Chapter 199: Ninja Turtles, Our Own Brothers

On the third day since the Death Space dungeon went live.

The heat on the forums discussing the Death Space dungeon continued to climb.

Watching players obtain dungeon keys in the live streams had become a great source of entertainment for many players and even outside tourists.

Many ridiculous and amusing incidents occurred during this period.

To better integrate into the dungeon environment, players put on acting displays of all kinds within the Death Space's internal dungeons, generally playing the role of annoying emotional monsters to pressure their teammates.

During this time, nearly one-third of the players died in the first round of trials, ending their dungeon experience prematurely without obtaining anything.

However, anyone who could pass the first round of trials could earn over ten thousand points of Sacrificial Power.

The Lord of Bliss truly provided benefits.

During this period, guide-focused players even compiled content from different live streams to write a Death Space Survival Guide, sparking considerable discussion on the forums.

[Death Space Newbie Survival Guide: The Correct Way to Obtain Benefits.]

Poster: Outsider

Content:

Recently, the discussion heat regarding the Death Space dungeon on the forums has been extremely high, and I am also very interested in the new dungeon.

Nowadays, whenever I enter the Little Black Room, I watch live stream videos, and I have even watched many popular dungeon videos recorded by players.

I have now compiled the content of the Death Trials to write a strategy post useful for players who will obtain qualifications in the future.

Below, I will explain the strategy content in detail:

1. Upon entering, it is recommended to cry immediately; a Bliss Player who has an emotional breakdown fits the newbie characteristic better. At least no player who chose to do this has appeared to be forcibly ejected by the Lord of Bliss.

2. Your enemies are not just the main quest and the various monsters in the scene, but also the Bliss Players teamed up beside you; beware of their backstabs. The human heart can truly become twisted in desperate situations, and people may resort to any means to survive; your kindness might become the reason you leave the dungeon early.

3. In mass panic events, 80% of those who jump out first have selfish motives (I have seen many cases recently; those who jump out to state their opinions all have hidden agendas).

4. Remember that your core goal is to complete the mission; do not act rashly to test human nature. Human nature cannot withstand excessive probing, and it will also cause you to fail your mission.

5. Although I tell you to be wary of teammates, do not rush to monopolize resources after acquiring them in the early stage; distribute them fairly with your teammates to establish a good initial relationship. This way, they are more likely to share key resources with you in subsequent explorations, creating mutual benefit (only with teammates' help can you better complete the main quest; mutual suspicion may lead to main quest failure and the entire team dying violently—I have seen several such cases).

6. While the main quest is important, do not ignore side quests. These quests often provide extra resources, items, or key clues to help you complete the main quest more easily. Some side quests can even advance the progress of the main quest. Most importantly, side quests can increase settlement points.

7. Whenever you arrive at a new scene, do not rush to act; spend some time gathering information around you. Graffiti on the walls or leftover diaries may hide clues for clearing the level. This type of dungeon is clearly the Lord of Bliss cultivating the exploratory desire of Bliss Players, preparing to gather hidden resources for the future deployment of the Monster World.

8. Use all points for strengthening; do not save a single one. Facts have proven that only points strengthened onto oneself can be brought out of the Death Space, because points are essentially deposited in the hands of the Lord of Bliss and only become yours after strengthening. If you really do not know what to strengthen, just raise your attributes.

9. The optimal route for the Death Forest dungeon is as follows...

Besides basic knowledge, the post also recorded many hidden strategy details about the dungeon.

For Bliss Players, the scenes in the Death Trial are unfamiliar environments.

But for players, the Death Trial is merely an internal dungeon within the Death Space scenes, which theoretically can be made into a game guide.

For example, in the Death Forest dungeon, players need to find the Spring of Light.

Guide-focused players drew a direct route based on videos recorded by players, saving a large amount of time spent searching.

They achieved a situation where predecessors blaze the trail and successors take the shortcut.

Previous guides were references and suggestions; for example, guides on Star Vein combinations still depended on the individual player for specific matching.

But this Death Space dungeon guide directly gives the answer; the correct answer has no other options.

Although the answer does not guarantee success—sometimes teammates are the core factor determining whether the main quest can be completed—it can still save players entering the dungeon later a large amount of exploration time.

The only drawback is that dungeon guides for the initial stage are limited.

They occupy less than one percent of the illusionary realms woven by the Lord of Bliss.

