Chapter 867: Reptile Appreciation

Number 73 from the first round had already demonstrated to everyone present that ordinary people would find it very difficult to pass. Although it had been a black ball task just now, the stated danger level was 75%, but in reality, going in meant a hundred percent danger.

Number 229 said uneasily, "You're willing to bring me along? I might not be of any help."

"That doesn't matter." Player Number 91 said softly, "Choosing the yellow ball is already helping me."

Number 229 took it in, hesitated for a moment, then chose the yellow ball. Across from him, Player Number 91 also chose the yellow ball.

When the Host announced the result, Number 229 visibly let out a breath of relief.

But he had relaxed too soon.

The yellow ball did seem like the best choice, but when placed between players and ordinary people, a new problem arose. Whose difficulty level would the task be based on?

"Number 229 and Number 91's task venue is the zoo. The task they've drawn is: complete a breeding record for golden-backed lizards!"

The two of them dropped down together, and the Projection switched to a stretch of yellow sand. The Host gave a brief introduction. "The golden-backed lizard is a lizard variant that lives in the desert area. Because this lizard's back is golden and it has extremely high medicinal value, while earning this name, it also attracted the covetous attention of hunters. Combined with the golden-backed lizard's low reproductive drive, it gradually became an endangered animal, so people had no choice but to assist in their survival and reproduction."

"Number 229 and Number 91 have already entered the Breeding Zone. Their task is to help a pair of golden-backed lizards mate and record the entire process. Of course, this Breeding Zone has eleven males but only one female. Before completing the record, the first thing they need to do is catch the lizards..."

Before the Host finished speaking, Player Number 91's figure moved abruptly, shifting to a spot five meters away and plunging his hand into the sand. Then he yanked upward, and a golden-backed lizard appeared in the Projection.

Number 229 quickly closed in and had just reached out to take it when the golden-backed lizard sliced off his finger. If Number 91 hadn't retreated with quick eyes and hands, his entire palm would probably have been cut off too!

"It seems Number 229 has grown complacent. Although it's 25%, this is still a white ball task based on player strength, so it's equally very dangerous for ordinary people."

Dangerous was an understatement. In the next instant, even Player Number 91 came under attack. Two lizards had hollowed out the sand beneath his feet, causing him to suddenly sink. The two lizards drilled out from under the sand dune, one on each side, and bit onto his arms with astonishing speed. The captured lizard successfully broke free, and all three slipped back beneath the sand together, but they did not move far away.

Not only did they not move far away, several small sand ripples even appeared in other nearby spots. Clearly, those were the remaining golden-backed lizards.

The Host's laughter was hearty. "The golden-backed lizard has a low reproductive drive, but it is an exceptionally united group. It looks like Number 229 and Number 91 won't be able to complete their task for quite a while. Let us return to the Three-Color Showdown."

New numbers appeared on the large screen, and Xu Huo also found the person paired with him, a player.

The other party nodded at him in acknowledgment and had no intention of communicating with him ahead of time.

Xu Huo did not go out of his way to approach. Instead, he focused his energy on the task that would appear next.

The Host said the adventure tasks in the Three-Color Showdown came from children's hands, and that was probably true. Things like planting flowers and trees, observing small animals mating, or visiting some place all counted as normal childhood experiences. It was just that the difficulty of the task venues and contents had been increased.

So far, ten people had done tasks, covering all three difficulty levels. The places that had appeared included the zoo, the botanical garden, a museum, and a specimen room. The locations repeated, and the tasks were highly varied in form.

"Will we die?" The two women who had met on the bus were saying their goodbyes. They were the next pair.

The Long-Haired Woman stroked Xiaoxiao's hair. "Don't be afraid. No matter what happens, we'll be together."

"Can I ask a question now?" Xu Huo raised his hand toward the sky, and after the Host nodded, he asked, "Can contestants forfeit during a task? After forfeiting, can they return to the Plaza?"

"Unfortunately, no," the Host replied.

"Isn't that obvious? How could they let you forfeit?" The person beside Xu Huo muttered under his breath. "This cowardly, and he still calls himself a player!"

Xu Huo did not pay it any mind. Being unable to forfeit meant that aside from completing the task, participants had no other way to return to the Friendship Garden Plaza. This clearly placed completing the task above the establishment of friendship between teammates. From this point of view, the "You're Well, I'm Well" program team's scoring segment was quite arbitrary.

Not giving specific scoring criteria before the competition felt more like deliberately blurring this segment.

If that were the case, then there was a very high probability that the "friendship" judged by the "You're Well, I'm Well" program was not the "pure friendship" required by the game task. In other words, meeting the program's "friendship" criteria would not necessarily mean clearing the dungeon.

Of course, it was also possible that the "friendship" required by the game task did not encompass all segments of the program.

But judging from the current situation, the possibility that the game task's difficulty exceeded the program's difficulty was greater.

Those two women began their joint task. What they had to do was assemble a skeletal specimen. They had to fish bones out of a pool full of piranhas five meters deep, but the bottom of that pool clearly contained more than one set of remains, and the school of piranhas was also a hassle.

This was another task that could not be completed in a short time.

Attention returned to the Plaza. This time it was Xu Huo and Player Number 64's turn.

The two stood on either side of the large screen without communicating. Xu Huo chose the white ball first.

Players could borrow items or judge what ball their opponent had chosen based on the reactions of those around them. The program team did not prohibit this. It was also because of this that several earlier pairs of players had delayed until the final countdown before making their choices, guarding against the other side playing dirty while also suffering tremendously themselves.

Xu Huo chose the white ball first, extending an olive branch.

Player Number 64 also chose the white ball.

"This is the first pair of guests today to both choose the white ball," the Host said, perking up. "Who knows whether they can become today's first pair to obtain friendship!"

"First, let's see which guest will carry out the task... Alright, congratulations, Number 313, you are this round's lucky one!"

Xu Huo smiled and nodded at Number 64.

"Then the location he drew is the zoo, and the task is reptile appreciation. He needs to observe at least three kinds of living reptiles up close and photograph their bellies."

As soon as the Host finished speaking, the block beneath Xu Huo's feet rapidly descended, and he fell along with it into a dark Pod. After running at high speed for about five seconds, the Pod door opened, revealing a large tree acting as cover outside, situated in a jungle crowded with vegetation.

The smell of greenery mixed with the domineering scent of animals marking their territory rushed into his nostrils. Xu Huo walked out under the Pod's prompt. The door had just closed behind him when a python slithered toward him from the front.

Snakes actually do not crawl very fast, but this python's speed was astonishingly quick. It forcefully broke through the dense plants and charged right up to him!