Chapter 878: Only by Appreciating the Inner Self Can It Be Called Friendship
In truth, not just Xu Huo, but none of the people present felt that this would be enough to clear the instance. Xiao Xiao, with a tone that seemed to see through the ways of the world, said, "Sea World isn't any different from other districts. There's no real paradise on earth."
Xiao Xiao and her companion were lovers. The two of them had come to participate in the show to find a way to survive. The feelings between them could be considered quite loyal, yet the show still hadn't recognized their "friendship."
"Hello, Goodbye" probably didn't conduct background checks in advance. So even though the two knew each other, without explicitly stating it, they were just a pair of very good friends. Even when they sacrificed for each other, it couldn't become "friendship." Either the production team had learned of their relationship during the process, or the production team had a unique set of judging criteria.
Simply put, it deviated somewhat from the expression of friendship generally recognized by the public.
"Did you reveal your lover relationship while doing the tasks?" Xu Huo asked Xiao Xiao.
"No," Xiao Xiao said. "We didn't dare mention it... Even if others knew, they were all here to participate in the show, so it doesn't count either."
"There were surveillance cameras on the car you took when you arrived," Xu Huo said. "Didn't you know?"
"We knew, but..." Xiao Xiao wanted to say something, but suddenly realized something, and her face turned pale as she said, "So that's it... So we were being watched by the audience the whole time we were on the car... Why? Friendship Garden is the show venue!"
"That's just your guess; it might not be true," Shaka comforted her. "Besides, friendship at least has to be built between two people."
These words didn't comfort anyone; instead, they made Xiao Xiao cover her face and cry bitterly.
Shaka's usually calm face showed a hint of awkwardness. Xu Huo comforted him, "You're just not very good with words. That's not a big flaw."
Shaka gave an embarrassed smile.
Xiao Xianglin's group had no results for the time being. The one hundred and thirty groups of the second round all completed the three-color competition before two o'clock in the afternoon. After a day and a night of consumption, more ordinary people died in the second round. Few players were willing to play with ordinary people, and some ordinary people even used their own predicament to harm the players instead.
Therefore, the death toll in the second round was also considerable.
However, before all those who had gone on the adventure tasks in the second round came out, the host announced the start of the third round of the competition.
"It's a pity that not a single guest has gained friendship so far. The upcoming third round of the three-color competition will be randomly combined by the people who remain or return to the square. I wonder if everyone feels a sense of tension?"
The host's voice was high-pitched. "Often at times like this, guests shed their disguises and reveal their true selves. No sincerity, no friends. It can be said that now is the best time for friendship to be born."
"People aren't necessarily perfect, but friendship is such a wonderful emotion. Even if you are ugly, unbearable, or even of low character, you can still gain the friendship of others. Believe in yourself, there will always be someone who appreciates your inner self through your outer shell!"
"Guests, please show yourselves to the fullest!"
After listening to the host, the impatient You Si finally calmed down. "I'm starting to not recognize the word 'friendship' anymore."
The host's words actually implied that pretending to be a 'good person' who is willing to help others or sacrifice oneself is not the standard for gaining friendship.
"There's no playing this game," You Si shrugged. "Looks like I can't clear this instance. I'll just leave when the game is over."
"The instance duration is seven days. You might not be able to leave when the game ends," Xu Huo said. Since the unit of friendship is two people, the minimum possible outcome is that only two people are left.
To leave early, unless there is only one person left here, completely eliminating the possibility of gaining friendship, otherwise, you still have to wait out the full seven days.
Half of the people in "Hello, Goodbye" had died in less than two days. In the following days, would the remaining people have to kill each other until only one was left?
"It seems we need to find a way out," You Si looked at the walls of the venue. "But if the instance time limit isn't up, players probably can't get out either."
Giving up wasn't an option. By then, even if the players didn't care about clearing the instance, the production team would force the players to comply. Otherwise, once the venue floor opened, everyone would have to go feed the fish in the sea. How long could they last in the sea?
"But isn't the production team going to select some people to score in the end?" Xiao Xiao said. "Even if you don't clear the instance, you can still enter Sea World then."
"If no friendship is born, the show will continue," Xu Huo said.
Xiao Xiao started to doubt again. "Has anyone really settled in Sea World through the show before?"
The third round of the competition began. This time, Xu Huo was randomly assigned to the first group, and his teammate was Zhuang Mengtian.
"What a coincidence," Zhuang Mengtian curled her lips into a smile. "You're not going to choose the white ball again this time, are you?"
Xu Huo made a "please" gesture. "You choose first."
Zhuang Mengtian, however, said, "I think two people completing a task together is more likely to create friendship. How about we both choose the yellow ball?"
Xu Huo naturally had no objection. In front of everyone, he switched to the yellow ball.
Zhuang Mengtian also chose the yellow ball. The two decided to act together. The task they drew was a landscape painting, and the location was a botanical garden.
The cabin transported them to the botanical garden. Unlike the previous botanical garden scenery, a mountain appeared before them.
The place they appeared was right in a valley. Dense, tall green plants surrounded them on all sides. Old trees, crooked and leaning, were covered with vines, blocking the sky and the sun above the valley.
Xu Huo and Zhuang Mengtian were almost buried in the vegetation.
Xu Huo was taller, so when he walked, he could stick his head out to see the situation above. Zhuang Mengtian was completely submerged below, and her movement trajectory could only be judged by the swaying of the plants.
To guard against poisonous insects, the two put on protective suits from the start. Additionally, Zhuang Mengtian had some insect repellent she got from someone else, so there was no need to worry about that danger, but walking was quite inconvenient.
"Is this damn place really on the sea?" she said. "Weren't we teleported to another small island by a space item?"
"Sea World's technological development is pretty good," Xu Huo didn't comment much.
If the technology was solid enough, the white city they saw when they arrived might not be real.
"That's true. Usually, only districts with a decent economy like this kind of reality show that plays with people's lives..." Zhuang Mengtian didn't finish her sentence before she was suddenly tripped and then dragged at high speed by a moving vine!
The view in the woods was poor. Xu Huo followed, throwing out the kite string several times but failing to stop her. Midway, Zhuang Mengtian tried to stab her weapon into the ground to anchor herself, but unexpectedly, a patch of grass and trees on the ground automatically parted, causing her to miss and even taking her knife. As she was swung up by the vine around her foot, she shouted a warning to Xu Huo: "The ground is hollow!"
(Chapter End)