Shao Yuye stood behind them, staring at everything in utter disbelief.
Wait.
Why the hell was Qi Luozhou stealing his lines?!
If Qi Luozhou said everything first, then what was he supposed to say?
Hurrying forward, Shao Yuye pulled Qi Luozhou aside and looked at his sister anxiously.
“Are you okay?”
Shen Wanwan smiled lightly.
“I’m fine.”
She turned to Qi Luozhou and pointed toward the concealed area where the Hunters had been waiting earlier.
“Qi Luozhou, do you want to check over there?”
He nodded and, before leaving, reminded them, “Be careful.”
Just moments ago, while he and Qi Luozhou had been collecting the item, Shao Yuye had grudgingly admitted in his heart that his longtime rival wasn’t completely unbearable.
But now?
He was back to finding Qi Luozhou irritating no matter how he looked at him.
Frowning, Shao Yuye stepped protectively in front of his sister.
—As if I need you to tell me that.
At that moment, several Hunters spotted them and sprinted over.
Shao Yuye drew his weapon.
*Biu! Biu! Biu!*
With a few crisp shots, he cleanly took down the Hunters charging toward them.
Only then did Bai Ling finally get a clear look at what he was holding.
It was… a tiny toy water gun.
Bright yellow and blue, with a plastic body and the classic color scheme every little boy loved.
Yet somehow, in Shao Yuye’s hand, it didn’t look out of place at all.
The livestream chat hurried to warn him:
[Brother Ye, watch out! There are more behind you!]
As though he’d heard them, Shao Yuye didn’t even turn around.
He merely tilted his head slightly, located the sound, and casually pressed the trigger.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Jets of water splashed across the Hunters. The few who had been charging over instantly collapsed to the ground.
Shao Yuye lowered the water gun and blew lightly across its barrel, the corner of his lips lifting into a cool, confident smile.
He didn’t say a single word.
Yet everyone could practically see two giant words written across his forehead—“ANYONE ELSE?!”
[AHHHHH! Brother Ye is so handsome!!!]
[That shot didn’t just hit the Hunters, it hit my heart too! Waaaah!]
[He totally pulled it off this time! Brother Ye saving his little sister is unbelievably cool!]
Holstering the water gun, Shao Yuye immediately picked up the conversation that had been interrupted earlier and loudly lectured Shen Wanwan.
“You’re way too bold!
“What if they’d caught you right away and dragged you off to the Black Room after eliminating you?”
Compared to his panic and worry, Shen Wanwan remained remarkably calm.
She simply replied, “You’d revive me.”
She said it with absolute certainty.
Complete trust.
Utter confidence.
Shao Yuye opened his mouth, only to realize he couldn’t argue.
Because it was true.
Even if this was only a game, if she were eliminated and there was even the slightest chance of revival, he would absolutely do everything in his power to bring his little sister back.
[Awwww, Wanwan really knows exactly how to make her brother happy. Look at that grin, it’s practically reaching the sky!]
[Brother Ye, have some self-control! You’re so easy to read! No wonder your sister has you wrapped around her finger!]
After secretly basking in happiness for a moment, Shao Yuye forced himself to look serious again.
“What if there isn’t a revival chance?”
Shen Wanwan answered without missing a beat.
“Then we’ll just spend the winter here together.”
After all, there was no way he’d leave her behind alone.
If she were really eliminated and stranded on the island, he would never leave by himself.
Shao Yuye: “…”
His little sister really had him completely wrapped around her finger.
And he couldn’t even get angry.
Because everything she said was true.
In the end, all he could do was glare at her fiercely before delivering a completely powerless threat.
“You can stay here by yourself.”
Though everyone knew the threat carried absolutely no weight.
Shen Wanwan gave him a sweet smile.
The moment she smiled, Shao Yuye’s heart melted.
How could he possibly keep acting fierce?
The barrage filled with envious comments.
[The world owes me an older brother like Brother Ye.]
[He’s exactly the kind of tsundere big puppy who’s all bark and no bite. “I’m not going to look after you!” he says, while his body immediately rushes to protect her.]
[Brother Ye, don’t spoil your sister this much! I’m so jealous of Shen Wanwan!]
Some viewers also caught Shen Wanwan’s comment about spending the winter together and reacted in surprise.
[Wait… didn’t God Zhou say almost the exact same thing earlier?!]
[‘WanZhou’ is seriously such a perfect match! Since you both want to spend the winter here, why don’t you two just stay on the island? (joking)]
[I actually kind of want to see what God Zhou and Wanwan would be like living alone on the island!]
