Chapter One Hundred: Has the Competition Rule Been Changed at the Last Minute?

The second round of the arena competition differed little from the first; the only distinction was that the opponents might be even harder to handle.

Qin Sheng and the others each drew their lots and waited for the machine to assign their opponents automatically.

"There has been a change in the situation. Please rest for ten minutes first; we will continue the competition shortly."

The staff behind the arena had received word that the rules had changed, so the match could only be paused for the time being.

Qin Sheng and the others remained in the same waiting area as before.

Bored, Qin Sheng toyed with the number tag in her hand. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, she had number one again this time.

There was a very good chance she would be the first to compete.

Nervous?

Qin Sheng knew very well that she was not. Though she had no idea how strong her opponent might be, there was only one thing she held firmly in her heart: she had to win the second arena match.

Or, to be more precise, she had to win the position of captain of the seventh team in the safe zone.

Compared with Qin Sheng, Jiang Miaomiao and the others did indeed seem more anxious.

On the other hand, A Di seemed almost resigned. Having made it through the first round had already been difficult and lucky enough; even if fortune smiled on her again in the second, victory was still impossible.

Rather than panic, she might as well face it calmly.

"Don’t be nervous. I’m not nervous at all, so you’re definitely going to win." A Di whispered in Jiang Miaomiao’s ear to comfort her.

Jiang Miaomiao’s anxiety was a physiological reaction. From childhood to now, she had taken countless exams of every size; every time she said she wasn’t nervous, she still was.

There was nothing to be done. She simply could not control it.

"Hello, this is water specially provided by the safe zone. One bottle per person. Please feel free to drink while you wait."

Not long afterward, a staff member from the safe zone pushed a cart over and distributed bottled water one by one.

Perhaps because they had been kept waiting for so long, the safe zone had even sent the relatively scarce bottled water.

Qin Sheng’s side did not lack such things, so she felt nothing novel about it.

The others, upon seeing that what was delivered was bottled water, all drank in tiny sips, afraid of spilling even a drop.

No one knew exactly what rule had been changed. Ten minutes passed, yet no staff member came out.

"Miaomiao, I want to go to the restroom. Come with me, will you?" A Di had made peace with herself, but drinking more water helped keep her from getting nervous.

Drink too much, and one tends to need the toilet.

Jiang Miaomiao shook her head helplessly, set the water aside, and turned to Qin Sheng. "Shengsheng, want to go to the restroom?"

Qin Sheng nodded. Since there was nothing to do anyway, she might as well go wash her hands.

In that instant, Chu Xingyu was left alone at their side.

Just as the few of them laughed and rose to leave, Chu Xingyu also stood and followed after them.

A staff member pushed the cart of water back over and stopped by Qin Sheng’s row.

"People these days have no manners at all. After drinking the water, they just throw the bottles on the ground." The staff member said this loudly on purpose. Glancing around and seeing that no one was paying attention, he crouched down and, while grumbling, took a small bottle from his pocket...

A few minutes later, the group returned, talking and laughing.

"Do you think Xingyu was scared? Why else would he follow us out too?" A Di had barely stepped outside when she looked back and saw Chu Xingyu catching up, smiling all the way.

Chu Xingyu shot her a glare. "That’s called herd mentality. Very normal, okay?"

"All right, all right, stop arguing and sit down quickly." Jiang Miaomiao sat between A Di and Chu Xingyu, separating the two noisy ones.

A Di snorted and, not content to sit still, turned to chat with Qin Sheng instead.

"Is this bottle of water mine?" Jiang Miaomiao picked up the water that had been at her seat. She did not know if it was her imagination, but the bottle seemed a little fuller than before.

Still, it should not have been the wrong one.

She twisted open the cap and took a sip.

"Just came back from the restroom and you’re drinking again?" A Di asked in surprise when she saw Jiang Miaomiao start drinking water again.

Jiang Miaomiao shook her head. "No, my mouth was a little dry, so I just took a sip. It’s fine."

A Di nodded and did not think much of it. Turning around, she continued chatting with Qin Sheng.

Not even two minutes later, the staff member stepped onto the arena, holding the loudspeaker that had been so familiar before the apocalypse.

"Quiet down. According to orders from above, our arena competition has undergone some adjustments..."

"The arena rules remain unchanged, but everyone who passes the second stage this time may choose to enter the Zombie Forest to attempt the third stage."

An uproar rose instantly below the stage. With the third stage opened, even more people would be competing for the captaincy of the seventh team.

Qin Sheng frowned. She had not expected the competition to be adjusted at the last minute.

"Quiet. Of course, you may also choose to automatically forfeit going to the Zombie Forest. Those who forfeit will be assigned to the other guard teams."

"Also, those who return from the Zombie Forest will form the seventh guard team on their own, and first place will automatically become the captain."

The moment the word captain was mentioned, the crowd below erupted into discussion.

"Qin Sheng, it looks like a lot of people want to be the captain of Team Seven this time," A Di whispered in Qin Sheng’s ear.

