Chapter Eight: The Rules of the Hunt

As Gu Qingshuang's words fell, the atmosphere in the cave, which had just calmed down, froze again. The three words "experimental subject" weighed on everyone's hearts like three icebergs, bringing with them a bone-chilling cold. It ruthlessly dragged the horror of last night from the realm of "unknown natural disaster" into the abyss of "man-made malice." This meant that what they were facing was not a lost beast, but a killing machine deliberately created and placed there. Last night's attack was not an accident, but an inevitability. Lei Zhe's face turned from a purplish-red to a deathly pale. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to refute, but found his throat too dry to utter a single syllable. His strength, which he was so proud of, seemed so primitive and ridiculous in the face of the word "experimental subject," a term filled with technology and cold malice. Su Manqi hugged her arms tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably. She finally understood that this wasn't a high-difficulty wilderness survival show designed to attract attention; it was a real, bloody gladiatorial arena tailor-made for them, the "guests." "You mean..." Professor Chen adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses flashing with fear and contemplation, "All of this is part of the production team's plan? They... deliberately put us together with this monster?" "Otherwise?" Gu Qingshuang's tone was so calm it was almost cruel. "Do you think that with modern exploration technology, they would 'accidentally' choose an island with an unknown giant predator as the filming location for a top-tier S+ variety show?" Her rhetorical question was like a heavy hammer, completely shattering the last shred of hope in everyone's hearts. Yes, everything was planned. From them signing that vague contract, to being blindfolded and brought to this island, to the terrifying moment last night, it was all part of the script. Only, they were no longer actors, but insignificant props that could be discarded at any time in the script. In this suffocating silence, a voice suddenly echoed throughout the cave. The voice didn't belong to anyone present. It was cold, flat, and devoid of any intonation, as if synthesized by the most precise machine, transmitted precisely into everyone's ears through miniature speakers hidden in the crevices of the rock face. [Survivors, congratulations on successfully completing the appetizer round.] Everyone was startled by the sudden voice. Huo Ying instantly raised his bow, cautiously scanning the surrounding shadows. [Now, the main course is served. The first stage of the official mission – ‘First Hunt’ – officially begins.] The god-like voice ignored the group's panic, calmly announcing the rules, each word carrying an undeniable metallic quality. [Mission objective: Obtain survival supplies. Three types of supply crates have been deployed throughout the island:] [One: Bronze supply crate. No key required, can be opened directly. Contains basic food and water. Quantity: 20.] [Two: Silver supply crate. Requires a ‘Gengshen Core’ as a key to open. Contains high-quality food, medical supplies, and multi-functional tools. Quantity: 5.] [Three: Gold supply crate. Requires the wristband of an ‘eliminated player’ as a sacrifice to open. Contains… a ‘surprise’ that can change the game.] Quantity: 1.] The voice paused, as if deliberately giving everyone time to process this cruel information. “Gengshen Core?” Professor Chen muttered to himself, “Could it be… the heart of that monster?” [‘Gengshen Core’ refers to the complete heart of the experimental subject, a Gengshen-class creature.] The cold voice seemed to have heard his question, directly providing the standard answer. [‘Eliminated player’ refers to a survivor whose vital signs have disappeared for any reason, or who has been deemed ‘incapable of competing’ by the system.] “Boom—!” If the previous rules were merely chilling, this last explanation was like a thunderclap on a calm lake. The wristband of an “eliminated player”… Everyone's gaze involuntarily fell on the seemingly unremarkable black electronic wristband on their own wrists. At this moment, this object was no longer an identity marker, but a bloody key to a golden treasure chest that could be snatched away at any time. [Task Time Limit: 72 hours. After 72 hours, teams that fail to open any supply boxes will be judged as "failures" in the first stage. As for the consequences of failure... believe me, you don't want to know.] [So, hunt, or be hunted. Good luck...] The voice abruptly stopped, and the cave returned to a deathly silence. But this time, the silence was filled with seeds of suspicion, greed, and