Qi Xu was certain it was related to the "Qiuqiu," but at the same time felt it wasn't that simple. A single work Qiuqiu didn't have that much authority; he had also learned some things from his own Qiuqiu.
The Qiuqiu could only manage, guide, encourage, and support—it couldn't truly interfere with all of the player's actions and choices.
If Master Huixin had been truly unwavering in her heart, the Qiuqiu wouldn't have been able to influence her at all. There were too many questions, and Qi Xu couldn't be sure, nor did he want to ask.
At first, he thought Master Huixin was "neither friend nor foe." After getting to know her during the "Gathering of Legends," he found she was "more foe than friend." Now, however, he was starting to have some different thoughts.
The Flower Fairy with Instant Noodle Hair spotted a exclusive healing card for ability users on the points exchange panel that could fully recover injuries, eliminate internal damage, and remove all negative status effects.
It cost 3,000 points per card. Without hesitation, she bought one. With the remaining 5,000 points, she bought the Trident of Poseidon, then decisively left the "Gathering of Legends" space without any lingering attachment.
As long as you survived the "Gathering of Legends" and held on until the end, with the doubled points pool Qi Xu had paved the way for, no one would come out at a loss.
At the very least, they were guaranteed enough to upgrade their vehicle to Level 8.
Qi Xu didn't waste any time either. Except for Shadowkill, he first transferred 10,000 points to everyone else.
"This is each person's share from our 12-player cooperation—one Energy Core per person. I'll transfer them separately now. If anyone has objections, speak up now. But after this point, when we leave this place, it's all water under the bridge. Any problems?"
"Don't worry, boss."
"We've been through so many secret realms together—our revolutionary friendship is solid!"
Xie Shaoning's expression softened. Qi Xu suddenly felt that this kid had even become "hotter" in appearance, mainly in his aura and spirit.
Cheese Milk Cap with 80% Sugar was also a little dazed as he watched Xie Shaoning bawl his eyes out and then squeeze out a forced attempt at comfort: "Man, nothing’s worse than extreme joy and sorrow, bro. You okay?"
Xie Shaoning was taken aback. "What’s with all the spooky talk? Blinded by my handsome face, can’t even open your eyes?"
Cheese Milk Cap muttered an "ugh" under his breath and moved over to Endless Longevity. "Babe, standing next to you just feels safer."
"So now you’re not calling me 'cough monster' anymore? Now I’m 'babe'? Cough... you’re really something, you know that?"
"Yeah, yeah. With that sharp tongue of yours, always gossiping, it actually sets my mind at ease."
Qi Xu was already transferring points to everyone individually. If they went back early to upgrade, they might even snag the server-wide announcement.
First, from the 10,000 points he had just collected on debt, he sent 2,000 each to the few companions who had voted for him earlier.
Endless Longevity pouted unhappily, staring at Qi Xu with a resentful look, like he was a heartless lover.
Qi Xu pretended not to see it, clearing his throat lightly, and busied himself with serious matters.
From the second round of cooperation, they had obtained a total of 10 Energy Cores. After the points doubled, it came to exactly 100,000 points in total.
Qi Xu decided to keep 50,000 for himself. There was no shame in that—if it weren’t for him, even with 12 people cooperating instead of 7, they wouldn’t have obtained those 10 cores. Intels was the most important thing. Besides, during the 48-hour Great Escape, Qi Xu had no regrets toward anyone. He saved who he could, did what he had to, and didn’t rest for even a minute.
The remaining 50,000 points could be divided among the six teammates who had cooperated with him.
That averaged out to just over 8,300 points each, but it wasn’t divisible evenly. As everyone knew, the exchange panel only dealt in whole numbers. Not just the last few dozen points—even a leftover 300 couldn't buy anything useful.
After a quick calculation, Qi Xu made a decision and directly transferred 8,000 points to each person.
He added, "For the second round's 100,000 points, I’m taking 50,000 for myself. I’ll transfer 8,000 to each of you, and when we get out, I’ll top it up with 10,000 Survival Coins per person."
"COOl! Whirlwind Boss, you’re awesome!"
"Cough... love you..."
Cheese Milk Cap remembered that fewer than 10 server-wide announcements for upgrading to Level 8 vehicles had been made. So, once he got the points, he quickly exchanged for what he needed and left first.
Endless Longevity followed suit, barely half a second behind.
Xie Shaoning and Ember Kiss Starlight Moon were left standing there, stunned.
"Those two are way too crafty! Damn! We’ve lost our chance for the top ten!"
As they complained, Wolf Warrior 005 and Wang Buyu also exchanged their points and left.
Looking around, they found only Whirlwind Boss, who was already Level 8 and had plenty of spare points, and Shadowkill still there. The mage trio had already bailed!
The two didn’t dare drag their feet any longer. They quickly made their exchanges, gave a shout-out to Whirlwind Boss, and hurriedly left.
The others had fewer points, so they didn’t need to deliberate over exchanges. Qi Xu, however, had a real problem—too many points, which made things complicated.
He kept calculating how to maximize the value of the exchange, but when he saw Shadowkill standing there staring at him in anticipation, he stopped for a moment and asked, "Something on your mind?"
"Here’s a treasure map for you."
"Alright."
This had been agreed upon beforehand, so Qi Xu didn’t stand on ceremony. But after receiving it, he noticed Shadowkill wasn’t leaving, which caught him off guard.
A moment ago, Shadowkill had some vague thoughts lingering—maybe he should test the waters. After all, the first round of the "Gathering of Legends" in that tavern had had its fair share of romantic vibes.
But the next second, seeing the impatient look in Qi Xu’s eyes, he immediately stood to attention.
He quickly adjusted his attitude. "Whirlwind Boss, I also wanted to ask: when you go for that international server treasure map, could I get a spot?"
"Hard to say. Head back and wait for word."
Shadowkill nodded and left directly. If he kept lingering blabbing nonsense, he’d only annoy Whirlwind Boss more. But he felt like crying.
He’d joined the "Gathering of Legends" he’d dreamed of, only to end up second-to-last place. It was nothing like the situation he had imagined.
Too bad—one wrong step led to another, and now it was too late for anything else.
For Qi Xu, if there were better partners available, he really wouldn’t choose Shadowkill. Endless Longevity was far more dependable and smarter. After all, cooperation meant having the smartest and strongest teammates possible.
Only after seeing everyone off did Qi Xu relax and start calculating the point distribution.
The livestream was over, so he didn’t need to care about appearances anymore. He collapsed onto the ground, lying flat on his back. His muscles twitched involuntarily now and then.
Qi Xu could already imagine that when he got back to his warm bed, he’d sleep for three days and three nights straight. This time, it wasn’t burnout—he was entirely spent...
