Absolute Death Game

When Zhang Yaoyang returned to the Green Dragon Group's computer room, he was surprised to discover that people from the White Tiger Group were also there. To be precise, it wasn't all the White Tiger Group members, but only those ten—no, actually nine—who had also joined the Pioneer Corps.

There was a buzz of discussion all around, and Zhang Yaoyang, somewhat puzzled, glanced around and saw Xiao Buli looking helpless and Du Yibo looking innocent.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Xiao Buli gestured towards Du Yibo with his mouth, and the answer was immediately clear—it was obvious that Du Yibo had let something slip and let everyone in on the situation.

But it didn't matter to Zhang Yaoyang; he wasn't surprised and even felt somewhat relieved.

"Eh, the leader is back!" someone shouted, and suddenly everyone gathered around.

"I say, Leader Zhang, do you know about the Demon Clan's camp? You've spoken to the higher-ups, right?"

"Leader Zhang, you must make it clear—we can't afford to be sent to our deaths again with so few of us."

"Leader Zhang, it's fine by me to play in the instances, but it's too grievous to be sent to our deaths for nothing!"

Amid the various clamoring voices from below, Zhang Yaoyang, with a spring breeze on his face, signaled for silence. Once everyone had stopped their questions, he said, "Don't worry, everyone. I've already discussed the situation with the higher-ups, including the scale of the Demon Clan's camp and the difficulties we're facing.

I reckon they will make a rational decision and won't send us on instance pioneering anymore. If all goes well, we may be ordered to retreat in the next couple of days."

Upon hearing his words, there was an immediate outburst of cheers.

Li Jian, however, looked somewhat skeptical and asked meaningfully, "Are you sure?" He thought to himself that if things were indeed so, Zhang Yaoyang would have no reason to be so composed—there must be a problem. That's why Li Jian felt compelled to ask.

Zhang Yaoyang nodded and said loudly, "It should be fine unless the higher-ups have gone mad and really want us to go on a suicide mission, but I don't think they would be that cruel."

"Yeah, yeah, they wouldn't be that cruel," everyone echoed, and the atmosphere immediately lightened, with some even suggesting a good celebration at dinner.

Zhang Yaoyang smirked inwardly at everyone's reactions but maintained a cheerful façade and said, "Everyone, keep calm. In the end, we need to wait for the order from above. Until then, let's all continue to fulfill our duties and show good performance without any slip-ups."

Everyone nodded in agreement, saying, "Zhang, don't worry, the brothers get it."

Though they said this, everyone still appeared jubilant. The heavy weight that had been on their minds for days seemed to be lifted—a reason to be happy indeed. As for whether they would face similar situations in the future, that would be left for later.

That evening, everyone arrived early at the dining hall, stacked with all sorts of drinks, including plenty of champagne, and the celebration began. Although the higher-ups hadn't given the word yet, it seemed as if the decision to cease the Pioneer Corps's missions had been made.

Players outside the Pioneer Corps started asking around, and those in the corps didn't hide it and spoke openly, leading everyone to understand the situation and extend their congratulations. After all, the twenty members of the corps were practically the core of Qilin Hall, and it was certainly necessary to curry favor.

But when Qin Shimoon walked into the dining hall, she was met with such a scene.

Everyone was preparing to celebrate because they wouldn't have to go down for any instances any longer, as it was clear the current situation was unwinnable. No matter how irrational the higher-ups might be, they presumably wouldn't be so irrational as to send them to their deaths.

However, when Qin Shimoon came in, everyone noticed that Manager Qin, who was typically gentle in demeanor, looked somewhat downcast.

Seeing her, a sense of unease immediately rose in everyone's hearts, while Zhang Yaoyang felt a surge of joy inside.

"What is it, Qin? Any news from above?" someone asked with a tone that almost demanded an answer.

"I'm sorry," Qin Shimoon seemed to manage a strained smile, "I think everybody has been waiting for my news. But I'm really sorry, the higher-ups have decided to continue with the pioneering plan unchanged. However, instead of pioneering instances, it has changed to pioneering field bosses. We will form a full forty-member team to carry out this pioneering battle."

(What! How could this be?) Many people had this thought erupt in their minds, including those who weren't originally part of the Pioneer Corps, who were also dumbfounded. This was no joking matter, and from what they had heard from the team, the Demon Clan's camp was swarming with creatures like the sea.

The most shocked of all had to be Du Yibo, who had fully witnessed the dense, massive army of the Demon Clan. In typical domestic games, just pulling out a few RMB warriors could solve the problem with a flick of the wrist, but in a game like this, a thousand demons were a force capable of wiping out villages and towns. How could a group of forty people possibly hope to deal with that?