In the foreseeable future, once the guide content is gradually perfected, the identity of players within the Death Space will undergo a transformation.

With detailed guides in hand, to better complete the main quest, they will voluntarily step forward from being a weeping, broken-down pressure monster to help their teammates complete the mission better in the image of a wise man.

After all, with a guide in hand, there is no problem that cannot be solved by taking a look at the guide.

But the premise is that the number of dungeon scenes created by the Lord of Bliss remains at the current level; otherwise, every update will result in a batch of players becoming stepping stones for pathfinding by those who come later.

This is the charm of guides.

To explain it with a sentence from the comment section: How is this a guide? This is a successful road paved with the corpses of predecessors!

Although players' discussion of the new dungeon content was extremely heated, it could never cover up one problem.

That is, the number of dungeon qualifications is too small.

One hundred qualifications per day are simply not enough to go around; the vast majority of players even treat the "Qualification Pouch" as a daily check-in function, never even thinking they would win the lottery.

Death Space.

Despair Amusement Park.

After a flash of white light, thirteen figures appeared on the initial altar.

Everyone's expression appeared extremely terrified, but only one person had a smile floating on the corner of their mouth, before decisively clutching their head, squatting down, and wailing.

First rule of the survival guide: The experience of predecessors is a model to learn from; although doing this may not be useful, it definitely will not go wrong.

Bai Miao silently recited the guide content in his heart, and his sobbing sounds gradually amplified.

"What are you crying for?"

Just then, Bai Miao, who was gradually getting into character, was suddenly kicked to the ground.

Bai Miao let out a muffled groan and looked up to see a burly figure with dyed yellow hair, holding a folding knife in his hand, staring at him viciously:

"Say another word and I'll kill you."

This instantly made Bai Miao angry.

He was just about to explode when he suddenly remembered that this was a precious dungeon qualification.

Not to mention that he might not be a match for this Yellow Hair, if fighting caused him to leave the scene early, the losses would be heavy.

One round of the Death Trial yields over ten thousand points of Sacrificial Power; under no circumstances could he quarrel with Sacrificial Power.

Glancing at the mockery in the live stream room, Bai Miao gritted his teeth and chose to endure, his Iron Face flushing bright red.

"I'll endure!"

But in Yellow Hair's eyes, this was a sign that Bai Miao was admitting cowardice.

Just then, mission information appeared.

[Main Quest: Despair Amusement Park]

Background Introduction:

This is an abandoned amusement park, once filled with laughter and joy, but now shrouded in a gloomy and eerie atmosphere.

The park's facilities are long covered in rust; the Ferris wheel stands motionless, the carousel emits creaking sounds, and the roller coaster tracks are twisted and deformed. Strange laughter and crying are often heard at night, as if countless invisible "visitors" are wandering about.

Main Quest: Survive until dawn.

Hint: Dangers in the amusement park are everywhere; Bliss Players must explore the park's facilities to find methods to counter the monsters (besides counter-items, monsters can also be killed through combat, but their strength is relatively high).

Side Quests (Counter-items against monsters can be found by searching for clues):

Ferris Wheel (Side Quest): The Ferris wheel is motionless, but each cabin seems to hide something. Bliss Players can attempt to start the Ferris wheel, but this may disturb sleeping monsters.

Carousel (Side Quest): The carousel will start automatically, playing terrifying music. Riding the wooden horses may yield items, or one may encounter attacking monsters.

Haunted House Zone (Side Quest): The haunted house is full of traps and illusions; players must remain calm to find the items inside.

Roller Coaster (Side Quest): The roller coaster tracks are already twisted, but players can attempt to repair them. Riding the roller coaster allows for rapid traversal of different areas of the amusement park, but may also result in death.

After the main quest appeared, Bai Miao stood up.

This was an illusionary scene not yet recorded in the guides; clearly, he had become what forum players called a "predecessor blazing the trail."

Feeling depressed, he scanned his surroundings.

This was a dilapidated and gloomy amusement park; the rust-stained iron gates stood half-open, the neon lights on the door flickered uncertainly, and several exposed broken wires swayed in the wind, emitting faint "creaking" sounds.

The glass of the ticket booth at the entrance was shattered, piled inside with rotten flyers and broken toys; a faded teddy bear lay askew in the corner, as if silently watching the guests.

"I assume everyone knows the situation; if you want to die, I won't stop you, but I want to live."

Holding the folding knife, Yellow Hair looked around at everyone at this moment, threatening them viciously.

