Chapter 882: The Choice of Humanity
He estimated the approximate range. Without any obstructions, he could accurately grasp a range of about two hundred meters. Beyond that range, it wasn't completely without sensation, but it became very blurry—like looking into the distance at the farthest point you can see; although it counts as "seeing," you know nothing about the details.
If there were obstructions in between, the precise range would shrink further. Fully enclosed spatial barriers, in particular, were more restrictive than open-air fields or semi-enclosed walls. It wasn't that he couldn't determine whether someone or a moving object was there—that was no problem at all after evolution—but he couldn't have a complete understanding of everyone's actions while standing in the square with his eyes closed, as he could now.
The maximum limit should be around one hundred fifty meters. In reality, beyond one hundred meters, the judgment wasn't so precise anymore.
Additionally, he had gained a new understanding of spatial barriers, such as walls.
Walls are solid, absolutely impenetrable things to humans, but to space, they are just another substance distinct from itself, much like people. Humans and walls are roughly the same size, but compared to space, both people and obstacles are merely tiny grains of sand. Space both envelops them and can penetrate them, so they cannot pose an obstruction.
The reason it still hindered Xu Huo now was simply because he himself was still a grain of sand.
A wooden carving appeared in his hand. Xu Huo tried to sense space enveloping it, attempting to crush the carving from the outside. At that moment, he felt an unusual aura rushing toward him from the front. He flipped his hand, and an air barrier formed in front of his eyes. A needle-tip-sized object fell to the ground.
He looked up ahead, precisely locating the player who had made the sneaky move.
The other party was feigning sleep with arms crossed. Upon sensing Xu Huo's gaze, he turned his head away nonchalantly, as if Xu Huo were the one who had provoked him first.
Xu Huo had a good temper. He smiled faintly and let the matter go. The wooden carving he was spinning cracked with a sound, breaking into two pieces in the middle.
Failure.
It was expected, so he didn't feel too disappointed.
Day soon broke.
When the host returned to the square's center, he appeared exceptionally excited. "Dear audience, our program has reached a white-hot stage! Now, you can see that only seventy-seven guests remain in the entire Friendship Garden. Having endured fatigue, betrayal, and danger, I believe the guests still here have gained a deeper understanding and a more earnest longing for friendship."
"So, let's not delay our guests' pursuit of friendship any longer. I declare that today's three-color competition officially begins!"
Thunderous cheers erupted from outside the venue, and some could even be heard shouting the numbers displayed in the square.
"I know everyone is excited, because today we are about to witness the birth of friendship," the host continued. "To ensure both the audience and our guests have a great time, the 'Hello, I'm Fine Too' program team has slightly changed the rules of the competition. Today, for the two members forming a team, one will be randomly selected, while the other will be chosen by the first selected guest from among the guests who volunteer to team up."
"After all, after two days of interaction, friends should have sparked a strange magnetic field. Will the friends you choose yourself truly form a friendship? I believe everyone present is looking forward to it!"
"First up, Guest Number 18!"
Guest Number 18 was the player who had previously killed Xu Huo's teammate, Guest Number 64. As soon as he stepped up to the big screen, the host asked, "Is there any guest willing to become a friend of Guest Number 18?"
No one stepped forward voluntarily.
In the first round, Guest Number 18 had chosen a black ball. After his first teammate died, his second and third rounds also randomly assigned him teammates. He never once went to complete a task, staying safe and sound until now.
Such odds couldn't be purely due to luck; it was more likely that items influenced the random results. In other words, teaming up with him now would inevitably lead to a black ball task. Only a fool would go for it.
"Haha! It seems no one wants to be friends with Guest Number 18. Since Guest Number 18 has lost the right to choose a friend, the program team will have to randomly select one... Congratulations, Guest Number 95!"
Guest Number 95 was an ordinary person. As soon as he walked over, he reached out to touch the black ball, but before he could make contact, the spot where they stood, along with the big screen, began to sink.
Amid Guest Number 95's terrified screams, a projection from another angle appeared above the square. They sank into a clear sea, enclosed in a large transparent box. The central big screen split this box in two. They couldn't see each other, but they could see rows of mutated giant fish locked in glass cabinets behind them, including the man-eating sharks Xu Huo had encountered earlier.
With the central big screen as the boundary, the glass cabinets on both sides were fully suspended in the water, maintaining a ten-meter distance and arranged in a semicircle around the center. From any angle, the people trapped in the middle were visible. Upon spotting their prey, these giant fish became frenzied, simultaneously ramming the transparent glass in front of them.
"What you are now seeing is the unique specialty of our Sea World—frenzied giant man-eating sharks, giant-toothed octopuses that prefer to strangle their prey before slowly devouring them, giant-headed fish whose craving for blood surpasses that for meat... and, of course, our most popular, the Heart-Shaped Octopus. The wounds it bites are shaped like hearts, and it especially loves to eat human hearts, so we regard it as a symbol of love!"
After introducing the "local specialties," the host continued, "The fourth round's competition task is transparent. If you choose the white ball task, we will release a C-level dangerous fish, such as the giant-headed fish. If you choose the yellow ball task, we will release a B-level fish, like the Heart-Shaped Octopus or the man-eating shark. If it's the black ball task, we will randomly release two or more types of fish, with no limit on quantity."
"For the sake of fairness, the players' activity range will be reduced to one-fourth of its original size."
As he spoke, the glass on both sides of Guest Number 18's area simultaneously contracted inward, turning his activity space into a narrow rectangle. If the glass door behind opened, large man-eating fish could easily trap him inside. If he couldn't get out quickly or break the glass, the player's risk would multiply.
"Now, let's witness the choice of humanity!"
As the words fell, the big screen separating Guest Number 18 and Guest Number 95 became transparent. Their eyes met. The terrified Guest Number 95 dropped the backpack he was holding, knelt before Guest Number 18, and begged, "Please give me a way out! Even if water comes in, I'll drown. I don't want to die... You're a player, and so powerful—you must have a way to deal with these mutated fish. Help me!"