"I'll go first!"
Liu Yao took a deep breath and walked towards Yingying Mountain under the gaze of the others.
In the past, she always stayed within her perceived safe space.
Whether it was academics or work.
She neither stood out nor lagged behind.
Hiding among a crowd, just getting by.
This time, suddenly arriving in this dangerous world,
At first, she hid behind the streamer.
When she formed a small team with Qi Liu and the others, she stayed in the center of the team.
Afraid of being the most conspicuous, yet also afraid of having no value if she did nothing...
Sometimes she would imagine,
Becoming that most outstanding, most noticeable person.
The center of everyone's attention.
But when the opportunity truly arose, she chickened out.
Just like speaking on stage at elementary school graduation, or preparing for a month for a competition at work...
Facing the countless gazes cast upon her, she faltered.
She stammered, not knowing what she was saying.
Forgetting all the practice before going on stage.
Just wanting to escape this place quickly.
...Her courage always vanished at the crucial moment.
...
The lower part of Yingying Mountain was earth-brown, with sparse vegetation and no cover.
The middle slopes were covered in lush green plants, with tall trees boasting dense foliage that blocked out large swathes of sunlight.
Only dappled shadows remained, scattered through the forest.
It was somewhat quiet, and somewhat eerie.
The further up she climbed, the more pronounced the chilling cold became.
As she neared the summit, there was very little vegetation around.
The ground was almost entirely covered in white snow.
"Good thing I wore enough when I came here..."
Liu Yao thought of the scant attire of the woman in the red dress and comforted herself.
She looked at the pool covered in white mist not far away, her steps involuntarily slowing.
This situation was probably the closest she had ever been to death.
What awaited her after the streamer left?
The thought made her legs tremble uncontrollably.
Her eyes also felt a bit sore.
She murmured softly:
"Liu Yao, don't retreat anymore... In this world, the worst that can happen is death... What are you always afraid of?"
She pinched her soft thigh, sniffled, and looked up at the sky.
As someone who always reflected on herself,
She knew that if she didn't change her nature now.
When she reached the next stage,
And had to face the bizarre world alone,
She would still be timid and hesitant.
...
"Go, big sister!"
"Of course, she's scared. She's just an ordinary person."
"Actually, you've already done very well. Keep it up."
The live stream camera followed Liu Yao all the way up the mountain.
The viewers witnessed all her emotional changes.
To be honest, for the past two days, they had been keeping track of clues and analyzing them alongside the players.
Brainstorming together.
What they had seen so far was a relatively harmonious scene.
Although Liu Yao was quiet, she didn't fall silent when it was her turn to speak.
Her presented state,
While not comparable to Qi Liu's, was still one of active participation.
As onlookers, the viewers felt a sense of detached security.
To the point where they gradually forgot that Qi Liu, Liu Yao, and the others were just ordinary people.
Not characters in a game, but real people.
They too possessed timidity and weakness.
And Liu Yao,
Had never been a person with a strong capacity for adaptation.
When she first appeared before the streamer, due to nervousness and fear,
She couldn't even hear what others were saying.
"If it were me, I would have broken down on the first day."
"Knowing what's up here, yet being the first to come up. You're already very brave."
"Yingying Mountain is simply a test of human nature."
But human nature is always fragile, unable to withstand trials.
...
...
"Liu Yao, you can do it."
After encouraging herself, Liu Yao rubbed her somewhat stiff face.
She strode forward.
Reaching the edge of the pool.
The crying sound of "ying ying ying" echoed in her ears again.
Liu Yao opened the lid of her water bottle and squatted down to collect water.
A gust of cool wind blew, parting a small section of the white mist before her, revealing the pool water beneath.
The pool water reflected her face,
A chilling sensation crawled up her spine again.
The face in the pool gradually morphed into her boss.
"Liu Yao, why haven't you finished the work yet?"
"I've told you so many times, you must follow the client's requirements. The client is your father. Do as your father says!"
"Even if you revise it a thousand times, ten thousand times, that's your job!"
A shrill voice sounded by her ear,
With a certain magic,
It instantly pulled Liu Yao's thoughts back to that office.
That time with that proposal,
She had revised it for two full months according to the client's wishes.
The commission she received at the end wasn't even enough to buy a decent ordinary car.
...
The scene in the pool rippled, transforming into a slightly plump woman dressed in luxurious attire.
The woman looked at her with an arrogant and disdainful expression.
"Don't think you can seduce other people's husbands just because you have some looks."
"Why are young girls nowadays so shameless?"
The shrill voice continued,
As if a fuse, igniting a bomb in Liu Yao's heart.
That was her first job after graduation.
When the boss's wife discovered his affair, she didn't go after the actual mistress.
Instead, she came to the office to cause trouble and humiliate her, a mere assistant.
Exuding the full air of a boss's wife,
Using the tactic of "killing the chicken to scare the monkeys."
Not only did she lose her job, but she also had to move cities.
Very good, very good... These people are truly excellent!
A breath of air was trapped in Liu Yao's chest,
She widened her eyes, tears uncontrollably sliding down her cheeks.
"Liu Yao, do you really think they're good? These people love to bully young girls without a background."
"Why are such people still alive? Why can they still build tall buildings?"
"These bosses, these beasts..."
"You work yourself to death every day just to earn a little money, living like a dog, while your boss squanders the money you earned..."
"Is this fair? It would be more satisfying to crush these people against a wall with one hand..."
The spirit behind her continued to guide her emotions step by step.
Liu Yao suddenly broke down, crying out with a "wa."
"Wuwuwuwu... Wu wu wu, stop talking..."
?
The spirit behind her froze, not understanding where it went wrong.
Because the anger in the woman's heart was still there,
But the emotion of sadness had abruptly overwhelmed the anger.
What was going on?
Liu Yao cried, tears streaming down her face, and choked out:
"Even dogs live better than me now... Don't insult dogs, wu wu wu... If I could, I'd really want to live like a dog, wu wu wu..."
No need for 996.
No need to deal with the nagging of annoying people.
When the owner goes to work, just lie at home, enjoy the air conditioning, put on a face mask, and watch TV...
When the owner gets off work, if they're happy, give them a pet, if they're not happy, you can even show them a sour face...
Eating better than humans.
"We both clock in and out of work, why did I end up like this, wu wu wu..."
Liu Yao sat on the ground, burying her head in her knees and sobbing.
A wave of sorrow and grievance washed over her.
...