"Let's draw lots first, then come to my place for dinner tonight."
"Okay," Zhou Haimei replied with a smile.
The staff member's face showed a hint of impatience. "Hurry up and draw your lots, don't dawdle."
Zhou Haimei was about to get angry when Xu An stopped her. "Sister Mei, let's draw our lots first."
Causing trouble with the staff right now was clearly not a wise decision.
Currently, among the top twenty, there were only four women selected. Besides Xu An and Zhou Haimei, there were two other girls, ranked 19th and 20th respectively.
The line moved quickly, and soon it was Xu An's turn to draw.
"Do you want to use points to contend for rights?" the staff member asked very casually, without any real attention.
At this stage, those who needed to use points to contend for rights had mostly done so. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a gap of over 80 points between the first and second ranked contestants.
This was because the first-ranked man had once plundered over 180 points from another man.
"Yes."
"Draw your lot and leave quickly, don't linger..." The staff member seemed to have just heard Xu An's words. He reacted for a moment before abruptly turning back to look at Xu An, "What did you say?"
"I said I want to use points to contend for the right to compete!"
The competition had been going on for a month, and the staff member had seen many people use points to contend for rights. However, most of them were men. Women who used this privilege were very few, and there were also exceptionally stringent requirements.
The number of girls who had used this rule could be counted on one hand.
Yet, with the competition nearing its end, Xu An wanted to use this right now?
It was important to note that during the initial point-plundering process, choosing someone who was slightly weaker but had relatively more points was the best option.
Everyone who had reached this point was no pushover; they were all skilled.
Not to mention, Xu An was currently ranked 18th. Apart from choosing those two women ranked even lower than her, the only people Xu An could choose from were those ranked higher, who were even more formidable.
"You... Who do you want to choose as your opponent?"
The staff member asked Xu An, but in his heart, he had already made his decision. He was convinced that Xu An would definitely choose those two lower-ranked girls.
It wasn't just the staff member who thought this.
The two women who had finished their matches early and rushed over to draw lots were gritting their teeth, their eyes glued to Xu An's lips, daring not to look away.
They were afraid of hearing their names, not out of fear of Xu An.
Having come this far, none of them were mere show-offs. However, deep down, they were resistant.
Just as everyone was waiting for Xu An's answer, Xu An remained silent. Instead, she slowly pointed her finger towards the 9th ranked person on the ranking board. It was a fierce-looking bald man, who looked intimidating at first glance.
Everyone present looked at Xu An in disbelief, seemingly unable to comprehend her rash decision.
"Are you sure? Won't you reconsider?" The staff member still tried to persuade Xu An, pointedly looking at the two women beside them, who were also dumbfounded.
"At this stage, I advise you to be cautious. Even if you want to find a shortcut, you should find someone of comparable skill."
Xu An smiled. "No need, it's him. Please match me."
The fierce-looking bald man ranked ninth, upon hearing that he had been designated, swaggered over, muttering curses. "Yo, I'd like to see who's so fearless they want to challenge me. Do you really think this grandpa is a pushover?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Qiang saw a tall, short-haired girl with a clear, beautiful, and cold demeanor appear before him.
He was stunned.
Liu Qiang did know Xu An. To some extent, they were "acquaintances."
For no other reason than Zhou Xiong being his former boss.
They had an mercenary team together, with him as the副队长 (vice-captain). After Zhou Xiong was crippled, Liu Qiang had naturally taken over the team and finally experienced the feeling of being domineering.
But his position as captain wasn't earned without effort.
Zhou Xiong had made Liu Qiang promise him that he would find an opportunity to eliminate Xu An before he could truly gain complete ownership of the mercenary team.
Honestly, if it wasn't a last resort, Liu Qiang didn't want to encounter Xu An.
Unlike Zhou Xiong, although he was also lecherous, greedy, and enjoyed being domineering, he was very perceptive. He always managed to skillfully avoid those "chosen ones" and tried his best not to offend them.
Coupled with his relatively honest and law-abiding behavior, his life on the lighthouse was barely bearable.
Liu Qiang had intended to feign agreement with Zhou Xiong. After Zhou Xiong was discharged from the hospital, his condition had not improved. His leg, which was only slightly lame, somehow became completely useless.
In the end, it was Zhou Xiong who exhausted his savings for an amputation surgery.
But what followed was a high fever reaction after the surgery.
...The grim reaper seemed to be following Zhou Xiong like a shadow, but what was most remarkable was that even now, Zhou Xiong was still clinging to life.
However, Liu Qiang didn't see it that way. He believed that someone on the lighthouse wanted Zhou Xiong dead but was hesitant to act due to the lighthouse's laws.
This was why they resorted to such methods, aiming to get rid of Zhou Xiong. He never expected Zhou Xiong to be so tough that he wouldn't die.
"Are you sure you want to challenge me?" Although Liu Qiang's demeanor was fierce, he desperately hoped Xu An would retreat and choose someone else.
It wasn't that he was afraid of Xu An, but rather he was unsure whether he should kill Xu An, and whether the person behind Xu An would retaliate against him.
Xu An nodded firmly. She had no idea about the relationship between Liu Qiang and Zhou Xiong. Her reason for choosing Liu Qiang was very simple: she felt that among the top ten, only Liu Qiang was someone she could potentially defeat, giving her a higher chance of winning.
She calculated that if she won against Liu Qiang, combined with Liu Qiang's points, her ranking would steadily be among the top three.
This way, regardless of any mistakes she might make in the subsequent matches, she would ultimately secure a spot in the top ten.
Liu Qiang looked at Xu An's answer, his heart bleeding, but he showed no outward emotion.
He deliberately looked at Xu An with disdain. "Since you want to court death, I will grant your wish."
Although this statement was meant to insult and mock Xu An, for some reason, Xu An felt that the man named Liu Qiang opposite her was a bit nervous.
Behind Xu An was Zhou Haimei. She looked at Liu Qiang disdainfully. "Who dies is not yet decided. Why are you yapping now!"
"I also want to use points to challenge. I want to challenge the sixth-ranked!"
The staff member was stunned in place. His mind held only one thought.
"Are these two women crazy?!"