Chapter 97: The One Who Must Die

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The One Who Must Die

’One of those three has to die, by tomorrow night at the latest. I hope Wang Gang and Luo Jiuyin can pull their weight.’

The night passed quietly.

The next day, Shi Zhile was woken by the sound of knocking on her door.

Outside was Lan Lan’s anxious voice. "Sister Zhile, Sister Zhile, are you there? Don’t tell me you caught a fever from the rain."

Her voice was loud, attracting Wang Gang and Luo Jiuyin before Shi Zhile could even answer.

Luo Jiuyin’s voice was hoarse; she had clearly caught a cold.

"Lan Lan, stop knocking. Could Shi Zhile have gone out?"

Lan Lan answered with certainty, "No way!

I opened my door at 6 AM. I would have seen her if Sister Zhile had left. Besides, she would definitely ask me to go with her if she went out.

Sister Zhile already had a cold yesterday, and she got soaked in the rain last night. I’m afraid she has a fever."

Wang Gang lowered his eyes in thought for a moment before looking at Lan Lan. "She trusts you the most. How about we break the door down, and you try to get in?"

Shi Zhile’s heart tightened.

’All three of them are here now. If they break down the door, I could probably deduce their roles. But if they break it down, they’ll very likely team up tonight and kill me first.’

’Should I let them try?’

They were already taking action outside. After about a quarter of an hour, the door was still intact.

But that was just the result of Wang Gang acting alone. What if all three of them tried together?

She decided to stop playing dead. She would play sick instead.

Only by falling ill today could she have an excuse to rest in the cabin while giving them a chance to kill each other.

She held her face close to the fire for a moment, waiting until her cheeks were flushed red before opening the door.

Wang Gang couldn’t stop his kick in time. Just as he was about to step through the doorway, he was sent flying back by a burst of Strength.

Shi Zhile spoke with a hoarse voice. Leaning against the door with one hand and pressing the other to her forehead, she feigned weakness.

"What’s wrong?"

The three outside were all stunned, especially Lan Lan.

"Sister Zhile, are you okay? I was calling for you for a long time. When I didn’t hear you answer, I thought something had happened to you."

Shi Zhile rubbed her temples. "I have a bit of a fever. You all go do what you need to do. I’m going to get some sleep."

Lan Lan protested, "No! You’re sick. It could be dangerous if your fever gets worse. I should stay and keep you company."

"There’s no need. I’ll just sleep for a bit. Your roof was leaking last night. You should hurry and cut some reeds to patch it while the rain has stopped."

Lan Lan hesitated for a moment. "I’d like to cut some reeds, but I don’t have any tools. Sister Zhile, how about you lend me your axe for a bit?"

Shi Zhile found it amusing. ’So she really is after my axe.’

’What can I say?’

’I don’t know whether to laugh at her naivety or at myself for being such a target.’

She weakly started to close the door, her voice filled with weariness. "Okay, you go on ahead. I’ll send you the axe once I’ve recovered a bit of my energy."

Opening the panel and retrieving items required the support of one’s Spirit Value. While the actions themselves didn’t consume any, one couldn’t open the panel or access items if their Spirit Value was too low or their body was too weak.

Therefore, using weakness as an excuse wouldn’t arouse Lan Lan’s suspicion.

Besides, after spending the last few days together, Lan Lan was almost certain that Shi Zhile was easy to fool, so she believed her without a shred of doubt.

"Okay, I’ll go over now. I’ll cut some extra reeds and fix your roof too."

Wang Gang and Luo Jiuyin hadn’t left yet. After speaking, Lan Lan used the excuse of eating breakfast to return to her own cabin.

Half an hour later, after confirming that the other two were not in their rooms, Lan Lan finally headed for the swamp.

After Lan Lan left, Wang Gang emerged from behind the courtyard and followed her.

Once she was sure the two of them were a good distance away, Luo Jiuyin started tailing them as well.

Outside the courtyard, all was silent. Shi Zhile hid in her cabin, leisurely chewing on some beef.

"System, who do you think will be the first of the three to die?"

A cold voice replied, sounding bored.

"Lan Lan, obviously. You revealed her location to Wang Gang and Luo Jiuyin. With two people after her, she’s definitely going to die."

"Two people will probably die today. Now guess which one will be the last one standing."

"Either Wang Gang or Luo Jiuyin. But if I have to pick just one, you’ll definitely be the one to survive."

Shi Zhile was exceptionally pleased with the System’s sweet-talking. It was finally no longer the infuriatingly snarky System it used to be.

"You’re a real scheming bastard. You look like a good person on the surface, but you’re full of malicious plots. It makes no sense that you’d get screwed over by someone else. If you really do get taken out, it just means you’re a really stupid scheming bastard."

Shi Zhile: "..."

’I take it back.’ The System was still the same old System—a real smart-mouth!

"Luo Jiuyin will be the one who survives out of the three."

"Why?"

Shi Zhile didn’t give a reason. "Wanna bet? If I win, you let me make an extra wish today."

The System’s interest was piqued, and its speech quickened.

"And if you lose? Do I deduct today’s wish?"

"No way. If I lose, I’ll help you steal Jiang Yuxing’s energy. A guaranteed success."

"You have a way to steal energy? You really have a way to steal energy? You’re not just trying to trick me, are you?!"

"Believe it or not. Are we betting or not?"

"We’re on. But I’m also betting that Luo Jiuyin will live."

Shi Zhile laughed, angered by its shamelessness. "You’re a sore loser. Let’s call the bet off then."

Hearing Shi Zhile call off the bet, the System’s craving for another person’s energy made it itch with unbearable anxiety.

’But Zhile already said Luo Jiuyin would live. Is there any point in me betting on Wang Gang?’

’But if I don’t bet on Wang Gang, she won’t play with me. It’s just one wish, after all. I can afford that.’

"Fine, I’ll bet with you. I bet that Wang Gang will survive today."

"Wrong! You should say you’re betting that Wang Gang will be the sole survivor out of everyone."

"No way, that’s not what we just said."

Shi Zhile had calmly seen through all three of their schemes. There was no way Wang Gang would be the last one alive. If his chance of surviving among the three was 33%, then his chance of being the sole survivor out of everyone was 0.

’This is a fucking guaranteed loss for it.’

Shi Zhile said, "Fine, fine, fine, okay, okay, okay. The one who survives out of the three. You bet on Wang Gang, I bet on Luo Jiuyin. The bet is set. No changes."

As long as she didn’t leave her cabin, she was completely safe.

So, after she stopped teasing the System, Shi Zhile immersed her consciousness in her space to raise cattle, chickens, and ducks.

This was something she had to do every day. Although her head would throb for half the day afterward, over time, she found that she could bring out more and more supplies, and her consciousness could stay inside for longer and longer periods.

「By the Swamp」

Lan Lan circled the area for a moment. Only after confirming no one else was around did she head into the reeds.

The reeds were tall, and their leaves had sharp edges. It was easy to get cut if you weren’t careful.

Lan Lan opened her panel, only to find that Shi Zhile hadn’t sent her the axe at all.

She cursed under her breath and typed out a line of text.

"Sister Zhile, you forgot to send me the axe."

Before she could receive a reply, the faint sound of footsteps came from behind her.