The players of the 88th district were immensely proud—their boss was outstanding, and they hadn't held them back either!
Not until all the unified comments were eventually folded, turning into a constantly rising number behind them, did everyone see the livestream screen again...
Qi Xu also saw the frenzy of comments flooding in and could guess what was happening. It was probably organized by A-Bian, which wasn't too surprising. The only thing she hadn't expected was...
The number after that paragraph, roughly counted, had already reached nine digits. Even if some people had posted several comments each, the total volume was still impressive.
Qi Xu was sure that once she left the special space known as "Gathering of the Gods," the prestige points would bring yet another high-tier special treasure chest. Hopefully, she could collect all the fragment cards from the service area and combine them with the guild card for an amazing payoff!
Not until all 12 people had turned into "little red-faced ones" and were chatting face-to-face did they realize how hilarious it was—each other's faces were glowing red, making the whole scene look rather comical.
Suddenly, the light screen broadcast released another message.
【Hello, all top-ranked players of the Chinese server! Congratulations on collecting the energy cores within 24 hours. The mission has been upgraded, and the Great Escape phase is now activated!
Over the next 48 hours, the forest monsters will go completely berserk! All monsters will break through their regional limits, locking onto the energy cores in your possession as their sole target. They will relentlessly chase and intercept you for 48 hours straight.
They will track your scent through energy fluctuations, form groups to block your escape routes, and any moment of carelessness could lead to losing your energy core—or even losing your life.
Now, you have two choices:
1. Safe exit: Immediately head to the exchange point and trade your energy core for 5,000 basic points. Once exchanged, you will be teleported directly out of the forest with zero risk, guaranteeing your safety.
2. Risky persistence: Choose to stay in the forest and survive the 48-hour purge. During this time, you must protect your energy core from being taken by the monsters. If you successfully endure until the mission ends, your energy core's value will double!
Please note: Once you choose to persist, there is no turning back halfway. This choice concerns your life, so please think carefully!
At this moment, the countdown has started at the forest-edge exchange point. Players who wish to exchange must arrive within one hour. This route will have no monsters.
Qiuqiu is very curious about your decision: will you cash out, taking everything you've earned so far, or gamble for higher rewards? Please make your choice within 10 seconds!】
After the light screen broadcast finished, everyone remained very calm, with no one voicing their opinions or views. Even Master Huixin, who always spoke first, chose to stay silent.
Once again, they all looked toward Unstoppable Black Whirlwind in unison.
Qi Xu didn't let them down and spoke up immediately: "I want to take on the upgraded mission and complete the next 48 hours of the Great Escape."
【Received. Player Unstoppable Black Whirlwind has registered.】
Qi Xu was telling Qiuqiu her choice, but she was also saying it for the remaining 11 people to hear.
Seeing that everyone was about to register as well, Qi Xu continued, "The 12 energy cores we collected in the past 24 hours—one for each of us—have already completed the team's initial goal fairly. The previous round of cooperation ends here."
Qi Xu spoke quickly, obviously in a hurry. Even though she said the cooperation was over, not one person raised any questions or said any unnecessary words.
They were all waiting for Unstoppable Black Whirlwind to arrange the next moves. No matter what they thought privately, everyone was willing to admit that she was the most suitable leader among them.
All the monsters encountered in this forest were far more powerful than anything they'd seen before.
But under Unstoppable Black Whirlwind's leadership and arrangements, each person had maximized their strengths. This had actually given everyone the confidence to keep pushing further.
"However, the benefits from now on won't be split evenly. I will have the final say in distributing any energy cores we gain. That means even if we come across new energy cores, you might get nothing at all. The only guaranteed doubled benefit is the one energy core you currently hold."
"Can everyone understand what I'm saying?" Qi Xu was very straightforward. She was not only demanding command of the team but also the final authority over reward distribution.
After all... they were about to reach that place. That information came from Qi Xu's own unique channel—something she'd only learned after dying once. If she let everyone share in the gains equally after contributing just a bit of effort, Qi Xu would feel it was unfair, and she wasn't willing to be such a sucker.
But she couldn't just say that outright, so it all depended on mutual trust and how sharp the others were.
Qi Xu wasn't going to guarantee that even if she took the lion's share, she could make everyone rich beyond their dreams.
Although she had some memory of it, no one could confirm that there wouldn't be any surprises.
As soon as Qi Xu finished speaking, several people immediately frowned. They felt that the earlier equal-split model was fine, allowing everyone to work together against the monsters and listen to her commands. They didn't understand why she had to change the terms.
When benefits weren't on the line, everything was easy to negotiate, and everyone seemed compatible with each other. But once interests clashed, problems emerged quickly in a team that hadn't known each other for long.
"Boss Whirlwind, uh, can I ask for a reason?" Endless Longevity coughed up blood as he spoke.
Qi Xu shook her head. "Not really."
Wang Buyu didn't say a word but immediately moved to stand behind Unstoppable Black Whirlwind.
As for Cheese Latte Half Sugar, Ember Kiss Moonlight, and Xie Shaoning, there was no need to say anything more. They were already standing behind Qi Xu, with no intention of leaving. No words were necessary.
Unstoppable Black Whirlwind would surely understand.
Master Huixin finally let out a sigh and stepped forward to play the villain.
"Benefactor Unstoppable, the gains from working together as a unified team far exceed what one person can achieve alone. Our twelve members have developed a synergy, and working side by side has been quite harmonious. Why not continue together and walk this path collectively?
Benefactor Unstoppable, as the leader of the group, you've done a lot of coordinating, directing, and worrying—your contributions are certainly greater than the others'..." But...
Qi Xu felt the urge to pinch her brow ridge as soon as the monk started speaking. She was really tired of it all...
"There's no 'but' in this. These are my terms for cooperation. If you find them too harsh, you're free to form another team. Since this is a collaboration, it has to be fair to both sides.
Previously, I thought it was fair. Now, it's not. So I've proposed a different arrangement."
...
