DSMC Chapter 61.1

Yan Jiyun’s biggest worry still happened.

The moment he saw the system announcement, he knew what was going on.

Team A and Team C had teamed up to eliminate Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu, ganging up with numbers against the few. And it was likely not just these two teams.

All the other teams were surprisingly unified in targeting Team F.

Yan Jiyun could immediately use the revival stones to bring Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu back, but for now, it wasn’t necessary.

Based on the game’s usual behavior, eliminated players are given a chance to use a Revival Stone, but that chance definitely has a time limit, and likely a very short one. Otherwise, Player 18 from Team A wouldn’t have used a Revival Stone immediately after being eliminated by a Team B player.

He had originally shared the Revival Stones within the team, meaning Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu could choose to revive themselves. But they didn’t. Instead, they left the timing of their revival completely to Yan Jiyun. That meant they trusted his judgment.

Or rather, Gu Wenzhu probably predicted this outcome. They didn’t want to cause trouble for Yan Jiyun. If multiple other teams joined forces, their efficiency would be ten times greater than any single team. And as long as those two weren’t eliminated, they would only hinder Yan Jiyun’s actions. He’d have to split his focus to protect them.

Yan Jiyun could only sigh helplessly in his heart.

These two really were placing their entire lives in his hands. Their gamble was huge.

But he felt this was Gu Wenzhu’s idea. Qiu Xi probably couldn’t think that far.

He saw his system’s team menu:

[Teammates]

Qiu Xi: [Eliminated] [Revive]

Gu Wenzhu: [Eliminated] [Revive]

[Note: Reviving teammates requires the revival item “Revival Stone.” If teammates are not revived before the game ends, they will face death.]

Yan Jiyun’s earlier suspicion was also confirmed. 

If an eliminated player does not revive using a Revival Stone, it is effectively death, only a matter of sooner or later.

The place where Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu were eliminated was very likely being camped by players from Teams A and C.

Judging by the previous situation of Team A No. 18, Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu probably had the same three minutes… if not less.

Yan Jiyun knew that what his teammates experienced during elimination was probably not pleasant. But right now, he himself was still safe, didn’t need them, and moving alone was indeed easier. He didn’t need to constantly worry whether his teammates would be eliminated.

He had already done his best to help them. So for the time being, they could stay in the “little dark room.”

All the other teams were waiting for Player No. 29 to revive his two teammates from Team F.

But even by the start of Round 5’s forced PK, neither of the eliminated Team F players revived.

Team A players:

“Looks like No. 29 has been sick of those two handicapped teammates for a long time.”

“All the Revival Stones are on him. Of course he wants to hog them. He has six revival stones now.”

“You think if we eliminate him, we can get all the stones?”

“No way. When No. 18 got eliminated the first time, he instantly used a Revival Stone. I think if the player himself gets eliminated, the game probably prompts them to use a stone on the spot. If they miss that window, only teammates can revive them later. Since No. 29 has so many stones, he can revive himself six times.”

“Not necessarily. If we take him out, the stones will become ours.”

“That plan could work.”

Team B players:

“Team A and C teamed up to get rid of F’s two people.”

“Good news!”

“But we’re the ones who eliminated Team A’s No. 18. We have the resurrection prop too. Will they come after us?”

“If we don’t eliminate them, they’ll eliminate us.”

“Should we team up with No. 29?”

“You need to find him first. When his teammates got eliminated, he hid like a turtle. Who’s gonna find him?”

“Team A and C acted only after his NPCs left. No. 29 doesn’t seem like the turtle type.”

“I think without NPC protection, No. 29 is probably weak.”

“No. 29? Weak? You sure?”

“…Then how about we kill his NPC?”

“Can our NPC beat his?”

Then they thought about it. 

Probably not.

Team C players:

“Keep cooperating with Team A?”

“Eliminate No. 29’s NPC first.”

“Okay. Continue with the plan.”

Team D players:

“Should we find an alliance?”

“Forget it. How did No. 20 die again?”

“…Right.”

Team E players:

“Hide. Let the other teams fight first.”

“Got it.”

“Copy.”

Team F:

Only one person left, which is No. 29. He has teammates to discuss tactics with.

Perhaps out of pity, the system didn’t put him into Round 5’s forced PK.

Right now, Yan Jiyun was a lone wolf.

Since there was no time limit on reviving teammates, he could calmly continue searching for number tags, and think about how to handle whatever might happen when Tang Shi and Liang Yu attend Chen Xiaoyu’s banquet.

He was certain that this banquet had something to do with the player behind Chen Xiaoyu.

The actions were planned, coordinated, and precise.

This sort of organization was most likely from Team C.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have acted on Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu the moment Tang Shi and Liang Yu entered the market.

Facing well-organized players was indeed tricky.

But no matter, he could rise to the challenge.

Right now, he needed to fill his stomach first.

While boiling chicken breast, Tang Shi began explaining Chen Xiaoyu’s family situation to Liang Yu.

