Chapter 84: The Hulking Woman

And in the second photo, the arm muscles bulge suddenly like steel rods, the biceps forming an astonishing curve that props up the sleeve like a small hill.

The forearm muscle groups are sharply defined, and the blue veins beneath the skin rise like winding tree roots.

The most striking are the hands, with thick, protruding knuckles and palms covered in old calluses, looking capable of crushing walnuts with bare fingers.

This…

Cheng Shuili really didn't expect Wan Yi to be such a hulking woman; she was indeed worrying for nothing.

Wan Yi doesn't even need to speak; her muscles shine at a glance—who would dare provoke her?

Before speaking, one must consider whether they can take Wan Yi's punch.

In this place, muscles are the symbol of strength; having such a physique really cuts down a lot of trouble.

Cheng Shuili thought this, feeling a bit excited, flexed her biceps. Unfortunately, the system's attribute points don't manifest in the muscles; Wan Yi's are clearly self‑trained.

Being a chef isn't an easy job either.

【Xinxue Chuji】: Wan Yi's muscles are actually fake— they look solid but are useless. To give an example, if I duel her and she punches me, I may die but I'm still unsatisfied; the autopsy shows my whole body is soft, only the mouth is hard.

【Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji】: You're happy about this, right? In a moment I'll give the duel card to Wan Yi to satisfy your wish.

【Xinxue Chuji】: Wrong, Lao Da, wrong, Sister Wan Yi! I admit I'm wrong!

Time passed quickly unnoticed, and when the system began the countdown, Wan Yi sent over the lunch she had prepared.

【Wan Yi】: I let it air for a while; otherwise little droplets would form and it wouldn't taste good by noon.

She's still a very meticulous person.

Cheng Shuili silently placed the lunchbox into the Abyssal Ring, replied "Okay," meaning she understood.

The regional channel refreshed hundreds of messages the instant the system announcement finished.

Those who didn't want to join the Instance were cursing, whining for teammates to look after them, and others were boldly announcing plans to kill on the regional channel.

It's just the myriad of human affairs.

The countdown reached zero.

All the bustling channels froze instantly, and a white flash exploded before Cheng Shuili's eyes, bringing the familiar dizzy sensation.

Cheng Shuili closed her eyes, feeling the brief weightlessness of spatial transition. When she opened them again, the surroundings had completely changed.

She stood on an abandoned highway, the asphalt cracked into spider‑web patterns, with a few stubborn tufts of wild grass sprouting from the fissures.

On both sides lay a forest so dense it felt oppressive, trees soaring into the clouds, their interlaced branches forming a natural barrier that sliced sunlight into fragments on the ground—clearly an impassable zone.

【Instance "Hunt" Activated】

【Current Participants 2458/2458】

【Instance Rules Supplement: 1. This instance lasts eight hours; anyone who hasn't reached the Endpoint after eight hours becomes a Lost One. 2. Do your utmost to earn points! 3. After a player dies, they no longer occupy a rank.】

Cheng Shuili keenly noticed a new term the system mentioned, "Lost One"; what is that?

She's already memorized the first rule; the second is nonsense, the third… actually sounds interesting.

When a player dies and no longer holds a rank, it means that if you can't earn points from monsters and the top‑five reward slots are taken, the bottom players still have a way forward…

That is, kill humans.

The air was filled with damp, decaying leaf odor and an indescribable, fishy stench—strange, like the smell of blood yet lacking the metallic rust of blood.

"Where the hell is this?" a rough male voice broke the silence.

Cheng Shuili turned her head; on the road, nineteen people stood scattered, men and women of various ages.

The speaker was a bald, meat‑fleshed hulker, irritably kicking a stone by the road.

"Looks like we're the twenty of the same squad," a tall, thin bespectacled youth said, adjusting his glasses, his voice deliberately calm. "According to the system, we need to cooperate for eight hours."

"Cooperate?" a young woman in a red down jacket sneered. "The rules clearly state that rewards go to the top five by points. What kind of cooperation is that? It's obviously making us compete against each other!"

The crowd immediately stirred, whispers rising and falling.

Cheng Shuili didn't join the discussion; she stood silently aside, her gaze subtly assessing the others. Since no one was taking reckless action, she naturally wouldn't be the one to step forward.

"Quiet!"

A loud voice drowned out all the chatter.

The speaker was a tall‑built middle‑aged man, broad‑shouldered, standing straight, with a conspicuous scar on his forehead. Yet his upright demeanor made the scar seem less fierce, adding three degrees of world‑worn gravitas.

"I'm Qi Yue, a veteran. Quarreling won't solve anything; let's each introduce ourselves first, after all we have to spend eight hours together, we can't keep shouting 'hey' all the time, right?"

His voice carried undeniable authority, and the crowd indeed fell a few degrees quieter.

A moment later, the bespectacled man beside Qi Yue spoke first: "I'm Yang Yunsheng."

When others saw him speak, they each introduced themselves in turn; when it was Cheng Shuili's turn, she casually gave the fake name "Cheng Ershui."

No wonder she's cautious.

The Designated Player Duel Card can select not only an ID but also a player's real name, which the description didn't mention.

But while Cheng Shuili fumbled with the card, she accidentally activated it and uncovered this hidden information.

She was the second‑to‑last; after her introduction only the figure standing at the outer edge, hooded, remained.

She hadn't spoken since appearing, so all eyes were on her; she lifted her head slightly, revealing cold eyes, and in a low voice said: "Chen Wan Yi."

Cheng Shuili was stunned.

Wan Yi?

Is this for real?

Cheng Shuili instinctively glanced at the other's arm…

There's heating in the car, no need for heavy clothing; Wan Yi obviously knows that.

But now they're outdoors; it's not as cold as on the road, yet not pleasant either—everyone among the twenty is in either a down jacket or a cold‑weather coat.

Their bundling is tight; what can be seen?

Will have to find another chance to ask.

All right, since introductions are done, we need to hurry. Qi Yue looked around at everyone, "The system says we must reach the endpoint within eight hours, but this road stretches out of sight; we need to confirm our direction first."

There's a sign over there.

Yang Yunsheng pointed to a crooked sign not far away.

As the group approached, they saw the sign was half-rusted, but they could still make out a few blurred characters.

Service Area, 5 kilometers. Endpoint, 50 kilometers.

The two arrows point in opposite directions, and the kilometer numbers differ greatly.