Chapter 25: A Mutually Beneficial Partnership

Shen Li kicked the door open. The wall opposite them was about ten meters away, and thirty seconds had already elapsed on the countdown timer.

"Think about the theme and the winning conditions," she prompted.

"So, are we still untying the hemp ropes?" Qiao Le asked Shen Li. The latter replied, "Untie them first; it hurts to be bound for too long." With that, Bai Qiuya and Qiao Le hurriedly used scissors to cut the ropes, with Shen Li and Ji Beishu following suit.

Shen Li continued to guide the analysis, "‘Kill or be killed’ implies only one person can survive, yet the final winning condition is that the team with the most escapees wins. It’s clearly not as simple as it looks; otherwise, all four of us could easily escape together within thirty minutes."

Ji Beishu stared at the timer, deep in thought.

"Oh, you're right. I actually thought the production team had grown a conscience," Qiao Le remarked, finally realizing the situation. The four of them sat in their chairs, not daring to make a move.

Shen Li’s mind raced. Based on the current time difference between the two teams, they were bound to lose. The opposing team had an extra ten minutes, which was more than enough to rescue three people. Therefore, there was only one way to resolve this.

At that moment, a disembodied voice echoed across the sky:
【A hint: This game will offer a personal resource reward. The winner will be the first person from the winning team to escape. There is only one such reward. Good luck to you all.】

--Wow, the production team is trying to incite infighting.
--The director is so wicked, I love it, hahaha.
--This is going to be difficult now.

Shen Li knitted her brows. It seemed the production team had anticipated the method she had come up with; otherwise, they wouldn't have added the reward condition, and by limiting it to a single prize, they were clearly trying to tempt them into competing against each other.

The only way to solve this game was for all four people to unlock their chains simultaneously. If it were impossible to determine who unlocked theirs first, then everyone could escape. This was a test of team unity versus human selfishness.

Ji Beishu also realized the crux of the matter. "Shen Li, you’ve figured it out, haven't you?"

"Yes."

Qiao Le tilted her head left and right. "Are you two speaking in code? I don't understand." As she thought this, she secretly reached for a bamboo pole on the ground, intending to hook the key. She would escape first and then help her teammates; the reward had to be hers, after all.

"I know someone is definitely thinking about unlocking the lock first right now."

Shen Li’s sudden remark startled Qiao Le, causing the bamboo pole to drop and make a sound. The air went still, but Shen Li continued as if she hadn't heard a thing.

"But I have a surefire way to win. It just depends on whether you are willing to give up the individual resource reward." Shen Li paused, staring at the countdown on the wall, which had just hit the twenty-eight-minute mark.

"What is it?" Ji Beishu asked first. To him, that bit of personal resource meant nothing.

Shen Li explained the solution. Silence fell over the group. Ji Beishu felt it was difficult to execute, Qiao Le hesitated, and Bai Qiuya remained silent.

This was the hardest part of the method: getting everyone to consider the collective interest and abandon personal gain.

In the "Top-Tier" team's livestream room, a heated argument was taking place.

"I told you to leave first," Lu Ziwei urged Jiang Fuya. Lan Ting had already unlocked her chain, and the time on the wall was down to eighteen minutes and was now ticking away at double speed. They had only just understood the rules and were arguing over which two people should leave.

Jiang Fuya bit her lower lip, looking pitiful. "Brother Ziwei, you go first. You go out and win for our team."

"No, I won't go!" Lu Ziwei clung to the partition board near Jiang Fuya. "Yaya, you go. Don't worry about me, just go." He added with a sob, "After you leave, Yaya, you must live well and lead our team to victory. Don't worry about me."

"I don't want to~" Jiang Fuya cooed coquettishly.

Just then, the time on the wall halved again, leaving only eight and a half minutes, still counting down at double speed.

"What's going on?" Lu Ziwei and Jiang Fuya stopped crying and looked outside in unison. Jiang Nian strolled out of his cubicle, hands casually tucked into his pockets. "One of you, get out of there."

Lu Ziwei, who had already unlocked his chain, felt his anger surge. Thinking of how Jiang Nian had sided with outsiders yesterday made him furious. He stood up to rush forward, but tripped and fell back into his chair.

Jiang Nian watched him coldly. "Unlock your ankle chain before you stand up. What's the rush?"

He walked over, took the remaining two keys from the wall, tossed one to Lu Ziwei and one to Jiang Fuya, and glanced at the time. "Only six minutes left. Hurry up, both of you."

The double-speed timer continued. Lu Ziwei pounded his chair, struggling to control his emotions. "Yaya, you go out. I'll stay here. The three of us will definitely win."

"But..." Jiang Fuya clutched the key, tears streaming down her face, though she was panicking inside. *Damn Lu Ziwei, why are you stealing my 'self-sacrificing' persona! If you don't leave, how am I supposed to win the audience's favor? So annoying!*

--Wuwuwu, our Yaya is so kind, willing to sacrifice herself to save her teammates.
--Weiwei is a good kid too. They were all framed by that murderer; it's so pitiful. (Crying x5)
--I really don't see the point of this sacrifice. It’s not like they are actually going to die. If just one of them leaves, three people will escape anyway. Is there a need to be so melodramatic?
--Agreed. And after seeing Shen Li's solution, looking at them makes me feel 'stupidity-phobic'. (Facepalm)
--Shen Li's paid trolls are here again. How much did they spend? (Snickering)

Jiang Nian couldn't take it anymore. He walked straight over, snatched the key from Lu Ziwei, squatted down to unlock the chain, hoisted Lu Ziwei over his shoulder, and walked out. The entire sequence was fluid and effortless. Finally, he dumped Lu Ziwei on the outdoor ground and clapped his hands.

"Troublesome."

Lu Ziwei was furious. "You!" He started to run back to swap places with Jiang Fuya, but Jiang Nian spoke up, "Don't bother. You've already abandoned him to come out; what’s the point of going back?"

"It was clearly you who dragged me out by force, you..."

The disembodied voice cut him off:
【The Top-Tier team has successfully escaped. Three people escaped. Jiang Fuya has been eliminated for failing to escape before the deadline.】

Qiao Le, who had been hesitating, heard the number of escapees and put down the bamboo pole. "Fine, let's all escape together."

"Grab the keys!" At Shen Li's command, they all used their bamboo poles to fish for the keys. Those who got theirs first waited for those who hadn't. Once everyone had a key, Shen Li commanded, "Insert the keys into the locks."

The three of them complied.

"I will count down from three. At the moment I say 'one,' turn the locks. Remember, turn the key to the right. Does anyone not understand?"

The three of them replied in unison, "No."

"Three."

In front of the monitors, the director sat uneasily. The planning team had already let out a sigh; who knew they wouldn't try to fight over the resources? Could it be that for people with such tarnished reputations, resources weren't the most important thing? They actually gave them up? It was incomprehensible.

Pei Wenxuan narrowed his eyes, his face ghastly pale. "Move up the content for the next episode. Don't let them escape." Hearing Mr. Pei’s words, the director's previously gloomy face brightened.

"Right! Planning team, get ready immediately!"
"Yes!"

On the monitor, Shen Li had already reached "two." With one final number left, everyone held their breath.

"One!"

*Click!*