What Bai Miao was more curious about was why this Yellow Hair could bring a weapon into the venue while he had nothing.

"It would be great if I could bring my Shu Yan weapon in."

Just as Bai Miao was lost in fanciful thoughts, he was kicked hard in the buttocks again:

"You, go to the very front and scout the path."

"Damn it, why are you singling me out to bully?" Bai Miao immediately widened his eyes, looking somewhat incredulous.

"I'm bullying precisely you; either walk in front, or I'll stick a knife in you; choose for yourself." Yellow Hair's words revealed ferocity, clearly meaning he would strike at the slightest disagreement.

Bai Miao's mentality exploded, and he was about to explode in anger when he saw countless danmu comments scroll by.

The vast majority of these voices were egging him on, stating that as a player, one absolutely could not endure such a situation and should act when the time came.

In short, one could not lose Iron Face for legitimate players.

But there were also many voices suggesting that for the sake of Sacrificial Power, he should just endure it.

Especially the brothers in the team, who were all sending danmu to persuade him to definitely endure.

"Endure for a moment and the winds and waves will calm; take a step back and harvest abundant Sacrificial Power. Brother, hold it in; this round you must be a Ninja Turtle. Think about the money you still owe me for building the Shu Yan Warrior."

"Ding, fifteen thousand of your Sacrificial Power points have been deducted; this dungeon experience ticket has expired; welcome back to Emperor Tomb Village."

"Don't give up! If you drop the burden and quit, how can I eat my meal? The progress bar of your drama has just started; if it stops now, am I supposed to eat or not? I just bought spiritual food!"

"Brother, hold it in! If you hold it in, it's over ten thousand points of Sacrificial Power revenue."

Faced with the choice between high-yield Sacrificial Power or fighting back, Bai Miao, after a brief struggle, chose to submit to the gains of Sacrificial Power.

He glared at the Yellow-Haired Man, then turned and walked into the amusement park.

"Try glaring at me again," the Yellow-Haired Man's voice came, thick with threat, prompting Bai Miao to decisively quicken his pace.

He now had only one thought.

Making money isn't shameful.

This Yellow-Haired Man looked like a supporting character by his styling; sooner or later, he would die in the Death Space, so what was there to quarrel about with a dead man?

Even if the Yellow-Haired Man could truly survive the Death Trial and complete the Ultimate Trial to leave.

That would be even better; once he entered Laozi's home turf, Laozi would log into his main account to find him, and by then, he hoped the man could still be so brave.

After the group entered the amusement park, the great gate automatically closed behind them.

The interior of the amusement park was shrouded in a hazy, glowing mist, with facilities in the distance appearing and disappearing.

A towering Ferris wheel was visible, but most of its cabins were askew, as if twisted by some immense force.

Not far away, the carousel stood silently still; the wooden horses had hollow, lifeless eyes, with tears of blood streaming from their corners.

The roller coaster tracks wound and twisted, yet snapped in the middle section, resembling a giant snake severed in half, hanging suspended in mid-air.

Broken balloons and rotting work uniforms were scattered across the ground, while overhead, the piercing cries of crows flying by echoed intermittently.

The air was permeated with a strange odor mixing rust and decay.

Not far from the entrance stood a massive tent, painted with a faded clown pattern; the clown's smile was distorted, as if it were mocking them.

The tent's entrance was blocked by a tattered red curtain that swayed gently in the wind, from within which one could faintly hear low drumbeats and elusive laughter.

"You, go in!" Bai Miao's buttocks received another kick as the Yellow-Haired Man's threatening voice rang out.

Turning his head, Bai Miao saw the Yellow-Haired Man pressing a folding knife against his back, signaling him to enter first and explore.

"I'll endure it!"

Bai Miao glanced at his teammates; most of them looked quite ordinary.

He couldn't understand why this Yellow-Haired Man had singled him out as the target for bullying; did he really look so easy to bully?

But the problem was, he wasn't an Explorer, and the other guy wasn't a Qidie either.

Feeling a touch of coldness on his spine, Bai Miao ultimately complied with the demand, lifting the curtain to probe inside.

The rest of the team members remained silent, all enjoying the convenience brought by the Yellow-Haired Man bullying him.

The interior of the tent was far more spacious than imagined, the air filled with a cloying scent of candy.

A swaying chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a dim yellow light that flickered occasionally, throwing shifting shadows.