madness. The atmosphere in the cave instantly became eerie. Lei Zhe's breathing became heavy, and the fear in his eyes had been replaced by a morbid excitement. The way he looked at Gu Qingshuang and Huo Ying was no longer simple jealousy, but like a hungry wolf looking at its prey. Su Manqi lowered her head, her long hair concealing her expression, but her beautiful eyes, faintly shining in the shadows, flickered with calculation and malice. She had already begun to calculate in her mind who would be the most suitable "eliminated" person. The two isolated individuals, at this moment, seemed to have found a new alliance—a fragile alliance built on greed and malice. --- "They're crazy! They're all crazy!" Tang Xin had completely sobered up, her pale little face filled with fear. She clung tightly to Gu Qingshuang, as if only this could give her a sense of security. "They want to kill us... they want to steal our wristbands!" Professor Chen's expression was also extremely serious. He pushed up his glasses and said in a deep voice, "This rule is too vicious. It's forcing us to kill each other." Huo Ying didn't speak, only silently checking his arrows, his sharp eyes occasionally glancing at Lei Zhe and Su Manqi on the other side of the cave entrance, the vigilance in his eyes unmistakable. "No, killing each other is only the third step." Gu Qingshuang's voice broke the tense atmosphere. She sat cross-legged by the fire, her expression still calm, as if what she had just heard wasn't a death sentence, but an interesting riddle. “This task is a series of traps,” she said, holding up a finger. “The first trap: the bronze chest. It seems the simplest, but it's actually the most dangerous. ‘No key required’ means the competition will be fierce, and the production team will definitely place them in the most open and exposed dangerous areas. Whoever goes to grab them first will become a sitting duck, not only facing the covetousness of others but also potentially becoming an appetizer for the ‘experimental subjects’.” She held up a second finger. “The second trap: the silver chest. ‘Gengshen Core’… it sounds very tempting. High-quality food, medical supplies, tools… these are all things we desperately need. But the requirement of a ‘complete heart’ is a huge trap in itself.” Gu Qingshuang looked at Huo Ying: “Huo Ying, with your archery skills, are you confident that you can accurately hunt a Gengshen experimental subject without alerting other monsters, and retrieve its heart intact?” Huo Ying thought for a moment, then solemnly shook her head: “It's difficult. The one last night was extraordinarily strong and large, and its scales were very hard. My arrows could only penetrate through the gaps, causing only superficial wounds. To kill it with one shot and take its heart, I would need heavy armor-piercing weapons. Moreover, the sound of the fight would be enough to attract all the monsters within a few miles.” “That's right,” Gu Qingshuang nodded. “Therefore, hunting a Gengshen experimental subject is a high-risk, low-reward gamble. If you win, you get the supplies, but you also expose your location and are likely to be exhausted from the fight, becoming prey for others. If you lose, you become the experimental subject's dinner.” “Then… then the gold chest…” Tang Xin asked, trembling. “That's the production team's real purpose,” Gu Qingshuang's lips curled into a cold, sarcastic smile. “The bronze and silver chests are just a prelude. Their purpose is to exhaust our physical strength, intensify our fear and despair, and make us, under the threat of hunger, pain, and death, ultimately turn our attention to the easiest ‘prey’—our companions.” Her words made Professor Chen and Tang Xin gasp in shock. “First, they use monsters to weed out the weak, and then they use supplies to break down humanity. What a clever tactic of ‘using a tiger to devour a wolf’,” Professor Chen sighed, his eyes filled with sorrow. “So, what’s our strategy?” Huo Ying looked at Gu Qingshuang, her eyes filled with absolute trust. “It’s simple,” Gu Qingshuang stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes. “We’re not playing this game.” “Huh?” Tang Xin was stunned. “We’re giving up all the supply crates,” Gu Qingshuang’s gaze swept across everyone. “At least in the initial stages, we won’t touch a single one.” “But… the 72-hour time limit…” Professor Chen worried, “And the ‘loser’ penalty…” “The criteria for being a ‘loser’ is ‘a team that fails to open any supply crates’,” a glint of wisdom flashed in Gu Qingshuang’s eyes. “Note, it’s ‘team’. Right now, we are one team, and Lei Zhe and Su Manqi are another team. As long as one side opens a crate, theoretically, none of us will be considered ‘losers’. Do you think, with Lei Zhe’s eagerness to show off and Su Manqi’s selfishness, they will be able to resist touching those crates?” Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly understood. “Let them be the pawns to scout ahead, to fight the monsters, and to attract everyone’s attention,” Gu Qingshuang’s plan was calm and clear. “And we, meanwhile, will use this time to do something more important.” She walked to the cave entrance, looking out at the dangerous jungle shrouded in morning mist. “First, find a completely safe and easily defensible new campsite. Second, find a stable and clean water source. Third, use Professor Chen’s botanical knowledge to find edible native plants. We need to establish our own survival cycle, not rely on the handouts from the production team.” “What we need to do is not hunt, but… lie low.” “Waiting for the hunters… to kill each other.” Gu Qingshuang’s voice was soft, yet it carried a powerful force that seemed to see through everything. In the eyes of Huo Ying, Professor Chen, and Tang Xin, a flame of “hope” was ignited. --- Meanwhile, at the other end of the cave, a completely different “conspiracy” was also underway. “Manqi, did you hear that? A golden supply crate! That's the key to turning things around!” Lei Zhe lowered his voice, but the greed and excitement in his tone were impossible to conceal. He looked at Su Manqi as if she were his future queen. Su Manqi recoiled from his intense gaze in disgust, feeling a wave of nausea, but managed to force a look of concern and vulnerability onto her face: “But… Brother Lei, that requires the wristbands of the ‘eliminated,’ that’s… too cruel.” “Cruel?” Lei Zhe sneered, “In this godforsaken place, it’s either you die or I die! Being merciful to the enemy is being cruel to yourself! Look at those four, they’ve already ganged up together. Will they share the supplies with us? No! They’ll just watch us starve to death!” His twisted logic successfully portrayed himself as the victim. Su Manqi sneered inwardly, but outwardly agreed, “You’re right… we can’t just sit around and wait. But, to deal with Lin Weiyu and the other three… Huo Ying’s archery skills are too formidable.” “That’s why we can’t attack them first!” A cunning glint flashed in Lei Zhe’s eyes, “We’ll go for the silver crate first! Think about it, as long as we kill that monster and get the ‘Gengshen Core,’ we can open the silver crate and get excellent tools and medicine! By then, we’ll be eating canned beef and wielding fire axes, what are those people compared to us?” This plan was exactly what Su Manqi wanted. Letting this fool Lei Zhe fight the monster to a mutual destruction, and then reaping the benefits herself, that was the perfect scenario. If he won, they would have supplies; if he lost, or was seriously injured… then wouldn’t his wristband become the key to the golden crate, easily within her grasp? Thinking this, Su Manqi displayed a look of “sincere” admiration on her face. She looked at Lei Zhe with a dependent and trusting gaze: “Brother Lei, you’re so smart! I’ll listen to you! I believe you can do it!” The man's vanity was greatly satisfied at this moment. Lei Zhe puffed out his chest, feeling once again like the invincible team leader he once was. "Don't worry, Manqi! Follow me, and I guarantee you'll be the ultimate winner!" The sky brightened, and the morning mist gradually dissipated. The two groups in the cave began packing their belongings almost simultaneously. Gu Qingshuang completely extinguished the campfire, slung her lightweight backpack over her shoulder, and said to the three behind her, "We're going up the mountain. The higher the terrain, the better the view, and the safer it will be." On the other side, Lei Zhe gripped his machete and waved confidently at Su Manqi, "We're going to Black Stone Beach! I remember seeing the densest jungle there when the helicopter flew over. The monsters are most likely to have their nests there!" The two groups walked out of the cave, where they had once jointly faced death, without a word. At the cave entrance, their paths diverged. Gu Qingshuang led her "Stealth Squad" to the left, onto a winding, rugged mountain path leading into the depths of an unknown dense forest. Their steps were cautious and steady, each step filled with reverence for life. Lei Zhe and Su Manqi went to the right, striding confidently towards what they believed to be their "treasure trove." Their figures, in the damp jungle, appeared both arrogant and pathetic. Sunlight filtered through the layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows, as if foreshadowing their vastly different fates. A hunting game of humanity and survival silently unfolded its bloody curtain at the end of the two diverging paths.