The progress of this mission was indeed close to what Nan Yue had estimated.
It was best to leave on the third day; by the fourth day, it would be extremely dangerous.
【On the third day, a joint streaming interface will be opened for all members. The platform will issue a single mission, and the streamers' performance will be primarily scored by the audience.】
The streaming rules had even changed today; twenty small boxes appeared on the screen, each containing the face of a surviving streamer.
The audience could click directly on whoever they wanted to watch.
【Third-day streamer mission: Proceed to the Lake-center Pavilion.】
Upon seeing this line of blood-red text, everyone's expression turned grim.
The few remaining NPCs were pale with fright; the Zhou residence was already crawling with ghosts, shattering their previous worldviews.
The Lake-center Pavilion looked dangerous at a glance; it wasn't on land, but isolated in the middle of a lake. If anything happened, they would be isolated with no one to call for help.
The scavengers thought even further ahead. The advantage of this rule change was that they could act together, which would theoretically be safer.
However, the disadvantage was that they were no longer streaming in turns but all at once, making the already existing issue of competition even more severe.
Comparing the performance of different people on the same mission would make the gaps too obvious, and tips and viewers would naturally gravitate toward those at the top.
Nan Yue had no doubt that the top spots would be held by the five of them, but she didn't want the only survivors of this mission to be just their group.
"What do you all think?"
Most of the scavengers had already gathered there due to the notification on the stream. Nan Yue saw You Teng, with whom she had clashed before; his team of four had dwindled to just him and a tall, beautiful woman.
Everyone stared at their phone screens in silence. They had been watching the streams and knew very well that Nan Yue's group was the strongest among the scavengers this time.
If they simply started now, Nan Yue's team would undoubtedly complete the mission quickly and leave.
But the rest of them would be in trouble.
"Does it matter what we think?" You Teng gave a bitter smile. "This is a rare competitive mission. If our skills are inferior, we just have to yield."
Nan Yue looked at him indifferently. "A competitive mission implies I have to kill you to survive. Has it really come to that yet?"
You Teng opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
"The tips are secondary right now. The main thing is that the pavilion looks extremely dangerous."
Shi Nan, standing next to You Teng, spoke up. She paced back and forth irritably. Tips could be earned slowly, but whether they would even be alive to earn them once they stepped onto that pavilion was another story.
"So, you actually think the danger of going to the pavilion is too high."
You Teng was still bitter about Nan Yue taking their genealogy record and snapped back, "Don't you think it's dangerous?"
Nan Yue nodded. "Of course it's dangerous. That's why I have a plan you can consider."
"We will go to the Lake-center Pavilion first. With our experience, it will be much safer for you to follow."
"But if you go first, you'll definitely get a lot of tips."
You Teng gave a cold sneer.
Nan Yue admitted it without hesitation. "That's a certainty. However, once we come down from the pavilion, regardless of whether we've left the mission, we won't participate in today's tasks anymore. The audience will still want to watch the stream, so even if you aren't the first to go, you'll still get your tips."
You Teng wanted to say more, but Nan Yue had lost her patience.
"I'm not your nanny. Do I really need to help you figure out a way to clear the stage that is both safe and efficient?"
You Teng's chest tightened with anger at her retort. Nan Yue ignored him and looked at the other scavengers and NPCs.
"You can also go together. I won't force you to stay. If you think the tips are worth gambling your lives for, feel free."
"This is just a suggestion."
Zhang Xuyang asked, "If we go to the island together, can we look out for each other?"
Nan Yue remembered him; his ability was decent, but only decent, roughly on par with Xu Yuan.
But she asked herself: if the danger was enough to make Zhu Xi Ning wary, someone like Xu Yuan would likely struggle to make it back in one piece.
The difficulty of this mission lay in the fact that, unlike other missions where scavengers didn't necessarily have to visit the most dangerous spots or confront the boss to finish a purification, this mission required everyone to go to the pavilion.
It was a forced exploration of the most dangerous location, a true test of ability.
That was why Nan Yue proposed this method. She would scout the path. The death rules would likely be the same; while she might still die if her luck was bad, knowing what to expect would prevent them from flailing blindly.
"No."
Zhang Xuyang looked disappointed, as did the other scavengers. If Nan Yue were willing to look out for them, their survival rate would skyrocket.
"But doing so would increase everyone's survival chances, and your strength won't affect your tips."
Zhang Xuyang tried to push further, knowing the first wave to the pavilion would definitely earn more tips.
Nan Yue looked at him and asked sincerely, "I don't care about tips, but I do care about our safety. Why should I sacrifice my safety and that of my teammates to protect you?"
Zhang Xuyang was silenced. In any other mission, he wouldn't even have entertained the thought; he knew scavengers relied on their own skills.
Even the most powerful high-level players wouldn't dare claim they were 100% safe, let alone offer to help others.
As long as no one stabbed him in the back, he would be grateful.
But this mission was so unusual, and Nan Yue had, to some extent, been looking out for them, which made him think she might be willing to take care of them.
"No problem, Sister Nan. Be careful. We'll wait for you to come back."
Xu Yuan had long since seen through these people's thoughts. He had felt particularly sympathetic toward Nan Yue since their time at Zhengmiao School.
Because she was strong and kind-hearted, people always tried to morally blackmail her.
Xie Nanchen adjusted his glasses nearby. "Yes. The danger of the pavilion is greater than the value of the tips. Please go ahead and scout the way, Sister Nan."
Yellow Hair was somehow still alive; he and Bai Qing were shivering as they flanked Qingfeng.
"Why do we have to go up there... I don't want tips anymore... I just want to go home."
Zhu Xi Ning looked at him with some sympathy. "Because if you don't complete the mission announced by the platform, you'll die too."
"Did you forget? The rules say everything must prioritize the platform's interests. You can't offend the audience, and you certainly can't offend the platform."
"Even if you don't want the tips, you still have to go to the island."
Zhu Xi Ning threatened him in a drawn-out voice, "Otherwise, you'll die."
Rate on N.U.