The walls were draped with tattered ribbons and faded balloons, each balloon painted with a clown's smiling Iron Face.

The floor was covered with a thick layer of red carpet, stained with filth; stepping on it produced a "crunching" sound, as if treading on rotting flesh and blood.

In the center of the tent was a circular stage, upon which sat dilapidated prop crates filled with various toys.

Armless dolls, one-eyed teddy bears, and rust-spotted toy cars—every toy's appearance seemed exceedingly eerie.

Right in the center of the stage sat an old-fashioned organ, its keys covered in dust.

Strangely, it was playing automatically without any manipulation, emitting low, suppressed tones; beside the organ stood a clown statue, its Iron Face painted with exaggerated white makeup, its mouth stretched to its ears in a grin, yet its eyes were hollow and lifeless, following Bai Miao's movements.

Countless danmu comments scrolled across during this time.

"Don't be afraid; the clown just hasn't seen a living person in too long; maybe he just wants to play a game with you... like digging out your eyes?"

"This organ actually plays by itself? I suggest taking it apart to see if there's a player installed inside."

"The clown's smile is so distorted; does he have a toothache? Someone please go up and punch him in the Iron Face for me; I can't stand him."

"The clown's hands are so white; I suggest reminding him to get more sun and supplement his Vitamin D."

The danmu came from players and tourists who loved chaos, yet they also helped ease Bai Miao's nervousness.

At this moment, the Yellow-Haired Man and the others entered the tent one after another and began investigating clues within.

Bai Miao did not stop either, feeling that working harder could never be wrong, as it could earn team cooperation points and even mission progress points.

Arriving before a row of dilapidated spectator seats, he found them piled with popcorn and drink cups spilled across the floor.

The seats were occupied by mannequins dressed in clothes; their faces were painted with smiles just like the clown's, their eyes full of expectation, as if awaiting the start of the performance.

While rummaging through items on the seats, Bai Miao found a note hidden within the popcorn, bearing a line of text: "The clown likes applause; doing so can make him feel recognized by the audience."

This was clearly a hidden detail; Bai Miao memorized the content, then stuffed the note back into the popcorn.

Continuing his search, he discovered a doll of a little girl wearing hospital pajamas; just as he reached out to touch it, the doll suddenly opened its eyes and revealed an eerie smile to him:

"My doll is missing."

The shock nearly made Bai Miao smash his fist into the doll's Iron Face.

Realizing this might be a hidden clue, Bai Miao immediately asked:

"Where is your doll?"

"It seems I lost it in the carousel area; can you help me find it?"

With those words, the hospital-pajama doll seemed to suddenly deflate, closing its eyes once more.

Realizing this was very likely a hidden side quest, Bai Miao immediately nodded and stated:

"No problem; I'll go look for it shortly."

Just then, the Yellow-Haired Man and the others approached upon hearing the commotion.

"Hey, did you find anything?"

Faced with the question, Bai Miao really wanted to rush up and punch the Yellow-Haired Man flat on the ground.

But recalling that completing the main mission required cooperation, and that cooperation could bring team cooperation point rewards, he chose to endure.

Just as he was about to speak of his discovery, a scream rang out from the stage.

Whipping his head around, he saw the clown statue on the stage move; in its hand now appeared a beating heart.

Before it, a middle-aged man retreated two steps in terror, then collapsed heavily to the ground, instantly motionless.

At that very moment, the clown suddenly teleported in front of a girl; with its right hand, it produced a red cloth to cover the beating heart, then suddenly whipped the cloth away, transforming the heart in its left hand into a blood-red flower.

Amidst the girl's terrified expression, the clown elegantly presented the flower to her.

The girl, her Iron Face filled with terror, retreated two more steps in succession, while red light began to glow in the clown's eyes.

Recalling the hint on the note, Bai Miao decisively shouted a warning:

"Clap quickly!"

The girl turned to look, her expression bewildered, clearly not understanding what was happening.

"Clap!"

Bai Miao instantly exploded with anger; what a bunch of pig teammates.

The girl still took no action, continuing to retreat in terror.

Just then, the clown moved again.

Pfft.

The clown's right arm pierced straight through the girl's chest, extracting a beating heart.

After killing the girl, the clown's figure flickered, appearing before a man wearing glasses; the heart transformed into a deck of playing cards, from which it drew one card that suddenly turned into a venomous snake.

"Clap quickly!" Bai Miao warned again.

