Just then, the five minutes were finally up.
The Black Robe wasted no time, saying coldly, “Game start.”
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the display screen.
As expected, a color appeared, Su Yan carefully identified it as cyan.
The very next second after the color appeared, several male guests near “Hedgehog” suddenly lunged, pinning “Hedgehog” down directly and tearing off his clothes and hat.
“Hedgehog” had two cyan spots on him, two feathers. In other words, two people could pass using his feathers.
And these two people definitely didn’t include him.
“Hedgehog” clearly hadn’t expected this, wailing repeatedly, “Hey? What are you doing?!”
“This is robbery! Don’t strip my clothes off!”
“Isn’t the production team going to do anything?!”
“Leave me one, boo hoo hoo!”
“Don’t hit me! Who hit my face? Don’t hit the face!”
Of course, no guest cared about his cries of pain.
They brazenly stripped “Hedgehog’s” clothes.
Some even deliberately punched him twice, having held a grudge from his earlier arrogance.
After grabbing the two feathers, “Hedgehog” naturally became useless.
Everyone immediately shifted the battlefield, punching and kicking the people who had snatched feathers, hoping to get them.
One person who got a feather curled up, tightly clutching the feather in their hand, pressing it to their chest.
Even when others kicked them with all their might, they refused to let go.
They certainly didn’t want to go into the water later.
And “Hedgehog,” stripped bare, cowered in the corner, trembling.
Forget cyan; his entire body was stripped, leaving only a white tank top and black shorts.
Those people were quite thoughtful; even if they couldn’t get cyan, grabbing other colors was good.
What if the next round featured that color?
With such things, having a backup plan is always good.
“Hedgehog” should really thank himself for wearing a white tank top and black shorts.
And these two colors were precisely the kind everyone already had, so no one needed to snatch them from him.
Otherwise, right now, he’d likely be naked.
Seriously, he truly couldn’t believe he was experiencing this. “Hedgehog’s” mind was still stuck in a law-abiding society; he didn’t think anyone would dare openly rob him.
However, reality gave him a resounding slap: they not only stole his clothes but also openly beat him.
In this game, no one would adhere to their original moral bottom line.
To survive, everyone would do anything.
Even if it was just fake death, no one wanted to experience that pain.
Moreover, there was a 100,000-credit prize for winning; money makes the world go round, so what’s stealing a few things?
Besides, in this situation, there was no need to even kill; it was just stealing. Everyone felt no psychological burden. Who told you to seek trouble earlier? And to show off in front of them? You deserved it!
“Hedgehog” was a newcomer; this was only his second game.
Wearing these flamboyant clothes was just a spur-of-the-moment idea.
He truly hadn’t expected such great sorrow after great joy, suffering such a calamity.
He already regretted his earlier ostentation.
Wasn’t that just a forced sacrifice?
If he had known, he would have hidden in a corner and quietly made a fortune!
What was he showing off for?!
Having more people envy him wouldn’t earn him more money!
***
The comments section erupted in laughter over this unlucky newcomer’s experience.
“What a tragic man, I’m sorry, hahahahahahaha!”
“Amazing. Thought he was the chosen one, turns out he’s the chosen idiot.”
“I told you, he was asking for it earlier.”
“Heartless, brainless!”
“A good hand completely ruined.”
Su Yan didn’t even spare them a glance; this situation was already within her expectations.
A man is innocent, but his wealth makes him guilty. In the current circumstances, there was nothing to be done.
Although Nix Star people’s values were similar to Earthlings’, for a variety show, this was clearly more comedic.
They would never sympathize with “Hedgehog’s” tragic fate.
After all, he brought it upon himself.
But speaking of it, there must be quite a few newcomers in this game.
Unexpectedly, everyone’s adaptability was quite good?
They learned to snatch things so quickly.
***
Su Yan, observing dispassionately, saw many things clearly, like an outsider.
Most of the guests who resorted to robbery were newcomers—those who did nothing after entering the game.
Conversely, a large portion of the veteran guests did not interfere.
They seemed confident in crossing the river on their own, without needing to steal from others.
Beyond “Hedgehog’s” situation, several other skirmishes broke out.
Even guests wearing green, let alone cyan, were inevitably exploited by others.
Everyone held out hope, thinking, what if the distinction wasn’t so strict, and green might also be allowed?
Trying wasn’t illegal, so why not give themselves a chance?
Other people’s conflicts had nothing to do with Su Yan; she definitely couldn’t out-compete them in a scramble for items.
And if she actually managed to snatch something, she might get a good beating, which wasn’t worth it.
She only cared about how to cross the river; this was her only way to pass.
Su Yan naturally planned to cross during the chaos.
How else could she fish in troubled waters?
Only when everyone started dropping into the river like dumplings would she have her chance.
Su Yan had a clear understanding of herself: she was definitely not someone with an advantage in physical strength.