Shen Wanwan didn’t continue arguing with her Brother.
Instead, she walked over and untied Bai Ling’s ropes.
Bai Ling hadn’t expected Shen Wanwan to free her voluntarily.
She froze for a moment before saying gratefully, “Thank you, Wanwan.”
Shen Wanwan turned to glance at Qi Luozhou, who had already retrieved the antidote.
“Let’s go.”
The four of them left the outpost together.
Just then, loudspeakers across the entire island broadcast an announcement—
“Bai Ling and Shen Wanwan, you have been infected.
“There is one hour remaining. If the antidote is not found within one hour, the infected person will be declared dead.”
Shao Yuye cursed.
“Damn!”
His mouth had really been cursed.
Just as he’d feared, the production team had actually gone and done it!
The good news, though, was that they still had an hour.
There was still time.
Bai Ling quietly looked toward Qi Luozhou.
When he’d come out just now, he’d been holding two tubes of clear liquid.
The labels on them prominently read [Antidote], with an extra considerate note beneath: [Safe to drink directly.]
“God Zhou, is that the antidote you’re holding?”
Qi Luozhou lowered his head and glanced at the two tubes, as if deep in thought. He didn’t answer.
Bai Ling continued, “Then let Wanwan drink it!”
Because of those words, Shao Yuye gave her another look.
“Are you serious?
“Mhm.”
Bai Ling smiled gently.
“Thanks to Wanwan getting captured with me, you all came so quickly and rescued me along the way. Otherwise I’d probably still be trapped in there. No matter how you look at it, Wanwan should be the one to take it.”
The livestream chat was touched.
[Aww, Bai Ling is such a good person!]
[I kind of feel bad for Bai Ling… When Wanwan got captured, her brother came to save her, but when Bai Ling got captured, even her partner Zhang Song didn’t come… She must feel awful inside.]
[That’s not fair! Xiao Song was trying his hardest to clear the stages and get the hunter-disabling item! He just wasn’t as fast as Yuye and God Zhou! If he’d rushed over without a weapon, he’d have been throwing his life away!]
Her words were perfectly reasonable, yet Shao Yuye couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about this ‘antidote’.
What kind of antidote was this obvious?
It practically screamed “Trap.”
As if the label were flashing: “Come on~ Drink me~”
Qi Luozhou had reached the same conclusion.
He looked at Shen Wanwan, leaving the decision to her.
“Drink it?”
“No.”
Shen Wanwan shook her head.
Bai Ling grew anxious.
“Wanwan, at least one of us has to survive. I think you’re the better choice…”
Shen Wanwan still shook her head, her tone as calm as ever.
“I’m not drinking it, and I don’t recommend that you do either.”
Since she’d put it so bluntly, Bai Ling could only swallow the rest of what she’d wanted to say.
After hesitating for a moment, she spoke again.
“Then… how about I drink it?”
Shen Wanwan raised an eyebrow.
“You’re sure?”
Bai Ling nodded.
“I’ll test it for you. Let’s see whether it’s really the antidote.”
It was a gamble.
A fifty-percent chance.
If she won, she’d live.
If she lost… well, no one was coming to save her anyway. She might as well do them a favor while she still could.
Shen Wanwan shook her head disapprovingly.
“It definitely isn’t.”
But Bai Ling didn’t believe her.
She took the bottle labeled [Antidote] from Qi Luozhou’s hand and tipped it back.
It turned out to be snake grass water again!
The flavor twisted her face into a mask of agony.
After struggling to finish the entire bottle, the director’s cold, emotionless announcement echoed across the island.
“Unfortunately, Bai Ling has consumed poison, contracted the toxic strain, and has died on the spot.”
Bai Ling: “…” Damn it. My luck is terrible! I lost the bet!
The livestream chat fell silent.
[…]
[Wanwan literally said it was definitely not the antidote. Why wouldn’t Bai Ling believe her?]
Bai Ling gave a bitter smile.
“I never expected it to actually be poison.”
Shen Wanwan wore an expression that plainly said, I told you so.
Shao Yuye was astonished.
“How did you know it wasn’t the antidote?”
Although he’d also been suspicious, he had never been as certain as his sister.
Shen Wanwan answered honestly, “I didn’t.”
Shao Yuye was even more astonished.
“Then how are you so sure?”
Qi Luozhou merely curled his lips into a smile beside them.
Shen Wanwan replied casually, “Just based on my understanding of how the director likes to operate. And sure enough, he didn’t let me down.”
The director, who had been watching them the entire time through the monitors: “…”
Damn!
That felt personal.