This time, the young man reacted swiftly, decisively clapping his hands.

Hearing the applause, the clown removed its hat, bowed to the man, and nodded in thanks.

The man with glasses, having successfully escaped disaster, looked terrified, then cast a grateful glance at Bai Miao.

"Hey, what exactly did you discover?" The Yellow-Haired Man raised his folding knife, his tone laced with threat.

Faced with the question, Bai Miao did not hide anything, detailing the two clues he had just discovered.

Knowing the reason, the Yellow-Haired Man decided to continue searching for clues inside the tent, then proceed to the carousel area to search for the doll, as this might yield an item capable of countering the monster.

The requirement of the main mission was to survive until dawn.

But to survive, it was obvious that one could not complete the task merely by hiding.

The "item" mentioned in the mission was crucial.

After searching in a circle and finding no other clues, the team, led by the Yellow-Haired Man, exited the tent and arrived at the carousel area outside.

This area was surrounded by a circle of rust-spotted iron fences, upon which hung a crooked sign reading "Happy Carousel," but the two characters for "Happy" had been eroded by wind and rain until they were nearly illegible, leaving only the four characters "Carousel" barely discernible.

In the center was an old-fashioned rotating platform; the wooden horses had long lost their former vibrant colors, the paint peeling away to reveal mottled wood grain.

As they approached, an old speaker suddenly began playing eerie music, its tone resembling a stretched music box melody, fluctuating high and low, making Bai Miao and the others' scalps tingle.

Amidst the music, the rotating platform slowly started up, the wooden horses beginning to bob up and down as if coming to life.

"You, go in and pick one to sit on."

At this moment, the Yellow-Haired Man raised his folding knife, pointing it directly at Bai Miao.

"Wait... why is it me again?" Bai Miao could no longer hold himself together.

"Just go when I tell you to; don't talk nonsense to me." The Yellow-Haired Man grinned, revealing yellowed teeth, his expression malicious.

"Can't you bully someone else? How have I offended you, or do I just look easy to bully?" Speaking thus, Bai Miao swept his gaze over the remaining ten people in the team, then pointed at a fair-skinned young man who looked visibly nervous, saying:

"Look, this one obviously looks easier to bully than me, right?"

The Yellow-Haired Man did not follow Bai Miao's gaze, but instead grinned savagely:

"Useless trash who starts wailing right at the beginning would be better off dying early, so as not to become a burden."

Bai Miao: ...

Hearing these words, the players in the live stream room had already laughed themselves crazy.

Facts proved that a strategy of wailing right at the start could, under certain circumstances, instead become a target for bullying.

The comment section was flooded with: "Thanks, senior, for correcting the guide."

This made Bai Miao's mindset shatter; he had truly become a stepping stone for the forum players' guides.

But thinking that he had persisted until now, losing his temper at this moment would surely undo all previous efforts... He endured it!

He decided he might as well play the role of the bullied one properly; if necessary, he would actively act as a lackey, take the reward, and then consider revenge.

Having figured out his positioning, Bai Miao piled a smile onto his Iron Face:

"Brother, I'll listen to you."

Speaking thus, Bai Miao voluntarily stepped onto the rotating platform.

Hearing Bai Miao yield, the Yellow-Haired Man was also stunned, unable to hide the triumph in his expression.

The rotating zone automatically stopped after Bai Miao walked onto it; after some selection, Bai Miao chose a white horse and rode it.

The rotating zone started again, the speed increasing faster and faster.

During this process, Bai Miao seemed to hear countless laughter ringing in his ears; in a trance, he saw the figures of many tourists riding wooden horses, smiles overflowing on their faces.

When the rotation stopped, nothing happened.

Bai Miao scratched his head in confusion, then jumped off the wooden horse and stepped down from the rotating zone.

"Any discoveries?" the Yellow-Haired Man asked immediately.

"No, nothing happened."

Seeing Bai Miao so cooperative, the Yellow-Haired Man nodded, then looked at one person in the team:

"Next, you go."

Speaking thus, the Yellow-Haired Man pointed his folding knife at a fair-skinned young man in the team.

"I... I won't go."

The young man's expression instantly turned deathly pale.

"If I tell you to go, you go." Speaking thus, the Yellow-Haired Man kicked the young man in the abdomen, kicking him to the ground.

Then the Yellow-Haired Man stepped forward, squatted down, and pressed the folding knife against the young man's neck.

Under the threat of death, the young man could only nod in terror.

