Dongfang Yuan forced a smile, grinning so hard it almost hurt, hahaha, very well, then shot an utterly resentful look at Magic Sister, feeling utterly speechless...
Seriously, why the grudge? Just because he’d cursed a couple times at the start of the game, was it worth targeting him like this...
Qi Xu quickly changed the subject, not wanting poor Watch Me Cut You Down to feel even more stabbed in the heart.
"Let’s solve this puzzle together. It shouldn’t take too much energy. How about we clear the second level before resting?"
"No problem!"
The moment everyone heard the word "mission," they snapped into focus.
The challenge was called "Spot the Differences."
[Game Rules: You have one minute to find all differences between two images. Only one participant allowed per attempt! Three incorrect clicks or running out of time means failure.
Three failed attempts will reset the level, respawning all monsters from Level 1. Only after defeating them again can you retry the puzzle.
If anyone gives hints during an attempt, it counts as an automatic triple failure.]
Qi Xu rarely played these kinds of minigames and wasn’t particularly skilled at them, so he turned to the group. "Who’s up for it?"
The Retired Magical Boy shot his hand up eagerly. "Me, me! I’ve played every single 4399 minigame—at least 500 of them cleared! I even aced ‘Find Your Sister,’ that insane game! Trust me, I got this!"
The group took a synchronized step back. Qi Xu nodded. "Alright, take it easy! You’ve got three tries—go for it!"
The Retired Magical Boy stepped up to the gate, rubbed his eyes, stared intently for a moment, then raised his hands in readiness, took a deep breath, and pressed the start button with his right hand.
Instantly, two A2-sized images appeared—a serene autumn scene with falling leaves. The color tones were nearly identical, packed with tiny details, and the ground was littered with countless leaves.
The group behind him collectively squinted like confused elders, but the Retired Magical Boy moved like a speedhacker, tapping rapidly from the top-left corner.
In just 20 seconds, he’d pinpointed all eight differences.
Only when "Challenge Cleared" flashed on-screen did he finally exhale in relief.
Old White Dragon in the Waves gaped. "Magic girl, what the heck? That was insane! I didn’t even spot one, and you nailed all eight!"
He then clapped a hand over his mouth. What was this? Since when did he have a Northeast accent?
Golden Bell Armor Iron Shirt blinked dumbly. "I didn’t even get it. What just happened? How’d we clear it already?"
The Retired Magical Boy scratched his head sheepishly. "Before this survival game, I was just a useless college girl who only knew how to play games... heh."
Dongfang Yuan frowned. "What’s a ‘useless college girl’?"
Qi Xu explained, "Think of it as a humble way to describe herself."
He suddenly realized how contagious Northeast slang was—everyone was starting to sound like Watch Me Cut You Down.
Dongfang Yuan nodded. So it really was about specialization. If he’d tried that challenge, even 30 attempts wouldn’t have been enough.
Soon, the gate displayed the button for Level 2.
After confirming everyone was back in formation, Qi Xu pressed it without hesitation.
The moment the gate opened, a nauseating stench assaulted them.
Ever seen fish with legs?
They hadn’t—until now.
A horde of silver, long-tailed fish with grotesque, festering wounds and stubby legs came flopping and writhing toward them.
Everyone fought the urge to vomit. Even the stingy Dongfang Yuan unloaded an entire magazine from his machine gun, "rat-tat-tat-tat!"
The team’s killing speed skyrocketed. Qi Xu couldn’t even bother with his chainsaw, opting for precise pistol shots, not sparing a single bullet.
It reeked. Worse than a landfill. Worse than anything.
Thanks to the full firepower suppression, Level 2 ended even faster than Level 1.
The monsters vanished upon death, and the foul odor dissipated.
Only then did everyone gasp for air.
"My god... gag..."
"I swear I saw my ancestors. That was lethal!"
Qi Xu’s vision swam. The stench alone was weaponized—no attacks needed.
After recovering, they turned to the next puzzle: 10 brain teasers.
Five participants could join, but a single wrong answer meant restarting. Three attempts allowed.
Golden Bell Armor Iron Shirt, Warwolf 009, and Watch Me Cut You Down immediately stepped back.
The remaining five took the challenge.
Qi Xu hit start. The first question appeared:
[Among Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, who has the longest legs?]
Before Qi Xu could process, Bubbly Girl Guo Degang shouted, "Fire!"
[Correct. Next question.]
[What is the child of Wind called?]
The Retired Magical Boy answered confidently, "Breeze!"
His usual shyness was gone—now he was radiant, brimming with confidence.
Bubbly Girl and the Retired Magical Boy traded perfect answers, leaving Qi Xu, Chinese Master Chef, and Old White Dragon exchanging glances. They were glorified props—just standing there, filling quotas.
After 10 flawless answers, the duo high-fived, cackling like hyenas.
"Man, I needed this. Survival games aren’t my thing—this is!"
"Same here."
Golden Bell Armor Iron Shirt clapped, baffled. "Wait, I still don’t get the first one. How’s ‘Fire’ the longest legs?"
The Retired Magical Boy pulled out a ham sausage.
"Golden Bro, what’s this?"
"Ham... sausage... Oh. Oh!"
"HAHAHA—"
When the Level 3 prompt appeared, the "newbie trio" retreated without hesitation. They’d realized:
This dungeon was called Unity is Strength.
Everyone had strengths and weaknesses. No use overthinking—just do your part. That’s what kept a team alive.
........
