The second to step up was the retired magical boy, keeping in mind the failure of Master Chef earlier, he performed every push-up with impeccable form.
But this led to a problem—it was exhausting!
Gritting his teeth, he completed 70, then pushed on despite his trembling arms, unwilling to give up. By the 92nd, his arms gave out, and his chest hit the ground.
Magic Sister was overjoyed. The first thing she did after getting up was look at Master Chef. "It's fine, we still hit the 90-goal!"
Master Chef nodded vigorously and stepped forward to help Magic Sister massage her arms.
But when it was Bubbly Girl Guo Degang's turn, trouble arose again.
Her feet slipped, and by the 66th push-up, she was ruled a failure.
The poor girl was stunned, on the verge of tears.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just... I tried to adjust my position, but I didn’t expect to fail! This... I—!"
Old White Dragon in the Waves patted her shoulder. "Don’t worry, it’s nothing. I’ll make it up for you."
With that, he rolled up his sleeves and took the stage.
The difference in physical stats was immediately apparent.
Old White Dragon in the Waves only had a strength stat of 79, but for ordinary human exercises like this, he made it look effortless.
He breezed through 100 without breaking a sweat, only slowing down after 400.
Perhaps he started too strong, because his stamina began to wane.
By 621, he was struggling, arms shaking violently. Holding the position for just a second too long, the system declared his challenge over.
Old White Dragon tried to protest, but it was useless.
Next was Golden Bell Armor Iron Shirt, who smoothly completed his assigned 700 and even added 36 more.
Everyone had full confidence in Warwolf 009—his form was flawless, his pace steady, a pleasure to watch.
"Wasn’t there supposed to be a reward for perfect form? I don’t see any—oh, damn!"
Even the Gentle Scholar Top Scorer started cursing.
The survival game played dirty—around the 50th push-up, a 20kg iron plate suddenly appeared on Warwolf 009’s back.
"What the hell?! This is the reward?!"
Dongfang Yuan pointed at the sky with one finger. "Are you trying to get cursed out again?!"
[Please accept it gracefully. The reward was mentioned beforehand.]
Warwolf 009’s pressure skyrocketed. After 400, his pace slowed, especially since he had to keep the iron plate from falling to avoid disqualification.
In the end, he managed 832 before collapsing to one knee, unable to continue.
Dongfang Yuan followed, stepping up with flair. Before she even started, the iron plate was already on her back.
If not for the risk of retaliation against her teammates, Dongfang Yuan would’ve unleashed a 300-word tirade against the survival game right then.
[You seem displeased! So I’ll just gift it to you early.]
Dongfang Yuan cursed internally a hundred times. Rarely had she felt so stifled. If she lashed out now, the iron plate might get heavier, leading to failure—that’d be infuriating.
At 690, the weight suddenly increased again. Dongfang Yuan braced herself just in time to avoid being crushed.
She clenched her teeth, pushing through the pain.
Even Qi Xu couldn’t bear to watch.
"That’s enough. Let me take over."
"No..." Dongfang Yuan’s face was red, her body trembling like a sewing machine, but she refused to yield.
Yet the survival game still had it out for her.
Another 20kg added, and this time, Dongfang Yuan couldn’t hold on. Her face slammed into the ground, nearly shattering her front teeth.
She jumped up, ready to scream curses.
[One more word, and I’ll increase your teammates’ load.]
Dongfang Yuan swallowed her words, fuming. When had her sharp tongue ever been silenced like this?
Then, the system’s voice dripped with mocking laughter.
Seeing Dongfang Yuan seething, Qi Xu reassured her, "Go ahead and curse if you want. We can quit this challenge—your peace of mind matters more."
"Exactly! Life’s too short for this nonsense. This is just humiliating."
"That voice is pure evil. Sister Cut You, let it out!"
Hearing her teammates’ support, Dongfang Yuan’s anger faded.
She had a temper, but she wasn’t stupid.
The survival game was trying to drive a wedge between her and her team—but Qi Xu was kind, and so were the others.
The game’s scheme failed!
Dongfang Yuan suddenly felt lighter. She crossed her arms, tilting her head up with a smirk. "Want me to curse? Ha! Not happening, you pathetic loser~"
The challenge continued. Qi Xu started strong for the first 10, but from the 11th push-up, his movements grew shaky and slow.
It looked like he’d fail any second.
The retired magical boy and Bubbly Girl Guo Degang were baffled, but before they could speak, Sister Cut You and Old White Dragon in the Waves clamped hands over their mouths.
The two instantly understood—damn, Whirlwind Boss was playing 4D chess.
Qi Xu wasn’t sure if this would work, but with 963 push-ups left, he had no confidence if the game added more weight.
So he pretended weakness from the start.
The trick worked—he made it to 660 without the game interfering.
Still, Qi Xu was exhausted, nearing his limit, face flushed, eyes bloodshot.
But he kept adjusting his breath, counting down one by one. If he stopped now, the team’s momentum in the second and third rounds would suffer.
Old White Dragon in the Waves’ hidden weapons were almost depleted—restarting would be a huge waste.
Qi Xu had to endure.
600... 700... 800...
With just 60 left, the extra weight finally came.
Qi Xu had prepared. He adjusted, accepted it.
At this point, exhaustion made him reckless. His mind wandered—
Was Little Seven at home eating properly and not running off? Why did the survival game always pit players against each other? Why were the station’s monster staff so desperate for survival coins?
What would it take to raise the affection levels of the white-pink twin-tailed fox Tao Tao and the Bunny Muscle Monster from 55 to 60?
........