This time, the young man chose a red wooden horse; after sitting on it, the rotating platform activated.

But an accident occurred immediately after.

The red wooden horse seemed to come alive; flesh and blood writhed on its surface, gradually covering the young man's body and merging with him.

The young man let out a scream, trying to struggle, but found he lacked the strength to break free.

Bai Miao immediately rushed forward to press the "Stop" button, but the rotating platform was out of control.

Finally, amidst piercing screams, the young man and the red wooden horse merged into one; terror froze on his Iron Face as he turned into a statue connected to the horse.

The sudden turn of events made the scalps of the entire team go numb.

The game continued.

After successively sacrificing three teammates, they found the hidden clue in the carousel area.

After a team member rode a colorful wooden horse, they saw a video segment; this segment recorded the image of a little girl riding a wooden horse and dropping a doll.

At this moment, attempting to step off the wooden horse allowed one to pick up the little bear toy.

Having obtained the side-quest item, they immediately turned back to the circus tent; after handing the little bear toy to the doll girl, they obtained a special item:

[Soul of the Angry Bear]:

Item Description: Upon use, summons an Angry Bear to fight; can withstand attacks from various types of monsters in the amusement park.

With this item, all team members breathed a sigh of relief.

But the crisis was not over.

As time passed and night fell, monsters attacked.

During this process, the team continuously lost members.

Fortunately, with the aid of the Angry Bear, they repelled three waves of monster attacks.

But after defeating three monsters, the Soul of the Angry Bear also became tattered and finally dissipated without a trace.

In the final hour, Bai Miao and his teammates chose to hide in the Ferris wheel area.

During this period, Bai Miao discovered that the Yellow-Haired Man's folding knife was actually an innate talent skill; swinging it could release a beam of white light, dealing damage to monsters.

It was evident that the Yellow-Haired Man was one of the Chosen Ones who had passed the novice trial.

At this time, only four team members remained.

Bai Miao's head-bowed compromise also meant the Yellow-Haired Man no longer continued to target him.

But during this process, when encountering danger, he would still be pushed to the front, treated entirely as a controllable tool.

The mission finally ended at the break of dawn.

Accompanied by a prompt ringing in their minds, Bai Miao, the Yellow-Haired Man, and the remaining two members returned to the Death Space.

During settlement, Bai Miao received a reward of 9,500 points.

He was just about to spend points at the stone stele to strengthen his attributes when he heard the Yellow-Haired Man's threatening voice come from behind:

"Each of you transfer 2,000 points to me."

Hearing these words, Bai Miao laughed in anger.

Clearly, this Yellow-Haired Man truly regarded him as a soft persimmon he could manipulate at will.

If the tiger does not show its power, they really take him for a sick cat.

But the Death Space had clear regulations prohibiting combat; Bai Miao chose to ignore the Yellow-Haired Man's threat, reached out to touch the stone stele, and began attribute enhancement.

Successfully passing the first round of the Death Trial meant the precious qualification was not wasted.

As for how far he could go, that depended on the dungeon difficulty of subsequent trials.

Facing the Yellow-Haired Man's threats born of frustration, Bai Miao turned around at this moment and raised his middle finger at him:

"Don't make trouble; I'll be your dog in the next dungeon, but for now, keep quiet and don't block my path to wealth."

Player "Bai Miao"'s encounter in the Death Space sparked heated discussions on the forum over the next few days.

The initial popularity stemmed from Bai Miao's tragic experience of acting cowardly before the Yellow-Haired Man for the sake of sacrificial power, choosing to be the Yellow-Haired Man's dog.

Every time they entered the Death Trial together, Bai Miao decisively begged for forgiveness and called the Yellow-Haired Man "Big Brother."

But as soon as they left the Death Space, his attitude changed, making the Yellow-Haired Man itch with hatred; yet facts proved Bai Miao's existence was indeed useful to him.

At the very least, inside the Death Trial dungeons, he was incredibly cooperative, one could say a major aid in advancing through the dungeon.

The reason the live stream had high popularity was that the audience hated the Yellow-Haired Man's behavior until their teeth itched.

In the Death Trials, he variously betrayed teammates, backstabbed the team, and teased female team members.

He would stop at nothing for profit.

Therefore, the audience was all waiting for an opportunity, wanting to see the Yellow-Haired Man die miserably.

But the reason popularity subsequently skyrocketed was that Bai Miao had an intersection with another player participating in the Death Trial.