Qin Sheng nodded, her expression growing even more serious.

Everyone was young and full of blood. Opening up the third stage would indeed attract many to fight for it.

Qin Sheng pressed her lips together and thought to herself, This game is getting more and more interesting.

"That may be true, but the Zombie Forest is no joke. Spend a few days in there and you might not even find your bones afterward..."

"If I pass the second stage, I definitely won’t go. What if I’m unlucky and get bitten by zombies..."

"Neither will I."

"I still want to go. Maybe if I’m lucky, I could even become the captain of Team Seven and have a bit of fun..."

"You do have quite the imagination."

People had different opinions, and the volume of their discussion gradually rose.

The staff member had no choice but to speak again to steady everyone’s emotions.

"Everyone, quiet down and listen carefully. This third stage will be protected by the guard team the entire way. If you want to give up, send a signal, and the guard team will bring you safely back to the base."

Protected by the guard team?

The moment they heard that, everyone’s tone changed at once. All of them wanted to go into that so-called Zombie Forest and try their luck. If there was protection, what was there to fear?

Qin Sheng clenched her hand slightly. She felt that the changes this time were not that simple.

Then she suddenly remembered the conversation she had overheard that day between the district chief and his secretary, Xiao Li.

The district chief did not want girls to be captains...

And this time, many of the seed candidates were girls.

Qin Sheng suddenly understood the purpose behind it.

Protection by the guard team in the Zombie Forest?

That was probably only a smokescreen. They would only rescue people when a signal was sent.

If one were surrounded by zombies, one might not even have time to send a signal before being devoured clean, not even a bone left behind.

Qin Sheng was not worried. At worst, she could hide in her space for a few days when the time came.

This stage in the Zombie Forest was not that difficult for her.

But with so many more competitors suddenly added, Qin Sheng could not help feeling a little uneasy.

"All right, that’s about it for the rules. Now let’s turn our attention back to the second stage. Our staff will begin the computer draw..."

After the staff member left the stage, there were still many voices of discussion below.

"Sis Qin, do you think the rest of us need to go to the Zombie Forest?" Chu Xingyu did not know when he had moved to the seat on Qin Sheng’s other side, and he asked her quietly for her opinion.

After all, Qin Sheng’s goal was first place. If they joined in, then they would no longer be teammates but opponents.

For a moment, Qin Sheng did not know how to answer. She only smiled. "If you want to take part, I certainly won’t stop you."

Chu Xingyu pressed his lips together, thought for a few seconds, and then exchanged a glance with Jiang Miaomiao before saying softly to Qin Sheng, "Miaomiao and I want to become your team members."

With just that one sentence, he expressed support for Qin Sheng’s bid to take the crown.

It also made clear that they had chosen to stand with Qin Sheng as teammates rather than as opponents.

Wasn’t it said one could voluntarily forfeit?

Jiang Miaomiao and Chu Xingyu had already made up their minds early on. With so many people entering the third stage, they had neither the heart nor the ability to become captains themselves. Then they would do everything they could to help Qin Sheng sit securely on the throne.

Qin Sheng was naturally moved, but she had never wanted her feelings for them to cause them to abandon their own pursuits out of affection.

Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Miaomiao also came over and looked at Qin Sheng with complete seriousness.

"We only acknowledge you as captain."

Not only as captain, but as the best leader.

Chu Xingyu also nodded in agreement.

A Di knew her chances of passing were slim, but she still nodded along.

"Qin Sheng, in our hearts, you will always be the strongest force behind us."

In the end, Qin Sheng said nothing more, only nodded solemnly.

This time, she was not merely carrying her own fate on her shoulders, but also the hopes of the friends who believed in her.

She was determined to win the position of captain of the seventh team.

The draw had already begun, and Jiang Miaomiao and Chu Xingyu returned to their seats.

"Now we announce the two participants for the first match: number eighty and number seventy-nine."

Neither of those numbers belonged to anyone in Qin Sheng’s group.

Two people stood up from the crowd.

One of them was very familiar to Qin Sheng.

Shen Shi.

"This guy’s actually pretty handsome," A Di could not help commenting after she clearly saw Shen Shi’s face.

Qin Sheng smiled and asked, "Is that so?"

A Di gazed infatuatedly as Shen Shi walked onto the arena.

"Handsome, yes, but his eyes are terrible."

Qin Sheng muttered softly.

She still remembered clearly that Shen Shi had once mistaken her for Qin Mengchun.

"What did you say?" A Di had heard Qin Sheng speak, but not clearly enough to make out the words.

Qin Sheng shook her head, signaling for A Di to focus on the arena.

Qin Sheng’s gaze fell on Shen Shi. From their previous encounters, she knew he was quite strong, and she had not expected she might one day get to see him in action.

"Ready? The match is about to begin. Five, four, three, two..."

"Begin!"

At the command, Shen Shi moved like a gust of wind. Before anyone could react, he sent his opponent flying clean off the stage.

Everyone: "..."