In fact, as a female writer, physical strength was her weakness.
She never exercised, staying cooped up in her dorm all day.
An occasional 800-meter run in PE class could nearly kill her, and she was the worst at arm wrestling in her class.
For someone like her to try and compete with alligators was simply a fantasy.
Comparing her weaknesses to others’ strengths was undoubtedly irrational.
She had to find her own advantages and use them to pass.
But in this environment, what advantages did she have that she could use?
Her being a writer was certainly useless in this game.
Could she perhaps write a lullaby for the alligators, and they’d fall asleep?
Or tell them a story, make them laugh, and they’d let her pass?
This was clearly unrealistic.
Su Yan racked her brain; it seemed only her excellent breath-holding ability, which was water-related, was worth mentioning.
***
“One minute’s up, everyone quiet!” the Black Robe shouted.
Su Yan immediately felt her whole body stiffen, unable to move at all.
She opened her mouth, surprised to find she could still move it.
The Black Robe walked over, “Now, guests who have touched cyan with their hands can call me over for inspection.”
Although cyan was a rather uncommon color, among the twenty-plus people on the field, eleven surprisingly raised their hands.
Of course, two of these people’s cyan came from pilfering “Hedgehog’s” feathers.
The Black Robe went to check them one by one.
“This is green, doesn’t count.”
“This is teal, doesn’t count.”
His strictness caused the guests to wail repeatedly.
“No way! That doesn’t count?”
“This is clearly exactly the same!”
“What? This is red?!”
It seemed something strange had mixed in.
After excluding a few guests whose colors were similar but slightly different, the Black Robe walked up to three people.
***
The only girl among them happened to be wearing cyan pants.
The other two people touched her pants with their hands.
One of the boys, looking hopeful, said ingratiatingly, “This counts for us too, right? After all, we did touch this color with our hands.”
The Black Robe said coldly and mercilessly, “This is indeed cyan, but its ownership belongs to her.”
He pointed to the girl, “So she is the one who can cross the river.”
They checked everyone one by one, and in the end, only four people passed the inspection.
The Black Robe waved a large hand, and the next second, a beautiful girl, two disheveled boys, and one seemingly thin boy appeared on the opposite side of the river.
These were the four people who had cyan in this round.
“Wait!”
A girl suddenly called out, “I have cyan on me too!”
This shouting girl was “Ice Dream Tear.”
She waited expectantly for the Black Robe to come inspect her.
Although she couldn’t see the Black Robe’s face, “Ice Dream Tear” automatically assigned him a peerlessly beautiful face.
Usually, he used the black robe to hide his face simply to conceal his inner thoughts.
Such a mysterious character would likely be one of her future powerful allies.
“Ice Dream Tear” knew she absolutely had to leave a deep impression on this influential figure now.
She needed him to feel her innocence and charm in his heart to develop a romantic storyline later.
The Black Robe walked over and saw “Ice Dream Tear” pointing at herself with both hands.
He judged her dispassionately, “You don’t have cyan on your hand.”
Then, he turned to leave.
“Ice Dream Tear” immediately called out, “Hey! Wait!” When the Black Robe turned back, she said with deep affection, “Do you know? I’m eighteen this year.”
“Ice Dream Tear” saw the Black Robe freeze and felt smug.
This must mean he was interested in her, thinking she was an interesting woman.
Doesn’t love always start with curiosity?
Her gaze grew even more affectionate, as deep as a gentle glance.
(Eighteen is the age of flowers, the prime of youth, don’t I represent the color ‘cyan’?)
If anyone could see the screen now, they’d find it filled with white question marks.
How dense were these question marks?
No one could see the people in the show anymore; the screen was completely white.
No one expected such a literary young woman to appear in this horror variety show.
No, that might be insulting to literary young women.
“May I be so bold as to ask, what just passed through my ears?”
“I almost choked on my food.”
“When this woman is covered in blood from my beating, I’ll call her red.”
“Earthlings are truly a magical species.”
Earthlings’ reputation was ruined.
***
The Black Robe also hadn’t expected to hear such words in his lifetime; for a moment, he froze. “Ice Dream Tear” saw his reaction and understood.
He must have been conquered by her profound and philosophical words!
A strong sense of triumph rose in her heart.
What if he was a powerful figure from a higher planet?
Wouldn’t he still submit to her, the female protagonist?
She had just used a small trick, and this powerful figure was subdued.
As a host, the Black Robe’s professionalism was very high.
After only a few seconds, he reacted, “Judgement: fail. This is not cyan.”
With that, he didn’t give “Ice Dream Tear” time to react and strode away from the scene.
But no matter how Su Yan looked at it, his steps seemed to have a hint of fleeing in disarray.
Back in the shadows, the Black Robe put a hand to his ear to contact his superior, “When this episode airs, your initial testing standards will be questioned.”
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