They met during the fourth round of the Death Trial.

Unlike Bai Miao's tragic situation.

This player named "Wizard Meow" encountered a very enthusiastic teammate right from the start.

The teammate was a 38-year-old uncle with a buzz cut, a smile always overflowing on his Iron Face, a very optimistic person.

Even while in the Death Space, he constantly encouraged the team members to keep fighting to survive.

In the first round of the trial, Wizard Meow encountered lethal danger several times; it was only because this enthusiastic teammate risked his life to save him that he narrowly survived.

The video recording contained exchanges between the two.

Wizard Meow curiously asked the enthusiastic uncle why he would risk his life to save him.

The answer received moved Wizard Meow, as well as the players and tourists watching the live stream, immensely.

The uncle stated that in the real world, he had once been a firefighter; during a fierce fire rescue operation, to save a child trapped deep in the sea of fire, he rushed into a swaying building; but just as he successfully shielded the child in his arms and rushed outward, a building beam suddenly snapped and crashed down; he used his own body to shield the child, but he was crushed and injured, left disabled, losing both legs.

After being injured, the uncle could no longer continue his work as a firefighter, but his fervent heart had never changed.

Despite his physical disability and inconvenience in movement, he still actively participated in various volunteer activities, helping those around him to the best of his ability.

In his view, having once been a firefighter, saving lives was his mission; although he could no longer charge into battle as before, he could still exert his value in other places, which made him feel immensely fulfilled.

The uncle stated that after entering the Death Space, his incomplete limbs had actually recovered, and his instincts seemed to be ignited once again.

He would absolutely not allow anyone to sacrifice themselves easily; even at the cost of his own life, he would protect his teammates' safety.

In his heart, life was incomparably precious; saving others was the faith of his entire life.

The video also contained words the uncle spoke when standing up in a dangerous, trapped situation:

"This life of mine was originally kept for saving people; everyone stick close to me, not a single one shall be left behind!"

It could be said that Wizard Meow's situation was the exact opposite of Bai Miao's.

With the uncle, this thigh who would exhaust all efforts to protect his teammates, even though Wizard Meow's own abilities were insufficient, he was led by the uncle to pass the first two rounds of the Death Trial.

But such an enthusiastic uncle, willing to Iron Face life and death for his teammates, encountered the Yellow-Haired Man's team in the fourth round of the trial.

A cruel guy who would stop at nothing for victory.

During the confrontation between the two teams, the Yellow-Haired Man discovered that the enthusiastic uncle cared deeply about his teammates' safety.

Thus, in one confrontation, he deliberately left one of the uncle's teammates behind, setting an ambush for the uncle to go save them.

The uncle indeed fell into the trap.

In fact, all teammates were persuading the uncle that this was clearly a trap; going would mean walking into an ambush.

But the uncle insisted that the teammates were now trapped in a desperate situation and must be utterly despairing.

He had to step forward, and he would not abandon a single teammate.

And the teammate used to set this ambush was none other than Wizard Meow.

Wizard Meow watched helplessly as the kind-hearted uncle, in an effort to save him, was carved with countless wounds by the flowing light released from the blond man's folding knife.

After successfully breaking through with his teammates' support, the uncle, in his dying moments, took out his medicines and equipment from his storage space; in a dazed state of consciousness, he urged his teammates to survive at all costs before finally passing away.

This scene completely ignited the fury of the forum players.

Especially the audience watching the live stream, who all felt great affection for the kind-hearted uncle.

Seeing the uncle protect Wizard Meow and fight desperately to break through even before his tragic death, they wished they could rush into the Death Space right then and there to kill the blond man.

But hateful people do not necessarily meet with retribution.

The blond man's growth speed was rapid, and bolstered by his innate skills, his combat power far exceeded that of his teammates.

Coupled with the extra points contributed by some teammates, the blond man remained in a state of fearless arrogance.

In fact, since the first round of the Death Trial, the blond man had already adapted to the survival rules of the Death Space, knowing how to exploit human nature to expand his growth advantage.

This made the forum players grind their teeth in anger, declaring unanimously that once the blond man cleared the Ultimate Trial and entered the Monster World, they would make him pay dearly.

On this day, the final battle of the fourth trial began.

The personnel from both sides, who had yet to determine a winner, were forcibly teleported to the Decisive Battle Zone.

