Mission Briefing Sent】

Besides Li Cheng, seven other figures stood in the living room.

A passionate, emotionally charged voice suddenly blared from a speaker embedded in the ceiling, like a reality show's background narrator.

"Four men, four women—eight total. They will meet, learn about each other, confront their emotional desires head-on, and strive to find the most compatible partner to walk to the end together—setting a healthy example of romance for the youth of the wasteland."

"This program uses live broadcasting; multiple game segments are set. The contestant receiving the fewest viewer votes and lowest popularity in each segment will be exiled to the wasteland."

【Mission Objective: Follow the game rules and survive until the game ends】

The so-called "high-end face," "high-end aesthetics"—all are artificial constructs manufactured by capital marketing. If you don't believe it, check the big data of a certain unwilling-to-name yellow-black website—mouths lie, biological instincts do not.

The first paragraph of the briefing nearly broke everyone's composure.

"Welcome to 'Oh No! I'm Surrounded by Beauties/Sexy Guys!'—a reality show co-produced by Eden TV and the New Humanity Consortium, the latest and hottest post-apocalyptic dating show following 'That Corpse Made Me Fall in Love,' '50c Half-ripe Lovers,' and 'Which Twin Mutant Sister Should I Choose?'"

Li Cheng sent a message to Little Red Riding Hood and gave an almost imperceptible hand gesture to signal his identity: 【It's me, Master Pi Fu. The Asian male with glasses.】

And outside the floor-to-ceiling window, utter darkness—no light visible whatsoever.

【Eh?! Master Pi Fu? We meet again...】

The Little Red Riding Hood from the Day Island Anomaly Investigation Bureau had changed little since their last encounter in 【Curse of the Dead Hatred】—still timid and nervous, her face clearly bearing makeup traces.

【The earth lay barren; mutants, savage tribes, bandits, mutants, slave traders, and corpses wandered the wastelands; order was nearly nonexistent, with only a handful of cities still struggling to keep the flame of civilization alive】

【Reward 1: 600 Experience Points】

The only anomalies were the rows of rails embedded in the ceiling (each rail held mechanical arms connected to professional digital cameras),

The clock's hands ticked steadily; the instant they reached 12:00 AM, the scene abruptly shifted—they arrived at a villa?

The villa's interior was elegantly and freshly decorated: light wool carpets, green velvet armchairs, beige leather sofas, a crystal-clear LCD television—all silently proclaiming "quiet luxury."

【Reward 4: One Emergency Escape Card】

This meant that deathmatch missions were typically zero-sum games.

【This mission is a Deathmatch; Summoners may attack each other】

Players may attack one another; if a player is killed, the attacker directly obtains the victim's dropped equipment and items (items stored in the dead player's inventory vanish).

"If viewership drops below a certain threshold, the show will be canceled outright, and all contestants will be executed—just like in 'Love Radiation Apartment.' May they rest in peace."

"Now, let us witness sweet, sour, and deadly romance~"

(End of Chapter)