Chapter 580: Unlock Conditions for Rare Hidden Achievements?! Long Time No See!

Two and a half hours passed.

The Heavenly Disaster halted abruptly, and the ground littered with hail and wounds testified to the recent "baptism".

Ice crystal shards were as numerous as cattle hair; many melted into droplets that gathered into a lake, flowing down the elevation differences toward the Small River.

The trees, already torn to rags, now looked even more unbearable.

Looking around, vast swaths of Forest lay fallen, their branches stripped bare as if shaved.

Soon, two silhouettes emerged from the Forest and returned to the familiar Plain.

Gazing at the flickering lights of the Small Wooden Cabin, Su Yang's eyes glittered as he murmured, "I'm so hungry, let's go home for a meal!"

"I'm hungry too. Are there beans for dinner?" Cao An clutched a rhombus‑shaped ice crystal in his hand like a prized delicacy, licking the water that seeped out as it melted.

"Probably chicken and Rabbit Meat, but I don't know if the Cook prepared a portion for us," Su Yang said.

"I don't want to eat rabbit," Cao An shook his head vigorously, his face full of Resistance.

"Heh… when your stomach growls, you'll even gnaw on grass," Su Yang said slowly.

"What does grass taste like?" Cao An involuntarily let saliva pool.

Su Yang stamped his Foot and indicated, "Just try a bite and you'll know."

Cao An, half‑believing, took a piece, chewed it, then his face turned earth‑colored, "Bleh, it's terrible."

The once‑vibrant countryside was now unrecognizable; massive piles of hail formed small hills that, under moonlight, resembled an ice‑capped throne.

The night temperature dropped sharply, and Su Yang felt a chill as he walked across the fields.

The road back should have taken an hour, but Cao An, given to playfulness, kept dragging Su Yang around.

Even a toad corpse flattened by hail could spout a hundred‑thousand whys.

To that, Su Yang always patiently explained.

In his dazed state, Cao An retained a child's pure innocence, brimming with curiosity about everything.

To become his sole reliance, Su Yang spared no time in keeping him company.

Luck must not be discarded; this trump card has to stay in his hand.

Therefore, no matter how playful Cao An became, Su Yang always stayed by his side.

Children never grasp the adults' convoluted ways, nor the scheming of others.

Yet they can tell who truly cares for them.

"Su Yang, I'm sleepy."

Approaching the Small Wooden Cabin, Cao An yawned, his sleepy eyes half‑open as he spoke.

"Hmm, eat something after we get back, then go to bed," Su Yang replied.

"I don't want to eat, I want to sleep," Cao An shook his head in refusal.

"No, you must eat something," Su Yang said firmly.

"Ah, I don't want to, I just want to sleep!" Cao An threw a tantrum.

Just as Su Yang was about to explain patiently, a sudden quarrel erupted inside the Small Wooden Cabin.

"No, I disagree!" Dong Qianqing shouted back.

"This isn't up to you; the fool must die!" Zhu Xiang's voice rang out.

"Just a fool, dead is dead; it doesn't affect our upcoming game," Su Peixian agreed.

"This isn't a vote Expulsion rule; if you've already decided, why ask my opinion? I can't stop you from killing." Dong Qianqing complained.

"The reason we inform you is simple: help us eliminate Cao An." Zhu Xiang said.

"He has no grudge with me, might even be my partner; what's the point of killing him?"

"The faction no longer matters; the Safe Zone lies before you, and the Heavenly Disaster poses no threat at all." Su Peixian said.

"Then why not cooperate and get through the next five days together? A perfect Clearance of the game would be achieved—why need to kill?" Dong Qianqing questioned.

With that, Zhu Xiang and Su Peixian fell silent for a moment.

After a while, he said, "Rare Hidden Achievement must be obtained, but the Unlock Condition is that surviving players must not exceed three."

Dong Qianqing flinched slightly, then asked skeptically, "How do you know the Unlock Condition?"

"Heavenly secrets must not be leaked; just obey orders. If you're willing to join, the Rare Hidden Achievement is within reach. I'll leave the words here; how to do it, you can see for yourself." Zhu Xiang began.

"Even if I agree to kill Cao An, what about Su Yang? Counting him, the number of survivors would exceed three." Dong Qianqing said.

"Him?" Zhu Xiang sneered, dismissively, "Calculate the time; Su Yang's corpse is probably already cold."

"How do you know?"

"He calculated the Safe Zone, but he didn't know that the place can only be entered during a Heavenly Disaster to avoid calamity; entering at other times violates Taboo and triggers it early." Zhu Xiang explained.

"Cao An was with him, so that means Cao An also…" Dong Qianqing's face changed.

"No!" Zhu Xiang shook his head, cryptically replying, "Cao An is more special than any of us; he won't die, at least not tonight."

That Su Yang…

Dong Qianqing instinctively reached to touch his stomach, then caught himself, pretended nothing was wrong, picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of water.

Yet the slight trembling motion did not escape Su Peixian's eyes.

She smiled mischfully, "Sister was terrified of Su Yang this morning, and now you're still worried about him?"

"Oh right, you both came back together this afternoon; did you happen to run into a crush on the way?"

"Thinking about it, it makes sense—Su Yang has a good looks, a decent figure; if I met him on Blue Star, I might be moved too."

Dong Qianqing steadied her wrist, slowly set the cup down, "I met him by chance; there's no relationship of the sort you mention, just a coincidence."

"Is that so? How coincidental." Su Peixian's smile carried an inexplicable meaning.

"Survival or not, we'll find out tomorrow when we go out." Zhu Xiang's eyes flashed a cold hue.

"Tsk, the Ascend God Seed's corpse should be worth a lot of Faith Value; one corpse, many lives—how tragic for its Dependents?" Su Peixian pretended to lament.

"On what basis do you assert that he will die from a Heavenly Disaster? It's only the Second Stage," Dong Qianqing retorted.

"Innate Talent has a duration and also a Cooldown Time. Even if he truly has 'Copy' and successfully copied Wang Daohui's Innate Talent, so what?"

"It's certainly safe here, but under this indiscriminate attack lasting four hours, even if he has Nine Lives, he cannot survive to walk out of that Forest," Su Peixian said.

Bang!

Suddenly, the main gate was abruptly kicked open.

Several startled and doubtful gazes simultaneously turned toward the doorway.

"Ugh, I'm bored to death! I want to sleep!"

Cao An didn't even greet anyone, stripped off his tattered shirt and leapt onto the bed.

Phew!

Su Peixian and Zhu Xiang exchanged a glance, silently breathing a sigh of relief.

Luckily, he's a fool.

"Everyone, how have you been?"

The heavy stone hanging in his heart just lifted, and a bright, cheerful voice suddenly rang out.