First Day Ranking

Yang Zhanbai's gaze toward Zhu Yan had completely changed.

Three [Key Fragments]—items of indescribable value—had fallen into Zhu Zeyu's hands? What a stroke of luck! Holy crap, it was like they had fallen right into his lap without any effort!

Yang Zhanbai trembled with excitement and silently cursed "holy crap" over and over in his mind. He ran a hand through his hair to force himself to calm down and refocused on the worries Zhu Zeyu had just described.

Yang Zhanbai took a deep breath and looked at Zhu Yan.

He could tell that Zhu Zeyu was truly panicked, uncertain, and terrified.

The man’s expression was strained, and his hands fidgeted nervously inside his pockets.

"...Where is it?" Yang Zhanbai asked in a low voice. "Is it safe?"

Zhu Yan rolled up his sleeve, revealing a storage bangle on his wrist that contained several monster hides.

"It's a single-use storage bangle," he whispered, continuing his bluff. "I took it off Tu Shan. The stuff is inside."

Even Zhu Yan thought this was too ridiculous.

If he were Pinocchio, his nose would have already reached the moon.

Yet Yang Zhanbai believed him without a doubt.

He patted Zhu Yan on the shoulder, glanced around cautiously, then grabbed Zhu Yan by the arm and pulled him through the crowd until they found a secluded corner.

"This is indeed a problem," Yang Zhanbai said quietly. "Brother Zhu, if they come looking for you, what's your plan?"

Zhu Yan looked into Yang Zhanbai’s eyes.

Those eyes were bright, and in their sincere black pupils was the reflection of "Zhu Zeyu’s" panicked face.

For a moment, Zhu Yan felt a twinge of guilt.

But the thought passed in a flash as he stared into those guileless eyes and cleared his throat.

"I'll secretly give you the [Key Fragments]."

He didn’t actually want to give the [Key Fragments] to Yang Zhanbai.

Such things were safest only in his own hands.

But he knew how to read Yang Zhanbai’s psychology.

This kind of thing had to be turned down by Yang Zhanbai himself.

"Yang Zhanbai, if the [Hunter] comes looking, don’t say a word."

Zhu Yan carefully adjusted his expression in the reflection of those black pupils, making himself look as pale and resolute as possible.

He lowered his voice.

"Don’t say the fragments are on you. When the time comes, I’ll leave the room immediately."

Yang Zhanbai seemed to sense what was coming and pressed his lips into a tight line.

"Work with me to make him think the stuff is still on me."

Zhu Yan’s words grew faster as he carefully gauged Yang Zhanbai’s reaction.

"This is the best plan, the safest—"

"No." Yang Zhanbai answered coldly. "Impossible. Zhu Zeyu, what kind of position are you putting yourself in?"

Zhu Yan had been waiting for that.

Got him!

The [Key Fragments] are safe!

What kind of position? The position of playing you.

Yang Zhanbai curled the corner of his mouth at him.

"How about this: I leave with nothing on me, and you pretend the stuff is on me."

"What do you think?"

Zhu Yan calculated in his mind.

It should be just about ten minutes now, right?

That female voice should be about to make an announcement.

The situation was a bit awkward.

He wanted to agree to Yang Zhanbai directly.

But agreeing outright wouldn’t fit with "Zhu Zeyu’s" noble and self-sacrificing persona.

If he dragged it out, he worried he might overplay his hand.

The best thing now would be for the broadcast to interrupt, letting the topic end hastily.

After all, the only purpose was to keep the [Key Fragments] safe. How could he and the [Hunter] possibly end up in the same dormitory at the same time?

So Zhu Yan just shook his head at Yang Zhanbai.

Just then, the female voice rang out at the perfect moment, saving him from the awkwardness.

"Attention all players. We will now broadcast several collective announcements."

The hallway, once filled with chatter and whispers, fell silent.

The surviving players looked at one another, and Zhu Yan clearly heard a few "holy craps."

"The first day of the game is almost over."

"Congratulations, a total of 450 players have returned to the underworld—fewer than we anticipated."

Someone shouted aloud: "Idiot, what the hell are you congratulating for?"

The female voice didn’t mind. She answered the question directly over the public channel.

"Early death means early salvation, so of course we congratulate!"

Zhu Yan was speechless.

He glanced at Yang Zhanbai, who was now completely hooked by the broadcast, just as intended.

"We will now announce the top three on the player leaderboard as of ten o'clock on the first night. Please listen carefully."

Alright, here it comes.

Zhu Yan closed his eyes.

He hoped the protection granted to the [Hunter] would be decent.

"First place: Player ID [Whoever Argues With Me Is Gay]."

The female voice seemed to lighten by a degree. "Reason for ranking: An undisputed [Hunter], a diligent [Hunter] who collected corpses!"

Zhu Yan was very awkward.

He felt the female voice was mocking him for scavenging the leftovers from the horrifying creatures.

But Yang Zhanbai, standing beside him, clearly didn’t see it that way. He clenched his teeth in righteous indignation.

"Collecting corpses," my ass—it was just plain murder!

And how dare they use his nickname and avatar without changing them...

Yang Zhanbai’s fists tightened.

"Second place: Player ID [Zhu Zeyu]."

The female voice carried a hint of subdued glee. Normally steady and mechanical, her tone trembled slightly, as if she were holding back laughter.

"Reason for ranking: The player who killed another [Hunter], buying precious survival opportunities for other players, and discovering numerous clues."

The female voice let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Player, you use your real name online—very brave!"

Zhu Yan felt even more awkward.

He had to admit, this protection was indeed very good.

After that announcement, who could possibly link Player [Zhu Zeyu] with the [Hunter]?

But from his perspective, it felt like a criticism of his subpar work as a [Hunter] and praise for saving other players left and right.

"That's not it at all." The female voice giggled beside him. "This is a private channel, player."

Zhu Yan chose to stay silent.

Yang Zhanbai firmly patted him on the shoulder in admiration.

"Third place: Player ID [Chen Zhangming]."

Chen what?

Zhu Yan couldn’t take it anymore.

The name was unfamiliar at first glance, but upon reflection, it sounded familiar.

Chen Zhaoxing, right?

Who would just write their ability directly as their forum ID?!

Even the tones were the same!

"Reason for ranking: [Chen Zhangming], single-handedly and with great creativity, facilitated the death of a [Hunter]. Congratulations are in order!"

The female voice happily concluded.

"All three have their own merits. Hope you keep it up."

"In addition, our nighttime game will begin exactly five hours from now."

"Players, please rest and conserve your energy."

"Friendly reminder: Every six floors form a unit, and each unit has a different game."

"Enjoy the game, everyone. Good night!"