Wizard Meow's eyes were red-rimmed as he gazed at the blond man hundreds of meters away who had killed the uncle, hatred churning violently within his heart.

Yet he wanted to survive.

This thought was stronger than anything else.

Not for the reward, but to resurrect the uncle.

There was a special rule in the Death Space: one could spend points to resurrect a deceased teammate.

As long as he passed the fourth trial, he would have enough points to resurrect the uncle.

Since starting the game, Wizard Meow had never cared about his own life as much as he did now.

In the past, his definition of death, like that of the forum players, was merely spending an hour browsing the forums.

But if he died this time, the uncle would be extinguished forever.

Therefore, he had to win!

But facing the squad led by the blond man, Wizard Meow knew his probability of victory was extremely low.

The great battle was about to erupt, and all live stream audiences were cheering for Wizard Meow's team.

However, with the blond man present as a super combatant, the battle situation became a one-sided crush, and Wizard Meow suffered severe injuries during this period.

Realizing that defeat was inevitable, the audiences in the live streams began to curse loudly.

But at this moment, apart from cursing, there was no way to reverse the declining trend.

Finally, Wizard Meow was pinned beneath the blond man's foot; the blond man's arrogant expression was magnified on the live broadcast screen as he looked at Wizard Meow and sneered:

"I remember you. Your captain died tragically trying to save you; you truly are a burden. If he hadn't bothered with you back then, he might have escaped unscathed. It was precisely because of a useless waste like you that your captain died, so what use is your survival? You might as well go keep him company."

Covered in wounds, Wizard Meow lay on the ground, his furious eyes nearly spitting fire.

But at this moment, he possessed no strength to resist; he could only watch as the blond man pressed his foot onto his head, grinding the tip back and forth against his temple.

Just as Wizard Meow and the live stream audiences thought this dungeon journey would end in regret, an unexpected event occurred.

"Seeing my own brother suffer, I couldn't bear it; just consider this something you owe me."

Upon hearing the four words "my own brother," Wizard Meow was stunned; he opened the slit of his swollen eyelids and saw a figure suddenly appear behind the blond man.

Facing a teammate from behind, the blond man had not set up any defense.

The speaking figure closed in, pressing their body tightly against the blond man's back, while the dagger in their hand swept around the blond man's shoulder and rested horizontally across his throat.

"What are you do..." The arrogance on the blond man's Iron Face vanished instantly, replaced by terror and disbelief.

Before he could finish speaking, the sharp dagger had already sliced deeply through his throat.

Instantly, blood gushed forth like a fountain, drawing a glaring arc in mid-air before splashing onto the surrounding ground.

"Ugh... ugh..."

Indistinct gurgling sounds emanated from the blond man's throat; his hands subconsciously clutched his neck, trying to stop the constantly surging blood.

But the blood continued to overflow through his fingers.

At this moment, the dagger struck again, plunging fiercely into the blond man's spine from behind.

When the dagger was withdrawn, the blond man's body began to tremble uncontrollably; his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Turning his head to look, he discovered a familiar figure standing behind him, smiling down at him.

This softie, whom he viewed as someone he could bully at will and who had always called him Big Brother, had actually turned against him at this moment.

He could not comprehend it; he did not understand why he would backstab him when victory was nearly within grasp.

Clearly... he desired survival more than anyone else, even willing to serve him just to stay alive.

"You..." Terror filled the blond man's eyes; he tried to speak and ask, but even more blood overflowed from the cut on his neck.

"Do you want to ask why? Because your Grandpa doesn't want to play anymore. Does it feel suffocating? Victory was within easy reach, yet you fell at the very last moment?"

"Hahaha, I just wanted to make you die in the most suffocating way possible. Tsk tsk tsk, thinking about how you were just discussing how to spend the settlement points from this round's victory makes me want to laugh. What a pity, truly a pity; you won't be able to spend them now."

Lying on the ground with his hands pressing against his neck, the arrogance in the blond man's eyes dissipated, leaving only a look of pleading directed at Bai Miao.

But Bai Miao paid him no heed, turning instead to look at Wizard Meow, who lay weakly on the ground:

"Brother, was that decent enough?"

"Let's count it as me owing you thirty thousand Sacrificial Power; I'll give it to you once we return... Thank you." Wizard Meow lay on the ground, a faint smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, the audiences in the live streams erupted in cheers, and the bullet comments flooded the screen:

At the critical moment, one must still rely on their own brothers.

(End of Chapter)