He found that as long as Oreo was beside him, talking about Chen Xiaoyu didn’t make him feel embarrassed. He had only secretly liked her, and he had never confessed. Originally, he wanted to confess after graduating university and finding a job. He thought she didn’t know. Unexpectedly, she had known all along and had been using his feelings.

Did it hurt?

Yes.

But not to the point of life or death.

It was Oreo who made him see everything clearly.

Letting go of that woman and starting over was not that hard.

Liang Yu happened to mention Chen Xiaoyu’s family background and casually asked, “Her family seems pretty well-off, huh?”

Tang Shi lifted the chicken breast out of the boiling water and nodded. “You mean Chen Xiaoyu’s family? Her family is doing very well. The Chen family is the richest in Qingyun Town, and they rank in the top three even in the county. They actually live in the county seat. Chen Xiaoyu only came back this time because it’s her grandfather’s birthday. Oh right, their house is down the road past our market.”

“They were the first to get rich, and later they brought other people in town along with them to make money. Everyone says their family are great benefactors, and they even built a ‘merit bridge’ for them.”

Liang Yu: “So their family has a pretty good reputation.”

Yan Jiyun crouched nearby, staring at the chicken breast Tang Shi had just taken out.

Tang Shi took a few steps forward and asked Liang Yu, “Shouldn’t cats avoid eating hot food?”

Liang Yu said, “Yeah, their tongues are heat-sensitive. It needs to cool down first.”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

‘You sure know a lot.’

Tang Shi spoke to Yan Jiyun, “Oreo, then wait a bit before eating, okay? I’ll cut the meat into smaller pieces for you.”

Yan Jiyun: ‘That’s fine.’

He turned his head and went back to the chair to continue listening to their gossip.

After chatting briefly with him, Liang Yu continued asking, “So they don’t have any negative rumors?”

Tang Shi thought for a moment. “There definitely are. When I was young, I often heard the old folks gossiping. They said the Chen family’s money was earned in ‘not so proper ways.’ Nobody knows how they really made their fortune. They only know the family did some business out of town for a year, then suddenly had money to buy land and build a new house. Chen Xiaoyu’s father is now the big boss of several companies. One of my classmates told me that after her grandfather’s eightieth birthday, her dad’s company will relocate to the city. Their family will move out of Qingyun Town as well.”

Liang Yu: “Her grandpa is eighty?”

Tang Shi: “Yeah, her dad had her pretty late. She has two older brothers. She’s the most beloved youngest daughter.”

Hearing this, Liang Yu suddenly laughed. “Hey, if you married Chen Xiaoyu, wouldn’t you become a live-in son-in-law? Your kids might not even take your surname.”

Tang Shi: “Why don’t you say that if you married her, it’d be a power-couple marriage? Her dad would definitely give her a lot of dowry money. You could coast through life.”

Liang Yu: “Do I look like someone who likes to live off others?”

Tang Shi straightened his face and replied seriously, “Do I look like someone who would marry into someone’s family for money? Whose surname the kids take doesn’t matter, but I absolutely would never marry a girl for her money.”

Liang Yu made an OK gesture. “OK, my mistake. Classmate Tang Shi definitely isn’t the gold-digging type!”

Tang Shi curled his lips and turned to place the cooled chicken breast on the table for Yan Jiyun to eat.

Yan Jiyun was happily listening to the gossip. Liang Yu was coaxing Tang Shi, likely because he wanted to get more information about the Chen family from this well-connected local.

The Chen family’s sudden rise to wealth, with their startup funds coming from who-knows-where. This definitely had something to do with the castle incident from back then.

The castle changed dramatically overnight. As the proverb says: “humans die for wealth, birds die for food”. It’s very likely the Chen family had a hand at it. 

As noon approached, Tang Shi rummaged through drawers looking for red envelopes. There was a local custom of giving birthday money to elderly celebrants.

He finally found two small red envelopes that still looked somewhat new. At this time of year, none of the shops sold red envelopes, so finding a usable one or two was already lucky.

Liang Yu looked at the red envelope decorated with a sheep and asked Tang Shi, “You’re a broke student and you still have to give a red envelope?”

Tang Shi: “It’s just the local custom. Doesn’t matter if it’s a lot or a little.”

Liang Yu: “Not necessarily. If you give too little, they’ll definitely seat you at the outermost table.”

Tang Shi: “Then are you giving more or less?”

Liang Yu: “I don’t know them. I’ll just give five yuan. Your downstairs fast-food place charges five yuan for two meats and one vegetable. So that sounds about right.”

Tang Shi felt Liang Yu was being shameless. He was at least giving fifty. This guy discounted it by a factor of ten, but somehow still sounded reasonable.

Liang Yu snatched Tang Shi’s red envelope, took out the fifty, replaced it with a five, and stuffed it back in.

Liang Yu: “If anyone asks, just say you’re a poor student with no money. Nobody will blame you.”

Tang Shi: “And you’re a rich second-generation. Seriously?”

Liang Yu: “I said I don’t know them. Besides, rich kids can’t be stingy? I’m probably the stingiest rich kid alive.”

Yan Jiyun: “…”