"Manager Qin, you're not joking, are you?" He asked incredulously, still holding a glass of champagne for the celebration, half-filled and yet to be finished.

Qin Shimoon shook her head, "I'm sorry, I'm not joking. Although I submitted the photos and reported the ins and outs of the situation, the chairman is very adamant about keeping the plan to pioneer the land unchanged."

After finishing, she glanced at Zhang Yaoyang, "This pioneering mission will still be led by Leader Zhang. Although it's a harsh ordeal, I hope you can seize this opportunity well. Don't disappoint me."

Zhang Yaoyang nodded in feigned understanding, watching Qin Shimoon leave.

As soon as Qin Shimoon left, the room erupted into chaos.

"Damn, this is practically sending us to our deaths!" Zhao Yunlong was quick-tempered and immediately started cursing.

"Exactly, how are we supposed to live through this?" Ma Long from the White Tiger squad added.

"Screw this, if we're going to die, we might as well just quit this job. I say we just get wiped out, take the severance pay, and scram.

With those 300,000, we can do anything." The one speaking was an archer from the White Tiger squad, who, after speaking, realized the atmosphere in the room wasn't quite right, as many people looked at him with a pitying gaze, "What, did I say something wrong?" he asked confusedly.

Gao Lianyu smacked the archer's head, "Damn, are you really that stupid? Can't you see that there's something wrong with this game?"

"What's wrong, what's the problem?" The archer was genuinely perplexed, and so were many others. Zhang Yaoyang looked around and noticed that about two-thirds of the people in the dining room had similar expressions, and they didn't seem to be pretending. It seemed the ignorance of the majority was ever so prevalent.

Li Jian snorted coldly, "Leader Zhang, why don't you say something? Even if you want to send us to our deaths, at least let us understand why."

His words were a mix of provocation, goading, and a subtle hint at something else. Upon hearing this, everyone turned their doubtful gazes towards Zhang Yaoyang. However, Zhang Yaoyang didn't intend to truly reveal what was going on, and said with a bitter smile, "Let's stay calm. There might be a way out of this.

Maybe if we're lucky and actually take down that camp, it's possible, although we might lose most of our forces. But some people might survive."

"How many people have to die for that? I'm not going, and if anyone wants to go, they can go ahead. Just fire me if it comes to that!" Wu Tao said with a rogue-like expression, inciting a wave of agreement. The ignorant ones were puzzled, thinking it was just a game. Even if their character died, they would only be fired, and there was severance pay to be had.

Why would everyone rather be fired than fight in the game? Could dying in the game lead to something bad happening?

"Let's not say things we'll regret. Though this game does seem a bit odd, it shouldn't be dangerous. Don't let your imaginations run wild; the higher-ups wouldn't set us up."

As he said this, the clueless became even more suspicious, thinking (the game seems a bit off? That seems true, but 'not dangerous'—what does that mean? Could there be danger? The higher-ups wouldn't set us up? Why does that statement feel so unconvincing?).

The saying goes, 'If leaders are reliable, pigs can climb trees,'—humans are naturally skeptical of so-called official statements, regardless of the country, and the people of the Celestial Dynasty are even more so. Zhang Yaoyang's statement increased the suspicions of everyone present.

Seeing this, Zhang Yaoyang smirked inwardly, thinking to himself that things were going as planned. Just a little more stirring of the pot, and the rebellion would be underway. With that thought, he fell silent again, allowing room for others to speculate and doubt.

He glanced at Li Jian, who nodded slightly. Then he looked at Xiao Buli, who discreetly gave him a thumbs up.

(This guy is truly an actor! Executing the perfect performance, finding the exact right moment without a single flaw to detect, everyone would think he's one of the higher-ups trying to fool us, who would suspect he's the mastermind?) Xiao Buli thought to himself. Although he didn't know the details of the plan, he instinctively felt that Zhang Yaoyang had something to do with it.

Looking at his fellow Azure Dragon Group comrades, those in the know had various expressions, some excited, some complicated, some resigned, and some ready to risk it all. He guessed that they would start to band together within a couple of days. Once the clueless learned the truth, the rebellion would likely begin.

Thinking this, Xiao Buli was both excited and anxious—excited that they would finally have an opportunity to overturn this place, but anxious about his lack of strength, not even having advanced yet. In the upcoming rebellion, he wasn't sure if he could ensure his own safety.

(No, I must find a way to level up my Taoist Heart quickly! Tonight, I might as well meditate all night. This last attempt to level up Taoist Heart—if it still doesn't work, I must try other methods.)

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)