Who Can They Trust?

~Whoosh!

In a flash, everyone hurriedly took off their clothes, revealing their underwear.

The air was tense and so brittle that it could snap at any given moment.

And being watched and reminded of the time also added to the pressure they were feeling.

"2 more minutes!"

Pei Xhi's authoritative voice echoed out, making the candidates rush even more.

~Bam.

Some fell while trying to wear their pants, while others hopped on one leg, trying their best to hurry up.

Ji Shen looked at all the items he had been given and quickly made a choice.

~Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock.

The clock was ticking, and time was against them!

The candidates swiftly changed as fast as they could.

And soon, time was up!

Pei Xhi glanced at his watch and smiled coldly.

"Everyone, stop what you're doing and line up!"

As if receiving a heavenly order, the candidates all did as they were told and dared not take any chances.

What a joke!

They had seen how ruthless these people are, allowing others to sleep outside in the woods just like that.

Plus, no one wanted to get on anyone's wrong side.

So for now their best bet is to be obedient, at least until they understood how things worked around here.

.

While standing at attention, Ji Shen was busy communicating with the system.

'System, I'd like to receive my rewards now.'

[As you wish, host.]

~Ding.

[Task: Complete 100 push-ups in under 12 minutes.

Task status: Completed.

Reward: 20% Extract of Super Fantasy Serum.

Reward commencing in 3... 2... 1...]

'Ughhhh

Ji Shen grunted as softly as he could as a wave of pain hit him hard.

Dammit!

The system didn't tell him it was going to be this painful.

He gritted his teeth and tried his best to remain as calm as possible.

His greenish veins popped out around his neck and forehead as a thin sheet of sweat quickly formed on his face.

What was this?

Amidst the pain also came strength.

Yes. That's right. Strength!

The foreign energy rushed throughout his body, making him feel stronger and stronger by the second.

His arm muscles bulged out even more, and his thighs, chest, belly, back, and legs seemed to be swelling up with power.

F***!

What sort of operation was this?

Pei Xhi, who had been observing the candidates one by one, couldn't help but give a second glance at Ji Shen.

Eh?

Why did it seem like he had grown taller and slightly bigger? Or was it just his imagination?

Ji Shen felt the changes in his body and couldn't help appreciating the supreme fantasy serum even more.

.

Looking at his arms and observing his body, he realized that even though his muscles had increased, he didn't look overly muscular at all.

He quickly sighed from relief because if he did become as big as buff as some professional trainers, it wouldn't fit his structure or even head.

Fortunately, his body was still as he liked.

Good.

Pei Xhi looked at the candidates and smirked when he saw some who hadn't even worn one side of their shoes yet.

Some were fully dressed, while others were missing an item or two.

"Everyone is aware of what you have to do.

Your task is to find yourselves sleeping quarters before lights out.

And anyone who hasn't found any available room will be spending 3 nights outside.

Your time now.

Go!!!"

~Din! Din! Din! Din!~

The thundering sounds of the candidates' footsteps echoed across the enormous room, as they hurriedly leaped forward, ascending the tall staircase before them.

Each footstep was chaotically spaced from the last, with no rhythm whatsoever, creating a very disorderly noise.

It was like a raging battlefield, with everyone struggling to get ahead.

At this moment, everyone remained vigilant, as their eyes darted from left-to-right, right-to-left and so on.

Their tense muscles were the mirror of their anxiety, showing just how serious they took the matter

Yes. Now, they were competitors who were all trying to find a place for the night.

Today, many were bound to get backstabbed, trampled and even left behind.

In this situation, who could they trust?

.

~Din! Din! Din! Din! Din!~

Everyone ran in absolute silence until they finally reached the top of the massive stairs, entering another massive rectangular-shaped room that had black and white squares all around it.

The floors, ceiling, walls and everything else were all covered in black and white squares, making it hard for anyone to make heads or tails of the situation.

Everyone slowly stepped in, observing the strange room before them.

Some were panicked, others were confused, while some remained calm, deep in thought.

But no matter how they individually felt, they knew that time was against them.

And wasting more of it was akin to failing the task given to them.

Seeing the scene before them, the eyes of many dilated with anxiety.

"No! What do we do now?

What do we do now?

It seems like the stairs lead to a dead end!"

"Dammit! I think this was a trap set up by the Keeper and his men.

They didn't say that heading up was the ultimate way, so why did we do that?"

"He's right! For all we know, we could've been going the wrong way.

Look at this place? I think it's a dead-end!"

Seeing the situation, Tsetu Zhi decided to step up: "Everyone, calm down. I don't think our actions were wrong."

Chong Tsay nodded in agreement: "He's right."

Eh?

Many looked at Chong Tsay and Tsetu Zhi in hope.

So they were indeed going the right way?

Chong Tsay chuckled playfully: "Yes. He's right. Our actions should be the most accurate. All sleeping quarters should be above ground level. So even if we went back down, we would still need to find a way to go upwards. So our move is just right."

Tsetu Zhi looked at Chong Tsay, and the two smiled silently.

Right from the onset, they realized that they had been secretly attacking the same people (Ji Shen, Lin Chindu and Ran Senko).

So with them having common enemies, why not work together?

The duo grinned broadly as if communicating telepathically.

Today, a bond was formed!