Su Bai’s face darkened immediately—she had no clue what purpose Chou Bagua really served, but she could guess it wasn’t anything good. If it weren’t for the fact that this ugly fish was Ye Shu’s beloved pet, it might have already ended up in the pot by now.

"Chou Bagua, are you telling the truth?"

Ye Shu’s lips, usually curled in playful mischief, formed a severe straight line as she looked at the little clownfish.

Chou Bagua continued, "Yep, my dear immortal mistress… This vicious thief here is shrouded in bad luck. If she goes out today, disaster’s sure to find her—she’s likely to die, very likely to die!!"

Ye Shu’s earnest demeanor gradually soothed the fury from Su Bai’s face. As abrasive as that gaudy fish’s words were, it didn’t seem like it meant to insult her on purpose.

"Xiao Bai, you’ll stay here with me today. Don’t go anywhere—Chou Bagua’s talent is predicting fortune and misfortune."

When it came to Chou Bagua’s talents, Ye Shu’s trust was absolute.

"Whatever Shu Shu says, I’ll do," Su Bai replied immediately, almost eager to remain. Secretly, she was grateful to that foul-mouthed fish.

Seeing Su Bai grinning like a fool, Ye Shu pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation. Despite her outward silliness, Su Bai was anything but stupid—in fact, she was shrewd… As for why she stuck to Ye Shu so persistently, perhaps it really was because of the bond they’d once shared.

"Shu Shu, did you bring all these creatures back from the game?"

After her anger faded, Su Bai finally noticed the menagerie filling the room: strange cats disguised as kittens, a talking ugly fish, and a mermaid who loved soaking in the bath…

Was Ye Shu secretly running a zoo at home?!

"More or less, that’s right!" Ye Shu replied.

Reserved and aloof as she was, Ye Shu rarely mingled with other players, so Su Bai had no idea—bringing anything from the game to reality, especially living creatures, was almost impossible. Even with the mall’s pet contracts, a player could bind only one creature… Ye Shu had smuggled out more than one.

No wonder she was my old friend—truly impressive!

If Su Bai ever learned about the endlessly upgradable plant spirit Ye Shu carried… what kind of expression would she make then?

……

Outside the door.

Qin Zaozao stood, her expression complex, as she gazed at the luxurious house in the distance.

Her heart churned with emotions she couldn’t name. Ye Shu’s cold shoulder today was well-deserved—Zaozao herself had once treated her the same. That… Su Bai, seemed to be Ye Shu’s only friend at school.

The Qin family, and even the Ye family, were poor compared to the Su family. Yet the heiress of such wealth was willing to befriend Ye Shu.

Qin Zaozao felt surprised—there was no hint of jealousy.

If only the Ye family had known about her friendship with the Su family… no way would they have treated Ye Shu like a discarded pawn.

But those days were gone.

Ye Shu was no longer the person she used to be.

Back in the game instance, when Ye Shu had fired that gun at Qin Zaozao, she realized her younger sister had changed for good.

……

Over the next two days, Ye Shu and Su Bai buried themselves in the training grounds: swordplay, marksmanship, martial arts, not missing a single discipline.

[The eighth round of the game is about to commence. Player numbers are insufficient; one million participants will be selected at random.]

[Everyone is urged to take this seriously.]

[Failure to clear the game will result in the player’s death!]

[Welcome Player Ye Shu back to the Survival Game. This is your seventh consecutive clearance—an additional draw opportunity granted!]

[You’ve gained +1 Strength.]

[You’ve acquired Crystal Romance*1. Effect: The bound player will accompany you throughout the game.]

[You’ve gained +1 Strength.]

[You’ve acquired Hardened Armor*1. Effect: Grants three rebound opportunities.]

……

A mechanical voice echoed.

[This round is a special game—one million players, divided into 100 factions.]

Ye Shu’s vision blurred. Suddenly, she found herself in an old amusement park. Directly ahead was a pirate ship ride, but the rusted machines nearby made it clear—the rides were ancient, abandoned long ago.

[Player: Ye Shu]

[Game ID: 10096]

[Current living players: 1,000,000/1,000,000]

[Current area: a-101 zone]

[Initial supplies: None]

[Game Introduction: Hide-and-Seek Hunt. There are two factions: Hunters and Prey. Players are the prey. The game lasts seven days. Each day requires a round of hide-and-seek, with players randomly transforming into different objects. As long as you evade the hunters within the allotted time, you survive. Each day, the difficulty increases. Run for your lives, survivors!!]

This special game required players to use their real bodies—a first for Ye Shu.

She quickly surveyed her surroundings. The amusement park was in shambles, overgrown with weeds, the garishly colored rides faded and stripped of paint by rain. Ivy snaked up cracked walls, and apart from the faint rustlings of small animals, the place radiated desolation.

In the distance, a few other players—freshly teleported, just like her—stood on guard and watched the shadows.

Apart from the wind rustling the leaves, there was only silence.

Ye Shu had scarcely taken two steps forward.

The game’s mechanical prompt resounded again.

[The first round will begin in five minutes!!]

[All players, please select your form for this round. You have 10 seconds. If you don’t choose in time, the system will select for you.]

A screen shimmered into being, flashing dozens of images in rapid succession before Ye Shu, a countdown timer ticking down at the edge.

"What the—so fast?!"

"Can’t they give us more time? Ten seconds—ah, hurry up!"

"Too late now…"

There was no time for more curses. All eyes glued themselves to the screen, frantically rifling through options.

But Ye Shu was no novice. An experienced gamer, she instantly realized: the smaller the form, the better. The less conspicuous, the safer.

Her sharp eyes spotted a toothpick. Something that tiny could hide in any patch of grass or trash can—a sure win.

Just as she reached out to touch the picture of the toothpick, the system glitched. Her finger landed instead… on the image of a clucking chicken.

[Congratulations! You have drawn your form for this round: Clucking Chicken.]

[The game will begin officially in one minute. The hunters are in position. You have three minutes to hide. After choosing your hiding spot, a 360-degree panorama will reveal everything within 50 meters; you may change locations at random, as long as you remain unseen by the hunters. Player chat will remain open. Get hit three times by a hunter and you’re out. Each round lasts one hour.]

The screen snapped shut.

Ye Shu didn’t even have time to curse before—poof!—she’d transformed into a lustrous-feathered clucking chicken. The shrubs that barely reached her knees before now towered overhead, forcing her to crane her chicken neck to see the top.

Three scant minutes to hide!

Cold sweat trickled down Ye Shu’s back.

A chicken—a clucking bright-feathered chicken—she was bound to stick out like a sore thumb! Was this round just a write-off…?

Before even getting to complain, the system was still explaining the rules, but the chicken—Ye Shu—had already darted away, eager to find any place to hide.

As the countdown began, the other players took off across the amusement park map: fire hydrants on legs, walking trees, a pink elephant, and most absurd of all, one guy who’d become a gleaming new Ferris wheel.

The amusement park was decrepit.

But among the ruins, a brand new, spinning Ferris wheel? It would be impossible to miss…